Beauty and The Beast Ch. 03

Sighing she rested her head back. "Sounds good to me. But no sex! I don't care what I say when I'm drunk, control yourself."

"Yeah, sure! Your cleavage is nicely on display in that shirt but I'll be the responsible one for both of us." He joked, playfully throwing his hands up.

"So," Gideon started, swallowing a bite of pizza. "find any hot guys in the mountains?"

Prepared for him to ask eventually, she smiled. "Oh definitely! There was this huge, mammoth Englishman who lived in a castle with a pack of wolves. He had a killer bod and a huge cock."

He nearly choked on his next bite of pizza, but managed to sputter out a laugh. "And you still came home to be friends with me? I'm flattered."

"Honestly, even if I had found someone else, I still would have come home. I am in no mindset to be in a relationship right now. I need to find myself. Get on my own feet and prove to myself that I'm capable of anything I put my mind to."

"You have to love yourself before you can love someone else." He took the words right out of her mouth.

"Exactly." They both ate in silence for a minute or two, the TV the only background noise. "So that alcohol that was promised? I could really go for some rum and cranberry juice. Is it still in the fridge?"

"Of course, like I'm going to drink that bitter ass shit you call juice."

She laughed hopping off the living room floor and into the kitchen. Things felt different between them. He no longer felt super uptight and she felt at ease, like she didn't have to hide behind a facade anymore. No more criticism, more swearing, and everything was relaxed between them now. Yet still she couldn't keep her mind off the mammoth Englishman she had left behind.

It had been two weeks and Sam felt like he was going to die. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" He growled, holding his throbbing head.

"Your wolf is punishing you for letting your mate leave you." Gabe answered nonchalantly, reading one of Sam's original copies of an Oscar Wilde novel.

"She wasn't my mate." He snapped for umpteenth time since she left.

Gabe just looked at him unimpressed, "That isn't what he thinks apparently. We could all see clearly, that you chose that woman. But you just let her waltz right out our front door without much of a fight."

Sam was taken back. Is that what everyone thought? "And do what exactly? Literally lock her away in my room? Have her love me due to Stockholm Syndrome? I'm not a monster. I'm not that desperate for a woman, that I'd take her choice away from her."

Gabe closed the book, memorizing the page he was on. "It was easy to see that that woman loved you already. You didn't need to force her to do anything or feel anything. I suggest stop acting like nothing happen, because it's eating away at your physical health. So simply start looking forward to the day she comes back to you. Because I'll bet you a hundred bucks, she'll be back at some point."

He huffed, "Alright, fine! Mr. Love Expert."

Gabe let out a loud laugh and smiled at the ornery male. "Alpha, just because I'm not mated doesn't mean I don't know or understand women. Unlike you, I haven't been holed up in the mountains like a hermit, so I've gotten my fair share of action."

He must be getting soft because these assholes have become too comfortable around him. "Get the fuck out, you little shit. Enough with the advice. Find something productive to do. Like teach Porter how to defend himself so I don't almost kill the bastard again."

Gabe just shook his head, standing up from the arm chair. "If Porter had fought back at all, you would have killed him." Sam kept quiet, trying to ignore his very true words. "It's not like we all don't see how much stronger you are then the rest of us. Now I understand you're considerably older but I know it's more than that. You are special Sam. We can all feel it, physically feel the need to please you and bow to you. I'll even be bold enough to say that, whatever power is inside of you, is the reason why you're so frigid and closed off from the world. You hate yourself for it." Without another word, he walked out, leaving a stewing Sam to think.

He hated to admit it but Gabe was right. Sam despised the power within himself, felt he didn't deserve it. But it was about time he stopped being miserable and depressed. Sam couldn't change who his ancestors were but he could change his fate and strive to build a pack his parents would be proud of. Prove to everyone that you aren't a product of your making. That you can be whoever the fuck you want to be. He was extremely smart and easily strong enough to lead a pack much larger than the twelve lycans who resided in his home. They all deserved to find mates too, even if he had potentially let his slip through his fingers. Things needed to change for the better.

Setting the pen down, he got out of his chair and headed down to the living room where he could sense everyone was. "Alright assholes, were going for a pack run. Come on." He barked out, stripping out of his clothes as he walked through the dining room to the french doors. He never checked to make sure that everyone followed before lunging off the deck naked.

Next came his favorite part. Midair, he felt each bone crack and snap, which sounded painful. But after all these years, they actually glided under his skin smoothly. His muscles stretched awkwardly as they attempted to move as fast as his bones. His skull hurt the worst, rapidly growing new bone to make up for his long snout and additional teeth. Finally his skin started tingling, almost humming as his fur sprouted from all his hair follicles almost instantly. Landing on all four feet, a complete wolf, he took off like a shot. He could hear the pounding of the other's paws hitting the ground, same as his. For the first time since the passing of his parents over a century ago, Sam finally felt like he had a family again. Maybe a bit unconventional, but he cared about them all and truly did want what was best for them. Feeling a nose touch his right hip, Sam bristled until he saw bright white. Greg, bless his soul, deserved the most. He'd been a fantastic second to Sam for the last hundred years and thought the world of him. But Sam had a tendency to be a dick and Greg usually got the brunt of it. But he always seemed to take it in stride and remain positive. It was time for a change in the Salisbury Manor and Sam knew exactly where to begin.