Heartless Angels

Chapter 46 – Oakley

Chapter 46 – Oakley

Cassie runs in, Trainer Ethan follows behind her.

“What the f uck happened?” I nearly scream at Cassie

“Out! Everyone out, now!” Doc Elwood yells. “We’ve gotta focus here and we can’t do that with all of you in here!”

“Come on, let’s go Trainer Ethan says.

Ray guides me out with a hand on my back. I grab Cassie’s hand and bring her with me. I hear Cassie mumbling, “Mary’s gonna be so pis sed. She’ll come and kick Harry’s as s herself. I can’t believe he did it and Bard f ucking let him!

“Did what?” I ask, but Trainer Ethan interrupts.

“Let’s get out into the waiting room and we can talk” His commanding voice is soothing during this time when I don’t know what the hell is going on. I look at him and he gives me half a smile, letting me know that everything is going to be alright.

I haven’t really had a ton of interactions with Trainer Ethan, but the few I have had have always been comforting? Like he’s trying to keep me at ease. And there’s something about him, some quality that I’m starting to feel more and more drawn to him.

Not attracted. The male is old enough to be my father and I’ve already got one too many mates as it is. I just feel like he

could be a mentor. A confidant and a friend.

Ray and Ethon lead us into the waiting room, a secluded little nook off to the side that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s just big

enough to have two couches facing each other, a magazine rack, and a coffee maker

I sit between Cassie and Ray on one couch and Ethan sits on the other couch, his elbows on his knees. Ray pulls me into his chest and I’m not sure if he’s looking for comfort or if he’s giving it to me. He and Je rry had gotten friendly since Ray and I have been together. This isn’t easy for him either. I hold Cassie’s hand and she looks at me with tears in her eyes.

“What happened?” I ask,

Ethan takes a deep breath before he begins. “We were sparing again today, as is normal. With you out, we had an even number, so each wolf could fight a single partner for several rounds: We want each wolf to be get comfortable with the fighting style, to be able to get pointers that will actually help. When the final 10 are selected, they will be drilled and pushed even further into each style and likely develop one that each wolf becomes a specialist in. For now, we’re looking at you ability to learn quickly and incorporate the new skills that we teach you into what you already know

Ethan waves his hand as if to wave that away. “Anyway, today was also Bard’s first day back.”

“F ucking hell!” Ray whispers between clenched teeth. He wipes a hand down his face and sits forward, pulling his arm from

behind me. “What did that dumb as s do?”

Ethan’s only acknowledgement that Ray said anything is a brief hesitation before he continues his recitation of today’s events. “He was in charge of a group of three pairs of upper ranked wolves: Harry and J erry, Cassie and Lisa, and Zeke and

Indigo.”

“Why?” I Interrupt. “You know that both Bard and Harry are Lisa’s mates and that she hasn’t rejected either of them. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to put all three of them together?”

Ethan stands in an explosive frustrated movement. “Sophia was dealing with this Council bul lsh it, since they are still here until you make your decision and she has to make sure your family and Alpha Silver stay away and I was on a call with home base Ras here with you. Bard is on probation at the moment, so Jody was in charge.”

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Chapter 46 Oakley

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“F ucking hell! You know that Bard will just barrel over Jody! He has absolutely no f ucking backbone. That’s why he’s so far

the chain of command!” Ray stands, nearly toe-to-toe with Ethan.

Ethan looks at Ray, dead in the eye, and his aura fills the small room, making Ray flinch back. “I know. And if you weren’t so busy f ucking your mate and got your as s out on the f ucking field we wouldn’t have had to put Jody in that f ucking position, now would we?”

Ray stays on his feet, which impresses the f uck out of me. He stands firm in the presence of Ethan’s anger and assertion of dominance. “I was with my mate, as directed by Commander Sophia. She told me to take all the time I needed to help Oakley feel comfortable.”

I’m a bit surprised by that bit of news. Seems Sophia has a definite preference for which mate I pick if that’s the way that I decide to leave the Elite 10. Something to think about another time. We’ve already got enough of our plate.

