01 Taming the Wolf - Anna Avery

by Stephanie Nelson

  No. I’m a werewolf and living with a whole pack up in the mountains.

  “Um, no I sold it. Sad memories and all that,” I told her.

  Two large bodies sandwiched me and Chelsea’s eyes went wide. I couldn’t imagine what she was thinking as she took in Wade and Adam’s huge frames next to my slim one. Both men towered over me. If anything, she’d think they were my bodyguards.

  “Did you find the paper plates?” Wade asked with a pointed look. I glanced back at Chelsea expectantly.

  “There down that way, aisle seven,” she said with awed tone. “Your boyfriend?” Chelsea nodded in Wade’s direction. I wasn’t sure if she gave a second glance at Adam, which was strange—Adam was ten times hotter than Wade. But maybe I was biased.

  Adam’s body changed to steel at Chelsea’s question, and before I could come up with an explanation, Adam stepped forward.

  “That’d be me,” he said, outstretching his hand. “Adam Everwood. This is Wade Smith.” Adam motioned with head to large man to my left. “He’s a friend.”

  “Ooo, Wade Smith sounds like a spy’s name.” Chelsea giggled, and I knew she had a thing for my leader. If she only knew…

  “Nice to meet you, but we really must be going,” Wade said, barely paying the poor girl any attention. Chelsea’s smile straightened, and she focused back on me.

  “Let me give you my number. I’d love to catch up.” Her eyes shifted towards Wade then back to me. She pulled a piece of paper and pen out of her pocket and scribbled her phone number down.

  “Thanks,” I told her as I stuffed the paper into my pocket. Wade began to pull me away, but we stopped when Chelsea spoke again.

  “It was so nice seeing you again, Anna.”

  “You too,” I told her careful not to make her to think we’d see each other again. My life was a hairy, complicated mess—one that didn’t allow humans.

  “Nice meeting you too, Adam and Wade,” she said, lingering on Wade’s square face. He nodded and pulled me away. Once we were out of earshot and down aisle seven. Wade stopped and released my arm. His sudden personality change was strange, but didn’t comment. Leaders were the alphas of all the werewolves, who was I to question their mood swings?

  Wade closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You did very well with that woman,” he said breathy.

  “Hey, are you alright?” He looked beaten, like he’d just ran a marathon and had trouble holding up his large frame.

  “Fine, it’s just…nothing. I’m fine.”

  “If you say so,” I replied and then looked at Adam. “My boyfriend?” I arched my eyebrows as I waited for his response.

  “We needed a story,” Adam explained. “We don’t want her blabbing to other humans that she saw you with two dangerous-looking men and that you seemed on edge. That would raise red flags. Plus, she was enamored with Wade, so I didn’t want to crush her hopes.” Adam laughed and slapped Wade on the arm.

  *

  Back at the house, Wade excused himself and headed off into the woods. I was acutely aware I was alone with Adam. I made a beeline for the house when his fingers curled around my arm and stopped me.

  “Anna, wait.”

  I turned around, but looked off into the distance so I wouldn’t get lost in his blue eyes or full, sexy lips. One smirk or wink and I’d lose my resolve and forget that horrible phone conversation.

  “Please join me,” Adam said, and when I looked up he pointed to the back seat of the SUV. I scoffed and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. “So we can talk in private,” he clarified.

  “Adam, I’m really over this whole thing,” I told him. In honesty, I was. I was tired of wanting what I couldn’t have and tired of hearing excuses, both his and mine.

  “Please,” he said as he released me and scooted along the leather seats to make room for me. “Just listen to what I have to say.”

  I’m such a glutton for punishment. I slid into the car and shut the door, making sure to keep as far away from him as the small space would allow.

  “There are things you don’t understand, Anna,” Adam began, and I rolled my eyes. Wasn’t that always the excuse in this scenario? “Did you expect me to tell Eve that I couldn’t talk to her because you were waiting for me to ravish you in the theater bathroom?”

  A smile curled my lips at the thought of Eve’s face if she’d heard those words. Of course I wouldn’t be smiling long if she had—I’d be dead.

