14. Anna

14

Anna

I may have said it in passing before, but it was the first time I'd ever introduced Jax as my mate.

To his credit, he didn't blink an eye. Not at the fake name or the confession of our relationship. Not even to the revelation that Marsh was a friend of my father's.

A good friend.

"A mate! Look at you! Dirk's sweet little girl all grown up," Marsh said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "A mate of Anna's is definitely a friend of mine. I'm sure you have her well in hand. My little Anna used to be such a hellion."

My stomach turned, but I just laughed with him. To show even a little hint of distress would only give him more ammunition, and it was too late to signal to Jax to kill him so we could be on our way. There was something about Marsh I didn't like. Why was he so at ease chatting out in the open?

"She's under control," Jax said mildly.

"I have no doubt. Why don't you join me at my place, and we'll catch up?"

I tried to look regretful as I shook my head. "I'm afraid we're just passing through.

Maybe on my way back."

Immediately, I realized my mistake. I'd spoken out of turn. I hadn't even looked at Jax.

Marsh picked up on it immediately and raised an eyebrow. "Unfortunately, I have to insist. There were reports of a group of wolves trying to enter my territory. I sent a group out to survey and none of them have returned yet. Dirk, rest his soul, would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. I assume you're meeting with the witches again?"

He was fishing for information and luring us back to his place. Unfortunately, I could only do one of those things. This time, I looked at Jax, and he nodded his head. "I don't even think I knew the witches could have visitors," I laughed forcefully. "No, we're just taking a shortcut, but it's better to be safe than sorry here. I appreciate the warning."

"I can handle a couple of wolves," Jax said flatly as he glared at Marsh. Was it my imagination or did he look jealous?

"I'm sure you can, but this was more than a couple," Marsh said easily. "I know a safe place for you to stay tonight, and I'd love to catch up with sweet little Anna here."

He followed it up with a wink, and my stomach turned. I was just about to find an excuse to leave when Jax's arms circled my waist. "I'm sure she'd love to catch up."

The last thing I wanted was Jax to hear Marsh's stories, but I couldn't see a way out.

Neither, apparently, could Jax. Or maybe he really did want information about my past.

I was interested in what Marsh was doing here. He was like my father. Too much like him, and I didn't see him hiding out in a place like this without good reason.

We followed Marsh back to a small cabin. It looked like it had been built recently, but that didn't mean Marsh built it. He'd always been fairly lazy, so it wouldn't surprise me to learn that he'd taken it by force.

"Anna grew up in a place just like this. In fact, I thought of her as soon as I laid eyes on it. Knew how much she'd love it," Marsh said as he opened the door. "She and her daddy always knew how to make their place so cozy and inviting. Did you ever meet him, Saul?"

"Just once. He died soon after," Jax said shortly.

"That explains where she went off to. When I heard about Dirk, I was worried about my sweet little girl. I went looking for her."

"Saul kept me safe," I said as I forced myself to look up at Jax and smiled. I had to play the role, or I'd just end up vomiting all over Marsh's shoes. It had been awhile, but submissive, quiet, dumb little Anna?

Coming right up.

"Have you been up here all this time?"

"Hmmm. I rather like it here. It's quiet. I've made a few friends." He winked at me. "I'll wager you'll like it here, too. It should remind you of home."

"She has a home now." The tension in Jax was evident, and I worried that if he didn't keep it together, he'd stop masking his alpha status.

If Marsh noticed, he didn't say anything, Instead, he kicked off his boots and sat on the couch. When he patted the spot next to him, Jax sat in the chair and plopped me down on his lap.

Marsh was right. It did feel just like Dirk's home. I swallowed down my unease and tried to settle against Jax. Despite having set our roles up, I knew I didn't look comfortable. I wasn't used to any man's touch, let alone Jax's hard body beneath me. His hands immediately caged my waist, and I tried to remain as still as possible. My heart hammered in my chest at the feel of his muscles beneath me.

For fuck's sake, Anna, pull it together. We'd never been in more danger, and now I wanted to obsess about Jax's body?

