"I won't say it," Gabriel says annoyed and runs his hand through his hair. I watch his movement, my eyes trailing his hand. Gabriel saw my gaze and snorted at me. That pissed me off, and I returned my gaze to the alpha.

"Rachel, I am not saying that you are wrong," Alpha says, making Gabriel growl from his seat. Alpha growled back, making him wilt under his firm glare. ”But if there is any chance of him changing, it is you. A mate brings out the best in you, especially an alpha. You might be the change he needs. That's an opportunity if you ask me." He said, and I smiled at him.

"That sounds pretty good and all, Alpha. I'm not ready to pin my future on trying to change my mate for good. And it is not fair to ask me to do that," I said as a matter of fact, and Gabriel scoffed from where he was seated.

"Why does any of this matter to begin with? I already rejected him as my mate, it's not like I can just take it back," I said, and Luna cleared her throat.

"Well, actually, if you mark him, it will restore your bond. It will be your way of accepting him again," she says, and I sigh, making him growl in frustration.

"You don't want me either, Gabriel. Why don't you just admit it," I asked him, and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Who says I don't want you? I have always wanted a mate. Yes, I didn't expect it to be you, but I'm willing to give it a try," he says, shrugging, and I growl at him.

"Yes, you are not the one who's been tormented all these years, so it's easy for you to say so," I said irritatedly, and my mom cut in.

"We don't seem to be heading anywhere, maybe we should take a break for today," Gabriel groans, and I growl at him.

"Rachel, can I talk to you in private?" He asked.

"Fine."

I followed him out of the office and up the stairs into a room. As soon as I stepped into the room, I got engulfed in his scent. It is not as strong or enticing since I broke the bond, but it still smells so good. I discreetly take in a sniff as he closes the door behind us. He comes up behind me and pulls my hair over my shoulder, unapologetically taking in a long sniff of my scent.

"God damn, you smell so good, baby," he murmurs as I pull away from him.

"That's just the mate bond talking," I said, and he grew in response.

"No, you have always smelled so good," he says, taking another step towards me as he sniffs. I could see his tense body visibly relax as he sat on the bed.

"I think you know what I am going to say," Leaning back on his headboard.

"Are you going to accept my rejection?" I asked, and he smirked before laughing softly.

"No, I am going to say at least we should give it a try," he says with confidence.

"Why do you just accept that you don't want me, and we can both move on?" I asked stubbornly, and he growled a little.

"I do want you, you are smart and hot, why won't I want you?" He asked, smiling at me.

"You didn't like me yesterday, the only thing that changed is the mate bond. That is not enough to build a relationship on," I pointed out.

"I have always liked you," he says.

"You had a shitty way of showing it right," I said as I took my seat across from him, he sighs heavily as he runs his hand through his hair again. I got a strange urge to do the same too, maybe the mate bond isn't totally severed it just muted in a way.

"If I tell you it's the truth, you will probably think I'm stupid," he says.

"Probably, hit me with it anyway, you have nothing to lose," I said, and his eyes bore into mine as he nodded slightly.

"I was jealous, plain and simple. My parents love you and would always talk about how smart you are. How good it will be for the pack, I feel like they would have preferred to have you as their child than me," he says, avoiding eye contact with me. I sighed heavily as I rubbed my temple.

"Gabriel, it's not stupid; how you handled it was wrong. You could have talked to your parents about it instead of treating me like trash," I said, and he nodded in agreement.

"I know, I figured that out before graduation, but I also thought it wouldn't matter that much if I tried to amend it anyway. I thought you would never forgive me, but I never thought you would end up being my mate," he said then I stood up, making my way to the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked, standing on his feet; I looked at him in confusion, pointing to the door.

"I'm going home, I have a lot to think about," I said as I headed for the door. He grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving, and I looked at him confused.

"Can't you think here?" He asked desperately, and I got more confused by his behavior.

"What's going on, Gabriel?" I asked him; shivers ran through him at the sound of his name from my mouth, which made him realize that he still felt the full force of the mate bond.

"I just want to be near you," he admits shyly, I sighed and sat back on the chair.

"I'm not staying here; I am going to have nothing to do with you. Think of it as a punishment for the way you treated me for years," I said.

"That's fine; I totally deserve that, but you won't make me suffer for five years, right?" He asked, but I looked away.

"That is not a terrible idea," I said, and he slid off the bed, kneeling down in front of me.

"Please Rachel, don't torture me, I know you can't feel it, but the thought of not being close to you is killing me. My wolf has been trying to take over so he can mark you; we want you. You are everything we need in a Luna; we are sorry. Give us another chance," he pleaded, lifting his face to look at me. They were filled with tears. Never in my life have I imagined Gabriel on his knees begging for my forgiveness.

I almost didn't like it.