Unexpected Turn of Events Ch. 17

Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait. I really don't have an excuse. Just felt a bit like crap—concerning the last chapter—and I guess it took me a while to get in the mood to write this chapter. It then took me a while to actually come up with an outline for this chapter—but then thankfully, you know who you are, became my muse! Thank you so much for helping me out of the little writers block I was in.

Just a reminder, since these names weren't mentioned since the very beginning chapters:

Alpha Iain, of the McAllister pack—was Cullen's father before he was murdered.

MacNare pack—neighboring pack that was suspected but quickly dismissed since they were always the weaker pack and the Alpha from this pack always just wanted peace.

I hope some of you will enjoy it...

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Running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time that hour, Cullen watched helplessly as the day dissolved into night once more. Shards of fading light danced across Angel's frame as still she lay unchanged, asleep and painfully silent through their bond. The whole thing happened yesterday and she still hasn't woken up.

Cullen remembered rushing through the compound cradling her in his arms, the pack doctor and nurses running to meet him in their bedchamber. They had worked quickly, acutely aware how hard it was to control his wolf, especially as they began hooking her up to an IV and treat her injuries.

"I need to know if Angel will be alright," Cullen had asked anxiously.

"My Alpha, we will need to complete a few tests first," responded the pack Doctor carefully. "We have no idea how long she was trapped in the stables."

"She... Angel said that," Cullen stopped, taking a deep breath to help him complete the sentence. "She mentioned about a baby?"

Upon hearing this, the medical team gasped, turning shock eyes to their Alpha and then back to their Mistress. Without any conscious thought, everyone focused on Angel's stomach. The Doctor was the first one to snap back, ordering the nurse next to him to get an ultrasound machine whilst he began treating some of the burns and cuts. Most of them were already healing.

A sharp knock on the door pulled Cullen from his memories of last night and back to Angel's bedside. Rising, he reluctantly turned towards the door, "come in."

Glynis walked in carrying a laden tray of food. "I thought you may be hungry," she began before noticing the untouched trays from both breakfast and lunch. Walking further inot the room, she set the tray down next to the others and gently touched Angel's cheek. "You know Alpha, you're not helping anyone by not eating. What would Angel say?"

"It doesn't matter. She isn't saying anything or doing anything but sleep." Frustration laced every word as Cullen went back to watching over his Angel. Angel, please wake up. I need you! Silence met his plea, again.

"If she were awake right now, Angel would probably be ringing your neck." Glynis growled, "of course this is whilst giving you one hell of a lecture and would still end up hitting you in the end."

Cullen couldn't help but smile at that, imagining the whole scene perfectly but all too quickly the image faded, taking his smile with it. God how he wished she would wake up, even if it was just to box his ears. This waiting has been unbearable. He recalled the Doctor telling him the prognosis - slight smoke inhalation, minor cuts and burns, nothing that would prevent a full and swift recovery. So why the hell aren't you waking up, damn it!? You have fought me since day one sweetheart. Don't you dare give up on me now, not now! Not when I finally received the joy of a second miracle. A child Angel - we are going to have a baby, and for that, we NEED to wake up!

Cullen felt his wolf wanting to take over from the sadness and anger he was feeling, when all the sudden, WHACK!

Stunned, Cullen turned around to glare at Glynis. "What the hell was that for?!" He growled, gently rubbing his now sore head.

Glynis on the other hand was smiling indulgently, "that's something Angel would have done." She shrugged, "so go eat or do you need a repeat performance?"

Cullen began to growl lightly, "you can that try again woman and you'll never see another day."

"Don't you start threatening me boy! Remember who took care of you when you were just a pup, even with you being a pain in my ass and always troublesome, I took care of you. I think I deserve a little pay back." Glaring, Glynis turned away from Angel and backed towards the door. "Now go, eat. You will need your strength when my Angel wakes up." With that said, Glynis walked out of the room.

Cullen couldn't believe the nerve of that woman! Despite the emptiness of his threat as he considered her a second mother to him but he was still Alpha damn it! He should be respected and feared not getting disciplined like some mischievous pup. Without conscious thought Cullen sat down at the small table, and began to pick at the food in front of him, muttering between every bite. He managed to eat just over half before giving up. That was enough for him - for now.

