Angelina didn't mean to eavesdrop but she couldn't ignore the conversation happening below her window settee. The minute she spotted Mason, she should've ducked and ignored his private conversation with Tamsyn but she didn't.
It was only mid-afternoon and just like any other day, she avoided coming out of her room, opting to stay behind the doors in her temporary abode.
She hadn't done much aside from call Leo.
The business card taunted her on the nightstand endlessly throughout the day. After snacking on some apple slices and peanut butter, she plucked the card wedged beneath the lampshade and memorised the numbers. She grabbed her phone and quickly dialled the digits without thinking much about it.
The phone rang as her heart pounded against her ribcage.
After a few seconds, a voice she recognised as Leo's low one picked up. She gripped her phone tightly, willing herself to sound relaxed, seductive even. She wanted Leo to think she wouldn't mind seeing him again. She wanted to personally assess Leo in closer proximity. The man looked like he had a mountain of secrets,
"Hello?" He sounded impatient.
"Hi." She replied.
The line went silent and she wondered briefly if he had hung up on her.
"Hello?" She tried again.
"The woman from the club." Leo replied in a pleased tone. She didn't mistake his tone. For some reason, he was drawn to her. They'd only shared a few words but it seemed like Leo Riccardo wanted her. "You have forgotten to tell me your name." He purred.
Angelina toyed with the card between her fingers. She hadn't forgotten. She intentionally hadn't given it to him. "A shame."
"One we must rectify here and now. What is the name of the beautiful woman in black who had plagued my dreams each night?"
Angelina was genuinely affronted she hadn't been given a leading role in his nightmares.
Angelina debated whether she should share her name. It wasn't like he could track her down. She was pretty good at keeping herself out of the spotlight and assuming another persona if the situation insisted. "My name is Angie." She said, "You can call me Angie."
Another pleased sound met her ear. "Yes. Angie. Of course."
"I want to see you again." Angelina said breathily into the line, hoping she sounded anything similar to the sex bomb she envisioned herself to be on some days. If Rosie saw her now, she'd be laughing her ass off.
"I'm free this weekend. I'll send for someone to get you."
"I'll meet you at the destination. Give me a place and I'll see you there."
"Angie, I'm a man. I must pick you up."
"Leo." She purred, cringing at the way her voice sounded abnormal even to her own ears, "Let me do this. I want to put effort into myself when I see you. I'll need time. You'll be waiting too long if you pick me up."
Leo relented, hesitating. "Ok Angie. I'll let this go this once."
"Thank you Leo. Send me the details and I'll come to you."
"Oh, you'll be coming for sure." Leo whispered.
Angelina replied with a low raspy chuckle. However, as soon as the line beeped, she clucked her tongue, placing her phone down upon her nightstand. "Leo, you're one sick man."
At least she had something to do on the weekend.
Now, she was presently watching the ex-couple through the gap between her curtains. She felt like a Peeping Tom but she was still wary being among the Silver Dawn Pack. If their conversation revealed something that could be detrimental to her, or to anyone else she held dear, she needed to know.
She had opened her window earlier to let in some fresh air and she pat herself on the back for not closing it when it got a little too cold.
"Have you spoken to the Alpha of the Blue River Pack yet?" Tamsyn asked.
"No, he's been avoiding me. I'll be seeing him soon if he doesn't pick up."
"You have bags under your eyes Mason. Haven't you been sleeping well?"
"How can I when there's so many things to do?"
"You need to have a bit of a break. I know things are chaotic but there are times that you need to just let yourself be first."
Angelina found herself nodding. She still didn't know where to place Tamsyn in her lists of people she had drawn up mentally. There were lots of categories she created. Tamsyn sat firmly in the still-trying-to-figure-out category. Even if she was still unsure about the woman, she agreed with her words wholeheartedly.
She knew Alphas could overwhelm themselves easily if they didn't maintain a good life balance.
She tried to get a closer look at Mason. He did look a little like a walking zombie and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. She narrowed her gaze accusingly. She wanted to shake him and demand why he looked so damn tired.
"You need sleep." Tamsyn said tenderly. Affectionately.
The woman stepped close to him, pulling the man into a tight hug. Mason eased into the embrace, patting her head. The moved spoke of familiarity.
Angelina pursed her lips. "Now that looks cosy." She watched for another second before she closed the curtains and flopped onto her bed, sighing.
