Chapter 837

I make it about a mile around the perimeter when suddenly I hear my name shouted angrily in the air. I spin immediately towards Gabriel, knowing that it's him - that it can only be him. I was expecting him eventually, after all. For a second I consider flitting back to the Castle and evading him more but...no. It's not necessary. This encounter is going to happen, and I don't need any more information within the Castle to elongate the chase.

He's still quite a distance away, though, so I turn and keep running, both to keep up my fa?ade of trying to escape as well as to put him through his paces a bit. Gabriel - he's annoying, and I think I'm fitter than him, so the more I can make him work to catch me the better.

It doesn't last long, though. I never had a chance - as with Rafe and Jesse and Luca and Jacks, I can't outrun those long Alpha legs. Plus, I am wearing slippers, which are very impractical for running. "Ariel!"

Gabriel snatches my arm, pulling me backwards to him, snarling with his rage.

"Let me go!" I shout, trying to rip my arm from his grip.

"God damn it, Ariel!" he shouts, smacking me hard across the face. I gasp, a hand flying to my cheek as I glare up at him.

"Stop doing that, you fucking coward!"

"Stop being disobedient, you tiny whore -"

I narrow my eyes. "How dare you. How dare you speak to me like that. How dare you hit me."

"You are my Luna," he growls,

leaning dangerously close, his

canines elongated and ready to bite. "You will do as I say and obey me. flinch back despite myself, knowing that he's lost his tempter enough now to be dangerous, and with his wolf corrupted by darkness he's doubly unpredictable.

Still, I push, knowing that my only chance to keep his mind off of whatever I was really doing outside of

my room is to distract him. "Why would I obey a pathetic little Beta prince like you," I hiss, stepping forward like I'm the one in charge.

He flinches at this, his pride clearly hurt. God, it's just...too easy to see the flinty chips in his fa?ade.

"You want your Luna to obey?" I ask, my voice dripping with

condescension. "Then be a real Alpha and give me a reason to want

to obey you. You're pathetic, Gabriel

—

- you're so weak that you need to cage your Luna instead of giving her areason to want to stand by your side. And you can't even Build the cage right."

I turn away from him, intending to stalk away.

But he just grabs me back and hits me again, this time not with his open hand. I moan a little as my head snaps to the side, as I stumble a few steps, seeing stars. I lift my hand to my jaw where pain blooms, moving it experimentally, hoping to my grandmother the Goddess that it hasn't cracked.noveldrama

"You will obey," Gabriel snarls, grasping my arm and pulling me close again. "Or god damn it, I'll make you."

He moves fast, then, ducking low to throw me over his shoulder, and I do nothing to protest. I'm distracted

by the pain but also - honestly - he's taking me back to the room, which is where I wanted to go anyway. I have plans to make, after all.

The blue light manacles appear on

my wrists as Gabriel strides back in the direction of my cage, and I bounce so roughly against my mate that it makes me suddenly aware of how gentle Jackson always was with me. After all, he's carried me over his shoulder like this

thousand times. And even when I was bleeding from an arrow in my gut, I'd swear I was more comfortable than I am right now.

God, but my new mate sucks. I scowl, wishing heartily for my Jacks, but knowing that I have a long way to

go before I can get back to him.