Chapter 20

ANNA

Zach hadn’t followed Anna out of the meeting, and she tried not to spend too much time wondering about why that fact disappointed her.

It was as if some small part of her deep inside had accepted that what Zach had said was true—they were mates—but her brain was still fighting against it.

Anna knew that she was too broken for a healthy relationship. She didn’t even know what one looked like, and Zach was so…confident and sure about what he wanted.

If they started something, Anna would surely be steamrollered by his dominant personality.

Although he ~had~ let her walk out of that meeting.

And as far as she knew, Anna was going to see Blake, even though she knew the idea must be killing Zach.

She didn’t know what it was like to be a male shifter in an incomplete mating, but Anna was beginning to understand that it was a lot more difficult for them than the female.

She wasn’t feeling anything along the lines of the aggression that Zach was demonstrating, but according to Natalie, that could be because of her missing wolf.

Everything seemed to be coming back to that.

When it all came down to it, she wasn’t much of a shifter, and Anna wanted answers, which was why she ~needed~ to go to that meeting.

She had to know why Gray Wing had shut her out of the pack bond and caused her wolf to disappear because, if they hadn’t, all of this might have been different.

Zach would just have to suck it up.

Anna still hadn’t heard or seen Zach the next morning when she walked toward the garage bay, finding two SUVs parked near the entrance and being loaded up with supplies.

She rubbed her eyes, which felt like they had been filled with dry sand as a result of a night of restless sleep.

Her dreams, when she had finally been able to doze off, had been filled with blood and the sounds of screaming.

“Hey, you ready to do this thing?”

The question drew Anna out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to see that Deirdre was standing next to her, hands on her hips with a small smile on her lips.

From a distance, Deirdre looked almost delicate with her soft, feminine features and her brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail that ended with purple tips.

She was shorter than Anna by a few inches and seemed almost fragile, but the minute you got closer to her, an aura of danger emanated from her body.

It screamed “bodily harm” if anyone dared to get too close.

Anna hadn’t spoken to the lieutenant much but knew she had been there when Zach had come for her after the kidnapping, and because of that, Anna had mixed feelings about Deirdre.

On one hand, Deirdre had helped rescue her, and for that, Anna would be grateful…but on the other, Deirdre had seen her at one of her most vulnerable moments, and it didn’t feel like there could ever be a relationship of respect or equality between them now.

Anna knew she could never be as strong as Deirdre.

“Anna?” Deirdre’s voice was soft, and as Anna blinked her face into focus, she saw the raised eyebrow and realized that she had never answered the other woman’s question.

A flush crept into her cheeks as she gave Deirdre a nervous smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

“Sorry, I was lost in my own world,” Anna finally muttered. “I’m as ready as I can be, I guess.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll have your back the entire time.”

Deidre tried to pat Anna’s shoulder comfortingly, but it was awkward, as if she wasn’t sure what else to do.

Feeling her lips twitch, Anna quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth and hide the smile trying to escape.

Deidre obviously wasn’t the type to usually befriend females, but she was clearly trying.

“Who else is riding with us?” Anna asked, changing the subject before Deirdre got it into her head that she needed to follow up the pat with a hug or something.

“Daniel, Jon, and Zach. They’re just finishing up a few things.”

Jabbing a finger at the second SUV, Deirdre continued, “Steph and four other soldiers will be following us, but we’ll have more backup coming in stealth.”

Anna nodded, understanding enough to know that meant that Blake would only ever see the two vehicles and the people in them.

“Is he still mad?” Anna asked, watching Deirdre’s face for any kind of tell, but the lieutenant didn’t even twitch a muscle at the subject change, except to swing her eyes over Anna’s shoulder.

“Ask him yourself,” she murmured.

Anna tried to resist turning around for at least three seconds before her head swung around so quickly that she heard a small crack in her neck. She ignored Deirdre’s low chuckle as they watched the three men approach.

Zach’s glacier eyes were laser-focused on Anna as if she were the only thing he could see. Suddenly, shivers went down her spine, and she felt her stomach clench uncomfortably.

Swallowing hard, she didn’t say anything until they had stopped in front of them; his presence almost seemed to steal her breath.

Jon and Daniel moved away, talking to Deidre about what was going to happen once they got into the city, but Zach was silent, just staring down at Anna.

