A Wolf's Obsession

by Jennifer T. Alli

  “Wyatt,” she called again. The distance between them was shrinking much faster than Wyatt would have liked and he was sorely tempted to take the wolf’s advice and flee.

  “What is it Lady Anna? I need to get to training.” He gripped Kass’ hand tightly and tried to walk past Anna but her guards refused to let him through. He bared his teeth, his heart beating faster as he prepared for whatever it was that Anna wanted of him. Whatever it was wasn’t going to be good.

  “There’s not going to be any training for you today.”

  He took a deep breath. “Why not? Lord Michael called me and said that it was time that I did my service. He made it quite clear that he expected me to be here doing my job and I can’t spend the rest of my life with a debt of service hanging over my head. The sooner I can do what I need to, the sooner we can go our separate ways.”

  Anna smiled and the normally warm gesture sent tremors down Wyatt’s spine. He’d never seen a smile seem so menacing whatever she was going to say he wasn’t going to like of that he was sure. “I can’t let you go anywhere. You’re going to be arrested and placed under restraint.”

  His face contorted into a mask of anger. “For what?”

  Anna stepped forward and pulled Kass out from behind Wyatt. “For mate abuse.”

  “I’d never–”

  Anna stopped him before he could formulate a protest to her accusation. “Don’t even try to deny it. I can smell the blood on her from here.”

  “What are you doing?” Kass struggled to get free of Anna but her grip was unrelenting. She looked back at Wyatt, pleading with her eyes for him to stop Anna moving her against her will but no help came. Small hands shoved Kass’ sleeve up and looked at the bleeding cuts in disgust. “Abusing a mate is a serious crime, if anyone should know that it’s you. You’re meant to be a guardian.”

  Wyatt’s lips parted briefly but his argument died before he managed a single sound. She’s right. I’m exactly what she says I am. I keep hurting her and what makes it worse is that I don’t mean to. I’m meant to protect her and I keep failing. If I’m restrained she’ll be safe from me. I could get Dylan to look after her; Ethan has no idea where she is. Kass will be protected until she’s immortal. He risked a glance at the object of his affections. This is what’s best for her.

  Even if Kass hadn’t been privy to Wyatt’s thought process she would have known exactly what he was planning on doing. Guilt was written all over his face and he couldn’t even look her in the eye. If this exact situation had happened even a few days ago she might have let herself be taken by Anna but things were different now. Wyatt was getting better. Yes it was true that he was responsible for her bleeding arm but Anna didn’t know the whole truth of the matter. He’d just found out that the woman he’d been mourning for years had thought of him in her final moments and that she’d died a terrible death. It was a lot for anyone to deal with especially a half mad wolf that was coming to mean a lot to her. Abuse implied intent and for all of his faults Wyatt had never intended to hurt her. It had been an accident and she wasn’t going to let him suffer for it. She’d seen what werewolves did to each other when they weren’t trying to punish and she didn’t even want to think of what they would do if they were going out of their way to cause harm. Decision made she snatched her arm back from Anna, wincing at the fresh pain that shot through her system.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied, slowly stepping back towards Wyatt. “Wyatt had nothing to do with these cuts. I did them to myself. Wyatt has done nothing but try to protect me since I got here.”

  Anna’s face contorted into a mask of anger as she stepped forward and grabbed Kass by her arm and pulled her back. “Don’t lie. Wolves can smell it. There’s no point in trying to protect him.” She turned to glare at Wyatt while forcing Kass to stand behind her. “Physically abusing a mate is one of our worst crimes and doing it to someone else’s mate,” she scoffed. “There’s nothing worse than that. We thought that letting you go rogue was what was best, clearly we were wrong.”

  Wyatt tensed, hoping his ears had deceived him. “What are you talking about Anna? I haven’t laid hands on any one else’s mate. The only woman I’ve seen since I came home is Kass. You don’t need to tell me just how wrong I’ve been by failing to protect her properly but it won’t happen again.”

