Page 17 of His Place in the World (Legendary Shifters #9)

It was time to do the thing Angus dreaded.

He’d been with the Rosewood pack for two weeks now, and Angela was becoming impatient.

She kept texting him, asking about updates from the mission and what he was finding out through Colbert’s phone.

He gave her everything he could, but it wasn’t enough.

She’d been grumbling that he needed to come home and do his job, even though he was training someone to take his place.

Neither of them had said it out loud yet, but they both knew what was happening. They were both aware of the fact that Angus was moving to Rosewood, even though Angela didn’t want to accept it.

She would have to now.

“How nervous are you?” Del asked from the driver’s seat of his car.

Angus realized he’d been bouncing his knee and pressed a hand against his knee to stop it. It wouldn’t last long, but it was better than making his seat vibrate and showing his mate he wasn’t as calm as he wished he were.

“She won’t hurt me.”

“That sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself more than me, babe.”

The last word made Angus blink. “Babe?”

“I was trying it out.” Del kept his gaze on the road, but Angus saw the wicked smile that curled his lips. “I can find something else if you don’t like it. How about sweetheart? Babycakes?”

Angus shuddered in horror. Babe was already pushing it, even though he liked that they were to the point of using pet names. It made him feel special, and he wanted to be special to Del. “Babe is fine.”

“I can call you by your name if you’re more comfortable with that.”

“I don’t know what I’m comfortable with. I’ve never had anyone call me babe, so I guess we should see how I like it and then decide.”

Del had successfully distracted Angus, but unfortunately, it hadn’t lasted nearly long enough. When Angus looked out the window, he saw how close they were to Wakefield, and his stomach churned with nervousness and maybe a hint of fear.

He and Del were going to Wakefield to talk to Angela and, at the same time, grab Angus’s things.

He didn’t have much, thankfully, so they wouldn’t have to come back.

By the time he left Wakefield later today, he wouldn’t be a Wakefield pack member anymore.

He belonged in Rosewood with Del, and while he couldn’t wait, the thought of what he was about to do still made him want to puke.

“You’re going to be just fine,” Del murmured as he reached for Angus’s leg.

He squeezed Angus’s knee, then let his hand linger there.

Angus wished his mate would never stop touching him.

He needed to feel connected to Del, even though he knew he was doing the right thing.

Wakefield wasn’t for him, and it had never been.

He’d always be grateful for what Angela and the pack had done for him, but he also couldn’t wait to start his new life in Rosewood.

He could have done this without Del, but he was glad his mate wasn’t going anywhere.

He just had to get over the last hurdle, and he’d be perfectly fine.

The problem was that his last hurdle was Angela-shaped.

“This is Wakefield?” Del asked as he drove into town.

“It is. The pack is just outside, although it’s so close that it might as well be the town. Most pack members work and live here, anyway.”

“It’s bigger than Rosewood.”

“Well, Wakefield pack has more members.”

There was a moment of silence before Del asked, “Do you think Angela would cause a war between our packs to get you back?”

Angus wouldn’t deny he’d thought about it, but he doubted she would. “The most important thing in her life has always been the pack. She wouldn’t put all of it in danger just for one person, especially not one who wasn’t born here.”

“She values you.”

“She does, and she gave me a job and allowed me to learn many things I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

That doesn’t mean she can’t see that no matter how valuable I am, she can find someone who is even more so.

I’m already training someone to replace me, and if they follow what I’m teaching them and keep up to date with the latest technologies, the Wakefield pack will be fine. ”

“As long as she doesn’t try using this against us.”

Angus was worried, even though he didn’t think Angela would do anything that warranted that.

He also felt just a bit guilty. The Wakefield pack had given him a lot and had kept him safe for years, and he was thanking them by leaving.

Many pack members would have something to say about that, but that was the thing Angus least cared about.

His mouth went dry when Del drove into pack territory.

He noticed a few guards, and he had no doubt Angela would know he was arriving by the time he reached the small building where their offices were located.

She’d always refused to have an office in her home, and Angus understood that.

He wasn’t sure it made sense considering she was always working, but it wasn’t his decision to make or to argue.

