Angel Blackwood (6 page)

He stutters, “W… well…
you see…when you go into heat your… uh…sexual drive is
uh…magnified.” he scratches his head.

“What?!” I stand up wide
eyed and start pacing. “No. No. No! This can’t be happening,” I say
shaking my head.

“That’s not all, Angel.”
Nixon stands up next to me.

“Your body will also let
off pheromones that will smell delicious to unmated male wolves.
They will be attracted and drawn to you. The only way for you to
stop it before the time period is over will be to have… sex.” He
whispers the last word.

“No, I can’t do that.
There has to be another way? What if I just fight the heat? I
mean…it can’t last forever, right? You said you heard the longest
lasted a week? I’m sure I can make it a week without giving in.” I
look up to him. “I can definitely do that. I’ll do that fine. No
problem.” I shake it off trying to convince myself.

“I’m not sure, Angel,
it’s supposed to be pretty intense. Not many people can withstand
it for long. The she-wolves usually give in pretty quickly, taking
any man close enough to stop it. I’ve also heard that it helps when
your mate is near, they’ll be able to help share your pain,” he
says shrugging. I let out a deep breath.

A worried look forms on
his face. In a serious protective tone he says, “You need to watch
your back when you feel the heat coming on. You’ll need to get away
and find somewhere safe. Unmated males will be a danger to you.
They’ll stop at nothing to take you, Angel.”

A shiver runs down my spine and
I swallow the lump in my throat.

CHAPTER 4

Nixon
manages to calm me down after my
little panic attack. He’s even offered to take me away from the
pack house when the time comes for my heat. He told me how much he
loved my father’s pack and how the people in this town have been
treating him well. Alex organised him a temp job at the High School
where she teaches and aside from the senior girls passing him their
numbers on the sly, he’s enjoying it. He’s a gorgeous man, but I
don’t see him as anything more than a friend and I know the feeling
is mutual. My heart has already been given to two men whether they
want it or not. But it does feel good to have someone I can rely
on, someone I can vent to. After the response I got from him when I
told him about the rejection, I’m confident that he will never
judge me. I don’t trust easily, but I kinda feel like I can trust
Nixon with my secrets.

We spend the rest of the
day lounging under the tree chatting, before stopping off at a
burger place in town for dinner on the way home; where we continue
to chat about Point Bright and the people in it. Despite being
totally exhausted and stiff due to my first shift, I’ve tried
really hard to stay awake throughout the meal.

“I had a great
day.
I’m so glad to hear
you’re happy here, Gre… uh, I mean, Nixon.” I smile and he returns
it. “Gotta get used to that.”

I climb off his
bike and
wait for him to climb
off too. He takes the helmet out of my hand and places it onto the
seat of the bike before pulling me in for a hug.

“Thank
you
, Angel. I never would’ve
found this happiness if it weren’t for you,” he whispers into my
ear. “Don’t let those twins get to you. You’re a strong woman,
Angel. You’ll get through this and if you ever need a shoulder,
I’ll be right here.”

I squeeze him tightly,
relishing in the hug. I haven’t felt comfortable holding someone
for so long, it makes me miss my friends in Point Bright; they were
always so affectionate.

“Well thank you
fo
r making this day more
bearable, Nixon.”

I give him a
last wave goodbye as I rest my hand on the front door. I watch as
he drives down the little road to his
cabin, a few houses down. I’m still staring at the spot
where his bike stood moments before, thinking about how content he
seems these days when suddenly the door is yanked open and I’m
shoved against a hard body… yet again.

T
his time it’s not
Tyler’s chest I slam into, it’s Talon’s. The annoyed look on his
face as he glares down at the spot in which I bumped into him only
pisses me off further. I don’t know why the hell he looks so
disgusted in me.
Do I have
some kind of mate curse that immediately makes my mate act like
fucking douches when I’m near?

He lets out
a
repulsed sound looking down
at me with a snarl, face filled with pure loathing.

“Argh…
really, Talon? Really? Is this how
it’s gonna be from now on?” I don’t expect an answer from him so I
shove past him. I’m just as surprised as he is when I actually make
his steps falter by the force of my shoulder against
his.

My strength as
a wolf is starting to pull through.
At least something to look forward to
.

“I told you,
you are going to be a strong wolf,” Faith mutters to me.

I head
toward
s the staircase, but his
warm hand wrapped around my elbow stops me, the static electricity
running from his strong hand to my arm forcing me to freeze.
Tingles run through my body and I shiver.

Fucking
mate bond.

“Angel
, wait!” His
voice is softer, gentler even, as he stands right behind me. I can
feel the heat from his body against my back.

“Oh, so now I’m
Angel again,
” I mutter, still
not facing him. I let my head fall back so that it’s leaning
against his chest and I let out a deep impatient breath. I use my
other hand to wipe the hair out of my face; I’m too tired to deal
with whatever shit he has to swing my way this time.

After taking
another deep breath to stop myself from either begging him for a
chance or saying something mean
, I pull away from his warmth and turn my head slightly to
the side.

The bond we share is
making it really hard for me to not face him and give into my
wolf’s need for her mate. I need to put distance between us, I
can’t give him the satisfaction of seeing what he’s doing to
me.

“What
, Talon?” I
forcefully spit out.

From the corner of my eye
I see him flinch at my tone.

“Babe
, we’re waiting
for you by the bonfire out back.” Lucy’s whiney voice makes me
wince as Talon pulls his hand away from me quickly.

I
can’t bear to stand there another
moment, watching my mate walk away with another woman. Instead I
shake my head and make my way upstairs in a hurry. I close my
bedroom door behind me and rest the back of my head against
it.