She shouldn't feel so personally invested in Mason's wellbeing but she couldn't help herself. In fact, she wanted to be the one to offer him that hug but she wasn't convinced that Mason wouldn't shove her away if she tried to lay her arms around him. He'd probably think she wanted to choke him.
She closed her eyes, listening to nothing but the chirping birds outside her window. She discovered that a Robin had made a nest in one of the outstretched branches. The only reason she hadn't noticed it at first was because it had be quiet until her eggs hatched. There were three baby birds chirping, fighting for a piece of worm the mother dangled to their open beaks.
"Cute aren't they?"
Angelina jolted from the bed, surprised to see May peering down at her with a cute grin.
"How did you get in here?" Angelina eyed her door that was still closed. Surely, she would've heard May come in. She couldn't have been so off with her surroundings, she failed to hear the little girl enter the room on mute feet.
"Secret." The girl grinned wider, showing the two missing teeth in front, making her look more than charming. She wanted to pinch her cheeks.
Angelina scanned the room critically. She wouldn't put it behind Mason to place her in a room where there was a hidden door concealed away so that they could get easy access to her if something was to happen.
"He's sorry you know." May flopped beside her, landing on her back.
"Who?" Angelina warily sprawled out beside the girl, stretching on the bed. She didn't know why she wasn't kicking the kid out. She was adorable and she was talking to Angelina like she was a friend.
"Casper. He's...lost."
Angelina pondered the little girl's words. She didn't know Casper all too well but it was clear May worshipped her older brother.
"What do you mean?" She asked, curious.
"Something bad happened. He's scared. He fights with himself a lot. Thank the Goddess, he has Dani. She's nice. I really like her. She takes good care of my brother."
"Yeah, she's nice." That was something she could agree with young May.
"He'll be up here soon to apologise. Be kind to him Angelina. Casper needs kindness even when he says he doesn't."
"We'll see." Angelina responded, "I've been known to be reckless and let my hand slip more than once. I could've been holding a dagger at the time. My mind's still hazy on that tidbit."
May giggled, facing her. "You're funny."
"Thank you. It's something I've been working on."
"And you're sensitive too." May continued, her grin holding. "You should cry when you want to cry Angelina. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't tell Casper but I've seen him cry like a big baby once or twice."
Angelina laughed, "This is gold."
May laughed along, clutching her hand over her belly. Angelina noted she still wore the same polka dot dress. It must've been her favourite dress. Angelina could relate, she once had a pair of pale pink rain boots she loved more than anything in the world. She wore it until the soles rubbed off and she could no longer wear it out. She and Rosie had a funeral for it. They had buried a hole in the side of the Pack House, stashed her boots in there and cried ugly. Thinking back, Angelina smiled fondly in reminiscence. She had very few good memories. Thus, it wasn't hard to remember the times she felt the wonder and innocence of a child.
May glanced at her smartwatch, reading the time. Her expression smoothed, "I have to go." She rolled off the bed, her hair askew. "I'll see you later." She dashed to the door, opened it, and left.
Angelina shook her head, amused. "I'll see you later May."
A few minutes after her friend left, a knock sounded at the door. It sounded unsure.
"Yes?" She called out, walking to the door, and opening it.
Casper stood uncomfortably in the hallway; his hands tucked into the pockets of his cargo pants. His gaze was cautious as he studied her with those intense eyes. "Hey." He grumbled. His mouth barely moved.
"Casper. Good to see you." She greeted the man with a smile.
He eyed her suspiciously, shifting on his feet. "Don't lie."
"You think I'm not glad to see you still alive?"
"I think you would rather my balls be hanging from that fan inside this room of yours." He said, deadpan.
"One would assume I would be thinking about your balls in the first place Casper. If so, I think Dani would rip me a new asshole. I'm sure she wouldn't want another woman thinking about her man's scrotum, even if it was to cause harm to the family jewels."
Casper barked out a laugh, although she knew he wanted to punch himself in the face for doing so.
"So, what can I do for you?"
Casper sighed, running a palm over his jaw, "I came to apologise."
"Oh."
May had warned her but she still found this to be an unfeigned surprise. She wasn't sure what to do with the sudden extension of an olive branch.
"I was supposed to come yesterday after the meeting but I was caught up in some other things. So, here I am. I'm sorry for saying those words to you. They should not have left my mouth in the first place."
No doubt, the man was struggling to speak but he did. Angelina nodded, impressed. "Ok. Thank you."
"That's it?" Casper blinked, puzzled.
"Did you want me to hit you or something?" She drawled.
"No?" He raised a brow, sounding uncertain.
