by NaiKa Storm
“He sounds pretty awesome. I can’t wait to meet him.”
There was something about the way Stephane said that. Andronaisa raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me you’ve already met him. I mean, how would he know my favorite candy or that I liked art museums and teddy bears?”
Stephane laughed. “You really think I’d been conversing with this guy?”
“Stephane...”
“Okay fine. He told me not to tell you. He said he got my number from George. I really think he’s good for you Andy.”
Andronaisa sighed, “I don’t know.”
Stephane hung up and Andronaisa frowned and started to call him back, but then he face timed her. “I wanted to see your face,” he said. “Andy, listen to me-”
“Stephane, don’t start,” Andronaisa cut him off.
“No, don’t you start. I know you’re thinking about Michael. Listen, I know Michael hurt you, but you can’t think that every guy is going to hurt you because of what Michael did to you. And from what I’ve heard from George and from talking to Kurt himself, he sounds like a great guy. And I think he really cares about you.”
Andronaisa sighed. “I know Stephane. I know, George said the same thing. But...it's hard. It's hard to just forget what was done.”
“I know, kiddo. Believe me, I get it. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. I promise, if Kurt is going through all this trouble to surprise you with gifts and dates, do you really think he’d want to hurt you? Did Michael do all that?”
“Well, no. He never showered me with gifts.”
“See? He already has a leg up. Just give him a chance.”
“I-” Andronaisa froze as she heard a sound. “George?” When there was no answer, she turned to the phone. “Stephane, I think... someone’s in the house.”
“Lock the bedroom door and then text or call George. Or Kurt.”
Andronaisa nodded and went to the door just as it slammed open. “AAAAAHH!!”
“Andy?! ANDY!!!”
Chapter Fourteen
While Andronaisa was being grabbed, Kurt and George were at their desks dealing with the paperwork that they had to deal with.
“I tell you, if I knew how much paperwork I was gonna have to deal with, I probably wouldn’t have become a cop,” Kurt muttered.
“Shut up,” George cackled. “You love being a cop, paperwork and all.” She frowned when her cell rang and grabbed it. “Stephane?” She answered the FaceTime call. “Dude, I’m at work.”
“George, something happened. I was talking with Andy and she said that she heard someone in the house and then I told her to lock her door and call you. But the next thing I heard was her screaming and I don’t know what happened.”
Kurt frowned and then peered over George’s shoulder at the screen. “Stephane, did you hear anything? Any voices?”
He shook his head. “No. Just the door opening and then her screaming. I think... but I thought... oh god!”
“Stephane, calm down,” George said. “We’ll find her. Kurt and I are going to head home and check out the house now.”
Stephane nodded his head. “It’s Michael. It has to be.”
“Whoever it was, won’t get very far,” Kurt tried to reassure him.
“I hope so. Please find her. Please Kurt.” He said before hanging up.
“I’ll tell the boss and meet you in the car.” George told Kurt.
Kurt nodded and headed out of the building toward the parking lot. He wiped his face. If anything happened to Andronaisa, he would never forgive himself.
“Let’s go.” George appeared a few moments later, and they climbed into the cruiser.
Kurt was behind the wheel, and he turned on the sirens. He wasn’t playing games and didn’t have time to get caught behind stupid drivers today. Pulling up moments later, Kurt parked the car and jumped out. He immediately let out a growl.
“What is it? What do you smell?” George asked.
“Michael. His scent is all over the place,” Kurt replied as they entered the house and headed toward Andronaisa’s room.
As they approached the bedroom, Kurt put up my hand to stop George. “I smell blood.”
He carefully pushed the door open and knelt down. Sure enough, there were drops of blood on the floor just outside the door. Kurt stood and carefully stepped over the blood spatter and entered the room. Looking around, nothing else seemed amiss. Her phone was on the bed, along with the gifts he had given her.
“Well, he certainly had a mission. None of the rest of the house looks amiss,” George stated as she came back toward Kurt. “The question is, how did he get inside the house?”
Kurt looked around her room. It was more to visualize what kind of person Andronaisa was rather than trying to figure out what happened to her.
“I don’t know. Maybe she forgot to lock the door?”
George shook her head. “It doesn’t sound like her but, I mean Stephane had called her just as she was going inside. So it's possible?” she sighed. “So now what? How are we going to find her, Kurt? I mean, there’s blood on the floor of her room but nowhere else. So following the blood spatter is out.”
“I should have killed him,” Kurt growled. “I should’ve killed him.”
“Well, you didn’t. And now he’s taken Andronaisa. I’m going to call to have an APB issued.”
Kurt nodded. That was a good start. While George was on the phone, Kurt walked outside and, after shifting, started sniffing around. And then he let out a howl. It was a howl to inform the pack that his mate had been kidnapped, and he needed their help. After a few more minutes of looking around, Kurt shifted back and headed back inside.
“Well, I have issued the APB. We have blocked all roads off as well as they have cancelled any flights leaving here. So, now what?” George asked.
