A eting was called by the riverside, and Angela went there with Stales to join the others. When they arrived, only Alex and Samuel were waiting. She looked around, confused, wondering where the other alphas were. Walking to where Alex sat, she settled beside him and asked, "Where are the rest? I got a ssage that we should all et here. I even left the celebration to co."
"Congratulations, Angela," Samuel said with a warm smile.
"Thank you," she replied softly, but her eyes held a question. "You weren’t there... I an, at the stadium."
"I had an errand to run for the pack," he explained.
"Oh, Beta duties," she giggled lightly.
Alex’s gaze stayed on her, his voice steady as he said, "You will soon have to choose your beta." His words reminded her again that she wasn’t just anyone...she was an alpha. "But before that, you must discover your powers. So, what can you do, Angela Malynster?"
Her heart sank. She had forgotten again that she was a Malynster. The na was heavy, another reminder that she had to uncover what her true powers were before the next full moon. Stales had called it the harvest moon, the night she must be mated to all four of her mates.
"I can erase mory," Angela said suddenly, rising to her feet. The thought had been troubling her for days, and now it spilled out. "But what powers do you think the Malynster bloodline carries?"
"I don’t know, not until we check," Alex replied, pulling out his phone. His fingers moved quickly across the screen as he searched. "But aren’t you supposed to have discovered them already?"
"Things with her are different," Samuel said, his voice touched with concern. "I don’t know what the moon goddess intends. The alphas awakened their powers when they were still children. Maybe she wants Angela to find hers on her own."
"Or maybe she doesn’t want you to have them yet," Alex added as he rose to his feet. He slid his hands into his trouser pockets, his eyes sharp on her. "She may fear they could be used the wrong way. You already have too many enemies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more. Do you think you might have the power to fly?"
Angela shook her head, spreading her arms wide as if to test herself. "No... I don’t think so." She tried to summon energy, jumping lightly, hoping for sothing to awaken, but nothing happened. Perhaps she needed to push harder.
"You should stop before you hurt yourself," Alex warned, but she ignored him.
"I’m responsible for you, don’t forget," he added, his voice firr now. "I don’t want Kaito furious with ."
Angela leapt again, but this ti her balance gave way. She stumbled backward, a cry escaping her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the fall.
But she didn’t hit the ground. A strong hand caught her, steady and gentle. The touch was familiar, so achingly familiar that her breath caught. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the fiery gaze of the red-haired guy. He was smiling at her, his grip firm yet careful as he helped her back onto her feet.
"What were you thinking, babe?" Renn asked, his hands still firm around her waist as he pulled her close to his chest. His voice carried both fear and anger. "Do you not care about yourself anymore?"
Angela swallowed hard, knowing she had been reckless. Who knew what could have happened to her if he hadn’t caught her. "I am a werewolf now, Renn," she whispered.
"Really?" he shot back, his eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t believe how bold and careless she sounded. "A werewolf, yes, but we don’t even know if your body can heal after sothing as deadly as a broken neck. Don’t play rough with your life, babe. My heart nearly stopped when you jumped that high and lost your balance. Thank the moon I was close enough to catch you."
Her chest ached at his words, but the sting of helplessness was worse. "You all make feel useless again," Angela said, pressing her palms against his chest as she tried to push him away. He wouldn’t budge. "Do you see? You’re making feel like a weak, pathetic girl who depends on her mates and friends for everything."
Renn’s brows furrowed. He glanced at the others before looking back at her. "I never said that," he answered firmly. "No one here thinks you are useless. You are twisting my words, Angela."
"Let go," she whispered, and this ti he released her, though she could tell he chose to. Angela walked to the bridge and leaned against the rails, her eyes on the river instead of Renn. She couldn’t face the worry in his eyes any longer.
"What’s going on?" Beta Slade asked as he arrived, imdiately sensing the heavy silence. He looked between them, wondering if they had quarreled before he ca.
"Nothing," Alex answered quickly, breaking the tension. His gaze shifted and he spotted Kaito and Taros approaching, with Kael and Hiro trailing behind. Relief crossed his face. "Finally, everyone is here. Wait—where did Stales go?"
Angela blinked in surprise. They had co together, yet she had completely forgotten about him. Her heart skipped. "I... I don’t know."
"Wasn’t he leaning against the tree earlier? We didn’t even speak," Alex muttered, frowning as he scanned the area. Suddenly, sothing light dropped on his head. He brushed it off, thinking it was only a leaf, until another fell. Curious, he reached up and found two chips resting in his hand.
He tilted his head back and froze. There, perched on the highest branch of the tree, Stales sat comfortably with a bag of chips and a wolfscan, as if the world beneath him didn’t exist. Alex let out a frustrated sigh. "Look at him. We were all worried, and he’s up there without a care."
"Say it louder, son!" Stales laughed, tossing more chips down at him with a grin.
"Don’t throw that at , Stales," Alex warned, tilting his head back to glare at him. Angela burst out laughing. She hadn’t expected to see Stales perched so high, but it was a relief to know he was safe.
"Or what will you do, Alexander?" Stales teased as he tossed another chip. "And why do they call you Alex? I like Xander better. What do you think, Angel?"
"I like Xander too," Angela giggled, walking to stand beside Alex.
"I prefer Alex," Renn said flatly as he glanced up. He was about to stop Stales, but it was too late. The blonde poured the entire pack of chips down on Alex’s head. Alex’s face darkened, his eyes glowing as his claws snapped out, ready to climb up and make Stales pay.
Kaito stepped in quickly. "What’s going on?" he demanded, clearly confused.
"Let him go after his friend," Renn said, trying to ease the tension. He knew Alex would never truly hurt Stales, and Angela, still laughing, knew it too. Whatever anger Alex carried would lt once he reached the branch.
But Hiro’s voice cut through, firm and steady. "No. We don’t have ti for this now." He held Kael’s hand, and Angela noticed. It struck her as odd, and her heart squeezed with guilt. Sothing had happened to Kael, and deep down she feared it was because of her.
"Stales, co down," Taros said suddenly as he lowered himself to the ground, burying his face in his hands. The weight in his voice made everyone quiet. Sothing was wrong.
"Alex, you can play with your friend later," Kaito said sharply. "Right now, we need your attention." He turned to Slade and Samuel. "All of you, co here. We don’t have much ti."
One by one, they gathered, forming a circle of worried faces. Renn was the first to speak. "Sothing happened," he began, his voice heavy. "Kael has been injected with a strange drug. At first, we thought it was lupine, but the test showed sothing else. Sothing unfamiliar."
Angela’s breath caught. Her heart raced with fear as her eyes darted to Kael. "What kind of drug is it?" she asked, her voice trembling. She dreaded the answer, praying it wasn’t sothing that would slowly destroy him.
÷÷
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