  “As my mate, and a pure bred werewolf, Eve has the right to kill any female who threatens her position. Do you understand what I’m saying, Anna?”

  I looked over at him. His face was serious and his eyes were filled with an inner turmoil I’d never seen.

  “Alphas sleep around all the time,” I said, throwing a monkey wrench into his logic. Adam’s arm closed the gap between us and his hand rested on my leg. Prickly tingles radiated up my thigh causing goose bumps along my skin.

  “Those encounters are purely sexual,” Adam said. “If one threatens her position as alpha female, she can kill them. You have to know I don’t just want you for sex. If that’s all I wanted, I could visit any of the females here.” He scooted closer, and I pressed against the door. I needed to keep a level head and not get swept away in the lust he always seemed to ignite within me. But he smelt so good, like the forest and spices. His tongue snuck out and licked his upper lip, the heat boiled between my legs. This man had the power to turn me into a blubbering idiot.

  “I’m not threatening her position,” I whispered. Adam was so close the entire right side of his body pressed against me. He slung an arm across the back of the seat while his other hand held my chin.

  “Ah, but you are,” he said softly as he dipped his mouth to mine. “You will not have me while I’m mated, and I cannot have another because of you. You’ve already eradicated her from my mind and bed.” His lips pressed against my mouth, and my whole body sagged as I lost myself in the kiss. “My mind and heart are full of only you, and Eve sees that. She’s not jealous. She doesn’t love me, nor I her. It’s the power she’s frightened of losing. You are mine, Anna. I feel it so strongly, like it’s engraved in my heart. Eve doesn’t belong by my side.”

  Adam brought his lips to mine, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what he said. Did he feel so strongly because I was his chante? Excitement and fear washed through me. Isn’t this what you wanted? I thought as I focused on kissing Adam.

  “Wait,” I said as I pressed against his chest. Adam’s eyes were a vibrant gold and glowed in the darkened car. The scent of his arousal permeated the air and called to me. “Why have your eyes changed?” I asked after I got over the initial shock of the need coursing through my body.

  “It happens when wolves are turned on.” Adam didn’t wait for a response. He laid back on the seat and dragged me with him so I was laying on top of his hard body.

  “Was that why Wade acted like strange tonight?”

  Adam grumbled. “Yes. I think he liked Chelsea as much as she liked him, and he had trouble controlling the urge to rip her clothes off in front of everyone. A male wolf’s passion can get a little…well it turns us into savages sometimes and makes it hard to reign in our control,” Adam grinned. “Kinda like how I’m finding it very difficult to control myself right now.” And just to show he was being honest, Adam tore my shirt down the front. Luckily, I’d done laundry and wore one of my cute bras instead of the blasé ones I wore when I didn’t have anything else. Adam’s lips kissed around the red lace, licking the plump flesh of my breasts. His fingers worked the clasp. With a hard thrust, his pelvis dug into the spot between my legs. Man, how I wanted him—needed him. But if I gave in, I’d be the other woman. That thought constantly nagged at my mind whenever I was around him, always ruining the moment.

  “I can’t do this,” I told him as tears stung my eyes. Instead of focusing on Adam, I quickly tied my shirt together as best as I could and opened the door. Adam stopped me.

  “Anna, I love you,” he
blurted.

  My breath caught in my throat and my heart stopped beating. The tears I’d been trying to hold back spilled over my cheeks and my entire body was numb. His words were perfect, but the situation was all wrong.

  “I can’t…I have to go…I…” I stuttered as I fell out of the car and ran. Adam didn’t chase me, and I was happy for that. I needed time to think and clear my head, time to understand what all of it meant and how I should handle it. I bolted into the trees, jumping over rotting logs and rocks. After a while, I allowed the sounds of my heavy footfalls to overpower the questions in my head.

  “No….stop,” the woman screamed. My teeth sank into her leg, just above her knee. Her weak fists pounded against my back. If I wasn’t a wolf, I’d have laughed at her feeble attempt to hurt me. A warm spray of her coppery blood splashed my mouth, a tingle of delight washed through me.

