I met her gaze, letting her see a brief flash of wolf in my eyes. “Some people don’t think shifters should be allowed around the general population.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her brow furrowed, and she said, “I thought all that stuff on the news was just them stirring up drama.”
“It is, but that doesn’t mean people don’t believe it. I’m generally considered a danger to society.”
“They really weren’t going to let you on the plane without me,” she said, incredulous.
“Shifters don’t have the same rights as human citizens.”
“That’s really messed up. I had no idea.”
“Have you seen the news lately?”
Angie flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve been too preoccupied for doomscrolling.”
“Let’s just say I think things are going to change very soon. My alpha is making sure of that.”
Her hand was still on my arm as we entered the airport, and I took advantage of that, steering us past a crowd waiting at the gate and walking casually toward the baggage claim.
“Well, I guess I should thank you for getting held up at the gate. I would’ve missed my flight without you,” she said as we approached the baggage carousel. The hand on my arm migrated to her bag. “Tell your mom I said happy birthday,babe.”
“Wait!” I gripped the strap of her bag, keeping it from sliding off my shoulder. “What are you doing in Alaska?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my blue suitcase slide onto the conveyor belt. People stuffed themselves into coats and winter layers before exiting through the sliding doors, letting in gusts of frigid air. I couldn’t help but notice Angie’s padded leather jacket. It was barely suited for Seattle weather at this time of year.
She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot before finally unzipping her purse and pulling out a tiny red box.
My heart sank as she opened the box to reveal a simple diamond ring.
“Who is that for?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Me,” she huffed. “Or it was. Now it’s for some random chick in Alaska, probably. I wonder if she knows he’s going to give her the ring he bought for me.” The last part was muttered under her breath.
Air sucked back into my lungs, and I blew it out slowly, calming my wolf before he burst free in a possessive rage.
Angie looked at me, then back to the ring, before slamming the box shut and stuffing it into her purse. “He wanted me to mail it to him, but after the shit he pulled, the least he can do is look me in the eye and tell me why.”
Okay, maybe I stopped panicking too soon. Reconciling with her ex wasn’t entirely out of the question unless I killed him.
Or marked Angie first.
My wolf vibrated unhappily in my chest, making my voice harsher when I asked, “You flew all the way to Alaska to give an engagement ring to your ex-boyfriend?”
“Fiancé,” she corrected, shoulders tense. “The dude wanted me to marry him. This is the type of situation that warrants flying all the way to Alaska!”
She put a hand on her heaving chest, glancing around at the curious passengers who were now straining to hear our conversation.
Quieter, she added, “He said he needed some space to think, then moved out of his apartment without telling me, and took a pipeline job in another state! I would have thought he was missing or dead if I didn’t show up at his apartment to bring him breakfast and find the landlord changing the locks.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet.”
“Thank you.” She crossed her arms. “I did. But I still deserve the truth. He texts me six months later and asks me to send the engagement ring to a P.O. Box in Alaska. He even wanted me to pay for shipping.”
“Do you want me to kill him for you?” I wasn’t going to let on that I was serious unless she agreed.
“No, I want to give him this ring, show him my favorite finger, and walk away from this whole shit show with as much prideintact as I can.” She reached for her bag again. “Thank you for getting me on that plane—“
“I should be thanking you.” This was it. She was trying to leave.