CHAPTER 111: I’M YOUR MATE!

Angela paced back and forth as she waited for her mates to arrive. She had sent each of them a message, and she was certain they had received it. They had not come yet, but fear was already twisting in her chest. She glanced around and saw the same tension in the faces of those who had come to support her.

"Why do I feel like this is a mistake?" Stales asked, his eyes fixed in the direction the Alphas were expected to come from.

"I am beginning to think so too," Angela replied, rubbing her sweaty palms together. Her confidence was slipping away with every passing second. But it had to be today. She had to tell her mates the truth, no matter what happened.

"I don’t think you made a mistake, Angela. This is the right thing to do," Samuel said firmly. He knew everything that was going on, but he had stayed quiet until now. When Alex and Angela came to him earlier for help, he decided to step in. He knew things could go very wrong, so he had brought Kael with him. If the Alphas tried to claim her by force without her consent, they would step in.

"Maybe you shouldn’t have called them all together. They might have already figured out the truth by now," Stales muttered, unable to hide the fear in his voice. He wanted to be supportive, but instead he sounded doubtful. Fear was gripping him harder with each passing moment.

"I think she did the right thing," Kael insisted. "Angela wants to tell them all at once. She is being fair instead of telling one before the other. If they want to fight, let them fight now."

"No, Kael. That’s not why we asked you to be here," Alex said sharply, stepping between him and Stales. "You are here to help keep them calm. There will be no violence."

"That’s impossible. They will fight over who gets to mark or claim her first. They all want to do it," Samuel reminded him.

"It’s better they fight now than keep it inside until later. No one knows what could happen if they pretend to stay calm," Kael argued.

"You are right," Angela breathed out slowly, trying to focus. It was going to happen one way or another, and she had to face it.

"That’s my girl," Mighty-Storm’s voice rang in her mind. Angela’s eyes widened. She could not believe her wolf had returned before her shift.

"Do you think I would leave you to handle this alone? Never. You are doing the right thing by telling your mates," the wolf encouraged.

Angela closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. The moment Mighty-Storm came, she felt a surge of strength and confidence.

"They are coming," Mighty-Storm told her. "Do not show weakness. But do show that you are sorry for lying to them and for playing with their feelings."

"I never played with their feelings. I care about all of them," Angela said, her voice trembling. She did not even know how she had ended up in this situation. Just the thought of them seeing her as a liar made her heart ache.

"They are coming," Alex said from behind her. His eyes were glowing gold, his Alpha side stirring. "Stay strong, Angela. Good luck."

She nodded as they all stepped back, leaving her in front. She could already smell their scents, and the air was thick with their anger. Her chest tightened. Did they already know before she could even tell them?

The four Alphas appeared, their presence impossible to ignore. None of them looked happy to be there. Angela swallowed hard, forcing herself not to show her fear.

Renn stood a few steps away, his eyes already questioning her. A cold shiver crawled down her spine when they lit up in that familiar way, yet the warmth she had seen in them this morning was gone. The excitement he had shown earlier had vanished without a trace.

Kaito stood beside him, a deep frown carved into his face. His gray eyes had turned cold, carrying the deadly look she remembered from when she first knew him. The warmth that had been there recently had completely disappeared.

Taros looked more disappointed than angry. He refused to meet her gaze, avoiding her eyes at all cost. She wished he would at least look at her, even if only for a second.

And Hiro... they had spent the afternoon together before he left, not wanting to be apart for even a moment. She had seen the happiness on his face then, but now it was gone. He looked like the man she had first met on the night of the initiation, with that same mischievous smile, but now it was mixed with disappointment.

So they had found out. Angela felt her heart pounding against her ribs, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. She wanted to crumble, but her wolf’s voice cut through the fear.

Be the first to speak. Apologize before anything.

Angela gave the smallest nod and opened her mouth to speak, but Hiro’s voice sliced through the air.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" His tone shook the forest. He didn’t care who heard, and neither did his brothers. They stood behind him, silent but in full support. "Did you think we would not find out the truth?"

They knew.

Angela felt another shiver run through her. She glanced at Alex and Stales, who tried to reassure her with small smiles, but it did little to help. Turning back to the Alphas, she forced herself to speak.

"I know I have wronged all of you. You did not deserve the lies I told. But I want you to know that—"

"You lied to the four of us like we were nothing but your puppets," Taros cut in, his voice tight with hurt. "Maybe that is what we are to you. I never gave you a reason to fear me. I tried to make life at the academy easier for you whenever I could, and what did I get in return?"

"Lies," Kaito said quietly, his hands buried in his pockets. His voice was calm, but it carried a heavy weight. "Lies that never seem to end. They keep piling up. How long will you keep this up? Even if we deal with this one, there will be another. Why do you never learn from your mistakes? Is it really so hard to do?"

Angela shook her head as each word landed. They were right to be angry, but it was not as if she had simply decided one morning to deceive them all.

"Enough with the drama. Just tell us where we can find our mate," Renn said at last. His stance was wide, arms folded over his broad chest, his voice sharp. "I want to know who she is, and after that, we will deal with this."

So they did not know yet. They had only uncovered her lies from the last full moon, not the truth she had been keeping from them.

Tell them, girl. It will be hard, but it will free you, Mighty-Storm urged.

"Yes," Hiro demanded, stepping forward. "We want to know who our mate is." His pain was different from the others. He was a man who rarely trusted anyone, and lately, he had begun to open up to her. Now he felt used and betrayed.

Angela took a deep breath, clasped her hands behind her back, and said the words she had dreaded.

"I am your mate."