53. Anna

53

Anna

"Why?" Finn said hoarsely.

"You're not ready now. I can see that. Maybe one day you will be." Maeve turned back to Jax. "Do I need an escort back to your house? I believe there is a breakfast we're both expected to attend?"

"Go ahead. I need a word with Anna."

As Maeve walked away, it was all I could do not to scream. Maeve was Finn's mother. There was no other way to interpret that conversation.

What the actual fuck?

Not only had Maeve chosen not to raise Finn as her own, but she'd used him as some sort of pawn between her and his father. Had Finn's father even betrayed their pack or had Maeve just wanted a reason to punish him?

I had so many questions, but from the way Finn was weaving back on his feet, I knew this was not the time to ask them. "I think we can all agree that what we just heard does not leave this circle," I said quietly.

Finn cleared his voice. "Thank you."

I looked at Jax. "Having said that, I think it's possible we can do some investigating and see what we can find out?"

"That won't be necessary. If I want to learn more, I can do it on my own. This changes nothing. I pledged myself to you, Jax, and I have no intentions of betraying you for your pack."

"Good to know. What the hell are you doing outside the infirmary?"

He weaved back and forth a little bit. "Saul said I didn't need to be there anymore," he said defiantly.

"Saul said Finn could go home. To his own bed. We were taking him there," I said clearly.

"Amelia, take Finn and make sure he gets in bed. Anna won't need a bodyguard. She'll be with me for the day."

I was? But Jax was going to be in meetings with the alphas all day?

My stomach turned. That meant I was going to be in meetings with the alphas all day.

London, who could never meet my eye. Emerson who stared at me all the time. And now Maeve, who had all but admitted a huge dark secret in my presence.

"Joy," I managed. Amelia and Finn headed back to Amelia's car, and I faced Jax. "There was nothing in the body or on it. All Saul could say for sure was that a wolf killed her."

"Are you all right?"

"Oh, you mean all the alphas coming out of the woodwork to accuse my father of killing their siblings? Swell." When Jax looked down at me, I wrinkled my nose. It wasn't fair.

Neither Saul nor Maeve had pointed a finger at me. Just, rightfully, at my father.

Still, it was another connection from me to an alpha on this mountain. "You think London has some weird and fucked up connection to me that he's not saying?"

"I'm your mate. Do you consider that a weird and fucked up connection?"

"Definitely."

With a low rumble, Jax wrapped his hands around my waist and pushed me up against a tree.

By the time his mouth descended on mine, his hands were pulling me up until I was cradled between his thighs. Bark bit into my back, but I didn't give a damn.

His kiss chased away the ill feelings rising up inside me. When his teeth grazed down my neck, I moaned, but he froze before he could kiss me again.

A second later, I smelled the wolf approaching us.

"Angelica," he growled, but he didn't take his eyes off me. Instead, he gently lowered me back to my feet and kissed the top of my head before he turned around. "Is there something that you needed to report?"

"Sorry for interrupting. I was going to report to Jenson, but then I smelled you." Angelica bowed her head in respect, and when she looked again, her gaze slid to me. She couldn't hide the sneer.

Jax didn't miss it. "Are you challenging my mate?" He said softly.

"No, of course not," Angelica stuttered. "My apologies."

"Report?"

"I'm worried about Bridget. I know you sent her on a mission, but I haven't been able to reach her through text or email. We've been planning a surprise party for my mother. It's next week."

I schooled my features and resisted the urge to hide behind Jax. To his credit, Jax didn't even tense. "I'm sorry, Angelica. I wasn't aware of that. Bridget is on an assignment that doesn't let her contact anyone. It was a last-minute assignment, and I didn't give her a chance to reach out to anyone. I only told her family so they wouldn't worry."

"So she's reached out to you to check in?" Angelica asked. "I wanted to ask Irene to check in on her, but I know she's busy with the other witches."

"She's given us no reason to believe that anything has happened. Do you have reason to suspect differently?"

"Um. No. I guess not. Dean is also gone."

No way that just happened to come out of her mouth next. Angelica knew that Bridget and Dean were mates.

That also made her a suspect.

"Dean is gone," Jax said flatly. "I don't want any wolves in my territory who aren't pledged to me while the other alphas are here."

"He is? Oh. I could have sworn I…" suddenly, Angelica paled. "Never mind."

"You could have sworn what? Have you seen Dean here after London arrived?"

"I'm tired. I think my days are just mixing together. I thought I saw Bridget and Dean together just the other day, but I must be seeing things."

"Together?" I stepped forward. "Were they friends?"

If she wanted to sneer at me again, she refrained. "Yeah. They were friends when we were younger, before Dean asked to leave."

"If you have reason to believe that Dean didn't leave when told, you come to me immediately, Angelica," Jax said in a low voice. "Do you understand?"

Eyes wide, she nodded.

"Good, and as for Bridget, I'm sure she's fine, but you'll have to continue your party planning without her."

When she left, Jax turned back to me and lowered his forehead to mine. If he wanted to pick back where we left off, the mood had passed.

"Are you ever going to tell them the truth?" I whispered.

"I haven't decided. Come on. We're due for breakfast with the other alphas, and then I want you in the meetings with me. At least, as long as you can stand it."

That was the last thing I wanted to do. "I actually thought I might try to find Lunessa…"

"No."

"And talk to Irene…"

"No, Anna. You're my mate, and it's important that you join these meetings."

There was a moment where I could have sworn I heard a note of finality in his voice. "Are you ordering me to join you in these meetings? You told me that I didn't have to do anything I wasn't comfortable doing."

"I'm asking you to be my mate, Anna. To show your support."

"So you want me to play the dutiful mate to all the alphas even though you said I could leave once we figured out who's killing witches?" Furious, I took a step back. "You're going to make me sit in the room all day with the man who used to torment me?"

"He's not tormenting you anymore, Anna. When are you going to trust that I can protect you?"

"Maybe when you stop forcing me to do things that I don't want to do!"

"If I didn't push you to do things, you'd spend all your time at that goddamn restaurant hiding from the world," he growled.

Furious, I brushed passed him and muttered what I really thought of him under my breath.

"Anna, where the hell are you going?" He demanded. "The house is the in the other direction."

"Then I suggest you turn around and get walking," I said over my shoulder. "I've got better things to do than play doting mate with you."