A Wolf's Obsession

by Jennifer T. Alli

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Turning her back on her brother, Dylan rolled her eyes and barely resisted the urge to hit her head against the wall. He’d asked her the same question a hundred times before, her answer never changed but he still wasn’t satisfied. “Like I told you before, she’s fine. The bullet went straight through, no veins or arteries were damaged. She didn’t lose that much blood and she doesn’t have any head wounds. All things considered, she’s a lucky girl. She’s going to have a stiff shoulder so no heavy lifting but other than that she’s fine.”

  “Then why isn’t she awake yet? It’s been hours since we got home and nothing.”

  “Because humans can’t shake off bullets that easily and…” She hesitated, the words catching in her throat. It was always hard to be the bearer of bad news especially in her brother’s case. Wyatt was walking a very thin line between sanity and madness; she didn’t want to be the one to push him over the edge.

  The catch in Dylan's voice instantly made his hackles rise and his fangs sharpen. There was something his sister was keeping from him and that could only mean one thing. It was something he wasn’t going to like and it was about his mate. He couldn’t think of a worse combination. His muscles tense, he gave Kass’ hand a final lingering caress before he got to his feet and took a menacing step towards Dylan. “And what?”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this Wy but I did some more tests and found a problem.”

  Tension filled the air as Wyatt’s entire demeanour became dangerous, his body thrumming with the threat of violence. “What do you mean you found a problem? What kind of problem?”

  “She has a heart condition. It’s a rare one; I only noticed it because you insisted she have every possible test done. Kass has long QT syndrome.”

  “And for those of us that didn’t spend years studying medicine?”

  “That’s your fault, you could have stuck it out with me and then you’d know exactly what’s wrong with your mate.”

  “Some of us aren’t cut out to fix other people. Now tell me what’s wrong with Kass.”

  “She has a weak heart. Simply put she can’t handle it if her heartbeat gets messed up. Best case scenario she gets a little dizzy and passes out. Worse case…she dies.”

  The world turned on its head in that instant for Wyatt and he thought it might be him that fainted. He’d never done it before but he’d never gotten such bad news straight after good news. “She can’t die. If she needs a new heart then she can have mine. I’ll cut it out myself if that’s what it takes to save her.”

  Unsurprised by Wyatt’s simplistic solution to a complex problem Dylan shook her head sadly. “That’s not going to work. You’re a wolf and she’s not. Your heart isn’t going to be compatible with her body.”

  “Give me an hour then, I’ll find someone else that’s compatible. You have to fix her Dylan. She can’t die, not now, not ever.”

  Listening quietly to their discussion Kass couldn’t help but be surprised by Wyatt’s words. No one had ever tried so hard to defend her, it was surprisingly attractive. So intense, she purred, opening her eyes to match his words to his face. It was endearing that he would go to such lengths to keep her safe but it was pointless and there was no point in getting anyone else mixed up in her complicated life. “Wyatt, a new heart won’t work.” Safe. Alive. Going to have my questions answered. Ticking each of the three off her mental checklist she braced herself for what was to come.

  “Kass.”

  Butterflies filled her stomach at the sheer, unadulterated joy he put into her name and goose bumps covered her arms as she watched him close the distance between them. She could just imagine him calling her name in a completely different situation; one that involved heated kisses and desperate touches. What she wouldn’t give to run her hands over his body and claim it for her own. Mind out of gutter! What was it about this man that sent her common sense running for the hills and her sex drive into meltdown? She shouldn’t be so effected by a man she barely knew especially one that wasn’t completely human. She should be trying to think of a way out but all she wanted to do was feel his arms wrapped around her. It should have been maddeningly frustrating but the closer he got, the less concerned with reason she became. Her life had never been normal so why should she expect that to change now?

  Crowding her, Wyatt leaned in close, his arm resting on her pillow and their faces inches apart. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine,” she squeaked. “My shoulder’s a little sore but I’ve lived through worse.”

  It would have been a lot worse if he hadn’t helped in the healing process but he didn’t think it was wise to tell her that his lips and tongue had caressed her delicious flesh just yet. The sweet smell of truth filled his nose and Wyatt sighed in relief before remembering that they had a problem, a serious one. “Kass, your heart…”

  “Isn’t perfect but it’s the only one that’ll work.”

  Stroking her cheek softly, he let his fingers tangle in the luscious red strands of her hair. “I can get you another one. There are plenty of people out there that don’t deserve to live. They can make their lives meaningful by helping you with this. I’ll be quick and Dylan can get you ready while I’m gone.”

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what he was suggesting and while under any other circumstances Kass was sure she’d be disgusted by the suggestion, coming from Wyatt’s lips the crazy idea sounded sweet. It was comforting to be in the presence of someone so intent on keeping you alive. Whenever she’d woken up in a strange place before it had been to find Ethan’s men looming over her intent on ending her life. She could definitely get used to this feeling. “Wyatt, it won’t work. My heart is special…it’s what will make me immortal and there’s no one out there who would be a successful organ donor for me except another phoenix. It’s why I didn’t want you to take me to a hospital. I might look like other people but there are things about me that are different and those differences are easy for a doctor to spot.”

