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The tent flap parted, and Theo walked in, dropping his own gear on the cot on the opposite canvas wall.
“It’s ok, it’s ok. The panic is over and I’m here. I’ve arrived, let's get this party started!”
He turned to look at me when I didn’t respond with my usual insult, confusion spreading over his face.
"You ok, boss? You smell... strange."
"Not really." I wasn't usually one for confiding, but I needed to get this out of my head, to make sense of it somehow, and although Theo and I weren't particularly close, as a wolf shifter I knew this was something he'd be able to understand. I sighed, turning away as if that would make it easier to get the words out.
"The new team member, Sariel."
"Yeah? She going to be a problem?"
I gave a short laugh. "Oh, yeah, she's going to be a big fucking problem for me." I turned around and took a deep breath before speaking the truth that had just turned my nicely ordered world on its head.
"She's my fated mate."
Theo looked at me and blinked.
"Are you...sure?"
"Yeah."
"Fuck." He sank onto the cot, looking up at me. "Well, I guess congrats, boss. Does she know? And is she hot? You never told us what she is."
I shook my head. "I don't think she knows, and she can't know."
Theo frowned. "And how is that going to work exactly? If she's your fated mate, you can't just-"
"She's a fucking angel, Theo," I cut him off.
"Well, it's not amazing, but fallen angels have relationships with all kinds of other supernaturals, boss. Look at those friends of yours. Aren’t there two fallen angels in that... group?"
I nodded. "Yes, and if she was a fallen angel, it might not be an issue, but she isn't fallen. She's an angel. Intact, white wings, full on brainwashing, loyal to Gabriel. She's had some kind of issue and is working off some kind of probation down here, but when it's done, she's back off to the pearly gates."
“Ah. I see your predicament.”
I sighed. "Theo, do you have any idea what I'm up against here? This is a whole new level of fucked up. I mean, not only did I just find out I have a mate, but she's... she's a fucking angel."
Theo reached inside his pack and drew out a leather covered hip flask. He twisted off the top and passed it to me. I took a long drink without even asking what it was. Vodka. A good one too. I sank down onto my cot opposite him and took another drink.
"Thanks, man, I appreciate that."
Theo smiled at me. "Anytime boss. Look, this angel thing, it complicates things, but this is fate, right? It must mean she's going to fall at some point. And then everything will work out. Is she hot?"
I took a deep breath. "So fucking hot, but there's no way I'm letting that happen. I'm not letting her fall from Heaven, not for me."
Theo shook his head. "I don't know if you've got much choice there, boss. If you don't take her as your mate, that's got some seriously painful ramifications for you right there."
I nodded. I'd heard the stories too. Hounds who'd lost their fated mates, or never joined with them, living lives of...well, I wasn't even sure if it could be called living. They just faded as the years went past, living some kind of half-life where they were in perpetual pain, until finally that was all they could feel. Many ended up taking their own lives. It wasn't exactly a pleasant future, but it wasn't only me now. I had to think about her as well.
"Theo, if she's forced to fall, it could completely destroy her. Not all angels survive the fall, it could tear her mind and her soul apart. I couldn't take that risk. I couldn't face the idea that she might suffer pain just to be with me. Even if she chose it willingly, I just couldn't let her do it. She can't find out, Theo."
"You know, there's a fine line between fate and free will," Theo said, taking another sip from the hip flask. "Fate might lead her to make the choice to fall herself."
"I know, but I can't... I can't be the reason for her downfall. I can't let her take that risk." I barely knew the woman, but I knew this to be more certain than anything I'd ever felt before. I couldn't risk her getting hurt, couldn't allow anything to happen to her. It just wasn't up for discussion.
"Promise me, Theo. You'll keep this to yourself?"