Drained, Cullen got up and pulled the chair to sit next to Angel. Reaching over, he tenderly held onto her hand whilst the other gently lay on her stomach. Without even realizing, Cullen soon fell into a deep sleep.

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Something dragged Cullen out of his sleep; it almost felt like Angel was stirring. But glancing over she still looked the same. Sighing, he placed his head back down on the mattress, placing a kiss on her hand. Just as he was about to drift off again he felt it, the faint sensation of her fingertips gently brushing his hair. Looking up, he saw Angel's hand slump back onto the bed.

"Angel?" He coaxed, praying he wasn't just imaging it. "Please baby, open your eyes for me." It took what felt like a few minutes before her eyes started fluttering slowly. Quickly, Cullen got up and ran to the door calling immediately for the Doctor to be sent up pronto.

Barely a minute passed before the doctor arrived but already Angel was awake, albeit groggy. Checking her vital signs, he instructed her to bed rest, emphasizing the need to take it easy. "And in two weeks I want you to come down to check how this little one is doing," informed the Doctor as he packed up his equipment.

Cullen barely registered the doctor leaving before pulling Angel into his embrace. No words could describe just how incredible it was to feel her in his arms again. To feel her heart beating and know she is alright. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, he pulled away to grab one of the trays of food and rest it in front of her.

"Cullen, I'm not really hungry right now," protested Angel.

"Doesn't matter Angel - you still need to eat something, please." Obviously too drained to fight him, Angel allowed Cullen to slowly feed her some of the chicken soup. She had eaten a little more than half when Angel finally shook her head.

"No more Cullen. I am full."

Cullen wanted to argue, try to get her to eat more but gave in for now. He would try again later after she rested a bit more. He removed the tray off to the side, trying to figure out where to start with all the questions weighing him down.

Angel stared at Cullen. "Well?"

"Well what Angel?"

"Well spit it out. I can see you want to say something."

"How long have you...known?" Cullen motioned towards her stomach.

Angel placed her hand there automatically. At first, she had no idea she was pregnant given how often she was late. But, after a few days, she couldn't deny it any longer. She was pregnant.

"A little over a week," answered Angel softly.

Silence greeted her answer, forcing Angel to look up at a frozen Cullen. He was just standing there...his face impassive, his eyes shuttered. In that moment, Angel felt her heart crush. She assumed, given his comments earlier that he would be excited about the news. Feeling her eyes tearing up uncontrollably, she turned her head away and stared unseeing through the window. She thought this would be a ... joyful moment, filled with love and excitement. She sniffed softly, he doesn't want the baby?

Angel's unspoken question pulled Cullen out of his shock, and he rushed over to Angel. "Aww baby," he said as he pulled her into his arms. "Of course I want our baby, more than you will ever know. The doctor confirmed it for me earlier, but hearing it again from your lips, completely overwhelmed me all over again." He pulled back and smiled, leaning forward to kiss her deeply. "I love you so very much. And I will love our son unconditionally."

"And if it's a girl?"

"Then all the boys beware," Cullen growled playfully, picturing the antics the pack boys would in trying to gain their daughter's attention.

Angel couldn't help but giggle at how over-protective he was acting already. "I don't think you will need to worry about that till she is like 16."

"So she will have time then to be free before I keep her under lock and key."

Laughing slightly, "you will do no such thing Cullen. Besides, you may have a son after all."

Cullen beamed at the thought. "He'll be a chip off the old block. All the ladies better prepare for my devilishly handsome son. Women from all packs will be coming around to set their eyes on him—just like his father."

Angel raised an eye brow at that comment. "Ah ha... right. So where exactly is your swarm of women?"

Cullen chuckled slightly. "Well, you see, I had to send them all back. It broke their hearts too when they realized I had found my one true and only mate."

"So Casanova, how about you get off your high horse and get me some clothes."

"Oh no you don't Angel, you heard Doc. You need to rest, and that's final."

"But Cullen, just to see..."

"Anything you want to see or do can wait Angel. Rest, please, for our child's sake."

