Rejected, but not Broken
Chapter 45

Tanner’s POV

I wake up with the most wonderful scent all around me. Gabi smells wonderful and I take a deep breath to breathe her in. Luna Liz is dressed and at the desk and gives me a knowing smile, and then nods her head in my direction, and quietly says, “Good morning, Tanner “Luna Liz is fighting a big smile, and I feel a little embarrassed.

I guess we weren’t as quiet as we thought we were. I hope she doesn’t tease Gabi. She is going to blush this whole place down. I smiled back at Luna Liz and said, “Good morning, Luna Liz. Thank you for letting me stay last night.”

“I am glad Gabi has a good man as her mate. I am glad she is yours, and I can rest more easily, knowing that you will protect her”, Luna Liz told me.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am talking to Alpha Heath and Alan this morning to see if I can be tested to be an “honorary” member of the training team so I can be allowed on your pack lands at Red River. I know after last night that Derek is not going to stop until he gets Gabi back, and he can refuse me entry as an Alpha of the B***d Rose pack.

If I am on the training team though, maybe they can get the training done quicker and I can get Gabi out while my Beta, dad, and Gavin do my work for me for two to three weeks.

I don’t want to leave her there, I have heard that besides Derek, there was another, Jack, who had already assaulted her twice. I will not allow a third time to occur. As far as I am concerned, Luna Liz, you are the only good thing about that pack.

I am sure there are other good wolves there. I just haven’t met them yet. I just want to get her back to Ever Green as fast as I can, until she can come to my pack”, I told her.

“Yes, I am glad that she doesn’t want to stay here. I don’t trust Taylor at all. She is a compulsive liar, and I am so glad you are 100% invested in Gabi from the start”, Luna Liz told me.

“I have been looking for my mate for a while now, Luna Liz. I was so happy when I scented her here, well, right up until she ran off. I didn’t know her back story and I didn’t know why she ran off, so I went and got a shave and a haircut to present myself in the best light.

Taylor had been chasing me, and I didn’t want to be here, so I came in kind of scruffy to try to keep her away. But I swear, nothing I do matters to her. She just wants to be a Luna, and to hell with her mate. I actually feel really bad for whoever draws that short straw”, I told Luna Liz.

“Well, I woke up with Gabi telling you her story, and then things started happening, and I didn’t want to embarrass you both, so I turned over and put a pillow over my head to try to give you two some privacy. I think it would have been worse if you two found out that I was awake.

You know how it is, wolf hearing, we hear a pin drop”, Luna Liz tells me and winks at me, and I feel Gabi move back into me as I had sat up in bed and wasn’t the big spoon anymore. I reached over and rubbed her back to calm her as she was about to wake up.

“I am going to go shower and get dressed, Gabi will be up soon, and I know you will take care of her while I am gone. I will be back in 20 minutes”. I told Luna Liz.

Luna Liz nodded at me and turned back to the desk to finish doing whatever it was that she had been doing. I headed to my room after putting on my t-shirt. I didn’t want to run into Taylor in the hallway. I got to my set of rooms, and I saw Gavin and Alicia just waking up, so I grabbed my change of clothes and went to take my shower.

I wasn’t going to be late again for Gabi. I got dried off and dressed and went out to pack my bag up, so I would be ready to roll as soon as we had breakfast. I am already missing her, and she hasn’t left yet.

I headed back to Gabi’s room and Luna Liz let me in and I waited while Gabi finished her shower. I smell her scent all over this room and she smells so good to me, I don’t know what I would do without her. I need to talk her into coming to B***d Rose as soon as possible.

It is less than a three-hour car ride, but I will want to see her whenever I can, and my pack needs its Luna. I will see about seeing if she can visit me on alternating weekends until I can get her there to live with me.

Gabi comes out in a towel and blushes, seeing me sitting there at the end of the bed. She is really cute, and I give her a broad smile, as I know what she is thinking. She grabs her clothes and runs back into the bathroom to dress. She is my mate.

I wouldn’t have minded getting to see her. I heard a knock on the door between us and Alpha Heath’s room and Luna Liz called out for them to come in. Good, I needed to speak to him anyway about becoming an honorary member of the team.

