Chapter 2

The Much-Needed Talk between Friends and a Secret Meeting?

It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming... on days like these... People like him… should be sleeping in. Angel wanted so badly to sleep in, a VERY big part of him wanted to sleep in, but he knew if he disputed now, he would not win. He heard moving around the room as he gradually sat up, the blankets slipping off his shirtless body. What he saw didn't shock him in the least, but it did entertain the living hell out of him. It was Ruby; she was obviously trying too hard to get ready for the gathering, which he knew wasn't till mid-afternoon or mid-evening, depending on how quick the Alliance got there.

"She's too cute for her own good sometimes."

"Ruby, what in the world are u doing? You do know the meeting isn't till much later, right?", Angel answered to his mate who froze in her tracks, to where Angel had to hide his smile behind his hand, so she didn't see his amusement.

He slowly got out of bed, a cool breeze from the open balcony doors made him shiver while he stretched to warm up his now waking body. When he felt more awake, he strolled over calmly to the now frozen woman and hugged her from behind as he yawned a bit looking down at her now embarrassed face. "You need to take some deep breaths and relax. Everything is going to go well, and you have plenty of time to get ready." He smiled comfortingly to her, rubbing her left cheek seeing her blush more.

Ruby pouted, crossing her arms not looking at his gaze, but she did lean into his touch. She took a deep breath, trying to match her lover's own calm breathing, and exhaled feeling her body loosen and relax while she uncrossed her arms.

"Yeah well … You can never be too prepared right?" Ok, maybe she was being a little OCD, but if Angel was in her position he would be freaking out as well. In fact, that gave her an idea!

She looked up at Angel seeing his eyes were closed, enjoying the sun's rays hitting his pale skin making him almost unearthly, but beautiful at the same time. "Hey hon, do you want to join me in this meeting? Maybe be a guard or my own 'personal' servant?"

Angel was enjoying the sun's rays; they always felt good on his skin as his magic seemed to absorb the very essence into his being. His tiger ears twitched hearing the question, was he hearing right? He looked down at her again; she was serious.

"Ruby, why now? You never let me join them before. So what is making this one so different?" The question was confusing at best, what brought this up?

"Well … You told me to relax and what better way to relax if my big, strong tiger was there beside me? And besides, if the Alliance has possible hybrid bodyguards, why not I as well, right?" She answered with a smug smirk on her face.

Angel wanted to agree with her proposal; so why was he feeling like he swallowed something sour? If that was true, then knowing the Alliance they would probably have up to three or four bodyguards to protect their boss. He would be terribly surrounded; by size and by magic as well. He really hoped that was not the case.

"Hm … I suppose I can come with just as long as you behave yourself, we don't want a repeat of that last meeting, do we?" He felt a shred of satisfaction seeing her pout again. The feeling was still there, but now it felt like his stomach was in knots mixed with the sour taste in his mouth.

He prayed that his gut was wrong and everything would go ok … Right?

"Well, no matter … "Angel went over to the closet and grabbed a black shirt; which seemed to have clasps on the front like belts, as his pants were also black with silver chains hanging off the sides. "Hex needs to see me. He said he needed some help with some herbs in the woods." Ruby looked at him with a slightly annoyed look mixed with the same pout. "Fine … Just come back before the meeting ok?"

Angel leaned down as he gently kissed her forehead, to where his crystal gave a dim glow in response "No worries I'll be back before then, I promise." He smiled as he walked out the bedroom door and closed it behind him.

When was the last time he took a walk in the woods? The leaves gave off a slight glimmer from the moisture of the morning dew, and the sun's rays through the trees gave off an angelic tone. He was sitting on a tree stump watching Hex collect some bark of a tree using his bare claws to try and rip the bark straight off the tree itself. What did he say that bark was called … Alder bark?

During the short time walking in the woods, the two had actually gotten most of the items on Hex's list of herbs that needed to be restocked. There were still a couple of herbs to go; the next ones were near the river, which was close by.

