Page 78 of Wolf Tormented
How could Angela leave her like that? She was tasked with protecting my mate. She never should have been out in the woods when I was gone.
I stomp down the stairs and all sound stops. Everyone goes silent and stares up at me as I hop over the broken step.
“What the fuck happened?” I ask Patrick.
I don’t acknowledge Angela; I can’t. She failed us both. I nearly lost my mate because of her carelessness.
“We had a situation that I needed you for, but you were gone. As beta, Angela came out so I could show her what was going on,” Patrick says, his voice wobbly, and he glances at the floor in submission.
“Even after I specifically assigned her to protect my mate?” I ask with a snarl.
“It’s not his fault, Alpha.” Angela leans over in an attempt to catch my eye, but I dodge her.
I can’t look the beta in the eye when she’s failed egregiously.
“How long were you all in the woods?” I yell.
“A few hours tops, alpha.” Patrick crosses his arms over his chest.
“More than enough time for my mate to walk into a fucking trap in her own home.” I glare at Patrick.
Angela gasps and steps toward the stairs. I put an arm out, blocking her path. She doesn’t get to go see my mate when she directly disobeyed a direct order and my mate suffered for it.
“What happened to Jara?” Patrick asks.
His hands shake violently, and his pulse jumps in his throat.
Alex narrows his eyes at them and throws the piece of wood from the stair on the table in front of him.
“Is that blood?” Angela gasps.
“Yeah, that was sticking out of my cousin’s stomach when we found her falling through the stair.” Alex glares at the group. “No one could hear her scream.”
“What?” Angela shouts.
“Shhh, she’s fucking sleeping, and if you wake her, it’s going to be even worse for you.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Archer… you know I didn’t do this.” Angela steps in front of me, trying to catch my eye.
“Alex, take her to a holding cell until I can figure out what to do with her.”
“Alpha?” He eyes Angela.
It’s fucked up that I’m making him choose, but I need to know that he’s loyal to me. He needs to choose the pack over a woman he’s not even mated to. He needs to choose his cousin.
“Take her to the holding cells. We aren’t making a spectacle, yet.” I run a hand through my hair.
“Archer, you can’t be serious,” Angela says.
Tears pool in her eyes. I sigh and turn away from her as Alex grips her biceps and leads her from the room.
“Alpha,” Patrick says slowly.
“I know what you’re going to say, Patrick, and I don’t care. She should have been here. She failed her alphas.”
“It was just an accident, alpha. It could have happened at any time.” Patrick whispers.
I’m shaking my head before he even finishes his sentence.
