01 Taming the Wolf - Anna Avery (17 page)

The woman continued to scream and flail. I needed to shut her up and quick! Pouncing, I pinned her shoulders with my large paws and growled, revealing my finely pointed teeth. Tears soaked her cheeks, her lips quivering as her eyes shot wide. I especially liked my reflection in them.

“Kim?” A man called from about fifty feet away. We were hidden behind a garage, just out of view of the man. The woman cried out to get the man’s attention, but I clamped down around her throat to cut off her plea. A melodic tone sounded from her jeans—a cell phone.

“Kim?” The man yelled again. I liked to enjoy my kill, but time was of the essence, and the man could find us at any minute. With just the right amount of pressure, my teeth popped through the woman’s flesh, her body falling still. A prickle of excitement ran through my veins at ending her life, her blood coating my muzzle like war paint.

I was yanked out of my bed by two men. Their strong hands wrapped around my arms and hauled me out of my sleep. Once I was up, they let me fall to my bedroom floor.

“What in the hell guys?” I said, looking up at Wade and Nicholas with heavy eyelids. Both men’s faces were deathly serious, their bodies ridged and emanating power.

“Anna, you are hereby convicted of murder,” Wade said and I gasped.

“What? What are you talking about?” I scrambled off the floor. Nicholas stepped in front of my door to make sure I didn’t make a run for it.

“Look at your feet,” Wade said, his head nodding in their direction. My head fell, my eyes going to toes. They were covered in mud.

“I…I don’t,” I shook my head back and forth as I stared at my feet. “This doesn’t mean I killed someone,” I managed to say, bringing my focus back to the leaders. Wade’s features grew tighter, his lips thinned to a straight line. With a tight grasp, he yanked me out of my bedroom and towards the bathroom.

“Look,” he said, his finger pointing towards the large mirror that sat above the double sinks. I was hesitant to see my reflection, afraid that whatever I saw would be the final nail in my coffin.

“Look!” Wade said a little louder. Peeling my eyes off the counter, I stared ahead. Red blotches of dried blood dotted my cheeks, forehead and neck. My hair was a stringy mess, leaves and other debris littering my blonde locks.

“I…didn’t,” I said, my voice no more than a whisper. “I couldn’t.” I shifted my eyes, unable to look at the evidence right in front of me.

“There was another body found early this morning,” Wade said, his voice almost sad. “Did you have another dream last night, Anna?”

Realization dawned on me as I remembered the dream I’d been having right before I was yanked from my bed. In the confusion I’d forgotten all about it.

“Yes, but I had that dream right before you woke me up,” I said, my eyes pleading with Wade. Nicholas leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. I hated him, hated being so close to him and what he’d done to me.

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t murder the woman,” Wade said, his dark eyes boring into me. “Perhaps you killed her earlier and were reliving the glory of the kill.”

You’ve got to be kidding me
. “That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed. “I’d never kill anyone.” It didn’t matter what words came out of my mouth, I couldn’t fight the blood splattered on my face. I wanted to object and believe in my innocence, but I was starting to think I was guilty.

“Then tell me how did this get here?” Wade’s fingers dug into my skin as he turned my face towards the mirror again. “Tell me why your feet are covered in dirt? Did you go out for a run last night and kill an animal?”

“I did go for a run, but not in wolf form, and no, I did not kill anything last night.”

“Hey, guys,” Elle said, peeking her head into the bathroom. “What’s going on?”

I caught her gaze in the mirror and instantly began to cry. I’d grown fond of Elle, and now I was going to be killed for supposedly killing others.

“This doesn’t concern you,” Nicholas said, stepping in front of her to block her way.

“What about me?” Adam asked, coming into view. “She’s part of my pack, I deserve to know what’s going on.” My heart stopped beating for a millisecond as I remembered what he’d told me last night.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Nicholas said snidely. “Look at her.”

“I wasn’t aware we convicted people without concrete proof,” Adam said, shouldering past Nicholas and stopping just in front of me.

“Is blood on her face, dirt on her feet, and the confession of having another dream about killing not proof enough?” Wade bit out. It was a pity Wade was being such a jerk, I was starting to like him.