Angel snapped out of his reverie when he heard Hex give a triumphant shout when a couple strips of the bark came snapping off. "Finally, I forgot how tough this tree can be … I'm surprised I didn't tear any of my nails off."

The strips of bark were then put into a box that Hex had been carrying around with the use of his aura magic. Angel chuckled a bit at that "Well, you could have asked me to help you … But no~ you wanted to do it all yourself." His smirk only widened seeing the angry glare back at him.

"Oh hush you … You did collect the berries when I was getting the bark, right?" Hex gave him a questioning glance toward the bag in his hands. Angel nodded; he was tasked with the job of getting juniper berries, which to him smelled quite sweet making his stomach rumble.

Hex nodded and stood up keeping the box levitated next to him. "So … I heard you talked to your brother yesterday?"

They started walking towards the river before Angel replied, "Oh yeah … He actually gave me some good advice. He said … I had to let go before my soul gets broken, do you know what that means?" Angel gave Hex a questioning look to which Hex returned with a gentle, but confident smile.

"Oh, that … It usually means if you stay in a one-sided relationship, or in your case where you fall out of love, your soul will ache almost like its being suffocated by the tension between the two of you till you either leave the relationship or you become so numb, you don't feel anything."

The silence that came after the explanation was deafening. Angel felt his own crystal; he felt his soul glow like normal when earlier his soul felt trapped in a cage with no chance of escape … Is that what Hex meant?

The sound of the roaring river interrupted Angel's thoughts as he looked at the river itself. The riverbank had flowers growing out of each crack nearing the edge, same with the rocks that seemed to be anchored to the bottom of the river. The sight was too entrancing that he didn't notice Hex leaving his side till he didn't feel his presence next to him.

"Uh, Hex .. Where did you-? ""Over here!" Hex's tribal-toned voice sounded close; when he looked he saw Hex was near a stone on land looking at a particular flower which looked like a dandelion?

How long was he spaced out for?

He shook his head and walked over near him, leaning over the water he saw his own reflection, which was distorted every time a leaf hit the surface then goes back to normal. A scent caught his attention, it was mackerel, the aroma hitting Angel's stomach hard making it rumble more and the pupils in his purple eyes dilate into slits. His claws unsheathed just as a mackerel swam right near him, unaware of the predator above it. A well-placed swipe of a claw knocks the fish high into the air and landing harshly on the unforgiving ground. Two glowing purple eyes watched its victim struggle to breathe while flopping around then slowly falling limp from lack of oxygen. Angel jumped onto his prey using his canines to rip a large gash into the fish's rough scaly skin as he started to eat the flesh underneath. After a couple mins, the fish's body was nothing but a skeleton stripped of its skin and flesh.

" Ahhh … That so hit the spot. Nothing like a good old fish so satisfy a cat's craving." He licked his lips to get the remains of the juice. "I can see that" Hex's amused tone of voice sounded beside him making Angel jump and fall onto his back out of shock. How does he keep doing that?!

"Hex! You trying to give me a damn heart attack?!" He gave the puma male a weak glare; he felt too tired to fight since he satisfied his hunger and it always made him feel sleepy. Hex's slight chuckle was his only response; he is so lucky that Angel was tired.

"Sorry, pal didn't mean to interrupt your meal … Oh, wait … You ate it all already. You didn't leave me any? "The puma chuckled more. He loved teasing the tiger male; he always made it too easy when he was like this.

Angel yawned as he stretched out on his back, ready to bathe under the sun's rays. "Did you get your last herbs?"

"Yeah, I got the coltsfoot and… I think that's all of them," Hex laid next to Angel sharing in the warmth the spot provided. Their breathing was slowly becoming slower as the minutes tick by. The rushing river was the only sound provided for the two males; almost lulling the two into a false sense of security. The broken silence was caused by the puma hybrid's question-

"Angel … Were you planning on breaking it off after the meeting or?"