Angel complied although it didn't stop her from mumbling under her breath. Cullen only managed to hear a few words - bully, Alpha, old-ass fart, demanding -- but it was enough to figure out what was being said.

"I need to take care of a few things Angel. I'll check back in on you in a little bit."

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Cullen was heading down the stairs to his office when he saw Isobel heading up.

"How is she wolf boy?" asked Isobel.

Cullen was beginning to love the nickname that Isobel was determined to give him. Of course he didn't want her knowing that. "Angel woke a few minutes ago. The Doctor has told her to stay put and take it easy for a while..."

"But for Angel that will be like five minutes."

"Exactly. So if you were to keep her company, she will have no choice but to stay put," agreed Cullen.

Beaming, Isobel started to head up the stairs, stopping only when she reached him. "I do enjoy being sneaky, even if it means having you as my partner in this."

Cullen was shaking his head as he continued on. Life was never going to be dull with Isobel as a sister-in-law. Stepping into his office, he saw his betas were already waiting for his arrival.

"So, how is Angel doing?" Gavin asked carefully, trying to determine the mood of his Alpha today.

"She has just woken," stated Cullen, dropping into his chair at the head of the table. A collective sigh was released around the room. Many had not even known they were holding their breaths till that moment.

"And her condition...?" asked Owen tentatively, worried about the impact this may have had on his future niece or nephew.

"The baby is safe, but Doc will keep a close eye on Angel to make sure both mother and child are okay," smiled Cullen, the first sign of emotion since entering the room.

"Well all I have to say is that it doesn't surprise me considering the way you two were going at it," joked Gavin. There were many grins in the office now. "To think, there will soon be a mini-Cullen running around here -- heaven help us."

Everyone laughed at the thought whilst Cullen couldn't help but swell in pride.

"Or worse, another hell-cat like your dear Angel running around causing havoc." Gavin interrupted. "If you can barely say 'No' to her, imagine a mini-Angel looking at you with those same big eyes?"

The room went silent, everyone holding their breath as they watched him comprehend the magnitude of having a daughter. Cullen had not imagined a little girl that looked exactly like his Angel. How will he be able to say 'no' to that? I'm screwed!

The forlorn look on Cullen's face was priceless, making everyone bust out laughing. Many of them had to grab their sides from laughing so hard, wiping tears from their eyes.

"Okay, okay, back to the business at hand. I am presuming we are here in response to what keeps happening to Angel?" asked Owen.

That pulled Cullen back to reality, reminding him that he should have accepted and dealt with this sooner. "Yes, this is not an easy thing to say and even harder to believe but I suspect there is someone within the pack that wants to hurt Angel. There have been too many incidents for this to be a coincidence or even clumsiness."

Rising from his seat, Cullen paced the floor restlessly before turning to address his betas. "I failed. As Angel's mate, and as Alpha."

He raised his hand up to keep silent those who would have disagreed with him. "I didn't listen to Angel when she first tried to tell me — and for that, I failed her. I also failed this pack at the same time for not protecting a member who was being targeted and hurt as a result. But enough is enough. We need to do this in stealth, I don't want others to get suspicious or for the threat to escalate. We also need to keep a closer watch on Angel until this is solved."

"Are you insane?! Angel will flip out when she finds out that she will have babysitters," stated Gavin.

"I know how she will react—if she finds out. If we don't make it obvious to her or anyone else, we should be fine. We need whoever is behind this to think they have gotten away with it and try again. But this time we will be ready."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Cullen. The meeting soon ended, with everyone leaving with extra tasks at hand.

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"I don't know why you are making such a big deal about this ass wipe! Stay in freaking bed and that's final," stated Isobel.

"You know I hate sitting around doing nothing."

"Yeah, well, tough. The Doc said bed rest, so you will remain in this bed until he says otherwise. Besides, I want my little niece or nephew to be safe." Isobel jumped on the bed and laid down. "I can't believe I'm going to be an Aunt! This is so exciting. I will spoil him or her like no other. Of course, since I am the Aunt, I have every right to do so."

Angel smiled indulgently. "Well don't spoil my child too much. I don't want one of those snobbish spoiled teens you see on practically every TV show these days."