It was a full minute before he spoke, quietly saying, “I wouldn’t say I’m mad.” He raised a hand, trailing his finger down Anna’s cheek.

“Aggravated that you’ll be in danger, frustrated you won’t change your mind, annoyed I can’t do anything about it…that’s all.”

He gave a casual shrug, his lips curling up on one side in a small smile.

“That sounds a lot like mad to me,” Anna commented wryly, raising her hand to clasp his wrist, wanting to feel his hot skin against hers.

It was strange because the more time they spent together, the more she was coming to rely on him.

His presence sent her head spinning, but it was calming at the same time, keeping her grounded.

“Anna, when we’re there, I need you to do what I say, without hesitation.” His voice was solemn, and Anna lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

His eyes were shadowed, his face lined with tension, and the smile had dropped away.

“The only way my wolf is going to be able to cope with this is if I know that you’re safe. If I tell you to move behind me or get back in the SUV, I need you to do that immediately.”

She nodded in agreement, warmth filling her when he rewarded her with a genuine smile before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Anna tried to hold stiff as he pulled her body against his, resisting the urge to lean against him because she knew if she did, he would have won a round in this battle that was happening between them.

She couldn’t resist inhaling deeply, however, feeling his scent wrap around her and calm every nerve.

It felt like all the tension she was carrying about the coming meeting washed away with his embrace, which worried Anna.

She had never relied on anyone in her life, never had that luxury without being betrayed, and now, Zach was quickly moving through her defenses, and it was unnerving.

Before she gave in to the urge to hug him back, Anna pulled away, saying, “I’ll be cautious, Zach.”

A smirk curled his lips at that, so Anna quickly turned away. Seeing Deidre standing next to the passenger door and Daniel in the front, she slid into the middle of the back seat.

Zach started to climb in next to her but halted when the back door on Anna’s other side opened.

“No.” It was a rough growl that made Anna’s stomach clench again—and definitely not in a bad way. “Deirdre, get your ass in the back.”

“But Zach—”

“I said no. Jon is not sitting next to Anna.”

With that, he slid his body into the back seat and slammed the door behind him, immediately putting his arm around Anna’s shoulders and tugging her to his side possessively.

Anna had to admit that this growly side of his—when he wasn’t trying to kill her friends—was growing on her.

Deirdre clambered into the back seat with them, grumbling, but she threw a sly smile at Anna that made her wonder if the lieutenant had engineered the whole thing.

Anna decided to enjoy it, relaxing into Zach’s body, her head leaning on his shoulder.

“All right,” Jon announced from the passenger seat, drumming his fist on the dashboard. “Let’s get this shitshow on the road.”

***

It took around an hour and a half of traveling before they arrived, and as the car came to a halt, Anna peered out the window and felt her whole body tense up again.

She recognized this place. She might have been out of her mind with fear, but she remembered it.

This was the warehouse where Blake had handed her back to Zach what felt like a lifetime ago, but really, it had only been just over a week.

Anna took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come, and as she did, Zach tightened his hold on her.

She raised her eyes to his face and found his gaze on hers, his lips twisted in a grimace.

“You could wait in the car, you know,” he tried one more time.

Anna gave a small grin, amused by his efforts, before gently shoving him out of the car as Jon opened the door.

“You can’t change my mind, Zach.”

He grumbled something under his breath that Anna couldn’t hear, but Jon laughed, causing Zach to point a finger at him, snapping, “It’ll happen to you one day, and I hope your mate is completely unreasonable and wild.”

Jon ignored Zach’s snarl, clapping a hand on his shoulder as Zach stretched an arm back into the car to help Anna out.

“Not at all. My mate will be perfect, submissive, and loving.”

This time, Deirdre snorted as she rounded the back of the car, causing Jon to throw her a glare.

Anna sank her teeth into her lower lip to stop herself from smiling when Zach clasped her hand with his, making sure she was close to him.

Soldiers climbed out of the second SUV, which had parked behind them, while Steph stayed in the driver’s seat, alert.

Zach had told Anna on the drive that this was done in case they needed a quick escape. One of the soldiers approached their SUV, nodding his head to Zach.

“Everyone is in position,” he murmured. “We’re ready when you are.”

Zach sighed, staring down at Anna moodily. “Let’s get this over with.”