  The woman continued to scream and flail. I needed to shut her up and quick! Pouncing, I pinned her shoulders with my large paws and growled, revealing my finely pointed teeth. Tears soaked her cheeks, her lips quivering as her eyes shot wide. I especially liked my reflection in them.

  “Kim?” A man called from about fifty feet away. We were hidden behind a garage, just out of view of the man. The woman cried out to get the man’s attention, but I clamped down around her throat to cut off her plea. A melodic tone sounded from her jeans—a cell phone.

  “Kim?” The man yelled again. I liked to enjoy my kill, but time was of the essence, and the man could find us at any minute. With just the right amount of pressure, my teeth popped through the woman’s flesh, her body falling still. A prickle of excitement ran through my veins at ending her life, her blood coating my muzzle like war paint.

  I was yanked out of my bed by two men. Their strong hands wrapped around my arms and hauled me out of my sleep. Once I was up, they let me fall to my bedroom floor.

  “What in the hell guys?” I said, looking up at Wade and Nicholas with heavy eyelids. Both men’s faces were deathly serious, their bodies ridged and emanating power.

  “Anna, you are hereby convicted of murder,” Wade said and I gasped.

  “What? What are you talking about?” I scrambled off the floor. Nicholas stepped in front of my door to make sure I didn’t make a run for it.

  “Look at your feet,” Wade said, his head nodding in their direction. My head fell, my eyes going to toes. They were covered in mud.

  “I…I don’t,” I shook my head back and forth as I stared at my feet. “This doesn’t mean I killed someone,” I managed to say, bringing my focus back to the leaders. Wade’s features grew tighter, his lips thinned to a straight line. With a tight grasp, he yanked me out of my bedroom and towards the bathroom.

  “Look,” he said, his finger pointing towards the large mirror that sat above the double sinks. I was hesitant to see my reflection, afraid that whatever I saw would be the final nail in my coffin.

  “Look!” Wade said a little louder. Peeling my eyes off the counter, I stared ahead. Red blotches of dried blood dotted my cheeks, forehead and neck. My hair was a stringy mess, leaves and other debris littering my blonde locks.

  “I…didn’t,” I said, my voice no more than a whisper. “I couldn’t.” I shifted my eyes, unable to look at the evidence right in front of me.

  “There was another body found early this morning,” Wade said, his voice almost sad. “Did you have another dream last night, Anna?”

  Realization dawned on me as I remembered the dream I’d been having right before I was yanked from my bed. In the confusion I’d forgotten all about it.

  “Yes, but I had that dream right before you woke me up,” I said, my eyes pleading with Wade. Nicholas leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. I hated him, hated being so close to him and what he’d done to me.

  “That doesn’t mean you didn’t murder the woman,” Wade said, his dark eyes boring into me. “Perhaps you killed her earlier and were reliving the glory of the kill.”

  You’ve got to be kidding me. “That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed. “I’d never kill anyone.” It didn’t matter what words came out of my mouth, I couldn’t fight the blood splattered on my face. I wanted to object and believe in my innocence, but I was starting to think I was guilty.

  “Then tell me how did this get here?” Wade’s fingers dug into my skin as he turned my face towards the mirror again. “Tell me why your feet are covered in dirt? Did you go out for a run last night and kill an animal?”

  “I did go for a run, but not in wolf form, and no, I did not kill anything last night.”

  “Hey, guys,” Elle said, peeking her head into the bathroom. “What’s going on?”

  I caught her gaze in the mirror and instantly began to cry. I’d grown fond of Elle, and now I was going to be killed for supposedly killing others.

  “This doesn’t concern you,” Nicholas said, stepping in front of her to block her way.

  “What about me?” Adam asked, coming into view. “She’s part of my pack, I deserve to know what’s going on.” My heart stopped beating for a millisecond as I remembered what he’d told me last night.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Nicholas said snidely. “Look at her.”

  “I wasn’t aware we convicted people without concrete proof,” Adam said, shouldering past Nicholas and stopping just in front of me.

  “Is blood on her face, dirt on her feet, and the confession of having another dream about killing not proof enough?” Wade bit out. It was a pity Wade was being such a jerk, I was starting to like him.

