26. Anna

26

Anna

"Emerson Triggs," I repeated as I stared down at him. "Why in the hell would he be coming here?"

Jax leaned back in his chair and stared at me. "Indigo Peak's witch was taken and killed.

Before he died, he told the alpha about the darkness. She wants to call a meeting of the alphas."

"A meeting of the alphas," I repeated. I was starting to sound like a broken record. "And that has to happen here?"

"My land is the biggest, and it's the furthest away from a human settlement. The territory can be rougher when too many alphas are close together."

"Great. Let me know when he's coming. I'll be taking my vacation then." I wrapped my arms around my body, suddenly aware of how naked I was. I'd been so furious when I made the plan. There's a certain amount of confidence that can be born from fury.

It's funny how quickly that confidence can disappear when fear sets in.

"You're mated to me. No matter what deal your father made, he can't have you. You're mine."

I wasn't his. Not really. "How do I know you're not going to use me as a bargaining chip?"

A shadow fell over his face, and I realized I'd gone too far.

"You don't have to worry about me visiting tonight," he said darkly as he took his plate, stood, and walked out. Watching him go, I wanted to scream. How the hell was I supposed to know what he was thinking? What he was planning?

The next morning, Finn was waiting to drive me to The Fanged Smile. I'd barely slept at all, but going back to the restaurant would give me something to do. Something to help me keep my mind off my fear.

"Can you go a little slower," I asked Finn as I put a hand to my stomach. I was already feeling unsettled.

"Sure. You good? Excited for another day at The Fanged Smile?"

I wanted to ask him about the alphas. Maybe, as Jax's guard, he knew more than I did, but I didn't ask. I didn't want to get Jax in trouble and get some asshole as my bodyguard.

"Yeah. It'll be good to focus on something."

"Think Amaya will show up?"

"Amaya? The bombshell who seemed to hate you on sight? I don't know, maybe? Did you see something you liked, Finn?"

"Nah, but knowing who's going to be around is a good thing for a bodyguard to know."

His eyes flashed. "Sort of hoping those assholes will show back up."

Finn came from a world of violence, and I could feel it pulsing inside of him. He wanted a fight.

Defending me, it was only a matter of time before he got one.

"You know, just because you'll find life hard in Wisteria Woods doesn't mean that you can't still be rogue. You don't have to be part of a pack."

"What do you mean? You don't want me here?"

"No, of course that's not what I mean. I'm just saying that you have choices. You don't have to be my bodyguard."

We pulled into the restaurant. Finn killed the ignition and turned to look at me. "Anna, I don't know you very well, but what I do know, I like. I don't really have friends, so this is a little different for me. I told you that I volunteered to be your bodyguard. I think you're a good wolf.

Secondly, if I was looking for a little action, this is probably the best place to be. Most of the wolves here would love to see you dead. Also, I kind of like Jax."

At least one of us did.

I climbed out of the truck and frowned. "The windows have been replaced."

"Jax had wolves working on it all night long."

Jax did what, now? I swung my head and stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

"Bridget was half asleep when she gave the orders. One wolf snapped back, and now he's on the northern patrol for a month. Nobody else complained after that. Apparently northern patrol is cold, isolated, and has shit electricity."

"One more wolf who is going to want me dead. Eh, I guess that's par for the course." I pulled out my key. "Well, let's see how it looks."

Unlocking it, I held my breath and walked in. There was a fresh can of paint on the walls, and the windows gleamed. No new furniture, but that would take more time. "I'm going to go upstairs," I said softly. "Do you need to go clear it or something?"

"I'll go with you, and if it's clear, I'll give you whatever time you need."

He led the way, but I could smell it even before we entered the room. Jax had the walls painted so I didn't have to see the words whore and killer ever again.

At least, not on these walls.

"You're good. I'll be downstairs." Finn started to brush past me, but he grabbed my hand and squeezed. "You good?"

No. I was anything but good, but I nodded, and he left me in peace. As soon as the door closed, I walked through my little space. He'd cleared it out. All the furniture. All my old clothes. The only thing I had at his place were the things I'd packed for Wisteria Woods. A new wardrobe had just appeared in his closet.

I could still remember the first day I'd walked in here. Parker had shut the door, and I'd immediately pulled everything I could in front of it. Then I sat on the other side of the wall and stared at it all night.

Part of me wanted to do that now. Just close myself back up in my old place, board it up, and wait it out. By it, I meant everything. The witches. The alphas. Emerson.

My father's legacy.

Maybe after a few decades, it would all pass. I could hobble around, a fifty or sixty-year-old, and everyone would leave me alone.

There was a note on the counter. I picked it up and flipped it open.

You are not a pawn. Not a bargaining chip. You're here because we need you. I need you.

Damn him. I wanted to ball the paper up and set it on fire.

It was easy to hate him. Easy to forget that he had a whole pack to protect and black magic on the horizon.

My wolf prickled beneath my skin, a reminder that she loved his wolf. She chose him to protect her. To protect us.

For years, I had been good enough for her. Now, I wasn't.

I could leave. I'd known the moment that we returned that if I left, he would let me go.

He wouldn't chase after me, even if I was a null.

Still, I stayed. Emerson Triggs didn't change that. He was one more piece of my past that I had to face.

"Anna? I can hear you growling," Finn said as he opened the door. One look at me, and his eyes glowed. "Why are you on the ground?"

Was I? I glanced down. The note was still clutched in my hand, and I'd slid down and was resting against the counter. "I'm fine. Just…thinking."

Finn's wolf retreated, and he sat cross-legged next to me. From the look on his face, this was not a position he was in often. "I don't know if Jax told you, but my father was a traitor to Indigo Peak. When I was twelve, Maeve Frost, my alpha, dragged me out of my home and forced me to my knees in front of everyone. Friends I'd known my whole life. Adults who took me in when my father was traveling, which was most of my life. My mother had died a long time ago. None of them so much as lifted a finger when Maeve told my father she would slit my throat if he didn't give her the name of the wolf he'd been selling pack secrets to."

I didn't know much about the other packs, but I did know that they were fiercely protective of juveniles. "She didn't follow through."

"No. She had her guards worked me over a little, so my father could hear my screams. He never gave a name. Maeve came that night, alone, and slit my neck. Some nights, when I'm asleep, I can still feel the blood running down my skin. She had her witch force my shift immediately so I could live, and then she dragged me to the edge of the woods and told me that I was dead. If I returned, she'd take my head."

"Twelve years old, and all on your own. I had my father. He was a monster, but he fed me for the most part." I couldn't imagine being someone so young and forced to hunt on your own.

"I met your father," Finn said quietly. My eyes widened. If he was twelve and met my father… "I thought he might take me in. Instead, he asked me about whether I had a sister. A mate. A mother. I got suspicious, and when I did, he tried to kill me. He chased me all the way to Wisteria Woods, and there I stayed."

"I'm sorry, Finn." I meant it, too. It was a wonder that he didn't hate me as well.

"My father's crimes haunted me. I became a messenger, a spy, because I figured if I found out where my father's loyalties lied and brought it to Maeve, she'd take me back. Then, I decided I didn't want to be part of a pack. I just wanted to know. I never did figure it out, but I know what it's like to be haunted by a father's crimes. We're different. They were different, but like I said before, I do want to be your friend. So when I ask you what you're thinking about, know that I am asking as a friend and not because I swore my loyalties to Jax."

"I'm thinking about staying," Anna said softly. "And facing my fears."

"And what do you fear?"

"You're going to fear me," Jax growled as he filled the doorway. "Unless you get away from my mate."