CHAPTER 46: BLOOD/BULLETS.

He hadn’t forgotten the line she let slip earlier when she thought he had discovered her true identity. Angela could feel the pressure building again. She didn’t know what to say next. She hated lying to him, especially now, but she had no choice. Her safety came first. She would do whatever it took to protect herself.

"It’s a long story," she finally said, her voice soft as she squeezed her fingers together. "My uncle has a strong effect on me when it comes to things like this." She took a breath and glanced away. "I was scared you’d get angry and not believe me. It has happened before... I was insulted and humiliated."

That part wasn’t a lie. Uncle Toga had once beaten and humiliated her after she told him one of his gang boys had tried to touch her. It happened a year ago, yet the memory stayed sharp, like a fresh wound that never healed. No one believed her. Not even her mother, who told her she probably seduced the man. The memory stung, and the thought alone brought tears to her eyes. But she quickly blinked them away. She wasn’t going to look weak in front of Taros. He didn’t deserve that.

"Is it because of this uncle you had to leave home?" Taros asked gently as he stepped closer. His voice was calm, filled with concern.

"Yes... you remembered," Angela said with a faint chuckle, trying to smile even as the tears tried to push through.

"You told me at the mini mart that you had family issues," Taros said, his tone soft. "I could tell it was serious. Sometimes family members can really hurt us."

"I thought it was just mine," she replied. "Is yours the same?"

"No, no," Taros said, shaking his head. "It’s the opposite. I come from a big family, and it’s warm being around them. They give me joy, the kind of peace and love I don’t find anywhere else."

Angela smiled, a little sadly. "Now I’m jealous of you," she said. And it was the truth. Now it made sense why he was so kind from the very first day they met. He came from love. That kind of warmth never really left a person.

"Let’s go in. Your pack will be waiting," Taros said, standing by the entrance and waiting for her to lead the way. Angela gave a small nod and walked ahead with him beside her. The place was unusually quiet. She found herself wondering where the celebration was supposed to be.

"I know where they are. Come on," he said, then suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her along without warning.

They half ran through the hallways until they reached the back of the dormitory. Angela realized this was the first time she had gone beyond her room. The backyard felt like an entirely different world. There were four cabins lined up neatly, and the whole place was lit up with warm lights, glowing softly around the trees and the gathering crowd. It looked like a small festival or bonfire night. The students were jumping, dancing, singing—completely lost in the joy of the moment. She even heard someone howling from a far corner, probably in excitement.

The energy in the air made her heart lift. She felt something she hadn’t felt in a while—peace, maybe even a little freedom.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces. But just when she thought she hadn’t seen anyone, her gaze locked with Kaito’s. He was standing still, staring at her with a cold look on his face. His jaw was tight, and every step he took toward them looked like he was dragging heavy anger along with him.

"Oh no. I think your Alpha is a little mad," Taros whispered beside her.

"But why? We’re back in time, right?" Angela chuckled lightly, though her eyes stayed on Kaito. A small part of her, deep inside, was amused. Maybe it was wrong, but it felt good to see him mad. Maybe it was payback for everything she’d had to pretend to ignore—like his so-called lover, Kaine.

"Well... I wasn’t really supposed to take you out without asking his permission first," Taros said with a quiet shrug, sliding his hands into his pockets as Kaito drew nearer.

"I’m not his prisoner. I can go anywhere I want, can’t I?" she asked, keeping her voice firm.

"Yes, you can, but that’s not exactly how the pack rules work around here," Taros said, lowering his voice as Kaito finally stopped in front of them. "And from the look on his face, I’d say he’s really mad now."

*****

"Where did you two go?" Kaito asked as he walked up to them. His tone was sharp, but he was trying not to make a scene.

"Well..." Taros smiled and glanced at Angela, who gave a shy smile and looked down. That simple look between them made her cheeks warm. Somehow, Taros always knew how to make her blush without even trying. "We just went to show Angel around town. Sorry we didn’t inform you before taking him."

"You could have at least left a message or made a call," Kaito replied, his brows drawn together. He didn’t understand what was going on between the two of them. Something felt off. First, they went out without saying anything. Now they were walking back in together, holding hands like it was nothing.