"I know I know. It won't be that bad. Just enough to ensure the baby knows that I'm the best Aunt in the world," said Isobel jokingly.

A knock on the door prevented Angel from a whole mass of comebacks for her sister. Both Glynis and Eilis entered holding trays overloaded with food.

"Oh Lambie, how are you feeling?"

"Yeah, you had us all worried sick," said Eilis, as she rushed to Angel's side, putting the tray down on the night stand to hug her tightly.

"I'm doing alright, thank you. And yes, before you ask, the baby is fine too."

Eilis squeaked happily at hearing about the baby. "I am so happy Lambie. It's about time we saw a little one with both yours and Cullen's personality mixed into one. Although I do have to admit, I'm not as young as I used to be; if the child is half the trouble Cullen was, I'll pray for the poor soul helping you take care of him or her."

"Angel was trouble too, judging by what we've been told by mom. She was always up to some sort of mischief. Mom reckons she was definitely high on morphine or something when she named her Angel—perhaps 'Diabla' would have been suited better," joked Isobel, the others were trying not to laugh so hard.

"Yeah yeah yeah. You weren't that good either sister."

"I never claimed to be," grinned Isobel unrepentantly.

"Well I think it is safe to say either way, the child is going to be trouble for us all," laughed Eilis.

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After being with Angel for most of the whole day, Isobel stepped out to head to the library to breathe. She knew Glynis would stay with Angel until Cullen returned so felt confident her sister was safe for now. Once she was in the library, she made sure she was definitely alone before letting loose a string of curses that had been bubbling up inside since the fire. Isobel hated this, all this stuff was happening to Angel whilst everyone stood around doing nothing. No one hurts her but me! It's my right as her sister, not some gutless shadow. It is time I take things into my own hands. But where too start?

She quickly walked to one of the tables in the back and grabbed a sheet of loose paper. Isobel knew she needed to compile a list of suspects first; the top of the list of course being Edana and Layla. Stupid bitches...I should just kick their asses for irritating me. And besides, I don't think anyone will mind—I know Angel sure as hell won't.

Isobel spent the next half hour wondering who might be set out to hurt Angel—anyone that would gain from having her gone. After some time, Isobel just stared at the list. Damn...I have a lot of work ahead of me. I should probably start tomorrow bright and early.

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The next morning, Isobel didn't waste time, starting with investigating both the staircase and the stables. There's gotta be something here that will give me a clue. But after spending a lot of time at both places, Isobel was back to square one and even more confused than when she started.

"Damn it! What do I do now?" shouted Isobel to herself, frustrated at her own ability to find justice. She was heading to the back of the compound when she overheard voices through the windows next to the kitchen. She snuck in a bit closer, but made sure she couldn't be seen at all.

"Can you believe that bitch?! And now she is pregnant."

Isobel recognized Layla's voice immediately; it was nothing new to hear Layla still trying to get Cullen's attention even now. But it was the second voice that caught her completely off guard and had her creeping closer to hear more.

"Who knows, maybe the baby won't survive anyways from the smoke inhalation. Then, as Cullen grieves for the loss, you will need to be ready and waiting with open arms to comfort him. If you play your cards right, you will be carrying his child in no time," said Catriona.

Isobel couldn't believe what she was hearing. This whole time Angel had been smiling over how Catriona was warming up to her and beginning to be really friendly. She had been so happy over the progress and what it meant for her as Alpha Bitch and Cullen's mate.

The damn two-timing bitch! Wait until I get my hands on her...

Isobel was just about to explode and go all Jackie Chan on her ass, other voices interrupted, sounding like some omegas heading to the kitchens. Both Layla and Catriona went quiet and soon Isobel saw them both leave the kitchen, heading deeper into the compound.

Taking deep breaths to calm down, Isobel knew it wouldn't do her good to go all crazy right now. Isobel knew she would have to get more information before acting. She especially needed a way to find something concrete, a piece of evidence that would expose everything. Could it really have been Catriona and Layla all this time? I knew that Layla was one twisted psycho-bitch, but attempted murder? Isobel couldn't say much about Catriona, since she didn't know her to well. But if Angel was already considering her as 'friend', then how could it be possible?