“I had another dream,” I told him. “It was of the day I was attacked.”
“Anna, why are we discussing this? The leaders are waiting for you, and they’re already in a foul mood.” Adam stepped forward again and I stepped back.
“In my dream, I saw the faces of two people,” I continued. Adam’s body grew slightly stiff, barely noticeable, but I’d caught it. His fingers flexed at his sides and he glanced away when I continued to stare at him.
“We’ll discuss this later. Right now, we need to finish up with this mess.”
“There was a woman…and a man,” I said, ignoring his attempts to distract me. I paused for a few seconds. As I looked at Adam, I tried to see the truth of my dream. Was the Adam I knew capable of keeping such a secret? Was that the reason why he found me? Because he’d been there when it happened?
“Anna, that’s enough,” Adam said, his tone hard.
“Don’t you want to know who they were, Adam?”
The door swung open and broke my attention.
“Anna, we’ve waited long enough,” Wade said. He walked in the room and grasped my wrist, his fingers digging into my skin a little harder than necessary. As he pulled me out of the room, I looked back at Adam. He stared me with an emotion I couldn’t put into words—uncertainty maybe?
Sitting back in front of the leaders, I clasped my hands in my lap and stared straight ahead. I couldn’t think about my dream or if there was any truth to it. If I were going to be sentenced to death, what was the point in worrying about who’d turned me? The reason I wanted to know, needed to know, was because of my feelings for Adam. Sure I wanted to know who attacked me and changed my life forever, but the idea of Adam lying to me for this long was almost unbearable. Were the feelings I thought I felt real or a product of manipulation?
“Anna, as I said before we have the results of the test,” Wade said as he lifted the thin, white paper off the table. His eyes moved from side to side as he read the black text.
“Is there anything you want to say before I read this aloud?”
I thought for a moment. “Only that if I am guilty, it was done unconsciously. I don’t want to hurt people any more than you guys want me to. If by some chance my wolf has taken over and done these horrible things, I accept your punishment.” I’d forgotten to breathe while talking, so I took a deep breath and settled in for the inevitable.
Adam walked into the room and stood to my left. I could see out of the corner of my eye that his hands were fisted at his sides. I cut my eyes across the table and glanced at Eve. She stared straight at me. Her face was serious, but I could see the gleam of happiness behind her steely brown eyes. If the leaders weren’t here, she’d jump up for joy.
“The test concludes that the blood on your face was that of the victim, Mary Hillson,” Wade said, looking at me over the top of the paper.
My stomach sunk and my heart stopped beating as I heard his words. I was the killer, the one tearing humans’ throats out, and I enjoyed every minute of it. A shiver of disgust trailed up my spine. Bile rose in my throat and sweat broke out along my forehead.
“There were a few drops of your blood mixed with Ms. Hillson’s,” Wade continued. “And a couple specks of blood we have yet to determine who they belongs to.”
“What does that mean?” I mumbled, still trying to come to grips that I was guilty.
“That means,” Adam began when Wade started to talk, “that there could have been someone else with you. Perhaps it’s a setup and someone is trying to make you look guilty.” I looked up at Adam, surprised that he still thought I was innocent.
“That’s bull,” Michael argued. “She had the dreams, and then we find her with the victim’s blood splattered all over her face and her feet muddy. Did this someone also go through the trouble of slathering her toes in dirt just so she looked guiltier?” He snorted and shook his head.
I had to admit it was pretty farfetched. Wouldn’t I have woken up if someone was in my room spraying me with blood and mud? I kept my objections to myself, though, because right then another fight broke out. The leaders were arguing with Adam as he pleaded my case. Different theories went back and forth and were shot down by one or more leaders. Adam continued to think of reasons why I looked guilty, but was innocent. After a while I zoned out and went inside my own head. I’d really stepped in it this time, and Adam’s feeble attempts to pull me out didn’t seem to be working.“I have the right to defend her if I do not agree with your judgment,” Adam snarled, bringing me out of my zoned out state. Had they stated what their judgment was and I hadn’t heard? Obviously it was bad if Adam would to put his life on the line.
“You’re a stupid man,” Nicholas said. “Going against the leaders is a death wish. Is she really worth it?” He nodded in my direction.