  Anna smiled and the simple movement of her lips had Wyatt tensing in fear. Her smile was cold and her eyes as hard as stone. Something was going on and Wyatt knew he wasn’t going to like whatever it was she had to say next. “Wyatt,” she began softly, trying to appear as though she cared when nothing could be further from the truth. “We all know that wolves only get one mate. That’s why they’re so precious because if you lose your mate there are no second chances. Your mate, Emily, was taken from you and that was a tragedy. It still is. It’s so sad that you have to live the rest of your life without a mate. I don’t know how you cope knowing that there’s nothing you can do to bring her back. If I were you I think I would have taken my life a long time ago. Any other wolf would have done but your madness has let you keep living and we’ve let you do things that others would have been punished for because of your loss.” She shook her head sadly. “But this, this I can’t allow. You lost your mate and there’s nothing that can be done to get her back. Stealing someone else’s mate isn’t going to do anything to change what happened. This isn’t your mate. Your mate is dead.”

  “No.” Wyatt shook his head vigorously. “You don’t understand. Kass is my mate. Kass was Emily–”

  “More madness!” Anna interrupted stopping Wyatt from explaining himself. She glanced at the men who surrounded him. “Restrain him,” she ordered. “It’s for his own good. Nothing good can come from this obsession. The sooner I return this woman to her proper mate the faster you can start to heal.”

  As soon as the command left Anna’s lips the men surrounding Wyatt transformed. Kass’ heart began to race as images of Wyatt being torn limb from limb filled her mind. Thankfully Wyatt was prepared for battle. His transformation came almost as quickly as the wolves surrounding him. He bared his fangs and snarled in warning, his amber eyes watching as the wolves formed a circle, trapping him inside. His muscles tensed, ready for a fight. He knew what was coming next and it wasn’t pleasant. His eyes locked with Kass’ and he knew what he had to do.

  It isn’t as bad as it seems, he joked.

  Wyatt. She managed to keep her voice steady and her heart beating through sheer force of will but she didn’t hold out much hope for maintaining her false state of calm. Now isn’t the time to be making jokes.

  His voice turned serious as the wolves slowly closed in. I know. His mind pulled back for a moment as he swiped at the first wolf to breach the circle. Kass, we don’t have much time. These wolves are about to attack and when they do they’ll be ruthless. I’ll be able to take some of them out and buy you some time.

  Buy me some time? Some time for what?

  You need to get out of here. I’ll distract them and while they’re focused on me you need to run back home. Once you’re there, call Dylan, she’ll come and take care of you until I can get out.

  Wyatt I can’t leave you. We need to stay together until we can sort out this mating thing. Is what she said true? About you not being my mate.

  Never doubt that we’re mates, he hissed. We are mates and nothing anyone says or does will change that. And because we’re mates I’d lay down my life for yours. Now go!

  She didn’t get the chance to follow his orders. The wolves attacked and she couldn’t move because of fear for him. The wolves were vicious, tearing into Wyatt’s flesh and drawing blood with a savagery that she’d never seen before. They launched themselves at Wyatt, trying to pin him down and restrain him but Wyatt wasn’t going down without a fight. He was vicious, using his deadly claws to cut down any who tried to stand against him. His teeth sunk into flesh, savaging whoever had the misfortune of having his powerful jaws clamp against their fl
esh. Blood dripped from his fur as his attackers continued trying to break him but he fought on valiantly. Although it was horrifying to watch, Kass felt a strange sense of pride grip her. He was fighting for her, for them and in that moment she wanted to fight for them too. She took a step forward, fully intending to join the melee without any regard for her own safety. If Wyatt could stand and fight despite being vastly outnumbered she could too. She didn’t even make it two steps before she was yanked back hard.

  “Don’t even think it,” Anna hissed. “You’ll be killed.”

  Anna’s grip was hard, her fingers digging into Kass’ flesh and leaving bruises that burned but Kass refused to give up and twisted her arm wildly as she tried to get free. “Let me go! They’re killing him!”

