Unexpected Mates

Chapter 5

Gabriel and I start off slow, taking our time browsing through each shop we enter until I realize that we're gradually laughing at certain things and disliking the same items.  Despite our obvious personality differences, we actually get along really well... for the most part.

"Oh come on, how can you turn this down?"  I ask Gabriel, holding up a tropical print button up tee shirt to his chest.  His arms are crossed and he's shooting me an unimpressed look, "Gee, I wonder why."  He responds dryly. 

I giggle a bit and take one last look before placing the shirt back on the rack.  "This is the fifth place we've been to and you still haven't picked anything out yet."  Gabriel mentions, spinning the rack full of post cards quickly, making the pictures blur together.  If I did something like that, the stand would probably fall over and I'd end up breaking everything in the store like a line of crashing dominos. 

I shrug, "I've only got thirty bucks on me and I was hoping for a hoodie eventually." 

"Avery, I won't let you use your own money."  He says, his tone leaving little room for discussion.  Luckily, I don't need to discuss this; it's simply not up to him.

"I don't think you have a choice."  I murmur loud enough for him to hear as I look through some sweaters that my grandma would love.  Thinking about my grandma makes me wonder whether she's a werewolf too.  I mean, obviously she is, but it digs the knife in a little deeper.  If you'd said I'd be feeling this way a week ago, I would've laughed at you because my family obviously doesn't keep secrets.  How blind can one person be?

"Avery, what kind of Alpha am I if I can't even support my own mate?"  He growls slightly, drawing my attention away from my thoughts as he tries to stay quiet so nobody else in the little shop can hear us. 

I frown, "Do you know that whenever you're mad at me you say my name?" 

His face wrinkles in confusion, "What?"

I make my voice lower as I imitate him, "Avery, you can't use your own money.  Avery, I'm Alpha.  Avery you're a werewolf.  Avery don't speak to me like that."  I switch back to my natural voice and look up at him, "At least I don't have to wonder whether you know my name or not." 

He sends me a slightly amused but mostly unamused look and steps closer to me, his arms are crossed in front of him until one reaches out and cups my shoulder, sending goose bumps up and down my back, "I just want to take care of you."  He whispers.

I smile, "I know you do, and that means the absolute world to me, but I don't need to be taken care of..."  I pause for a moment, "Okay, I do need to be taken care of but that's only because I'm suddenly not with my parents and I don't have a job.  But these things," I lift a snow globe with the Astoria bridge in it, "Aren't necessities and you don't need to worry about them." 

"But I want to worry about them."  He says, sighing yet again as I refuse to accept what he says. 

"You know what, this is suddenly feeling way too serious for a day of adventures and fun.  How about we talk about this later?"  I ask hopefully.

He stares at me for a moment before his face softens, "As long as you promise we can actually sit down and discuss it.  No interruptions or anything." 

I nod and smirk a little, "If anything, it'll be harder for you to hold up your end of the bargain, King Gabriel." 

A deep, but soft, growl resonates from within him as his eyes light up with what I assume is happiness, "I told you not to call me that."  I teasingly called him that when we first started looking for stuff and his reaction made it too enjoyable to not call him that again.