Something had changed.
Thea was sure that something had shifted between Pyr and Angel. There was this extra gentleness that wasn't there before.
Okay, so she sounded like a Disney song. But hell! The changes were simple. A touch, a glance, a smile, but it was there.
Jin the dumb beast was also in the lovey-dovey mode. It was nauseating that Thea needed to get away from Pyr's house.
She found herself walking toward the burial ground of Kayla and Cole's mom.
The crew did a good job. It was a simple monolith that was made up of one big slab of marble. It was placed in the center of a gazebo for whoever was visiting would have shade.
It had been more than a month since her passing, yet from the looks of things, Angel would always bring the kids here.
There was a container in the corner. Thea would bet her best knives, that inside were Kayla's and Cole's things. Angel might not be their biological mom, but man. She was the best mom for these two kids.
There were also flowers on the grave. Fresh ones at that. She smiled, even though Kayla was still young, she would always remember her mom because Angel would make sure Kayla would never forget.
Thea turned her back against the monolith and looked at the houses below.
How long has it been since they settled in the Philippines?
Too damn long. And yet, they have never felt peace in the land they have tried to call home.
From her point, she could see that some of the wolves in The Nest were running on the side of the property. Skye was with them.
Thea had to smile. Those wolves of him were like an extension of his soul, like one of the books she had read. Man, who would have thought that she would be reading about shifters?
Thea heard someone approaching the monolith and smiled. Mocha and Biscuits were never a quiet pair while in The Nest. It was so easy to know if they were around. But during a mission? They were deadly.
"So, what brings you here, Thea?" asked Biscuits.
Mocha and Biscuits were tall and well-built. They were always mistaken as brothers when their backs were turned, yet they weren't.
Biscuits' black almond-shaped eyes were so different from Mocha's whose eyes have the same color.
"I wanted time to think, I guess," was Thea's reply.
"Think of what?" Mocha asked.
Thea sighed and simply said, "Angel."
"You too, huh?' Biscuits replied.
Thea nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. She was not mad or frustrated. She was worried.
The woman had killed several men without any trace of remorse. The way each body was covered in blood spoke of rage buried deep within. Oh, she knew about rage, they were best friends after all.
"Prez had a hunch on who she was," broke in Mocha. "The Aetos Pack will be here in a month or so. They are trying to work around guarding the new Female Alpha," he continued, he pulled several lollies from his pocket and offered one to Thea.
Thea, ever the sweet tooth got two. She opened one before saying, "Are we going to be pulled into that shit show?"
"I'm not sure," it was Biscuits who replied. "Prez needs everyone. And I mean EVERYONE, to be here by the end of the week. Regardless if they have a mission or not." There was frustration in his voice that was hard to ignore.
"Asshole Rem will be there?" Thea asked.
"Thank the fuck he was not included," there was a sigh of relief in his voice.
"You all hated his guts?" Thea asked.
"He would be better off dead for all I care," Biscuits replied.
"It was that bad?" Thea inquired.
"Bad?" asked Mocha. "He was downright disrespectful."
"The only reason he was alive is that Prez said so. If Priest had his way..." Mocha did not finish the sentence.
They all knew what the Priest was capable of. Given a chance Remy would not be alive right now.
"He was..."
"He was being the person how he was raised," Biscuits retorted.
He was right.
Unlike the rest of them. Remy was raised in a loving pack. The only reason why he was part of the crew was because of special favor.
A favor that was duly returned.
"He had it coming though. He never took all his missions seriously. If not for Louis, he would never have that part," said Mocha.
"Yeah," the other man agreed.
Thea can only speculate on what happened a month ago. One of the prospects was officially out of being a potential brother, and three more kids were added to The Nest.
So far, as Thea could see, the kids that were Louis wards were silent and behaved. She could see that these kids never knew the word security.
Until now.
The three of them watched as Angel stepped out of the house and looked in their direction. She waved her arms and made hand gestures asking if they were okay.
Thea waved both arms in response. Angel might be far away, but they can sense that she was happy. But the moment Pyr arrived, the happy glow she had was replaced by weariness.
They were expecting their president to back down, knowing that the woman had killed, and she could overpower the most dangerous men in the crew. What he did was the opposite.
Pyr pulled Angel close and kissed her. in front of the house with everyone else to see. Mocha, Thea, and Biscuits were waiting for the woman to throw Pyr away, or even kick him in the balls.
Angel did neither.
Their jaws dropped as the second deadliest woman they knew, wrapped her arms around Pyr's neck and kissed him back.
"Holy fuck..." was all Mocha could say.
Pry had hoisted Angel and the woman wrapped her legs around his hips. They were having a nookie, in the middle of the road, not caring about everyone.
"SEE!" Thea exclaimed.
Oh, yeah, they saw. The man who will never have a woman has one clinging to him like a monkey.
Things seem, to have taken a turn for the worse.