“You can’t stop me from seeing her,” Anna hissed angrily.
A single eyebrow lifted, silently mocking Anna’s claim. “Is that so?” Reaching down, Sebastian wrapped his hand around Anna’s wrist and physically lifted her from the ground. Carrying her out of the house, he deposited her outside, turned around and walked into the house, closing the door behind him as though nothing had occurred.
Anna irritates me, but what she said shouldn’t have warranted that reaction. It was a little too severe, he rationalised before realising what his short fuse meant. He breathed deeply trying to calm himself and revert the changes that had taken place. I can’t let Erica see me like this. Finally, assured that there was nothing out of the ordinary with his appearance, he walked through the house towards the back door. Opening it, his gaze was automatically drawn skywards and there it was, the source of his irrational anger. The full moon was nearly upon them. It had been so easy to forget that he had a deadline but he couldn’t get away from that fact now.
I don’t see what the problem is, his wolf began. She’s far more open to our advances now. There will be no problem in claiming her.
It isn’t what she wanted, Sebastian reminded him.
Well it’s what I want. I’m in your mind; it’s what you want too. As he read Sebastian's intentions, the wolf growled. No! Not again.
I want her to come to me fully aware of the consequences. I don’t want to claim her because I was taking advantage of the situation. She won’t be forgiving if that happens. I’ve made up my mind. We’re running again.
“Sebastian, is something wrong?” Erica asked having successfully snuck up on him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held his body close to her, relishing the feel and smell of him.
“Nothing’s wrong sweetheart. I just remembered that I have some business to take care of tomorrow so I’ll be gone most of the day.”
“Oh.”
“Will you be ok with the kids alone?”
“I managed fine before I met you, I’ll do fine without you for a few hours. You worry too much. Now come back and eat your dinner, it’s getting cold,” she mock scolded.
He turned within her arms, kissed her soundly before pulling away from her. “I just need to make a quick phone call and then I’ll come and help you clean up ok?” She nodded and he closed the door behind him before walking into his office, shutting the door firmly.
He reached for the phone and dialled his brother; he was going to need his help again. The phone was ringing for mere seconds before Ryan answered. “Ryan, it’s Sebastian. I need you to do me a massive favour.”
“Fine.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“And since when has that ever stopped me from agreeing to help you? Besides, I’m racking up the favours you owe me. Remember, when the time comes you won’t ask even a single question and so far I count two of these unrestricted favours. So what exactly do you need me to do this time?”
“Meet me tomorrow in the woods behind the cabin and I’ll explain everything.”
Chapter Forty
“This can’t be happening,” Anna muttered as she paced the long length of her bedroom. She had just returned from Erica's cabin, the journey wasn’t that far, but the location had likely been chosen precisely because of that. It was far enough away from the clans that no wolves would be near but close enough that should assistance be required, it would be quick in arriving. Her room was large, filled with heavy, expensive furniture and decorated in rich colours as was befitting a woman of her status. Her surroundings however, no longer provided her with comfort, her mind was in turmoil and the luxury that she had lived with her entire life did nothing to ameliorate the sensation.
Erica's current situation weighed heavily on her; it was all she had thought about in the last few days. It baffled her mind that Erica was prepared to throw away all of her memories for a life with him. It would never work of course but the fact that Erica was willing to do it jarred her to the bone. The only people that her friend had ever been willing to sacrifice anything for were her siblings. Erica was as fiercely protective of Dylan and Wyatt as any mother wolf would be with their own cubs. Coming second place to children had never bothered Anna before, she was like an aunt to them anyway, but coming a distant third to Sebastian set her teeth on edge. The interaction between them was maddening, if she had been forced to watch it for even a second longer, she would have snapped.
Sebastian had been wrong when he had told her that she didn’t like him. Dislike was too mild of a term for what she felt towards him and if his actions towards her were anything to go by, the feeling was increasingly becoming mutual. Her hatred of Sebastian ran deep, there was nothing she could do to change that fact, she had been living with the feeling for most of her life. His incessant demands that she explain to him why exactly the sight of him made her hackles rise only served to deepen her feelings towards him. How dare he play the innocent? He should know what he and his family did but he has the gall to pretend as though nothing happened? It’s unforgivable! I’ve had to live with the knowledge most of my life and yet he seems to have completely forgotten. I will never forgive them for as long as I live, never!
He was the enemy. Erica couldn’t stay with him. Up until this point in her life, hating the Lords of the Southern clan had been an abstract principle, one that she sustained without any substantial evidence, but now it was a concrete fact. Once she realised who he was, his initial attempts to be courteous made her want to hit him. She had in fact done so but it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough. He had known exactly who she was when he had spoken to her at the celebration and he hadn’t even demonstrated an iota of remorse. In fact he had used her to trap her best friend into a mating that she had never wanted and forced himself upon her. The more time they spent in each others company, the more hostile he became towards her and that suited Anna just fine. He may have pushed his crimes to a distant and forgotten corner of his mind but his actions only served to bring the past to the forefront of hers.