They started moving toward the warehouse as a group with Zach and Anna securely in the middle.

As they moved into the darkened building, Anna felt cold sweat start to drip down the length of her back, her thoughts whirling with what was to come.

She had no idea why Blake had wanted to meet with her because he had had nothing to say to her after the kidnapping.

He had barely even looked at her, but now, he was ~requesting~ that she attend this meeting. If not, he’d withhold the information from Zach.

Anxiety was curling its icy tendrils around her mind, which raced with all the possibilities of what Blake could have to say—like Anna wasn’t really a shifter at all and that she couldn’t possibly be Zach’s match.

Without realizing it, she clutched his arm tighter, her steps matching his as they walked deeper into the cold warehouse.

They were almost into the middle of the empty space when a voice called out, “I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

They looked to the side and found Blake standing in the shadows against a wall with his arms crossed defensively across his chest.

He looked ragged and as if he hadn’t slept for days with his disheveled clothes and his unshaven face.

Anna could see deep bags under his eyes and guessed that when his eyes weren’t in the shadow, they would be bloodshot.

He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and on one arm, there was a long, deep gash covered in dry blood.

The soldiers in front of Zach and Anna separated and stood at an angle to the side so that the two of them could get a clear line of sight of the other alpha without being a target themselves.

As they did, Blake pushed away from the wall and moved closer to the Silver River group, flinching as several growls radiated from the chests of the soldiers.

He quickly held his hands up, palms out, in surrender.

“Please, I just want to talk. I have information that Anna needs to hear.”

His voice was quiet, calm, and at complete odds with the alpha that Anna had known while she had lived with Gray Wing.

“You will not speak directly to her,” Zach growled impatiently, moving slightly in front of Anna so that his body was shielding hers.

“Address me only.”

Blake sighed, looking almost defeated.

Anna stared at him, trying to find any sign of the alpha who had torn her mother apart but instead only saw a shifter who was at the end of his rope with no other recourse.

Her memories of him covered in blood were still prominent, but now, he wasn’t nearly as intimidating.

She shifted away slightly from behind Zach, facing Blake head-on, showing him that she wasn’t afraid anymore.

It wasn’t just about being surrounded by soldiers from Silver River either but about knowing that she was stronger now.

Maybe not physically, with her wolf still gone, but Blake and Gray Wing didn’t have any kind of effect on her.

They no longer had the ability to keep her down.

“Zach, I’m sorry about what happened with Angela. She was lost to her bitterness and her hatred, but you have to know that when she took Anna, she acted on her own.”

Zach didn’t answer for a long, tense moment before he said in a low voice, “And if it had been one of yours that had been taken? Your mate, even?”

Their eyes held, but it wasn’t long before Blake looked away with a grimace, his head tilting in acknowledgment of something unsaid.

“It won’t be a concern for long, anyway,” Blake finally said, his voice matter-of-fact and quiet.

“Stop speaking in riddles, Williams,” Jon snapped, stepping forward so that he was in front of the group.

“You wanted our alpha and his mate here before you’d talk. Well, here they are.”

Instead of answering, Blake rubbed his nape with his hand, staring down at his shoes.

“They couldn’t have known she was Zach’s mate when they chose her. Or did they? Was it all part of their plan? I don’t even know anymore.”

Zach gave Anna’s shoulder a firm push with the flat of his palm so that she stepped back and into Deirdre, who clasped a firm arm around her. Then, he took several steps forward and wrapped his hand around Blake’s neck, jerking him roughly, making him look almost like a rag doll as his head shook with the power of Zach’s grip.

“Start talking,” he growled furiously, “or this meeting’s over.”

“Angela and Louis weren’t Anna’s parents!” Blake finally gasped out, gripping Zach’s thick wrist and trying to yank the hand off his throat.

Nobody said a word, and Blake’s eyes darted to Anna, almost looking apologetic before he continued, struggling to get his words out past the fingers clenching his throat.

“Angela was her aunt, Anna’s mother’s sister. She died in childbirth.”

Anna’s mouth opened and closed, shock coursing through her.

“W-what?” she finally stammered, her eyes flitting wildly between Zach and Blake. “I don’t understand.”

