Chapter 182: Everything is Fine Now.
The low cut wig cap fit her so well that she could hardly recognize herself as a girl anymore. Anyone who looked at her would think she was a boy. That had been Alex’s idea. Her hair was growing fast, and instead of cutting it short again, she had to hide it under the wig. Angela glared at her reflection in the mirror one last time before forcing herself to join the line for the combat test.
It was already test week. Last week had been a rough one, and she felt like a loser when it ended. She tried not to think about it, but the memories still rushed back and weighed on her heart.
Her mates no longer came close to her. Alex told her they needed time to think. She knew it was hard for them too. They had tried in their own ways to protect her, to stand by her, and she appreciated it. She told herself it was fair to give them space. But her heart refused to listen to her mind. She loved them deeply and longed to have them close, just like before.
Hiro was busy with his Beta and the semester tests. He checked on her whenever he found the time. It wasn’t that he abandoned her, but still, she wished for more. She wished things could feel the way they once did.
Renn had not come back to claim her again. When she asked him, he told her she was not in her right mind, that she was only speaking out of pain. Since then, he had come around a few times that week to train her in combat. Those lessons were intense, and though their bodies burned with craving, they both pretended not to notice.
"What are you thinking, little wolf?" Alex asked as he stood behind her in the line. He had been worried since everything that happened last week. "Are you still thinking about your mates?"
"Exactly, Alex," Angela admitted with a frown. She had not spoken much about it. No one wanted to.
"Why did you tell Kaito you wanted to change rooms after that meeting?" The question had been on Alex’s mind for days, and now he finally asked.
"I just wanted to change rooms. He was mad at me, so I thought he would let me move out quickly," she said. But it hadn’t worked. Instead, Kaito left the room for her. His things were still there, his clothes, shoes, and boxes, but he no longer stayed the night.
He only came in the mornings and evenings. Watching him walk in and out was frustrating. According to Kaito, he couldn’t stand making his mate uncomfortable, so he chose to sleep elsewhere, even though it was his room too.
"But things worked in your favour, dear," Alex whispered with a chuckle. Angela frowned and shoved him back a little, but he stood firm and laughed anyway. They still had about fifteen minutes before the examiners walked in. "Now you don’t have to be unfair to your other mates, right?"
"I wanted to move out so it wouldn’t look like I was giving Kaito special treatment," Angela said, turning fully to face him. The smile on his lips only made her angrier. "Nothing about this is funny. You’re making me mad."
"Really?" Alex laughed again. The students waiting nearby would probably be shocked to see him smiling before an exam. Normally, before Angela came to the academy, he would sit alone, silent and heavy with thoughts. But everything had changed when she arrived. She had brightened his days, though she belonged to the alphas.
"I’m sorry," he said after a pause, his voice softer now. "But you’ve been a good mate to them, and if they don’t say it, I will. You always try to keep the balance. When there’s a problem, you fight to fix it. You never stop working on your relationships."
"There’s no doubt she’s stubborn," another voice joined in. Stales stepped forward and stood behind Alex, his presence calm but steady. "You are the best thing that has happened to us, and the alphas know it. It’s hard to watch things turn cold between you, but it won’t last forever."
"You think so?" Angela asked quickly, her eyes lifting with a spark of hope she had been hiding for days.
"Yes. You needed a break, and so did they," Stales said. His tone was sure, like he believed it with his whole heart. "I checked on Kael this morning. They want to move him to the Alphas’ pit because his eye colour has changed."
Angela gasped, her hands flying to her lips. Fear swelled in her chest. "Oh no." Her voice trembled as her thoughts raced. The harvest moon was less than two weeks away. They had to find a cure before then. "What are we going to do to help him?"
"I don’t know yet, dear," Alex said as he rubbed his face with a tired hand. "Taros is still working with Dr. Dave. Let’s hope they come up with something before the week ends."
"That stupid Slade just vanished from the academy right when we needed his ingredients the most," Stales hissed through his teeth, anger flashing across his face as he thought about their teacher. "Where on earth could he have gone?"
"We don’t know. No one saw him leave," Angela replied softly. Her voice carried doubt, and deep inside she feared her mates had something to do with it. "Don’t you think this is Kaito’s doing?"
"He said he didn’t do anything to him," Alex answered quickly. "I remember clearly, they met and talked. It was short, but the very next morning, Slade was gone."
"Doesn’t that sound suspicious?" Angela asked, her eyes moving from Alex to Stales. "I’ve asked Kaito so many times, but he never told me what they talked about."
"Whatever it was, I believe it’s for the best. I’m glad Slade is gone. Marcus is no longer after you," Stales said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder as if to steady her. "Everything is fine now. We can breathe again and go back to our lives."
Angela shook her head slowly. She didn’t say anything, but deep inside she hated this way of pretending that problems disappeared just because they were ignored. It made her uneasy. Nothing about this felt solved. Something was wrong, and the fear gnawed at her heart. She knew trouble was coming again, worse than before.