61. LUCAS

“How many people do you think Mother will bribe before she starts giving up?” Mason asked softly as we walked side by side down the hall.

Neither of us was eager to get back to Nate and Angel. The last thing I wanted to do was give them bad news. And it was bad news.

“What are we going to do, Lucas?” Mason growled. “If they kick us out, where will we go? This is our home. We might survive in our dens, but it’s too cold for Angel.”

“I know.” I sighed, running a shaky hand through my hair. “The cabin won’t work either.”

Steps faltering, I froze for a few seconds before I made my way over to one of the big windows. It faced the front of the castle. The gates were closed because of the protests. And as expected, the people started showing up early in the morning.

The guards were on high alert in case there was trouble.

“They’ll use the people against us,” I told him. “They might not mean to, but they could cause our downfall.”

“If they say something bad?”

I nodded.

Our people were mad and that meant that they would talk badly without meaning too. I had never given them any reason to hate me. All the years I ruled as King, I had always made sure they were taken care of.

A familiar face in the crowd caught my attention, making my heart sink.

Angel had gone out of her way to help the woman and her kids and now she stood there in front of the gate with all the protesters.

“There has to be something we can do,” Mason muttered. “We marked Angel, that should count for something right? We’re bonded to her so they can’t do anything to her.”

“We’re a…team. Where we go, she goes. I’m more worried about what we’re going to do if they revoke my title and Mother takes over again. She’s going to have Angel killed and she might even lock us up or kill us.”

“She tried to do it before. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she tried again.”

I tensed, dread filling me as I caught sight of Angel walking out of the castle. She carried a tray filled with cups that contained something hot. Behind her, Nate followed with another tray filled with more cups. Xavier walked out behind them along with a woman, carrying trays loaded high with sandwiches.

A curse fell from Mason’s lips.

Spinning around, I ran for the closest exit. I needed to stop her before they open those damn gates.

What the hell was Nate thinking?

He knew what kind of danger she was in, and he just fucking allowed her to walk out there.

What if someone tried to take her out again? She would be exposed, placed right in the path of danger.

I skidded to a halt when I rounded the corner.

Angel was walking out of the gates.

Fear gripped me hard as I watched her walk towards the protesters.

I waited for them to storm her.

They all fell silent and turned to stare at her.

I moved closer, feeling a little shaky and unsteady on my legs.

She stopped in front of one man and gave him a bright smile as she held the tray out towards him. “It’s cold. Would you like to warm up? I made some sandwiches too.”

“You made them?” the man questioned.

Colour flooded her cheeks. “I’m not much of a cook,” she admitted softly. “But I learned how to make a mean ham and cheese sandwich. If you’re allergic to anything on it, I’m sure we can find you something else to eat.” She fell silent for a few seconds. “We made coffee and tea. There’s some sugar and milk if you’d like any.”

The man hesitated and then reached for a cup. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him again before she turned to the next person.

Mason came to a stop next to me, wide eyes following our mate as she moved through the crowd, handing out drinks and sandwiches.

“She’s…” He trailed off with a shake of his head.

“Crazy,” I growled under my breath.

Angel knew about the danger. She should be locked up in the bedroom with Nate. What was she doing outside? Why was she outside? Hadn’t Nate marked her? He should be nursing his mark.

Nate stayed close to Angel. Once the trays were empty, he handed them over to the woman and wrapped an arm around her waist.

To my surprise, they stopped and started talking to some woman. It was when the woman Angel helped, approached. She said something to her before she held a round bowl out towards her. Angel didn’t hesitate, she took it from her and to my horror, reached inside and took a bite of whatever was inside it.

“We need to explain things to her,” Mason muttered. “She shouldn’t be out here talking to them or even accepting food from strangers. What if those cookies are poisoned?”

I was moving towards them before I realized it.

Nate saw me first, his eyes locked with mine and he gave me a slight shake of his head. I glared at him.

“Your Highness,” the woman greeted, bowing low.

I felt ashamed to admit that I didn’t know her name.

“How are you doing?” I asked her.

Her smile was bright. Although her eyes were still filled with some sadness, she looked much better than the last time we saw her.

“I’m fine, thank you. I just wanted to come and thank you and your mate for everything you did for me. The things you got for me and my family…it’s making things easier for me.”

“It was all my mate’s idea,” I told her, smiling down at Angel. “I’m glad that you’re happy.”

She held the bowl out towards me.

I hesitated, staring down at the different shapes of cookies in it.

Angel stepped up to my side, pressing a hand to my arm as she reached for another cookie.

“They are really delicious,” she muttered, taking a big bite of the cookie she just took.

Muttering a silent curse, I took a chocolate cookie and took a bite. Flavours exploded in my mouth.

“It’s very good,” I told her, making her smile widen.

“Everyone should have a taste,” Angel told her softly. “Maybe you should start your own bakery. I’d go into town just to buy your cookies.”

The woman blushed and bowed again before she moved away, handing her cookies out like Angel suggested.

I turned towards my mate and glared down at her. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to her, but I knew that it wasn’t the right time. Too many people were around, and the last thing I wanted was to cause any more trouble.

A sigh fell from my lips. Reaching out, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. My face lowered to her throat where I sucked in a deep breath. She smelled like me, Mason, and Nate which assured me that he had finally bonded her.

Angel pressed her hands to my chest and turned her head slightly until her cheek brushed mine.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

I sucked in another deep breath and slowly raised my head to stare down at her. My eyes darted over her face. She had more color in her cheeks. Angel looked happy.

“Lucas?”

Instead of answering her, I cupped her cheek and kissed her.

Angel’s arms slipped around my neck as she arched her body against mine. Her lips instantly parted under the pressure of mine. She made a sound at the back of her throat that instantly made blood run south.

A throat cleared close by.

I broke the kiss and blinked down at her.

The urge to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to our bedroom was strong, and I would have done it if Mason hadn’t stepped up behind Angel and gripped her wrist.

Our eyes locked for a few seconds before he glanced around.

“Let’s see if we can do some damage control,” he said soft enough for me to hear.