A Wolf's Oath (33 page)
“
Alex,” Sebastian hissed, pulling her to the side of the room
farthest from the kitchen. She winced at the strength he was
exerting in his state of agitation and he instantly released her.
“Sorry, did I hurt you?”
“
I’m fine. I’m a lot tougher than I look.”
“
Will it bruise?”
If Tobias sees a
bruise and smells me, he’ll come here looking for blood and it will
be very difficult to explain to Erica why there’s a full grown wolf
in our home and even harder to explain why I wouldn’t fight
back.
“
I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, darker skin means that it
takes a lot for a bruise to really show. He won’t notice a
thing.”
“
Why are you here?” he sighed.
“
Honestly?”
“
Yes.”
There have been enough lies
told.
“
I came to warn you.”
“
Warn me? About what?” he questioned confused.
“
I heard that you and Erica's friend Anna had a bit of a smack
down back at the estate, is that true?”
“
Yes. We didn’t exactly see eye to eye.”
“
Well I also heard that she was asking about trying to find
where you had taken Erica. It’s actually harder than you would
think to try and keep something like this a secret even when you
expressly tell people to be quiet. I did all that could to make
sure she wouldn’t find out, but I can’t work miracles and news
travels fast within the clans you know that. Someone outside of the
estate was bound to find out soon enough. She knows and she’s on
her way. I did think about going to the Lord of her clan and having
her put under house arrest but I wasn’t sure how you would react if
I did that. From what everyone has told me, or more accurately
tried not to tell me, you want this kept within the family. If I
had gone to the Lord and managed to ask him to confine her without
throwing up all over him, then questions would have been
asked.”
“
Thank you for trying Alex, you didn’t need to go to all that
effort though.”
“
Of course I did Sebastian, we’re family and family look out
for one another,” she smiled.
“
Are you feeling ok Alex? Why would you be sick simply from
talking to the Lord of Erica's clan? Does Tobias know that you’re
not well?”
“
I’m fine. I just don’t particularly like talking to new
people; they make me nervous. Besides, if I were sick Tobias would
be the first one to know, trust me.”
“
I haven’t been gone long but you’ve changed since the last
time I saw you,” Sebastian commented. His eyes could detect no
visible difference but she wasn’t the same shy, reserved woman she
had been the last time they had met.
“
Really?” Alex questioned cheerfully. He nodded his agreement.
“That’s good to hear. I’m getting Queen lessons from Yvonne. Well
she says they’re lessons, they seem more like informal chatting
sessions so it’s good to know I’m making some sort of
progress.”
“
They are definitely working.”
“
They should be after all the hours I’ve put in.”
“
Is there a particular reason that you’re working so
hard?”
“
Tobias’ coronation is just around the corner. Apparently I
have to be crowned as well.”
“
Yes, you do.”
“
In front of all the clans,” she grumbled her voice becoming
smaller as she remembered all the details that Tobias had told her
were involved in the coronation.
“
It’s tradition,” he commented calmly.
“
I’m learning how not to make a fool of myself. I might be able
to talk to Erica just fine but she’s family, I have to learn how to
interact with her on an easy going basis. My ability to meet crowds
of people and not just an people, important people, is still sorely
lacking.”
“
You’re going to be fine Alex. Tobias will be at your side the
whole time. Just stay close to him and don’t let go.”
“
How did you know my grand strategy?” she gasped, feigning
shock. Sebastian laughed and she couldn’t help but join him.
“Anyway, I’d better started heading back. Tobias will start to
worry if I don’t come home soon even though I took the guards he
assigned me.”
“
He assigned guards to look out for you?”
“
Yes he did,” she sighed. “And they are beyond annoying.
“Honestly ten people to watch over one me? Don’t you think that’s a
bit excessive?”
Sebastian chose to remain silent knowing that she was unlikely
to appreciate his answer.
If it were me, I
would have double the amount of guards watching over Erica, the
woman is a magnet for trouble.
“
Thanks for coming to warn me.”
“
No worries Sebastian. I hope she gets her memories back
soon.”
His eyes wandered to the kitchen where Erica was currently
trying to prepare the ingredients for her promised cake with Dylan
and Wyatt doing nothing but impeding her. Despite her lack of
memories she was trying to be positive about the whole experience
but he knew that she was suffering and the thought didn’t sit well
with him. “Me too,” he whispered.
Sebastian sat on the sofa in the living room, his eyes glued
to the door in anticipation of Anna’s arrival. He hadn’t moved from
this position since Alex had left, determined to prevent Anna from
coming into contact with Erica. He could hear Erica and her
siblings from down the hall, apparently the necessity of unpacking
had taken precedence over the desire for a cake. As he continued to
watch the front door, he found that he was increasingly grateful
for Dylan and Wyatt’s distracting presence. From what he could hear
they were making the simple task of unpacking their belongings far
more difficult than necessary and keeping Erica preoccupied and
that worked in his favour. He didn’t know when Anna would arrive
but he was hoping that he would be the first one to see her so that
he could prevent her from coming into contact with his mate. Anna
and her unfathomable demands weren’t what Erica needed to recover
and he wanted her to get well, now more than ever. Anna was a
potential obstacle to that recovery, one that he was intent on
getting rid of.
Although he had been waiting anxiously for Anna’s arrival,
the sound of short, hard knocks against the sold wood of the door
still surprised him. He breathed deeply, allowing the wind to bring
the visitor’s scent to his sensitive nostrils. He had been in
contact with Anna only a few times, but he instantly recognised the
smell as that of his mate’s friend and any hopes that Alex’s
warning had been unnecessary died a swift and silent death. It
wasn’t as though he had doubted that Alex believed that Anna was on
her way, she wouldn’t have risked worrying Tobias just to visit
him, but the hope that the Anna problem would simply disappear had
risen nonetheless.
