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

Chapter 30

Katarina hadn't heard anything from Leo in weeks. All she knew was that he had briefly contacted her one morning, to tell her that Angel was free from his prison and safe. They were hiding out in a cabin in the forest while his mate recovered from his captivity. It wouldn't be easy and it would be a long road to normality, but they were a team.

She had shared all the news with Milo, who was finally able to relax. Not only were her gifts repressed and no longer causing her pain, but his Beta and non-biological brother was safe and happy with his equally safe true mate.

Thankfully, she had a few things to keep her mind off the trouble Leo might be in. Katarina's two sisters were such bores that they didn't want to be around her while she was 'hormonal'. Milo was a gem, as always; he hovered, while he took care of pack business or sat quietly, reading to himself. He, Marlan and Brogan each ensured that she never spent so much as a few minutes a day alone. Normally it would have irked her, but she was grateful that they cared so much. Angelus meant so much to her, she refused to allow anything, even her own obstinacy, to put him at risk.

Katarina had prepared a small party to take place at the Alpha house, for Angelus' baby shower. She had invited the twins, Algar and Callum, as well as her sisters and Janet. Marlan and Brogan had helped her with the planning as had Milo, so they were all going to attend too.

Her two fathers were more than happy to entertain guests, while Milo's mother bragged to everyone, full of joy, about her unborn grandson. His father was less pleasant to be around, but he did make an attempt after each and every warning Milo gave him. Daisy and Yosi, were going to be there and so were a few friends, like Jackson and the boys that Milo still kept in contact with after school.

The party was going to be a raging success.

With the buffet prepared, the balloons blown up, the party all gathered in the large living room of the house and drinks dished out, she began.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very proud to ask you here today to celebrate the life of a very special little boy," Katarina began in all seriousness, wanting everyone to appreciate the gift they had been given in her son. "Angelus has done great things for all of us here, saving us from miseries that we could never imagine suffering. He expressed to his father, at their last meeting that he is most grieved that there was no way he could have saved my mother,"

Milo stood at her side, one arm around her waist and his free hand gently squeezing hers.

"Father, he knows how much you and Grene both suffered and he wishes he could have saved you that pain. But he knows that to have done so would have changed the very course of your futures and he couldn't take the risk that I never came into existence, because then he wouldn't exist," she explained the perfectly good reasoning her son had revealed to them not so long ago.

They all knew it was the smart decision, since with no Angelus the prophesy would never come true and the shifter world could easily have descended into darkness.

"I understand, dear and so does Grene, I am sure," Carlton smiled at her reassuringly, to let her know that he wasn't mad.

"I do," Grene agreed.

Katarina smiled as she looked around the room. She so wished that Angel and Leo were home to be there, but she understood that they could celebrate privately, if they wanted to, after their return. Angel might not appreciate the crowds.

Katarina leaned her head against Milo's shoulder and basked in the happiness of the room. In all my life I could never have envisaged this future for myself. She confessed, since Milo just about always kept it open nowadays. It was comforting to know that with no effort at all, no real separation of thought existed between them. What she thought, he heard and vice versa. It was oddly liberating and comforting to know he was always there with her. And she with him.

For us. He corrected her gently, his breath tickling her earlobe.

I never imagined there would ever be an us. She sighed, nudging her head into the crook of his neck. His arm tightened around her waist and his hand left hers to move in a caress over their baby.

He agreed with her. Looking back to how he had felt even just days before he felt their bond, he would never have imagined a life with Katarina Torlov ending up the way it had.

I know. But I promise, little wolf, there is nothing that could keep me from you. Milo promised her that nothing would ever change. She was his and she would always be his, just as he would always belong to her. You are my mate, my life, my wife and my soul. I would move heaven and earth to be with you, no matter what obstacles you put in my way. He swore that he would always love her.

He didn't need to say the words because she knew them already. She knew every thought in his head, every emotion he felt and that was even without being an Oracle with mind reading powers.

"I love you, Milo," Katarina breathed the words, as she raised her head to gaze at him. Their faces were just an inch apart and he smiled at the sweet caress of her breath against his lips.

"I love you too, Katarina," he returned the declaration of love and took advantage of the brief moment of privacy. He kissed his wife and mate passionately, reminding her of the solid strength of their love for one another.

What they felt wasn't physical or intellectual or even purely mental. Their love was a combination of their worst fears pushing them towards someone they feared to be with. Their intellectual and physical impression of other people being questioned and most of all, it was the result of long hard years of suffering.

They had battled each other and themselves in their search for their mate. But no matter what came between them, no matter what they put between them, they always came back to each other. And the one inescapable fact of their lives...they loved each other. And that would never change.