Chapter 3 - Angel's POV

The morning air was crisp as we gathered, ready to leave. Kayden and the others were loading up into the car while I swung my leg over my motorbike—a gift from Mark last year on my birthday. It was sleek, powerful, and my favorite way to travel.

"Angel, all of you be careful," Mark said, his voice firm yet laced with concern. "If anything goes wrong, call me immediately. Keep me updated on the training once you arrive."

I smirked. ‘Mark included me in this mission, so maybe he doesn’t really want to send me away,’ I mused.

"Yes, Daddy!" I teased, revving my engine before giving him a playful salute. He rolled his eyes, but I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. I motioned for Kayden to follow as I led the way.

‘You’re such a handful, Angel,’ Mark said through our pack link.

‘Love you, Mark. Don’t miss me too much!’ I replied with a chuckle.

---

By noon, we stopped at a roadside burger joint next to a gas station. As soon as we walked in, heads turned. It was nothing new—humans and werewolves were physically different. Our kind trained hard, making our builds leaner and stronger, and our height often towered over humans. At 5'11, I wasn’t even the tallest among us; Kayden, at 6'5, looked like he had stepped out of a combat magazine.

At a nearby table, two human guys were talking in hushed voices.

"Dude, look at that woman in the black leather jacket," one whispered. "She’s gorgeous. Her friends, too. Models, maybe? Celebrities?"

Kayden and I exchanged amused glances.

‘Humans,’ he said through the mind link, shaking his head.

We took the long couch at the back, and our waitress nearly fainted trying to take Kayden, Aden, and Simon’s orders. Meanwhile, Lea and I got icy glares from the female customers.

Lea huffed. "Seriously? She was drooling over the guys a second ago, and now she’s glaring at us like we stole her spotlight?"

"Lea, relax," I said, suppressing a laugh. "You’ll have to get used to it. The Moon Crescent Pack has plenty of women just like her."

Her curiosity sparked. "Oh, right! You’re from there. Why did you leave?"

I hesitated before answering, "I wasn’t happy there."

Simon frowned. "Why not?"

"The people… they didn’t treat me well. So, I left."

Lea’s eyes gleamed mischievously. "Then it’s a good thing we’re training them. We’ll make sure they get the best experience of their lives."

I forced a small smile, hoping they wouldn’t press further. Thankfully, our food arrived, distracting everyone.

---

As we ate, Kayden turned to me. "Angel, where are we staying tonight? I also need to call Alpha Mark to report our status. You know how protective he is—he makes me update him every four hours."

"Yes, very protective, especially toward Angel," Aden teased, waggling his eyebrows.

I threw a fry at him. "Don’t worry, Kayden. I already updated him. I told him, ‘We’re still virgins.’"

Laughter erupted around the table. Kayden blinked, confused for a moment before realizing what I meant. More fries were thrown at him for being slow.

"Be serious, Angel," Kayden grumbled. "If I wanted to have fun with you, I could do it right now." He smirked, winking playfully.

"Ew! Get a room, you two," Lea groaned.

Our laughter was cut short when four men walked into the restaurant. Instinctively, we tensed.

Rogues.

They didn’t immediately attack, but their eyes locked onto us with an air of challenge.

‘Kayden, what’s the plan?’ I asked through our link.

‘This is neutral territory. They have as much right to be here as we do. If they don’t start a fight, we leave them alone,’ he replied.

For a moment, it seemed like things would stay civil. But then, two of the rogues walked straight to our table.

"Looks like you’re lost," one of them sneered.

Kayden remained calm. "We’re just stopping by to eat, rogue. We’ll be on our way soon."

"We don’t want you to wait. Leave now," the second one growled.

Tension thickened in the air. I slammed my glass onto the table, the impact shattering it.

"Do not insult our Beta," I said coldly. "Just because we’re in neutral territory doesn’t mean we’ll tolerate disrespect."

The rogues chuckled. "Feisty little pup, aren’t you? You have no idea who you’re messing with. We own this place."

I scoffed. "Rogues don’t own land. Back off before I change my mind about sparing you."

One of them lunged, but before he could lay a hand on me, Kayden grabbed his wrist and twisted it with a sickening crack. The rogue howled in pain, drawing the attention of the entire restaurant.

Kayden’s voice dropped to a dangerous growl. "Touch her, and you won’t live to regret it. Be grateful we’re in human territory."

‘Hmm… MY GIRL. Interesting choice of words,’ Slade teased in my head.

‘Don’t start,’ I warned.

‘Why? Ready to give up on our so-called mate for Kayden?’

Slade went quiet. No matter how much we resented Gabriel, we both knew we weren’t ready to betray the bond.

‘Kayden hasn’t found his mate yet. When he does, he’ll forget about us,’ I said, ignoring the dull ache in my chest.

‘I hope she’s nothing like our mate,’ Slade muttered.

‘I hope so too.’

The rogues retreated, glaring as they returned to their seats. I placed a hand on Kayden’s arm, urging him to calm down. His wolf was close to surfacing, and we couldn’t risk exposing ourselves to humans.

"If we were back in our pack, those rogues would be dead," Kayden muttered.

"Just breathe. Let’s finish eating and leave before you do something you'll regret."

Kayden exhaled slowly. "Fine. But let’s get out of here soon."

"Yes, Beta," we all said in unison, trying to lighten the mood.

---

That night, we checked into a hotel. Only three rooms were available, so Lea and Simon shared one, Aden and Kayden took another, and I had a room to myself.

After showering, I lay in bed, lost in thought. Tomorrow, I would face my past. What would Michael say? Would Gabriel even care?

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I opened it to find Kayden holding food and a bottle of wine.

"Can I come in?"

I smirked. "With a bribe like that? Sure."

He set everything on the table. "I figured you might need this. Tomorrow will be tough. You’ll see your mate and your family."

I hesitated before admitting, "You know me too well."

Kayden met my gaze. "I wish things were different, Angel. I wish we were real mates."

I didn’t respond. Instead, I hugged him, finding comfort in his presence.

Sometimes, I wanted to ask the Moon Goddess—why?