My head shook from side to side, but my lips wouldn’t work. I looked up at Adam, begging with my eyes for him to rethink what he was saying. The room was quiet while they waited for Adam’s response. Out of curiosity, I glanced at Eve. She was seething. Her jaw was clenched tight and her brown eyes had a slight golden glow to them. Her shoulders were stiff, nostrils flared, and the murderous stare she gave me said that if she had anything to say about it, I’d be dead come morning.
Standing up, I cut in front of Adam and said, “Can I refuse his offering?”
“What?” Adam said incredulously. “Are you in such a hurry to die, Anna?”
I ignored the anger in his voice and waited for the leaders to answer me. I would not allow Adam to kill himself. I could feel anger radiating off of him as he stood behind me. I’d much rather him be pissed than marching off to fight.
“If you object to your alpha’s help, there’s nothing Adam can say about it,” Wade said, almost regretfully.
“This is bullshit,” Adam spat, turning around and punching the nearby wall. He stalked off into another room, the door slamming so hard it rattled the room. Eve stood, walked around the table, and stopped as she passed me.
“It’s been nice knowing you. On second thought, no it hasn’t.” She smiled and left the room, probably to bitch at her mate. I hated, absolutely hated, that she and Adam would still be together after I bit the dust. If I had one dying wish, it’d be that Adam would be rid of her for once and all. Maybe he’d find someone to make him happy instead of being obligated to her.
“When does it happen?” I asked, hugging my arms to my chest.
“Normally, a sort of assembly is called where you pack mates stand witness to your death,” Wades said with a bit of unease. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Wade was almost sad.
“So…tomorrow night?” Something was seriously wrong with me if I was discussing my death as calmly as a summer morning. It was like I had shut down and accepted it. I didn’t need to be told how unusual that was, I knew.
Wade looked at the men sitting at the table. They all shrugged as if to say that was fine with them. At least I’d have one more day to say my goodbyes. Maybe I’d contact the families of the murdered and apologize. I could feign mental illness or some nonsense to help them understand why I did what I did. Not that any excuse would make them okay with the fact they’d lost a loved one. My stomach lurched at the thought. I remembered how it felt when I lost my parents. That was a feeling I didn’t want to bestow on anyone, yet I had.
“Tomorrow night then,” Wade answered, rising from his chair. I turned to leave, but stopped when Wade called my name.
“I won’t run,” I told him. I needed some time alone. He didn’t look like he liked that idea, but he didn’t press further. He nodded, his eyes full of understanding, and I walked out.
*
I made it back to my house when someone grabbed me from behind. I whirled around, ready to punch my attacker when two sapphire eyes caught the light. Adam’s face was full of fury, but his eyes were so sad my breath caught in my throat. If anything would make me run, it was this man. If I could spend the rest of my life with him, I’d gladly play the part of an outlaw. Never seeing Adam again was the only thing that weighed on my mind. What about the fact that you killed three people? I closed my eyes and shook away the thought. The only thing I could do about that was pay with my life. Give mine for taking theirs.
Adam didn’t speak. Instead, his big arms encircled my waist, and he squeezed me to his chest. His head rested on mine as his breath stirred my hair. The silence of the night and the beating of our hearts was a melody so hauntingly beautiful I closed my eyes and focused on the tune. As I listened, our heartbeats were in sync. As I thought about it, mine began to beat harder. Adam’s rhythm picked up in pace and matched mine perfectly. I stepped out of his embrace and stared at him dumbfounded. It could be that because I was loyal to him and he was my alpha, my wolf was in tune with him. Maybe it was some sort of werewolf thing I didn’t know about. Still, something told me it wasn’t a connection between alpha and subordinate. My hand fell to my side where my fingers brushed against my messenger bag and the heavy book I’d forgotten to return. Maybe the beating of our hearts had something to do with a myth that lay within its pages.
“What were you thinking?” Adam finally spoke, his eyes crinkling as he stared at me. “You can’t lie down and die, Anna. You and I both know you did not kill those people.”
I stared at the ground, unable to see the anger on his face. What if I did give in to hope and come tomorrow night, it let me down? That’d be worse than having an entire day to accept what was coming.
“We can’t argue with the facts,” I told him, glancing up to judge his reaction.
He took a step back and scrubbed a hand over his face as if that’d erase the frustration he was feeling. “That test was not proof you killed that lady—or the others. A trace of someone else’s blood was found. Maybe that was the actual killer. Yet you’re so ready to take the blame.” As he talked his words got louder and louder until he was yelling.