CHAPTER 61: A SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND.

Renn ran his hand through her hair while they kept kissing like the world didn’t exist. He was lost in it, completely taken by the moment. He didn’t even care if she really wanted it or not. All he knew was that he wanted her, right here, right now. She started to take off his shirt, and fuck, he was ready to let her.

But something in him paused. His wolf growled inside him, loud and wild, screaming at him not to stop, not now. Even though part of him thought maybe they were going too far, she wasn’t saying no. She wasn’t complaining. That made it worse. That made it harder to stop.

Just when he was about to relax into it, there was a knock on the door.

Not once.

Not twice.

The third knock came louder.

Angela pushed him away like she had been burned. She jumped up fast and ran her fingers through her hair, clearly shaken. But Renn didn’t move. He didn’t even care that someone was outside. Whoever the fuck it was had just ruined everything.

His jaw tightened.

Who the hell was knocking like that?

It couldn’t be his roommate. Samuel had promised to sleep downstairs. And even if he needed anything, he would have called first. He wasn’t the type to just knock like an idiot.

"Who is it?" Renn asked, his voice low and sharp, laced with pure annoyance. Whoever it was had just interrupted the best damn moment of his life. If this was for some bullshit, he was never letting it go.

"Man, it’s Kaito," the voice said from behind the door.

"Shit," Renn cursed, eyes widening as he turned to look at Angela.

She froze.

Neither of them saw that coming.

Kaito?

Did he follow her here?

"What the fuck? How did he even know you’re here?" Renn asked under his breath, his voice low and rough with disbelief.

Angela couldn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at him. She just stood there, eyes lost, her body stiff like she’d been caught stealing something.

In her mind, it all came crashing down. Renn must think she was a slut now. One minute she was kissing him like her life depended on it, and the next, her other mate was knocking on the door. It was all because of Mighty-storm. That crazy wolf spirit gave her one fucked-up piece of advice and look where it got her.

She should’ve left when she had the chance.

She should’ve never kissed him.

Now Renn had her first kiss and it meant nothing but chaos. She wanted to slap herself so hard her head would spin. Stupid. So fucking stupid.

"That wasn’t bad, gurl. You nailed it," Mighty-storm purred inside her, sounding all proud and calm like this mess wasn’t her fault. Angela didn’t know if all wolf spirits were like this or if hers was sent to destroy her life on purpose.

"Come on, Renn. I’m waiting at the door," Kaito knocked again, this time sounding annoyed.

"Should I open the door and tell him—" Renn started.

"No," Angela whispered, almost too fast.

"I’m coming, Kaito. Just give me a damn minute," Renn called out loud enough for him to hear.

His heart was racing. There was too much going on, and if Kaito stepped into the room now, he would know something wasn’t right. He wasn’t stupid. He would see it all written on their faces.

Renn’s mind worked fast. He needed to help Angela. She wanted to keep her secret, and he would protect it. That’s what boyfriends did. They had your back. They helped you out of messy shit like this. And he wasn’t going to let her get exposed just like that.

"Come on, man. Don’t make me wait out here like a fool," Kaito’s voice came again, louder this time.

Renn turned to Angela and took her hand. It was soft, trembling a little.

"Go hide in the bathroom. He won’t see you there," he whispered.

Angela gave a small nod. "Okay."

She followed him without question, and he walked her to the bathroom. She knew he was being helpful now because it also worked in his favor. If Kaito found out, it would ruin everything—for both of them.

Renn opened the bathroom door for her to enter, and she did. But instead of shutting it right away, he just stood there.

Staring.

Even with all this madness, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Angela felt it. She tried not to look at him. One more look and she’d get pulled back into whatever the hell this was. She was already too deep. Just when she opened her mouth to tell him to move, to stop staring, Renn leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

Then he shut the door.

Angela froze.

Her lips parted in disbelief.

He was crazy.

Completely out of his mind.

But instead of getting mad, she lifted her fingers and touched her lips gently. A small smile tugged at her face, and her eyes closed. She didn’t even want to smile, but her body betrayed her.

Renn was something else.

He wasn’t as bad as she thought.

"I told you," Mighty-storm said inside her, sounding all smug like she’d been right the whole time.

"You were wrong," Angela whispered back, finally snapping herself out of it.

She went still.

Footsteps.

She could hear them in the room.

The door had been opened.

Kaito was inside.

She heard his voice, and her whole body froze. The guilt hit her hard. Her chest tightened. There was something in his voice. He sounded worried, like he had been searching for her, like he had been stressing the whole time.

"I can’t find Angel. I’ve checked all over and he’s nowhere to be found," Kaito said, sounding tired and worried.

Renn hated that he had to lie to him, especially seeing the concern written all over his face. But he had promised Angela. He had given his word to keep everything a secret. Besides, he was still stuck on that kiss. He had enjoyed being her boyfriend for just thirty minutes, and if it felt that good in such a short time, he couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like if they actually lasted. A month. Maybe more. What else could happen?

"No? Why’d you freak out?" Renn asked, trying to sound surprised, maybe even more than Kaito himself. "He should still be around the Academy. Probably doing his usual thing. No need to panic yet."

"If you knew how much trouble he always gets into, you wouldn’t say that," Kaito muttered. He was trying to stay calm, but his voice cracked just a little. Enough for Renn to hear the stress behind it.

"You’re right. Angel is real trouble."

"I came to ask if you know Stales’ room. I’m hoping they’re together. Because if he’s with Hiro..." Kaito trailed off and shook his head. They both knew that was a terrible mix. Angel and Hiro together was like striking matches in a room full of gas.

"I’ll come with you," Renn said, running his hand through his hair, still stealing glances toward the bathroom door. Angela was still in there, hiding. And each second that passed made his chest feel tighter.

Inside the bathroom, Angela leaned against the door. Her heart ached, not because she had to hide, but because she kept lying to Kaito. Over and over again. She felt horrible for making out with Renn. It felt like a betrayal. Kaito had always been good to her.

"You’re not doing anything wrong. Don’t let anyone make you feel that way," Mighty-storm said inside her head, soft but firm like she always was when trying to comfort her. "They are both your mates. You can have them one after the other or even at the same time. That’s your choice. You were destined for the four."

Angela rolled her eyes, even though no one could see her. "That’s very motivating," she muttered with sarcasm.

She pressed her ear gently to the door, trying to listen. If they left now, she’d quickly change and sneak out before Renn returned. If she didn’t leave before he came back, then there was no way she’d sleep in the West House tonight. Not after what happened. Not with how he looked at her. The way he kissed her like he wanted to eat her alive. She could still feel the heat of it all.

Angela shook the memory away. No. She wasn’t going there again.

She heard the front door creak open and felt a wave of relief. They were leaving. She was finally going to slip out and—

"What the hell is going on, man?" Kaito asked suddenly. "What is she doing in here?"