Chapter 5

Gabriel’s POV

As the alpha of my pack, it was my responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of every member. But lately, my focus had been entirely on Cassandra. I couldn’t help the way I felt about her – the way her laugh sounded like music to my ears, the way her eyes sparkled when she spoke. But my feelings were complicated by the fact that I was not the only one in the pack who had taken a liking to her.

Daniel, our beta, had been spending more and more time with Cassandra lately. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy every time I saw them together. I knew I had no right to feel that way – Cassandra was not my mate, and I had no claim over her. But the thought of her being with anyone else made me feel sick to my stomach.

One evening, as we were all gathered around the fire, I noticed the way Daniel was looking at Cassandra. It was a look of admiration, of adoration, of… something more. I felt a sudden surge of anger, and before I knew it, I was on my feet.

“Daniel,” I said, my voice cold and authoritative. “I need to speak with you.”

He looked surprised but got up and followed me a few paces away from the rest of the pack.

“What is it, Gabriel?” he asked, his voice cautious.

“I’ve noticed the way you’ve been spending time with Cassandra lately,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “And I think it’s best if you stay away from her from now on.”

He looked at me incredulously. “What? Why? Is this because you have feelings for her?”

I could feel my face growing hot. “That’s none of your concern. But as the alpha of this pack, I have to consider the well-being of all members. And I don’t want any complications arising from… from this situation.”

Daniel shook his head. “Gabriel, you can’t just tell me to stay away from her because you’re jealous. That’s not fair to either of us, and it’s certainly not fair to Cassandra.”

“I’m not doing this because I’m jealous,” I snapped. “I’m doing this for the good of the pack.”

There was a tense silence between us for a few moments before Daniel spoke up again. “Gabriel, you can’t force people to stop liking someone. And even if you could, it wouldn’t be right. If Cassandra likes me, that’s her choice.”

I could feel my anger boiling over. “Then maybe you should leave this pack, Daniel. If you can’t respect the authority of the alpha, then you have no place here.”

He looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and hurt. “Is that what you really want, Gabriel? To kick me out because I’m a threat to your… your ego?”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I could feel the weight of my own words pressing down on me. But before I could respond, Cassandra appeared at my side.

“What’s going on?” she asked, looking between the two of us.

I could feel my resolve weakening. “It’s nothing, Cassandra. Just some pack business.”

But she wasn’t fooled. “No, it’s not nothing. I can feel the tension between the two of you. What’s going on?”

I looked at her, and for a moment, I felt all of my anger and jealousy fade away. All I could see was the concern in her eyes.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Cassandra,” I said, my voice softening. “Just some… misunderstandings between Daniel and me.”

She looked at both of us, and I could see the conflict in her expression. I could tell she wasn’t satisfied with my answer, but she didn’t push the issue any further. Instead, she turned to Daniel.

“Is there anything you want to say, Daniel?”

He looked at her, and for a moment, I could see the same admiration and adoration in his eyes that had caused all of this trouble in the first place.

“Yes,” he said finally. “I want to say that I won’t let anyone tell me who I can and can’t like. And I won’t let anyone force me out of this pack. If Gabriel wants to impose some arbitrary rules on me, then I’ll form my own pack and do things my own way.”

I could feel my blood run cold at his words. The idea of Daniel leaving the pack – of Cassandra leaving with him – was unbearable. But I knew that I couldn’t force them to stay.

“Daniel, please,” I said, my voice pleading. “Don’t do this. We can work something out. We can… we can come to a compromise.”

But he shook his head. “It’s too late for compromises, Gabriel. You’ve made it clear that you don’t trust me and that you don’t respect my choices. So I have no choice but to leave.”

And with that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. Cassandra looked at me with a mixture of sadness and anger before following him.

I was left alone by the fire, feeling like I had lost something irreplaceable. My own pride and jealousy had driven away two of my closest pack members, and I had no idea how to fix the damage I had caused.

As I sat there, lost in thought, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next. Would Daniel really form his own pack? Would he try to overthrow me and take control of the territory? And what would happen to Cassandra, caught in the middle of it all?

The thought of a rebel pack forming within our own territory was unsettling, and I knew that I had to act quickly to prevent any further damage. But as I stood up and looked out into the darkness of the forest, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already let things get out of control.

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see Samantha, one of my loyal pack members, standing before me.

“Gabriel,” she said, her voice urgent. “There’s trouble. You need to come with me.”

I stood up, my heart racing with fear. “What kind of trouble?”

But she didn’t answer me. Instead, she motioned for me to follow her, and I knew that I had no choice but to obey.

As we ran through the forest, I could hear the sounds of snarling and growling in the distance. My mind raced with possibilities – rogue wolves, maybe, or a neighboring pack trying to take over our territory.

But as we reached the edge of the clearing, my worst fears were confirmed. There, standing before us, was Daniel. And behind him, a group of wolves that I didn’t recognize.

“What is this?” I demanded, my voice shaking with anger and fear. “What are you doing here, Daniel?”

He smirked at me, his eyes filled with defiance.

I felt a chill run down my spine at his words. This was worse than I had imagined. Daniel had formed his own pack, and he was trying to overthrow me as the alpha.