“Well, I think we need to talk to Stephane. I think we need to get a clearer understanding of just who exactly we’re dealing with. And I contacted my pack. They’ll keep an eye out.” Kurt answered.
George nodded and five minutes later, they were seated at the kitchen table and chatting with Stephane through FaceTime.
“I’m not really sure how much information I can tell you about Michael. I didn’t really know him that well. Just what I knew through Andy.”
“Honestly, Stephane, anything you can tell us will be helpful.” Kurt responded.
Stephane swallowed. “He was very controlling of Andy. And when I mean he was controlling, I mean he was controlling. He controlled everything. Down to the clothes she wore. I mean... what else can I tell you that you probably don’t already know? She was sent to the hospital several times because of how bad he would beat her. I don’t know if you ever really noticed it, but she sort of has a weird limp on her right side. That’s from a break in her leg that didn’t heal properly. He also had this ridiculous nickname for her. He used to call her Panda. And she hated it.”
“Steph, how long were they together? What was he like when they first met?” George asked.
“Um... two years? I can’t really remember. But when I first met him, he seemed nice and gentlemanly, but it changed. Probably like two weeks in. Kurt, this is why she’s afraid. She’s scared you’re going to be the same way. But anyway, I really don’t know what else I can really tell you.”
“Thanks Stephane,” Kurt said.
“I wish I could be more helpful. This sucks. I’m halfway across the world while my best friend is missing and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”
“I know Steph, but trust me, you are helping.” George smiled.
“Doesn’t feel like it. But I need to get off and get back to work. If I can think of anything else that might be able to help you, I’ll contact you.”
“Okay, Steph, talk to you soon,” George said. They waved goodbye, and then George hung up. “That wasn’t much help.”
“Actually, it was,” Kurt replied. “Knowing what kind of guy Michael is can help us determine his plan for Androna
isa.”
“You don’t think he’s going to kill her?”
“No. He wants her and everyone to think that he’s going to kill her. But I don’t think he really wants to kill her. He’s a man who is all about control.”
“So, I’m a little confused. If he’s not wanting to kill her, then what does he want?” George asked.
“Like I said, he’s a man who is all about control. He wants to be able to control her. We’ve seen it in some of our cases. When the husband becomes abusive toward their spouse or lover, it's because they realize they don’t have and will not have control over their spouse or lover.”
“I swear men are weird. They always wanna be able to control everything.” George shook her head.
“Well, think about it George, back in the day, the men actually controlled everything. They had control over where the family lived, the finances, and the woman’s job was just to take care of the kids and do whatever the man told her. But times have changed and women now are able to be in more control of their lives.”
“Wow, so this, I mean, at least here with Michael, it's not really about love. It's about control.”
Kurt nodded. “At least from what I can see. There may be a bit of him that just wants her to love him, but because it's really overshadowed by his need to control her, it's hard to tell.”
George nodded, “Okay. So the question is how do we find them?”
“I think we should talk to his colleagues. I have a feeling he might actually know someone here. He wouldn’t just take her without a plan. So I have a feeling he knows someone here and they’re helping him.”
George nodded. “That’s a start. And then what?”
“When we find him, I’m going to kill him.”
“The mating battle?”
Kurt nodded, “Yeah, because if not, Andronaisa will have no choice but to go back to him.”
George nodded, grabbing her jacket. “That’s the last thing we want.”
MICHAEL DID, IN FACT, have a friend in Cheshire. This is where he was currently bringing Andronaisa to at the moment. The question was, did Michael’s friend know what he was up to?
“Michael, why are you doing this to me?” Andronaisa asked, looking up at him as he dragged her into the basement of his friend’s house.
“Why am I doing this? You left me! Or did you forget that part?”
“You tried to kill me! You think I’m going to stay with someone who tries to kill me?! Let me go.”
“Or what? Why can’t you see? I love you Panda.”
“Yeah? You’ve never shown it. Everything was you trying to overpower me or hurting me. What happened to that sweet man, the man I fell in love with? What happened to him?”
“What was I supposed to do? You were trying to have your own life!”
Andronaisa laughed shrilly. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! I’m my own person, Michael. I don’t need you or anyone else trying to tell me what to do and how to live my life.”
“That’s not how it's supposed to be,” Michael declared.
“Why, because that’s not how it was done years ago? When men tried to rule over women?” Andronaisa snorted. “Kurt is going to kill you.”
Now it was Michael who snorted. “Let him try,” he said before leaving the room.
After he left, Andronaisa closed her eyes and let a couple of tears fall. She had no clue where she was or what Michael was going to do to her. Was he going to kill her? Would he go after Kurt? Andronaisa had no doubt that Kurt could hold his own against Michael, but she didn’t want Michael going after him. Nor did she want him to kill her, but she would rather him kill her than go after Kurt. She pulled up her knees to her chest and thought back to the first time she met Michael.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
Andronaisa looked up and saw a man smiling at her. She shook my head, “No. Please.” She gestured to the empty seat. Stephane was around here somewhere, but Andronaisa didn’t see him.
“No offense, but you don’t look like this is your type of thing.”
