Angel Blackwood

by Sophie Summers

If Alpha saw the damaged that was caused while she was in the care of Jax, he would bring all kinds of hell down on that place. We can’t afford to go to war with our neighbouring pack, especially since we’re having an issue with rogues in the surrounding areas.

  Kate is the only nurse I know that has enough loyalty to me, ensuring she won’t go telling the Alpha.

  “We will take her back to the pack house as soon as she wakes up. I just needed Kate to clean her up a bit. If her father saw the state she was in before, he probably would have killed us too.” I fall back onto the sofa running my hands through my hair.

  This entire situation is fucked up.

  We’re her second chance mates. We’re her last chance at having a true mate. How could she have kept that from us?

  “The dreadful things you have said to our mate…” Gunner, my wolf makes his voice heard inside my head. He doesn’t need to say the words, I know what I’ve done and the things I’ve said to her. I’m ashamed of the way I’ve behaved and of the way I’ve treated her. Gunner has been rather quiet these last few weeks, so has Jett, Talon’s wolf. We think it’s because we haven’t accepted our mate yet. No one knows this because we’ve kept it to ourselves, but we haven’t been able to shift. I feel trapped and claustrophobic. I want my wolf to run free, but he’s punishing me and in turn, he too is suffering.

  “I’m going to check on her,” I say, standing up. Nixon is right at my side.

  I open the door slowly and find Angel sitting on the side of the bed with Kate at her side. Kate quickly wipes away her tears. I’ve only ever seen Kate cry once and that was when she found me kissing Angel; Kate hates looking weak.

  I frown at her. “You okay?” I ask through our pack link. She smiles, nodding her head.

  My eyes turn to find Angel looking back and forth between Kate and I, a sad expression on her face. She obviously witnessed our exchange. I don’t want to hurt her anymore, I’ve already caused her enough pain, so I’ll keep my distance from Kate whilst I’m in Angel’s presence. Angel quickly looks down at her fingers, I try reaching to her through our pack link but nothing. She’s completely blocked off, not allowing anyone into her head.

  “Angel?” Nixon voice breaks through the silence.

  Angel whips her head up and a small gasp leaves her lips as she gets up on wobbly legs. Nixon bumps past me and Angel jumps into his open arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he lifts her up and holds her tight.

  Angel squeezes her eyes shut, but I can still see the tears running down her face.

  “You don’t ever leave me like that again, okay?” Nixon’s voice sounds pained. My wolf starts stirring within me again; he doesn’t like seeing our girl in another man’s arms.

  I don’t like seeing it either, it causes a pain in my chest.

  I should be the one holding her, comforting her, giving her the affection and adoration she craves, but I don’t deserve to smell her scent or feel her small body cuddling into my warmth.

  I’ve been such a selfish prick.

  Angel nods her head, holding him tighter. I can feel the tension thicken in the room when my brother walks in and finds Angel in Nixon’s arms.

  “What the fuck’s going on in here?” Talon snarls.

  Angel quickly jumps away from Nixon’s hold and Nixon stands protectively in front of her.

  Talon walks up to Angel and she backs away until the bed behind her forces her to stop moving. She cowers away, her eyes finding mine. She’s scared and she’s searching for someone to help her.

  I want to be that person, I want to hold her and take away all the shit that she’s been through since I’ve met her. If I could, I would take away all the pain she’s ever had to feel and make sure she never cries a single tear again.

  I don’t know if I deserve to be that person anymore.

  Gentle tugging on my arm brings me back to the scene in Kate’s bedroom. I look down to see Kate’s concerned face.

  Kate. Perfect Katie.

  She has been nothing but good to me. How am I supposed to just leave her? What happens to us once I mate with Angel? If I mate with Angel. Fuck, this is too hard.

  “Tyler, come.” She tilts her head in the direction of Talon and Angel. Talon’s vast form almost hides Angel from view. I move so that I can see her, making sure she’s okay. Her face comes into view, she’s looking up at Talon so lovingly, his hand cups her cheek and her small hand covers his.

