The Gift chronicles novel Chapter 2

Book 2 Chapter 5

I opened my eyes and smiled sheepishly at the two men who were staring expectantly at me. "Hey, guys. Is anyone hungry? I'm kind of hungry right now. I could really go for a burger, maybe some pizza, ooh or maybe a—".

"Mate. I know you were listening in on the conversation, and I know you're trying to change the subject. You're not getting out of this," Thane plainly spoke, his eyes not giving away any emotion.

"And how would you know that?" I scoffed, raising my eyebrows.

Greyson interjected, "Oh, did he not tell you? Alphas can read their mates' mind. So he's been listening in on your thoughts this whole time."

"What?!" I shrieked, thinking of all of the thoughts I had about how hot Thane is, and how much I hate his cousin.

"Little one, it's not like that. I have tuned into your thoughts a couple times, but I promise I'm not just constantly listening in on what you're thinking. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay," Thane explained, and glared at Greyson for exposing him.

"Well stop!" I exclaimed, panicked and feeling very violated. "I have personal thoughts! Things I don't want you to know!"

Thane frowned at this, and was about to respond when Greyson jumped in. "You can block out his thoughts. Just imagine a wall around your mind closing him out."

"You know an awful lot about Alphas, Rogue. What pack were you originally from?" Thane asked suspiciously.

"That's not your fucking business," Grey spat out venomously.

I did as Grey instructed, and felt a pressure I didn't notice until it was gone dissipate. "Can you still hear my thoughts?" I asked Thane tentatively.

"No," He grumbled, and continued to look at Grey as if he would rip off his head at any moment.

"But Nyx, you can't keep trying to distract us. You need to choose who you'll be going with," Grey pointed out, folding his arms and staring at me seriously. I almost didn't recognize him like this, he was usually so full of laughter and jokes.

"Can't you come to Thane's territory too?" I pleaded to Greyson, and reached out and grabbed his hand.

"No," Grey harshly snarled, making me flinch. "I never want to be a part of a pack again. If you saw the brutality of packs, you would understand."

"He's my mate," I whispered. "I have to go with him."

"Onyx, you don't have to do anything. Why do you have to go with him? Because some controlling, sexist Goddess decided you should be linked with him forever? We have something between us even without some unnatural mating bond. Something real. I know you feel it too, I smelt your desire before Thane came crashing in. Cmon Nyx, you could never be an Alpha's mate. You're far too pure," Grey insisted, his eyes searching mine for any sign of agreement.

"Okay, I've let this go on long enough," Thane stepped in. "This isn't fucking Twilight. There's no love triangle. Onyx is mine and mine alone. There is no doubt about that. Whatever you had with her before ended the minute I set my eyes on her. If you don't accept that, then I will accept your death."

Thane's expression was neutral, but I could see his eyes blazing with fury. I wondered how close his wolf was to surfacing. Something told me there was a reason why Thane wasn't shifting around me.

Trying to distract him so he didn't try killing Greyson, I blurted out, "Eclipse!"

Both of the men looked at me in confusion. "Did she hit her head?" Thane asked Greyson.

Greyson opened his mouth to respond when I interrupted, desperate to cool the tension in the room. "You said Twilight. But the love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob isn't really prominent until Eclipse, the third book in the saga. In Twilight, Jacob isn't even really in the book. And then Edward leaves for most of the second, so it's actually not until Eclipse that th—"

Thane interrupted my babbling by holding up his hand. For some reason, he looked so dominating doing that, that I instantly stopped speaking and waited for his next command. Wtf? I knew that wasn't coming from me, so it had to be my wolf wanting me to follow Thane's orders.

"Onyx, enough rambling please. I'm not going to kill the pup unless if he tries to stop you from coming with me," Thane was calm, but his threat was clear.

Greyson snarled. "I will rip your throat out if you call me pup one more time."

Thane gave a cold smile. "I would love to see you try, pup."

Greyson started shaking so badly with anger I was sure that he would shift. Thane grinned when he effectively provoked Grey, and cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Stop! If you two don't knock it off, I'm not going with either one of you," I scolded them, trying to sound serious. In reality, I knew my threat had little to no merit. They could both easily overpower me and take me with them, but hopefully my threat would come across as serious regardless.

Thane chuckled. "You're coming with me, little one, whether I kill this mutt or not. We are mates. I know you may not fully understand what that means now, but you will soon." Thane placed a large hand on the side of my face and stroked my cheek with his thumb. I felt like I was under a spell as I stared into his vibrant green eyes and felt electricity where his skin touched mine.

After a few moments, I heard a cough. "Are you done making puppy dog eyes at each other yet? Regardless of what you say, the choice is really up to Onyx. Do you want to go with him, Nyx?" Grey spoke, making me jump away from Thane's touch.

"Yes," I answered firmly. "He's my mate. But that doesn't mean I don't want you in my life, Grey. I want you to come too," I pleaded.

"No," Greyson firmly responded. "Once you see how Alphas truly are, you'll regret choosing him. I'll be there when you realize it. Goodbye, Nyx. I'll see you soon."

With that, he disappeared, turning invisible and going who knows where.

Thane grinned. "Now that that's all sorted out, it's time for you to come home, little one."

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