Page 24 of His Mate By Vengeance

Marco frowned. “Where’s Vin?”

“I sent him away. He was a security risk,” Angelo said.

His Alpha looked shocked. Legit fucking shocked. “Why the fuck would you send your mate away?”

It was like the word made his brain glitch. Spots of light filled Angelo’s vision and sound became an ethereal thing, fading into distant static.Mate?That was not. That couldn’t. No. Vin was a vampire. You couldn’t mate with a vampire. Could you?

He must’ve been swaying where he stood because it took the firm hand of his Alpha on his shoulder to make the room stop moving. He still wasn’t with it, though. Distantly, he heard someone ask how he could be so oblivious, only to be chided by Marco about not judging something they’d never experienced. For whatever reason, there weren’t a lot of mated pairs in their pack. Maybe because Marco had lost his so young. The pack itself was relatively new, although Angelo had followed Marco for over thirty years. Most of their people had only been with them for the last couple of decades, and Marco had been focussed on securing their power base. Mating wasn’t really talked about because no one wanted to rub Marco’s nose in what he’d lost.

“Look at me, Angelo,” Marco ordered, forcing him to drag his attention up to his Alpha’s gaze, only for his leader to sigh in exasperation.

“I don’t understand,” Angelo said.

“No. I don’t expect you do. We let you close yourself off for too long. Let you slide through life without connection. And now you don’t know how to recognise it when it slaps you in the face.”

“I’m connected to you. I’m connected to the pack,” Angelo protested.

“I know. That’s how I can tell he’s your mate. I can feel it through our bond. It was obvious from the first time I was in a room with you both. And if I can feel it second hand, then I know you can too.”

“He’s a vampire. He’s a risk to the pack. I won’t give you up for anything,” Angelo said, voice cracking.

Marco snarled in frustration in his face. “Do you really think I would ask you to give up your mate? The one person in the world who was made for you? Especially when you’ve lost everyone else you hold dear. If that’s what you believe of me, maybe youshouldleave.”

Angelo stared at Marco in fear and confusion until his Alpha seemed to take pity on him.

“I’m not kicking you out, you idiot. And I can’t tell you what to do with your life, even if it seems patently obvious.”

“Yes, you can,” Angelo said, and he meant it. He almost hoped Marco would order him to chase after Vin because then he wouldn’t have to make a decision.

“But I won’t. No matter how much you want me to. Do you need some time to go after him?” he asked.

Angelo shook his head. He’d be damned if his own issues got in the way of protecting his pack. “No, Alpha. The pack comes first.”

He could swear Marco looked disappointed in him. “I’ll let that slide for now because I need you. We need you. But you might like to consider the fact that if you got out of your own way and let the bond form with your mate, he’d be pack too. I might be a controlling asshole, but even I know mates come first. Always.”

Surely he didn’t mean that? A vampire couldn’t be pack. But if he could… Kyan wouldn’t risk starting a war by overtly attacking a pack member. Vin would be safe. Angelo shook his head. It was too much to think about when he could barely process his own emotions. And Marco had said his pack needed him.

“What do you need?” he asked.

“We’ve been investigating the thefts and unsanctioned arms supply in the city. Luca was tracking online chatter about a new group calling itself the D-2S, who we think is responsible. He must’ve gotten too close to them because he narrowly missed being taken out by a sniper shot to the head last night and we found an explosive under his car this morning. I need you to be his shadow until this blows over.”

Luca scoffed from the couch. “I’mfine. They missed because they’re not good enough to take me out. Don’t makeAngelo watch me when he should be focussing on keeping the entire pack safe.”

“Shut up and let us look after you. You don’t train for combat like we do,” his sister Aria said.

“Just because I don’t spend every spare second in the gym like you freaks doesn’t mean I’m fucking helpless,” Luca said, anger in every line of his body.

“I won’t lose another brother, Luca. You’re the only one I’ve got left,” Aria said.

Angelo watched the siblings back and forth, staying out of it. It wasn’t his job to talk Luca into anything. When it came down to it, they’d both follow their Alpha’s orders. And he understood the man’s frustration. The pack had a tendency to treat him like he was fragile. Although it was with good reason.

“How’d they know where to find him?” Angelo asked Marco.

He kept his voice low, but the words drew everyone’s attention back, their faces too serious. He could feel icy rage and grief like he’d never felt coming off his Alpha in waves, and no further explanation was necessary.

“A traitor? Within the pack? How could they hide that from you with the bond?” Angelo asked, his voice only a whisper. That explained why their usual entourage of enforcers was missing from this meeting.

“The D-2S seem to be an anti-supernatural gang or movement, but we already know they’re not above using magic to meet their aims. We still haven’t found the earth witch working with them. There’s no way to tell if they’re selling them spells or working under duress, but either way, they must’ve found a way to block anything incriminating from the pack bond with me or I would’ve noticed something by now. I made a point of visiting every pack member in the last six hours and I got nothing,” Marco said.

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