Page 16

CHAPTER 16

W e let a few long, miserable days go by. It was obvious I was being watched the entire time. I worried about what might happen to Aiden and Lawson after I disappeared, and I tried to convince them to come with me.

"To another pack?" Aiden asked skeptically. "I'm not convinced that would end any better for us."

I used Lawson's cell phone to text Brennan, but we couldn't exchange loving messages anymore--just a few quick planning texts which Lawson then swiftly deleted. He worried that Nathan didn't trust him either.

One day, Lawson walked me to the front door only to see a shifter across the way ducking out of sight into the forest.

Nathan was jealous of Lawson too, and it made me worry.

"Be careful.” Lawson’s eyes tracked the same movement.

"You too." I would've hugged him, but I knew better when we were being watched.

I couldn't say a real goodbye to anyone, not even Rose or my mother. Mom might tip off Nathan if she knew.

Nathan's car pulled up in between our houses, parking on the grass, and my stomach curdled at the sight.

"Make nice with him," Lawson said quietly. "Make him think you have no intention of ever seeing Brennan again."

"I will," I said, even though the thought made me feel like I was betraying Brennan. But I knew Brennan would want me to do whatever it took to stay safe...and come to him.

If Brennan entered our pack lands to get me, he would start a war. That kind of fight wouldn't be good for anyone. Especially when he and I wanted to run far away from both our packs and start a new, peaceful life. We couldn’t leave chaos behind us.

I had a feeling Brennan wasn’t the kind of man to leave his pack if he felt they truly needed him. He trusted Stone to take his place as alpha. The thought of Stone’s tall, formidable body and the aura of power and dominance he cast sent a shiver down my spine, but not like the one I felt as Nathan unfolded himself from the car.

Lawson swallowed hard as Nathan strode toward us. Lawson looked as if he wanted to run, but he stayed rooted there even if he was afraid of the alpha.

Nathan covered the last bit of ground leapt up the last stairs to the porch with superhuman speed. He grabbed my arm roughly.

I winced. "Nathan, let go of me! You’re hurting me.”

He gritted his teeth and looked over at Lawson before turning back to me. "You don't belong to him," he spat, pulling me closer to him. His grip tightened painfully on my arm, and I tried not to cry out in pain.

"She doesn’t belong to anyone," Lawson said, stepping forward despite the look of anger that crossed Nathan's face. "Let go of her."

Nathan growled under his breath and shoved me away from him, sending me tumbling off the porch. I slammed hard into the grass, and for a long second I lay there trying to catch my breath.

Before I could get up, Nathan lunged toward Lawson with a roar that shook the trees around us.

Lawson swerved to the side, letting Nathan's fist pass through the air where he had been standing. A desperate look had come over his face, but he punched the alpha in the stomach.

Nathan stumbled away and charged back. Lawson managed to dodge around him again, and this time, he grabbed the alpha's shoulder and shoved.

Nathan staggered, but he twisted with the motion and tackled Lawson, bringing him to the ground. Lawson tried to punch him while they tumbled, but it was clear he was outmatched.

Nathan slammed his fist into Lawson’s face with a terrifying crunch, and I caught a glimpse of red as I ran to try to get Nathan off Lawson. Nathan didn’t even seem to feel me push him desperately away from Lawson.

Lawson finally managed to shove Nathan off of him, but as soon as Nathan rolled away, he was up on his feet. Lawson clumsily got to his feet, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. Desperation ran through me like a jolt of electricity and I leapt at Nathan, trying to stop him, but Nathan was completely focused on Lawson. His gaze burned toward Lawson, his eyes lit with madness once again, and he pushed me aside as if I were nothing.

Nathan sent a series of quick, brutal punches snapping toward Lawson. Lawson scrambled out of the way of all but the last one, which knocked him halfway across the field.

If anyone tried to step in, Nathan was the alpha.

We were on our own, at best. If anyone came to help… they would probably help Nathan. Things had changed so much since the day Curtis—and his cronies, I would imagine—beat Nathan in the woods. I still wasn’t sure what had sparked that fight, but I wished Curtis and Nathan had killed each other then.