  “It’s nothing less than he deserves and they’re not going to kill him. He needs to be restrained; he’s a danger to everyone around him. We should have done this years ago.”

  “No he’s not,” Kass protested angrily. She knew all too well of Wyatt’s mental condition and whatever deterioration Anna was talking about had long since passed. “He’s getting better every day. Please, stop hurting him. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” Wide eyed, she turned back to look at Wyatt. He was bleeding heavily and was starting to sway on his feet. He wasn’t going to last much longer. He was just one man fighting against too many enemies. Wolves lay moaning at his feet but for everyone Wyatt knocked out two more took their place.

  “This is the law. He hurt someone’s mate and now he has to pay the price.”

  Kass’ protest was immediate and heartfelt. “I’m not someone’s mate, I’m his and anything he’s done has been an accident. Wyatt hasn’t meant to hurt me. It wasn’t his fault.”

  Anna sneered. “Clearly his madness was contagious. I’m doing this for your own good.”

  The smile on Anna’s face said otherwise. Kass didn’t think she’d ever seen someone look so happy at the prospect of another’s misery outside of Ethan’s lust for her heart. Kass’ lips parted, ready to once again come to Wyatt’s defence but Anna didn’t give her the chance. It was all too easy to forget when looking at Anna’s small body that she was a wolf, it was a mistake that cost Kass dearly. Anna moved quickly, the hand on Kass’ arm tightening before she pulled Kass to her side. Before Kass could mount a protest Anna had lifted her off the ground and hefted her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

  Wyatt began to fade into the distance as Anna walked away from the fight confident that Wyatt would eventually succumb to the odds stacked against him. Unfortunately, from what Kass could see Anna was right to be so confident. He was wobbling on his feet, barely able to see through the blood dripping into his eyes and yet as soon as she called his name Kass had his full attention. Their eyes locked and his pained howl filled the air.

  The bond that had been so suspiciously quiet was suddenly overflowing with emotion. Pain, raw and ugly became her universe and tears welled in her eyes as understanding dawned upon her. In a few seconds Anna had managed to undo all the progress that Wyatt had made in reclaiming his humanity. Wyatt the man had been consumed by his rabid wolf half and Kass had no idea if she would ever see the man she’d come to care for again. When Wyatt managed to escape whatever cell Anna had planned for him, and the look in his eyes said there was no way he was going to be restrained for long, he’d be coming for her. Kass had spent her whole life on the run and she was going to have to put all that knowledge to work if she was going to escape the rabid wolf that now thought of her as its prey. Unfortunately when half of her mind was plotting how to get back to the crazed wolf she doubted that she was going to get very far.

  Anna was right about something. His madness is clearly contagious.

  The door slammed shut behind her and the pain that filled her bond doubled. Spots dotted her vision as her heart skipped a beat and with no Wyatt to stop it, the darkness spread until her grip on consciousness faded. Torn between wanting to run to a rabid, crazy wolf and wanting to escape him, for the first time in her life Kass didn’t try to fight the creeping darkness. There was peace in it, a peace that was now sorely missing in her life thanks to Anna’s actions.

  If I get the chance I’m going to take lessons from those wolves in how to be just as vicious as they were and then I’m going to take it out of Anna’s hide. Bitch.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The chains around his wrists burned. The silver shackles had burned away his skin and now the muscle underneath was sizzling away. Still, Wyatt fought against his restraints and once again lunged for the door that would grant his freedom. He wasn’t particularly concerned with being free but he needed to escape if he were ever to have his mate again. His bindings brought him inches short of his goal and he crashed into a silver lined wall. Angry with spittle dripping from his fangs Wyatt threw his head back and howled.

  When I get my hands on Anna I’m going to choke the life out of her. She thinks to keep me from my mate? She must want to die. He rolled his shoulders, gritted his teeth against the pain and forced his dislocated joints back into their rightful place.

