The Forbidden Howl

37. A Mate Is Not Enough

Dane's POV.

*dring dring*

Why isn't she picking up?

*dring dring*

Sarah, pick up!

*dring dring*

Sar–

"Hello," says Sarah on the other side.

"Hey, why didn't you pick up sooner?" I ask her.

"Sorry. I'm at Lily's place. Everyone's here, so it's a bit noisy, I didn't hear the phone ring."

"Hmmm. How are you?"

"I'm fine! You know, Quinn is here. It's so great hanging out with the ladies again. Wish you were here, too." says Sarah.

"No, you don't," I tell her.

Sarah laughs, the laugh I wanted to hear so bad. She says, "No, I don't. It actually feels pretty good not having you around."

"Yeah, well, enjoy while it lasts, which won't be for long."

"I don't know, Dane. I'm thinking of extending my stay already," says Sarah slyly.

"I–"

Hey, Sarah! Come on, come here, you gotta see this! You're missing out! someone calls her.

Yeah coming! Sarah tells them.

"Dane, baby, I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye. Love you." says Sarah and disconnects the call before I can say anything.

I lean back on the couch and sigh heavily. She seems to be having fun – without me.

"Stop it, already. She'll be back on Sunday," says Gabe. Like Sarah said, she appointed Gabe to babysit me.

"What if she likes it there, way more than here?" I say.

"Of course, she likes it there more than here. Who doesn't like to eat their mom's cooking everyday?" says Gabe.

"I'm serious, Gabe."

"I'm serious, too."

Another heavy breath escapes my mouth. "I shouldn't have left her there."

"Then, what? You should've dragged your pregnant mate here against her wish?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"I know this is the first time she has been away from you since you started living together, and that too while she's pregnant, but it's for only a week, Dane. Stop worrying about it and enjoy your alone time."

"What alone time? You're here."

"You should be grateful that Sarah convinced me to keep your lousy ass company."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm not here to babysit you. I'm here to make sure you don't run to Sarah, and let the poor girl have a good time without you."

I glare at my Beta.

Gabe goes to the bar table and pours two glasses of whisky and adds ice cubes. He hands me a glass and sits on the couch opposite me.

I take a sip of the cold liquid letting it slowly slide down into my throat.

"You should've seen her face. She was really excited when she said her mother wanted her stay," I tell Gabe, swirling the glass and hearing the ice clink.

"You are not seriously thinking she's not going to come back, are you?" says Gabe laughing.

I tell him, "it's not that. I just can't shake off the feeling that she could be happy somewhere else, besides my side."

"You're her mate, Dane. There's nowhere she can be the most happiest than with you," says Gabe.

I shake my head absentmindedly and say, more to myself than to him, "a mate is not enough, though."

"What else you need?" asks Gabe, taking a sip from his glass.

"I'm confident that me, you, the guys and my dad, we can stand-in for her dad and brothers here, but her mother... and her aunt and the other older women she knows there, who she can talk to... there's no one like that here."

"Hey, Wei is here for her," says Gabe.

"I know, I jus–"

"No. I get what you mean. It would be nice to have someone older than her that she could talk to and would know a thing or two about pregnancy," says Gabe.

I nod and rest my head against the couch, again. I've been thinking about my mother, lately, wondering if Sarah might not feel like staying away from here this long in her parents' place if my mother was here to take care of her and guide her through her pregnancy.

I'm not saying my mother could've taken Milia's place for Sarah, but Sarah might've definitely felt less alone here if she had someone like my mother to talk to.

"It's not just for Sarah, you know. I'm sure you would like, too, for your mom to be here for when your son is born," says Gabe, knowing what's going on in my mind.

I scoff. "No. You got that wrong. I do feel upset Sarah can't have someone like her mother here in Blue Streak, even scared a bit that that might make her feel lonely, especially now when she's carrying our child. But I don't want even the shadow of my mother to fall on my son. My mother is as good as dead to me since the day she betrayed my father and ran away, not even pausing for a second to think about her child."

Gabe sighs and takes another sip. "I guess not everyone is lucky enough to be born in a big and happy family like Sarah, well... happy, till you came between her and her family."

I laugh at that. "So, I'm the bad guy who broke up a happy family because my own wasn't great?"

Gabe smirks. "Something like that."

I laugh some more, and then tell him thoughtfully, "maybe, but I'm willing to do anything for Sarah. Even if it hurts her, I can't let her go."

"I know what you mean," says Gabe.