34. Anna

34

Anna

I could barely focus on what Jax was saying as we walked home. An alpha was already here.

Emerson, no doubt. Trying to throw Jax off guard. Trying to throw me off guard.

I wasn't going to let him. I was not the same scared little girl that he used to torment, and I was not now nor ever going to be his.

"Why did you walk?" I asked suddenly. Too late, I realized that Jax was saying something to me, and I'd interrupted. "Sorry."

The muscle in his jaw ticked while he stared straight ahead. "I walked because I do not need to scramble to rearrange my day simply because someone decided to show up early. We're still prepping, and that comes first."

"Right. It's all about appearances," I echoed hollowly. I was still a little surprised that he wasn't going to lock me away if appearances mattered so much. "I interrupted you earlier. What were you saying?"

"I was asking about Kenzi's visit. Did it upset you?"

"You mean when your little blonde bombshell walked in boasting about how you've been fucking her and grooming her to be your mate and how I should do the right thing and slink away?" I asked casually. "Not at all."

"Neither of those things is true," Jax growled as he stopped and put a hand on my waist.

Caught off guard, I squeaked a little and stumbled, but he easily held me up. "You understand that, right?"

"You serve the best interest of your pack," I said softly as I averted my eyes from his intense gaze. "I'm not deaf, Jax. I know the pack wants her to be your mate, at least in name if not for real. They expect you to marry her. When this is over, I'm leaving."

His eyes glowed gold, and for a second, I thought he was going to growl at me. Instead, he blinked, and his gaze was human again. "The pack doesn't always know what is in their best interest. Kenzi won't be a problem again."

"Kenzi isn't a problem," I muttered. "I don't really understand how she feels because I've never been in her position, but she had something taken away from her, and she's trying to hold on to it. I can handle her without your interference."

"Fine, but not until the alphas are gone. I don't need any more distractions."

We started walking again, and I drew in my breath. "Just tell me who's waiting for us at the house."

"Maeve Frost."

Oh. That wasn't so bad, but then I remembered someone else who would be unhappy that Maeve was here. "Did you tell Finn?"

"I've grounded him until I speak to Maeve. I suspect that she will demand to see him, but ultimately, that's not my decision to make. It will be up to him."

My heart went out to Finn. He had to have mixed feelings. Maeve murdered his father and exiled him, but his father had been a traitor.

"What do you want from me? Should I shower and change?" We'd talked a little about the etiquette of having the other alphas over, but it hadn't occurred to me to ask what the hell I was supposed to wear. Did it matter?

"No. She's the imposition. We're going to meet her and find out exactly why she's early. I'll make a decision about what to do with you from there."

Oh, nice. Like I was also the imposition. Where was he going to put me today?

"I didn't mean it like that," he said quietly.

"Right. Tell me what you know of Dean."

Jax was silent for so long that I didn't think he was going to answer. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Parker lost his mate when Dean was still young. It was right before I took over as alpha, and my brother ignored the situation. Then, when I became alpha, I was busy dealing with challenges. By the time I realized how withdrawn Parker had become, it was too late to reverse the damage. Dean was a good wolf. He wasn't all that strong or powerful. He would have made a good educator or even a good healer, had Parker or I allowed him the training, but Parker wanted him to be a guard. They fought over it. Parker realized he was pushing his son away and decided the best course of action was to push him right out the door. He kicked him out when he was sixteen."

"Is that unusual?" A sixteen-year-old male would have already been considered an adult among the rogues.

"We tend to coddle juveniles in packs," Jax admitted. "And I think Dean needed it. I found him housing and gave him the options that would have suited him, but he was set to leave.

He didn't want to be near his father, so on his eighteenth birthday, I released him from the pack. Parker was furious, although he never said anything. He nearly drank himself to death until you came along."

Something still didn't fit, but I filed the information away as we neared the house. "Maeve was detained in guest quarters," Jax said in a low voice. "She'll be pissed that she wasn't immediately shown to her room, so be prepared."

"Was it not ready?"

"No, it was, but I don't allow other alphas into my home when I'm not there." Jax flashed his teeth. "And they know it."

Always playing games. The politics were too damn hard to untangle. I wasn't sure I would ever understand.

And maybe I wouldn't get the chance. The realization didn't do anything to settle me.

As we walked up, one of the SUVs pulled into the drive. One of the guards stationed at the house stepped forward and opened the door. A slender woman and an older woman exited first. She seemed almost too dainty to be an alpha. Salt and pepper hair curled at the top of her head, and she was dressed in a red pantsuit that fit her smartly.

Damn. Was it too late for me to say that I wished I could be like her when I got older? She was sophisticated elegance, but there was no mistaking the power that simmered below the skin.

Violence neatly contained in a glamorous package.

This was the woman who'd threatened to murder a child.

And then was unable to go through with it.

"Jax," she said coldly. "You kept me waiting."

"You arrived unscheduled and without warning. We don't just wait around for you, Maeve," Jax said calmly. "This is Anna, my mate."

Her gaze turned to me, and her gaze looked me up and down. "Anna Kipling. The daughter of a serial killer."

"That's me." I nodded my head in respect, but only once. She was a superior, but she was not mine. As Jax's mate, I shared his status, but I wasn't stupid enough to try and abuse it. It was for show, and everyone knew it.

"My, this will be an interesting trip. May I present Cam Lee, my pack witch."

A young woman with her black hair, creamy skin, and eyes as dark as night looked around nervously. "Alpha Jax," she whispered. "Alpha Jax mate."

Jax had told me that her father had recently been murdered. My heart went out to her, but before I could say anything, Maeve cleared her throat. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, you will take me to my room, and I demand to see Finn."

"I will see you to your room, but your request to see Finn will have to be put on hold. That's his decision to make."

Maeve sighed. "I had such high hopes for you when you took power," she sighed. "But perhaps you don't have the control I think you do."

"You won't be able to manipulate me, Maeve, but I do love to see you work."

"Excuse me," Cam said in a low voice. "I am anxious to see Irene. Is that possible?"

The witches were why we were all here. I looked at Jax who nodded. "We can make that happen."

Cam flashed a smile, and I felt ice prickling up my neck. Maybe I was just being paranoid but that smile looked positively hostile.

Then, before I could even take a breath, I felt her magic lash out around me and squeeze.