Page 12 of His Place in the World
Angus understood why she was angry and maybe desperate to keep him.She could find someone else to deal with the security system, but she’d have to train them.Before Angus had arrived, it had been much more rustic, and he’d implemented many changes because he’d needed to feel safe.It would be fairly easy to teach someone what to do, though.It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth.
He breathed in and out for a few seconds, trying to stay calm.“I needed you, yes,” he confirmed.“I was alone, and if you hadn’t taken me in, I’d probably have been captured and auctioned like the people we’re trying to rescue.I’ll always be grateful for what you did for me, and I’ll never forget it.I’m not saying I’ll never come back, but you’re right when you say I plan to move to Rosewood permanently if I can.It’s nothing against you, Angela, but I’ve never felt fully at home with the Wakefield pack.”
“And you feel at home here?”
Angus looked at Del, who was standing with Cam and staring back, looking worried.“Not yet, but I believe I could, in time.”As long as Del gave him and their bond a chance, Angus knew Rosewood could become his home.Even if Del decided this was too much for him, Angus would be fine.He’d finally found a place where he belonged, something he’d been yearning for his entire life.He wouldn’t let anyone take that away from him—not Angela, not Del.
No one.
* * * *
Del couldn’t look away from Angus.He wished he could hear what Angus and his alpha were whispering to each other, but he was only human and entirely too far away.
“How are you feeling?”Cam asked.
“Like I was hit by a truck.”
“That’s what meeting your mate will do.I remember when I first met Toby.I didn’t expect it to happen, and I was stunned.Things went okay, though.”
Del chuckled.“Considering the two of you are together and in love, I’d say they did.”
“You and Angus can have that, too.”
It was almost impossible for Del to imagine it.Before moving in with the pack, he’d never thought much about shifters.He hadn’t had a reason to, and he’d needed to focus on college and helping his family.After his family had moved in with shifters, he couldn’t avoid wondering about being a shifter’s mate.
And now, he’d found out he was.
He cleared his throat.“Thanks for offering all of this to Angus,” he said.
“Angus and I talked earlier, and I mentioned to him that he’d always be welcome here.I was surprised to find out he’s a rare shifter, but even if he hadn’t been, I would have offered the same.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think he’s happy in Wakefield.Knowing he’s a rare shifter makes that more understandable, especially with what I know about the Wakefield pack.”
Del frowned.“Are they not a good pack?”
“That’s not what I said.Angela is a good alpha and does everything she can to keep her pack safe.There are many more Wakefield pack members than there are Rosewood, so her job is harder than mine.”
Del glanced at her.He still wasn’t sure what to think of her, but her behavior and Cam’s were incredibly different.She was much more rigid, and there was no friendship between her and Angus, although maybe that was because of the situation.To Del, though, it felt like her relationship with Angus was much more professional, while Cam’s relationship with every single pack member was that of a friend.Everyone knew he was in charge, but he didn’t need to order people around or raise his voice for them to do what he asked.
“You expect Angus to want to become a Rosewood pack member eventually,” Del said.
“I do, and I expected it even before he realized you’re his mate.I’ve only met him a few times, but he never seemed happy.I understood what was happening when he mentioned the pack and how I made it a safe place for everyone.If he wants to live with us, I’m more than okay with it.The fact that you’re his mate will make things easier for him when it comes to the Wakefield pack.Angela will probably still try to stop him, but doing so would mean keeping the two of you apart.”
And from what Del understood, that was something most shifters wouldn’t do.
They viewed mates as a sign of fate and didn’t separate them.Del was sure that some shifters didn’t care about mates, especially when it came to other people’s mates, but that wasn’t a problem in the Rosewood pack.
Cam would give Del and Angus the time and space they needed to figure things out.He wouldn’t force them to stay apart or to be together.That was all Del could have hoped for, along with Angus moving in with the Rosewood pack, which was apparently happening.
Cam cleared his throat.“Angela, why don’t you come with me back to my office?We can talk about how we’ll organize this.I’m sure Angus wants more time with Del, so maybe he could stay here right away, and you could send someone back with his things?Or I can send someone with you to pack what he needs and bring it back.”
“I don’t need anything I can’t buy here in town,” Angus quickly said.It was almost as if he was afraid Angela would find a reason for him to go back and stay.“I’ll be fine for a couple of days.”
“You might need more than a couple of days to decide what you want to do,” Cam pointed out.
He moved toward Angus and Angela, and Del quickly went with him.He didn’t want to leave Angus alone with Angela.
