Not Strong Enough

Caught

I don’t remember how I got into my room or my bed, but I finally slipped into oblivion.

It seemed almost like the next second, Josh was kicking me awake, “Oi! Sleepyhead! Wake up!” he shouted.

I cracked open half an eye to see that he had changed into a fresh set of clothes. There was no way to tell whether he had slept or not, “Go away, Josh.”

“Yeah, right! Up you get! It’s a new day! With new beginnings!”

I groaned as I roll over, trying to avoid him, “That is the command of your Alpha! Go away Josh, and quit bothering me.” I mumbled.

But Josh is nothing if not persistent. So he finally succeeded in making me get up and walk groaning and complaining to the washroom so that I could get ready for school.

Half an hour later, I was dozing on the breakfast table, while Josh was blabbling something in the baground trying to keep me awake. I grunted periodically to show him that I was aware and listening, but like I said before, I was dozing.

“Claire.”

Grunt.

“Claire!”

Huff.

“CLAIRE!”

I jerked upright. “What? I am listening!”

“I am driving you to school today. There is no way you can drive yourself.”

I just shrugged and closed my eyes.

Sometime later, I don’t have any idea how long, but I was slowly and lazily making my way through the corridors. I couldn’t be bothered to look where I was going, so I just kept my eyes closed as I made my way towards what I had hoped to be the general direction of my locker. I made my way, occasionally bumping into people, and not even trying to apologize. All I really wanted to do right now, was curl up right here, and go to sleep.

And then I bumped into someone again, really hard this time. My eyes flew open as I started falling. All thoughts of sleep flew out of the window as the adrenaline kicked in. But there was nothing I could do to stop the fall.

Hands caught me again, and I looked in the eyes of Alpha Gabriel Hawke.

Tingles shot up my arm, and I felt a knot in my stomach, which was confusing. This hadn’t happened the last time.

As soon as realization hit me, I shut my eyes as tightly as I could.

I had forgotten to wear my lenses.

And now, I was in Alpha Hawke’s arms, I just hoped he hadn’t got a whiff of what was going on. I went limp in his arms, my eyes shut tight, praying with all my might that he hadn’t realized what we were. How could I have been so stupid? This was more than just carelessness, it was negligence. If Gabriel found out about our bond, things would get really rough for my pack, and it would all be my fault. What kind of Alpha was I becoming?

A really sleepy one, I thought. Disgust filled me, and I felt a sour taste in my mouth. I was disappointed in myself. Now I realized how easy it easy it is to criticize people from afar. I remember that Dan had always been sleepy too, lumbering around, half asleep. And how we used to make fun of him, for being fat and lazy, and doing nothing but sleep all day. Two days in his shoes, and I was already sleepwalking through the corridors. How long before I became exactly like him?

No. It was my wolf that had come forward, We are better than him, and we are going to prove it.

I was still too disappointed in myself to really believe her, but I said nothing. I needed to get my shit together. This was no way for an Alpha to behave. My pack expected more of me, Josh expected more of me, I expected more of me. And I was going to live up to all those expectations, and more. I was going to take my pack to new heights, and make it the strongest packs in the world.

“Alpha Claire?” The voice was husky and deep, and it had a hint of worry and tenderness to it, and hot air gently ticked the tender skin on my neck. Still, I kept my eyes firmly shut.

“Alpha Claire?” he asked again, this time, more urgently, “Are you alright?”

I kept my eyes tightly shut, and didn’t say a word. I couldn’t afford to open my eyes right now, or everything I had hoped to achieve would become secondary to the mate wars. He would chase after me, and all my efforts and my energies would be directed towards avoiding him. It would unnecessarily complicate things. I could not- would not- open my eyes.

He tried once or twice again, but I stayed limp, with my eyes shut tightly. He lifted me up bridal style, and a host of sensations exploded through me. I was pressed close to him, and it felt like every part of my body was on fire. These sensations were totally alien to me, but they felt really good, and I never wanted them to stop. Those seconds in my arms were the best seconds of my life. I relished and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

Finally a door opened, and he put me down on something soft and comfortable.

I sighed in discontent; I enjoyed being in his arms way more than I should have.

“What happened to her?” an old female voice asked softly.

“I walked right into her in the corridor, and she lost consciousness.” Gabriel replied.

I kept lying limp, trying to keep my breathing from hitching when I heard his voice.

“You must have bumped into her pretty hard, for her to go unconscious.” There was disbelief in the lady’s voice, but I also sensed the underlying humor.

“I swear I didn’t, but she just closed her eyes, and – sort of- just went limp.” Gabriel said.

“Okay, let her rest, and I will take care of her, and see that she gets better. You can go attend your classes now.”

“No, that is no problem; I would rather stay and make sure she is ok.”

I have no idea why my chest soared the way it did, when I heard those words.

“Gabriel, you need to keep up with your studies. I will take care of her, stop worrying.” The lady’s voice was stern, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“It’s not like that!” Gabriel tried again.

“Then explain to me how it is, because the way I see it, you are more concerned for her than you should be.”

“Look, I-“Gabriel started, but she cut him off. It was easy to judge, that the lady and he shared a very warm relationship. The love and warmth in her voice showed that she treated him almost like a son. Even hearing Gabriel’s voice, I could see that he loved and respected this woman. They were friendly towards each other.

“Don’t even bother lying and making up some excuse. I have known you since you were a kid. So either speak the truth, or I am personally going to kick your ass out right now.”

“Fine!” Gabriel surrendered, and then lowered his voice so low that even with my enhanced Alpha hearing, I had to strain to catch what he was saying, “Look, I am not sure about this. And don’t tell anyone. But I need to look this girl in the eye.”

“Why?” the lady’s voice was equally low, and doubt laced her voice.

“She wouldn’t meet my eyes today. We made eye contact for a split second, and-“ he broke off.

Dread filled my body, and I went as still as a stone.

 He knew. He knew about us.

 It was all over.

Hey guys! 

Thanks so muc for all the votes and comments. I am so glad you are enjoying the story so far. I am going to visit the United States this week, so the updates are probably gonna be a little slow. But stick with me, and continue to show your support, and be sure to recommend the story to your friends if you have enjoyed! Your support always motivates me to do better! Thanks guys! And see you soon!

Love,

Josh