  His body relatively mended, Wyatt stepped back until he was flush against the only non-silver wall. His hair had escaped the confines of its band long ago and he had to constantly flick sweaty strands out of his face so that he could better glare at the door. His wild eyes darted back and forth before he lunged for the door once more. He failed to reach his target and as he repaired his dislodged joints again he came to realise that he’d lost his mind. Again.

  On any other day he’d know that it was madness to continue with his current course of action. He’d be the first to admit that there was nothing to be gained from heaping injury on to injury but not today. From the moment he’d woken he’d done nothing but slam his body into every accessible wall of his cell until his blood covered the walls and his burned skin lined the floor. Madness was certainly not for the faint of heart or those with a low tolerance for pain. Still, he mused, insanity had its advantages. For one, he had yet to be beaten by the waves of wolves that traditionally came with being restrained. There was no need for others to beat him when he was doing such a good job of it himself. There was pity in the eyes of his jailors. He could hear their whispered conversations when they changed shifts. They thought they understood his pain and were loathe to harm a wolf that was only mourning for his lost mate. It didn’t matter how many times he screamed that his mate was alive, none of them believed his desperate cries and the pity in their eyes only deepened the longer he howled. Thankfully his madness meant he couldn’t care less that every member of his clan thought that he was mad beyond redemption. He knew that his mate was alive and that was all that mattered.

  A disadvantage of insanity? The fact he couldn’t stop himself from doing something that drained his strength. With each collision with the silver he lost blood and his strength was waning. He had a very suspicious feeling that Anna was waiting for him to be at his weakest before she launched another offensive. It hadn’t been an easy job to get him down here and her men probably needed the rest. So while they recovering and getting stronger, he was getting weaker.

  A brief touch of Kass’ mind would easily bring him back from the edge of madness but his instinct had left him just enough sanity to prevent that from happening. He might not have claimed her but his bond with Kass was strong. It was so strong that she’d felt his pain as Anna had carried her away. He’d heard her scream fill the air, had felt her fear as pain that didn’t belong to her had flooded her small body and knocked the air from her lungs and the light from her eyes. He’d felt her heart stutter, skip a beat and then stop. His world had stopped for agonising minutes until he’d felt the vital organ beat again. He might be risking his sanity by not holding on to a link that would save his mind but he wouldn’t take chances with Kass’ life. Once had been more than enough.

  When are we going to get out of here and get our mate? His wolf snarled. Who knows what’s happening to her while we’re down here.
<
br />   Blood pounded in his ears at the reminder. Mates never separated and mates never hurt each other. Yet he’d done both in less than 24 hours. His connection to Kass had put her life in anger. Her beautiful body was not designed to withstand the pain his could take. He’d let Anna carry her away from him and ever second they were apart was another chance for her heart to fail again. He pulled on the chains, trying to force them or the wall to give way. Neither budged. Heart racing he readied himself for another attempt at the door. It was his only chance to reach Kass and it didn’t matter if he had to break every bone in his body and destroy every inch of his skin the end result would be worth it.

  His body tensed as a familiar and distinctly unwelcome scent filled his nose. His claws lengthened, shredding his palms as his hands balled into fists. Fangs descended from his gums as he readied himself to attack. He heard her shoes clicking along the floor and her slow gait only served to anger him further. Who did she think she was? She’d taken his mate and was deliberately taking her time to get to him. His fury intensified so that when she finally came into sight Wyatt was almost overwhelmed with the need to kill her.

  “Wyatt,” she purred, smiling warmly at him. Her hands reached for the bars but she pulled back at the last minute.

  Smart woman. If she’d touched the bars Wyatt would have done his utmost to rip her hands off. “Where’s my mate?” he growled.

  Anna frowned and cocked her head to one side in confusion. “Your mate is dead. You know that Wyatt. Emily’s death was a tragedy but now that you’re back with the clan we can help you.”

  “Fuck you!” he snarled lunging towards her only to be brought short by the chains burning his skin. “My mate is alive! Where is Kass? If you’ve hurt her I swear I will kill you.”

  She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Oh yes, Kassandra. The human. She’s safe though for how long I can’t be sure. Humans are so fragile, so mortal.”