CHAPTER 143: WHO IS MARCUS?

Angela swallowed hard. She knew she had to tell the truth to the others, even though Renn did not want her to. They seemed so interested in the matter, but she didn’t want to betray him.

"Look at them," Renn said, trying to shift the attention. "They are more interested in me than the matter at hand."

"I don’t know why you all keep cutting me off," Hiro sighed, sounding hurt. "It feels like no one cares about what I’m saying."

"It’s true. We already have so many problems waiting for us," Alex added, looking at Hailey for support. She nodded, and he continued, "You can question Renn and Angela later. Right now, we don’t have time."

"We’ll come back to this later," Kaito said, ending the argument as he looked away. Angela’s eyes went to Alex, full of gratefulness. He had saved her from the rising pressure. "So, where were we?"

"The guard shot him with a bullet made for Alphas. That means he knew Hiro was coming," Renn concluded.

"Exactly," Hiro said firmly. "After I got shot, he told me I shouldn’t have come here. He knew I was after Angela. So the real question is, what’s Angela’s connection with them?"

All eyes turned to her. Nobody blamed her, but they all wanted answers. Angela felt her heart racing. This was strange for her. She had run from home because her uncle wanted to sell her. She never thought there were people secretly watching her all along.

"I’m sorry you got shot because you went looking for information about me," Angela said softly, her voice filled with guilt. She looked at Hiro with worry. "But you have to believe me when I say I don’t know who those people are. I don’t know why they were there or what they were protecting."

"Are you sure, babe?" Renn asked as he walked to her. He took her hand, but then Taros slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "Come on, man. Don’t start. Why are drawing her to your side?"

"This matter is more serious than your little romance," Hailey said coldly, not looking at them, though her words were clear enough. She pressed further. "So, Angela, are you saying you don’t remember meeting any stranger? Maybe someone who seemed nice and harmless?"

"No," Angela shook her head. "Back home, I used to fight a lot..."

"I’m not surprised," Hiro muttered with a dry chuckle.

Angela rolled her eyes at him and continued. "I had no friends. My mom and uncle were the only ones I knew. Everyone here knows the story and why I ran away from home. There was never any stranger coming around. The kids at school were the same ones I grew up with. That’s all I ever knew."

"Angela is telling the truth," Kaito said at last. It was clear he had been thinking deeply and had now decided to speak. "The day we went after Evan, we found pictures of Angela. Some were even from her hometown. They were taken without her knowledge."

"That means they had been around her for a long time and she never knew," Taros added, and the others nodded in agreement.

Angela’s heart skipped. The words struck her hard. This was even scarier than she thought. Did it mean she had been watched all her life without ever realizing it?

"The pictures should have the date they were taken, do you remember?" Renn asked carefully.

"Yes... it was a year ago," Angela said in a low voice. She could feel their eyes on her, worried and heavy, as if they could see how much the topic was weighing on her. She felt their emotions pressing against her chest. Hiro’s voice was already in her head, asking if she was alright, so she spoke out loud to everyone. "I’m fine. This just scares me a little."

"Nothing will happen to you," Kaito assured her firmly. "We will get to the root of this soon. If we connect this to what happened to Hiro, then it’s possible Evan was working for the same people. I don’t believe the story the authorities are holding on to."

"I was there in his room that night," Renn spoke up. "The boy had CCTV cameras installed. I doubt he was working alone. I think one of the staff must be involved. I don’t believe Evan went back to clean everything out of his room. Someone else did it."

"It could be Mr. Slade. That guy has been after us for a while," Hiro suggested.

"The man doesn’t like Taros and me. That could be the reason for his behavior and nothing more," Kaito replied, then he turned his attention to the younger boys who had been unusually quiet. "What about you two? Are you not part of this conversation?"

They nodded quickly, and he added, "Then speak up. Give us your suggestions."

Stales and Alex exchanged a quick glance before Alex spoke. "Why don’t we break into Mr. Slade’s room when he’s not there and search his things? If he’s involved, we’ll definitely find something."

"That’s a brilliant idea. I like it," Renn said, his eyes lighting with approval. He then turned to Hiro. "We also need to talk to Kael. Maybe he can describe what the security guard looks like."

