The Alpha's Missing Mate

Chapter 10

10.

"So," Angel said as she took a sip of Coke. She had cleaned up all the empty and watered down drinks after everyone had left shortly after she and Jared had returned to the crowded apartment. It looked like Tabitha and Alex hadn't noticed they had been missing, but a knowing smirk from Tommy told Angel that he had noticed. She had glared at him and stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her best friend. Now she was alone with Tabitha, and was unsure what to say to her. "Did... Did Alex explain everything? Do you have any questions you want to ask me?"

Tabitha looked at her and seemed to be weighing something before taking a deep breath. "Actually, yea. I do have somethings we need to talk about," she said with a hard look at Angel. Angel felt a trickle of trepidation creep up her spine, but took a breath and braced herself for the accusation she could see in her friend's eyes. "Why?" Tabitha whispered, hurt clear in her voice. "Why didn't you tell me about all this last year, Angel? We tell each other everything! Don't you trust me?"

Angel blinked rapidly, her eyes burning as she felt tears starting to rise. She did trust Tabitha, but she hadn't wanted to scare the girl she considered a sister. Looking back, she realized that all she had done was alienate the girl. A tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it and she quickly swiped her fingers beneath her eye to wipe it away.

"Tabby," she said, her voice cracking despite her best effort, "I do trust you. I just- I didn't want you to find me repulsive. I can bear just about anything, but if you decided you didn't want me around anymore... That would just about kill me. You're the sister I never had. I love you, girl!"

"I love you , too, Ang. I think of you like a sister, too!" Tabitha exclaimed before launching herself at Angel and embracing her in a bone crushing hug. "I'd never refuse you! I thought you knew that?"

The two girls held each other as their tears slid down their faces. Tears of fear and hurt morphing into tears of relief. Once the tears were finally cried out, they sat back, laughing at the sight they made if anyone was to walk through the door and find them, sniffling and red eyed, tear tracks on their cheeks.

"God, we're a mess," Angel said as she got up to grab some tissue. She heard Tabitha laugh her agreement as she wandered back into the living room. Sitting back down, she handed the roll to Tabitha before leaning back and bringing her legs up under her on the couch. "Okay, no more hiding anything. What do you want to know?"

"So what happened last year?" Tabitha finally asked as she dabbed at her leaky nose. Angel took a deep breath and launched into her story.

"The day before my birthday, I don't know, I just couldn't get comfortable. I was jumpy, and tense. I didn't know why at the time, but my wolf was about to come out, and she needed to be out in the forest. So, I packed a sleeping bag, grabbed my tent, and went camping. I felt so much better almost immediately. I set up camp, and tried to get some sleep, but I started to get cramps and couldn't. I just thought I was getting my period. But, actually, I was in the first stages of my first shift."

"Oh, my God!" Tabitha breathed. "All by yourself?"

"Yeah," Angel nodded. "I didn't know I was a werewolf. I didn't even know what was going on. All I knew was I was in pain for no reason. Then, all of a sudden, Jared was there. He helped me calm down enough to finish my transformation, but once it was over, I still hadn't completely realized what happened, so I ran away."

"Oh, Angel," Tabitha said, soothingly, her voice full of empathy.

Angel shrugged, not wanting her friend to feel sorry for her. What she had gone through was in the past, and she didn't want to dwell on it. She had already spent enough time going over and replaying that night in her mind. 'Most of those times this past week, it seemed,' she thought dryly. "It's done, and in the past, Tab," she said. "Let's talk about something other than that night."