Chapter 225: Mom, Why?
"That’s why I don’t need you to lie to me," Angela said with a firm voice. "I could have handled this my own way, but I chose to tell you."
"Okay, so what do you all think?" Hiro asked, his eyes moving from one to another. "Here’s what I think. Marcus is planning to kidnap her. The black van and the men she saw must be his crew."
"That’s a heavy one. We can’t afford to have an enemy like that come after us," Taros muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He shifted in his seat. "Marcus is Angela’s father. We can’t set father and daughter against each other. We should try to stop this and bring them together."
"True," Renn said with a sharp edge in his tone. "But don’t forget Grace and her brother. They treated Angela like trash. Are they not family too? And did that stop them from hurting her? They will do it again because they are wicked. We shouldn’t try to unite with people like that. Marcus may look sane, but he is worse. We can’t risk our mate’s safety for him."
"No one is forcing anything. If Angela doesn’t want to have anything to do with Marcus or his family, then she won’t. Not until she decides otherwise," Kaito said firmly.
"I prefer it that way," Hiro added quietly, taking a sip from his drink. He leaned against the wall, his mind racing with other possibilities.
"What about Hailey?" Alex asked suddenly. "I never liked her."
"Hell no. She won’t do that," Renn snapped, quick to defend his aunt. "Try another name."
"I agree with him," Taros nodded.
"I was thinking about Mr. Slade, also known as Dr. Dylan," Stales said slowly.
"Mr. Slade and Dr. Dylan are two different people," Kaito said as he rose from the bed. His words stunned them, and he could see the questions in their eyes. "It can’t be Mr. Slade. He’s under my custody."
"What?" Hiro pushed off the wall and came closer, shock written across his face.
"My Alpha asked me to keep it a secret," Alex said quietly, pointing at Kaito.
"Fuck you," Angela snapped, her words heavy with hurt.
"Hey, it’s okay. Why are you so aggressive lately?" Stales asked, his hand rubbing her back in comfort. "It’s not like he had a choice. His duties as beta come first."
"I am sorry, Angela," Kaito said, his voice low and regretful. "It was important I kept it away from you."
"Where is he? I want to see him," she said, sliding off the bed with determination.
"This is the reason I kept it away from you and from everyone else," Kaito muttered, his eyes dark with worry. "I can’t keep risking your lives."
Angela froze at his words. "But it’s because of me that this is happening, isn’t it?" Her voice was small, almost broken, as the truth began to sink in.
"We are not discussing that. Go and lie back," Taros cut in, his tone firm as he turned to Kaito, urging him to continue.
"Thank you, Taros." Kaito tried to smile, but it faded when he looked at Angela. She was glaring at him with her arms folded tightly across her chest, her face filled with stubborn anger. He sighed and went on. "I found out that Mr. Slade is the doctor’s younger brother. They are both working on making Dr. Dylan immortal. They believe it’s possible with Angela’s blood."
"Holy shit," Angela whispered, her heart pounding. Somehow it always came back to her.
"I am not telling you this to scare you or make you panic," Kaito said gently. "I only want you to understand what you are carrying inside you. Do you understand?"
Angela nodded, though her throat was tight. Kaito gave her a sad smile and continued, "Your blood can make anyone immortal. That is why Dr. Dylan is after you. Dave confirmed it too at the hospital. You have proteins in your blood that stop aging."
"Wow. That’s heavy," Taros muttered, his voice low. The room went quiet after that. No one seemed to know what to say.
Kaito broke the silence. "I don’t know how this works, but what I know is that we can’t let her out of our sight."
Renn leaned forward, his face tense. "I think I know why she has that. Angela is a Malynster and our chosen Luna. Don’t forget the Malynster bloodline is immortal."
"But their blood doesn’t make others immortal," Taros said, shaking his head.
"Yes, but hers does." Renn pointed at Angela, who sat frozen on the bed, her eyes wide and her hands shaking.
"It’s a gift, but it comes with a curse," Kaito said, his tone heavy. "As I speak, there are already many people hunting her. Everyone wants her blood, which means our mate is in danger."
Angela’s lips trembled, tears filling her eyes. "It’s never going to end. I never asked for this. I can’t keep running forever."
"No, sweetheart, we are not saying that," Renn said quickly, his chest tightening at the pain in her voice. He wanted to take it all away from her. "We will fight. But first we have to deal with the kidnapping threats."
"We forgot one person who is capable of pulling something like this," Hiro spoke firmly as he stepped to the center of the room. All eyes turned to him. "Our principal Valois. That woman is a snake."
Renn swallowed hard. Heat rushed to his face at the mention of his mother. Who could he blame though? She was indeed capable of anything cruel. They could not leave her out of this.
"Why didn’t I think of her earlier?" Angela asked, shaking her head slightly. She turned to Renn. "What do you think? You know her better than anyone."
"He is going to side with her," Taros muttered, rolling his eyes.
"No, I won’t. I don’t trust her either," Renn said quietly. His words shocked everyone. They expected him to defend her, but instead he tore down their doubts. That answer made them happy, but it burned him inside. He did not even know why.
Their discussion went on, but Renn barely heard them. His chest was tight, his heart racing so hard it drowned out every word. At last, he stood and excused himself, slipping out without them noticing. Maybe the breeze outside would calm him.
He walked down the stairs, spread his hands on the rails, and let out a long breath. The night air kissed his skin, but it did not ease the storm in him. He was living through this nightmare because of his mother. If only she would repent, he would take her back without hesitation. But he knew she would not. Now he was torn between protecting her or doing what was right.
When they spoke ill of her earlier, he had wanted to defend her, but his lips stayed shut because deep down she deserved it. She had lied to him, hurt him, and left wounds that never healed. The pain had taken the best of him, and now he was lost.
Tears rolled down his face before he could stop them. He clenched his jaw, but they came rushing, hot and endless. He had no choice but to let them fall. "Mom, why?" he whispered brokenly.
"She is your mother?" a familiar voice asked behind him, freezing him where he stood.