"I've got a few bottles of that Snake River's Ale that's so popular."

"Snake River distributes through Wisteria Woods?" Jax asked skeptically.

It was all I could do not to look back at him dirtily. This was one time where the pampered alpha needed to keep his mouth shut. He was supposed to be a rogue. He was supposed to know how the life worked.

Marsh didn't miss a beat. "Where did you say you're living now?"

What Jax didn't know was how easy it was to get things into rogue territories. It might take a little longer, but wolves knew how to move things, and we bartered with more than money. Plenty of the cargo was stolen, but there was also money here. Plenty of it was legitimately bought. When the right wolf came along, a rogue could get just about anything they wanted. Clothes. Phones. Alcohol. My father sometimes had a house with the most beautiful furniture, and sometimes we lived in a cave. It had nothing to do with what money he had or what he could get his hands on and everything to do with the mood he was in. I needed Marsh to think Jax was in charge, at least, the way Marsh and my father thought a man should be in charge, so I couldn't explain his behavior. Not without Marsh realizing Jax was nothing like Dirk. Luckily, Jax stepped in.

"Females shouldn't drink," he said stiffly. "It's best not to put temptation near them."

"Oh, you're one of those," Marsh snorted. "I get it. Darling little Anna was quite the drinker. Thirteen, fourteen years old, knocking those whiskies back. Oh, the things she would do when she was a little buzzed."

Jax's arms tightened around me, and I stiffened and prayed Marsh wouldn't give any more details. I did drink whenever my father's friends visited. Luckily, they found it entertaining. I found it helped dull the sense and blacked out memories I didn't really want to live with.

"We don't do that anymore, right, Anna?" Jax said softly.

"Right."

"Right, what?"

Startled, I looked back at him. There was disgust in his eyes. Was it because of Marsh's stories or the role he was seamlessly slipping into?

"Right, Saul."

"Good. Names are important," he said to Marsh. "It's a sign of respect."

"Uh-huh." Marsh watched me closely. "So you met Dirk, mated with our little Anna here, and just whisked her away? I'm having a hard time believing Dirk was okay with that."

Jax met his gaze. "She's mine," he said simply. "And I do not need permission from anyone to do what I want with her."

A wide grin split Marsh's face. "I like you, man. I really do."

There was a knock at the door, and I jumped. Marsh just smirked my way and crossed the room to answer it. Another male werewolf entered, this one far younger than Marsh. Who had he signaled? How many more wolves would be joining us tonight?'

"Finn. Just the boy I wanted to see. Come in. Come in. This pretty little peach is Anna.

She was Dirk's daughter. We go way back. And this is her mate, Saul."

Jax had gone rock hard under me as Finn stared at him. "Saul," Finn repeated.

Shit. What were the chances that Finn knew Jax? One word, and our charade would be over. Marsh would know that Jax was not only an alpha but the one who killed Dirk.

"Finn," Jax said quietly and held out his hand. After a tense moment, the young man shook it.

Marsh looked vaguely disappointed, although I couldn't figure out why. "Finn is a well-traveled young man. The best messenger wolf I've ever had."

"And what do you need a messenger for in Wisteria Woods? I was under the impression that the wolves here liked their solitude," Jax said with mild interest.

"Oh, this and that. You never know. Finn, I assume you're here about the report?"

Marsh had wolves reporting to him? Was he organizing the wolves here?

I thought back to what he said about a group of wolves entering his territory. A pack here in Wisteria Woods would be dangerously unstable. Were the witches allowing this? What the hell was going on?

"There were a half a dozen wolves who entered. The perimeter guards took care of it, but their radios were damaged in the process, so they couldn't check in. They believe there were two groups, so they'll be on patrol for the next thirty-six to forty-eight hours. Green says he'll send a message if they find anything."

Marsh nodded. "So Jax is sending someone to the witches. I suspected he would.

What happened to the first group?"

Saul. Bridget. The others.

Finn stared at us. "They never made it pass the borders. There were no survivors."