“How could fate be so cruel? Eric can’t be mated to him, she just can’t,” Anna ranted, her small hands clenching into tights fists as anger and frustration filled her. Her feet stomped hard against the stone floor petulantly and she had to resist the urge to destroy all that surrounded her. “It could have been anyone, why him? She can’t be with him after what they did. I won’t stand for it. He must have made a mistake.” Her pacing had increased as the thoughts had circled through her mind and as she came to a brief stop, she slammed her open palm against the wall wishing that it was once again inflicting pain on Sebastian's skin.
“Eric never wanted a mate. The instinct would have known that, it wouldn’t have given her one when it was the thing she was most afraid of in the entire world. The instinct is meant to guide us to what’s best for us and that is definitely not him. He probably just saw how beautiful Eric looked that night and decided that he had to have her,” she muttered her mind fabricating the evidence needed to justify her claims. “When she told him she wouldn’t go out with him he invented this nonsense about being her mate. Bastard!” she cursed. Images of the frequent smiles that had adorned her friend’s face flooded her mind, trying to dissuade her from this line of thought. She quickly pushed the images from her mind. She had never been one to allow reason to get in the way of what she had decided and now was no different. Her mind was made up and her course of action had been set.
She can’t be with him. I won’t allow it. He’s taking advantage of the fact that she can’t remember anything, that’s the only reason she can smile. If she knew what he was really doing then she would be the first one to throw him out on his ass. I have to protect Eric. She’s completely vulnerable right now. He doesn’t even like me coming to see her. Probably worried that if we spend time together she’ll see straight through his façade, she scoffed becoming more and more convinced that her logic was correct with each word that she spoke. The full moon is comin
g and that bastard is going to use that to his advantage. When Eric eventually gets her memories back, she’ll be devastated. There’s nothing I can do to stop him claiming her this time, but I can make the blow less painful when she remembers. I have to get him away from her, permanently if I can manage it.
Her eyes were instantly drawn to the torn piece of card that lay on her desk and her restless pacing stopped as she walked steadily towards the desk. Picking up the small card, she eyed the numbers printed upon it. Though it had been ripped, she had torn it carefully and all the digits were still easily visible. She had known then that this would happen but she had initially been hesitant to commit to it but now her mind was made up. It’s only fitting. Her mobile phone lay on the table beside it, she had been undecided on what the right course of action would be since she had taken the card from Erica, constantly picking up the phone and even dialling the number before hanging up. This time would be different. She had made her decision and needed to do what was necessary to save her friend from herself.
The number flowed easily from her fingers, she had travelled this path several times before and she didn’t even have to look at the card to be able to make the call. The phone rang and she tightened her grip on the small handset willing herself not to hang up and end the conversation before it began. Her opportunity to back out was removed as the line connected and the faint sound of breathing told her that someone was on the other end of the call.
“Who’s this?” The sharp demand instantly had Anna on the offensive.
No one speaks to me like that! I’m a lady of the wolf clan and this hunter thinks he has the right to address me like this! Never. “Who I am is of no concern to you!”
“You have ten seconds to explain to me why I shouldn’t hang this phone up right now. It had better be good after that rude outburst.”
“You’re Vincent?”
“I am.”
“The wolf, Erica…”
“What of her?” he inquired before realising that he didn’t recognise the voice and her identity hadn’t been forthcoming. “How do you know of her? How did you get this number? What’s going on?” His voice increased in volume with each demanding question until he was practically screaming at her.
Holding the phone away from her sensitive ears, Anna waited until she heard the ragged breaths that told her he had ran out of steam and would now be willing to listen to her. A small smile emerged on her lips at the curious tone of Vincent's voice, apparently she had his interest. “She’s no longer your concern. You won’t attempt to see or have contact with her again. Again, who I am isn’t important. Let’s suffice to say that I know everything about you, your organisation and what you do. The wolf will be having no further contact with you, it’s in your best interest to let your awareness of her die.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it is,” Anna snapped.
“And why exactly should I agree to this?” Vincent demanded, increasingly curious as to the motivations behind the unknown voice’s actions. “The wolf is an abomination, a monster. It’s my responsibility to remove her and all her ilk from the world. We’re not safe as long as she roams free. It’s impossible for me to do nothing about that fact. Even if I chose to do nothing, others would deal with her in my place.” And take all the credit for doing so, his mind inserted. “No, I can’t simply sit back and do nothing.”
“She isn’t a threat to you. She remembers nothing about what she is. There’s no point in focusing your attention on her. If left alone she will continue to live her life as though she were an ordinary human. There’s nothing dangerous or sinister in that now is there?”
