A Wolf's Obsession

by Jennifer T. Alli

  Breathing became hard for Wyatt as poison continued to flow from Anna’s mouth.

  “She died you know? Kass I mean although Emily died too. Her heart stopped. She wasn’t breathing. She just lay there like a corpse.”

  Anna’s smile widened as she watched the little sanity left flee from Wyatt’s amber eyes. Gone were the brown hues that had shown his humanity to the world and in their place was the glowing gold of a feral wolf. And yet Anna continued her merciless assault.

  “She was just lucky there was someone there who knew CPR or whatever it is the humans call it. They breathed life into her, had their hands all over her chest and made her heart start again.

  The idea that someone had touched his mate made Wyatt see red. Unable to reach Anna, he clawed savagely at his own chest splattering blood all over his cell. It didn’t matter that they’d done it to save her life. Her life would never have been in danger if Anna hadn’t taken her from him. “Give me back my mate!”

  “Wyatt,” she gasped, pretending to care. “Stop hurting yourself. This isn’t helping. I need you to understand me. Kass isn’t your mate. She’s not yours.”

  “I know my mate. I know her scent–“

  “You’ve confused her scent Wyatt. Your instincts as a guardian have led you to this woman and seeing as your mate is dead that can only mean one thing. You’ve scented out the mate of one of your clansmen. If your mind wasn’t so messed up you would understand, you would know that what you think has happened just isn’t possible. On behalf of Kass’ mate I just want to say thank you. You’ve done him a huge service.”

  “Mine,” he snarled nearly incoherent in his anger. “Mine. My mate. Kass is mine.” He was foaming at the mouth, his muscles straining with the desire to be unleashed.

  “No she isn’t and as soon as she wakes up we’ll start showing her to unmated males in the clan. I’m sure we’ll find her mate soon and when we do he can claim her quickly so that you come to understand that she’s not yours.”

  “Let another man touch what’s mine and I swear to kill you slowly. I’ll tear your heart out, rip your intestines from your body, pull out your spine and bury you alive in a silver coffin!”

  Anna smiled and straightened her spine as donned her cloak of superiority. “Wyatt you seem to have forgotten who it is you’re talking to. I am a lady and the leader of your clan–”

  “Not my clan,” he spar, fury radiating from his every pore.

  “It doesn’t matter what you think is true. The fact is I am your leader and you just threatened my life. Words like that have consequences.”

  “You threatened your own life when you took my mate from me.”

  “Wyatt, I’m sympathetic to your plight but it’s clear that what we’ve been doing isn’t working.” She sighed. “It’s clear to me now that I’m going to have to restrain you indefinitely.” She turned to the guards outside of his cell. “Wouldn’t you agree that’s the best thing we can do for him?”

  “My lady?” the guard asked, confused at being involved.

  “You’ve been listening to him. You’ve seen how he’s behaved. Would you feel comfortable letting him wander free in the clan? Would you let him anywhere near your mate?”

  The guard cast his gaze inside the cell, his brow drawing into a frown the longer he looked at Wyatt. He was covered in his own blood; claw marks were all over his chest and dirty hair hung into his eyes. His claws twitched constantly as though he was desperate to sink them into flesh. His fangs were dripping with blood lust and his body was covered in blisters. He looked deranged. The guard shook his head. “It isn’t my place to say but I agree with you lady Anna. He’s a risk to anyone around him and if I had a mate I wouldn’t want her anywhere near him.”

  Anna gasped. “You mean that a brave man like you hasn’t found his mate yet?” The guard shook his head. “This may just be your lucky day. The woman he brought back is definitely meant to be with a male from our clan. Maybe it’s you. Would you like to scent her and see if she’s your mate?”

  “Touch her and die!” Wyatt howled.

  The guard gulped before gathering his courage. “If she is my mate I’ll protect her.” He turned to look at Wyatt. “This woman might not be my mate but she is definitely not yours.”

  “Come,” Anna instructed. “Let’s go. The first wave will be here soon and maybe after they’re through with him he’ll be more reasonable.”