  “You mean like that strange blood flowing in your veins?” Dylan piped in. At the warning glare from Wyatt she held her hands up in self-defence and backed out of the room. “She knows I’m right. If she’d gone to a hospital they’d have a field day over what’s in her veins.” Her point made, Dylan vanished from the room.

  “What was she talking about?”

  His eyes were intense, boring holes into her and demanding the truth and Kass squirmed under the scrutiny. No one had ever looked at her as though her every word was gospel and the feeling was unnerving. “My blood isn’t human. It doesn’t fit into one of the types that doctors know. The last time I went to a hospital and they found out they didn’t want to let me leave. They wanted to keep me there like an animal and run tests.” She scoffed at the memory. “They should have just been honest and said they wanted to experiment on me. No hospitals for me and no new heart. I don’t need one.”

  “Dylan said you could die,” he growled, his eyes glowing at the reminder. Was there nothing he could do to keep her by his side without something trying to use death to separate them?

  “She was right but I’ve made it this far and as long as I can stay calm then I’ll be fine. In a few weeks none of this will matter. I’ll be immortal and my heart problems will be a thing of the past.”

  “So when you turn twenty-seven you won’t have this heart condition anymore?”

  She sat up, careful to avoid using her left shoulder. “Exactly.”

  “When’s your birthday?” he demanded.

  “In a few weeks.”

  “I want the date Kass. I need to know so that I can make sure you’re taken care of until then.”

  The padded room that popped into her head definitely wasn’t her idea but Kass didn’t have to look far to know where it had come from and the questions continued rising. “I’m not going into a padded cell Wyatt.” The words were simple but the determination behind them clear and Wyatt shook his head in d
ismay.

  “It’ll be the perfect place for you, just until you’re safe.”

  “I’ve spent years avoiding being put into a cage, I’m not going to let myself be locked up now. The only way you’re getting me into a room like that is by force. Are you going to force me into that room Wyatt?”

  Gulping, he glanced down at her throat. The bruises were slowly turning from red to purple and the mottled colours made the injury look so much worse. He’d never realised how large his hands were until he saw his fingertips spanning nearly her entire neck. There was no way he was going to do anything to force her anywhere. “Damn,” he swore. “Fine, no padded room but I’m not letting you out of my sight until your birthday so when is it?”

  “The sixth of July. Now that I’ve told you can we get out of here? I hate hospitals.” She sneezed. “They smell funny.”

  Laughing, Wyatt helped Kass to her feet. “I thought it was just me.”

  Resting her head against the solid strength of his arms she let his scent relax her. “Nope, there are more of us out there than you’d think.”

  Despite the fact he hated hospitals, moving wasn’t high on Wyatt’s list of priorities. Having Kass snuggled so closely against him was heaven and he wasn’t going to sacrifice it so quickly. My mate in my arms…heaven.

  Kass tensed as soon as the words brushed along the corridors of her mind and pulled away from Wyatt. “I don’t know how I could have ever forgotten but we can’t go anywhere until you tell me what it is you’re doing traipsing around in my head. This isn’t normal.”

  Trying to resist the urge to laugh, Wyatt bit his lip hard. It was clear his Kass was trying to be commanding but she looked more cute than threatening. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks flushed and her lips twisted into an appealing pout. He might not know much about her but he knew enough to keep silent about her failed attempt to look fierce. “It might not be normal but it certainly isn’t my fault.”

  “But you said we were mates…”

  “We are.” His hands reached for her but he pulled them back quickly realising if he grabbed her as he’d wanted to he could leave more marks on her fragile skin. His hands balled into impotent fists at his sides and he fought to keep them there. “We are mates, never doubt that. But most mates don’t talk like this, they aren’t that lucky. The only people I know who can hear each other’s thoughts are my uncle Tobias and aunt Alexandria.” This, this is your doing.

  Me! she shrieked, appalled by the very idea.

  “Maybe it’s because you’re not human but you’re not a wolf either. Aunt Alex is a witch and you’re a phoenix…that’s the only explanation.”

  “And what if I don’t want you wandering around in my head?”

  “As far as I’m aware there’s nothing that can stop this. But…” He stepped forward and cupped her cheek. Why would you want to stop this? He pushed an image of their kiss into her head and watched as her cheeks coloured, her breath becoming short as she remembered what it had felt like to have his lips pressed against hers. Pulling back before her heart raced out of control, Wyatt smiled at how pliant her body had become. She didn’t even put up a fight as he guided her out of the infirmary and into the main hall. Kass might not see how amazing it was to have such a strong connection but he’d work hard to convince her otherwise.

  Stumbling out of her memory Kass found herself in what was clearly not an infirmary. People rushed about, talking loudly, smiling and laughing as they wandered along the oversized corridor. Her eyes widened as she took in the vaulted ceilings, the thick slabs of stone that made up the walls and the plush carpet underfoot. Wherever she was screamed wealth from the top of its lungs and she immediately felt out of place. “You live here?” Disbelief dripped from her every word.