Angel was stunned for a retort; the thought didn't occur to him. How was he going to break it off or when even was the right time? Angel groaned; the thought was starting to give him a headache, as he rolled onto his side away from Hex; frustration could be felt in how his body tensed up and the slight lash of his white purple striped tail.

"Angel…" Hex started; he didn't want to pressure the poor guy but it had to be done sooner than later "You can't hold this off especially since it will only hurt you in the end. Your soul won't be free till you actually make the effort. "Angel grimaced. He knew Hex was right, what was he doing, why was he hesitating?

"I know! I … don't how to let her down easy, this is my first relationship and first break up; can you blame me for not knowing what to do?" The sound of rustling grass and the scent of the puma male now closer was his only response. A pair of tanned arms hugged Angel around the waist; a low purr sounded from the hybrid behind him making Angel's body and soul relax giving a purr of his own.

"We learn from our first times" Hex gently petted the soft white ears of his friend, noticing the tiger's body slowly relax from the touch "I know you will know what to say when that time comes. Your soul will know as well." The soft words relaxed Angel further giving his soul the comfort it needed; maybe this was the push he needed to free himself and his soul from gripping heartache.

"I'm scared … What if she hates me afterwards, or tries to make me stay?" Hex held him more as the green-red eyes closed in relaxation. "Then she really wasn't the right one for you and your soul was right of her not being your soulmate."

The two were in deep silence letting the river and the sun's rays wash away any doubts and fears from their minds. A yawn finally broke the silence.

Angel checked his phone noticing it was almost 1 in the afternoon. He slightly shoved the puma behind him with his elbow "Hex … Maybe we should get back, I promised I would get back by now."

Only grumbles could be heard from the relaxing puma hybrid behind him. Angel gave a sigh; he asked for it. He elbowed Hex in the stomach hard making him gasp and groan in pain. Angel looked over seeing Hex holding his stomach as he was now lying on his back. "Okay, I'm up. "

The two males started to get up grabbing their supplies. "Hex?"

"Hm?" The puma male simply hummed in response while levitating the box again with the use of his magic, the markings on his face, which glowed, seemed to imitate the glittering water below them.

Angel gave a small smile. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear those words. I should thank my brother as well" Hex nodded smiling back, seeing the bright glow of the tiger male's crystal. "Seems your soul agrees with you" Angel chuckled as his soul felt a bit lighter then in all the three years being there.

The two started to head back to the castle; laughing and talking along the way. A soul was on its way to healing and a fresh new start was on the horizon.

Later that afternoon …

The noises of the medical den were still with only the sounds of a single pair of footfalls, the rustling of herbs being stored in their proper areas, and tools being put away in drawers. On one of the four walls were two sets of swords tied together by what looked to be green-red strands, which kept them in position on the surface. The first weapon was a shade of scarlet; it had serrated points on its edge, with what seemed to be ancient writing on its handle. Its opposite was a duller blade with the tint of emerald; it seemed to be used for more medical traits. An entrance was right below the two blades; it seemed to be secured by a seal written in green and red ink with the same kind of writing going up the right and left the side of it, leading to the seal at the top, which was encircled by a circle.

The sound of buzzing interrupted the calm silence.

Hex walked toward the sound of the buzzing while taking off his gloves; his green red eyes flashed for a second making what looked to be vines covering the entrance to the den, which told he was not accepting visitors at this time. The device buzzing was his cellphone with a red light blinking showing he had a new message.

Who could be messaging me at this time of day?

Rarely anyone messaged him unless it was an emergency or one of his friends, and he knew all of them were busy with getting ready for the conference. To satisfy his curiosity, he pushed the button on the back of his phone to bring up the screen, and sure enough, there was a message from an unknown number that he didn't recognize.

What the hell?

A pit started to form in the middle of his stomach; should he answer back or just delete it and forget it ever happened? The latter seemed very promising but his curiosity was getting the best of him. He opened up the messaging app and started to type a reply-

Puma: "Who is this? You might have the wrong number."

