She shot out of bed. The dream was real which meant that Wyatt was in danger. If she didn’t find a way to get him out he would do more damage to himself. She shuddered remembering the ugly stump on his arm. He’d bitten through his skin and bone trying to reach her and failed. Who knew what he would do next? Her stomach tightened with dread. It was strange to feel so worried about someone else but she couldn’t stop herself with Wyatt. He brought out feelings she’d never experienced before and she had a sinking feeling she’d only ever feel that way about him.
“Wyatt.” Even just saying his name sent butterflies to her stomach and made her heart flutter. It also spurred her into action.
She rushed to the door, vainly hoping that it wouldn’t be locked. When she turned the handle nothing happened but Kass was undeterred. Dashing to the nearest window she pulled open the blinds and tottered back. She was most definitely not on the ground. Most girls dreamt of being a fairytale princess but Kass had certainly never wanted to be a damsel in distress trapped in a tower. Anna definitely wasn’t trying to make her feel like a guest.
The door opened and Anna walked in. Kass froze trying to decide what the best greeting would be. Should she be on the offensive and demand to be released or should she try a different approach?
Decisions, decision. Well she’s not going to let me out if I ask her to. If she wasn’t determined to keep me here she wouldn’t have locked the door. Decision made, Kass forced her body to relax and pushed the anger from her mind. This wasn’t the first time she’d had to pretend to feel something in order to escape. It was hard but she had to appear helpless. People let their guard down around those they thought were vulnerable and as soon as Anna’s guard slipped, Kass would slip out the door.
“Where am I?” She cast her eyes around the room trying hard to look confused. “What happened to me?”
The brief smile that came to Anna’s face made Kass want to jump up and down in celebration. Her lie was working.
“You poor thing,” Anna cooed, walking into the room and taking Kass by the hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything. There’s no need to be afraid.”
It grated on Kass’ nerves when Anna took her by the hand and made her sit down. She wanted to snap that she wasn’t a child but forced her temper away. Anna was clearly a woman that was happiest when she was in control. Let her think she has it. Her arrogance is going to let me get away. She bowed her head and hid a small smile behind a curtain of hair.
“Kass? Kassandra?” Kass looked up and quickly forced her face to go blank once again. “Do you prefer Kass or would you like to be called Kassandra?”
“Kass. I like Kass.”
Anna’s nose twitched as she scented the air and Kass’ heart sank.
She can smell a lie. Blue eyes wandered assessingly over Kass’ frame. That’s going to make things difficult. Difficult but not impossible. Even more determined now, Kass resumed her helpless persona. “Are you going to explain to me what happened?”
“Of course,” Anna gushed. “I just don’t want you to pass out again and some of the things I have to say aren’t pleasant.”
I’m sure they’re not. “Please tell me,” she whined. The sound grated on her own ears but Anna seemed pleased enough with Kass’ subservient tone.
“The man who took you, Wyatt Sutherland, is a wolf.”
An easy one. “I know that.”
“Wyatt’s mind isn’t right. He thinks that you’re someone you’re not. He thinks that you’re his mate and that just isn’t true.” She sighed and sat down beside Kass. “Wyatt hasn’t been well for a long time but we never thought he’d do something like this.”
“Like what exactly?”
Anna rolled her eyes but ploughed on. “Take someone else’s mate and hurt her.”
“He said I’m his mate, how can you be sure that I’m not?”
“Everything Wyatt said to you was a lie. His mate was called Emily and she died. Wolves only ever get one mate and when she died his mind snapped. It isn’t natural for males to be without their mates for so long. He confused what he felt for you with what he felt for his dead mate. I’m sorry that he hurt you because of it but he’s finally getting the help that he needs.”
If being trapped in a cage is your idea of help then you’re crazier than Wyatt. Angry with Anna’s words, Kass couldn’t help it when her hands balled into fists. It was harder than she’d thought it would be to sit next to someone responsible for hurting someone you cared about. She forced herself to take a deep breath and relax her fingers. She was doing a good job faking her emotions by sticking to asking questions, she couldn’t ruin it now. “So what’s going to happen to me? If I’m not Wyatt’s mate then I have no reason to be here. Are you sending me home?”