Sure enough, when Del parked in front of the building after Angus gave him directions, they both noticed Angela standing by the front door. She wore jeans and a sweater and had her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t look angry, exactly, but something was clearly wrong.

And that something was Angus.

He climbed out of the car and hesitated. She had to know why he was here, and he’d half expected her to start yelling at him as soon as he arrived. He was glad she wasn’t, but it made him apprehensive.

“I expected you, but I didn’t expect your mate,” Angela said when they reached her. “I should have, though. It makes sense for both of you to come back.”

Angus frowned. “Does it?”

“He’s your mate. Where you are, he is. He followed you home.”

Angus’s stomach sank. Did she really believe that, or was she trying one last time to convince him to stay? “I’m not home,” he told her.

“Of course you are, and there’s work to do. I want to know everything you found out about the auctions and the entire operation.”

She turned around and headed inside the building before Angus could explain why he was there. He and Del looked at each other, and Del shrugged.

Angus wasn’t alone. Del would be with him every step of the way, but Angus was the one who had to deal with Angela and tell her what was going on. Del wouldn’t do it for him, no matter how much Angus wanted him to. He just wished this entire thing was over already, dammit.

Angus sighed and followed Angela inside. He knew she’d be in her office, so that was where he headed. Sure enough, she was walking around the desk to sit in front of her computer when he stepped into the room.

“I’m not staying,” he declared.

Angela stopped moving and stared at him. “You mean you want to go home for a bit?”

She had to know that wasn’t what he was saying. “I mean, I’m here to pack my things and permanently move to Rosewood.”

The silence in the room was so thick that Angus could almost feel it against his skin.

“You’re a Wakefield pack member,” Angela eventually said.

“For now, but we both knew I wouldn’t stay here forever. I even told you that I wanted this to happen when you agreed to let me stay in Rosewood.”

“I remember. I thought you’d see that you could have what you need here. This is your home.”

“Not anymore. I already talked to Cam, and he agreed I could become a member of his pack. It’s what makes more sense. Del is a member of the Rosewood pack, and his entire family is there. On the other hand, there’s nothing keeping me in Wakefield.”

“I thought you cared about us.”

“I do, but it’s time for me to move on. I’ll still help Wakefield as much as I can, and I’ll make sure anyone who replaces me is trained, but this is it for me.”

“Is it only because of Del?”

It was tempting to lie. Angus almost did. “No. I know you did everything you could to make me feel like I was home here, but I always knew I wasn’t. Several pack members made sure I couldn’t forget.”

Angela briefly closed her eyes. “I should have kept a better eye on you.”

“You shouldn’t have had to. As a pack member, I should have been treated like anyone else, but not everyone did that. I could have come to you, but I didn’t want to bother you, and I still don’t. I’m only telling you this because I’m leaving, and I feel you should know.”

“Nothing I can say or do will convince you to stay?”

Angus shook his head and reached back. Del linked their fingers together right away, squeezing hard enough to remind Angus he was there.

“I’m sorry. I never belonged in Wakefield, and I always knew that, regardless of how welcoming you and the others were.

I found my place in Rosewood, and I can’t wait to start the new chapter of my life with my mate.

I’ll always be grateful for what you did for me, Angela, but this is it. ”

It was where their paths parted, and Angus prayed she wouldn’t cling to him in a desperate attempt to change that.

* * * *

Del couldn’t tell how Angela would react to what Angus was saying. He didn’t know her, but knowing what he did of alphas, he was aware of the fact that she could create problems for them.

This was something that had to be done, though.

Angus would never come back to Wakefield, at least not as a Wakefield pack member.

He might visit, although knowing what he did about Angus’s time here, Del suspected he wouldn’t.

He’d found a home in Rosewood, just like Del, and they were ready to start their life together.

Hopefully, it would be with Angela’s blessing.

Del didn’t need it, and neither did Angus, but having it would mean the alliance between the Rosewood and Wakefield packs would hold.

Because it wasn’t just Del and Angus’s future in the balance. Angela could take her revenge on the Rosewood pack, and Del prayed she wouldn’t. Angus respected her as a good alpha. She needed to show him that she was now.