The knocking continued, giving him no choice but to answer
the door unless he wanted Erica to find out about the unwanted
friend on their doorstep. Though he knew that their meeting was
inevitable, he was still reluctant to answer the door. He couldn’t
understand why, but Anna didn’t like him and that made him
distinctly uncomfortable. In fact, if her scent was anything to go
by, she hated him with an intensity that only served to confuse him
further. Hatred that deep took a lifetime to develop and he had
only met her twice and on one of those occasions she had been civil
to him. The fury that Anna felt while in his presence couldn’t be
explained by attributing it to the lies he had told her, there was
something else at work but he didn’t understand what it was and
judging from how uncooperative she had been the last time they had
met, he doubted that Anna would simply tell him.
Sighing deeply as he resigned himself to the upcoming
conflict, he stood and walked to the door, opening it just enough
so that his head could be seen, he didn’t want this woman pulling
the same trick as Alex had done with Erica and slipping past him to
enter the house. Anna looked exactly as he remembered, small and to
another’s eyes rather attractive, though at that moment her looks
were marred by the intense frown she was giving him.
“
What do you want?” he asked directly, not even a hint of his
usual kindness was evident in his tone. He had given up on trying
to be nice to the woman in front of him the moment she had
endangered his mate’s recovery. There was nothing she could do or
say to gain his forgiveness now and if she wanted to be hostile
towards him, then it was only fair that he extend the same courtesy
towards her.
Undaunted, her eyes began trying to scan the interior of the
house behind him, presumably in the search for Erica. “I’m here to
see Eric, you can’t stop me from seeing her, she’s my friend. I’ve
known her far longer than you have, I know what’s best for her and
what’s likely to help her recover.”
“
Is that so?”
“
Yes, it is. Now open this door and let me in.”
“
No,” he responded simply. There was no need to elaborate,
Erica didn’t need to see this person and it was as simple as
that.
“
Open this door now,” she hissed.
“
Do you think that you’re scaring me?” he chuckled. “You aren’t
what Erica needs right now. She needs to be surrounded by people
that put her well being and care first. You don’t qualify, so
please leave.”
“
What’s your problem? I just want to see her.”
“
I could ask the same question of you. You seem to have
something against me and are willing to make Erica suffer so that
you can spite me. It’s unacceptable. Perhaps if you explained
exactly what it is you think I’ve done to you, I’ll consider
allowing you inside our home. If not, then just turn around and
head home. Forget where this place is and wait patiently for
Erica's memories to return on their own.”
“
And what exactly makes you think that I have anything against
you?”
“
It’s written all over your scent Anna. I, unlike Erica,
remember what the subtle changes in scent mean. You don’t like me.
If it were up to you, Erica and I wouldn’t be together.”
Anna flushed at the accurate assessment of her feelings
towards Sebastian but she didn’t try to respond to the
accusation.
“
If that’s all then goodbye Anna.”
“
Sebastian,” a small voice called and he inwardly cursed at
Wyatt’s poor sense of timing. “I thought I smelled Anna, is that
her?”
Taking full advantage of the situation, Anna smiled widely,
before calling out to him. “Wyatt, is your sister here?”
“
Which one?” he giggled.
“
Erica silly,” she mock scolded.
“
Yeah.”
“
Is it okay if I come in?” Anna inquired, side stepping the
problem of Sebastian and going to a far more amiable
source.
“
Of course it is. Sebastian, you shouldn’t leave people
standing on the doorstep. It’s not nice.”
I’m getting lessons in manners from a boy decades away from
maturity,
Sebastian laughed, trying to
repress the disappointment he felt.
“
Yes Sebastian,” Anna concurred, “it’s not polite to leave
guests on the doorstep, so why don’t you let me in?”
He growled at her attitude, forcing her to take a step back.
“I’m going to let her in Wyatt, I just have to explain the rules to
her. You remember the rules don’t you?”
“
Of course I do silly, Ryan drilled them into us before he said
it would be okay for us to visit.”
“
The rules are only there to make sure that Erica gets better,
you know that right?”
“
Yes,” the little boy admitted before turning his attention
towards their guest. “Anna, you have to listen and learn the rules
otherwise you can’t come in okay?”
“
I understand.”
“
Okay, I’ll go and tell Erica that you’re here.” He grinned
before running down the hall towards the room he shared with his
sister and where Erica was currently trying her best to help them
unpack.
Anna smirked at him in triumph, silently gloating about the
fact that she had managed to go around him and get what she wanted.
He growled, the sound reverberating through his chest and the
longer she looked at him, the louder it became. “So what exactly
are these rules then?”
“
For you, I have special ones. If you do anything to jeopardise
her recovery, I will personally throw you out and your mate isn’t
here to save you from your own stupidity.”
“
Eric is my friend, I want her to get well.”
“
You could have fooled me,” he groused, finally opening the
door enough for her to enter the house.
Taking the reluctantly offered invitation, Anna stepped
inside just as Erica walked up the hall into the living room.
“Eric!” Anna cried happily running towards her and embracing her
tightly. “I’ve missed you so much Eric. Come let’s have a talk just
the two of us. There’s so much I want to tell you and I want to
hear all about how life has been for you up here.”
Erica accepted the woman’s hug though slightly unnerved by
her enthusiasm. She had a vague recollection of the woman, though
it was nothing as detailed as what she had remembered about her
siblings, it was enough for her to know that the two of them were
friends and good ones at that. “Calm down Anna, it’s nice to know
that you missed me, but you’re making me feel exhausted already,”
she laughed.