Chapter 39

Piper

Zander stared at the picture of his mother's grave on his phone. I watched as emotion pulled at the corners of his eyes. After the day we'd had, I'd almost forgotten to show him.

After dinner we lay together on his bed, legs intertwined, waiting on the sun to set so the beast could break through. "She would have loved the garden. She loved roses, though I've come to hate them myself."

My gaze lowered to his forearm at the rose tattoo.

"Why did she use a rose, I wonder?"

He sighed. "A rose symbolizes romance. I think it was ironic for her because it's showcasing my dying chance at love."

"That's terribly sad. What about your ... heart in there," I said, jabbing my finger toward the closet.

"She wants me to remember, not that I would forget, that she controls my life."

"Is it your actual heart?'

Zander smiled, grabbed my hand, and placed my palm on his chest. "Not literally. Priscilla is strong but she can't do anything that crazy. Well, I don't think so. It"s magic, and sometimes I see the fingers move, and I feel it in my chest, but it"s not my physical heart."

I shivered. "Where did the rest of her family go?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. William found one or two of them in upper Louisiana, but none of them would speak to him."

"Figures," I whispered, tracing my fingertips along his tattoo. "Does William have a mate?" I asked.

"Somewhere, but he's taken it upon himself to make sure I break this curse. He hardly takes time for himself, and when he does, he uses the time to try and find a way to save me."

"He's a good brother. Very dedicated."

Zander smiled. "I don't deserve him."

"Maybe he'll find his mate once the curse is over."

Zander tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Why were you going to your grandmother's house?'

"To get away from my life," I whispered.

"Was it that bad, Little One?"

"My heart was hurting. When I found Henry with that girl, and she looked into my eyes with no remorse, I felt a piece of myself withdraw from reality, and sink inside of myself. Hearing him call my name as I raced from our home. It was a blur. I haven't seen him since then. I needed to get away. I needed to extract myself from that town. My grandmother always makes me happy. She bakes me fried pies, and tells stories from a different time. It is a literal break from the present. I guess I needed that."

"My mother was my break from reality. I understand."

The room grew darker, and Zander held me closer. "Just a few more minutes," he pleaded to no one.

Maybe the beast. Priscilla. God. I didn't know, but I let him hold me, feeling his body begin to warm and a vibration form beneath his skin.

When he sat upward, he stared down at me with those warm honey-colored eyes, and he smiled. His kiss was eager, desperate, and deep. I clung to his neck until he grudgingly pulled away.

Following behind him, I locked him to the wall and watched as he began to shift into the beast.

Sitting down on the bed, I curled into a ball in the warmth of where Zander had laid beside me. The beast was calm, watching me with curious eyes as I closed my own.

Tiredness took over, and I felt myself falling asleep.

The door opened and woke me. The heavy feeling of sleep lingered in my eyes as I rubbed them with the heels of my palms. A chill crept into the room sending the hair on my arms to attention.

I went to grab a blanket from the end of the bed when I felt a gentle pull. Zander—the beast—was asleep beside me on the floor, with no stirring or indication that he was awake.

The invisible wind poured on me like water and chilled me to my toes. Another push came from behind me, this time sending me to the floor. I caught myself on all fours, and tried to reach Zander, but something grabbed my foot.

I began to slide against the marble floor, being pulled by something I couldn't see. My voice caught in my throat but nothing came out. I tried to call for Zander, or William, as I was pulled down the hallway toward my room.

The door slammed behind me, and I was lifted to my feet. Before I could ground myself, Priscilla formed in front of me, placed her hand on my head and sucked me from the room.

The field I was tossed into was grassy and full of weeds. With shaky legs, I stood up, dirt and debris clung to my bare legs. The full moon hung low, resting at the top of the hill several yards away.

The silence deafened me.

My heartbeat pounded in my head.

I had no idea where I was, or how to get out.

Was this a dream?

I'd thought I'd woken up.

Swallowing my nerves, I took a few steps, when I heard the howl of a wolf. I stalled, watching the edge of the woods for a sign. Shadows quickly danced around me, and then they were gone.

Over the hill a pack of wolves formed on the horizon. There were many of them, all staring at me as if I was the prey.

