Page 18 of His Place in the World (Legendary Shifters #9)

She rubbed a hand on her face, suddenly looking tired. “I’m sorry we couldn’t give you what you needed.”

“You gave me what I needed when I found you. Now, it’s time for more, and I found it in Rosewood, and with Del. There’s nothing else you could have done. Del is a Rosewood pack member, which means I am, too.”

“I wish you’d change your mind.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t.”

Angela nodded.

Del allowed himself to relax, but not completely. There was still time and opportunity for this situation to become a mess.

“As long as you continue helping us,” Angela said.

“I’ll make sure the pack is safe before handing everything over.”

“That’s not what I was talking about. I meant with the rare shifters and the auctions.”

“You’ll still help with that?”

Angela frowned. “Why shouldn’t I? I wasn’t doing it for you.

I’m doing it because it’s the right thing and because rare shifters shouldn’t be treated the way you are.

Everyone deserves a home, and while you were lucky enough to find two of them, others weren’t.

I want to give that to them. I want to give them a home and a safe place where they can finally be themselves. ”

Del hoped she truly felt that way and wasn’t just saying it because she wanted her pack to be even more powerful. Even if she did, it was none of his business. He had Angus, and they were going home as soon as possible. It was all Del could care about right now.

“Thank you for everything,” Angus said. “We’re headed to pick up my things. I’ll leave the key in the living room.”

“I’m sure I’ll find someone who needs a new home.”

“I’m glad someone else will have use of it.”

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.

“I’m giving you what you’ve wanted for so long,” Angus said. “I’m leaving.”

The second man frowned as he looked from the car to the house, but the first one moved closer to Angus, too close for Del to be comfortable. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“You always tell me I don’t belong, remember? Well, I agree. I don’t belong in Wakefield, which is why I’m leaving,” Angus told him.

“You’re abandoning us?” the guy by the car asked.

Angus snorted. “I’m not abandoning anyone. I’m moving.”

The man in front of him stepped even closer. “You’re betraying our pack,” he said with a growl that alarmed Del.

“What do you want from me, Mike?” Angus asked. He stood his ground, not looking one bit scared.

Del was scared enough for both of them.

“You can’t leave. You’re a member of our pack,” Mike snapped.

“Am I? Because you spent two years telling me I never belonged. I finally agree, and now, you have a problem with that?”

“Angela won’t allow you to leave.”

“Newsflash, asshole. Angela agreed that I could leave. She knows why I’m going, and she has no problem with it.”

Mike did, though. He reached for Angus, and Del stepped forward to defend his mate. He doubted he could do much against a shifter, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

He didn’t have to. Angus moved to the side, avoiding Mike’s hand and shifting. Del could only watch as Angus’s clothes tore around him and fluttered to the ground. His human body was gone, leaving place to a gorgeous white horse.

A horse with wings.

* * * *

Angus reared back. He’d reached the end of his patience with Mike and Leonard and was ready to pound Mike’s face into the ground with his hooves. He didn’t care what Angela would think of it. Mike and Leonard were assholes, and she had to know that.

Angus expanded his wings, ready for a fight. Mike snarled and started shifting, too, his nails turning to claws. He could do a lot of damage, but so could Angus. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a predator in his shifted form. He was dangerous, and Mike was about to find out how much.

“What’s happening here?” a voice snapped from the forest.

All four of them turned to look as Angela came out of the forest. She was naked, a sure sign she’d been in her wolf form until seconds ago, and while Angus, Mike, and Leonard didn’t have a problem with that, Del flushed red and looked away.

It was endearing, but Angus had other things to focus on right now.

He’d have to see if he could replicate the flush on Del’s cheeks later when they were alone.

“Well?” Angela asked as she came to a stop in front of them. “Is anyone going to answer?”

“We caught him sneaking away,” Mike said.

He was fully human again. He knew better than to show Angela that he’d been about to shift and attack Angus.

Angela frowned. “Sneaking away?”

Mike gestured at the car. “He packed all his things. He’s abandoning the pack.”

Angela’s expression smoothed out. “He’s not abandoning us, Mike. He’s moving to his new pack.”

Mike gaped. “And you’re allowing him to?”

Angela narrowed her eyes. “Do you have something to say about my decisions as an alpha?”

“Of course not, but we need him.”

Angus finally shifted back. He was safe, and he would be until he and Del managed to leave Wakefield pack territory. Angela had given him her word that she’d let him go, and she kept her promises.