Angels POV
"Marry you? Omg, yes, of course, but are you sure?" My hands trembled as he placed the ring on my finger.
"Angel, I've never been surer of anything in my entire life. Before I met you, I didn't want to be tied down, and the thought of meeting my mate had me on edge, but now, all I want is to be by your side. I want you to be more than just my mate; I want you to be my wife. To be Mrs Angel Anderson."
I was shell shocked, I never in a million years thought Jake would propose to me, but he is, and with the most beautiful ring. I could feel the sincerity of his words and how happy he felt through our bond. As excited as I was, I knew Alice was excited about sharing her news, and the last thing I wanted was to steal her thunder. I hadn't known her long, but we had become fast friends, and there was no way I would jeopardise that. Jake wanted to tell everyone the following day, but I convinced him to wait until my Luna ceremony to announce it. That way, the pack could bask in Alice's pregnancy excitement.
Benson had mind-linked Jake the next morning, asking us to meet him and Alice for breakfast, Jake thought it odd as we always met with them, but I knew they wanted to make sure we would be there so they could share their news. Though I already knew about their pregnancy, Alice made me promise to act surprised.
"Good morning, good mor-or-or-ning, good morning to you." Benson sang as they arrived, taking their seats across from Jake and me at the table.
"Ha-ha, what the hell's got you in such a good mood, ay, don't tell me hmmm you got lucky last night." Sid chuckled as he slid into the empty chair next to Alice.
"Leave off, man. I get lucky every night." Benson chuckled back, earning a shoulder slap from Alice.
"We actually have something we want to tell you." Alice smiled as she looked back at Benson.
"We're having a pup!" They both said in unison.
"AH, CONGRATULATIONS!" I screamed, jumping up from the table and hugging Alice.
"Guys, that's great. I'm chuffed for you, mate. How far along are you, Alice?" Jake asked.
"Thank you, and a little over four weeks. Dr Jones said the pup is strong and healthy and that I could continue training if you allow me to."
"Yeh, sorry Alice, that's not happening. I know you can look after yourself, but I am not risking your pup and the pack's future beta. You're not allowed to train now, but once the pup arrives and you want to start up again, you can." Jake told her.
The disappointment on Alice's face said it all; she loved training, and as bad as I felt for her, I agreed with Jake's call. If something was to happen to her pup as a result of training, I knew neither one of them would forgive themselves.
After breakfast, Jake and I headed for his office; I would learn about the different things I would be undertaking as the pack's Luna. As we walked into Jake's office, we were greeted by a lady that looked to be in her late thirties. She was stunning. She had dark hair that she wore up in an elegant bun and blue eyes.
"Mum! Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?" Jake asked as he walked through the door.
"Hello, son, who is this young ladi... Ahh, you met your mate." She chuckled. "Congratulations Jake, you have yourself a stunning young lady."
"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Angel." I smiled as I introduced myself.
"Oo, come here. I'm a hugger." She replied, pulling me into a hug. "Angel... you're not the..."
"Yes, mum, allow me to formally introduce you to Princess Angel Hartley; Angel, this is my mum Rose."
"Bloody hell. Let me look at you. Wow, you really do look like your mother... I'm so sorry for what happened to her and your father. It was too late for our pack to help when we heard what happened. Queen Vanessa was a lovely, kind lady. She had a good soul. Rest assured, she and your father are both in a good place. Jake's dad John knew William better than I, but he was a good man and king."
"Yeh mum, take a seat. There's a lot you need to know."
After Jake got his mum up to speed with what had happened since she left, she went straight to the pack house bar and poured herself a large drink. It was a lot of information to take in. Though she thought it was disgusting for my dad to be in hiding for the last sixteen years, she agreed it was for the best; Selena wouldn't have given him the option if there was another way.
We spent the rest of the morning going through paperwork with Jake teaching me how the patrol rotas worked and which events happened annually within the pack that I was now in charge of. He told me his mum would usually organise each event, but now that I'm here, it should be my job.
After lunch, I was on my way to meet up with Alice while the boys had to do a border run, apparently even though they have wolves constantly on patrol, Jake and Benson run the complete pack border, checking in to make sure that not only is no one slacking but that no unwanted guests had slipped past. Out of nowhere, I was hit with dizziness and hot flushes before being knocked to the ground by a growling wolf.
'Shit, Angel, get up. We're going into heat!" That was all I heard Star say before the wolf was knocked down by Sid's wolf Tan.
Alice's POV
I was waiting in the lounge for Angel's arrival when I heard growling from the corridor. Pausing the TV, I got off the sofa and went to see what the commotion was. I could smell something as I got to the door, but I wasn't sure what it was.
'We have to help Angel; she's in heat. Sid won't be able to keep his wolf reined in for long, mind link Jake!' Autumn spoke in my head.
As I mind-linked Jake, my wolf forced us to shift. Luckily we were in the early stages of pregnancy, so shifting wouldn't do any damage. We wouldn't have stood a chance protecting her in human form. Sid was forcing one wolf to submit using his gamma command while trying to control Tan. Whenever a she-wolf would go into heat, it was always safer for them to stay home with their mates, only because if an unmated male caught their scent, they would lose all control and fight even the she-wolves mate for a chance to be with her. As another wolf approached, Autumn leapt in front of Angel, shielding her as best we could till Jake arrived. Angel was in no shape to run away as she sat in the corridor's corner, shaking and sweating.
'I ORDER YOU TO STND DOWN!' I screamed through the mind link using beta voice.
The wolf ignored my order as their horny fuelled senses overthrew my command. The wolf growled at me, raising his hackles as he stalked closer. Autumn snarled at the wolf, warning him not to come any nearer. As he went to attack, Autumn rolled out of the way, leaping onto his back and biting into his ear. We didn't want to hurt him but needed him to stop; we couldn't let him mate with Angel. With brute force, the wolf shook me off, bashing me into a side table, causing the vase to fall and smash. Autumn let out a high-pitched howl as a piece of the porcelain vase embedded into her ribs; she tried to force herself back to her feet but struggled for breath.
"ALICE!" Benson shouted as he and Jake came running in.
"Shift back NOW!" Jake commanded the two wolves using an Alpha tone.
Ignoring him, Jake's eyes turned pitch black; Hunter had come forward without shifting and grabbed hold of their tails, dragging them outside. He must have dealt with them because he picked Angel up bridal style when he came back.
"Get Alice to the hospital; Dr Jones is waiting for you. And Alice, Thank you!"