"Then apology accepted. I appreciate it. You didn't need to do it but you did. So, thank you. Forgiven."
Casper blinked again, nodding slowly, "Ok then. I'm just going to head back down and look for Dani."
"You do that." Angelina grinned.
He gave her another long look before he departed, more rigid than he came. He resembled a stiff guard on duty. She stifled a laugh behind her palm.
"Huh. Strange things happen in this Pack."
***
It was a few hours when another knock rattled her door.
Angelina had just finished eating someone's leftover pancakes. She had gone downstairs briefly to rummage the fridge since her stomach was growling unceremoniously. She encountered no one but Drake who greeted her with a silent hand wave since he was busy Skyping someone on a tablet.
She plucked the container from the fridge and devoured the goods on her window seat, blessing the talented soul who made it. She practically inhaled the lot with two or three bites.
When she finished, she sat up from her relaxed sprawl on the settee and ambled to the door. rubbing her belly. She loved desserts. Working at the Le Sucre had been a dream.
Mason stood in the hallway, watching her. "Can I come in?" Those damn circles beneath his eyes had become more noticeable, he wasn't even trying to hide it.
"Sure."
The man entered, looking over the room. He glanced at the settee where a small throw hung off and her unfinished book lay opened on a plump cushion. "Good book?"
"Decent. Isaac was about to confess his undying love to Lady Bella."
"Hmmm, the suspense." He sat on the edge of the bed, depleting the mattress. "Tell me, does Lady Bella have feelings for this Isaac?"
"I think. She wants his hands on her, that's for sure."
"Oh? Where?"
"Happy places."
"Hmmm, sounds captivating."
"You want to read?" She offered, walking to her beloved spot on the settee and lifting the book towards him.
"Maybe another day." He responded. "You mind if lay my head down on your pillow for a little?" He asked, sounding worn out.
Angelina nodded, uncertain with the odd request. "Go ahead."
"Thank you." He replied. He stretched onto his back with a groan, tucking one of her pillows beneath his head. She saw his eyelids close and she was sure he was still very aware of his surroundings despite the loss of his vision. His fingers clasped over his flat stomach as his thumbs twitched like he didn't know what to with them.
"Why are you here Mason?" She asked, pretending to be invested in her book rather than the man spread out on her bed. He had to be uncomfortable. Her gaze dipped to his boots where they were laced up tightly on his big feet. She wanted to yank them off and help him relax but she bit her lip, fighting the impulse.
"Eris hasn't been answering his calls."
Angelina's stomach plummeted. "Oh."
"Tell me Angelina, should I be expecting a deceit?"
"Deceit?"
"My dreams tell me that I should be expecting something."
"Like what?"
"That's something I'm still trying to figure out."
"I don't know then." She replied quietly. She knew perfectly well Eris wasn't the only one being deceitful. She was hiding important things from him too. Things he wouldn't expect. She rubbed her chest, feeling an ache there. She needed to find Evie first. Evie came first.
When she was found, she'd deal with the consequences later.
"If he doesn't answer in the next few days, I'll have no choice but to pay him a visit."
Angelina completely understood. She also dreaded what he would find if he looked too closely into the Pack that long abandoned her.
"Read me a page from that books of yours." He said, neither a request nor a demand.
Angelina reluctantly complied. The book was saucy but then again, he had asked. She took a quick sip of the glass of juice sitting near her socked feet and began to read. At some point, she had forgotten that she had been reading to Mason since she was drawn back to the inked words that spoke of Isaac's infatuation with his lady love. She devoured each word hungrily like it was the first time she read the book.
As she read on, her gaze shifted over the top of the page, landing on Mason. She paused on a sentence, watching his chest rise and fall steadily as he slept.
Angelina closed the book and approached his slumbering form. She waved a hand over his face to check if he was really asleep. When he didn't make a grab for her, she bent down and unlaced his boots. She might as well make him comfortable. Once she wrestled his heavy boots off, she lifted his legs to the mattress. The man quickly rolled over, curling onto his side. Angelina unfolded her blanket and splayed it across his form.
It was amusing to watch him snuggle into her pillow.
She left him on the bed while she returned to her settee. She took one more glance of the sleeping Alpha, content he was finally getting rest. "You have a habit of finding sleep here Alpha." She whispered. "You're lucky I don't mind the company."
She continued to read and by the time she reached the last chapter, her eyes had become heavy from the strain of reading.
She was distantly aware of the Alpha stirring on her bed, when sleep claimed her.