Alex and Angelica (7th in werewolf series)

Chapter Three

Angelica did not have fun on her horse ride. It may have been okay if not for Victor's voice taunting her and making her fear that a spy was hiding in every shadow just waiting to grab her, and Laney treating her as if she was some kind of crazy, stupid person who needed to be talked to like a child.

When they got back to the barn Laney jumped from her horse and was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Alex is here!" she said. "That's his motorcycle!" Hunter took her horses reins and smiled.

"Go on up and say hi." he said. "Angelica and I can tend to the horses." Angelica stood up a little straighter beside the horse she had ridden. Finally someone who was saying she could something instead of coddling her like a fragile newborn. Laney frowned.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm not a child, Laney." Angelica said matter of factly. Laney looked as shocked as if Angelica had slapped her.

"Oh...ok." she said and she turned and went up to the house.

"She means well." Hunter said watching his mate walk into the back door of the house.

"I do not need to be babied." Angelica replied and Hunter nodded.

"No ma'am." he replied. Angelica and Hunter went about putting the horses up and dusk was approaching by the time they finished. Angelica froze at the door of the barn and looked at the darkness of the shadowy forest.

'Come out, come out wherever you are.' Victor laughed coldly.

"Leave me alone!" Angelica begged. Hunter stood behind her and looked out across the yard but didn't see anyone that Angelica could be talking to. He knew whatever was scaring her and whoever she was talking to must be in her head. He was used to hearing people talk to themselves and invisible people only they could hear. His mother had done the same thing quite often toward the end when the medications for her cancer had gotten to her.

He also knew that babying Angelica or treating her differently just because she was a bit crazy would only make the woman angry and cause her to feel shame and he didn't want that, so instead he held his arm out.

"I'll walk ya to the house." he said with a smile. Angelica looked at his arm as if it were a weapon of mass destruction and took a step away. Angelica had not allowed a single man, other than Damien, to touch her in any way since Victor and Rotan. She was scared of being hurt again and in her experience, men seemed to enjoy hurting women.

"Well come on if you're coming." Hunter said and he walked out of the barn giving Angelica no choice but to run along behind him or be left behind.

Angelica walked into the kitchen behind Hunter and then froze with fear and remained hidden behind the tall vampire. She hated it when the whole family was gathered in one place like this. The noise and chaos tore at her already frayed nerves.

"I'm so happy you came back home!" Jordan said as she threw her arms around her sons neck for the thousandth time while he sat in his chair.

"I know mom..." Alex's voice trailed off as the scent of vanilla grew stronger in the large kitchen and the wolf inside of him began to go crazy.

'Mate!' it screamed. Now Alex had always been good at ignoring his inner wolf and living as a mortal but right now the wolf in him was screaming loudly enough that there was no way he could just shove it aside. His head whipped around to Hunter who had just walked into the kitchen and his nostril's widened.

Was the wolf in him playing some kind of practical joke? Or was the wolf in him a raging homosexual? Laney noticed the tension in her cousin's posture and raised her brow.