  “I used to, I don’t anymore. I’m taking you home now.”

  Stunned, Kass couldn’t help but try to take in even more of her surroundings and the more she saw, the less she understood. If she’d lived here someone would have to pry her away with a crowbar and chain her down in her new home. She’d never leave it willingly. “You left? Why?”

  A quick glance reminded him exactly why he’d chosen to leave here as soon as he could. Some things never changed and the happiness on the faces of everyone around him would have been just as painful now as it was all those years ago except he had his mate with him now. Things were different, he was different. “There are too many mated couples here. I couldn’t take it and so I left to be alone.”

  Her heart sunk in disappointment. “So mating isn’t a good thing then?”

  “Mating is amazing,” Wyatt immediately contradicted, stopping in his tracks and forcing her to look at him. “It’s the most wonderful thing in the world. Nothing could be more natural, more soul changing than being with your mate.”

  “If it’s so wonderful then why did you leave?”

  “Because I didn’t have my mate. Emily was lost to me and being here was driving me crazy. I thought if I left I’d be able to stay sane. I should have known better. All I did was slow down the process.”

  Wrapped up in Wyatt’s words, Kass didn’t realise where he was leading her until the sun’s rays practically blinded her. Eyes watering, she blinked quickly trying to adjust and only letting light in through small gaps in her fingertips. Long moments passed but she slowly moved her hands away from her face, gasping in shock when she looked at the forest that surrounded them. Awestruck, she stumbled away from Wyatt as though in a trance, stopping only when her palm rested against the hard bark of a tree.

  “Amazing,” she mumbled to herself.

  “You like the woods?”

  Her hand still against the tree trunk, Kass turned back to look at Wyatt. “I guess so. I’ve never been in a forest before but I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve never even climbed a tree before or gone for a run through the woods.”

  The idea of never running free in the forest was appalling to Wyatt and he could feel his wolf rising not pleased that the experience had been denied to his mate. “Why not?”

  “Cities are safer.” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she let her fingertips run over the uneven surface of the tree, marvelling at its size. “Forests and woods are generally near small towns and small towns want to know everything about you. Cities are a great place to get lost in and with Ethan constantly looking for me I needed to keep my head down. It was best that I was invisible. I’ve spent my whole life trying to fade into the background, trying to make it so no one noticed me.” Harsh laughter fell from her lips and her nails dug into the tree trunk with such force that her nails threatened to shatter under the strain. “I’ve been hiding and running my whole life…it’s not much of a life when you think about it but with Ethan constantly looking for me I didn’t have much of a choice.”

  Boxing her in with his body, Wyatt joined their hands and kissed her hair softly. “He’s not a problem for you anymore. You don’t have to live your life according to what he will or won’t notice. You want to climb a tree? I’ll teach you. You want to go running in the woods then let’s go now. Whatever it is, we can do it Kass…together.”

  “And why should I trust you anymore than Ethan?”

  “Because I’m your mate.”

  “You still haven’t explained to me what that is.”

  Pulling back Wyatt sighed and ran a hand through the long strands of his hair. Risking a glance at Kass he began pacing. Words had never been his strong suit and they were failing him now. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. It was meant to be easy. Find your mate, claim them, live happily ever after. Why was fate so intent on making him suffer? “A mate is everything. Werewolves only get one and without them our lives are pretty meaningless. You’re the better half of my soul and it’s only with you that I can be complete. You never have to worry about me hurting you; I’d tear out my own heart before I let you get hurt. If anyone wants to hurt you then they’ll have to kill me first because I know what it’s like to go through life without a mate, it�
��s not worth living. I’m never going back to that.”

  “No offence Wyatt but how can you expect me to believe that when you’ve already done so much.” She ran her fingers over the ugly bruises at her throat, silently reminding him of just what he’d done to her.

  His pacing got worse at the reminder. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t recognise you for what you are.”

  “We’d never met before that night in the diner of course you wouldn’t recognise me.”

  “Wolves recognise their mate’s by their scent. You smelt like my mate but you didn’t look like Emily. I was confused. It’s what happens when a wolf is separated from their mate for too long. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I’m probably still broken but like I said before, I’ll get better. Now that I know who you are…now that we’re together things can only get better.”

  “This all sounds a bit far fetched Wyatt.”

  “Any more than you being a phoenix with a psychopath trying to cut your heart out?”

  “You make a good point but you’ve seen Ethan. You know exactly what he’s like. How can I believe any of what you’re saying? I’m much more open minded than your ordinary person about what may or may not be out there but I’ve never seen a werewolf Wyatt and you’ve admitted yourself that you’re not quite right in the head…”

  His pacing stopped abruptly and he quickly closed the distance between them. “I can show you. If I do, you promise to stay with me.”

  “I don’t know you Wyatt.”

  Undeterred by her words Wyatt smiled. “Not yet but pretty soon you will and you’re going to love me.”