After explaining to them both what was going on, Cora stayed behind with Kari and the rest left to go find Anya. A dire need to find her washed over Dante. The fear and worry was more than he’d ever felt in his life.
Chapter Fifteen
Anya sat on the edge of the cliff and looked out over the bay. It was so lovely there at sundown. The sky was painted in a brilliant mix of reds, purples and pinks as the sun dipped down on the horizon. She watched the seagulls overhead as they drifted lazily on the air currents and called out to one another. It reminded her of the family she would never have. She didn’t want to be married to Craig, didn’t want to give herself to any other man other than Dante, and she knew they would never be together again.
As she eyed the dark swirling waters several hundred feet below where she sat, she let the tears trail down her cheeks. Mitch didn’t understand, could never understand, and her heart sat full of grief. When Craig drove her wolf into submission and then mated her, it had severed the claim Dante had created the night they had made love. The claim on her now was Craig’s. She didn’t want it, didn’t want to feel this link with him. He’d stolen more than Dante’s rights as her mate. He’d stolen her will to live.
The waves crashing against the cliff face at the bottom were hypnotic. They rolled in, decimating themselves against the hard shear wall of stone with a thunderous boom. Tomorrow she was to wed Craig and be expected to stay obediently by his side for the rest of their lives. It was not going to happen. Even if her wolf would let her run to Dante, which she knew all too well it wouldn’t, war would erupt. It was not something she would be able to live with either. She trailed her fingers along the edge of the cinder blocks tied around her waist. She wondered if Dante would forgive her for this. She hoped with all her heart he would.
The sounds of running feet from somewhere off behind her barely caught her attention, her mind so lost in her sorrow.
“Anya…oh god, no, Anya, wait!” she heard Mitch yell, and she turned her head to look at him.
His face was ashen-white as he stared at her from the edge of the clearing thirty feet away. Her tears streamed down her cheeks, and she turned back to look at the sunset. She closed her eyes, and whispered, “I love you, Dante.” With a simple push of her hands on the edge of the rocky face, the salty sea air whizzed by her as she plummeted to the raging waters below.
The bay engulfed her in its cold grasp, and she welcomed it. She knew the pain breathing in the salty sea would bring, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. As she sank deeper into the dark gray swirling depths, she let her breath go. Water rushed into her lungs, and she allowed it to steal her life away. Her last thoughts were of the wonderful moment when she and Dante had become one. Her true soul mate, if not in this life, then maybe in the afterlife.
* * * *
Dante broke through the clearing to see Anya sitting on the edge, her long, blonde hair flying in the wind. Before he could get the chance to cry out her name, his heart leapt into his throat as he watched her disappear off the cliff. “No!” he screamed.
He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, and his heart stopped cold. He heard the pounding surf as it smashed into the face of the cliff as he ran toward it. The dark, swirling, foamy swells below revealed nothing to him as he looked over the edge. Somewhere down there in the turbulent waves was his Anya, and he dove off.
The water broke around him as he plunged into it. An icy chill swept over him as it enshrouded his body. There was no sign of her, and he searched in the cold, darkening waters for her. He saw nothing and swam deeper, the need to breathe pulling at him to resurface, and he did. It was a struggle to break free to the surface. The undertow there was pulling fiercely at him. He sucked in a lungful of air before he went under again, a slow swirling movement of blonde hair caught his gaze deep down several yards away, and he swam toward it.
He saw her sinking slowly, something tied around her waist to hold her down. Her hair flowed all around her and her arms floated over her head, swaying eerily in the strong undertow. Dante pushed himself to reach her, forced his legs and arms to draw him closer as the current tried to drag him farther away. Dante reached her and pulled her into his arms, trying to swim back up. The added weight dragged them both down. He gripped the rope around her and struggled with the knots in it. It wouldn’t give. He tried to pull it over her, but found she’d fastened it tightly around her so it couldn’t slip off. His attempt to untie it proved fruitless as well.
