Chapter 151: Isana's Run

Gabriel moved his arms to clutch around Isana's neck. His body moved along with hers; if it wasn't for the fact that he had to hold onto her like he might fall off at such speed, he'd compare the experience to riding a horse. But Isana had landed at the bottom of the cliff and continued to sprint across the field; Gabriel could feel the buzz of excitement from the wolf and couldn't help but laugh. He felt exhilarated by the speed and straightened up, raising his arms and feeling the wind rush beneath them.

In all the years he'd been alive, he never expected to find himself riding a werewolf across a valley in the middle of the night and enjoying the sense of freedom he felt from it. Somehow, after many centuries, he was still capable of experiencing new things. He looked down at Isana's head, lowering his hands to her shoulder blades to steady himself and to feel the silkiness of her fur. It was all thanks to his mate.

Esme brought life back into his cold and empty heart, warming it up without realising it with her presence alone. His mate, which he never thought was possible for someone like him after killing his first love, was a werewolf, and now that werewolf was showing her world to him. Gabriel had lived a long time, seen civilisation change, the greenery lessen as factories, cities and skyscrapers were built. He adapted and changed along with it, but here, his mate was bringing him back to nature, almost like a reminder of where he started from. 

She was his everything now. If someone tried to lay a finger on her, they would pay with a gruesome death.

"Is, where are you taking me?" He questioned in amusement as she followed along the river in the opposite direction to Chester. It looked like they were heading further away from it and more towards the mountains in the distance. He wouldn't put it past her to run that distance; she was a wolf and one that was extremely physically fit. 

"Hmm, I'm just running. Are you not enjoying yourself?" Isana replied, the delight apparent in her voice.

"Of course, I am. I am spending my time with my mate," Gabriel replied smoothly and smiled when he felt how ecstatic Isana was from the term 'mate'. She was adorable. He thought at first it would take some time before he would get accustomed to speaking to Esme's wolf-like she was also his lover, but it felt natural, and feeling her happy also made him happy. 

Isana picked up the speed, somehow finding more energy, and took a sharp right, leaping over the river, making Gabriel tumble forwards and hold onto her neck for support. He could hear the wolf make an odd barking noise that sounded awfully similar to a snicker. Did she do that on purpose!? She really was cheeky!

For the next thirty minutes, Isana ran through the woods jumping over rocks and bumpy terrain. Their conversation flowed between them like friends reuniting. Isana started to slow down to a casual stroll, returning to the valley he and Esme had walked along previously. She hopped up to the top of the cliff and stopped, lowering down once they were at the top, letting Gabriel climb off. 

After sitting on top of Isana for so long at such speeds and bumpy terrain, he could honestly say it was harder than riding a horse. His crotch felt a little bruised. He almost hobbled off and stretched his arms up before shaking his legs. Gabriel looked back at the wolf that was now relaxing on the ground, her face pointing to the scenery and appearing majestic. He moved around for a bit, letting the blood rush back through his legs before he sat down on the ground in front of Isana. 

Isana moved her back leg to rest on the vampire's legs; Gabriel glanced down at it before he felt her pushing him back into her body and putting her leg back to where it was previously. "Rest on me," She said through a yawn, her tail tapping on the ground by his side. 

Gabriel chuckled and leaned back into the warmth of her belly, resting his head back and staring at the stars. It was all very comforting, and if Finn or Ajax told him a year ago in the hunter's compound that he would be chilling so casually with a wolf-like this, and not just any wolf but his mate, he'd think they were insane. But here he was, enjoying Isana's company.

He casually checked her mind as they relaxed there in comfortable silence and was shocked to find that Esme had dozed off. Gabriel straightened and whipped his head at Isana, she appeared fine, so maybe Esme hadn't been asleep for long. "Is, you need to wake Esme up!" He bellowed into her mind. 

The wolf whined, lowering her head onto her paws and staring at him. "Why would I wake her up? She is tired. She was tired before you had your little rendezvous on the piano," She commented cheekily, her tongue flopping out of her mouth momentarily as he saw amusement flash behind her amber eyes.

"Aren't you afraid of going feral? Like that stray.. Brad? Brody?" Gabriel asked, settling back against the warmth of her belly, but he was still alert and not completely comfortable. He was still unsettled that Isana was so nonchalant about the topic.

"Hmm, you worry a lot about us. It is sweet and really nice. Esme needs that from you.. But don't forget she's not going to break like glass. We've been through a lot and something like this.. Where she can sleep while I'm awake.. is nothing to be concerned about," Isana replied calmly and sounded quite wise for someone who was much younger than him. But Is was right; they'd been through a lot, and he knew Esme looked at her past like different lives; she was wiser than her years. 

"Why shouldn't I be concerned? Have you done this a lot before?" Gabriel asked. He didn't plan on reading her mind. Instead, Gabriel wanted to enjoy Isana's company without knowing her answers before responding. After Esme's walls came down, he didn't feel it necessary to read her thoughts and memories; his mate had completely opened up to him. 

"Hmmm, as soon as I turned up. We started to train, not just physically at the Hellhounds, but we also made sure that it was possible for Esme to sleep without any worries… It was hard work at first, but it came in handy when we were running from the White Sands pack. Last year, they came incredibly close to catching us after we accidentally left a brochure behind in the warehouse we were sleeping in-"

"Warehouse?" Gabriel asked and instinctively zoned in on her thoughts. Isana was visualising the place, and he shook his head, stroking the wolf to comfort her, but if he was completely honest, it seemed to calm him more. 

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Esme had stayed in an abandoned warehouse; the roof had collapsed, some of the windows shattered, and where she was sleeping proved to look more like a spot for a homeless person. There was no bed or mattress; instead, it was a bunch of cardboard and newspaper, but there was a blanket. A thin blanket. Esme quickly got cold, most likely because of her petite frame, but she didn't once complain about staying in a filthy, brutally cold place like that. All he could see from their memories was that they thought of it as safe. 

It made Gabriel's chest tighten at the idea of her being on her own for so long and on the run, all because her first mate was a disgusting man. He couldn't even be called a man; he was a cowardly mutt who abused his mate, physically and verbally. It made him feel sick just thinking about it. Soon, Ethan's time would come.

"Yeah, we've stayed in a few odd places. The warehouse was probably the hardest. The countryside as a wolf is easier; at least with fur, we can keep warm, and hunting doesn't cost anything," Isana continued with her explanation. "Anyway, their trackers found our next destination within days of arriving there. We escaped them by running for four days non-stop. It was tiring on the body, but as long as we kept taking turns on sleeping and napping, it was fine."

Isana was so nonchalant about her comment that it made him frown. His mate should never have been through such an ordeal. But he was glad that she was skilful enough to get out of such dangers.

Gabriel looked at the wolf after she licked his face and rested her head on her paws again. She had sensed his trepidation and sought to comfort him, which in return caused him to scratch her behind the ear and pat her belly before settling back down on her again. 

He stared at the moon, for the first time thinking about the Moon Goddess and what fated path lay ahead of him and Esme. He'd never really thought about the Goddess, even though he himself came from a higher being. But since marking Esme, he found himself thinking more and more about their bond, the Goddess, the dreams and the rare gem he once nearly became mad over. It was all connected somehow, but he couldn't quite figure it out yet.

) ) O ( (   

And just like the moon,

you shall go through phases

of light

of dark 

and of everything in between.

And though you may not always appear

with the same brightness,

you are always

always

whole.

- Unknown

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