“She seems to have lost most of her powers since being bitten by a werewolf, Tamara. There was no way to know. She was trying to protect me from the pack. She knew they would be angry at me,” Isaiah tried to explain, but he was wishing Roman was still nearby to help him out. He was better at convincing people of anything than Isaiah was. Isaiah just sounded desperate, like he was grasping at straws.
“And she doesn’t think they would be angry now?” Tamara continued. Isaiah had rarely seen her this way. Her anger was almost always geared towards someone else. Usually, it had been reserved for Orson. Isaiah did not like the taste of that anger. He was getting the brunt of it now. “What are we going to do? We have to tell them immediately! They have the right to know what kind of danger they are in.”
Isaiah had thought long and hard about this, and Roman was right about not telling the pack right away. It would just make it worse. “Roman has a plan to buy us more time. We don't have to tell them right now and stir anything up. It wouldn't be safe for any of us,” he said, trying to stay calm and quiet.
Tamara sat down on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling like pouting. She didn’t know why she thought she could be the alpha's mate; not with the alpha being Isaiah. He wasn’t going to be in sync with her on anything. It was not going to be the partnership they wanted it to be. “What you mean is, it will be dangerous for Annalise. It doesn’t matter if she was bitten, Isaiah, she is still a witch. Our loyalty is supposed to be to the pack and to each other, not to an outsider. That was the whole point of that oath I took.” She lowered her voice, sick of yelling into deaf ears. Maybe if she was quieter, he would have to listen harder. “You weren't out there today hearing what I heard. People talk to my father, and he told me everything. They are questioning your choice of Roman to head the investigation because he has found nothing of importance. They think it should have been Orson. They are confident he would have made someone pay already and the witch would be gone. They think the both of you are too soft and ruining your father's legacy. Things are coming to a head out there, Isaiah, and you need to do something about it. If you don’t, I will.”
Isaiah was about to say something about what it meant to be alpha when he heard footsteps. He turned around to see that Annalise had chosen that moment to come into the room. He could see that her face was swollen from crying, and it made him feel guilty. Maybe he should have taken the conversation with Tamara somewhere else. She had clearly heard every word. “No matter what I do, you’re going to hate me,” she said flatly. She was looking right at Tamara who turned to look at her with a hatred in her eyes Isaiah had never seen from her before. There was usually such love for everyone around her all the time. He had never expected her to take to another person so poorly.
“I don't hate you, but you can’t expect me to like you either. I don't care about you. I cannot care about you over the pack and over my mate, no matter how big of a heart he has,” Tamara answered with no qualms. Isaiah thought she was expressing herself a little too well.
“At least it means I know what to expect from you. I don't like it, but I understand you,” Annalise said, surprising them both. “It’s you I don’t get, Isaiah. She's right! She’s right about how the pack will react, and I knew that. It’s why I kept my mouth shut. I don't understand why you don’t just send me away right now. I am such a major problem for you, and evidently your mate has an issue with my being here. You are always doing everything for the pack instead of yourself. Why would you go against them now, in this matter?” Annalise asked, feeling emotional again. She did not want to cry in front of Tamara, but that was exactly what was about to happen.
Isaiah stared at Annalise, looking dumbfounded. He didn’t have an answer for that. “Well?” Tamara asked harshly, looking to him for his answer. Isaiah shook his head slowly, knowing he was about to anger the two women present in his life at this time.
“Because it just wouldn’t be the right thing,” Isaiah said finally, having nothing better than that. “I don't have a better answer than that. I am trying to follow my heart here, instead of just doing whatever everyone else wants or thinks I should do. I have failed at this a few times before, I realize. This is the path I’ve chosen. I’m not throwing everything I am away for a group of people that only care about me because I was someone’s son.” How many times would it come back to that? He didn't want to be his father. He didn't want to repeat those awful mistakes. There had to be balance for him, one between the pack and himself or he would lose it all.
“Is that supposed to mean that choosing me as your mate was a mistake?” Tamara asked, looking hurt. Isaiah thought she was reading into what he had said a little too much, but the damage was already done. “Maybe it was me who made the mistake.”
“I think I am going to grab Hector and go for a walk or something,” Annalise announced, ready to give the two privacy for their first fight. She didn't need to be in the middle of that. She had only come out of her room because they were fighting about her. She was oh so sick of it. Why was she so important one way or the other? It was the exact type of conflict and biased attitudes that gave her reason to escape from the coven. She hoped for calm and peace of mind. Those issues had just seemingly followed her even after the attack. Maybe it was time to think about going home to the coven and revealing what had happened. If she took her place as leader and began training, maybe they would believe her that Isaiah and the pack had nothing to do with it. Something told her that with being gone so long and so resistant to her assigned position, it wouldn’t be that easy to regain trust or any control.
“No,” Tamara said standing up. “I think I am the one who needs a walk. Besides, he is going to tell you everything we’ve talked about anyway. There really is no such thing as privacy around you.” Tamara stormed out the door, letting it slam behind her. Her emotions were so high, Annalise could almost see them trailing behind her.