  Wyatt watched them walk away and his mind went blank. If Anna’s goal had been to drive him irrevocably mad she’d succeeded. Madness brought with it an eerie sense of calm. His problems boiled down to prizes and obstacles preventing him from reaching his reward. The world was black and white with no murky shades of grey to confuse him and stop him from going after what he wanted. Prize? Getting his mate back and savouring the sensation of Kass in his arms. To be able to kiss her luscious lips, to sink into the warmth of her sheath and finally taste her desire from its source between her thighs. He’d be able to see her smile, hear her tell him that she loved him. It was definitely a prize worth any sacrifice. Obstacles? His silver shackles, bring imprisoned within this cell and Anna. If could overcome those three obstacles the path to his prize would be clear.

  If you could get out of these shackles you could escape this cell, kill Anna and find Kass in a flash.

  Wyatt nodded. The wolf was right. As soon as he was free of his chains he’d be well on his way to getting his reward. He looked down at the blistered and bloody skin of his hands and came up with a solution to his problem. Undaunted by what he was about to do; Wyatt raised his wrist to his mouth and bit down hard. Blood spurted all over his face but he didn’t stop. He tore into his flesh, shredding muscles and crunching through bone. There was no way he was going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of reaching his goal. If he had to gnaw of a limb or two then so be it. They’d grow back in time for him to hold Kass in his arms.

  His progress was slow, hampered as it was by the pain and blood loss but Wyatt never lost sight of what was important. He slid to the ground weakened by the sheer volume of blood that he’d given to the walls of his cell. Spots danced in front of his eyes but with a final bite Wyatt severed his hand from his body. His head fell back, a smile gracing his lips as the euphoria of his win floated through him.

  One down, one to go.

  He smiled and willed his other hand to rise. His hand barely twitched. The black spots in his eyes grew as weakness battered his body and he knew he was going to pass out. Feet beat against the corridor leading to his cell and he cursed. He hadn’t managed to free his other hand and now the guards would know of his plan to escape. His eyelids were heavy but he fought to keep them open and continued willing his hand to his mouth. If he could just bite his other hand free he could try to make his escape when they opened the door. Too exhausted to turn his head Wyatt managed to glance down at his still attached hand. Nothing. Not even a twitch.

  He could hear horrified gasps filling the air as the first wave came to beat him into submission only to find that they were too late. Defiant despite his condition, Wyatt growled at his would be attackers. They were as much an obstacle as Anna and his cage. Unfortunately, while his mind was strong, his body was weak. His growl tapered off as he passed out from blood loss, the damage he’d done to his body finally taking its toll.

  *******

  This is heaven, Wyatt thought. He had no idea where he was, though judging from the white walls, ceiling and floor he was in a psychiatric hospital. Still, he was surrounded by the scent of candyfloss and gentle hands stroked his face while an angel whispered soothing words to him.

  “Kass,” he murmured sleepily. He blinked and his mate’s beautiful face came into focus. He frowned, confused by her tears and what she was going in this strange place with him. If Anna had forced her to share his fate he’d change his plan to kill her quickly. Instead he’d make her suffer, he’d torture her until she cried and begged for death.

  “Why are you crying? Did Ann
a do something to you?” He reached up to brush her tears away but the absence of fingers made him frown until he remembered what had happened to them. A smile broke out on his face. His plan had clearly worked. He’d gotten away from Anna and found his mate.

  Shame I can’t remember any of it. He would have liked to make sure that he’d taken care of Anna in the most painful way possible. Still, he had more important things to deal with, namely Kass’ tears. “Don’t cry Kass. I took care of Anna.” I think. “She’s not going to hurt you anymore. Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

  Sniffing Kass wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “That isn’t why I’m crying. Only you would think that I’m crying over myself instead of you. Wyatt,” she sobbed, her tears coming back in force as she tried to explain herself. She reached out for his arm and gently ran her fingers over the jagged skin that should have led to a hand. “What happened to your hand? What did they do to you?”

