A Wolf's Obsession

by Jennifer T. Alli

  The wolf howled. Not for long. Kill him. Sink your fangs into his throat and tear his heart out. You killed her, you need to make this up to her. Avenge our mate!

  The murderous urges racking his body were strong and Wyatt could feel himself giving in to the wolf’s desires but he made a fatal mistake. He took a breath. The fragrant scent of candy floss wrapped itself around his brain and refused to let go. So sweet….Kass. Though his heart was still racing, he felt the worst of his anger slip away. He might have lost Emily but now he had Kass and he couldn't be saddened by that fact. The woman in his arms was perfect, more than he could have imagined and he was lucky to have her. Emily was gone, there was nothing he could do to change that but he could make sure that the same thing didn’t happen to Kass and to make sure that he could protect her properly he couldn’t have his wolf mourning a dead woman.

  Our mate is right here. We haven’t lost her.

  The wolf was relentless. Emily died. She’s gone and she isn’t coming back.

  And if she was alive we wouldn’t have Kass. Are you telling me that you would prefer Emily to Kass….because even if I could go back and change the past I’m not sure I would.

  Silence followed his declaration and Wyatt’s calm disappeared instantly. There was nothing more dangerous than a silent wolf. Think very carefully about what you say next. Tensions running high the wolf stood ready to pounce.

  Wyatt gulped but ploughed on. He’d started down this road and there was no going back now. Think about it. What we felt for Emily wasn’t nearly as intense as what we feel now for Kass. Me and Emily were children and our emotions were those of children. I loved the idea of her and so did you. You loved what she was going to become not what she actually was but that isn’t the same with Kass. I love Kass exactly as she is and if you think about it so do you. Kass is….fearless. There’s no other woman out there that could deal with what she’s been through in the last few days with the calm and grace that she has….not even Emily. Emily was scared of her own shadow, can you imagine her accepting the fact that I’m a werewolf as calmly as Kass did. We’d be trying to calm her down for days. And I can’t believe that Emily would come alive in our arms like Kass has. Kass is our mate and if you can’t accept that then we have a problem. He bared his own fangs. If the wolf wanted a fight then he had one. There was no force on earth that could make him give up his mate. He’d let his wolf drive him mad because of Emily and he’d do the exact same thing if necessary to keep Kass.

  His mate had made her feelings on the matter very clear. She wasn’t going to tolerate being second best. Thankfully in his mind she was most definitely number one, there was no competing against perfection and that’s what Kass was to him. She might have had the same scent as Emily but everything else was distinctly Kassandra and he loved it all. The way she walked was enough to tempt a saint, her laugh had his stomach tightening with instant arousal and her body fit against his perfectly. She was perfect for him and he was slowly coming to the unwelcome conclusion that Emily was not. Losing Emily had been devastating but it might have been inevitable. There was no way that he could have had her and Kass at the same time. Yes, he was furious that Emily had died alone, murdered by the very same man that was after Kass but he wasn’t sad that she was gone. Nothing could make him feel anything but joy that he had Kass now.

  Silence followed as the wolf debated Wyatt’s words. He sighed heavily and Wyatt instantly relaxed. He knew what that sound meant. The wolf might not like it but it knew that he was right. We have Kass. It was the closest thing that Wyatt was going to get to an apology and he accepted it gratefully. But the bastard that killed Emily needs to die. He needs to die slowly and painfully and we’re going to be the ones to do it.

  Wyatt nodded in agreement. Finally something that he and the wolf could agree on. We know what he looks like and we know his scent. This part will be easy. First we’ll hunt him, we’ll let him know what it feels like to constantly be looking over your shoulder, to never feel safe because someone is stalking you.

  Yes, yes, yes. The wolf’s excitement was contagious and goaded Wyatt on.

  When he’s a nervous wreck I’ll move in. I’ll let him get in his car and I’ll chase him down like an animal. Maybe I’ll let him think he’s escaped but in the end I’ll catch him.

  You won’t kill him in the car?

  No, he doesn’t deserve to die so quickly. A lupine smile came to Wyatt’s lips. And I’m not nice enough to give it to him. He’s going to suffer. I’m going to make sure that he longs to die. He’s going to beg me to kill him but I’m not going to give it to him. I think I might spend the rest of his natural life torturing him. I learned a lot when I was training to be a guardian. I might have failed to protect Emily but that doesn’t mean the knowledge needs to go to waste.

  Seeing the gruesome images that filled Wyatt’s mind the wolf couldn’t help but to smile with him. I’m glad to see that you and I are finally on the same page. I can’t wait to get my hands on him.

  Chapter Twelve

  “He chose me over Emily?” Kass touched her lips, her mind still reeling from what she’d overheard.

  She’d never heard Wyatt’s wolf before but after being privy to their argument she could see how he’d driven Wyatt over the edge. The wolf was relentless and knew how to pile on guilt even when it wasn’t Wyatt’s fault. If he’d had a body of his own Kass would have like to give him a piece of her mind. There was no way Wyatt could do all that the wolf wanted him to do. The wolf was practically rabid and definitely needed help of the mental variety. Logic meant nothing when confronted with its wild impulses but Wyatt had stood up for her despite the wolf’s violent desires. Warmth filled her body and her smile widened. He’d chosen her. He’d fought for her. He’d fought for them. She wanted to hug him, to kill him….to break his phone into tiny little pieces.

