Finding My Mate

Finding My Mate [13]

Yay! Reached the 1,500 mark, thanks everyone!

"Gabrielle?" A deep, husky voice asked. I could feel a firm arm supporting my back, trying to make me sit up. 

"Urgh," I gurgled, my eyes cracking open slightly, but everything I saw was a bit of a hazy blur, green, browns were all mixed together and I rubbed my eyes trying to make my vision clearer. 

"Gabrielle?" The voice repeated. "Are you okay?" 

I opened my eyes properly to meet one of Noah's friends balanced on his knees as he asked me again. My eyes darted from him to the other friends who were crowding round, I tried to see if Noah was there but he wasn't. They were all stood there, shirtless but still in their pants, all of their eyes tinted dark with the same tattoo of a wolfs face on their left arms, each one decorated with a slightly different, detailed pattern. 

"Can I join the club?" I cringed at my bad joke as I pointed to his left arm, his eyebrows furrowed. "You know, with the matching tattoos and all?" 

He chuckled deeply before shaking his head. "Uh, I think Noah wants to tell you something."

"But Noah isn't here." I said, bemused. 

"Well he will be, soon." His friend said almost hopefully before he turned to the rest of the group and caught their eye contact as if he were sending them a signal or something. 

"What's going on?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking at them but they ignored me. "What is this whole thing?" I repeated.

One of them opened their mouth to respond but then five, huge, bulking animals came charging towards us, bigger than any bears, their coats were a dark chocolate color and they're eyes were glittering. Instead of running away the group formed into a line and started charging at them in the same direction, simultaneously jumping in the air, their tattoos were a gold-ish silvery color and they're eyes had turned a murky pool of black. They then shifted into matching animals except their coats were darker and thicker, one more jump in the air and they clashed, each of them pawing each other and opening their big jaws to rip flesh from their opponent, the other team was outnumbered five, ten and fled soon after. 

I think I was still gripping onto a tree and whimpering when they found me. Noah was there this time, shirtless, I would've probably drooled and blushed but I was kind of out of it, even when he ran his hand through my hair. 

"Gabrielle?" He asked softly but I turned away calmly, stood up and walked back in the same direction hoping that it would be a dignified exit and I wouldn't trip over a branch or something. 

I ignored their calls of my names but I think Noah ordered them or something to not follow after me, the sky was now dark by the time I found the school and I was kind of still creeped out by what happened in the woods and being alone in the woods itself. I was curious, I wondered what happened to the guys after I left, were they still there? 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and checked through my texts, my eyes scanning through ones saying that Chloe's mum would take Lola for the rest of the week while I relaxed, I was working to hard. I smiled slightly and was grateful, I didn't think I was in the right mind to go and pick up Lola. 

"Hey," I turned to see Josh, disheveled and smiling crookedly at me. 

"Hi," I nodded curtly, still shivering from the cold. It didn't seem like our conversation was going to go very far so I walked slowly to my car and fumbled my shaking hands through my bag to find the keys. 

"Gabby, do," Josh's voice went a bit hoarse. "I mean, do you want to grab something to eat? I know a cute place up the road, we can walk if you like." He offered. Wait was Josh asking me on a date? I looked at my trembling hands and my stomach grumbled. 

I looked up at him. "Sure, that would be great." 

"Awesome," 

"Hey, did you actually call that place up the road 'cute'?" I chuckled awkwardly trying to make conversation. 

He looked at me happily, his eyes gleaming. "Yeah, I guess I did."

*_*_*

Dinner with Josh felt effortless, just like it used to but this time I didn't blush every time he teased me or complimented me or get a fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach every time our hands accidentally touched. Those things only happened with Noah now, it had stopped with Josh for good. I didn't want to like Noah anymore, I wanted to be left alone for myself so I could continue like I always did. Damn, why did I have to go into the woods? I kept replaying what I'd witnessed over and over in my head, sometimes spacing out when Josh was talking to me. I was shocked, was that really possible maybe I was scared and my imagination made it up, but I couldn't. What had actually happened there?

"Listen, I was thinking," Josh said looking at me and my eyes shifted uncomfortably to meet his. "That we could get back together." My eyes widened so he was trying to get back together with me again, that's what this whole dinner was about. He sighed when I didn't reply. "I've missed you, we were great together."

"Were being the past tense." I muttered loudly enough for him to hear and his head drooped slightly and his eyes flashed with anger. "I don't want to be with anyone right now and what you did, when you," I grimaced. "When you cheated on me, I don't think I'll be able to get over that. If this was what this whole dinner was about, getting back together then," My voice trailed off. "I just can't, I'm sorry Josh." 

"It's Noah isn't it." He looked at me coldly. "You like him now, well let me just tell you he isn't everything he seems. He's got secrets, big secrets."

"No Josh, I don't like Noah, I just don't want to get back together, I just want to be left alone." I said simply, standing up and placing my half of the money on the table. "Thanks for dinner." But he stood up and stopped me. 

"Josh what are you doing?" I asked pulling away. "Move," 

"No." 

"What? Josh stop being childish, just move." He turned and moved to the side allowing me to walk through. 

"Bye Josh," I turned my head and walked out, stumbling back to school. 

"Gabrielle," My heart fluttered slightly at the realization who called my name. 

Noah. 

"I don't have time for this," I said, nodding curtly at him before getting in my car and ignoring my heart that was racing at just seeing him. My foot slammed on the accelerator and drove off, not knowing where I was going to go.