As Dante’s lungs burned for air, he fought again to drag her upward to no avail, the current not aiding his attempt. It pulled them farther out into the bay as they sank deeper still into the gray murky brine. His lungs could handle no more, the burning nearly too painful to take as his body’s need to breathe pulled at him to resurface. He wouldn’t leave her, he couldn’t leave her. Without her, he would be lost.
Dante swept her hair from her face and looked at her in the growing darkness. Her pretty blue eyes stared vacantly at him, and he knew she was gone. In that moment, it was as if he had died. His heart and soul shattered like fragile glass smashed against a wall. The images from his dream flooded his mind. He knew she was dead, and that he too would die there with her.
He pulled her closer, and refusing to let her go, he kissed her lips one last time before he let the last breath expel from him. As they slipped deeper into the bay, he stayed with her cradled in his arms. No one could keep them apart. Darkness embraced him as the salty sea stole him away to be with his Anya forever.
* * * *
Mitch looked down at the still form of his sister, her skin so ashen even compared to the white material she laid on top of. Her eyes closed, hands lain out over her chest, he fought the tears, struggled not to weep in front of Alex. His little brother hadn’t bothered to hide his own tears as they flowed freely down his cheeks. Across from her laid the man who had jumped in after her. He looked even paler in the same position as Anya.
The room was suddenly hot and suffocating. Mitch heard the soft murmurs of the pack, many of them too in tears. He never believed Anya had meant the words she’d hurled at him, never dreamt she’d actually take her own life. He wanted to die himself now, knowing he’d driven her to do this. All because of an age-old grudge between the Silverbacks and the Temple Island pack. His heart had never felt such grief, not even the death of his own mother had felt like this.
Mitch stepped away. He couldn’t look into the eyes of Anya’s twin, his own flesh and blood, nor could he look at any of the pack members who stood in the hall. His mate, he heard sobbing, and to her, he raised his eyes.
“Mitch, please…you have to let her go,” she said. She was right, he had been wrong.
“I know. I will,” he choked out.
“We’ll take good care of her,” the young man named Memphis said. And he stepped by him to go into the room in which the lovers lay.
As the members of the Temple Island pack followed the young man, there was heaviness in Mitch’s chest. As they brought the stretchers out, he saw his sister’s hand slide down and dangle over the edge, which broke the tears in his eyes. They flowed from their rims and trailed freely down his cheeks.
“Wait, please,” he croaked.
He rushed to the motionless form and took her fallen hand in his and held it briefly. Mitch brought it to lips and kissed the soft, cool flesh of the young woman he’d raised not only as a sister but almost as his own daughter. Memories of her laughing, smiling and playing as a child flowed through his mind. He would give anything right now to have those times again.
“Please…oh, god. I’m so sorry,” he murmured.
“Mitch…” The voice was weak and soft, and he looked into Anya’s eyes.
“Please forgive me,” he whispered.
“I love him,” she told him faintly.
“I know. I’m so sorry. I won’t stop you from being mates,” he croaked.
Anya gently squeezed his hand as tears rolled from her eyes as well
. Both she and Dante had nearly drowned. Mitch, Alex and Memphis had dove off the cliff shortly after Dante had. However, by the time they’d found them, both were not breathing, and it was a struggle to get them out of the water. Dante held Anya in his arms, and for the life of them, they couldn’t get him to release her until they were on the shore.
It was nothing short of a miracle they’d been able to revive them. If they’d been humans, they surely would have both perished in the salty depths of the bay. Now as Mitch gripped his sister’s weak, fragile hand, he knew that above all else, all he should have ever wanted was for her to be happy.
“You’re free to come see her anytime you wish.” He heard the gravely, weakened voice of the Temple pack’s alpha as four of his pack members carried out his stretcher.
Mitch watched them leave. His pack stood behind him. Now he would deal with Craig. His giving his sister to him had been a mistake. He’d thought Anya would grow to love the man, even allow him to be her mate. He never thought Craig would force that on her. That was not what he’d wanted, nor was it something he thought Craig would do. It was an unforgivable act in his eyes, and Craig would pay for that with his life.