After he sent the message, he didn't expect the instant reply back; whoever it was waited for his reply.

Unknown: "Hey Doc, sorry for the number. It was the only way her majesty's guards didn't know it was from us if they ever looked at your phone or ours. It's Snow and Jackal. Oh, and Jackal says hi ^^ "

Oh. So that's how it was.

The pit in his stomach vanished when he read that message; it was only those two, He remembered when he first met them; it was almost comedic how the leopard almost passed out in fright at seeing his markings glowing that night. Jackal on the other hand, he didn't seem too...scared? More like he was surprised for a lack of better words. Talking to the two, he learned that they were searching for a new healer, since there former one had recently passed away from illness. Feeling bad for the two, Hex agreed to help them out in exchange for herbs that he knew weren't from around the kingdom, especially since the two were from the Alliance by the symbols on their shoulders.

Puma: "Dang it Snow… I was so close to deleting that message you sent me. Lucky for you, I'm on my break. Also, everyone is too busy for your boss's arrival for the meeting, so you caught me at a very good time."

Snow: "Wow really? Damn that is really lucky. We brought some of the herbs that you wanted; also we have very good news!"

Puma: "Good news? What good news?"

Snow: "Hehe I'll tell you when we are inside, because I don't know about you, but being long furred is really not good when you're in the sun. I feel like I'm going to die from heat exhaustion _ "

And there was Snow being overdramatic again.

Hex tried not to laugh outright so to not get unwanted attention. He knew it wasn't too hot; but for creatures from colder regions, they were more likely to get heat stroke. He walked over to the entrance under his swords; he placed both claws on the cold wood and started to chant in a different language. The writings on the walls around the door started to glow with intensity. Click. The door opened wide with nothing holding it back leading to a dark tunnel with barely illuminated stones that were placed, so anyone could see.

Puma: "The door is open. And please watch your step, we don't want you guys going back with scrapped knees or bloody noses because you weren't being too careful."

Snow: "I'm careful! And t-that was an accident! I didn't see that rock laying there."

Hex could only shake his head in amusement. The sounds of footsteps echoed in the empty space of the tunnel. His aura brightened up the stones so neither one of his guests injured themselves. Two silhouettes were seen; showing that they were closer now and what sounded like arguing could be heard. The argument was apparently about Snow's clumsiness.

"Doc!" A cheerful voice sounded, as running footsteps could be heard getting closer until-

The sound of two bodies hitting the ground resounded in the tunnel.

"Heh … Hi to you too Snow" Hex grunted a bit in pain not expecting the sudden tackle to the ground. Sometimes he wondered if Snow wasn't really a child in disguise. He was able to sit up even with the leopard giving him a bear hug around his waist; he patted Snow's head hearing the happy purr coming from the teen's throat.

"Sorry about him Mr. Hex" An older male's voice was next to echo around the tunnel. It belonged to Jackal, who was a much older canine hybrid, especially with the way he held himself; the golden hoop earrings he wore resembled that of Anubis, the god of death, and he even carried a golden staff on his back, for guardians' sake! It made Hex wonder if Jackal wasn't Anubis in disguise secretly judging his soul.

"Heh, no need for formality's Jackal, only Hex is fine with me" When he was up on his feet again – much to Snow's displeasure from having to let go – he led the two through the tunnel and into his den. A package was seen on a table with the fragrance of certain different herbs coming off it in waves. Hex walked over to the package as he picked it up with his magic and levitated it to Jackal, who with ease grabbed it. Something caught his eye; Snow was holding something in his hands.

"Hey Snow, What's that?" He pointed at the bag, which seemed to give off a scent of an herb Hex didn't recognize. The hybrid in question blinked as he looked at the bag, then his smile widened when he walked over to Hex holding out the bag" It's your gift!"

