The Beta and His Angel (The Belesone Pack #3)

Chapter 1

As soon as Leo stepped foot inside Romania, he knew that he was much closer to Angel than he had ever been before. Why anyone had taken his mate out of the country was now explained; they wanted to lessen the sense of him to anyone close enough to find him. It was no wonder Carlton and his pack had believed he was dead and felt a shock wave of grief throughout the community. Their Alpha had been forcibly removed from their country.

The first thing Leo needed to do was find somewhere to stay. He needed to gather information about the one clue he had as to Angel's location: the traveling show.

It took him two weeks to run through the forest in his wolf form, his backpack hanging from his mouth. He came across a quiet village that he approved of, but there were no boarding houses that suited his purpose. He didn't want to do much traveling; he needed to conserve his energy for rescuing Angel.

He chose a pub on the outskirts of the village, closer to the trees, in case he needed somewhere to hide. He walked inside and immediately knew he was in the right place. It was full of men, talking and swapping tales. It was the perfect place to start his cover story.

"Hello, are you the proprietor?" Leo asked the man behind the bar, in a thick Romanian accent. He had studied the language on his travels, thanking the Gods that he was a quick learner. Languages were the one thing that came easy to him.

The barman nodded and continued to ignore him as he cleaned the bar.

"I am a traveling student, writing a book on traveling fairs. I wondered if you knew anything or anyone that might help me?" he said, with a smile.

He watched as the barman eyed him curiously, before dropping his cloth onto the bar and giving him his full attention. He looked wary and uncertain. Leo could only guess that he was worried about the wrong people asking for information; of giving it to them and being punished because of his willingness to talk.

"What do you want to know?" he asked gruffly.

Leo couldn't tell whether he was willing to talk or if he had any useful information yet. He used the story he had come up with.

It hadn't taken him long to find a way of gaining the locals trust. It was a small village and poor, by the looks of it. He had a large amount of money at his disposal and the ability to travel quickly into a bigger town, to extract more from his account if he needed it. He and Milo had agreed that he would need bribe money as well as possible travel money, in case he found Angel and had to flee the country quickly.

"I have heard tales on my travels of a traveling circus that professes to have a man who can transform into a wolf," Leo made his explanation with a smile of amusement. That seemed to do the trick.

The barman puffed out his chest and proudly stated, "Aye, we do,"

Leo feigned a look of surprise and interest, to keep him guessing. He was surprised to hear the man held a Scottish accent behind his gruff Romanian words. He switched to English, then made his request, like an eager schoolboy.

"Really? I'd like to do a whole chapter on this specific phenomenon. Do you know of anyone who can give me more information?" He rocked back and forward on his heels, waiting for the curiosity to peak.

The barman eyed his worn clothes and looked a little confused. But he had been traveling and hadn't had time to clean himself up. Besides, working man's clothes were the norm around these parts. He didn't want to stick out too much. If he was wrong, he could claim to be an ignorant foreign student, trying to blend in with the locals and failing miserably.

"Who told you about our show?"

And there was Leo's acceptance. He tried not to smile in triumph and instead, rolled his eyes. "I heard from a cousin of mine, who heard from a tavern owner, who heard from a traveling salesman. Very shoddy corroboration," he said in complaint.