Anna shook her head and did her best to look saddened by the news she was about to deliver. “I can’t let you leave here.”
“Why?” Her voice was terse, cracks beginning to appear in her oblivious façade.
Unconcerned by the change in Kass’ voice, Anna continued her speech. “Because while you’re not Wyatt’s mate that doesn’t mean you don’t belong to someone else. Wyatt’s instinct must have confused you for his mate because you have a real mate within the clan. I don’t expect you to understand what all this means. Humans just don’t do well when it comes to instincts and knowing who you’re destined to be with. That’s all right though because when we do find your mate he’ll explain everything to you. I’ll never understand it myself but mates are willing to put up with a lot when they have human mates. You should count yourself lucky that you’re going to have a mate soon. They can get revenge on your behalf for all those bruises. That’ll definitely make Wyatt understand that you aren’t his.”
The bruises that minutes ago hadn’t even registered in Kass’ mind were suddenly massive. She squirmed, tugging on her sleeve to hide the marks. The bruises on her body were a sign of passion; Anna had no right to make them seem dirty. She was only bruised because Wyatt had held her too tight trying to protect her from the enemies of the past that were still lurking about today. The scratches were only there because he had tried to protect her from an army of vicious wolves who had turned on him instead of her. The marks on her body weren’t the result of a fight, they were there because her true mate loved and cherished her. With that being the case she wasn’t going to hide them. Each and every scar was a badge of honour. She stopped pulling at her sleeves and turned to look at Anna directly. “And what if I don’t want a mate?”
Anna’s smile faded. “I still couldn’t let you leave. You’d be a risk to my clan. We couldn’t have you wandering around telling humans that werewolves are real. Humans are a threat to us unless they’re mated.”
“So you’d keep me locked up here for the rest of my life?”
“If that’s what was necessary then yes. I’m a Lady and that makes me responsible for the safety and well being of everyone within my clan. I have to protect me people. The needs of the many come before the wants of the few.”
“And what if my mate isn’t here? What if none of the men you bring up here say that I’m their mate? Would you still keep me even then?”
“Yes. Even if your mate isn’t here the fact that you’re a danger to us wouldn’t have changed.”
“But I wouldn’t tell anyone I swear.”
“It’s too much of a risk. I can’t trust that you would keep us a secret. I know nothing about you and there’s every possibility that you could sell us out for money. No, you either leave here mated or you don’t leave here at all.”
Anna’s voice revealed a stubbornness that made Kass groan. Even if Anna did lower her guard it probably wouldn’t be for weeks. The woman was paranoid and that did nothing to help Kass’ plans to escape. Even if she had the patience to wait that long Wyatt didn’t. She shuddered to think of the damage he could do to himself if he had to wait for weeks in his cell. I need to regroup. What could it hurt to let Anna do this? It isn’t like I can be mated to
two people. While Anna leads her three ring circus I can think of how to get out here. “It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice in the matter. If you want to have these men come in here to smell me then fine.”
Clearly pleased with Kass’ decision, Anna clapped her hands joyfully and beamed with excitement. “I knew you’d come around to my way of thinking.” She patted Kass’ hand with false care. “This really is for the best. When your real mate claims you, you’ll thank me. There are some clothes in the closet that should fit you. Get changed and make yourself presentable. You don’t want to meet you mate dressed in your pyjamas. This memory is going to be with him for a long time, you want to make sure it’s special…something he’ll never forget. I’ll be back in a few minutes with the first male.” Anna flashed a smile before dashing from the room.
Slightly stunned by Anna’s command Kass didn’t move. Long moments passed before she was overwhelmed by a wave of defiance. She’d met her mate wearing a dirty waitress uniform and he hadn’t seemed to mind. Wyatt thought she looked beautiful no matter what she was wearing, she didn’t need to impress anyone. Rather than change, as instructed, Kass sat on the bed and waited.