  He shrugged unconcerned by the self-inflicted injury. “I did this to myself.” Kass’ face lost all colour, her eyes widening in horror and her lips parting in a silent scream. Wyatt rushed to explain, forcing himself to sit up even though he wanted nothing more than to stay exactly where he was. “It’s okay Kass, it’ll heal.”

  “What were you thinking?” she shrieked. “What possessed you to do this to yourself?”

  “I was in a silver cage, bound by silver chains. I tried everything I could to get out but nothing worked. I had to get to you. When Anna said she was going to have others scent you to see if you were their mate I lost it. I bit my hand off and got out of the shackles and then I came to get you.”

  “Wyatt what are you talking about? I haven’t met any other men and I don’t remember you coming to rescue me.”

  “But I must have come for you otherwise how are we here?”

  “The last thing I remember was someone carrying me to bed. I fell asleep and I was here.”

  Amber eyes looked around the room again seeing their surroundings with new eyes. The walls weren’t real and neither was the floor, both were hazy and couldn’t really be touched. “A dream? This is a dream?” He looked at Kass and sighed. He’d so wanted this to be real. He touched her face with the fingers on his good hand. “You feel so real.”

  “I am real,” Kass snapped. “You’re in my dream.” She slapped a hand against her brow and shook her head. Although why I’d dream that you’d bitten your hand off I don’t know. Maybe I’m going crazy too.”

  If there was one thing his mate wasn’t it was crazy. If they both felt real then there had to be another explanation.

  Of course there is, his wolf yawned.

  Care to enlighten us? It was the first time Kass had ever spoken directly to the wolf but nervousness made her fear of the creature fade. While the wolf was clearly deranged and feral it was still part of Wyatt. It wasn’t going to hurt her.

  Anything for you mate. You’re sharing a dream. Idiot up front refused to reach for our bond when he needed it most and the instinct responded.

  “If you needed me Wyatt why didn’t you try to speak to me? Before I fell asleep I kept trying to talk to you but you didn’t let me in. You pushed me out. Why?”

  His eyes flashed brown but the gentle shade disappeared in an instant as unwanted memories came to the front of his mind. “Because my pain killed you. Your heart stopped because your body couldn’t take what they were doing to me outside. What I did to myself in that cell was worse. I couldn’t let you go through that again. I couldn’t take the risk of it happening again.”

  What he’d done to himself because he couldn’t talk to her was awful but Kass found herself agreeing with his reasons. She’d died, her heart had stopped beating and it was lucky that someone had managed to restart it. They couldn’t take that chance again. “It doesn’t matter, you’re here now and whatever you did to yourself, I can’t feel it.”

  “But for how long? You could wake up any minute and Anna will be waiting.” His body tensed, his hands balling into fists. “There’ll be males lined up waiting to try and take you from me.”

  Kass sighed and leaned into Wyatt. His arms surrounded her in his warmth and she smiled. “It doesn’t matter how many men she puts in front of me. I only have one mate.”

  After hearing those words Wyatt was sure he could die a happy man. “My mate,” he breathed, content with his lot in life. “You know that’s the first time you’ve called me your mate?”

  Red stained her cheeks but she smiled nonetheless. “Well that’s what you are Wyatt and the fact we’re having this conversation proves that. You might be a very strange wolf but you’re brave and loyal to a fault and most importantly you never give up on me.”

  “That because I love you mate, from the bottom of my heart and with every fibre of my being. You’re my life Kass.” His eyes slid shut when she leaned up to kiss his cheek. Her scent was intoxicating and having her in his arms was a slice of heaven but he couldn’t get away from the fact that this peace could be torn away at any second. It doesn’t matter if she wakes up soon. I’ll escape that cell and find her.

  Pulling back Kass fixed him with a stern glare. “No you won’t Wyatt. I know what happened when you’re restrained, I saw it in your memories. Trying to escape will only cause you more pain and then you’ll end up doing something rash.”

  “I can’t leave you with her. The idea that she’ll be trying to have someone else claim you for their mate drives me crazy.”

