63. Anna

63

Anna

The regiment was always the same. After my shift ended, I had three hours to relax, shower, and prepare for dinner. As always, there was a dress laid out on the chair. Not the bed, as if that was somehow supposed to make me feel better.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew the suite was searched every day while I was gone. There were little things I would note before I left and saw that they'd been moved. Sometimes it was a lampshade turned just a little. Once, I'd tucked the edge of some thread under the rug and found it in the corner when I got home. My bedsheet was tucked differently. Emerson told me that he would have the maid come in every day, but I'd asked to keep my own suite clean. He'd relented, but it hadn't stopped him from searching the rooms.

Tonight's dress was red. Most of the dresses were red. That seemed to be Emerson's favorite color. The dresses were never the same. Either the pack's seamstress was very busy or Emerson was spending an enormous amount of money clothing me for the two hours he required my attendance at dinner.

They were always the worst part of the day. Otherwise, Emerson left me alone, but I had to have dinner with him. Forced pleasantries. He'd tell me about his plans. He'd ask about my day.

Every night, I asked if he would let me leave yet. Every night, he would tell me that I made a choice, and I needed to honor it.

Without touching the dress, I headed to the shower and turned the water on. So far, I only had one mapped out route. My best chance of getting out of here was getting to the human settlement at the bottom of the mountain. They traded freely with Emerson's pack, not realizing that it was a shifter settlement, and it was an enormous town. It meant going down to go up, but once I was in the human settlement, Emerson couldn't touch me. He wouldn't dare expose the wolves by taking me by brute force.

Getting back up to Jax was a different story. I didn't have a plan for that. I didn't even know if Jax wanted me back.

Hell, I wasn't even sure why I wanted to go back.

There was only one weak spot I could easily identify from my limited knowledge of the layout, and that spot wasn't as weak as I would like. To get that close to the boundary, I'd have to get to the infirmary. Unfortunately, every accident that I'd had (slicing my finger open at the bar, slipping on one of the longer dresses and falling down the stairs, the horrid cramps I'd fabricated on my last period) had only resulted in the healer visiting me and not the other way around.

If I was going to get to the infirmary, I was going to have to seriously hurt myself, and I feared I would have to do it twice. Once to take stock of the area and figure out how to escape from the infirmary. And once to actually make the escape.

The question wasn't how badly I needed to hurt myself but when would I ever get the opportunity to do it. I'd happily throw myself out the window and plummet the four stories below if there weren't bars on them.

Grabbing the dress, I gathered the rest of the things I needed and headed to the shower. I locked the door behind me and turned on the shower. As steam rose up, I stared in the mirror at my reflection.

In captivity, I'd turned into the healthiest version of myself. Ironic. I ate better. I exercised when I could. I got plenty of sleep. As much as I wanted to do a hunger strike, I knew Emerson would just call my bluff, and I'd waste away until I was too weak to fight.

And one day, I would need to fight. I needed to be ready for when that happened.

Stripping, I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over me. As always, I thought about the last time Jax touched me. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what it had been like when his arms were around me. When his lips were on me. When my body melted against his.

Pathetic? Maybe. Especially knowing that Jax had probably moved on. Now that I wasn't there fucking with his head and his mating bond, he believed what I'd been telling him all along.

That he was better off without me.

Wasn't that a bitch to live with?

After my shower, I toweled off, dressed, and wound my wet hair up into a pin. Emerson had once made a comment about how he loved my hair down. I hadn't worn it down for him since. When he asked, I told him that I didn't want to ruin the pretty dresses with my wet hair, and I wasn't the kind of woman to do a whole blow out. He offered to send someone up to help me get ready.

I hadn't bothered to respond.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I pulled myself up short with a gasp.

There was a dining cart in my living room and a disgusting excuse for an alpha on my sofa.

What the fuck?

Belatedly, I realized I said those words out loud. Emerson looked me up and down with a strange manic light in his eyes. "Forgive me. I thought we might have dinner in your suite tonight, where you might be more comfortable."

"Dinner is still an hour away."

