CHAPTER 29: LEARNING GOOD MANNERS.

Wait... did that mean Alpha Kaito had a girlfriend?

Angela asked herself for what felt like the hundredth time. She hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Her mind was filled with too many questions and no answers. She had more than enough problems already, and the biggest of them all was that by tomorrow, she had nowhere to sleep. But the one thought that kept rising to the surface was Kaito and his supposed girlfriend.

Why was that even bothering her so much? It wasn’t her business if he had one or even a hundred of them. She was nothing to him.

In fact, she should be grateful. The skies had done her a favor by pulling her away from someone like him. Someone who could have bought her like an object. If what she had heard about West Pack was true, he would have kept her among many others.

She shouldn’t be shocked. The stories she’d heard were horrible and cruel.

Morning came faster than she expected. Angela realized she had barely gotten two hours of sleep. She sat up from the couch and looked around the room. Kaito was already gone, which was no surprise. He was always up early.

She got ready without wasting time and joined the others outside for the morning road work. As usual, she was the last to arrive. But there was no Alex today to tease her or tell her she was meant to be the last in line. He didn’t even show up for training at all.

That made her feel worse. Maybe he was still upset about what had happened yesterday during combat class.

Angela knew it wasn’t his fault. Not really. If anyone was to blame, it was Alpha Renn. He had started it all. None of this would have happened without him.

When the training ended, she hurried back to her room. She took her bath, dressed up, and rushed to the cafeteria. She hadn’t eaten dinner last night, so she made sure not to miss breakfast.

As soon as she stepped into the cafeteria, she could feel it. Every pair of eyes turned to her.

She tried not to let it show, but she noticed the ones from the West Pack looked at her with clear hate in their eyes. She didn’t need to ask why.

They had lost points, and she was the reason.

She just didn’t know how many.

"Hello, buddy," Stales said as he joined her with his tray.

Angela felt a bit of relief seeing him. With everyone else keeping their distance, having him around was something she was truly thankful for.

"How are you doing?" he asked, settling into his seat.

"Not fine," Angela replied quietly and dropped her fork. It was getting too heavy to keep everything to herself. She had to let it out. "I have nowhere to stay."

Stales paused, his cup halfway to his lips. "What do you mean you have no place to stay?" he asked, confused.

"Last night, Alpha Kaito and I had a small argument. I think I really crossed the line this time," she said, her voice low.

Stales blinked. "What do you mean by a small argument with the Alpha? He’s your Alpha, Angela. You’re not supposed to argue with him. If something’s wrong, you talk to him. He’ll probably let it go."

Angela gave a dry chuckle, one that carried more pain than humor. She wished it was that simple. Her friend didn’t understand.

"It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t mean for it to happen..." she started.

"It’s never your fault, Angel," Stales cut in, shaking his head. "That’s what I keep hearing since you got here. Who even cares whose fault it is anymore? I get that you didn’t mean to offend anyone, but somehow you always end up on the Alphas’ bad side."

"Really, Stales?" she said sharply, pushing her plate away. If he was going to take sides, then what was the point of talking?

"I’m not trying to pick sides. I’m being honest with you," Stales replied. "You’ve got a big mouth and a short temper. And trust me, that combo doesn’t help around here. If you want to survive in this place, especially with the Alphas, you need to learn to control yourself."

Angela lowered her gaze. "Is it that bad?"

"Yes, it is. And if you’re really planning to fight back or get your revenge on them someday, then you’ve got to control your anger. Watch what you say and what you do. It will save you, believe me," he said. He didn’t even know why he was saying all that. He was a werewolf. He should be loyal to the Alphas. But something about Angela made him care.

Angela bit her lower lip, her heart sinking deeper. "So I’m just like my mother..."

It hit her hard in that moment. She was no different from Grace. Her mother never cared how much her words hurt. She never cared about anyone, not even Angela. And now here she was, doing the same to people like Alex and the rest of West House.

Grace had a sharp tongue, and a bitter heart. That was why people in their town never wanted anything to do with them.

And now, she was becoming her.

"Did you say something?" Stales asked, pulling Angela out of her thoughts.

"No... no. I was just thinking." She took a breath, her voice trembling a little. "What do you think I should do? I feel lost. I’m confused and filled with so much anger." She looked at him with tired eyes. "I don’t even have a place to sleep. Alpha Kaito kicked me out last night."

"What?" Stales almost shouted, his voice rising without warning.

Angela knew this would happen. She had just confessed to crossing a line with the one person Stales admired most. She looked around quickly and, just as she feared, students had turned their heads to stare. Stales’s loud reaction had drawn their attention.

"What the hell did you do?" he asked again, still trying to understand how things had gone so bad so quickly. He was ready to scold her for messing with someone like Kaito. But then, his expression changed. He paused and thought for a second. That wasn’t what she needed from him right now.

She didn’t need anger. She needed support.

"You’re going to have to apologize to Alpha Kaito," he said gently.

"And what if I do, and he still doesn’t take me back?" Angela asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart was full of doubt. She didn’t know about Alex, but she was almost certain Kaito would never forgive her. "He’s not the type to let things go that easily."

"We’ll try anyway. First, you need to talk to Alex. Apologize to him, and then to the Alpha. You have to promise to obey him, no matter what," Stales said, trying to guide her.

Angela stared at the table. "So I’m supposed to just bow down and let him treat me however he wants? What if he tells me to do something I can’t?" Her thoughts drifted to the night before. Kaito had almost kissed her. That moment wouldn’t leave her mind. He had a girlfriend. What if he wanted her too? What if he expected her to become something more to him? And he still didn’t know she was a girl.

"What if he asks me to get into his bed?" she blurted out, before she could stop herself.

Stales froze and looked at her, clearly shocked. "You’re his roommate," he said slowly. "You already sleep in the same room. You both use the same bed... which is technically yours now. Why are you trying to confuse me?"

Angela sighed. "Sorry. I don’t even know why I said that."

"Come on, let’s go to class," Stales said, getting up from his seat. Most of the students had already left. He walked her down the hallway and added, "Just think about everything I said. Don’t let your pride ruin you. Please."

Angela nodded and watched him walk away. She was grateful for him. Truly grateful. She had never experienced anything like this before. Someone standing by her, no matter what. Someone who didn’t walk away when things got messy. It almost felt unreal—like a piece of a fairy tale she never believed she would ever live in.

When she walked into class, a few students were already seated. The moment she stepped in, their eyes turned to her. She could hear the whispers again. They were talking about her. Judging her. But she didn’t care. Not anymore. She had come too far to let whispers shake her.

Alex came into the room a moment later. His face was hard, his steps stiff. He looked like a different person this morning. Angela could feel the weight of his mood, even without looking directly at him. He sat beside her without saying a word.

Silence.

She wanted to ask if he was okay, but her words froze when Alpha Hiro walked into the classroom. A small smile played on his lips as his eyes locked on her.

It was clear to everyone. He had come for her.

Angela rolled her eyes. This was just perfect. As if her day wasn’t bad enough already. Now Hiro too?

What did he want this time?