  “I’ll find a way to get free Wyatt. It’s something of a speciality of mine. Besides, if I don’t like something that she’s doing I can always set myself on fire.” He growled in response. “Don’t try to take that tone with me Mr. torn out heart-bitten off hand. My stunt with fire would leave me in perfect health unlike some people I know. I’d be naked but I’d have all my limbs, all my organs would be in my body and I wouldn’t have a single burn to show for it. As soon as I found clothes I could be on my way to rescue you.”

  Wyatt groaned as his shaft hardened, the mere thought of her naked sent his blood racing south. His desire grew quickly and soon he had trouble making out any of the words she spoke. All he could think of was her beautiful mouth. He couldn’t help himself from running his thumb over the soft skin of her bottom lip.

  That one simple caress had him springing into action. He pulled her close and captured her mouth. Pleasure spiked through him and his mind went blank. All he could think about was getting more. He slanted his lips over her, devouring her moans of pleasure as he pulled her closer. He could feel her nipples tightening against his chest and the thought of touching the hard little nubs spurred him on even more. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, thrusting hard as though it was their mouths that were having sex.

  She tastes so good, so sweet. He groaned into her mouth and moved her body so that she was straddling his hips.

  “Wyatt!” Kass screamed, shuddering with pleasure as the hardness of Wyatt’s shaft ground against her sex. She could feel her body readying for him. Her underwear was wet, clinging to the silken folds of her sex as she ground her hips against him reaching for the pleasure that was just out of reach. An inhuman growl filled the air but rather than scare her, the sound excited her. She threw her head back, threaded her fingers around his neck and ground herself against him, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body.

  “Kass.” His eyes were drawn to her lips and he couldn’t help himself. He kissed her, drew her full lower lip between his teeth and bit her. His instincts were riding him hard.

  Mark her, the wolf demanded. Mark her so that everyone knows who her true mate really is.

  When she licked the blood from her lips and smiled, the apology that had been on the tip of his tongue vanished. He needed her badly and had serious doubts over the strength of his control. If she wanted wild he would be more than happy to meet her needs.

  She leaned back in, eager for another taste of his lips but pulled back when she felt a sharp yank from within
her body. Eyes wide, she shook her head in denial but that didn’t stop the pulling sensation from getting stronger. “Wyatt,” she panicked. “I’m waking up!”

  He growled and bared his teeth. “No, no Kass. Stay with me”

  A sad smile came to her face. “I can’t. If only you knew how much I want to stay here with you.”

  He cupped her cheeks and forced her to meet his fierce gaze. “I know. I know.”

  She laid her hand over his and sighed, relishing their connection. “Promise me Wyatt, promise me you won’t do anything else to hurt yourself. I’ll find a way to get you out. Don’t do anything rash while we’re apart. Promise me.”

  Closing his eyes against the silent plea in her sparking gaze Wyatt sighed. “I can’t Kass. Here I have you and you push the madness back. When I wake up my mind will be lost to me. I won’t be able to think of anything besides getting to you. I can’t promise you anything knowing that I’m going to break it.” Already he could feel his grip on sanity loosening as Kass faded out of his arms.

  She pressed a short, hard kiss to his lips. “Wyatt, try not to do anything stupid. I’m coming for you and that’s a promise.”

  She was nearly gone now. Her body had become insubstantial leaving him with nothing but an outline. “Why?”

  Her words were barely audible even with his enhanced hearing but they would provide him comfort in the long, dark times ahead.

  “Because you’re my mate.”

  And with those words she was gone leaving Wyatt with nothing but memories to try and hold back the madness that was creeping on him once again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Looking around the room Kass sighed. Nothing had changed since she’d fallen asleep. The walls were still pale, the bed still large and the door was probably still locked.

  “One, I’m alive,” she began, her daily ritual unchanged by her location. “Two, I’m relatively safe.” She touched a finger to her tingling lips and a large smile came to her face. Her lip was bleeding and she knew exactly who the culprit was. “Three, that dream was real.”