  How I’ve missed touching her, keeping her safe from any harm and in my arms.

  “Come on, man. Let’s go get some air,” Nixon says, putting a hand on my shoulder. My feet don’t want to move, but I force myself to leave.

  After I close the door, I find Kate in the spare bathroom wiping at her eyes.

  “You okay?”

  She jumps, quickly clears her throat and avoids looking at me.

  “Uh… yeah… I’m fine, honey.” She stutters and I know it’s a lie.

  She tries to get past me, but I stand in the doorway blocking her exit.

  She looks up at me with red rimmed eyes.

  “What’s wrong, babe? Talk to me.” She tries to get past again and again I block her. “Please, Kate,” I repeat, softer this time.

  She looks up at me and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her pissed off.

  “You need to control your thoughts, Tyler. You basically aired them to the entire room,” she spits out, pushing past me. The guilt I was already feeling only intensifies.

  ANGEL POV

  When Talon’s warm hand cups my cheek, I can’t help but melt into it; I’ve been longing for his touch.

  “Come here.” His voice is rough and when I open my eyes I find him staring at me so intently. I place my hand on top of his, I don’t want him to stop touching me.

  “Come here, baby,” he says. His other hand reaches for my cheek now, his thumbs gently caressing my bruised jaw. I watch as his eyes flicker from black to blue.

  “I’ll kill that bastard for hurting you. He will never get away with this, Angel,” he promises.

  “And no more jumping into Nixon’s arms like that, my wolf can’t take it; I can’t take it. If you want your friend to live another day, you need to keep that shit to a minimum. I’m here now, I’m not going anywhere, baby. You want to jump into someone’s arms? Mine are wide open,” he gestures, spreading his arms wide. I immediately hate the gap between us.

  “You want to wrap your arms around someone? I’m right-fucking-here. Not going to leave you again. I’ve been a terrible mate, I will apologise to you every single fucking day until you forgive me. I’m so sorry. I do love you, Angel. I love you so fucking much. Being without you has been fucking torture.” His eyes turn glassy. I lift my hand up and place it on his cheek, his stubble pricks my fingers, but I don’t mind. I’m touching him and he isn’t pulling away.

  “I love you too,” I smile. I can feel my wolfs happiness within me. Talon leans down and brushes his nose across mine. I feel the tears falling from my eyes and I can’t stop them. This is real. Talon is touching me, my Talon is back.

  His lips touch mine and he holds my face as his lips move against them. I breathe him in and my hands fist the bottom of his shirt. He pulls away from me and I watch as his tongue darts out, licking his bottom lip. His eyes find mine and he frowns.

  “You’re crying? Why?” He looks away, then back at me as he runs his hand through his hair. “Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? Am I moving too fast? I’ve been so cruel to you these past weeks, I’ve been a total dick. You don’t forgive me, do you?” He’s rambling on, so I reach out and place my hand on the back of his neck forcing his him to stop. His hair is tied up and I have full view of his handsome face.

  I stand on my tiptoes and bring his lips back to mine. His arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me tightly against him. I taste his minty taste, breathe in his minty breath.

  I pull my lips away and look him in the eye.

  “I just miss
ed you, Talon. I missed you so damn much.” He runs his nose along mine once more before wrapping his arms around me.

  Loud banging and yelling from outside of the room has me pulling away. His body turns rigid and he grabs my hand, pulling me towards the bedroom door.

  “Stay behind me, okay.” I nod, unsure of what the hell is happening outside.

  As soon as we open the bedroom door, my father’s voice echoes. His roar has the wooden floors beneath my feet shaking.

  “You think you can hide her from me?” He yells, pointing his finger at Tyler and Nixon.

  “No Alpha, we didn’t mean-” Tyler says, looking down at the ground as a show respect.

  “No, Tyler. That’s exactly what you four tried to do. As soon as she set foot on my territory I knew she was here. Don’t stand there and fucking lie to me! I think you and Talon are forgetting how you came to be in my pack, what the conditions of you staying here are.” I gasp at my father’s harsh words and he whips his head to look at me.