It didn’t take long for Anna to return and when she did the smile on her face turned to a scowl when she saw Kass still dressed in her pyjamas. Undeterred, she breezed into the room leading a strange man in with her.
“Steven, this is Kass. I’ll give you a few minutes alone. Good luck.”
From the corner of her eyes Kass watched as Anna left and Steven inched closer. He lifted his head to the slight breeze drifting in and took a deep breath. He sighed, his shoulders drooped. Her scent inspired nothing in him. “You’re not my mate.”
He sounded so dejected that Kass almost felt sorry for him. Almost but not quite. When he left she experienced a brief moment of relief but it ended quickly when Anna returned with another man.
The same scene played out for what seemed like hours. Anna brought a new man in, he smelt the air, realised she wasn’t his mate and left. Throughout it all Kass remained unmoving until an idea formed. It built slowly but then quickly gathered steam. Her lips twitched into a smile as the plan was cemented. She watched Anna introduce yet another man before she flounced out of the room.
“Damien.” It was the first time she’d spoken to one of the men Anna had foisted upon her and she only spoke because she had a purpose, one that she was determined to see through.
His grey eyes locked with hers. “Yes?”
“Am I your mate?” Her voice was soft but each word compelled him to tell the truth. It was time she stopped being a victim. She was a phoenix and now was the time to master her gifts. She’d find out exactly what she needed to save Wyatt and then she’d rescue him for once.
He blinked as though confused but he didn’t have a choice but to answer. “No, no I’m not.”
“You might have needed to smell me to come to that conclusion but I didn’t. I knew the second that you came in, no, before you even came anywhere near this room that none of you were my mate. I have a mate, his name is Wyatt. Wyatt Sutherland. Have you seen him?”
Damien nodded. “I’m one of his guards.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s lost his mind and is a danger to everyone around him. When a wolf goes feral…there’s no coming back from it. If he really is your mate I’m sorry for your loss.”
“He isn’t lost yet. If I can get to him he’ll recover.”
“You haven’t seen him. You don’t know just how lost he is.”
“That isn’t your problem. I need to get out of here and get back to him. How can I do that? How can I get back to my mate?”
“There’s no way for a human to escape from here. Even if you were a wolf it would be hard.” He cast his gaze towards the window. “You’d need to jump out of the window. As a wolf your bones would mend but you’d die as a human.”
“There has to be another way out.”
“There’s only the window or having Lady Anna let you go.”
Seeing an opportunity Kass took it. She wasn’t going to be jumping out of any windows, crazy stunts like that were Wyatt’s territory, but Anna…Anna was a chance that she wasn’t going to pass up. If the woman had any weaknesses Kass fully intended to exploit them. “What would I have to do so that Anna would willingly let me go?”
“She can’t let you go without a mate. You’re too much of a risk to the clans. The only way we could be sure that you weren’t a danger to us is if you had a mate. If you had a mate then what affected him would affect you too.”
“Tell me about it,” she muttered, fully agreeing with his words. When she’d seen the ugly stump of Wyatt’s hand she’d almost wished it had been her who was hurt. Anything that affected Wyatt definitely had a direct impact on her.
“I’m sorry but without a mate unless you can fly out of the window then you’re stuck here.”
Her chest began to feel tight and she knew that her time was short. She had to get her answers soon. “I have a mate. Why won’t she just listen to us? Wyatt is my mate and if she let him out of his prison she’d see that.”
“You don’t bear his mark, until you do you’re not fully mated and he has no right to demand that you be returned to him. Without that mark you’re nothing but a human who is out of her depth.”
“So if I had this mark, Anna would have to let me go?”
“We’d all know that you were mated. You can’t keep mates apart.” He said it as thought it was something she should have known from birth and it made Kass scowl. These wolves had strange ways, how exactly did an outsider learn them all? She forced the question to the back of her mind. She didn’t have long to get the information she needed. Already she was starting to feel weak and without Wyatt or her medicine weakness wasn’t something she could afford.