A gift? He took the bag and untied the laces holding it closed. The herb he smelled was a black rose seed. The shock on his face could be seen by the other two hybrids in the room, but Hex didn't notice. Black roses were rare especially since they supposedly died off many years ago; they were used to strengthen a demon's strength but were also a cure to the dreaded demonitis. How did he-?

"Snow ... How did you get this?" He looked toward Snow, who looked unusually nervous. "Well … I and Jackal went to a black market, and I saw the seed. The price was too high for it which neither of us had, so I … I stole it." The teen hung his head afraid of the anger he was sure would happen.

So Snow stole it. The look on the teen's face broke Hex's soul, which looked like he was afraid of being hit. How could he be angry at the teen? The black market shouldn't have had it in the first place anyway, so in a way it was good Snow took it. It looked like Jackal was about to apologize for Snow's benefit, but Hex beat him to the punch.

Hex kneeled down a bit to Snow's level "Snow… Look at me" The teen slowly looked at him; the fear in his eyes was apparent "I'm not mad at you, actually in a way you did a good thing. You took it and gave it to someone who would care for it as it deserves." His claw gently petted Snow's ears, as one had a notch from a fight with another hybrid; it was probably one of the kingdom's hybrids if he remembered correctly.

"So you're not mad at me?" Snow looked right into Hex's green-red eyes seeing him shake his head no with a smile. This time Hex was prepared for the sudden tackle from the energetic leopard. The two purred with delight.

"So was the bag my only gift? " He noticed Jackal had put a package near his herb stash; the scent of herbs that he did recognize reached him. So, he also got his normal shipment as usual along with his gift. He suddenly remembered what Snow told him earlier in his message. "Snow, didn't you say you had good news to give me?"

The teen's ears perked up in excitement as he nodded rapidly. "Yeah! So … Jackal and I were talking to boss about your aid, and how much it helped us out" He paused for a minute " Then he told us something we didn't expect …" The teen trailed off in thought.

What did their boss tell them? The suspicion was killing him.

"He told us to direct this message to you" Snow cleared his throat as his face became more serious then what Hex usually saw of him.

"Mr. Hex, we officially offer you the role of Healer. I will give you time to decide and if it pleases you, you may bring your dearest friends along with you. When you are ready, call for either Jackal or Snow with your decision." The teen's voice had dropped to a deeper tone probably trying to match his boss's own.

Wait, what?!

Hex coughed trying to wrap his mind around the proposition, whoever there boss is, offered him a job.

Glad there isn't pressure…

"So … He is offering me a position of healer? He does know my situation is bad enough, especially since I'm helping you guys in secret" He paused. Maybe this could work well to his advantage. It would give him and the others a new start, especially Angel.

Jackal had walked back over, holding the package in one hand. "Luckily, he gave you some time to decide, so I would advise making it count. You would either be making a right choice or a bad one. "The male's deep tone was soft and encouraging, making Hex relax.

The time on his phone was close to 2. It was almost time to open again.

"Well, thank you for the gift and the offer. I'll be sure to get in contact when I have decided." Hex gave a smile to the two hybrids that nodded and bowed. Snow had come up to him and hugged him again looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Don't take too long okay?" The teen's tone was adorable to say the least, how can he say no to that face. Hex gently petted the teen's head. "Don't worry Snow, I won't, you can count on that" The teen had a giddy smile which really showed the teen's age.

The two males picked up their side of the supplies and started to walk back out through the tunnel till they were out of sight. The door closed as the chanting started up again but this time to lock the door back up. Click. That was certainly a roller-coaster of emotions. Now he had a decision; either he chooses to join the Alliance taking his friends with him for a new start, or … Stay here and feel trapped by the tension in the air?

Did he really have to think about it?

He moved the vines out of the way of the entrance, showing he was now open for visitors and patients to come in for help or questions. The sounds of a busy room outside his den reminded him of the upcoming meeting. Well, he knew Alpha and Drago would instantly agree to the proposal. Angel … will be harder to convince; if the tiger male goes through with breaking up with Ruby, it would make things much easier for his choice in the end.

"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power."