CHAPTER 181: A BREAK?

"Did anyone speak to him? Or learn anything useful?" Kaito asked, his question open to the room. Angela’s chest clenched so tight she could hardly breathe. Her heart hammered against her ribs, so hard she thought it would burst out.

She wanted to say yes, to confess, but she could not. She would not endanger them. Mr. Slade had warned her in no uncertain terms not to tell anyone about their meeting.

"Cut to the chase, Kaito," Hiro said, his eyes suddenly sharp as they locked on Angela. "Why didn’t you tell us that you met him this morning and that he invited you somewhere?"

Angela froze, the blood draining from her face. His words crashed into her like stones. How could they possibly know? She had told no one. The boys had promised not to listen to her thoughts. Could they have broken that promise?

"Kaito found out about it," Renn said, pointing at him. "He overheard when you were talking. Taros did too."

"You were not planning to tell us. You wanted to go meet him on your own?" Kaito asked, his voice heavy with disappointment.

"I didn’t want to put more lives at risk. I can handle it myself," Angela said, her hand trembling. She knew she was caught, but her reason was true. She was still unsure of her decision. "And I haven’t even made up my mind about going to him."

"It doesn’t change anything, Angela. I know you were going to," Hiro said firmly.

"You were going to let me prepare everything tonight and then leave me behind?" Taros’s voice cracked with bitterness. "You should have told me about his invitation when I asked earlier, but you chose not to. You don’t trust me enough to face this with you."

"He threatened me, you don’t expect me to just..." Angela’s voice rose, anger bubbling through her chest. They kept pushing her, cornering her. Her friends stayed quiet, the betas stepped back, leaving the fight to her and her mates.

"It doesn’t matter, Angel," Kaito cut her off. "I hate that we’re even arguing. You thought you were doing the right thing, but we’re telling you that you can’t throw your life away to save others."

"And lying to us is worse," Hiro added, his voice sharp with annoyance. "You can make choices, but not this one."

The forest breeze brushed across her face as if trying to calm her, but her heart refused to soften. "I don’t want to talk about it anymore," she snapped.

Her words silenced them. She turned away, shoulders stiff, eyes fixed on the river.

"You don’t need to worry. I already made a decision," Kaito said, his frown deepening. "Renn will talk with Principal Valois. We need to know whose side she’s on before we tell her about Kael’s condition. As for Mr. Slade, you won’t meet him. I’ll go and talk to him myself."

"He said no one should know," Angela whispered, fear in her eyes.

"That’s not your concern anymore. You hid it from us, we found out ourselves," Kaito told her firmly. "I’ll make sure he stays away from you and from the academy. You’ll finally be free of him."

Angela let out a hollow laugh, brushing her hand through her hair. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" she asked bitterly. Arguing with her mates felt like drowning in fire. Every word they threw at her burned deeper into her heart.

"You all see me as weak and pathetic, like I can’t make the right decision or protect myself," Angela said, her voice trembling with anger and hurt.

"That’s not what we meant," Taros answered quickly, surprised she couldn’t see the wrong in hiding the truth. "We are supposed to share everything that matters, but you kept Mr. Slade’s invitation to yourself."

"You were ready to meet him behind our backs, weren’t you?" Kaito asked, his voice sharp. "What makes you think he won’t come after us once he is done with you? Do you really believe your plan will save anyone? This is over. I will meet him myself, and if he doesn’t listen to reason, I’ll drive him out of Mistvale."

"We get the cure for Kael and then try to live in peace, right?" Hiro asked quietly.

"Yes. And if our mate wants to be claimed, she knows what to do," Kaito said, tapping Taros on the shoulder. Both turned to leave.

"Are you leaving?" Angela’s heart sank. They hadn’t truly talked this through. "You can’t just walk away like this."

Taros hesitated, his eyes full of conflict, as if he wanted to run back to her and hold her. But he turned instead and walked off. Kaito and Samuel followed.

"I think we all need a break to think," Hiro said gently before leaving with Kael.

"Don’t take it the wrong way," Renn said, staying behind. His voice was calm, but his eyes carried worry. "The boys are not giving up on you. After what happened to Kael, Kaito keeps blaming himself. He doesn’t want us to make more mistakes."

"Do you think I was wrong too?" Angela asked, her voice small.

"Why not?" Renn sighed. "Look at Kael. What if we don’t find a cure? Will he end up like Evan? It’s not just about you, Angela. It’s about all of us, our packs, our lives. We can’t lose you. We can’t risk becoming lone wolves."

Her chest ached as she looked at him. "What about claiming me? Doesn’t that matter to any of you?"

Renn’s expression softened, but his words were unsure. "I don’t know... whenever you are ready."

"What if I said I’m ready tonight?" Angela whispered suddenly. Her eyes locked with his, and she saw the answer in his gaze before he spoke. "I want you to claim me, Renn."

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Hello everyone,

Thank you for your constant support. I really appreciate it. I love you guys so much.

I have gotten much better so updates won’t be low anymore.

I will update more Chapters later when u am done with editing.