Page 11 of His Place in the World
He liked Angela, and he thought she liked him, too.She’d given him everything he could have hoped for when he’d needed it, but he’d never fooled himself into thinking she truly cared about him.His importance was in the skills he had as a hacker and what he could do for the pack, nothing more, nothing less.Here in Rosewood, he’d be cherished as a pack member, a friend, maybe even family.That was what he wanted—what he’d wanted all along.
“Angus’s home is with the Wakefield pack,” Angela said.“Where we should head back.I understand you’re overwhelmed, Angus, but surely you need some time to wrap your mind around this?Wouldn’t it be better for you to come home and give yourself some breathing room?”
Angus didn’t want to make her angry.He didn’t want her to hate him, and he suspected she knew he had no intention of ever living in Wakefield again.She sounded slightly desperate, although Angus was pretty sure he was the only one who could see that.He knew her much better than anyone else here.
Cam cleared his throat.“It’s understandable that both Angus and Del need time to deal with the situation, but maybe they could both do it here.”
Angela narrowed her eyes at him.“But Angus isn’t your pack member.”
“It doesn’t mean I won’t welcome him for as long as he needs.Clearly, one of them will have to move to be with the other if that’s what they decide they want.I don’t know Angus’s situation with your pack, but I know Del, and I’m sure he’d be more comfortable here, surrounded by his family.”
But Angus couldn’t say the same because he didn’t have a family.He didn’t even have friends in Wakefield.
He needed to say something before Angela told Cam he was looking forward to going home to Wakefield.“There’s no one waiting for me at home,” he said.“I have no family in Wakefield, and I’ll be more than happy to accept your offer and stay, at least until Del and I have talked and made decisions,” he said quickly.
Angela looked like he’d betrayed her, and maybe he had.Maybe she felt like he was sleeping with the enemy, so to speak, even though both packs were allies.
But they hadn’t been allies long.The Rosewood pack had always been much smaller, and Angela had never seen a need for them when it came to keeping her pack safe.Things were slowly changing, and Angela never did anything that didn’t benefit the pack.
It had to be exhausting.
Losing Angus wouldn’t benefit the Wakefield pack, but Angus didn’t care.It had never been home, just a place to stay, where people would keep him safe because they were supposed to.He wanted more than that.He wanted emotions and feelings, to make friends and have a family.
And all of that was within his reach.
Cam seemed delighted.“It’s decided, then,” he said, pointedly looking at Angela.“And, of course, it’s not permanent.It won’t be until they come to us and tell us what they’ve decided.I’ll keep him safe, though.If that’s what you were worried about, Angela, you shouldn’t be.I realize my pack is much smaller than yours, but my pack members aren’t any less fierce, and we’ve been doing a good job protecting our rare shifters.We’ll do the same for Angus.”
“You’re a rare shifter?”Del asked.
There was so much they needed to talk about.Angus didn’t even know where to start or if they should do it now.“I’m a Pegasus shifter,” he told his mate.
Del frowned.“That’s a horse, right?”
“With wings.Our cousins, unicorn shifters, are more famous, but we exist, too.”
“Not being famous isn’t a bad thing,” Del murmured.
Angela suddenly grabbed Angus’s arm.“I need to talk to you,” she said.“If you’ll excuse us,” she told Cam and Del before dragging Angus down the hallway.
Angus’s mouth went dry.He already knew what she wanted to tell him, but he wasn’t going back to Wakefield, dammit.It might mean it didn’t have a home, but he suspected that would change soon.
“What are you doing?”Angela asked, keeping her voice soft so Cam and Del wouldn’t hear her.
“This is nothing against you,” Angus told her.
“It sure feels like it is,” she hissed.“What am I supposed to think of this?You didn’t hesitate to accept Cam’s offer to move out of the Wakefield pack and become a Rosewood pack member.”
“That’s not what he offered.”
“But it is what will happen in the end, isn’t it?You’re not coming back to Wakefield, not permanently, anyway.Whatever you’re saying, we both know that’s the truth.”
Angus had to look away.He’d never wanted to hurt her, but he needed to do what was best for him, not for her or the Wakefield pack.“I’ll always be thankful to you and your pack for giving me a safe place to live,” he said.
“But not so thankful that you’ll stay with us and continue protecting us.”
“You have many other people who can help you protect the pack.Besides, it’s not like I did much.I just keep an eye on the security system and fix what needs to be fixed.You can find someone else to do that.You don’t need me, and you never have.”
“But you needed us.”