Andronaisa flushed. “I’m here with my best friend. He’s a big fan of the lecturer.”
“My friend is the same. I’m Michael.”
“Andronaisa.”
Andronaisa remembered spending the rest of the lecture talking about other things and not paying any attention to the lecture. He had been the sweetest and kindest person she had ever met. And the rest of that evening and the other nights they hung out since then. He was the perfect gentleman. What happened to that? When did the tables turn and he became this... mean, abusive person? It's true what people say, that you don’t really know a person until you start dating them. Will Kurt be that way? Andronaisa wasn’t sure if she could handle that. Yes, George says he’s not, but she could only know one side of him. What if he’s just hiding his abusive side? He is a werewolf, after all.
“KURT, WHO IS YOUR MATE’S ex?” Jonah asked.
Kurt was sitting with the pack a few hours later as they were trying to help him figure this stuff out.
“All I know is his first name. Michael. And he’s a Fed. And he’s also quite abusive to Andronaisa.”
“That name sounds familiar. Wait, you can’t be talking about Michael Whitmore?” Dina asked.
Kurt, who had been pacing, stopped and looked at her. “You know him?”
“I know of him. Jace talks about him a lot. And ever since he’s been in town helping with your case, they’ve been hanging out a lot. I think Jace even let him stay in his old house.”
Kurt started pacing again. He and George had had a feeling that Michael knew someone in town. But Kurt knew Jace. And it just didn’t fit that Jace and Michael would be best friends. They were like polar opposites. But more than that, it just didn’t make sense. Yes, he kind of figured Michael was all about controlling Andronaisa, but something made him feel like it was more than that. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to not have to deal with a battle with Kurt. Seeing Michael in his wolf form, he knew Michael could easily take him down. Which is why it was shocking that he gained the upper hand when he fought him before. Yes, they both were alphas, but Michael was built for more brute strength, while Kurt was mainly built for speed. So why did Michael surrender? Why would Michael make Andronaisa and Stephane and anyone else think that he was going to kill Andronaisa when he actually wasn’t? Or was he? What was Michael’s ultimate game plan?
“Kurt?” Francine called. “You’re thinking awfully loud. Care to share?”
“I just... there are a lot of things that aren’t adding up. It doesn’t make sense? Why did he surrender when we fought, when he could've easily knocked me out? Why go through all this trouble to kidnap Andronaisa and make her and everyone feel like he’s going to kill her? I just don’t understand what his game plan is. I mean... he’s acting like an omega in heat.”
That’s when it hit him, “Son of a bitch!”
“What is it?” someone asked.
“He’s in a rut. Or he’s getting ready to go into a rut. And he knows that once he mates her in his rut, then it's all over. She belongs to him.”
“That’s if she conceives while he’s in his rut,” Francine explained. “Because she’s human, it's highly unlikely that she will conceive during his rut. However, he could use it to stake his ownership of her. He knows, just as you do Kurt, that if they mate while he’s in a rut then the deal is signed and his challenger can’t try to stake his claim.”
Kurt blinked. “So what are you saying?”
“We need to find her before he mates with her.”
“And if you can mate with her during your rut, then a battle may not be necessary.” Jonah explained.
Kurt nodded. It all made sense now. What Michael was doing wasn’t all about Andronaisa. It was to stop Kurt. Kurt was in his way to reaching his end goal. And that was to have Andronaisa back with him.
Chapter Fifteen
Hours later, Andronaisa heard footsteps as Michael descended the
staircase. “Guess you finally decided to grace me with your presence,” I sneered.
“Oh, Panda.” he stepped off the last step and walked toward her. “Still so full of fire. That’s what I love about you.”
Andronaisa narrowed her eyes. “What the hell do you want from me, Michael? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Panda, don’t you understand? All I ever wanted was for you to love me.”
Andronaisa looked at him. “You’re making no sense at all! First, you talk about how you want to control me and now you talk about how you want me to love you. Which makes no damn sense because I did love you! Even after all the abuse, and the nights in the hospital. I loved you. I defended you against my best friend!” Tears were rolling down Andronaisa’s cheeks.
“You say that you loved me, but your actions beg to differ. You were always spending time with Stephane and now...you’re here with Kurt?”
Andronaisa laughed bitterly through her tears. “You’re accusing me of cheating on you with my best friend! Stephane is my best friend! He’s been with me longer than anyone. And Kurt and I are mates and he’s going to kill you.”
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the room as Michael slapped Andronaisa clear across the face. “You bitch! You belong to me!” he snapped. “Doesn’t matter anyway, in a few hours there’ll be nothing he can do.”
Andronaisa looked at him with wide eyes. “What are you going to do to me?”
Michael laughed at her terrified face. “What do you think I’m going to do to you?”
“Please, Michael...”
Michael laughed again. “You think I’m going to kill you? Oh honey, no. But I am going to make sure that Kurt knows you belong to me.”
Andronaisa yelped as he grabbed her. He tore at her clothes when he stopped and listened. In the distance, not that Andronaisa could hear, came the loud call of Kurt’s roar. With other roars following him.
“He can’t be serious.”