Chapter 161 My Angel | 054
NOELLE
The lecture hall is mostly empty now. I'm still at my desk, my notebook open. The words blur a little. I'm not sure why I suddenly feel exhausted, a deep sadness burning in my chest. I was fine this morning.
I hear footsteps before I see him.
Cooper slides into the seat next to me without asking. He's got his signature smile on his face again, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes today. Blue is two rows back, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed, watching him like a hawk. Her narrowed gaze is practically a warning sign.
"Hey," he says. "Are you okay?"
I close my notebook. "Yeah. Just... tired."
He nods. Then he leans forward, his voice dropping even lower.
"So... your future baby daddy."
My stomach flips.
I force a small laugh. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Not when it's the most interesting thing I've heard all semester." He smiles, but it's softer this time. Almost sad. "Is that why you're turning me down? Because of him?"
There's no anger in his expression. Just... resignation.
"I'm married, Cooper," I say gently. "I'm not turning you down because of Azren. I'm turning you down because I'm with Azren. I'm mated to him. Bonded. Whatever word you want to use. There isn't room for anyone else."
He exhales through his nose, nodding slowly.
"That's fair," he murmurs. "I figured. Just... had to ask."
Blue shifts behind him, subtle, but I see her fingers flex like she's ready to grab him if he tries anything.
Cooper doesn't seem to notice. He rubs the back of his neck, staring down at the desk for a second before he speaks again.
"I just wanted to date you for a while," he says, his voice quieter now. "Even if it was only a few weeks. Just... get the feeling of being with my mate. Before I die."
I freeze.
"What?" I whisper.
He lifts his eyes to mine. They're glassy, but he's smiling sadly.
"I'm a werewolf," he says. "To be honest. And I've got... something terminal. It's aggressive. The doctors call it a wasting disease. Basically cancer with extra steps. I've got maybe three months if I'm lucky. Less if the next full moon hits me wrong."
My heart sinks. I glance at Blair. She's standing a few feet away now, her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes already shining with tears.
"Is this true?" I ask her.
She nods, her lower lip trembling. "He didn't want anyone to know. He said he just wanted to feel normal for a little while. Meet people. Make friends. Maybe... find someone." Her voice cracks. "He felt the pull the first day he saw you."
I stare at Cooper. He shrugs sheepishly.
"I didn't expect you to be married," he says. "Or mated. Or whatever. I just... I thought maybe I could have a little piece of it. Before it's over."
My throat is so tight I can barely speak.
"I'm sorry," I manage. "I'm so sorry."
He shakes his head.
"Don't be. You didn't know. Besides, you're happy. That's what matters." He rises slowly, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "I won't bother you again. I just needed to say it out loud. To someone. Thanks for listening."
He gives me one last small, sad smile. Then he turns and walks out. Blair follows him, wiping her eyes.
Blue is beside me in an instant, her hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
I don't answer right away. I just stare at the empty doorway, my chest aching.
"I don't know," I whisper.
Because fate keeps throwing knives at me. And I'm starting to wonder how many more I can take before I break.
...
I'm halfway down the hallway, my backpack slung over one shoulder, when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
I reach for it immediately. Azren hasn't texted me since this morning. And that is incredibly strange.
There's one new video message waiting for me in my inbox from an unknown number.
My thumb hovers.
I shouldn't open it. But I open it anyway.
The footage is shaky and dimly lit. Danika is on her knees in what looks like a concrete basement. Her wrists are bound behind her back with ropes, her mouth stuffed with a rag, a duct tape wrapped tight around her head. Blood mats her hair on the left side, dripping slowly down her temple and cheek. Her eyes are wide and glassy with pain.
She's looking straight at the camera.
A gloved hand reaches into the frame, grabs a fistful of her hair, and yanks her head. She makes a muffled, choked sound behind the gag. Then the video cuts.
My knees give out, and I barely manage to hold myself up. Before I can process the video, another message comes through. Text only.
'I have your mother-in-law. Come alone. Exchange yourself for her. She'll get to walk out alive and breathing. No funeral needed. But if you tell Azren, if you even think about reaching out to him, she dies tonight. Slowly. And you'll be the one who killed her.'
A photo attachment follows.
It's Danika again, but there's a knife pressed to her throat now. The blade is already drawing a thin red line. My vision tunnels.
Hayden. It has to be him.
I stare at the screen until the words blur. Then I look up. The hallway is empty. Blue is waiting at the far end by the exit, scrolling on her phone, oblivious.
I could run to her right now. I could call Azren.
But the knife in the photo is still pressed to Danika's throat. And I know that Haden doesn't bluff.
My thumb hovers over Azren's contact, my heart racing.
What if I only end up making things worse?
Feeling sick to my stomach, I stumble in the direction of the bathroom.
"Noelle?" I hear Blue call my name.
"Bathroom," I croak, my eyes burning.
Quickly, I hurry into the bathroom, my hands shaking. I'm trying to breathe, but I end up hyperventilating. My head spins, tears sliding down my cheeks. Danika was taken because of me. Because her son chose to marry me. Because I only have bad luck.
I try to wrestle with these painful thoughts, but they keep dragging me further down the rabbit hole.
I crumble into a crouch position, wishing Azren was there to hold me. And everything would be okay.
'Angel?' His voice floods my head as if on cue.
I let out a sob, clamping a hand over my mouth. Inside my head, I'm screaming, 'What do I do?'
'Talk to me. What's going on?' He sounds so worried.
Yet something seems off. It's like he's not himself at the moment.
'It's nothing. I think I failed the test,' I lie, hoping desperately that he won't see through it.
'A test,' he repeats softly.
My throat tightens.
'Yeah,' I whisper in my head, pressing my forehead harder against my knees. 'I—I studied, I just... couldn't remember anything, and everyone else looked so sure, and I just—' My voice cracks. 'I messed it up.'
'Angel.'
His presence seems to push closer to me, surrounding me with a warmth that always finds me, no matter how far away he is.
'Do you think one bad test means you're failing?' he says, his voice rough. 'You think that's what defines you?'
My fingers grip my sleeves.
'I don't know,' I whisper. 'It feels like it.'
'I've felt that way a lot. It feels like you're supposed to be stronger, faster, and better... yet you still feel like you're falling behind anyway?' Azren utters.
My chest tightens painfully. Because that's exactly it.
'I hate it,' I admit, my voice cracking. 'I hate feeling like I'm not enough.'
He exhales slowly.
'Noelle,' he says. 'If you measure yourself by everything that goes wrong... you're always going to lose.'
My fingers press harder into my arms.
'What matters is that you don't walk away when it gets hard,' he tells me.
My chest aches so badly I can barely breathe. Because I'm about to do exactly that. Walk away. Lie to him.
Go alone.
'But what if I do mess up?' I whisper. 'What if I make the wrong choice?'
'You will.'
It knocks the air out of me.
'You're flawed, Noelle. You're going to get things wrong sometimes,' he says. 'So will I.'
His voice roughens just a little.
'The difference is... you don't give up after. You fix it. You keep going. You survive it.'
My lips part.
'And you don't do it alone,' he adds.
That one hurts.
There's a knock on the door, and I gulp, realizing that I kept Blue waiting. Wiping at my tears, I straighten. Azren's right. I shouldn't do this alone. So, I go to the door and open it. Blue watches me carefully.
"I'm always on your side, you know that, right?" She asks, and I cave, parting my lips to tell her everything.