Chapter Sixteen
Dante and Mitch rushed toward Craig and his three other pack members. They’d finally tracked them down after three long days of searching. Together, their packs were now one, both alphas signing an accord to conjoin the two and bury the grudge that had been between them for decades.
With the rage of what Craig had done to Anya flowing in him, Dante lunged at the other wolf. His only thought was on killing the bastard. The small group attacked, but between himself and Mitch, they easily drove off two of the weaker males. Now it was just Craig and his beta, and there would be no mercy shown even if they fled. Dante would kill him there and now. Never again would he be able to touch his mate.
In the aftermath, he howled in unison with Mitch, both victorious in their battle. If he hadn’t killed Craig, he would have had to do what was unthinkable. He could never live with that, and now she was free again to be his. Now Dante could reclaim Anya as his, the claim severed with Craig’s death allowed him to do so without forcing it on her.
Tonight would be one of much celebration. Both he and Anya would wed, as would Cora and Alex. The ceremony was to be held in Silverback territory. The party would be on the island afterward, a mixing of the two packs. It would be a bit tense, but eventually they would grow and become more and more united. Their bloodlines and future pairings of mates would ensure the two packs became prosperous.
* * * *
The harvest moon hung full in the sky, casting enough light to make it easy to see as they rode to the temple. She was a little tired after the festivities of the wedding and the wild party they had afterward. Nevertheless, she also had a sense of excitement welling inside her. Tonight they would be united as one again, and she was more than a little eager to have that happen.
As many of the partygoers had begun to leave, Dante had taken her aside and told her they had to come there. It had been in a voice that didn’t sound like his, but somehow she’d known it was still him. An urge to come there had taken over her as well, and the closer they got the stronger the urge to be inside the temple became. Now as Dante led her into the ruins, the fine hairs on her arms stood on end, and a shiver ran through her.
He led her to the altar, and as she looked up at him, his body shimmered ever so slightly in the moonlight coming in from the gaping hole through the ceiling. She stood frozen in one spot while he shifted. The sounds of his body morphing filled the air, and soon an inhuman Dante stood before her. Although she should have been afraid, she wasn’t. A strange sense of calm filled her as she looked at him.
The glowing embers in his eyes glinted in the light as did his claws. His mass was bigger overall, and she ran her gaze over him. She swallowed hard. His body was covered in short, black fur, and his erection looked enormous. He tilted his head and lowered it to her face, sniffing her before his long tongue licked her cheek. He stood upright again, and she had to look upward to see his face. His lips curled to reveal a set of long, pointy teeth, and he growled deeply.
A soft whimper slipped from her throat, a sign of her submission. He reached out to her with a large fur-covered hand, and his claws hooked into her dress. A simple tug sliced the material free. Anya stood in front of him, butterflies filling her tummy as her dress fell to the ground. She shivered a little in the cool fall air.
“My sweet Terra.” He growled.
Something deep within her stirred at hearing that name. Anya felt she was not alone in this body, another now dwelt inside her. As his claws trailed along her cheek, and he leaned down, her heart raced wildly in her chest. “Jared!” the words had come from her mouth, but the voice was not her own.
The moment their lips touched, she felt the connection. Even if his body was that of something other than a man, he was her mate. How he had come to posses the spirit of the Wolf Lord was a mystery, but she remembered she’d dreamed of this. As he leaned her over the altar, she knew it’d been more than a simple dream. It’d been a vision. He’d told her about what had happened when he drank the water, and it had changed them both in ways no one would ever be able to make sense of.
Dante’s body rippled again, becoming a man as he pulled her legs apart and nestled between them. With both his hands resting on either side of her shoulders, he stared down into her eyes. The glowing ember within them was the only thing that remained of the beast. The feeling of him penetrating her made her gasp. She hadn’t realized how ready she was, the feeling shooting darts of pleasure into her. The water in the stagnant pool drenched them as he moved into her and her body slid on the smooth surface.
