And now, for the first time, I feel something shifting inside me that has nothing to do with the war we’re in.
All I see is Annika…
Annika was in my backyard this morning, sunlight catching in her hair as she walked the perimeter, as if she belonged there. The way my chest tightened watching her from afar. The way my wolf quieted, not in possessiveness, but in recognition of its true mate.
The border is bound.
The ritual holds.
But I am beginning to understand that the more fragile thing is not the valley or the war.
It is the space between Annika and me that is most volatile.
And I don’t know how to fortify that with blood and rituals. No ritual could ever force her to accept me as her mate. It is something that must be done purely out of her own free will.
That’s the part that scares me—that she won’t want me at all.
Chapter 13 - Annika
“That is the pack hall,” Anastasia says as she points out a large cabin nestled in the rocky mountain, logs built from the ground up used as stilts to keep the structure upright. It’s a beautiful monument hidden in the valley, boasting floor-to-ceiling windows on one side that open up in the direction of the sunset. “It’s often used as a gathering place for pack meetings, or when there’s a ceremony or celebration.”
I nod thoughtfully, my mind drifting to a place I wish it didn’t go. But after spending nearly all day exploring the valley on the east side, where the Silver Stone Pack resides, with Anastasia, who has been nothing but kind to me, I don’t feel weird when I ask, “Is that where weddings take place?”
There’s a strange pause, as if Anastasia is peeling back the layers of my question, and that’s when I realize why I asked it at all. I can’t help but feel dejected because out here, there’s a stunning space for a ceremony, and yet, I’d been reduced to hastily signing a marriage license within the confines of Heinrich’s cabin.
“Yes,” Anastasia finally sighs, her head hanging with the regret she must be feeling on my behalf. “I know what you’re thinking, Annika, and you must know that there’s a reason why he didn’t plan a big ceremony.”
“I’m not surprised,” I chuckle indifferently with a casual shrug. “It was only a question.”
I force a smile on my face when she looks up at me, but there’s disappointment in her blue eyes.
“You and I both know that it wasn’t simply a question,” she challenges, head cocked to one side. “What he did was unbelievable. Unforgivable, even. And while I don’t agree withkidnapping you and forcing you here against your will, I know why he didn’t plan a big gathering with the other werewolves.”
“Why?” I find myself asking, ignoring the tiny voice in my head that wants me to put this conversation to rest, that wants me to ignore how curious I am about the man I just slept with.
“Because no one here knows that he runs a million-dollar company in the city. Not even his own father. If I know Heinrich, I know he was just trying to protect the other life he lives. He didn’t want to risk having it revealed to everyone here. Not until you knew it was a secret.”
I frown at the blonde-haired woman. “Not even his father knows? So, he keeps his wolf identity hidden from the human world, and his human identity a secret from the wolves. Why?”
Anastasia sighs. “Because it was my brother’s bright idea to take our medical research to the human world, and help humanity.”
“Heinrich told me a little about that,” I say softly as regret lodges in my throat. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s okay,” Anastasia shrugs, then nods to the cobblestone path that leads to the hall. “Wanna go check it out?”
I nod, then follow her down the path. “I still don’t understand. Did he think I’d go in there and reveal his secrets? Tell them I’m his personal assistant, and oust his human life to the wolves?”
“Wouldn’t you have done that?” Anastasia asks with a coy smile, and I sigh defeatedly.
“Probably.”
We enter the pack hall, and I’m mesmerized by the lavish trimmings of gold all around, coupled with the vines hanging from the ceiling, draped along one side of the hall to give ita natural appeal that meets the mysticism of the shimmering treasures of trimmings. It is a stunning place, and as I watch Anastasia gracefully waltz toward the stage where a piano sits near one corner, I find myself following her to do more investigating.
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but if I’m about to die, at least I’ll go down knowing the truth about the werewolves, about Heinrich, and about me.
“Heinrich told me something quite alarming,” I confide to Anastasia, suddenly feeling as if I can trust her. She seems to have that effect on me, despite my previous inhibitions and reservations toward her.
Perhaps it’s because we spent the day together, and I was blinded by my hatred toward Heinrich that I projected onto her previously, but I’ve realized that she’s the kindest soul, and the only one I can speak to since I don’t have anyone here in the valley, and I can’t speak to my sister.
