Twisting Her Fate
Chapter 149

Lani wakes in the morning. The word wake might be a slight stretch, she hardly slept, her head is pounding from a hangover and from running every moment in the alley over and over in her mind. His voice, it was so distorted. But one thing is clear, she knows what she has to do.

It is still early. The twins aren't due to get up for another two hours. Lani showers quickly and pulls on a pair of navy blue tights and a black misfits tank top, brushing her hair and braiding it loosely down her back. Lani nods into the mirror and sneaks out of the house, walking straight toward the dungeons. Lani walks straight in and stands at the bars, Gabriel is still curled up in his luxurious bed.

"Gabriel"

Lani's voice is soft but it doesn't take much to stir the man. Gabriel sits up in the bed rubbing his eyes. He looks over at the time, slightly surprised that Lani is coming to see him so early. Lani walks straight into the cell and sits on the plush sofa.

Gabriel gets out of bed naked, pulling on a pair of shorts that he keeps near the bed. Gabriel is in the best condition he has ever been in. They feed him well and train him regularly, there is hardly an ounce of fat on him, he has done a full transformation, inside and out.

Gabriel looks at Lani's serious expression as he moves around to sit next to her on the sofa, angling his body so that he is facing her.

"What is wrong?"

Lani turns to look at Gabriel, straight into his pale blue eyes, she reaches out a hand and holds Gabriel's large hand.

"For a start, I want to thank you. I know I already have many times, but I want you to understand how truly thankful I am. You have done things for me and you really didn't have to. You didn't owe me anything" Gabriel looks away awkwardly from the intense look in those stormy blue eyes.

"Lani, I tried to kill you numerous times. I did so much wrong"

Lani shrugs and nods her head.

"But you have done so much more to make up for all that, it was all in the past..."

Gabriel's shoulders release the tension he didn't even know he was carrying.

"...I want to say I forgive you for what happened in the past. I want to thank you for what happened in the present. We are even"

Gabriel breathes out a sigh of relief. Lani has thanked him many times before, but they never really talk about the past, which still sits heavily on him. Her words go a long way to absolving his sins.

"Thank you Lani"

Lani shakes her head.

"I am finally going to do the right thing. I want you to be free, free of this cell and free of your obligation to me"

Gabriel recoils slightly, while he has been expecting something similar for a long time. It is still strange to hear the words. He understands the implication behind it. He felt her last night. It was only soft but he still felt it. "Is this about last night??"

He says softly. He is not sure why he's trying to fight this after all. He is technically still in captivity, even if it is rather luxurious captivity.

"No, it is about me finally doing the right thing and allowing you to live your life once more. It was wrong of me to keep you here for so long for my own gain"

Gabriel shakes his head.

"Apart from the whole freedom thing, I've actually lived a very good life here"

"Well, it is time you start living your own life out there Gabriel"

Gabriel's grip on Lani's hand increases in strength, he is not even sure what he's meant to do out there anymore. He doesn't really have a place left in the half moon pack. He has been gone for such a long time and left in such a bad way. "I don't even know what to do with myself"

Lani just pats his hand in a comforting motion.

"We will never just leave you out there to fend for yourself. We will be with you. We will help you get set up and work out what you want to do...."

Lani smiles gently at the man. She never thought it would come to this, three years ago. She would never have thought that the rejection would be so pleasant, so civil and that she would actually be worried about the hurt that she will cause.

"... In saying that, the first step forward for both of us, I think, is to do what we should have done so long ago..... I, Leilani Grayson, ex-alpha of the Fusion pack, here by reject you, Gabriel Hutchins, ex- alpha of the half moon pack, as my fated mate"

Gabriel feels a surge from his wolf but nothing like what he was expecting. The civil nature and the friendship they have managed to forge out of something that three years ago would have been completely unbelievable helps to soften the blow. There is a deeper understanding there now and the true appreciation between the two.

Gabriel is steady as he replies.

