The Fated Series: Fighting Fate

With each passing second, Anna could feel it seeping deeper, stealing her breath and her vision, the hallway blurring around her. She inhaled shakily, stifling a whimper as she pressed an arm tightly around her middle, convinced the pressure might make it ease.

It didn’t.

She definitely had some broken ribs this time.

The rest of her body fared little better, new bruises sprouting up over old ones, making her look like a morbidly colored rainbow. She trembled, doing her damndest to hide it, but bone-deep exhaustion was warring with her usual ability to block the pain out.

Her wolf was curled into a ball within the recesses of Anna’s mind, the animal exhausted from her own efforts to escape the mental prison that contained her. It happened every time Anna got hurt, the wolf never quite giving up on the idea of breaking out to defend the human side.

“–do this!” Her mother’s loud shout came from behind the closed door, her anger palpable. “She’s mine! You don’t get to just send her away!”

There was an ominous rumble. Anna’s wolf curled into a tighter ball, an instinctive attempt to hide from a stronger predator. The sound died away, leaving only a taut silence, and then the office door was yanked open. Mathias, the alpha’s second in command, came into view. His eyes landed on her, a cruel smirk playing at the corner of his mouth as he took in her bruised and swollen face.

“Come,” he commanded gruffly, chuckling darkly as he watched her gingerly stand, failing to hide just how much pain she was in. As she approached, he didn’t move, forcing her to brush up against him to get through the door. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring, and Anna shuddered, her stomach swooping with nausea.

Once she got past, she quickly moved out of his reach and looked around the room, finding Blake standing behind his desk, both arms planted on the wooden surface, his expression cold. Standing across from him, Anna’s mother’s posture was aggressive, as if she were barely stopping herself from lunging at the alpha–a purely suicidal move–while her father stood a step behind his mate, head tilted down and to the side to expose his neck.

Mathias shut the door, but he didn’t leave, standing at her back. Her wolf whined, feeling trapped.

Looking at the alpha, she watched his eyes sweep over her, his expression growing darker with each second.

“Why didn’t you take her to a healer?!” he snarled out, eyes flashing with his wolf as they locked on her mother. But Anna knew his rage wasn’t because she was hurt.

“She was being punished.” Anna’s mother sniffed haughtily. “If I just take her to a healer, she doesn’t learn that there are consequences for her behavior.” She shot Anna a murderous look, as if this confrontation was somehow her fault.

“I don’t give a shit,” Blake enunciated slowly. He turned to look at Anna and pointed at one of the chairs facing his desk. She followed the silent command, not wanting to further agitate him. Shifters were unpredictable by nature, governed by the temperaments of their animals. It was a facet of their dual natures but it made them volatile ifof they were pushed by their emotions–especially anger.

“Mathias. Get Sarah.”

Mathias left without a word, a stifling silence remaining as the door closed behind him. It only took a minute before her mother tried a new tactic.

“Blake, she’s my only child. You can’t send her away!”

The alpha rolled his eyes, not moved in the slightest. “Don’t try to manipulate me. I know exactly what she is to you.” Anna frowned at his wording, but was distracted when she realized he was focused on her, his teeth bared in a smile that seemed more like a threat. Anna shivered.

“It’s your lucky day.”

“Alpha?” She hated how timid her voice was, her heart was racing as she struggled to understand exactly what was happening.

“You’ll be transferring packs. Today.” Blake announced. “You’re leaving GreyWing.”

Anna swiped her tongue over dry, cracked lips. “Can I ask why? Or what pack?”

The alpha shook his head. “The only thing you need to know is that you’ll be going to SilverRiver. The alpha should be here shortly and, once he arrives, I don’t want to hear a word out of you. Just do as you’re told. That’s your only job today.” There was a warning glint in his eyes that told her she wouldn’t like the consequences if she didn’t follow his instructions. There was a small part of her that wanted to snipe at him, to tell him that was her job every day, but it was easy to push that part down. She had a lot of practice at learning when to keep her mouth shut, and it seemed even more prudent to use that skill today.

Instead, all she did was give him a stiff nod. She could feel her mother glaring daggers at her, the side of her face burning under the intensity of her stare.

A cold sweat gathered at the base of her spine. She knew nothing about SilverRiver, which meant that leaving today, even though it meant getting away from her mother, could put her in a more dangerous situation. On the other hand, if she didn’t leave, her mother would definitely make this entire situation Anna’s fault and the pain she was in now wouldn’t even come close to what her mother would dish out then.

Inwardly, Anna cursed, knowing there was no good option here, but she was sick of being a victim. With her wolf locked away from her, she had no way of accessing the strength that came to other shifters naturally. Instead, she was basically a human living among wolves, and with a giant target painted on her back.

To her mind, the only escape was to disappear into the human world. It could work because she didn’t need to be attached to a pack bond to survive, unlike other shifters. But without money, protection or any kind of ability to defend herself, she’d be dead before she could ever step outside the city, either from other shifters or humans that hated their kind.