“Aren’t you going to go after her?” Annalise asked, coming into the room with Isaiah. He felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. In actuality, it was between the woman at the door and the one by the couch.
“I know her well enough to know that it wouldn't make a difference. She is not the kind to be swayed by romantic gestures, and that would be even if she was in love with me. She’s not,” Isaiah said, choosing the couch.
“Are you in love with her?” Annalise asked. It was a dumb question because she knew that not only would one answer hurt her but that the answer was obvious.
“No,” Isaiah said in an almost whisper. “I’m not. But we both knew that when we got into this. I don't know why it’s so hard all of a sudden. We have been friends for years.”
“It's my fault, Isaiah. She feels threatened by me being here. If I thought it would make a difference, I would walk back to the coven right now and never come back. I am afraid I have made myself slightly untrustworthy with them, and I don't think they would take me at my word. They would doubt the fact no one in the pack had anything to do with my condition,” she admitted with her head low. She felt childish and foolish now for the way she had been behaving before the attack. Isaiah was taking on his duty no matter how much he hated it. Surely, she was ruining it for him because she wanted nothing to do with the coven or her duties.
“I know that, and you don’t need to leave or go away from here. I am not going to put you in danger when I can help with your protection, especially during the oncoming change. They do not have any way of helping you through the change. I know that. You need to be with us. If you want to go home after that and expose us, it’s up to you.” Isaiah sounded hurt and angry. He still was not over the fact that she hadn’t told him the whole truth about herself.
Annalise sat down next to him on the couch and placed her hand gently on top of his, forcing him to look at her. “I would never do that to you. It looks like we’re stuck in this together.”
Tamara found herself standing outside of the cabin, staring into space and w
aiting to see if Annalise would come storming out too or if Isaiah would come after her. She shouldn’t have been surprised when neither thing happened. Isaiah knew better than to think she would want him chasing after her, as if they were in some cheesy romance novel. She knew she had been right about him telling Annalise everything. He was going to keep protecting her no matter what it meant for himself. That was all fine and dandy if he was in it alone, but he wasn't anymore. It affected Tamara too.
Tamara grunted angrily and began to stomp in the direction of that special place where she hoped to find one of the other two brothers. Roman would be a good choice to talk to for getting this all settled. Orson would be great for getting her mind off of everything.
Soon, she was running, almost sliding on the wet mud as she got deeper into the forest and nearer to the stream. She caught herself leaping onto the large boulder she liked to sit on and found herself greeted by Roman’s back. Almost instantly, she realized it was far too cold to be out there in nothing but a long sleeve top and jeans.
Roman turned around to notice her, and he had a strangely sad smile on his face. It must have been a bad day all around for everyone. “You look like you need to talk,” Roman commented, scooting over and offering his hand to help her sit. She should have been angry at him also for keeping from her the information about Annalise. He was the first to learn all the facts. Now, though, she found as she sat down next to him, a lot of her frustration and anger fizzled out, leaving her shivering in the cold wind.
“Did you really come out here without a coat?” he asked her, half chuckling, half concerned. She nodded, not ready to speak just yet. Besides, her teeth were chattering so intensely she couldn’t. Being a werewolf was supposed to mean that she was warmer than a human, but she had never reaped the benefits the way the young brothers had. Sometimes they could stand out in the snow barefoot for hours and only get a slight sniffle.
Roman shed his jacket and placed it over her, helping her place her arms inside. It was warm with his body heat, and even so a chill ran through her body as it quickly warmed up.
“This is about Annalise and Isaiah, isn't it?” Roman asked in the silence. He wasn't going to let her get away with showing up in such a state and saying nothing. Even if she wanted him to keep quiet, he had no intention of remaining silent. He didn't come to that spot unless he had something on his mind, he also knew the same was true of her. It had always been that way.
“What do you mean, Annalise and Isaiah?” she asked defiantly, not liking the sound of those two names together. Speaking those two names together sounded like they were a partnership or a team now. She didn't know how much longer she could handle sharing the house and his confidence with her. She couldn't wait for the coming of the full moon and her change to be completed so they could send her packing. She didn't really care what happened to her after that. She could find another pack to fall in with south of there. There were plenty of them in California.
“I mean, the fact that he told you that Annalise was supposed to be the coven leader and probably tried to defend her,” Roman clarified, looking amused at her reaction. “He did do that, didn't he? Or am I wrong about what sent you flying out here without a coat in such a huff?”
Tamara sighed in defeat. Roman read all of them too well. It was like he had his own reserve of magical powers sometimes. “You’re not wrong,” she responded flatly, wishing she could leave it at that. “I just don't understand why he is trying so hard to protect her when it would be better to let her go and protect the pack instead. I don't care who she is. Surely, she is not more important than his job as alpha. Even she said so!” Tamara put her head in her hands, feeling annoyed yet again.