Every cell in her felt as if it was exploding as he filled her, their union now sealed. The heated waves of pleasure crashed in around her and her mind went dizzyingly blank. Every slow thrust ensuring it felt good, that she got to feel all of him. Her orgasm sat on the edge, the pins and needles bursting all over her as her body tensed for it. Dante seemed to sense her racing to the edge, and his movements quickened.
She moaned deeply and panted, her hips grinding up to meet his. Her lover growled deeply, and it rumbled through his chest. The feeling was absolute rapture as a wildfire of heat rushed over her body, and she constricted on him as she came. Her mate stiffened, arched his head back and howled like a wolf. The heat of him spilled into her. It was like tossing gasoline on an already raging fire, adding to the power of her climax.
*
Dante could still feel Jared’s presence as they’d mated, knew a part of the Wolf Lord claimed his mate. He had no control over it. This was something they needed to do. The urge to ensure this act was fruitful, that her womb would become full of life, was all consuming. As they kissed, he felt the fullness of her lips and the warmth of her skin. Her smell was heavenly, mixing with his in the air within the temple.
Dante lifted off her, and she sat up, her bottom near the edge, and he smiled. With a gesture of his head, she turned around, lying on her belly over the altar, her bottom up in the air. He caressed the wet flesh of her bum for a moment before he pulled her back. Never had he been so fully ready to mate so soon after coming.
He reached out and gripped her by the shoulders and slammed himself into her. The scream that ripped from her lips sent an electric rush over his body, and he did it again, eliciting another cry of pleasure from her. Dante roamed his hands over Anya’s soft, silky wet skin as he stayed his movements. Her body trembled. She rotated her hips, moving him inside her, and he growled in pleasure. As he pulled slowly out of her, she moaned deeply, and he brought his hands down to tightly grip her hips.
With brutal force, he plunged into her again, and she met his thrust with an equally fiery demand of her own. The hard, rhythmic motion of their bodies crashing into to each other was increasing steadily in tempo until Anya became still. It allowed him to drive his body into hers at a fevered tempo, which threa
tened to bring them both over the edge of their climaxes. The wave that flooded over his erection threatened to pull his release from him, and she cried out her pleasure as she came. Her tight inner sheath relentlessly pulsated over his rigid length as she climaxed, and it was a hard battle not to join her.
Dante stopped, lost in the sensations her body gave him, needing to look her in the eyes. He pulled away from her and rolled her over onto her back. Her long, blonde hair was plastered to her skin, her eyes all glassy, and she smiled up at him. Dante seized her legs and wrapped them over his shoulder, then leaned forward as she gripped him in her hand to guide him back into her.
He took his time and moved, keeping control not to climax. The feeling of his building eruption was a slow almost painful burn within him. Nevertheless, he would not go harder. He wanted to relish this feeling, to make it last as long as possible. Now, as her legs relaxed and her knees went to her chest, it allowed him to be completely inside her. The feeling was almost more than he could take. He pumped hard and fast, his own need consuming him. Anya seemed to be enjoying the harsher treatment. Her body gripped his in a repeat of unyielding pulses as she gasped louder. Her breasts heaved on her chest, turning a lovely flush of crimson. The scent of her told him she crested.
Anya grabbed hold of his arms, her small hands trembling as she cried out, and her nails dug into him. Her legs wrapped over his shoulders, stiffened and shook. The torrent of her body washed over him, the waves of heated cream making her slick and the scent more than he could take. Dante kissed her hard as she quivered under him, and he knew he would not last through her climax.
Together they came, both crying out in concert. It was the most exquisite feeling to pleasure his mate as she did him. He collapsed on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight. Their mouths found each other, and the kiss pulled at every emotion within him. He’d lost her once, she’d died as did he, and they had been reborn. He knew why, knew there was a reason, and as he pulled off her and stared into her shimmering blue eyes, he saw the moon reflecting in them. Just like him, Anya’s soul was now infused with the spirit of someone else.
An Undying Love Page 12