I stumbled backward, landing at the feet of another wolf. He didn't seem to see me. His coat was midnight black, shimmering in the moonlight. I tucked myself into a ball as the giant wolf howled, and all his pack jumped and leaped around me.

The snarls and tears of flesh twisted my stomach into knots. With all the courage I had, I crawled to my knees and looked around at the chaos.

Through the beasts beating one another, I noticed Priscilla standing by a giant oak on the other side, enjoying my fear.

Determination pierced my chest.

I went to stand as a dark shadow cast over me. I glanced up at the midnight wolf and recognized the honey-colored eyes above me. But he didn"t recognize me.

He barred his teeth, snarls and growls coming from within his chest. "Zander," I whispered, putting my hand outward.

He snapped at me, catching my finger in his mouth.

A scream formed in my chest, but when I went to release it, Zander's wolf jumped on top of me, sending me back to the dirt, I was pulled from the field, landing in Zander's arms.

"Shhh, Little One. You're okay. Come back to me."

The scream I'd been holding ripped from me, and startled William and Zander who hovered above me.

"Piper," Zander said, gripping my shoulders as I lashed out with my arms and legs. "What is it?"

My breath came back as I slowly gasped, and pushed my sweaty hair from my head. I looked up at the ceiling, realizing I was in Zander's old bedroom. "How did I get here?"

Zander shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up this morning and found you here. What do you remember?"

"I was asleep," I said, palming his bicep. "Someone pulled me from the room and I thought I was in my bedroom, and Priscilla tossed me into some kind of field. The wolves were fighting, and you—,

Zander's hazel eyes rounded. "I what?"

"You tried to kill me, and that's why I woke up."

Zander swallowed, angrily. His jaw tightened. "Dammit. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

I shook my head. "It's not your fault—,"

"All of this is my fault, Piper. If I hadn't jumped the gun I could have met you a different way. At a store in the daylight. At the park. I don't know. Not as this monster."

William put his hand on Zander's shoulder, and I remembered everything Zander had told me from the night before.

"I don't mean to intrude on this, Brother. But I caught the city council meeting last night, and ... "

"And what?" Zander shifted, bringing me into his lap, he cradled me closer—like a child.

"They are going to send more search groups out. Piper's father, Henry, and her mother were all there. Your dad has convinced them that a creature lives out here."

The clicking of the grandfather clock at the end of the hall dominated the silence. I waited for Zander to say something but he didn't. "When are they going to start searching again?" I asked.

"Tomorrow night," William said with a sigh. "Henry thinks she's here. Though they have no right to search the place, that doesn't mean some of the town's people won't try at night. I will get some No Trespassing signs, but that doesn't mean—"

Zander stood up with me. "Let them come. I will kindly tell them to leave. As you said the police have no cause for a warrant, and they have no reason to stick around. If the town's people decide to pay us a visit ... we'll be ready."

William glanced down at me before he cleared his throat. "What does that mean? We can't harm them, because they will send more people our way—,"

"I will take care of it," he hissed.

"Why don't I just tell them?" I said. "I'm almost thirty years old, they can't force me to leave. I'm not a child. If I tell my parents that I'm okay ... all this pressure ends. We were worried about them finding out before I agreed to say."

I wobbled to my feet and brushed my hair from my neck. "I'm yours no matter what, Zander. I want to tell them. When they show up, I'll let them know I'm okay, and that I love them, but I'm staying."

William looked uncomfortable.

At least I could read his face.

Zander's was unreadable.

He reached forward. "You'll stay no matter what they say?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'm not leaving now," I chuckled. "I'm not leaving until the curse is broken, and nothing is holding us back."

William disappeared from the hallway, and Zander shifted me toward the railing of the staircase. His masculine jaw softened, and he laced his fingers around the back of my neck.

"Don't leave me, Little One."

I smiled. "There is no leaving now, Alpha. This mark and the pull I have on my heart says so."

The hope in his eyes sank into my stomach. What if I was too broken to truly love another person?

What if true love wasn't in the cards for a person so guarded like me?

I knew Priscilla was showing me Zander"s past and trying to scare me. But the more she showed me, the more I realized how Zander had grown. The more I realized that the beast that used to be no longer exist.

And it hurt my heart to think I was too broken to truly love him.