  Talon tenses beside me, squeezing my hand.

  “Angel,” he says breathlessly. His shoulders are slumped and only now do I notice how terrible he looks. He has dark circles under his eyes and he too hasn’t shaven, but the tension in his body eases as he looks me in the eye.

  “Johnny,” I say, watching as he winces at my words. I haven’t forgotten the last words he said to me before I left. I just hope he’s changed his mind about a marriage to Caspian. I’m still hurt and angry at how he treated me, so when he rushes up to me and holds me against him, I stand there frozen unable to hold him like I usually would.

  “Honey.” He pulls away from me and I take a step back. He looks down at me and I watch as his eyes take in my injuries, starting with my bruised nose. A low growl rumbles as he looks at my jaw, and when his eyes take in my bandaged palms, his shoulders tense and he raises his head to look at Talon.

  “Who did this to her?” he asks them.

  Talon pulls me against his side and kisses the side of my head.

  “Alpha Johnny, we have it under control. We have wolves searching-” Talon tries to speak, but Johnny interrupts him as well.

  “A name. Give me a name and a territory. NOW!” I cower and hide my face in Talon’s chest.

  “Drake. His name is Drake and he’s from Point Bright. They found her in Point Bright,” Nixon blurts out.

  “Nixon!” I scold.

  “He belongs to the Black Valley Pack?” My father growls, looking down at me.

  The authority he holds as Alpha thickens in the air, I have no other choice but to answer him.

  “Yes.”

  “His Alpha know about it?” He asks, looking around the room. I don’t get a chance to answer before Tyler opens his mouth.

  “The Alpha knows, Drake is the Beta of his pack. This is the same bastard who hurt Angel and the Alpha knew about that time too. Seems the Alpha hasn’t got the balls to punish his Beta,” Tyler continues.

  “Tyler! Stop,” I shout. He’s just going to make my father angrier. I know what he’s doing, he’s trying to get my father to direct his current anger on someone else and not him and his brother.

  “No, I won’t stop, Angel! You need to stop defending him! That is not our pack and he allowed his Beta to harm you, they both deserve punishment for what they’ve done.” Tyler takes a step forward, away from Kate’s side.

  “Drake,” Johnny spits the name. “The piece of shit that hurt you, his name is Drake? He’s the Beta of the Black Valley Pack and his Alpha knew all about it and didn’t punish him. Is that right?” My father trembles on the spot; I can sense the fury coming from where he stands.

  “That’s right, Alpha,” Talon says from behind me.

  My father points to me and the twins, then to the door that stands wide open. “Get in the car.”

  Talon tugs gently on my hand, forcing me to follow him out of the door. Jacob stands leaning against the car door with his arms crossed, glaring at the twins as they make their way to the car. My father silently gets into the driver’s side and starts the car. I sit between the twins, Talon wraps an arm around my shoulders pulling me into his side. The silence in the car as we make our way back to the pack house is absolute torture; I can sense the anger coming from both Jacob and my father.

  Alex is running down the porch stairs before the car is even parked. I climb out of the car and she pulls me into her arms. Even though I’ve missed her, I still can’t forget how she failed to stand up for me when Johnny threw his fit.

  I stand stiffly in her arms, and if Alex feels it, she doesn’t let on because she continues to hold me tightly.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’ll be a better mother… I promise you. I’ll be better and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” She pulls away from me, kissing my forehead and running her hand through my hair.

  Her eyes widen when she sees the bruising on my nose and jaw. I haven’t been able to get hold of a mirror yet, but I can feel it. They must look pretty bad if this is the response I keep getting when people see it.

  “In my office now,” my father says, walking past us. All the rooms here are somewhat soundproof, but his office is completely sound proofed. He clearly doesn’t want the rest of the pack to know about any of this.

  I pull away from Alex and follow Johnny, not giving her a chance to ask questions. Of course that doesn’t stop her though and as soon as we’re all in the office, the door is slammed shut and she starts yelling at the twins.

