Chapter 22

(Chapter song ‘Enjoy The Silence’ by Depeche Mode)

MICHAEL The weeks drag on. Each day I’m finding it harder and harder to climb out of bed. I feel empty, depressed. I pretty much spend my shifts at our spot. Just sitting there wishing she’d show up, but she never does.

She doesn’t call. She barely texts. I may have suffered with her, but I’m suffering way more without her.

I don’t know. It’s like inside, there’s a whirlwind of emotions and I don’t know how to stop it. I’m slowly losing control and Anna is the cause of it.

I can feel her. Taste her. I can hear her talk to me when no ones around. I can see her in every fucking dream I have. Dreams where she’s mine and only mine. Where she’s devoted and loves me. Dreams where I get rid of that dick and take Anna for myself.

River fills me with anger. I think he’s under my skin more than Anna is. He’s touching her right now. Touching what’s mine. I don’t give a fuck if he’s the kid of my Alpha. They both can kiss my ass. I just need a way to prove to Anna that she needs to see me more than a friend. She needs me. I need to take care of her. It’s my job to make her happy, not that bastard.

I need to settle this down. Booze is doing nothing but making me want to commit murder.

I slam the bottle of whiskey down on my coffee table with barely enough for a shot in the bottom.

I need some air.

I head out and just drive around aimlessly for a few hours. The sky grows darker as I cross into Falcon Ridge. I pass the back of the Unit and shoot it a death glare as I drive by. The one thing I’d love to remove from between me and Anna.

I drive around and turn down a street.

My car rolls to a crawl and stops. I put it in park and lay my head back on the seat. My face is whiney as I look at the little white, two storey.

I roll my drunk head forward and look through the windshield down the empty street.

I roll my eyes back to the house.

I bite my top lip, sit forward, pull my keys out and get out.

I shut my door and look up and down the street.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I run across the street to the backyard.

As I enter the sleeping back gardens, I turn my head up to the window above the porch.

I look down and watch the porch swing gently rock in the breeze. My eyes turn to the railing. I run, plant a foot on the edge of the porch floor and my other on the railing. My hands grip the edge of the roof.

I check to see if the neighbors lights are on. Everything’s all dark so, I pull myself up to the little roof.

I’m breaking a ton of boundaries here, but all I want to do is smell her scent, calm down and leave. She’ll never know I was even in her bedroom.

I squat crawl to the window and test it. It opens.

I quietly lift it open and stick a leg in.

My foot hits the carpet and I pull myself in.

Anna is at the unit right now so, I have the room to myself.

I walk around slowly. Running my fingers across pictures and Knick knacks she has on her dresser.

I walk to her bed and lay down on it. I lay on my side with my arms wrapped around me.

I take a deep sniff and get blasted with the scent of an Alpha.

My eyes shoot open and I sit up. Looking at the pillow. The pillow that he laid on.

I lift the blanket to my nose and smell it. The fuckers all over it.

My drunk eyes see red.

With a growl, I tear the blanket in half. My eyes glow gold and I shred the pillows. Fluff stuffing flies all over.

My wolf is taking over.

He turns Anna’s sheets to ribbons and then the mattress. He picks it up and throws it into her dresser. He throws her lamps, photos whatever he can get his hands on. He tears the box spring apart.

I pick up a nightstand. “SHES MINE!” I throw it into her closet door.

I pick up her other one. “YOU! CAN'T! FUCKING! HAVE HER!!” I throw it at her dresser and I throw everything that was on it at the bathroom door.

I flip the box spring and tear the blanket into a few more pieces.

I stand and look around at the absolute destruction I just caused.

My shoulders heave and my lip is bleeding from my canines.

I turn, crawl out the window and jump off the roof with a loud growl. I shred my clothes and run into the woods.

My guys anger is so high right now, he needs to kill something. So, let’s hunt.

He sniffs out a buck and the chase is on. Through the trees, his drooling teeth snap and his claws dig in.

The buck kicks at his head as his fast hooves jump over logs and brush.

He’s fast, but I’m faster.

I leap over his ass with jaws open and claws out. My teeth sink into the bucks neck and I twist to my back. The bucks long legs fly out to the side and the two of us hit the forest floor. Dirt, leaves and rocks fly out from my shoulders as I leave a deep crash trail behind me, dragging the deer in my jaws.

Once stopped, I bite hard. His neck shatters and turns to bone bits in my mouth. The buck is DOA.

MY wolf can hardly breathe. He pushes the body off him and tears into the deer. Ripping at muscle, entrails, and skin. The deer wasn’t recognizable and most of the meat wasn’t eaten. Instead, he spread it up and down the surrounding trunks and all over the ground in a sick, horrific circle.

I’m a bloodied, disturbed mess when I head back to Anna’s and shift.

I collect the shredded fabric of my clothes off her lawn and walk back to my car. I get in and white knuckle the steering wheel.

This feels like the birth of something. Something I never expected I had in me.

The whole time I shredded the deer, I pictured River. Screaming, crying, protecting himself with his arms as I pulled his insides out. I licked my lips at the thought of murder.

My eyes meet my reflection in the rear view mirror. Blood is trailing from my soaked hair down my forehead and in between my eyes.

With a shaking hand, I smear the blood across my face.

I look to Anna’s house and swallow.

I find my pocket in my scrap pile and pull out my keys.

Starting the car, I stare out the window.

With a blank expression, I put the car in drive.

“Goodnight, Anna.” I mumble and drive off.

****

The next morning, I’m hungover. I have flashes of the night before, but nothing really concrete.

My phone is buzzing off my nightstand.

I didn’t even shower so I’m covered in mud and blood.

Groggily, I grab my phone and answer it.

“What?!” I yell into the phone.

“Dorian!”

I roll over onto my back. “Sorry…Chief…Yeah.” I struggle as I put my arm over my eyes.

“Get your ass in here. There’s been a development.” My program director barks.

“What development?” I mumble.

There was a pause.

“Chief?” My brow furrows.

“Borders being disbanded.” He says with concern.

I sit up and pull my knee up. “What? Why?” I say into the phone.

“Get in here.” He orders.

“OK.” I respond. “See you in 40.”

I hang up and head for the shower.

After popping pain meds, I drive to the White Rock border unit.

Rez and Felix are already there. All of us are standing in the main office area while Chief is on the center of the circle we created in around him.

I push through the crowd and hit Felix on his back. “Hey, what’s going on?” Rex bumps me and points to Chief.

“Ok, listen up. As you know, we’ve been having to babysit the Unit for weeks now. There’s a reason for that.” He puts his hands on hips. “They’ve been training. Training so that Falcon Ridge can absorb the border units of all the packs in the territory.”

“What?! Chief, this is bullshit!” I yell with all the other guys.

“Yeah! The rogues will attack!”

“Who’s got the borders?!”

“Are they out of their fucking minds?!

The Chief puts his hands up to quiet it down. “From what I’m told, they will be taking over the border. They are developing units and preparing for deployment in a few days.” He informs.

“WHAT ABOUT US?!”

“I GOT PUPS TO FEED!”

“You all, or whoever wants to, are going to be part of the unit going forward!” He talks over the noise.

“OH, HELL NO!!”

My border patrol brothers are pissed, but my wheels are spinning.

This is an opportunity to get Anna back. I join the unit, she sees me as a military guy that she likes and she’s mine. I can do better than that douche. Yeah, I can be military.

This is my chance to snag Anna from River and keep her all to myself.

I just need a plan.