Angel helped to groom his parents in the jet on their way back to the island, cutting off his father's beard and trimming his hair. Cole gave them new clothes and the two took their baths and changed into the new clothes in the jet.
Angel's mother washed her hair and braided it into two cornrows. Her hair was all grey now and reached below her bum. The dress she wore hung on her slim form, but Angel thought they looked quite better than they did a few hours before.
The stewards gave them plenty to eat and drink, and Cole assured them they would undergo a thorough check-up when they got to the island.
After their meal, Angel sat across their chairs just looking at them. His mother tried to smile at him and her lips trembled as tears welled and spilt down her face.
"I never thought that I would see you again. I did pray and prayed for the moon goddess to watch over you and send you a helper," the older woman said in a voice thick with emotion.
"I'm so sorry, mama. It was my fault…"
"Don't do that to yourself, son," his father interrupted, causing Angel to shut his eyes tightly to keep the tears at bay. "We were not the only ones raided, it happened across the globe."
"But—" Angel tried to interrupt him but he didn't let him. He raised his left hand up in a familiar mannerism he knew too well. A slow smile tugged the corners of his lips as tears streamed down his face. He couldn't believe it. His parents were alive and survived!
"They would have gotten to us one way or another. It was going to happen. They already knew what we were," the old man added.
"Why did they keep you alive?" Angel asked.
"His wife told him they needed to keep the winery going to make money. They didn't know anything about the business so they kept us to continue to toil the land. He also did it to get his hands on the deed. I suppose we became a convenience to them and they didn't need to pay us," the old man replied.
"Did you suffer?" Angel’s mother asked him. Angel gave her a warm smile.
"None that I couldn't bare, but the goddess did answer your prayers and sent an Angel to me. Without her help, I would not have been able to contact Xavier. Without her, I would be dead," Angel said.
"She is human?" His father asked. Angel nodded.
"She is one of my captor's family but also one of us…"
"I don't understand," his mother said with a puzzled frown.
"My captor was from a wolfless clan," Angel said. His mother gasped. His father's grey eyes darkened with anger.
"His last child was born deformed. He wanted to have the ability to shapeshift by drinking my blood. He also thought I could make his son whole. I was experimented on for years. Myself and many others, some who were not as lucky as the few of us who Xavier saved. A lot died. He had two other sons who didn't like me much, this girl saved me from them. And since she is part of their family…"
"That makes her wolfless as well…" his father concluded.
"She is not one of us though… if she is wolfless," his mother said.
"She is now," Angel said, holding her gaze and then his father’s. "She is my mate," Angel added. His mother gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. His father frowned.
"Did you choose to claim her?" His father asked.
"No. My wolf recognised her. I wasn't in the position to claim her. I was beneath her," he said. His father's eyes grew sad, searching his. "She claimed me. She fell in love with me. And trust me, I wasn't looking as good as I am now. My skin was white like the dead. I had no hair, and I have stitches on my head that run from my forehead to the back of my head,” He gestured, “I looked like an abomination put together by a thread And she wanted me regardless and thought I was beautiful."
Alpha Bardulf nodded in somewhat understanding.
"I can't wait to meet her…" the old man said.
"Me too," his mother added in an emotion-laden voice.
"Great. Maybe when you do, you would be able to help me figure out what was wrong with her eyes," Angel mumbled. His parents laughed.
“You are beautiful, son,” his mother said, reaching forward to cup his chin.
“No, mother, I am not,” he replied. His father chuckled.
* * *
"We are here," Cole announced much later when the helicopter that came to pick them up from the airport landed atop the mountain.
Angel watched as his parents eagerly looked out of the window with their eyes darting in their sockets.
"It's beautiful," his mother said in awe.
"It looks like a modern castle with a moat," his father muttered as if he was thinking aloud. He then nodded. Angel guessed he must be thinking of the security significance of the island being surrounded by such vast waters. He smiled to himself.
Angel could not tell if Cole has informed Xavier yet about their unexpected discovery but he was looking forward to everyone meeting his parents. They might be the oldest, living Wulfblood and that would mean alot to their kind.