  The annoying sound of his phone ringing was driving her insane! It wasn’t the first time she’d heard it but she’d been so engrossed in listening to Wyatt and the wolf that she’d been able to put the sound to the back of her mind but now that she’d heard all she needed to hear the phone was the only thing filling her ears. She gritted her teeth against its incessant noise and shoved Wyatt hard. He needed to deal with his phone before her patience ran out and she destroyed the device.

  Trying to get Wyatt’s attention with her much weaker body strength proved to be an exercise in futility. The phone thankfully stopped ringing as the voicemail kicked in and Kass breathed a short lived sigh of relief. The phone had only just stopped ringing when it began all over again. Clearly whoever needed to talk to Wyatt wasn’t going to stop until their urgent message reached his ears.

  “Wyatt!” She shoved him harder and shouted his name. “Wyatt, you need to answer your phone.” Wyatt, can’t you hear me? Apparently not if his continued silence was anything to go by.

  Long minutes passed where Kass shouted until her voice was hoarse and her already blooded arms sore from trying to get through to him. The phone only ever stopped ringing long enough for the mysterious caller to dial again. She’d tried reaching for his phone but his claws were embedded in her arms preventing her form moving far enough to reach it. Finally when she was close to admitting defeat, when she was on the verge of giving up and letting the ringing deafen her, she decided to try a different tactic. He’d told her enough times that his protective instincts would always see to her well being, it was time to put his words to the test.

  She sighed heavily. “Wyatt, I need you. I need your help.” Her words were soft, her voice long gone but she could feel him coming back to her. “I’m in trouble,” she lied. “I need you to protect me.”

  His response was instant. His eyes focused, his body tensed and he looked around the room frantically trying to track down the source of the danger. His eyes narrowed when he saw that nothing was out of place and he relaxed for a moment before the scent of blood hit him hard.

  “Kass.” His head swung round to look at her and
he could have wept when he saw that it was his claws that were again responsible for causing her pain. “You’re bleeding.”

  His pain rolled through her and it made the pain in her arm feel like nothing more than a scratch. Her lips parted, ready to tell him that it wasn’t as bad as it looked but his phone started to ring. “Argh,” she growled in frustration. “You need to answer your phone.”

  “It’s not important,” he said dismissively, gently retracting his claws and trying to cause as little damage as possible. “We need to get your arm taken care of. I can get Dylan -”

  The ringing was driving her crazy. “No,” Kass interrupted quickly. “You are going to answer your phone that is what you are going to do. My arm is fine.”

  “Your arm is not fine, you’re bleeding. My claws….”

  “Won’t do as much damage as I will if you don’t answer that damn phone. It hasn’t stopped ringing. Clearly someone is very desperate to speak to you.”

  “They can wait. We need to talk about this.” If I can’t stop myself from hurting her then she’s going to leave me. I can’t let that happen.

  “Trust me Wyatt, I’m not going any where. I understand why it happened. After getting a glimpse at what your wolf is like I completely understand why you struggle to control your temper but this…. this was an accident I know that. But, what’s about to happen to you because you ignored your phone is not going to be accidental now answer your damn phone.”

  He opened his mouth to protest but closed it quickly when he looked at her face. He’d seen that expression before and just like with his sister he knew there would be nothing that could change her mind. She wanted his phone answered and she wasn’t going to be doing any talking until that goal had been achieved.

  “Fine,” he grumbled. Shoving his hand into his pocket he pulled out his phone forced it against his face angrily. “What?” he snapped, eager to get back to talking to his mate.

  Silence came down the line for a split second before an annoyed and unfortunately familiar voice filled Wyatt’s ears. “You seem to forget who it is you’re talking to.”

  Wyatt froze. “Lord Michael.”

  “Exactly,” Michael crowed. “Lord. I am a Lord, your Lord to be precise and you will address me with the respect that my station commands or I will beat that respect into your bones.”

  Wyatt gritted his teeth to prevent a slew of curses pouring from his lips. “I didn’t realise it was you, I was with my mate.”

  “Your mating problems have nothing to do with me. What is important to me is the fact that you have been shirking your responsibilities. You owe me a years worth of service and I’m not going to let you keep avoiding it. I let myself be talked into letting you be a lone wolf for too long and that’s going to stop right now.”

  A growl slipped past his lips unintentionally. “I wasn’t safe to around,” Wyatt protested. Those years he’d been a danger to everyone including himself. The only thing he could do to make sure that those he cared about stayed safe was to take himself as far away as possible. Michael might be annoyed but he’d suffered through those years. Wolves weren’t meant to be alone and his self imposed exile had been harder than he’d imagined it would be.

  “Again you’re talking to me about things that aren’t my problem. It isn’t my fault that you couldn’t protect what’s important. I want you at the training grounds in ten minutes. You owe me service and I intend to collect.”

  His voice low and filled with anger, Wyatt growled down the phone. “My mate needs me. I can’t go anywhere.”