  “Does the blood on her face match the murdered woman’s? If she was the killer wouldn’t she of woken up like this before? I find it a little odd that this happened after the leaders arrived,” Adam countered. I watched the muscles in his arms flex as he crossed them across his expansive chest. He stared daggers at Wade, while I wished I could feel those arms surrounding me.

  “You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment,” Wade said, ignoring Adam’s question. “If this were any other person, you’d be as ready to convict her as we are.”

  Was it that obvious? Did the entire pack know Adam and I had feelings for each other? I wondered if the leaders spoke to Adam about our predicament and reminded him of his duty to Eve. If they had, it didn’t show. Adam wasn’t ignoring me anymore and even put his neck on the line to defend me.

  “That’s not true,” Adam replied. “I would want a fair trial for any member of my pack. And, as you know, as her alpha, I must agree with your verdict, or I can defend her.”

  Elle gasped from the doorway. Nicholas snorted as if what Adam said was the silliest thing he’d heard. Wade released his grip on me and nodded his head.

  “We have a member on the police force,” Wade said. “I’ll have him run a DNA test on the blood found on Anna and the victim. If it’s a match, will that be evidence enough for you? I’d hate to have to kill two people because one of them is hard up.”

  “Wait, what? Why would you have to kill two people?” I asked, turning to look at Wade.

  “Her lack of knowledge about our laws is astounding,” Wade said to Adam. “Your alpha is graciously ready to fight on your behalf. If an alpha believes that one of his wolves is being unfairly judged, he can fight one of the leaders. If he wins, the accused goes free,” Wade told me.

  My breath became labored as I thought about Adam fighting for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in him, I knew he was strong, but there was a reason the leaders were leaders. They’d been the strongest of the bloodline and earned their positions.

  “And what if he doesn’t win?” I asked, my voice breathy.

  “Use your imagination,” Nicholas chimed in.

  My head was shaking back and forth while words failed to form on my lips. I stared at Adam with wide eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You can’t do this,” I told him. “If I’m killing people, I will accept the punishment.” Even though my insides twisted in fear, my voice came out stro
ng. I didn’t want to die, but I wouldn’t allow someone else pay for my crimes. If the blood on my face was in fact the murdered woman’s, I deserved death. How could I live knowing that three people were dead because of me? I wasn’t about to add another body to that count. Adam would live even if I had to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun so he’d miss the fight.

  “It seems your pack mate doesn’t have as much faith in her innocence as you do, alpha.” Nicholas snorted.

  “She doesn’t have to,” Adam said, his eyes falling to me. “I have enough faith for the both of us.”

  “Yeah—yeah, you guys like each other,” Nicolas said, walking into the bathroom and grabbing my arm.

  Wade opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed a couple cotton swabs and began to swab the blood from my face. When he was happy with the amount he collected, he nodded towards Nicholas.

  “Hey,” I said, resisting wherever it was he was trying to pull me. After what happened last time I was alone with him, I didn’t want another occurrence. If what Adam said was true and Nicholas has some super lusty juju, then I’d rather die than have my free will yanked from me.

  “Anna must be confined until I can get in touch with Doug,” Wade said, holding Adam back when he tried to get in the between me and Nicholas. “It’ll take a couple days for him to run the tests. We can’t have her killing more people.”

  Nicholas smirked at Adam and a rumble came from his chest. “Elle, you will stay with her at all times. If you so much as look away from her, it’ll be your head, understand?” Adam growled. “And,” he continued, shifting his eyes to Nicholas, “if you touch her inappropriately, we won’t have to wait for the results for a fight.”

  “Nicholas will not use his charms on her,” Wade promised, giving Nicholas a warning glare. “And Elle is welcome to keep her company. She’s not to be let out of this house and a guard must be with her at all times. If word gets out that werewolves exist it’ll cause a worldwide panic.” Wade began to leave and then stopped. “I like you, Anna, but I won’t allow you to put our entire race in danger. If the test comes back positive, you will be put down.” He turned and walked away, leaving me with my jaw on the floor.