“She will remember eventually all I have to do is bide my time until then and I will have what I want. She isn’t human. It isn’t possible for her to live out her life as though she were one. She might not remember the monster that lurks beneath her skin but it’s there. She won’t age as human do, the people around her will notice and she will snap at them, in all likelihood killing an innocent person that did nothing wrong.”
“You don’t know very much about amnesia do you?” Anna laughed. “She might never remember. She might stay that way for the rest of her life.” The thought saddened Anna deeply but it was true and she needed Vincent to believe it if her plan was to work. It won’t happen, she declared, trying to reassure herself that it was true. Eric will get her memories back and when she does, she’ll thank me for doing this for her. “It may even be possible for her mind to trick her body into truly believing that it should be aging. You don’t know. So, like I said, she’s neither a threat to you nor worth anything to you.”
“If you think that I’m about to give up the first genuine werewolf that our branch has managed to capture in years and return empty handed all on your say so then you’re sorely mistaken. I’m not the sort of man that abandons his plans. I have to have something to show for all the effort that I’ve put into capturing and finding her. You’re telling me to give up but offering me nothing in exchange to make me more willing to do so. That isn’t how bargaining works.”
“I’m well aware of how to negotiate, I’ve been doing it for a long time. I didn’t come to the table empty handed.”
“Well then, show your hand. Tell me what you’re willing to offer me so that I might develop even a slight inclination to do as you ask.”
She gripped the phone tighter within her palm, committing herself to this course of action. You’ve come this far, her mind prodded. One more thing and then Eric will be safe. You shouldn’t care about him after all that you’ve been through. This is justice. He deserves this. “Sebastian,” she choked. “I can bring you Sebastian, the wolf that’s with her. He isn’t like Erica. He knows exactly what he is. If you truly want to capture a werewolf then it has to be him. I can make sure that you’re alone with him, if you manage to capture him then so be it. If he dies then it is of no concern to either of us. There are no downsides to this plan.” And once he’s out of the way, I can bring Eric back into the safety of the clans and away from the attentions of this lunatic.
The phone went silent for a moment after Anna’s declaration and she waited anxiously for a response. “Tell me more, friend.”
“I’m not your friend,” she hissed, infuriated by his implied familiarity with her. This man knew nothing about her or what motivated her actions and that was how she wanted it.
“Fine,” Vincent conceded. “We aren’t friends, let us think of ourselves as business associates making a transaction. Tell me what your plan is. I’m very interested,” he purred, his tone causing a shudder to run through Anna’s body but her voice was strong, her pitch calm as she elaborated on her plans.
Chapter Forty-One
Lounging against his car, Sebastian waited for his brother to arrive, certain that Ryan would be able to find him without any guidance. His eyes scanned his surroundings for a glimpse of dark fur that would be easily visible against the white terrain. Unlike him, Ryan wouldn’t be hindered by a need to maintain a human façade and so would likely be arriving via the distant trees. The clearing he had chosen to be their meeting place was remarkably devoid of trees, the nearest ones being a good few feet away. The lack of vegetation was very noticeable as sharp, cold winds whipped against his exposed skin. As the seconds ticked on with Ryan yet to make an appearance, Sebastian began to feel increasingly anxious. He pushed off the car and started pacing nearby, the sound of the thin layer of snow echoing clearly throughout the area. While he hadn’t given his brother an exact time to meet him, he expected him to have arrived by now, it was an unwritten law between them that when they agreed to meet, they met at this specific time. That time had come and gone and there was still no sign of Ryan, his time was short, he couldn’t afford to waste even a second if he was to escape successfully.
Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief as a dark brown wolf appeared amid the trees, it turned its head scanning the area for signs of danger before loping forward, changing into human form as it
approached him. When Ryan stood in the place of the wolf, he smiled sheepishly at his brother, the apology leaving his lips before Sebastian even spoke a word.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Ryan began. “I couldn’t manage to get away from Alex, she wouldn’t hear of me coming to see you two alone. She’s going to be fuming when I see her again.”
“Why exactly would you have difficulty getting away from her?” Sebastian demanded confused as to his brother’s reasoning.
“Tobias has asked me to watch over her more intensely. I’ve practically become her third guard after Tobias and the people he’s actually assigned to her.”
“And why is Tobias having you act as a guard? There are people who spend their lives training for that role.”
“He wanted someone he could trust to do it,” Ryan shrugged.
“And he doesn’t trust his fellow clansmen to do the job?”
“Things have changed.”
“How?”
“Alex is pregnant.”
Sebastian's eyes widened at the statement. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope and neither is Tobias. After all that Alex has been through, he’s just doing what he thinks is necessary to protect his mate and cubs. I think if he had his way she would be on twenty-four hour lockdown.”
“I should call him and give him my congratulations,” Sebastian decided. “How does Alex feel about the whole thing?”
“She’s happy enough about the babies, she isn’t however too happy about everyone hovering over her like she’s going to break at any second. It’s to be expected though, she’s Queen now and carrying the heir to the throne.”
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