“So what does this mark look like and how do I get one?”
“When your true mate claims you he’ll bite you here.” He pointed to the tender skin where his neck met his shoulder. “If the claiming is successful there will be an imprint of his teeth with his initial in the middle. That mark is permanent and lets everyone know exactly who your mate is.” Damien sighed as Kass let her power over him fall to the wayside. She had the information she needed; there was no point in keeping him here any longer.
No longer compelled by the urge to answer Kass’ questions, the guard shook out his limbs and left the room. She wasn’t his mate and if she wanted the mad wolf in the dungeon then good luck to her.
The sun had started to set by the time Damien left and Kass hoped that meant the last of the strange wolves. She knew better than to think there wouldn’t be more tomorrow, Anna seemed intent on finding her a mate that wasn’t Wyatt but hopefully the steady stream of men pouring into her space was at and end for the day. She needed time to think. Damien had been very informative but that didn’t mean his information was useful. She couldn’t survive a fall from this height without her immortality firmly in place, which meant that the first of her two options was useless. That left her option two. To be claimed and marked. The claiming wasn’t viable until after her birthday when making love to Wyatt wouldn’t mean signing her own death certificate. Even if she could make love to him before that date there was still the minor problem of them being apart which made it impossible.
Her mind reeling, Kass fell back onto the bed, her arms splayed wide. Trying hard to think about how she could get around her problems, she sucked her lip into her mouth. Blood hit her taste buds as an old wound reopened and she jerked back up as realisation dawned upon her. She touched her bleeding lip and stared hard at the red straining her fingertips. Her lip had definitely not been bleeding before she fell asleep.
“Wyatt,” she murmured remembering exactly how she had acquired her bleeding lip. “But it was a dream.” A dream that was real. We were both there, sharing a space we made, if something happens there then it becomes real.
Her path became crystal clear. If she coul
d get back into Wyatt’s head she could talk him into giving her his mark and Anna would have no choice but to let her go to him. The door opened and Kass rolled her eyes at the unwanted visitor. Speak of the devil…
“Well Kass,” Anna began, placing a tray of food on the first flat surface she saw. “We haven’t found your mate yet but don’t worry, there’s plenty of time.”
Don’t say anything, her brain cautioned. She didn’t need Anna getting wind of her plan and she certainly didn’t want to get Anna any reason to make Wyatt suffer because of something she’d said. Just stay quiet and hopefully she’ll go away.
Anna came closer, her frown deepening with every step. “I hate it when people disobey a direct order. I told you this morning to get changed and you’ve spent a whole day ignoring me.”
If her scathing tone and words weren’t enough to tell Kass that Anna was pissed the pulsing veins in her neck would definitely have made her aware that her captor wasn’t impressed by her blatant disregard of her instructions. Ignore her. She’ll go away. I need to get back to sleep, I need to speak to Wyatt.
A firm shake of her shoulders had Kass opening her eyes quickly. I guess ignoring her isn’t going to work. “Yes,” she drawled, completely calm now that she had a plan of action.
“I told you to change your clothes. Your mate might have seen you today and decided not to step forward because you weren’t presentable. Because you didn’t listen I’m going to have to send the same men back tomorrow.”
“I don’t know much about wolves but what should it matter how I’m dressed? My real mate will think I’m beautiful no matter what I’m wearing and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
Her point made Kass closed her eyes and lay back against the sheets. She had neither the time nor the inclination to listen to Anna ramble on about what she had and hadn’t done. There was only a small window of opportunity for her to reach Wyatt. With him being oblivious to her plan she would have to sleep and hope that he was sleeping at the same time. With Anna insisting that he be restrained there was no guarantee that he would be allowed to sleep for long. Focusing on evening out her breathing, Kass tried to fall asleep.
A Wolf's Obsession Page 21