An Alpha's Favor

Chapter 7: Leaving

-Angela-

“I… I don’t understand,” I said. “I thought I was going to stay here.”

I sat on my bed, clutching the sheets tightly as I looked at my brother, who stood by the door. He had entered only a minute ago, quickly explaining everything, but with every word he spoke, I felt more and more lost. It was hard enough to wrap my head around the fact that Hunter Dayton was my mate, but now he demanded that I leave with him.

“That was the plan, Speedy. Really, but—”

“But then he cashed in that stupid favor, and now I’m going to England with him.”

“If there was anything I could do—”

“But there is!” I shot back, rising from the bed. “You can tell him to go to hell! I’m not leaving!”

At first, I hadn’t wanted my brother to even know I was here, and now I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him. I crossed my arms, trying to stand my ground.

“Do something at least!” I yelled.

“I tried!”

“Tried?”

“I… threw myself at him.”

“That’s all?” I asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you just tell him no?”

“I did, Speedy!”

“Well, he must have convinced you somehow, because why else would you be here?” I sneered, turning my back to him.

He sighed deeply, and I heard him step closer, but he didn’t touch me. He just stood behind me, and all I wanted was to turn around and let him hug me again. Once wasn’t enough. I needed him to make me feel safe again.

“Speedy…” Slowly, I felt his hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t turn around, and he didn’t push me. “He can protect you… better than I can.”

His voice trailed off into a whisper, and I turned around, confused. “What do you mean? Who can protect me better than you?”

“Because I’m no longer the alpha. I don’t rule over anything. Of course, the king will help, but… our father has already tried to crush him once, and he plans to do it again. No doubt about it, am I right?”

I looked at the ground and nodded. “He’s planning something for all of you, and I’m the key to it,” I told him.

“He has someone planned for you?” he inquired.

I nodded, and he sighed deeply, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling before meeting my gaze again.

“That’s why, if you go to England, you’ll at least be safe. You’ll be far from his reach. Hunter is like a king over there. He has power. Our father can’t get close to you.”

“I’m not so sure,” I whispered.

“Speedy, you need to go with him. As his mate—”

“He told you?” I interrupted, looking up at him.

I had assumed Hunter just demanded I go with him, but clearly our bond had been revealed too.

“He did, and that’s probably the only reason I’m really letting you leave. I know what it means to find your mate. I know what it means to want to do anything to ensure their safety. He won’t let anything bad come near you,” he promised.

“And what about him? He’s bad. Who will protect me from him?”

“If anything happens, I’ll be right there, I promise. Just call me, and I’ll come get you! I’ll bring the king and his entire pack!” he said, shaking me a little. “I won’t let anything bad ever happen to you again.”

“I’m scared, Chris,” I whispered.

“I know,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “But I’ll only be a phone call away. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not even him.”

I wrapped my arms around him, and we stood there, clinging to each other. A year apart had been awful, and now I had to leave again. Now I had to go with a stranger to a country I had never been to before… How could I do this without falling apart?

“You will be okay,” he promised, pulling back and running a hand through my hair.

I wasn’t sure if he was saying it for me or for himself, because he looked like he needed reassurance too.

“I… don’t have my phone anymore,” I said.

He smiled slightly and said, “I’ll fix that right away. Just wait here until I come back.”

I nodded, and he left. I walked over to the bed and sat down. I didn’t want to leave. All I wanted was to take a shower, change my clothes, and sleep for days, but clearly, that wasn’t happening.

-Hunter-

She was like something out of a dream—heavenly. As she walked down the stairs beside her brother, she couldn’t quite bring herself to look at me, still wearing the same clothes and holding only a jacket. But that was okay. I would make sure she had everything she needed before we headed back.

Angela came to stand in front of me, her brother shooting me a hard glare, but I only had eyes for her. Slowly, her gaze wandered upwards, and I loved how she took me in before finally meeting my eyes. There was a hint of fear in her expression, but as a born luna, meeting my gaze wasn’t difficult for her. Still, she quickly looked away and wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck, hugging him tightly. He returned the embrace, and soon more people arrived to say their goodbyes.

I didn’t mind her hugging the females, but when Lucian pulled her in for a hug, I growled a low warning. He shot me a deadly glare before releasing her.

“Just call me,” he said. “You know I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

I growled again, struggling to find my words. He wasn’t the one who would be there for her. He didn’t get to make such promises. I was the one responsible for her safety now, yet she simply nodded and gave him a sweet smile. Sh*t, I hoped she would give me one of those too because I longed to see it.

She turned to me, straightened her back, and lifted her chin as if ready to “meet” her fate. I smiled slightly and then turned, walking beside her. We made our way outside and over to our cars. I opened the door on her side and held it for her. She looked at me skeptically but eventually climbed in. I closed the door and walked around to the other side, climbing into the back seat with her.

I glanced over at her once we were inside, but she turned away, crossed her arms, and stared out the window.

“Seatbelt,” I said.

She looked at me in disbelief, but when I narrowed my eyes slightly, she reluctantly grabbed the seatbelt and clicked it shut, her movements exaggerated with annoyance.

“There,” she said defiantly.

“Well done, love,” I said, reaching over to run my finger along her chin for a brief moment.

It was electrifying just to touch her, but she quickly recoiled and turned away again. It was clear that gaining her trust would take time.

“Why am I the only one who has to wear a seatbelt?” she asked suddenly as we slowly drove away.

“Because I’m telling you to.”

“That makes no sense,” she replied, looking at me with annoyance, which only made her appear even more adorable.

I reached over once more and grabbed a small lock of her long blonde hair, which cascaded down to her waist. It was even softer than I had imagined, but I didn’t get to enjoy it for long before she pulled it away, letting it slip free of my fingers.

“You are the most precious thing here,” I told her.

“I’m not a thing!” she sneered.

“No, you are my mate, and I will do everything in my power to ensure nothing can harm you. So, if we do get into a car crash, you’ll be safely secured to the seat.”

She seemed to understand a bit better why I had insisted on the seatbelt, but we didn’t speak much else. Throughout the ride to Seattle Airport, she remained quiet. As we arrived in front of the private jet and stepped out of the car, she suddenly had more to say.

“I… I’ve changed my mind.” She looked up at the stairs leading inside the plane. I was on the other side of the car, smiling a little at her.

“I want to go back!” she exclaimed. “I’m taking my chances!”

I walked around the car to her side. She backed up against the vehicle, trying to pull the door open, but it was locked.

“I will take my chances!” she repeated defiantly.

I shook my head, and before she knew it, I had her thrown over my shoulder, securing one arm around her legs while holding my cane in the other hand.

“Too late to change your mind now,” I said.

“Put me down!” she yelled, punching my back, though it felt more like a pillow being thrown at me. “Hunter!”

That was the first time she said my name, and I could only think how much I wanted to hear it again… and again… and hopefully spoken much slower, as she moaned it. I smiled at the thought as I walked towards the airplane with her screaming and thrashing.