Nick's POV
After the meeting finished in Jake's office, I didn't know what to think. Yes, I know that Angel is William's daughter but me and Marie raised her. Surely, we should have been asked our opinion, and it pissed me off that we weren't. After Marie and I headed to our room in the guest quarters, we bumped into Henrik. We took this opportunity to find out more about this so-called spell. It turns out there are more risks than what William had let on. Not only could she lose her memories, but there was also a chance she wouldn't wake up. After hearing this, Marie just turned away and walked off, Angel had been like a daughter to us, and I knew this wasn't easy for her to hear.
'Marie, where are you?' I asked through our mind link.
'Please, Nick, just let me be. I need time to process all of this." I could feel her heart breaking through the mate bond before she put her mind block up.
'Try by the rose garden. They remind her of Vanessa; she goes there when she needs to think." Haze spoke in my head.
'How do you know to look there?' I questioned my wolf.
'Just like you and Marie can communicate, so can I and Violet.' He responded.
How was it my wolf always knew better than me, here I thought we shared one mind, yet it seemed Haze knew my mate better than me.
The rose garden was at the back of the pack house. It was like a maze with a pond and a white marble fountain. Haze was right; Marie sat on the pond's edge, skimming her fingers through the water. Her eyes were puffy, revealing that she had been crying. I just stood in the archway watching her; this had been the first time in the twenty-two years we'd been mated that I didn't know how to comfort her. Marie had always been my strength and the strongest one emotionally out of us.
"I know your there, Nick. How did you know where to find me?" She asked without looking at me.
"Honestly... Haze told me to check here; he and Violet communicate quite often. She's the reason he knew."
"Traitor." She replied with a small chuckle, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"It might help if you talk to me, babe, or we can sit here silently. Either way, do you mind if I join you?" I asked her.
She turned to face me; she opened her mouth as if to say something but then decided against it. I shuffled closer to her and pulled her to my chest, letting the sparks of our mate bond offer her some comfort.
"Thank you." She said in a tiny voice.
"For what? I haven't done anything". I asked, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"Just being there and not expecting me to talk about how I'm feeling right now." She looked up at me and smiled before standing and taking my hand. "Come on, let's head back; I want to check in on Angel before I get in bed."
"Anything for you, my love." Together we walked back to the pack house hand in hand.
Jakes POV
I locked the door and headed to my bedroom when everyone left my office. Alice was sitting with Angel while we were in the meeting, as I didn't like her being alone. The moment I walked through the door, Alice bombarded me with questions. I told her exactly what Henrik had said, and although she was worried for me in case Angel didn't wake up, she assured me there were no other options. All I wanted was for my beautiful mate to wake up. I wanted to see the sparkle in her blue eyes again and kiss her full lips. Just as Alice left to return to Benson, Marie and Nick came to say goodnight to Angel like they had done each night. It wasn't difficult to see the turmoil in Marie's eyes; she was struggling with what had happened to the girl she had raised.
"Marie, she's going to be ok. I know she will be. You've raised her to be strong. I know she will fight to return to us." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince, Marie or myself.
Marie didn't say anything. She nodded to me before bending down beside Angel and kissing her cheek. Nick patted me on the shoulder, unsure what to say. Nick and Marie didn't stay long. They needed their rest, as did I. We had a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I'm sure if everything went to plan and Angel woke up, not one of us would get any sleep, for we would all be celebrating her return. I sat on the edge of my bed and just watched as my mate slept. She looked just like a sleeping beauty. I loved this girl and didn't even know her, but I knew that as soon as she was back to herself, I would make it my mission to get to know every little detail about her. I laid down next to Angel and drifted off to sleep.
I woke the next morning to persistent knocking at the door, only to find Benson on the other side.
"Yeh bro, what's up?" I asked, stepping back so he could come in.
"It's William. He's in the pack hospital. He collapsed his morning while in the dining room. Mrs Roberts found him and called for help. He's awake now, and Nicks with him."
"Is he all right? What made him collapse?"
"Turns out the moon goddess called to him, and you're not going to believe what she has said," he replied, amusement written all over his face.
"Benson, it's too early for your guessing games; just tell me." I yawned.
"Man, you take the fun out of everything. Well, you grumpy git, it turns out we don't need to wait for tonight's full moon for the Geminis to do their thing."
"How's that possible? Henrik said they weren't strong enough to exert the power needed until the moon was out so they could draw power from it. Surely, they would know if it were possible to do it another way." I questioned him.
Benson held his hands up and laughed. "Look, man, I'm just relaying the message; you know how the old saying goes, don't shoot the messenger. Just get down to the hospital because everyone's waiting for you."
As Benson left, I walked into the wardrobe and chucked on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, deciding to shower later. I needed to know what was happening and if it was possible to cast this spell before tonight's full moon. As I arrived at the hospital, I was greeted by the pack's doctor.
"Dr Watson. How is the Alpha King?" I asked her.
"Good morning Alpha." She bowed her head in respect. "His vitals are normal, and although he did sustain a cut to the forehead as he collapsed, it has healed quite nicely. I'm keeping him in for a few hours just to be sure."
"Thank you for your help, Dr I'll let you see to your other patients."
"You're not here twenty-four hours and already causing trouble." I smiled as I walked up to William's bedside.
"Alpha." Two nurses bowed their heads as I entered the room.
"If you ladies would please leave the room and close the door, I'll let you know when you can return." I asked politely.
Once the nurses had left and the door was shut, I turned my attention back to William.
"Right, come on then, what did the Goddess have to say?"
"Good morning to you too. According to Selena, if the Geminis can draw enough power from my bloodline, they will be able to wake Angel up."
"What do you mean from your bloodline?" I asked, extremely confused.
"They would need to draw from Angel and me."