Taming the Wolf (Anna Avery #1) 1

“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.

Bringing the mug to my lips, I allowed a drizzle to coat my tongue and almost gagged. The taste was worse than the smell.

“Seriously, what is this?” I asked around a cough. My tongue tingled and my wolf retreated, if that made sense. I could feel her presence almost cowering, her strength waning.

Elle walked over to the bed and sat beside me. Holding onto the bed with both hands, she leaned forward, her copper hair spilling over her shoulders. With a sideways glance, her green eyes glinted as her lips whispered, “Wolfsbane.”

“What?” I shrieked and dropped the cup. The brownish green liquid soaked into my carpet, and I edged back onto my bed. Michael turned around and eyed both of us before his gaze found the stain on the floor.

“She’s a bit shaken up and clumsy,” Elle lied. Michael rolled his eyes and turned back around. Elle grabbed my arm and tugged me towards her until our faces were touching.

“You need to drink it,” she bit out. “It’ll help you calm down and get out of your head for a while.

“It’s poison,” I hissed, knowing why my wolf shied away from it. The herb was deadly to werewolves, and I’d ingested some of it.

“It’s only poisonous in large quantities.” Elle slipped off of the bed, bent down and retrieved my cup. Walking over to my dresser, she lifted a kettle and refilled my mug. Looking over, she raised her cup towards me and then downed its contents.

I watched her with wide eyes, worried she’d just sealed her fate, and I’d be burying my friend come morning.

After drinking the tea, she filled the cup up again and walked back over to me. “Don’t you trust me?”

Biting my lip, I looked up and then down at the glass. When it seemed Elle was fine and what she said must be true, I clasped the mug.

“You’re sure about this?” I asked as I stared at the liquid.

“It’s like puffer fish,” Elle said and I frowned. “It’s poisonous, but when it’s sliced just right, it can be eaten. The same goes for wolfsbane. A little is harmless.”

Her comparison left a lot to be desired, but I believed her. Slowly raising the cup to my lips, I allowed a small portion to flood my mouth. My tongue tingled and my wolf scurried away. Swallowing the tea, I took another drink and then another until the cup was empty. When I finished the last of the drink, I felt strangely at peace. The burden of whether I was a killer, my complicated relationship with Adam, and the fear of possibly dying all vanished.

“See, isn’t that better?” Elle asked as she tugged the covers back and helped me slip into bed. The warmth of my blankets surrounded me like serene cocoon. My eyelids grew heavy and drooped closed. I snapped them open. Elle’s red hair glowed as she blocked out the light from my ceiling. Leaning over me, she pressed a kiss to my forehead and whispered, “Goodnight, Anna.”

Chapter Seventeen

Flashes of forest raced through my mind as I tried to outrun the wolf. My legs were tired from my earlier jog, now burning and growing weak. Still, I kept running.