Ray and Ethan have a bit of a standoff with each other for a few seconds before Ethan plops back down on the couch, his head in his hands. “It’s my fault. I should have left someone else in charge.” He raises his head out of his hands, his eyes red rimmed and lined with worry. “Bard apparently started messing with Lisa. Touching her, scenting her, nuzzling into her n*eck. And Lisa wasn’t stopping it.”

“F ucking bi tch was reciprocating it,” Cassie murmurs next to me.

“It g ot Har ry worked up to the point that he shifted. He went charging after Bard and Je rry got in the way. Held his own for a bit there, but Harry was running on rage and he tore through Je rry to get at Ba rd. It took five wolves to get Harry subdued,” Ethan finishes.

“And Bard didn’t get a da mn scratch on him either,” Cassie says, this time her voice is louder.

“Both Harry and Bard are in the cells under the castle. And we’re waiting to see what happens to Jer ry Ethan says.

“And Lisa?” I ask, seething. “Seems to me that this is partially her f ucking fault.”

“Agreed, but there’s not much I’m allowed to do about it. It’s a fight between mates. Granted, it’s unconventional, but it’s an Issue that none of us are allowed to interfere with,” Ethan says.

I sit there, staring incredulously at all of the wolves around me. All of this, the near death of a friend, the twisting of another friend’s soul, because of a f ucking love triangle? What the hell is this?

“Where is she?” I ask, lowly.

“What?” Ethan asks.

“Where is Lisa?” I demand.

“I think she’s in the room…” Cassie says.

Before she’s even finished the sentence, I’m up and out of the room, running for our dorm. All I can think is that Lisa is

putting a friend of mine through hell, making him turn into something that he isn’t, and it needs to stop.

The second that I make it into the dorm, I see her huddled on her bed in the fetal position, bawling.

I don’t care. I don’t give a da mn that she might feel like her world is coming to an end and she doesn’t know how to stop it.

Because I do.

“Get up,” I command, gripping her under her arms and yanking her up. “We’re heading to the cells.”

“What?” she chokes out, trying to get her bearings.

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Chapter 46 – Oakley

“We’re going to talk to your mates, I respond.

“No. I can’t,” she squeaks.

“Yes, you can and you will. You’ve gotta put one or both of them out of their misery” Lisa tries to stop walking, but I pick her up and haul her over my shoulder. She’s screaming and trying to wiggle out of my grip, but I manhandle her down to the cells

and drop her in front of the cells with her mates in them.

“Pick one.” I demand.

Lisa looks up at me, tears falling down her cheeks, desperation and hate filling her eyes. She just stares at me.

I look to see Bard standing close to the bars, but not touching them, seeing as they’re made of silver. Harry is still in his wolf form, laying on his front paws, his ears laying flat against his head as he whines.

Hean down in Lisa’s face. “Harry nearly killed Je rry because of his jealousy for how you were allowing Bard to touch you. If you end the bond with Harry, then sh it like that won’t happen again. Or if you end your bond with Bard, he won’t be baiting Harry.

Pick one and everyone is safe.”

at me

“You pick one. You’ve still got two mates yourself!” Lisa bites back at me.

“Easy. Ray. I pick Ray. Now it’s your turn,” I say calmly

She looks at me stricken that I’m putting her in this situation. “I can’t… she whimpers.

I hear bones breaking and turn to see Harry transforming into his human form. When he’s done, he’s standing stark n*ked, though that doesn’t seem to bother him at all. Instead, he moves forward and grips the silver bars. I can smell his burning flesh

and hear his hands sizzle.

“You can’t?” Harry yells. “You can’t?!” He pulls back, pacing the cell he’s in for several steps before turning back to her. “After everything that we’ve been through? All the times that I stood up for you? Everything we said to each other? And you can’t pick?”

“Harry, I’m sorry…I just…You’re both my mates and I can’t pick between you two. Not now, I need…I need to make sure that I

pick the right one Lisa tries to say.

–

“I, Harrison Redclaw, reject you, Lisa Ivy, as my mate now and forever, Harry says.

Lisa screams, clutching at her chest.

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