"I, Gabriel Hutchins, ex-alpha of the half moon pack, accept your rejection"

Lani feels nothing but she somehow knows the connection has been broken. Lani actually leans forward and embraces Gabriel. They have had very little physical contact, usually only hand holding trying to get her wolf to react, but she never feels anything. This is the first time she has had that proper contact with him. "Thank you Gabriel, now it is time for us both to move on. Are you ready?"

Gabriel smiles, feeling lighter than ever before. He never realized how much darkness he lived with before. He always assumed he was happy before, he thought he was free, but he realizes now, he never got over his mother's death. He spent all his time making sure he never felt anything again, that he became such a bad person and somehow he didn't even realize, as his main influence was exactly the same. How could he judge himself when the scale was so skewed?

***

Connor has spent the entire night pacing the city streets. He finally makes his way back to the seedy motel room, thankful that his bag is still there. He pulls the burner phone out and powers it up. His fingers quickly typing out a number and he hits the call button. The call is picked up quickly.

"This is Evie"

"Evie"

"Connor"

"How are you?"

"You first, I want to hear everything"

"Can we talk about you first?"

Connor is still not sure how to put the whole experience into words. On the other end Evie is walking through the Azure packhouse rolling her eyes, not at Connor, at the situation there.

"Well, Damon won't stop bugging me for a date, he keeps sending so many flowers that the whole pack house looks like a florist"

"Do you want to go out on a date?"

Evie stops and her fingers run over her favourite blue and purple orchid.

"I don't know Connor. Seriously, I go one way with 'he should have trusted me enough' then I go the other way and think that he got played by the same person that played me"

"I guess you have to work out whether you can get over that bridge and work out if you can trust him again"

"How can I tell if I can or not?"

"Well, go out on a date and work it out, a date isn't a lifetime commitment, tell him that it is strictly trial basis"

"I am still not sure about being intimate"

"Tell him, lay it all out, if you are honest at the start, then he has a chance to walk away if he isn't willing to wait, if he says he is willing to wait and tries anything without your consent, kick him where the sun don't shine"

"Fine, I will take your advice. Okay enough about me, where are you? What is happening?"

Connor proceeds to explain the situation. There is silence on the other end of the line. Connor waits for something but finally, when he can't take it any longer, he says.

"So what do you think?"

Evie is still stunned in place, Connor's voice brings her out of her reverie.

"WHAT DO I THINK? WHAT DO I F*CKING THINK? I think you are an absolute id*ot. Why am I taking relationship advice from you? You are thinking of just leaving it after a hot, steamy, totally smutty encounter in an alleyway, you are going to listen to a single word and not do anything about it?..."

Evie is so furious that her whole face has turned red, her hand is holding the phone so tightly it is close to breaking, her breathing is short and sharp as she rants out her frustration.

"...For two years we trained, you would tell me never give up till I reached my goal, you would tell me that if I truly wanted something there was nothing in the world that could stop me, all that motivational crap that came out your mouth, take your own advice Connor, fight for what you want. I didn't know Connor Storm was so weak, how is the stormy pack so strong when its mighty alpha backs off at the slightest inconvience.."

Evie's brow furrows as the urge to jump down the phone and strangle Connor to death almost overtakes her. She has never seen a man more in love and more sure than Connor and now she doesn't even know what is going through his mind.

"... You know where she is now. You march there right now. You tell her how you feel or goddess help me. I will hunt you down and kick YOU where the sun don't shine so hard that you will be a eunuch"

Connor is silent as he listens. He has never heard Evie speak like that at all. He is shocked, but she makes sense.

"WELL ARE YOU GOING OR NOT?"

"I am going"

Evie's voice softens and a smile appears on her face.

"Good, good luck Connor, I can't wait to see her when you get back"

Evie hangs up the phone before Connor has a chance to reply. She calls Damon straight away while she is still confident and full of words.

"Hello?"

"I will go on a date, just do not expect physical contact and you still have a lot of work to gain back my trust"

Evie's voice is still slightly raised and it seems more like an argument than an acceptance of a date, but since it is a step forward from the strictly business relationship they have had so far, Damon doesn't mind at all. "Thank you Evie, I will do whatever it takes"