Roman rubbed her back reassuringly, trying to find the right words to say. He still did not agree with the pairing, but he wasn't going to disrespect the alpha's choice either. It was too late to change it. With how things were going, maybe it would be smart for her to be set free in a decade, or perhaps even less.
“I get the sense that you do not like Annalise very much, but you do realize she is trying to do what is right for the pack, too. The decision is Isaiah’s, not hers,” Roman explained, ever the reasonable brother. One day, he would be faced with something that would make him throw all that reasonableness down the drain. Tamara just knew it. And then who would she go to in order to set her head straight?
“Yes, but she is an adult. She could just leave,” Tamara shot back like a child. “You know, I don't like the way all of this is making me act. I don't feel like myself at all,” she admitted after hearing herself say that. She knew very well that the young leader of a coven had nowhere to go but back to her coven. There was no normal life without it. It was no different than if Isaiah had turned down being alpha and left the pack. There was just something about Annalise that got to her.
“I think Annalise is a good excuse for what the real problem is,” Roman said, surprising her. He was probably spot on. She didn't want to think about or even talk about the fact that the issue was she thought there was something wrong with her. She’d had the same insecurities the first time Isaiah had rejected her. It was like reliving that piece of her childhood all over again. Roman knew very little about that situation other than she had ended up with Orson for some time. Even then her and Orson broke up shortly after that. She didn't feel like reminiscing or telling Roman all the details right now either.
Roman saw the look on her face and knew he had hit the nail on the head. None of that mattered to her and didn't make her feel any better. He needed to do something else about it. “Look, the full moon is in three days. Let Isaiah help her, and then we'll see what can be done after that,” Roman offered, trying to make the time more manageable. “In the meantime, I will be right here for you every day if that's what it takes.”
“Why are you always so nice, Roman? You could snap someone's neck if you wanted to, but it’s like you don’t even get angry,” she noted in a teasing tone. Roman looked down at his feet and shook his head. If only she knew the turmoil that went on inside of him most days. He was just good at keeping it hidden. The family already had someone who flew off the handle.
“I don't know, Tamara,” he told her simply. “But I think the day calls for a run,” he told her with a smile, standing up and hopping off the boulder. Tamara knew he didn't mean as humans. It was something they always did right before the first snow; feeling that whipping wind in their fur.
Roman offered his hand to her and she took it, leaping down into his arms before he set her down. Roman was so strong in so many ways. How different would things be right now if he had been alpha?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Annalise woke up to the light streaming in through her window and felt hungover. Sometimes heavy emotions would do that to a person. Her eyes were crusted over from all the tears she had shed the day before. She knew she definitely needed to make this day a better day; a more productive day. So many things were happening at once, and she didn't know how she was to deal with any of them.
The coven was coming for her and had revealed, unknowingly, the kind of powers she held inside herself. Her well-kept secret that Hyacinthe was not the true leader of the coven had also been exposed. Her magic was pretty much gone, and she didn’t know when it was coming back.
Thoughtfully, she had been doing a little research and digging with the help of Hector. She had wanted to understand the change that someone went through to become a werewolf and what it felt like. She got lucky with Hector because he was also bitten, not born. Born werewolves, such as Isaiah and his brothers, would have no idea about the differences between being human and being a werewolf. Even before they were old enough to change there was something different about them.
She was a witch, but some of the effects of the change would be the same, and one of those was an instability on the inside. Werewolf bites were a magic all their own. Depending on who you asked, it was a gift or a curse, given to Native American tribesmen who were already ve
ry spiritual and could heal and mix potions. This magic was locked, though, and it made emotions and everything completely unstable. She had a theory that her magic was being thrown off much that same way. Her insides were in turmoil, and her equilibrium was off. Some of her magic was locked up in the magic of the wolf and the uncertainty of the effects of the ensuing change. If she could learn to control the change as well as Isaiah and his brothers, she might regain some or all of her powers. However, the tricky part was figuring out just how to do that and quickly.
If she had been listening correctly, the first turn would happen in less than 48 hours from now, when the full moon came out. She had no doubt it would be painful and completely involuntary. She knew little else. She and Isaiah had been too preoccupied with what was going on in that very cabin. Tamara was still on edge, and Annalise could feel the tension around her every time they were in the same room. They were having to try and coexist peacefully in an impossible situation.
In fact, she could hear the two of them now, still going at it, and not in a good way. They were fighting like they did almost every morning now. It was inevitably about what to tell the pack and what to do with the fact that she was still there. It was exhausting listening to them, and she wondered if she had completely misjudged Tamara to begin with. She wasn’t coming off as the strong woman she had appeared to be when they first met. In fact, Tamara seemed somewhat pig headed now more than anything, and that wasn't exactly a strength. She was fighting Isaiah every step of the way. At every turn, she refused to just let him be alpha. So now, he was trying to please her, the pack, and himself. He was becoming stretched far too thin inside and out.
Annalise stretched and kicked off her covers, having decided to take care of some things that day. She was going to get some answers about the change into a wolf, so she knew what to expect. Preparation was key to getting her powers back and doing well, she could feel it.
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