This
time I don’t let the tears fall. I
swallow the lump in my throat, my heart hurting. In the back of my
mind I can’t help but wonder whether the twins can feel the pain I
feel. I open my eyes to my dark room, the doors to my balcony are
open and the slight nightly breeze wafts through. I look to my
empty bed then to the bathroom door that I share with the
twins
.

I
can’t sleep here, what if they bring
their girlfriends to their room? No, I won’t be here when that
happens
.

I find my phone and send a
text.

I pack a bag
and read the incoming message, smili
ng to myself thanking God that Nixon is here. I’m just
about to shut my bedroom door when I hear my father calling my
name.

“Up here!” I
call back and watch as
his
tall frame comes up from the staircase. He smiles at me, but when
he sees my bag he frowns.

“Where you off to?”

“I’m spending the night
at Gre- uh Nixon’s, we’re going to watch movies. Is that okay?” I
ask unsure. Over the last few years I haven’t exactly had any
parental supervision, I always did whatever I wanted to without
asking for permission. Now that I have parents again I’m not too
sure how exactly this works.

“Staying at a
boy’s house? Scratch that, Nixon is a
man
for Pete’s
sake. You most definitely are
not
sleeping over at
his cabin. No. Not happening.” I almost laugh at his strict tone.
My heart warms and instead I smile.

“John
ny, sweetie,
she’s a big girl now. It’s not as if she’s running away, she will
only be a few houses down; you know Nixon will look after her,”
Alex says, coming up to me and resting her arm over my shoulder
bringing me into her warmth. I can tell she’s surprised when I lean
into her touch. Before I would pull away from her or avoid touching
her completely; she’s naturally a very touchy person. She pulls me
closer into her side, kissing my temple.
I’ve missed her hugs so fucking much.

Johnny looks
down at us with a smile on his face obviously noticing the change
in me. He
wipes his hand
through his hair before letting out a deep breath.

“We wanted to spend the
rest of your birthday with you, but I suppose you’d much rather
hang out with a friends than your parents.” He lets out a sigh then
looks to Alex. “…and of course he will look after her because if
anything happens, he knows what I’ll do to him.” He moves slowly
towards me then gently wraps his arms around me and pulls me
against his warm chest. It’s as if he’s afraid I might run
away.

“Happy Birthday, my girl.
Your wolf is absolutely beautiful. I Hope you know how proud I am
of you. I Wish I could keep you locked up and away from all the
boys forever and make up for all the years we were apart, but your
mother is right, you’re a big girl now so you get to make your own
decisions.” I hug him tighter, then pull away and kiss his
cheek.

“You’re the best, you
know that right?” I watch as a grin spreads across his
face.

****

“Do you know why Nixon
was never called by his first name back in Point Bright?” I look
back and forth between them, not sure whether I should be asking
them the question or going to Nixon directly.

“Gregory is his
middle name, the name his old pack called him
by because they felt he didn’t deserve to be
called by his first name,” Johnny says as Alex butts in. “It’s a
wolf thing, you know… cut down a wolf’s pride, make him feel
unworthy and he’ll start to believe it.”

“I don’t believe in that
shit. He is part of this pack now and we will call him by his given
name,” my father says, sounding proud.

I nod in understanding.
“Well, just so you know Daddy, Nixon is only a friend,” I tell him.
Placing his hand on his chest he lets out an exaggerated deep
breath. “Thank the Fates,” he mumbles.

“That’s right, you
already have a boyfriend,” Alex blurts out. Johnny’s panicked face
is back as he whips his head in her direction.

I laugh then shake my
head. “No Mom, not anymore.”

A frown takes hold of her
face and I know she wants to ask questions, but I hug her before
she has a chance to. “I’ll tell you everything another time, I
promise.”

“Okay
sweetie
, it seems we have a
lot to catch up on, and we still need to give you your birthday
present. But we can do that tomorrow after your ceremony, Okay?”
She kisses my forehead and I pull away quickly, making my way past
them and down the stairs before they can ask anymore
questions.

I throw the duffle bag
over my shoulder, nudging open the front door that leads to the
porch. I make sure to avoid the backyard where I’m guessing the
twins are having a bonfire judging by the noise coming from the
back.

As I step out onto the
wooden front porch I hear giggling and a familiar scent fills my
nostrils. To my left in the darkness is Tyler sitting on the porch
swing with his girlfriends legs resting over his, his face in her
neck while she holds his head there.

The sharp pain
in my chest
as well as the
pain I feel coming from my wolf witnessing this for the first time
forces a whimper out my mouth. They both turn to looks at me, I
quickly place my hand over my mouth as my eyes catch Tyler’s. His
smile vanishes and creases in his forehead appear as he gives me an
ashamed look. I quickly turn my head, forcing myself to pass them
before either get to see my hurt.

I walk along
the grass, feeling his eyes on me the
entire time. I try thinking of every other imaginable thing
to take my mind of what just happened. I pass a group of guys
standing around their cars, but I don’t bother to look up at any of
them. I stare at my feet as each step takes me in the direction of
Nixon’s cabin.
Damn, I need
to get used to calling him by that name.

It’s a dark
night, the only light
is
coming from the lamps on the different porches and the light
shining through the different windows of the cabins as I pass. I
lift my head when I see Nixon sitting on the steps of his porch
with a beer in his hands. He lifts his head to look at me, then
frowns, placing his beer on the step beside his feet before
standing up and walking to meet me halfway. I hug him
tight.