Chapter 27 - "I Love You Too Much For That."

"It's alright," Tatum whispered after a little while as she rubbed Angier's back, one arm still wrapped tightly around him.

There wasn't any reply, and he seemed to have calmed down a little.

Tatum didn't know if his emotions were under control or if he was still feeling volatile enough to break down once again, but she had to take this chance and speak up. She couldn't put off addressing it any longer because the whole time Angier had lost it, the only thing he had uttered was that his Mate was why she didn't have one.

She couldn't let him blame himself or feel guilty about something that wasn't even his fault in the slightest.

So she pulled back lightly, trying to summon a smile as she met his eyes, "And, hey. Obviously, there's like a one in a hundred chance that Llewellyn might've been my Mate. Why would you even focus on that? Seriously, I'm not worried about it. I'm just worried what this might do to your relationship and how you're gonna move past this and find happiness with her."

"Oh, yeah?" Angier shook his head and pulled away completely, wiping his wet cheekbones with the back of his hands, "Then, why are your eyes wet?"

Tatum's hands flew up to her face in surprise and she realized that it was indeed, coated with salty tears. In her grief over breaking her friend's heart, she hadn't even noticed that she had been crying along with him as well, that she was crying for him.

She hadn't thought that she would cry if she was going to be completely honest.

"Why are you heartbroken, Tate?" Angier continued, his voice raising in his sudden, baffling anger, "And lemme you ask you this, would you be able to see me be happy with the woman who destroyed a possible future for you, no matter how minimal those chances are? Which are actually not that less, considering every single fact aligns up and suggests that he may have been your Mate. Would you be able to accept me as your Beta after that?" He took a step closer with every fury-filled word, getting right up her face, "Would you be able to take her in and give her respect as a Beta female? Huh? Tell me, Tatum, would you be able to live with yourself doing that!?"

"No!" Tatum shouted back, unable to help herself, "Okay? No! I'm aware of that." She threw her hands wide, her face twisting in rage.

"I'm aware of how this changes every single thing between us forever, because if you are going to forgive her or hell, if you ask me to stop all the work I've been leading to collect evidence against her and throw her behind bars—which I want to do because even if he wasn't my Mate, Llewellyn was someone's, and what she did led to not only him to losing a whole part of himself, but also broke the soul of another person! A person just like me who must've been through hell and back or probably not even alive anymore!" Tatum was breathing hard, and no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't control the flurry of words escaping her mouth.

They had to be let out.

"So," She lowered her voice sighing, "Despite every single cell in my body wanting me to be the Alpha I am and award her with the repercussions of her actions," Tatum swallowed, feeling ashamed of herself even as she said the next part, "I can't do it if you don't want me to. I understand how weak and pathetic that sounds, but what's done with Llewellyn is done. Over. Destroyed. If correcting that means breaking your heart and bringing unimaginable sorrow to your Wolf because trust me, nothing gets worse than losing a Mate," She felt the back of her eyes burn with unshed tears, "I physically can't do it. I love you too much to bring that pain to you . . . and it would also mean that I would lose you as a friend, forever."

Angier opened his mouth, but Tatum put up a hand to stop him, not finished yet, "But that doesn't mean no one will try to bring her down. A few other Alphas are already aware of the situation, and I know our relationship might get permanently broken if I do this, but I will help them. It's my responsibility as an Alpha to get Llew justice, and I can't stand by idly and lie to an Alpha by vouching for her character or ask them to leave this. I will show my full support, and I will do everything in my power as a teammate to help them—instead of being the team leader I am, right now."

There was a heavy silence once Tatum was finished, and she finally managed the courage to look him in the eye.

"Is that all?" Angier questioned quietly, impassively, after a few seconds.

"Yes, And I'm sorry that in the end, it's me who standing in the way of your happiness." Tatum wiped the tears that fell over, trying hard to stop her emotions from going rampant. It seemed like it was no use then because the sadness she felt at the moment was crushing.

This is how she was repaying her best friend who had done nothing but stand with her and by her side all her life.

Tatum didn't know how she was ever gonna live with herself.

"Done?"

"Yes,"

"Your words wound me, Tatum." Angier's voice was thick with sorrow and disappointment as he smiled wryly, "I've been with you for all these years and this is how much you know me? Is that all? After all the things we've been through, you think so little of me?"

Tatum couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

"Okay, humor me," He shrugged, "Why am I losing my shit right now? Why did I just cry?"

She had no idea where he was going with this.

"Um."

"Just make a guess."

"Okay," Tatum exhaled, "Because there's a probability that you might have to . . . um, break it off with Francesca? And also because you're feeling guilty that she might've been why I don't have a soulmate?"

Angier's face cracked into yet another humorless smile, which then morphed into a distraught chuckle as he shook his head to himself.

"What?"

"You really have no idea."

She could feel her heart beating faster. This was starting to feel like uncharted territory, and she was not ready for this. And yet, she found herself asking, "Idea about what?"

"Never mind," Angier bent down to grab his jacket off the ground and dust it, "I'm outta here."

Tatum wanted to roll her eyes at how childish he was being, "C'mon, Angier. Don't be like that."

"What? I didn't do anything." He shrugged the jacket on and turned to both sides like he was checking to see if there was dirt still stuck to it, "Okay, thanks for the ride. 'Bye."

"Angier!" Tatum called, but he ignored her and walked in the opposite direction they had come from.

He was going into the woods.

"Angier, stop!" Tatum hurried to follow him and grab his arm, forcing him to twist around and look at her, "I'm sorry if I can't think of any better reason for you to be upset, okay? I really don't know what could be more important than the worry of losing a Mate!"

"I couldn't stand the fact that you might hate me, you dumbass!"

Tatum stumbled a step back in shock at the force behind his words, "W-What?"

"How the hell would I not be upset over that?" Angier yelled, and his tone implied that I was completely stupid for not realizing this before, "I've known you all my life and we practically live in each other's pockets. How the hell am I not supposed to be worried about this breaking us apart!? Because the first consequence I see of this trial is that! You hating me because the more you dig, the more you're gonna find on her. And eventually, you're gonna resent me for being the one who's in between!"

"B-but," To say that she was feeling stupefied would be an understatement, "You were so hopeful just this morning! You were so sure that you'd get back together! What the hell was I supposed to think after listening to you being so fucking sure?" Tatum shot back, gathering her bearings.

If anything, it was his and his misleading words' fault that she hadn't considered it.

Not hers.

"Of course, that's what I said!" Angier rolled his eyes again, "Did you know that Seneca jumped in front of Micajah and took a fatal wound from another Wolf after just a few days of knowing him? With couples so devoted to the bond around, how was I going to admit that our bond wasn't like that? They wouldn't understand! To couples like Seneca and Micajah, the Mate bond is the ultimate Holy Grail. They'd give their lives for it in a heartbeat."

She couldn't argue with that logic.

It would be impossible to make them understand what it was like to have a Mate who wasn't that great.

Who wasn't all goodness and purity.

"True." Tatum looked down.

"Why do I always have to spell out everything for you?" Angier mumbled, tsking, "Come here," He then pulled Tatum to him and held her quietly, not saying anything else as he just enjoyed the closeness in silence.

Tatum turned her face and snuggled in, leaning it against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms and returned his hug.

She didn't know what this meant for them.

She understood that Angier was not gonna be stopping her plans; that much had been made clear.

But what about them?

Because no matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise, it was starting to feel like she wasn't the only one feeling these things.

~ 

Short update, sorry.

Question: Is Angier being overdramatic or what?

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