“You have no idea what’s going on out there, Anni. The demons—”
“No!” I throw my hands up in anger, rage filling my chest. “I haven’t seen a single demon or anything that could be a threat to me, exceptyou! You’re a werewolf, and you could kill me whenever you want to!”
“I’m not going to kill you, Annika!” he defends, getting to his feet. “But I can’t let you go out there. Please! You have to understand.”
There’s something in his eyes that tells me he’s sincere, and as much as I’m angry, I feel like I can trust his word. I hate it. I hate him. I hate that I feel this way.
He steps closer and takes my hand, those same sensations washing over me again, like they were last night. “We will figure this out soon, I promise. For now, I must go. If you want, I’ll ask Anastasia to come over. She can—”
“I don’t need a fucking babysitter, Henry!” I roar at him, snatching my hand away and spinning on my heel, fury building up in my chest and exploding outward in tears the second I’m inside the room.
Luckily, he doesn’t follow me, and I can sink to the floor, sensing that his words are true, and he just wants to protect me, while also being angry that I’m in this position because of him. Both can be true at the same time, and the weight of my emotions keeps me pinned to the floor, anger and sadness flooding my veins, stronger than any adrenaline.
The only thing I need right now more than anything is my sister, and I hate that I can’t see her. I hate that I can’t speak toher. And I’m meant to trust Heinrich, trust that he’ll find a way for me to see her again.
There’s a part of me, deep down, that just knows Ishouldtrust him.
Chapter 10 - Heinrich
I stare down the hallway, long after Annika left and disappeared into her bedroom, my heart hammering in my chest, my fists tightly wound against my sides.
Deciding not to go after her, I turn back to the kitchen and clear the table, dishes to the sink, before I head out to start my day. Annika needs space, and I’ll have to respect that.
The council has called us in for another meeting, and it sounds pretty urgent. I don’t want to waste any more time—not when I have to worry about Annika’s safety. My wolf won’t allow me to rest until this thing with the demons comes to an end. If I was concerned about it before—having to protect my people, the wolves under my leadership—I’m restless now, my priorities slightly shifted toward my fated mate who, for now, doesn’t have her powers unlocked to protect herself.
Not the way Sophie, Damian’s mate, can protect herself with her fire magic.
“Good morning,” I greet when I enter the council chamber in the Red Moon territory in the north of the Bitterroot Valley, where Damian is the alpha. He’s not alone; his newly pregnant mate is getting to her feet with his help when I approach them.
Damian greets me with a shake of my hand, and Sophie greets me with a gentle nod.
“Any idea why the council called for a meeting here?” Damian asks, a frown furrowing his brows.
I shrug as I encourage the two to return to their seats and sit down across from them. “No idea. Were we supposed to gohunting today already? I thought it was tomorrow, unless the plans changed when I left last night.”
“We agreed on tomorrow,” Damian responds with a thoughtful frown. “Let’s just wait for the others to arrive.”
“How is your mate doing, Alpha Heinrich?” Luna Sophie asks, prompting me to sigh and hang my head.
“As expected, she is not taking it very well,” I reveal, and Sophie sighs.
“Have you told her about her powers yet?”
I shake my head. “She hardly believes anything I tell her. She was quite shocked when I shifted into wolf form and passed out on the spot.”
Sophie giggles lightly. “The same thing happened to me, but I was in the city when it happened. It’s a good thing you haven’t told her about her powers. She needs to discover them on her own.”
“Yeah, Ana suggested the same thing. The only thing that worries me is that Annika has a sister in the human world. We can’t risk it right now.”
I purse my lips as Damian goes on to list all the reasons why traveling to the city would be a bad idea, and I bite my tongue because even he doesn’t know about my dealings in the human world, and the plan was to attend a meeting there today.
Maybe it’s not such a great idea to travel to the city by myself. Not now, anyway. I made a mental note to cancel my meetings, tell the office that I’m out of the country for a few weeks, and put all my attention on pack dealings.
The meeting cabin in Red Moon begins to fill up with the elders and the research team. Recently rebuilt after the devastating attack a few weeks ago, the chamber has barely beenrestored to its former glory, but the ancient oak desk in the center of the room remains like a steady relic with scorch marks and engravings that tell of its history, especially the most recent incident.
My father also enters the chamber, looking stiff as he gives me a nod. Amos, the head of the research team, steps up to the table and unfolds the map he used before.
“The team has been to the spot where we suspect the demons are entering our world through a portal. We’ve picked up on a condensed amount of dark residue on that part of the mountain, but there’s no portal in sight,” Amos explains.
