After only one day of being spied on and followed wherever she went, Angelina was more than pissed. She was a bomb waiting to go off. She couldn't even relax in the knowledge that she had her arrangement with Jasson. There was still a chance that it could fall through and she needed a back-up plan.
The constant surveilLeon had made it hard for her to get into her dad's office to hunt down her uncle's address and contact number – even if she didn't end up seeking refuge with her uncle she still hoped to contact him at some point. Eventually she had found the details, but the cell phone had been disconnected. Fuck it all!
If Jasson's plan fell through, she was prepared to drive all the way to that address and beg her uncle's Guardian to give her sanctuary. Maybe if he liked her uncle a lot, he would take pity on her. It would be convincing him not to hand her over to Reynald or her dad that would be the problem after that. Really, though, what else could she do?
Knowing that she would never be able to come back here no matter what happened, Angelina packed a large dufflebag complete with clothes, passport and a few sentimental objects with the plan that she could stash it in her car ready for Friday night. Unlike the other wolves, she always drove to the club as she was constantly on call in case someone from her pack needed healing.
She didn't have a lot of stuff, so it wasn't hard to sift through it and only take the things she really liked or wanted. Her dad had forbid her from getting an actual job that paid wages, wanting her here at all times due to being the pack healer. The only times she ever had money to buy herself things were when he gave her some, which wasn't often. One thing she had learnt from her mom was the importance of saving money, so at least she had some to take with her.
The problem was getting the dufflebag to the car without her constant companion seeing. She figured that her best chance of making Prily a little distracted was if she seemed the most boring person imaginable. Of course that wouldn't be enough because she was considered a flight risk. She ensured that she appeared to be angry, but drained of the will to fight, hoping to pass as someone resigned to her fate. So that was what she did.
After another two days Prily became less vigilant and she found a moment to stash the dufflebag in the trunk. Then she busied herself concentrating on what she would do if Jasson didn't appear at the club. She knew she was going to her uncle, but what she hadn't mastered was just how she would do that while being watched so closely.
She figured that her best option would be to disappear in a crowd of people. If she could slip away from the club while her dad's enforcers were still inside the club, she might have a chance at getting away. She had to have a chance. She couldn't mate with that sicko.
Finally Friday morning came. It had felt more like two weeks than four days. She had remembered what Jasson had said about not doing anything out of the norm, but there was one thing she had to do before she left. Her usual visit to Jolie's and her mom's graves were every other Sunday, but Prily didn't seem suspicious. Surprised, but not suspicious. Although there was a chance this might seem suspicious to him later, it wasn't something she could leave without doing.
She went to her mom's grave first and, as usual, spent a few minutes tidying it up by replacing the decaying flowers with a fresh bunch. Silently she apologised to her for this being the last time she would ever be able to visit and for not being able to have the kind of loving relationship with her dad that she would have wanted.
Her eyes filled as she gave Jolie's grave the same treatment as her mom's. She then sat in front of it as she silently spoke to him.
Hey Joe. I don't know how much you guys up there know about what goes on down here, but there's been some really weird crap going on. Remember I told you last time about that weird-ass Guardian my dad is trying to force me to mate with? Well, it turns out he's also a very sick son of a bitch and my dad doesn't even give a shit.
There's this other Guardian who's offered me a deal that would get me out of this, but it means I'd have to mate with him. It wouldn't be a real mating, because all he wants is an alliance with my dad and it will only be temporary. The thing is…I need to make everyone believe that he's my true mate, which means I'm going to be telling them that you never were. And I'm so sorry for this, so fucking sorry, but I can't see any other way out.
People say I must wish I'd never found you if it meant you were going to die before we even had a chance to have the mating bond, but I don't wish that, you know. Never have. We might not have mated, but we did have a bond.
I'm so sorry, but this is the last time I'll be here. My dad's not going to let me come back after this, but you can bet your ass that I'll still be talking to you sometimes. I'll find a river just like we use to and I'll go sit there and talk to you. And you better listen, too, Joseph Winters, because you always had a habit switching off when you thought I'd been talking for too long.
You've probably switched off now. Okay, it's fair to say that I've been jabbering on. She stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks, as she said the words she always said just before leaving. Miss you, love you.
Then, with a heavy heart, she turned away and began walking back toward the pack house. And it hurt so, so bad knowing she'd never be back. It was like there was this huge constriction around her chest that tightened with each step.
"He was a good kid," stated Prily.
"Yeah."
"He won't hate you for mating with Reynald, you know. He wouldn't want you living your life alone. And Reynald's not a bad guy."