Luna Von enters, followed by Alpha Heath, and Von headed to Liz and Heath headed to me, giving me an arched eyebrow. Did Luna Liz say something to Alpha Heath? I looked at Luna Liz and she gave me an almost imperceptible no in a head shake, and I calmed down a little.

Alpha Heath is a very large and highly trained Alpha. I do not want to have any issues with him, especially since he is going to basically be my father-in-law.

Alpha Heath walks up to me and bends down and speaks into my ear and says, “I heard a little something last night from my room.

Care to explain?”.

“Um, well, no not really. I don’t have anything to say”. Alpha Heath straightened up and gave me a hard look. “Gabi had told me about her life story, and she was upset and unable to sleep, so I was just trying to help her out. To relax her, so she could sleep,” I told him.

“Did you mate with my daughter, young Alpha?” Alpha Heath said.

“No Sir, we did not mate, but we will be marking each other before we leave here today. She is mine and I am hers. I love her. would do anything for her.

I would have mated if she wanted to, but she is not ready yet, and I have waited three years for her. I can wait for a little while more for her to get to know me”, I told Alpha Heath.

“Heath, what did I tell you? You leave that poor boy alone. Do you remember when you found me? You know how strong that pull is.

Gabi is a smart girl, and it is her choice. He is a good man and a good alpha. Let him be baby”, Luna Von said to Alpha Heath and smiled gently over at me.

“Heath, why did you tease him? You know you like him too. Derek had already messed up and she got the second chance mate that she was supposed to have. You already knew this, stop teasing him like that” Luna Liz got onto Alpha Heath, and he started laughing.

“I was just trying to see if the young Alpha would tell me the truth or not. He did, in a way. He protected my girl, and I am OK with Tanner as Gabi’s mate. I just couldn’t resist it, just to make sure I was not losing my touch” Alpha Heath said.

“Actually, Alpha Heath, I was hoping that I could speak with you and Alan at breakfast this morning. I was wondering if you could put together a test for me to pass to become an honorary member of your team.

Luna Liz told me about the fact that the team would be heading out to help train the two packs soon if they have another Rouge attack. I know that Gabi will be getting harassed by both Derek and Jack, and I want to be there for her.

I know that she can defend herself now, but men against woman would not lead to a win for Gabi, and if I can prevent anything from happening to her, I want to. I know Derek won’t allow me on his packlands, unless I can get grandfathered in another way”, I told Alpha Heath.

“OK, that actually sounds like a good idea to me, I see where you are coming from on this. I assume that they will both be chasing her. As well as the soon-to-be Luna, Piper, and that other girl from last night. Gabi is strong, and against women, she can carry her own.

She could take out the other couple of wolves too, but Luna Liz just might frown on Derek getting shot by Gabi. No one would really miss Jack or Heather.

You are right, Tanner. Alphas are very strong. Even with Derek not really training as he should, he could hold her down, especially with Jack or someone else there to help him.

When we get to breakfast, we will all discuss it. But you know we won’t go easy on you, right, young Alpha?” Alpha Heath said to me.

“I just want to protect Gabi. I love her, and I don’t want anything to happen to her. She also told me that they would not be going easy on me”. I told Alpha Heath and he started laughing harder than before.

Gabi came out of the bathroom and was looking questioningly at Alpha Heath laughing so hard. Luna Von and Luna Liz were both smiling as if they were enjoying this interaction.

Alpha Heath walks over to Gabi and pulls her into a hug as he continues to laugh.” I heard you told your Alpha we would not go easy on him, for testing”, Alpha Heath told Gabi. She smiled at me and nodded.

We all headed out into the hallway and met up with Alan and Hudson to go down to breakfast. When got to the first floor, I am following Gabi into the dining room when I heard the most annoying voice call out, “There you are Tanner. We are over here. I saved you a seat”.

I glanced over to my left and saw Taylor sitting at a table with 6 other girls and Derek, and she was patting the seat next to her for me.

I continued walking away from her and followed Gabi to the food to get my breakfast and we go put our plates on the table to go get our drinks.

We went back to the table with our drinks and sat with our group, who had joined my parents and siblings at the table when I heard Taylor again, this time louder and closer to me.

“Tanner, I guess you didn’t hear me. I was telling you I have a seat for you at my table, you don’t have to sit here with them”, Taylor said as she gave the whole table, including my family, a sneer.