  “Wrong!” Michael shouted. “You can and you will. I don’t care if you have to bring her with you. You will be here in five minutes or I will remind you of what it’s like to be restrained. You won’t be any good to your mate lying bloody, broken and bound will you? Five minutes.” The line went dead and much as it pained him to do so, Wyatt sprung into action. Sweeping Kass into his arms, he raced out of the house, memories of the last time he’d been restrained filling his mind. It wasn’t a pleasant experience being beaten down by continuous waves of wolves determined to put you out of action but it was one he could have endured if not for Kass. After the vicious assault he would have been bound in silver chains for days as punishment and with the reminder of how he’d lost Emily fresh in his mind there was no way he could leave Kass’ side even for a day.

  “Wyatt!” Kass screamed. “What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” The wind whipped against her as he ran. Confused as hell by the sudden turn of events she struggled to think of who could have been on the phone and what they could have said that would inspire Wyatt to drag her out of the house dressed only in her pyjamas. Thankfully he slowed down enough that she didn’t have to shout to be heard but he didn’t stop, still determined to get to his destination, wherever that was.

  “I have to go to work.”

  “And we had to go right now, right at that very second? You couldn’t have given me even five minutes to get dressed?”

  “We only have five minutes to get there,” he responded instantly.

  “I’m sure your boss would understand if you were a few minutes late.”

  “That was him on the phone. He was the one that told me I had to be there in five minutes. He has a grudge against me and he told me very clearly that if I didn’t get there on time there would be consequences. And if it were as simple as just being fired I’d have told him to fuck himself but he was talking about restraining me. I can’t risk leaving you unguarded.”

  “He wants to lock you away if you’re late? Is he allowed to do that?”

  “He’s the Lord of my clan, he can do whatever he wants.”

  “But that sounds like a pretty extreme punishment for being a few minutes late. It sounds like he really doesn’t like you, what did you do to him to make him hate you so much?”

  “Me?” Wyatt scoffed. “I didn’t do anything. He has a grudge against me for something that I had nothing to do with. My sister, Erica and his mate Anna were best friends but Anna has issues. She thinks that Sebastian, Erica's mate and the man who helped raise me, is responsible for the death of her brothers. She hates him and us by association. If it were up to me I wouldn’t even be working for them.”

  “If you don’t like working for them and they don’t like you, why don’t you quit and find a job somewhere else?”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Nothing seems to be easy with you wolves. Explain it to me.”

  “I was born into his clan and even though I wasn’t brought up there I owe my clan a debt of service. I’m a protector and I need to look after mates who are in danger. I went AWOL when I lost Kass and left mates without my protection that’s why he’s so pissed.”

  “So what are we going to do when we get there?”

  Looking at the horizon, Wyatt was glad to see that there wasn’t far away. His time was almost up and he couldn’t forget the threat looming over his head. “I am going to go and train. That’s my job and you are going to go inside and stay there.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Deadly. You have no idea what the training grounds are like. They’re dangerous, too dangerous for you to be around. A place where a hundred fully grown wolves go for each other is not somewhere that you want to be when you’re not immortal. You need to be inside where it’s safe.” He could hear the sound of wolves snarling and the training grounds finally came into sight. “Please,” he begged. “Kass, please do this for me. I don’t have time to argue with you.” Anna was standing at the entrance quite clearly expecting him.

  Kass rolled her eyes about to protest when she saw exactly what Wyatt was talking about. The training ground was a barren space in front of what looked like a house but it was the massive wolves lunging for each other that had her complete attention. Their teeth tore into flesh and their claws raked over flesh and fur with little regard for life. “Are they trying to kill each other?” she gasped horrified.

  “No, they’re tr
aining.” Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing what happened up close and personal was clearly a more effective deterrent than his words had ever had the hope of being.

  “That isn’t training,” she said in disbelief, shaking her head as she watched one of the wolves leap on to another’s back and sink it’s fangs into the wolf’s throat.

  “You have to remember that we’re not human. He’s not going to die from a little wound like that. To kill a wolf you have to take its head off.”

  “Decapitation!” Kass gasped in surprised. “You have to cut their head off.”

  “If you have a sword or knife handy then I suppose you could cut it off, most of us just tear it off if that’s what we need to do.” Kass’ faced paled. “Now do you understand why I want you to stay inside?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Yup, I got it. I’m going to stay where it’s safe and you’re going to try not to get killed.”

  “Have some faith in your mate.” He laughed, lowering her to her feet. “I’m a tough cookie. It takes more than what they’re doing to put me out of action.”

  “Wyatt.” Anna’s voice travelled to his ears and he frowned watching her walk towards him. She was surrounded on all sides by some of the strongest wolves in the clan and malice wafted from her skin in waves. Her hazel eyes were filled with hate but he’d come to expect it from the small woman in front of him. Her brown hair had grown since the last time he’d seen her but she was no taller and being surrounded on all sides by towering giants only made her seem even smaller.

  I don’t like this. His wolf said quickly. Hackles raised, Wyatt tensed and pushed Kass behind his body. Something isn’t right here. We should go and take our mate out of here.