“Does the blood on her face match the murdered woman’s? If she was the killer wouldn’t she of woken up like this before? I find it a little odd that this happened after the leaders arrived,” Adam countered. I watched the muscles in his arms flex as he crossed them across his expansive chest. He stared daggers at Wade, while I wished I could feel those arms surrounding me.

“You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment,” Wade said, ignoring Adam’s question. “If this were any other person, you’d be as ready to convict her as we are.”

Was it that obvious? Did the entire pack know Adam and I had feelings for each other? I wondered if the leaders spoke to Adam about our predicament and reminded him of his duty to Eve. If they had, it didn’t show. Adam wasn’t ignoring me anymore and even put his neck on the line to defend me.

“That’s not true,” Adam replied. “I would want a fair trial for any member of my pack. And, as you know, as her alpha, I must agree with your verdict, or I can defend her.”

Elle gasped from the doorway. Nicholas snorted as if what Adam said was the silliest thing he’d heard. Wade released his grip on me and nodded his head.

“We have a member on the police force,” Wade said. “I’ll have him run a DNA test on the blood found on Anna and the victim. If it’s a match, will that be evidence enough for you? I’d hate to have to kill two people because one of them is hard up.”

“Wait, what? Why would you have to kill two people?” I asked, turning to look at Wade.

“Her lack of knowledge about our laws is astounding,” Wade said to Adam. “Your alpha is graciously ready to fight on your behalf. If an alpha believes that one of his wolves is being unfairly judged, he can fight one of the leaders. If he wins, the accused goes free,” Wade told me.

My breath became labored as I thought about Adam fighting for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in him, I knew he was strong, but there was a reason the leaders were leaders. They’d been the strongest of the bloodline and earned their positions.

“And what if he doesn’t win?” I asked, my voice breathy.

“Use your imagination,” Nicholas chimed in.

My head was shaking back and forth while words failed to form on my lips. I stared at Adam with wide eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You can’t do this,” I told him. “If I’m killing people, I will accept the punishment.” Even though my insides twisted in fear, my voice came out strong. I didn’t want to die, but I wouldn’t allow someone else pay for my crimes. If the blood on my face was in fact the murdered woman’s, I deserved death. How could I live knowing that three people were dead because of me? I wasn’t about to add another body to that count. Adam would live even if I had to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun so he’d miss the fight.

“It seems your pack mate doesn’t have as much faith in her innocence as you do, alpha.” Nicholas snorted.

“She doesn’t have to,” Adam said, his eyes falling to me. “I have enough faith for the both of us.”

“Yeah—yeah, you guys like each other,” Nicolas said, walking into the bathroom and grabbing my arm.

Wade opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed a couple cotton swabs and began to swab the blood from my face. When he was happy with the amount he collected, he nodded towards Nicholas.

“Hey,” I said, resisting wherever it was he was trying to pull me. After what happened last time I was alone with him, I didn’t want another occurrence. If what Adam said was true and Nicholas has some super lusty juju, then I’d rather die than have my free will yanked from me.

“Anna must be confined until I can get in touch with Doug,” Wade said, holding Adam back when he tried to get in the between me and Nicholas. “It’ll take a couple days for him to run the tests. We can’t have her killing more people.”

Nicholas smirked at Adam and a rumble came from his chest. “Elle, you will stay with her at all times. If you so much as look away from her, it’ll be your head, understand?” Adam growled. “And,” he continued, shifting his eyes to Nicholas, “if you touch her inappropriately, we won’t have to wait for the results for a fight.”

“Nicholas will not use his charms on her,” Wade promised, giving Nicholas a warning glare. “And Elle is welcome to keep her company. She’s not to be let out of this house and a guard must be with her at all times. If word gets out that werewolves exist it’ll cause a worldwide panic.” Wade began to leave and then stopped. “I like you, Anna, but I won’t allow you to put our entire race in danger. If the test comes back positive, you will be put down.” He turned and walked away, leaving me with my jaw on the floor.

*

“Anna, calm down,” Elle said, resting her hand on my shoulder to stop me. I’d been pacing my room for the last two hours. Nicholas left his duty as guard and Michael had taken up post in front of my bedroom. He wouldn’t allow me to close my door, afraid I’d sneak out of my window.