"Good idea," Hailey agreed with a nod.

"I have something to add," Angela said, her voice steady though her chest was heavy. "Principal Valois knows I’m a girl."

"What?" the alphas exclaimed together. None of them had expected that. Even Hailey’s eyes widened with shock, which meant she too had no idea her sister had been standing behind Angela all this while.

"Are you certain?" Kaito asked, still doubting. Angela nodded, and his surprise deepened.

"That explains a lot... the meetings between you and her, the threats she gave Hiro to stay away from you," Taros said as if the pieces were finally falling into place.

"I always knew it. That woman is sly," Hiro said, relief and anger mixing in his tone. "I was right the whole time, yet Renn kept defending her. And now Hailey, I know you’ll do the same."

"No," Hailey shook her head quickly. "I’m not even on good terms with my sister right now. Taros knows that."

"She’s right," Taros confirmed, giving her his support.

"I can’t stand this," Mighty Storm growled inside Angela, her voice dripping with jealousy. Angela tried to push her wolf back but she couldn’t. The thought of Renn once having some kind of entanglement with Miss. Valois burned her, and now the way Hailey seemed close to Taros made it worse. It felt as if they were all drifting toward others, leaving her behind.

"You seem very close," Angela blurted before she could stop herself.

"Yes. We’ve known each other since childhood," Hailey replied without hesitation.

"Not just Taros. She has known all four alphas since they were children," Stales added quickly, trying to keep Angela from falling deeper into jealousy. "There’s nothing more between them."

"That’s not what I meant," Angela said in a rush, her eyes widening as her face heated with shame. The words had slipped out too quickly, and now she felt exposed in front of them all.

"I only wanted to clear the facts," Stales said casually, as though it meant nothing. He noticed his friend’s eyes warning him to stop, but he ignored it. "Isn’t that right, Alpha Taros?"

"Yes," Taros answered with a small smile. His gaze rested on Angela, watching her closely. Was she jealous of Hailey? The thought amused him, and he had to hold back his laughter.

"Me, jealous? Why should I be jealous?" Angela asked with a forced chuckle. Her voice trembled slightly even though she tried to sound calm. Deep inside she knew she was jealous, but she would never admit it. Or was it already too obvious? Could they all see it on her face? She looked up and caught Hiro smiling.

No. He was in her head again. He knew the truth. He knew she was jealous of Hailey.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she quickly looked away, feeling shame and embarrassment weigh her down.

"Can we proceed?" Kaito asked in a firm tone. He didn’t wait for anyone to answer before he continued. "So, Miss Valois is also on the list. We need to get the truth out of her without making her suspicious. Renn, can you handle that for us?"

"Hell no. I want nothing to do with that woman," Renn refused at once, his tone sharp.

"You two used to have something between you. That gives you an advantage," Taros said.

"I think they’re right," Hailey added with a faint smile. "If you press her hard enough, she might reveal something."

Renn groaned and rubbed his face before giving in. "Fine, I’ll see what I can do. But I’m not promising anything."

"I have something more to say," Angela spoke up, gathering her courage.

"Just say you have more trouble, mate," Hiro teased, his voice brushing her thoughts.

Angela rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to the others. He loved to make fun of her, and it annoyed her. "Principal Valois called me to her office yesterday. She said the sponsors of my scholarship wanted to meet me. When I went to the conference hall, I met a man. He introduced himself as Marcus. He said he was looking for me."

"Marcus?" Kaito’s eyes widened. The name struck him like a bell. The other alphas reacted the same way.

Angela blinked in confusion. Their expressions unsettled her even more. "Do you all know him?"

"Marcus Malynsters," Hailey answered. "He is the fourth son of the first werewolves. He must be over a thousand years old by now. Marcus is hot and—"

"Stop talking like we’re describing some hero," Renn cut her off with anger in his voice. "He is dangerous, ruthless, heartless. All the Malynsters are the same. They never show themselves unless there’s a reason. If Marcus has appeared, then something big is happening."

"Then why is Marcus looking for you, Angela?" Hailey asked, her voice filled with both worry and curiosity.