He tried to brush it off, to act like it didn’t matter. But the ache in his chest betrayed him. It didn’t make sense. He had no reason to feel jealous, but he did. And that made him even more confused.

Kaito told himself again that it was nothing, just two boys hanging out, nothing more than that.

"I was worried when I couldn’t find him. If not for Alex, I wouldn’t have known where Angel went," Kaito added, trying hard to stay calm. He knew Taros wasn’t the type to purposely cross the line, but still, this was too much.

"I understand your point," Taros said, his voice steady. He knew the rules, and he knew that if anything had happened to Angel, Principal Valois would have gone straight to Kaito for answers. After all, Kaito was the pack leader. "We’re sorry. Next time, we’ll inform you."

"Next time?" Kaito repeated, his eyes shifting to Angela, who hadn’t said a word the whole time. It was strange. This wasn’t the Angel he was used to. The Angel he knew always had something sharp to say, always had a fire in him. But now he was just standing there, quiet, avoiding everyone’s gaze. Something was wrong. Kaito could feel it deep in his gut.

He kept thinking back to the night of the full moon. That’s when it all started. Since then, Angel hadn’t been the same. He had started acting different. Even during their morning roadwork, he noticed Angel and Hiro came in together—late. And in the afternoon, Hiro came again and spoke to Angel in private. That was strange. As far as he knew, the two of them were not even friends...they despised each other.

Something was going on. He didn’t know what, but he was going to find out. Whatever it was, he would get it out of Angel when this celebration was over. Whether Angel wanted to talk or not didn’t matter. He would talk either the easy way or the hard way.

****

The car came to a sudden halt in front of an old, abandoned school. The place was swallowed by darkness, yet a single security man stood outside like a statue, guarding the silence. Hiro stared at him through the windshield, wondering what one man could possibly do if something went wrong. A place like this needed at least seven guards, not just one.

"Are you going to use mind tricks on him?" his beta asked, sitting beside him.

"Maybe," Hiro said, leaning back into his seat. He reached into the glove box and grabbed a small container of wolfscan. Without a word, he popped it open and emptied the contents into his mouth.

"So what’s the plan, Alpha? Why are we even here?" Kael asked. He had been silent most of the trip, but now his curiosity got the best of him. They had driven miles from Mistvale, and all his Alpha had said was that it was important.

"We’re going in to search old documents. Files on Angel," Hiro said, resting both legs against the steering wheel. Then he turned on the headlights, the sudden brightness drawing the attention of the security man ahead. "First, we deal with him. Or maybe... we mess around a bit. What do you think?"

"It’s not necessary," Karl said from the backseat. "I’m sure he’ll let us in without a fight." He looked out the window, still trying to understand why they had come this far for someone like Angel. Whatever was going on between Hiro and Angel was deeper than he thought. And if they weren’t careful, it could drag the entire pack into something dangerous. "But seriously, Alpha. What is it you’re hoping to find out?"

"Everything," Hiro said flatly, then pushed open the car door.

He wasn’t planning to waste time. He would try to handle this the easy way—speak calmly, ask nicely, hope the man would cooperate. But if that failed, then it was going to get bloody. And truthfully, Hiro didn’t mind that. In fact, he preferred it.

He took a few steps forward, heading straight to the security man who had now turned to face him. Hiro was about to speak when, without warning, the man raised his weapon and fired.

A sharp pain tore through Hiro’s chest.

"What the fuck?" he gasped, falling to his knees as heat spread through his body. It wasn’t just pain—it was fire, crawling deep into his skin, eating at his strength.

His hands pressed against his chest. Blood rushed out like it had been waiting for this very moment. The air around him grew heavier, colder. He looked down and knew instantly—the bullet wasn’t normal. It was moon-etched. Deadly to Alphas. The kind of weapon that didn’t kill fast but made every second a living hell.

He could hear the security man’s voice now, full of hate and bitterness.

"You shouldn’t have come here at all," the man said with no trace of fear, only poison in his tone.