“How am I supposed to calm down?” I shrieked. “You’d be freaking out too if you knew you were going to die.” I picked up pacing again. My fingernails were chewed down to nubs, and I was sure I’d worn a trail into my carpet.

“Are you psychic now?” Elle asked with sarcasm. “Have you seen the future?”

“Shut up,” I told her. “This is serious….as in deadly serious!” I trailed a finger across my throat to mimic a beheading. If I did die, at least it’d be quick—or at least I hoped.

“I am being serious,” Elle snapped back. “You’re acting like you already know you’re guilty and there’s a headstone waiting for you. Besides…” Elle glanced over at Michael whose back was turned towards us. Stepping close to me, she leaned in and whispered in my ear, “You know Adam isn’t going to let anything happen to you, even if you are guilty, which I doubt.”

Michael turned around at our sudden silence. Elle backed away and smiled at him. He didn’t return the friendly gesture. Once he turned back around, I whispered back to Elle.

“I’m not going to let Adam kill himself for me.”

“Like you could stop him,” Elle replied and then mumbled, “or me.”

“What?” I asked a little louder than intended. Michael looked over his shoulder and glared at both of us. His eyes were baggy, as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep. When he turned back around, I grabbed a hold of Elle’s arm.

“Please tell me you won’t interfere with my sentencing.” I couldn’t deal with the fact that two people might die because of me. As much as Adam and Elle thought they could save me, it’d only get them killed.

“If it were me, would you sit by and watch me die?” Elle asked, crossing her arms and tilting her head in question.

“That’s not the point,” I told her. “It’s not you, it’s me, and I say to stay out of it.”

“Well,” Elle drawled out. “Look whose growing into her big girl panties. It’s about damn time.”

I shook my head, my frustration levels too high to form an argument with my friend. Instead, I ran my fingers through my hair and paced again. Even my wolf was agitated. I could feel her squirming underneath the surface, making my skin itch and my temper short. My reflection from this morning flashed into my mind. Red splatters coating my face and debris in my hair. What in the hell happened? Closing my eyes, I thought about the previous night. Sure I had the dream, but I couldn’t remember one solid memory of killing anyone. The not knowing was driving me insane.

“I’m going to get you some tea,” Elle said, flipping her red hair over a shoulder. I watched as she sauntered out of the room and disappeared down the hall. Michael turned to look at me, his eyes shooting towards the window.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. “I’m just as curious as you guys to find out what happened.”

“Correction,” Michael stated, turning so that he was facing me head on. “We already think you’re guilty. The only reason we’re running the test is to please your alpha. It may surprise you, but we don’t like killing people.”

“You guys seem ready to kill me,” I retorted.

“That’s different, you’re a threat—Adam isn’t. It’d be a shame to lose an alpha.” Michael smiled and turned back around, leaning a shoulder against the wall. I sneered at his back and wished I had a silver bullet.

Sitting on my bed, I eyed my alarm clock. It’d been two hours since Adam and Wade left. What was taking them so long? Granted they wouldn’t have the results for a couple days, but I needed to speak to Adam, to find out what, if anything, they found out. Looking around the room, my gaze settled on my dresser. Inside was the book we’d stolen from Adam and never put back. If the leaders decided to search my room, they could add thief to the charges against me. The thought of Adam and the events from last night popped into my head. He said those three terrifying words, words that had never been spoken to me. I didn’t know how I felt about him, but having the alpha confess he loved me was just another problem I faced. He knew we couldn’t be together, so what was the point in telling me how he felt? It only complicated how my feelings and left me lost on what I should do. It was a sick twisted game of torture where there were no winners.

“Here you go,” Elle said, bringing me out of head. I looked up and reached for the cup of hot tea. The scent was harsh and caused my upper lip to draw up on my teeth.

“What is this?” I held the cup out as far away from me as possible.

“It’s tea,” Elle stated.

“Uh-huh, this doesn’t smell like any kind of tea I’ve ever had before. What’s in it?”

Elle cocked a hip and crossed her arms, giving me a look that said I should shut up and down the nasty smelling liquid. With an arched eyebrow, Elle nodded towards my cup and waited until I took a sip.