Chapter 152

Fiona

“What is it this t—”

Angela storms out of Ethan’s office, grabs me by the shoulders, and shoves me back. My back slams into the filing cabinet as I fall backwards, sending a wave of sharp, hot pain through my body. I gasp, taking deep breaths to try to chase away the ache while staring up at Angela.

She shouldn’t be up here. In fact, she shouldn’t be anywhere near me. After the last attack, Angela shouldn’t be pushing her luck by thinking she can get away with hurting me again.

Keeping my eyes on Angela, I reach for my phone that sits on the edge of my desk. However, Angela is faster, and she snatches the device away before I can get to it. With her free hand, she grabs my wrist and yanks me forward.

“Stop!” I cry, wincing at the pain that sparks in my arm. “Get away from me, Angela!”

“Or what? You’ll tell Ethan I hurt you? Can you not defend yourself?” She snarls, whirling around and baring sharp teeth at me. My heart jumps in my chest, recognizing the threat in front of me.

Angela notices my far and pins me against the wall with a disgusted scoff.

“You can’t, and you never will. A weak human like you could never survive in mine and Ethan’s world,” she hisses, pinning her forearm across my neck. “All you’re capable of is ruining his life. You’re causing a rift between our packs, and not only that, but you’re also going to create a power struggle within Ethan’s pack if you mate him. Others will see you as the weakling you are and attack, so you need to stop being a selfish bitch and leave.”

I don’t think I would’ve been ablet to breathe even if her arm wasn’t on my throat. Was I really causing that much trouble?

“But I haven’t done anything,” I argue while feebly trying to free myself of her grip. I don’t know if she’s right or wrong, but she doesn’t get to attack me like this just because she feels like it. “I would never intentionally hurt anyone, and I definitely wouldn’t want Ethan to be hurt because of me, so—”

She snarls, pressing against my neck harder and making me gasp for air. I can’t get out of her hold, and the pressure increases, making me realize there will definitely be a bruise later.

“So, nothing. Your presence in our lives is ruining everything. Ethan is in danger now, because of you. He’s so stuck on you being his true mate that he has been disqualified from the Lycan King Selection, defied the Lycan Council’s wishes, dismissed one of his wisest pack Elders, and has announced his plans to enter into the Alpha challenges to fight for the Lycan King title,” she growls, her voice growing louder and louder with each word until she’s screaming in my face.

Before I can respond, my body hits the ground again and my airway opens back up. I gulp down much needed air and scramble away from Angela. The further I can get away, the better.

But then my back is against the wall, and she’s standing over me, like a lion cornering a mouse… or a wolf cornering a bunny.

“And everything is your fault. If he doesn’t make it through the challenges, Ethan will lose everything—”

“Angela!” A loud voice growls. “Get away from her!”

What does she mean when she says that Ethan will lose everything?

Confusion fills me, and I bite on my bottom lip, nibbling it between my teeth.

There’s clearly more going on here than I thought if Angela is to be believed, but can I really trust anything she says? I know Ethan is having trouble with his family, which could be what she’s talking about, but I’m not sure.

Ethan hasn’t told me anything.

Ryan rushes forward, shoves Angela aside, and crouches in front of me. His eyes land on my neck then on my wrist where Angela had been squeezing me. An angry rumble vibrates from Ryan’s body, and I briefly have the thought that it should be Ethan here keeping me safe, not his friend.

Not that I’m upset that Ryan is here. I’m very glad he came when he did.

“We already warned you, Angela,” Ryan growls, standing. He helps me up, moving between the two of us in a protective stance. Instinctively, I curl my fingers into the back of his shirt to stay behind him. “You are not to touch my Luna.”

“Some Luna she is,” Angela scoffs, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “No one will accept her, and the fact that you do shows you’re just as weak as my father says. When Ethan and I mate, a weak Beta will not be allowed in our pack.”

Worry flitters in my chest as Ryan’s body tenses up. Surely, she’s lying. I’ve seen how Ethan treats Ryan, and even if the two of them were to get married, I don’t believe he would let Angela get rid of Ryan.

“You will never be our Luna. Ethan will only ever be with Fiona. Ethan entering the challenges will not change his mind,” Ryan says and lifts an arm, pointing at the stairs. “Get out before I have you escorted out, Angela.”

She huffs in annoyance but doesn’t move, so Ryan steps toward her. I release his shirt, holding my breath in anticipation of what will happen next. Will he kick her out? Call security?

I wouldn’t mind, either way, because she deserves to be dragged away in cuffs for assaulting me not once but twice now.

“This isn’t over,” Angela hisses, and Ryan takes another threatening step toward her.

“It is, and if you come near Fiona again, you’ll not only deal with me, but with Ethan when he gets back.”

Shaking her head, Angela rolls her eyes and with only a moment of hesitation, she turns and walks away. My fingers twitch, and I have the urge to grab my phone and call the cops, but when she disappears, a familiar sense of helplessness falls over me. There isn’t much I can do because she’ll probably just slip out of trouble like she has before.

There’s not much I can do about it, and with how important Angela is in the West, I decide to keep quiet. However, the anger doesn’t dissipate.

“Why does she get away with doing this?” I ask, holding back from shouting. It’s not Ryan’s fault that Angela feels like she can do whatever she wants.

“I’m sorry, Fiona. It’s unacceptable. I should’ve gotten here sooner and—”

“No,” I say, holding a hand up. “You helped me. I don’t want you to apologize. I just want to know if she’s going to keep getting away with hurting me.”

Ryan sighs and drags a hand through his hair, tugging on the ends. The pinched expression on his face tells me everything I need to know. He might not have much say in the matter, even if he’s higher up in the pack hierarchy. Angela’s family is too strong for him to go against them on his own.

“It may not seem like it, but Ethan is trying to find the best way to keep the peace between packs.”

Nodding, I look down at the floor.

“If only Ethan was here, he could’ve… we could have…” I let my words fall off, unsure of what I want to say. There’s so much but I’m not sure if offering my opinions would help or just cause more problems.

If Ethan were here, would he do anything or would he sit back and work silently like he’s been doing so much lately?