Page 38 of His Place in the World
Del was relieved when Angus pulled him away.He kept expecting Angela to stop them, and he could feel her watching them, but she stayed silent.They climbed into the car, but this time, Angus was driving.He knew where they were going, while Del had never been here before.
Angus sighed heavily as soon as they were in the car.“That went well, didn’t it?”he asked.
“Better than I expected.”
Angus nodded as he looked one last time at Angela through the window.“I shouldn’t have doubted her.”
“You doubted her because you thought she might try to keep you here, and she did.”But she’d stopped when she’d realized it would be of no use.That was all that mattered.
“Not as hard as I thought she would.I can’t help but feel a bit guilty.”
“You have no reasons to feel guilty.You did what you had to do for yourself and me.”
Angus grinned.“And I’m happy I did.”
Del was happy Angus had, too, especially after Angus parked in front of a tiny home that had seen better days.He’d lived here, and Del almost couldn’t believe it.
Cam had given Angus a home, but he’d been honest about it needing to be fixed up.He’d offered to help with the renovations and with anything Angus would need to buy for the house, but Angus had told him he didn’t need that.Cam had insisted that since the house was in pack territory and would house a pack member, it was his duty to ensure it was habitable.
Angela clearly didn’t think the same way.The house wasn’t crumbling yet, but Del wouldn’t be surprised if that happened soon.Would it be safe to have someone else live here?
“It’s worse from the outside than it is from the inside,” Angus murmured.
“I sure hope so,” Del told him as they left the car.“How much stuff do you have?”
“Not much.I was only here for a few years.”
Del thought of his bedroom back home.“I’d have had time to fill the entire house in two years.”
Angus shrugged.“I’m a rare shifter.I’ve always known that I might have to run at the drop of a hat, so I made sure I didn’t own anything I couldn’t either take with me or leave behind.It was easier that way.”
It might have been, but it broke Del’s heart to think that even though Angus had believed he’d been home with the Wakefield pack, he hadn’t allowed himself to relax.He’d always thought he’d have to run.
They went inside, and Del looked around, curious.Since Angus had told him he didn’t own much, Del wasn’t surprised to see that the house was mostly empty.He wandered into the living room, noticing a few books on the coffee table and not much else.He wasn’t sure whether or not they were taking the TV, but it was tiny, so even if they were, it wouldn’t be a problem.
There were no pictures on the walls, no signs that Angus had a family.He hadn’t mentioned anyone, and Del had been afraid to ask.He’d heard stories, especially after moving in with the Rosewood pack, so he was aware of the fact that a lot of rare shifters were alone in the world.It was too dangerous for them to move in groups, and after losing people, most of them tended to be on their own so they wouldn’t be hurt by losing someone else.
Hopefully, now that Angus was a Rosewood pack member, he’d be able to make friends and memories.Del desperately wanted that for him and for him to be happy.
Angus had several bags in his closet, and they used that to gather all his belongings.Angus took care of the bedroom while Del focused on the books in the living room and a few knickknacks he found around the house.Angus had told him to leave the kitchen as it was after he’d grabbed his favorite mug, and Del obeyed.
It didn’t feel like Angus was leaving much behind, and Del understood better how eager he was to finish moving to Rosewood.He didn’t have anything here in Wakefield, but he had his entire future waiting for him in Rosewood.
“We have all of it?”Del asked as he finally closed the trunk of his car.He turned back toward the house as if it would give him an answer.
“We do,” Angus told him.“And even if we don’t, it’s nothing I’ll miss, and at the very worst, we can come back.”
“The fact that you think that coming back would be the worst outcome tells me a lot about your life in Wakefield,” Del pointed out.
Angus wrapped an arm around Del’s waist and leaned against his side.“You’re not wrong.I’ll be happy never to come back.”
Del kissed Angus’s temple.“Then I’ll be happy that you won’t, too.Are you ready to go home?”
“More than I’ll ever be,” Angus confirmed, which was all Del had been waiting for.
He let go of his mate and moved toward the driver’s door, freezing when he saw two men coming toward him from the forest.He had no idea who they were, but from their expressions, they weren’t friends.
“What’s happening here?”one of them asked.
