23. Anna

23

Anna

It had only been a month, but The Fanged Smile was a disaster. Chairs had been smashed to bits. The inside and outside walls had graffiti. The liquor wall was completely empty. It broke my heart to see her like this. She'd been my prison. My chance at an identity. My torment.

Now she was just mine, and she was a mess.

"One of the guards told me that there was some rebellion while Jax was gone. One or two employees didn't like it when Jax killed the manager," Finn said as he walked up behind me.

"What did he do anyway?"

"Tried to rape me," I said flatly as I turned around. The frustration in me eased a little. It was good to see him. "I'm not well-liked here."

He gave me a tight smile. "I gathered that, too. Turns out the happy couple you played in Wisteria Woods was a lie."

"Did you volunteer to guard me, or is this a shit assignment for the new guy?" If Finn hated me now, I wanted to know.

"You and I are more alike than you think, Anna. I volunteered. I hope you don't mind."

He smiled, and I couldn't help but give him one in return. "You want to impress your new pack. Befriending me is not the way to go."

"Then maybe this isn't the pack for me," he said simply and looked around. "So what are we doing here?"

Blowing out my breath, I glanced around the restaurant. "Throwing out the spoiled food, checking to see if there's any money left in the safe, taking stock of the broken furniture and appliances. Then we'll see if anyone in the pack is desperate enough to work for me, and try to re-open for business."

"Oh? Is that all?"

Snorting with laughter, I made my way through the dining room. "I asked Jax if I could see you when we returned, but he said you were in training."

"Hmm. There were challenges. Gauging how strong my wolf was. I endured more fighting than when I was a rogue in a violent territory. When the fight was over, they'd grin, clap me on the back, and tell me how well I did. Being part of a pack is different as an adult than a child."

"I wouldn't know. You've had more experience than me." Damn it, the kitchen had been pristine when I left. Whoever had vandalized it left half-eaten food on the counter. It reeked.

"I thought you were here for years."

"Yes, but I stayed here. I had a room upstairs. I kind of miss it now."

"You stayed here? Like, only here? Didn't that drive your wolf mad?" Finn asked in disbelief.

"My wolf is a little different than yours." Even now, she curled and stretched inside me. Ever since we'd returned with Jax, she'd been content. With her mate. She was even asking to run with him.

I hadn't allowed it. For years, I'd protected her. Now, I couldn't convince her that Jax was still our enemy.

And she was mad at me.

"So you want to get the place open out of vengeance?"

Running my hands on the dusty chopping block, I frowned. "I know how it sounds. I've got mixed feelings about this place as well, but at times, it has been my sanctuary. My only sanctuary."

"And now you need it to be a sanctuary again, away from Jax?"

He was fishing. He already knew that Jax and I weren't happily mated, but we were supposed to be changing that perception. For the pack, at least. That means him as well. I gave him a tight smile. "It's just a good place for me to be while we figure everything out."

The back door opened, and I whipped my head around and went rigid. Finn didn't move a muscle, but I could feel the wolf inside him ready himself.

This was who TK wanted running messages for him? How could he not sense the power in him? Finn could be an alpha one day.

"So how did those challenges go?" I asked dryly.

Finn just chuckled softly.

Two females walked in, and Finn relaxed a fraction. I didn't. I only recognized one, and I still wasn't sure how she felt about me.

"Bridget," I greeted calmly. "And Bridget's friend."

Bridget looked to be in her thirties, where her friend was younger. Early twenties, maybe.

Pretty with blonde hair and big blue eyes. She was the kind of female easily overlooked.

There was something about those eyes that was familiar.

"Amaya," Bridget supplied. "She's one of the guards for The Fanged Smile perimeter."

Amaya. The wolf who saw Danny try to rape me and actually ran to get help. "I owe you," I told her. I didn't want to owe someone I didn't know.

"You don't," she replied shortly. "I didn't do it for you."

She just hated Danny. "Works for me. We're not exactly open for business."

"We know. We're here to help." Bridget cautiously opened the walk-in fridge, sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. "It looks like you need it."

Finn immediately stepped between us. "You need Jax's permission."

Bridget raised an eyebrow. Either she didn't know that Finn was assigned as my bodyguard, or she was testing him. "I am your superior."

"As of this morning, I answer only to Jax. When it comes to Anna's safety, my decisions trump yours. And Jenson's."

Amaya smirked. "So you're going to be Jax's golden boy. You have such a pretty face. I bet that won't last long. Anna, why don't you call your mate and see if he's fine with us helping you before Bridget's head explodes. Also, while you're at it, you should ask if you're allowed to order Pretty Boy around, too. Could be fun."

"She's my friend," Finn said simply. "She doesn't need to order me around. She can just ask."

Amaya snorted, and I cleared my throat. "I could use some help clearing out the broken furniture in the dining room. Finn and I will work in the kitchen, and Finn can call Jax and make sure it's fine." I hated saying the last part. I hated that Jax was in charge of me.

Out in the front, Bridget and Amaya worked quietly. Finn made his phone call from no more than five feet from me, his eyes on me the whole time. If I wanted, I'd hear every word.

Except that I didn't. I didn't want to hear Jax making decisions for me.

Refuse to let me leave. Force me to sleep in his bed. I was good enough to pretend to be his lover but not good enough to be his lover.

All the wolves like to talk about how great the mating bond is. Letting their wolves, shifter magic, and fate choose your love. A bond that tethers the two of you together.

Unless you're mated to an egotistical asshole. Then maybe that bond is just a pain in the ass.

When he hung up, I glanced over my shoulder. "If the great and almighty Jax says it's okay, you can work in the dining hall with Bridget and Amaya."

"Nope. They can stay, but there are exits back here, so I can't very well guard you from out there, can I?"

I sighed. So much for a quiet day at The Fanged Smile. I just wanted a day away from Jax.

Now I had a bodyguard who only took orders from him, his third-in-command, and his guard shadowing me.

"You would think the leader of the pack would just let me go when his pack wants so badly to kill me that he has to assign a bodyguard," I muttered.

"He's protecting you. They'll get to know you. They'll get on board," Finn said as he guided me out in the dining room.

Amaya looked up. "You weren't here when Cora stumbled into my sector. She was so bloody and broken that she couldn't even shift property. When she tried to talk, blood poured out of her mouth. I don't even know how she traveled so far. We brought her here, actually. Called Saul to heal her, but this is where I watched my best friend die. Where others watched one of the favorites suffer horribly. She had a hand in that."

It wasn't the first time someone had accused me of that, but she wasn't wrong.

Finn jumped in front of me. "She is not responsible for her father's crimes."

"But she sent Cora here. Sacrificed her," Bridget pointed out. "I heard you tell Saul that."

"And I saved three children," I said coldly as I stepped around Finn. I was done absorbing the blame. "Everyone leaves that part out. I gave her a choice. If you don't want to be around me, you're welcome to leave."

"I was ordered…" Amaya started.

"No. You weren't," Finn interrupted. "I spoke to Jax. You were not ordered. You volunteered. Seeing how much you hate her, I can't help but wonder why."

Amaya opened her mouth again, but Bridget turned around and growled. The kitchen door opened, and a stranger walked in.

"Get out," Finn snarled. "Or die."