“Angela hated you”—Zach growled as Blake spoke directly to Anna, but he wasn’t deterred—“because she blamed you for her sister’s death. Katherine and her mate were pack members of Gray Wing, but during an outing one day, they were attacked.

“Ethan was killed and Katherine was taken. We searched for her for a long time, but there was never a trace of who had taken her or where she was.

“One day, Angela came running into the dining hall, screaming. Katherine was lying at the front door of the pack house. She was malnourished, like someone had been starving her, but she was very clearly pregnant. We believed the babe to be Ethan’s, that she had survived his death to carry the baby to term, but we were wrong.”

“What are you saying, Blake?” Jon’s voice was low, concerned, and Anna felt Deirdre’s arms tighten around her comfortingly.

Blake’s face was turning a concerning shade of red, but Zach didn’t make a move to release him.

“Whoever took her had put that baby in her. We never found out if she had escaped or if they had dumped her at our door because her body was under too much stress. Once we got her inside, we discovered she was already in labor. We barely got the baby out before Katherine died.”

“I…I was the baby? I’m not a shifter?” Anna asked, taking a small step forward before Deirdre halted her.

“You’re a shifter, at least half. We tried to do tests, but we didn’t have the resources, and it stopped being a priority.”

Blake shook his head, looking disappointed in himself.

“All we knew from the blood tests was that you weren’t human but something else. After that, Angela took over, saying that she would care for her sister’s daughter. I didn’t see what was happening until it was too late.”

“Bullshit!” Zach snapped. “You did nothing to stop it. The rest of the pack treated Anna just as bad.”

“I know, I know.” Blake’s tone turned to pleading.

“You have to understand; we didn’t know what she was. The pack was scared, and when they saw how Angela treated her—her own aunt—they just followed suit. I had a whole pack to lead; I couldn’t favor an unknown hybrid.”

“So you didn’t even initiate her into the pack link?”

At the scoffed question from Deirdre, Blake glanced down at the floor, falling silent for so long that Anna didn’t think he was actually going to answer.

After a while, her eyes started moving around the room, willing someone else to say something, but before anyone could break the tense silence, Blake cleared his throat.

“Angela….she, uh, told me that when Anna was born, she was one of the few who had initiated the link on her own but her unknown origins must have been shielding her presence from the rest of the pack. I knew at the time that something wasn’t right, but Gray Wing was floundering, and I always told myself I’d look into it soon, another time.

“The next thing I knew, Anna was almost grown, and her wolf had either never made an appearance or had disappeared. If I had confronted Angela about my suspicions that she had been lying or if it had become public knowledge—”

“Your position as alpha would have been threatened,” Zach cut in roughly, finally letting Blake go and pushing him away.

Blake stumbled but quickly regained his footing, his hands moving to the reddened skin of his neck.

“None of this explains why you sent Anna to Silver River,” Jon commented.

“If you knew about her hybrid status and her lack of wolf, why was she sent as a transfer? You must have known we would have discovered this all eventually.”

“We were contacted by a group who called themselves ‘the Circle.’ We were only ever contacted by phone, and we tried to track the calls, but it was as if the location was being scrambled.

“From the beginning, they made it clear they knew all about Anna and her origins, including what her unknown side was. They wouldn’t give me any details, though. The only thing they said was that we needed to get Anna into Silver River or Gray Wing would be destroyed.”

“So, after years of ~allowing~ her to be abused, you just handed her over, knowing that nothing good was going to happen to her?” Zach’s voice was low-pitched, and he took a threatening step forward, his fingers clenching as if he were imagining them back around Blake’s neck.

“How could you even be sure they would make good on their threat?”

“They gave us proof.” The words were stark, Blake’s expression desolate as if his mind had taken him somewhere else, but he didn’t elaborate.

“The point is, the Circle has it out for Silver River, and they were planning to use Anna. When that failed, they attempted to use humans, but I think they knew it would fail as well because while that was happening, they had turned their sights to Gray Wing in retribution. They blame my pack for the failure of their plan, believing that Angela’s kidnapping of Anna is to blame.”

“Why are you telling us all this?” Anna’s voice was quiet, but she was glad when it came out strong. “Why now?”

Blake looked directly at her. “I felt it my duty to warn you after letting you down as your alpha…because, mark my words, Anna, once they’re finished with Gray Wing, the Circle is going to finish what they started with you.”