Blake didn’t deign to answer, fixing a dark stare on her. A minute passed, and then another. As the third passed without the alpha even blinking, Anna’s mother reluctantly bowed her head, angling it to show her neck. She might be a dominant female, but she was no match for an alpha’s challenge.

“You forget your place,” Blake uttered, his voice laced with menace. “You and your mate can leave now.”

Anna’s mother opened her mouth to protest, but her father, moving for the first time since Anna had come in, tugged roughly at her arm. “Come on, Ange, Don’t push it.” Her mother yanked out of her mate’s grip, snarling at him before storming from the room. The submissive male followed her at a more sedate pace, his eyes carefully avoiding looking at his daughter.

Just as the door started to close behind them, Mathias reentered with one of the pack healers. Anna looked back as Sarah glanced around the office, opening her mouth to say something before her eyes landed on Anna.

“Oh.” The healer took a step toward Anna, her natural instinct to help the injured, but then hesitated, her eyes flicking over to Blake.

“Go on,” Blake ordered gruffly, and Sarah quickly darted forward, kneeling next to Anna’s chair. She put one hand on Anna’s arm, the other on the side of her face. Immediately, Anna felt a warmth flow move from the healer’s palms into her skin. The pain from her injuries began to slowly recede, her eyesight clearing.

Sarah leaned forward, her eyes flickering nervously as she murmured, “Are you okay?”

Anna didn’t answer, didn’t even twitch, knowing Blake and Mathias were watching closely. Instead, she just lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

“She’s fine,” Mathias interjected with a sly smile. “She’s had worse. Haven’t you, Anna?” She looked up at him, keeping her expression carefully blank as he walked towards her. He reached out to curl a strand of her auburn hair around his finger, his skin brushing against her cheek. It took everything she had to not flinch away. Her wolf growled low in her head–the sound loud now that the dull throb of her headache was fading–but the animal stayed down, dejected, already knowing there was no winning this fight.

Sarah sank back on her heels, her hands falling to her lap. She was pale, lines of strain around her eyes. “There. All–”

“That’s all, Sarah.” Blake smoothly cut her off and Anna saw the healer’s eyes flicker with something before she lowered them, hiding it. She stood, nodded at the two males, and quietly left the room. When the door shut behind her, dread filled Anna.

Blake had been the GreyWing alpha for the past 8 years, a position he’d taken after challenging the last alpha for it. The battle had been unevenly matched, the old alpha well past his prime, so he’d submitted to Blake early. Against everything shifters stood for, Blake refused the surrender, ruthlessly ripping out the old alpha’s throat and eviscerating him with his claws while the entire pack had watched. Anna remembered thinking that someone would protest the kill, that someone would do something to stop Blake, but there had only been silence.

He was ruthless and cold, a violent malice living in him that fairly rippled under both skin and fur. His wolf had stood over the old alpha’s carcass, blood dripping from his gaping maw as the first members of the pack had stepped forward to swear fealty to their new alpha.

He was an extremely dangerous wolf, and she had always been careful to not draw his attention more than necessary. But now, as they both watched her, Anna guessed she’d failed at that.

Mathias’ eyes suddenly went distant, someone in the pack mind-linking with him. After a moment, he looked at Blake. “He’s here.”

“Good.” The alpha didn’t take his eyes off Anna, baring his teeth at her in a facsimile of a smile. “Now, remember your part, girl. Keep quiet and do as you’re told.” He paused and Anna realized he was waiting for a response, and nodded curtly.

Anna sat so stiffly as they waited that when a knock sounded, she almost fell out of her chair. Blake and Mathias turned to watch as the door opened, and heavy footsteps came closer. Anna didn’t move, keeping her head facing the desk, but on her next inhale, the scent of pine and something citrus filled her lungs.

Her breath caught on a silent gasp, her stomach tightening in a feeling that was completely unfamiliar.

Blake turned to stare at her, his eyes narrowed, and Anna tried furiously to rebuild her blank mask before she gave herself away, even as her wolf sat up, tail twitching with interest.

Blake shot her one last look of warning as the door closed and then focused fully on the newcomer. “Zach. I’m surprised your second isn’t with you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

The voice was a deep rasp that seemed to stroke along all of Anna’s nerves, sending a shock of electricity down her spine. She stiffened as he stepped closer, her wolf pacing in her head, all fatigue forgotten. Anna fisted her hands in her laps, forcing herself to takepull long pulls of oxygen into her lungs, attempting to hide whatever the hell was happening. She’d never reacted so viscerally to anyone before, but without even looking at him, she could sense the danger emanating from this new alpha, his very presence sucking all oxygen out of the room.

Whatever the hell was happening, all she knew was it meant nothing good for her.

Shit had definitely just gotten worse.