"And yet you're ready. How fortuitous."

My stomach rolled. Had he hoped to catch me dressing? To sneak in while I was still showering?

To catch me asleep?

"You promised me that you would not enter my suite without my permission."

"I knocked. It's just dinner, Anna. After all this time, I thought we'd progressed past the fear." Moving to the small dining table, he pulled out a chair. "Mate."

"Just because you say it, just because you've lied to your pack or forced your pack to say it, does not make it true, and we both know it. I will never be your mate, Emerson, and honestly, I would think you'd honor your wolf a little bit better."

He snarled, but only for a moment before he schooled his features. "You aren't ready. I understand. It will take time for you to mourn the loss of your previous mate. Or perhaps you are still hoping that he'll come rescue you. I have time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for you to understand your new reality. Come. Eat with me. Tell me about your day."

That Emerson had time bothered me. Was there some sort of looming deadline I didn't know about? Slowly, I took my seat and thanked him. "Dinner smells great."

"Shrimp Alfredo. One of your favorites, isn't it?"

It was, something I had only discovered since living with Jax. It was definitely not something that Emerson should know. "What a wonderful surprise."

The most incredible chef in the world couldn't have made the meal palatable for me at that moment, but I'd forced myself to twirl my fork in the fettuccini while Emerson poured more wine. It was another one of our rituals. He'd serve me alcohol and I'd never touch it.

For half an hour, I forced myself to have polite conversation. I answered his questions, asked a few of my own, and tried to not vomit every time he smiled at me.

"Dessert?" He asked as he removed the silver cloche to reveal a decadent chocolate cake.

"No thank you."

"Then I have a surprise for you. Don't move."

I was in no mood for surprises, and I tensed as he got up and walked around the small table behind me. "I know you're having trouble thinking of me as your mate, but you must admit that I've giving you a good life here. You're treated well. I hope you realize that we are not like Black Diamond. We welcome you. You have a home here, a position, and a voice."

I didn't turn around. "And a lock on the door."

"That is for your safety, Anna. You know that."

"Why do I need to be locked in if your pack is so welcoming?"

"They are eager for you to pledge yourself to me." His knuckles brushed the bare column of my neck, and I struggled not to flinch. "Accept me as your alpha. Accept Blood Moon Pass as your pack, and the rest will come."

Something heavy nestled between my cleavage, and I looked down. On a delicate gold chain was a red ruby pendant in the shape of a crescent moon.

Then, I felt his power swirl around me. It was unmistakable. Suffocating. He had to be pulling on all his pack bonds to make it happen. "Pledge yourself to me, Anna. Give yourself to me."

His fingers traced down the chain and dipped between my breasts. Without hesitation, I grabbed the knife, sliced at his arm, and was immediately on my feet.

"Bitch," he roared and backhanded me. I fell against the table. Dishes crashed to the ground, and he pinned my arms down. "You will be mine!"

"Never of my choice, Emerson. Never of my own freewill."

Swearing, he pulled back just a little and plowed his fist into my jaw. I hit the floor hard.

Spitting out blood, I looked up at him. "You're right. The hospitality here is unmatched."

"You will be mine," he growled.

He took a step toward me but stopped when there was a knock at the door. "Leave us," he ordered.

"It's me."

A familiar voice. Elonso?

"What?" Emerson snarled.

The door opened, and his second came in. His eyes flitted over the scene, but they showed no sympathy. "Forgive the interruption, alpha, but it appears that our special guest has arrived earlier than expected. Would you like me to welcome them myself?"

To my surprise, Emerson smiled coldly and cruelly. "No need. I'm done here. I'll see to the guest myself. See if my mate needs medical care. She is so clumsy. Anna, forgive my brisk exit.

I'll make it up to you tomorrow at dinner."

With that, he was gone. Warily, I rose to my feet and stared at Elonso while I gripped the knife. "No need to call the healer. I'm tougher than I look."

He just grunted. "Clean yourself up. I'll send someone to clean up this mess."

"I'll do it. I'll alert my…guards when I'm done. Who's the special guest?"

"Plan B."