  “What happened to her? How could you allow someone to hurt her? Who did it?” My father pulls her away from the twins before she has a chance to take her wrath and confusion out on them.

  “Shh… Calm down, honey. We’re getting to that,” Johnny says, holding her tightly and trying to calm her down. I sit in the middle of the sofa wrapping my arms around my waist looking down at my bare feet.

  They’re so lucky to have each other. How I wish that my mate’s loved me that way.

  Even though Talon and I seem to have made up, we still have so much to work through. So many unkind words have been said and so many hurtful things done to spite the other. How do I even begin to just forget that? I watch a tear fall onto my wrist and I blink as a couple more fall. I quickly wipe them away and calm my breathing. Wiping at my cheek I realise the room is silent. I look up and see my parents as well as the twins staring down at me with wretched looks on their faces. Alex covers her mouth and starts sobbing. I look at Tyler who has a hand to his chest, looking as if he’s battling to breathe. I look around at Talon and as soon as our eyes meet he rushing over, pulling me into his arms and holding me tight.

  “W… what?” I don’t know what the hell is going on.

  “The sadness that emanates from you…” I hear Tyler’s voice void of any emotion. I look over Talon’s shoulder and he’s watching me.

  “I didn’t mean to project anything. I’m sorry,” I almost whisper, as Talon pulls away and cups my cheek. He looks into my eyes and I feel him trying to link with me, so I allow him access into my head.

  “I do love you that way, Angel. I know I haven’t shown it, but I do. I love you more than you know, and I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure I never have to feel sadness or loneliness coming from you again. I’m going to be the mate you need and deserve.”

  I give him a weak smile. Lifting my hand, I gently tuck a strand of hair behind his ear not caring that we have an audience. I’ve waited so long to hear him say those words, but it still feels as if something is missing. That something is standing across the room looking as if he’s about to turn into his wolf any moment now.

  I look back into Talon’s eyes as I link up with him again.“I love you too. I‘ve loved you since the moment my eyes met your pretty blue ones, even after you and Ty scared me enough to pass out.” He lets out a chuckle as he grabs my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing my injured palms.

  I look back up to Tyler, wishing things between us were different.

&nbs
p; “He’ll come around, baby.”

  I look to my side to where he’s seated facing me and give him a sad smile.

  I don’t think he will…

  I don’t allow him to hear the words because I build a wall in my mind making sure no one can get in and I don’t project anymore of my feelings.

  “Who hurt her?” I hear Alex ask again. I look up to see her looking up to Johnny, whose eyes are still trained on Talon and I. Alex then turns, looking to Tyler asking for a response.

  “His name is Drake. His Alpha knows all about it. Drake is his Beta,” Tyler says.

  “Has he been punished? Wait-” She looks back to me. “Drake?” She turns to look at Tyler then Johnny. “You said Drake?” She says, shaking her head clearly confused. “Drake, the boy you were dating in Point Bright?”

  I nod my head and all of a sudden her face pales and she covers her mouth. She walks slowly up to me and sits to the side of me. I feel the cushion in the sofa next to me rise as Talon gets up and walks over to his brother.

  Alex pulls my hands into her lap, softly running her fingers over the scars that wrap around my wrists.

  “You told us you didn’t know who he was?” She says softly.

  “I lied.” I grit out. The cat’s out the bag, there’s no reason for me to lie to them anymore.

  She looks at me. “Why?” She seems so hurt.

  “I was afraid. He threatened you all, so I kept my mouth shut like he demanded. ” I look up to my father as I say this. Johnny’s face crumbles and he rushes to my side wrapping his arms around me.

  “God, I’m so sorry you were put through all of that. I will kill him and his Alpha for allowing him to harm you again.” I pull away from him.

  “No, you can’t hurt Jax. I know Jax should have punished Drake, Jax knows that now too, but if you punish Drake that will be punishment enough for Jax; Drake is like a brother to him. Please don’t hurt-”

  “Why do you keep standing up for this Jax?” My father sounds perplexed.