As Lawson swung around, Nathan grabbed his arm, twisted it and kicked him hard against the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. Lawson tried desperately to get Nathan away from him, but it was too late. The alpha straddled him, his hands around his neck. A shout of anger and fear escaped Lawson's lips as he pushed against Nathan's arm and tried to free himself of the alpha's hold. A mad grin came over Nathan’s face as he squeezed Lawson’s throat.

I screamed as I realized he was going to kill him. "Nathan! Stop! Let him go!"

He shot me a look, his eyes dark with anger, and my stomach bottomed out. How did I get him to stop? I could run into the house for a weapon, but what would I find that would help me take down this mountain of a man?

His grip tightened until Lawson's face was crimson and his eyes began bulging.

I didn’t think anything would get Nathan off Lawson except…

I dropped to my knees, sobbing. "Please don't kill him! I'll do anything you want, just please let him go.”

Nathan released his hold and Lawson fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Nathan turned to face me, his eyes crazed, and I wanted to run.

"Why are you like this, Amelia? Why are you fighting me when I love you so much?”

"I’m sorry," I managed.

Nathan held out his bloody hand to me. "Come on. We're going out tonight."

I felt panicked as I walked past a bleeding, gasping Lawson, but the best thing I could do for him was to get Nathan far away.

Nathan opened the door for me. I climbed into the passenger seat, feeling sickened by the overwhelming scent of his cologne and the slightly metallic scent of his body. Mates smelled good to each other, intoxicating even. Why was Nathan so obsessed with me? Why couldn't he see that we weren't meant to be together?

Lawson hadn't moved from the grass. Nathan turned the car back on and put it in reverse. All I wanted to do was run to Lawson and make sure he was okay.

Then Lawson raised his head and looked at me. His face was a bloodied mess, but he was alive, and relief shot through me.

"Where are we going?" I pulled down the passenger side mirror and realized I looked like a mess. My face, wide-eyed and frantic, seemed unfamiliar and it scared me. I put the mirror away, but I tried to smooth down my disheveled hair.

He glanced toward me. "You don't look as pretty as usual tonight."

"I didn't know we were going out."

"An alpha's wife should always be presentable."

A hundred snarky comments rose to my lips, but I said, "I'll try to keep my hair and makeup done."

"Good," he said. "We're going to town."

"Town?" My stomach flip-flopped, thinking of the town with the diner that I'd left behind when my shifting started. Brennan might be in town, although it wasn't likely. Still... part of me hoped, and part of me was afraid. I didn't want Brennan to see me with Nathan, no matter that he knew the situation. "I thought I couldn't go until later in my shifting... when we were sure I had it under control..."

"I'll keep you under control," he promised.

God, I didn’t love the sound of that. "Oh."

"I know what a good wife you can be. You just have to grow up."

I stared out the window and didn't say anything. After a moment, he reached over, running his hand over my leg. I grimaced but stayed silent, hating that he was touching me but knowing I needed to stay calm and keep him happy.

"This is why men are the leaders," he added. "You're emotional. Fickle. You'll forget that stupid human once you're carrying my baby."

Two warring emotions rose in my stomach. One: relief that he thought I was interested in a human and didn't know anything about Brennan. Two: disgust at the thought of carrying his baby.

I couldn't stop thinking about the way Lawson had looked as we left, the way his eyes had met mine through the windshield. He'd been in so much pain, and I couldn't parse his expression.

Nathan's knuckles were bleeding, but he hummed, not seeming to notice. He seemed cheerful now.

He took me to the diner. Alison gave me a confused look when she saw me with another man, and I silently prayed she wouldn't say anything. Nathan ordered for us both, and the two of us ate dinner quietly.

"I never got to see you serve here," he said when he'd gotten the check. Then he grinned at me. "But I'll get to see you serve plenty when you're my wife."

"That's not exactly a romantic thought, Nathan."

"Mm. You'll get used to me and my ways." He shook his head. "You can't see Lawson again."

"You were watching me?"

"Of course." He twisted and looked at me. "I can’t protect what's mine if I don’t know what’s going on.”

"We can't get married if you don't trust me! Why would you even want me, then?"

