Free Unleashing the Beast by Lacey Thorn Page A

don’t need anyone to walk me to my house. I know where it is, and I’ll be perfectly safe getting there,” she retorted.
    “Don’t take any chances,” Daniel said.
    “I’ll walk her,” Gabriel said. “We can walk out with you.”
    “Going home sounds like a great idea,” Tah said. “Just make sure you stay there. I’d feel better if you didn’t go looking for Finn on your own. He’ll be back when he’s ready. Give him the time to link with his beast and create the bond needed.”
    “I’ll wait for him to come to me,” she promised.
    “Laura,” Tah called as she turned to leave.
    She faced him once more and lifted a brow in question.
    “No matter what happens between the two of you, you’re still a member of this pride. I don’t want you to think otherwise,” he told her.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, afraid she might break down and cry in front of them. She clutched the hand Daniel held out to her as if it were a lifeline and followed him out the door and down the hall toward the front door.
    She and Gabriel stood by Daniel’s county sheriff’s car. Daniel looked around, and she knew who he was looking for though he never said a word.
    “Are you okay?” she asked softly.
    “I’m fine,” he said with a smile. “You just concentrate on making sure you are.”
    She nodded and gave Daniel a peck on the cheek.
    “I’ll see you later in the morning,” Gabriel told Daniel. The two brothers shared a look she was certain had to do with her then Daniel got in his car and pulled away.
    “I don’t need you to walk me to my house,” Laura said when she and Gabriel were alone.
    “Maybe, I need to,” he said, walking away from her.
    They walked in silence for a few beats before Gabriel stopped and turned to stand in front of her. “Do you want this man as your mate?”
    She gave him a startled look. “Yes! God, yes! Why would you even ask me a question like that?”
    Gabriel snorted. “You never mentioned him. Not even once. Plus you ran as soon as they arrived and didn’t come back until after Finn had left to check in with the Holloways. Then today. Your mate stated for everyone to hear that he planned to rip your throat out.”
    “I left ,” she emphasized the word, letting him know how much she didn’t appreciate his choice of statement, “because Logan was here and I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing him. I needed time. I had no idea my mate was here, or I would never have walked away. He’s my mate. I didn’t just leave him there to die. I felt him die. I swear it.”
    Gabriel nodded. “I don’t know Finn or his brother very well. I do know they’re very close. They share a bond that mirrors the one formed between mates. They can feel each other. It’s how Murphy was able to track and find Finn.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “I’m warning you that, even if you and your mate get through this, Murphy may take longer to win over. And I’m giving you this warning because it’s important that you do win Murphy over. You don’t want to be the barrier that comes between them.”
    Laura nodded. “I won’t be. I promise.”
    Gabriel brushed her hair behind her ears. “Remember to take care of yourself. Don’t focus so much on your mate, on Murphy or on anyone else to the detriment of yourself. I know there was more that went on when I pulled you out of that last lab. I saw the wounds that were still healing. I know they did something, and if you’re ever going to move past it, you need to tell someone. Me, Daniel, Logan, your mate. Don’t hold it in.”
    She nodded again, tears pooling in her eyes as she swallowed the rage that rose to the surface. It would be her mate she told, if he forgave her. She couldn’t keep the truth from her other half.
    “Remember one more thing,” Gabriel said.
    “What’s that?”
    “I love you. Daniel loves you. Your brother loves you. You’re not in this alone.”
    “Thank you.”
    “You’re sure he won’t hurt you?”
    “He