He let out a laugh. "Maybe I want to tame you."

I stared at him in shock and exhaustion. He was handsome in a rough way, even with his nose bent to one side, but his face filled me with revulsion. "I have to use the bathroom. Do you need to watch that too?"

He waved me off dismissively, and I walked to the bathroom. Alison followed me into the ladies' room a moment later.

"Are you alright?" she asked me.

I couldn't involve her; a human could do nothing about shifter problems except get themselves eaten. "I'm fine."

She looked at me closely. "It's one thing if you decided Brennan wasn't the man for you, but you seem... so nervous with that guy."

"It's a rough night," I said. "But it's alright, Alison."

"Amelia…” she hesitated as if she didn’t know what to say.

“It’s my life,” I said sharply, already regretting how harsh the words sounded, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. “I know what I’m doing.”

She didn't seem convinced, but she nodded and left me alone. I leaned against the bathroom stall for a long moment, wishing I could tell her everything.

When I walked out, Nathan was waiting for me, right outside the bathroom door, and I let out a small gasp of shock. He gave me a smile and made some comment about how he’d already paid, but I couldn’t stand the feeling he was always lurking, just on the other side of the door. My skin crawled as he put his hand on my back and escorted me out the door.

We got back into his car and he drove south, out of town. When we had reached pack lands, he turned and drove down a narrow dirt road under swaying trees. He pulled over into a large clearing, cut the engine, and walked around to my side to open my door.

"Where are we?" I asked him, trying to control my tone, but my voice trembled.

He held his hand out to me. "You wanted me to be more romantic. I had something set up for the two of us."

"Oh.” I managed numbly, before taking his hand. He certainly didn’t love me for my sparkling conversation, because I could barely form words around him. A knot seemed to press against the back of my throat, and all I could think of was how much I missed Brennan, with his easy smile and endless patience.

We walked together through the tall grass, then stopped at a small, curtained-off nook at the edge of the clearing. He swept aside the fabric to reveal a small table set with candles, cake, and wine.

"It's beautiful," I said, but my voice sounded shaky.

"Just like you.” His voice was oddly cold, as if it were just a statement of fact.

It wasn't as if being beautiful was serving me very well in life. I had the sudden urge to shave my head and change everything about my appearance, to try to make myself look less like something he wanted to possess.

The two of us sat stiffly on the gilt chairs under the beautiful twinkling lights. It would have been a special surprise with someone else. With Brennan, the conversation would have been light and quick.

"You and I are waiting until marriage to consummate our matehood," he said. "But that only matters if you're still a virgin. Are you?"

I stared at him in shock. My cheeks flushed. "Yes."

"I'll know," he warned me. "The first night. But I won't be angry if you just tell me now, Amelia."

"I'm a virgin," I said, furious. I rose from the table. "Now take me home!"

"I'm glad you're still a virgin, Amelia.” His voice sounded as if he was trying to be soothing, but nothing about Nathan left me feeling peaceful. He put his hand on my back, but I shrugged it off. "You’re a good girl. Now sit down, let’s have dessert.”

I forced myself to sit stiffly down again, although I couldn’t get my heart to stop racing.

He pressed his lips to mine in another thick, suffocating kiss. As his hands crept over my skin, under my shirt, I leapt away.

God, what would happen to me if he ever discovered the mark on my throat? The mark seemed to pulse desperately now, burning against my skin.

Nathan followed me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I backed up only to find myself pressed against a beam as his big body enveloped mine.

"Nathan," I murmured, trying to push him away. His arousal pressed against me. Repulsion and fear warned in my chest, and everything inside me wanted to shirt and run. He was trying to claim me, to own me, and I couldn't let him.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I lied, even though the words made me feel sick. "I want to wait until we're married."

"You can trust me. I'm not going to change my mind about you."

"I know." There was no escaping him... not until I got away with Brennan. "Please take me home. My mother wouldn't like us being out here alone like this when we aren't married yet."

He looked as if he were on the verge of losing his temper, but then he relaxed and nodded. "You're right. There will be plenty of time later. Years and years together."

I tried to make myself smile in answer, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes.