Alrighty, so I know I have been way out of the writing loop for a while. I haven't been on Fanfiction publishing a story in A LONG TIME. But this one got into my head, and had to be told. Please enjoy! Please review! I will be continuing this story until the end, because Anna and Charles have a special place in my heart right next to Mercy, Adam, and my love of loves Bran Cornick. Nugh, I love him so friggin' much, I wish he were real!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS ARE NOT MINE, NOR DO I CLAIM CREDIT FOR THEM. PATRICIA BRIGGS IS THE SOLE CREATOR OF THESE CHARACTERS; THEREFORE THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME. THE ONLY CREDIT I CLAIM IS THE STORY LINE IN WHICH I CREATE!

Chapter One: Fight to Forget

The horses were quiet as Anna curled up in her usual spot in Portabella's stall. The horse was loving, if not a princess. Although Portabella loved to be pampered, much to Charles chastising, the horse also loved to take care of others. And as Anna lay curled up in the corner of the mares stall, the horse stood watch over her.

It made Anna chuckle, but not in humor.

Ever since Bran had given Charles his first assignment since their trip to Arizona, Anna had been a quivering mess. To Charles, Anna was a strong she-wolf who could move mountains. But in the shadows Anna was almost consumed by the inner struggle warring over her peace.

She tried to hide her true nature from Charles, she really did. And it had worked so far. But Bran knew; Bran always knew. Which is why Anna was left here, finding comfort in Portabella instead of on her way to southern California with Charles.

It shouldn't have scared Anna so much that Bran had noticed the break in her resolve, even around her mate. Anna was a puzzle, waiting for the right moves to be made before she finally broke completely. Years of torture in Leo's pack gave her and her wolf a strong resolve to bury things deep. So deep, not even the mate bond had touched it yet.

Right now, Anna was thankful. In the future, though… Well, Anna decided not to worry about that just yet.

Yawning, Anna stretched and rose. Much to Portabella's protest, Anna needed to start her day and so did the horses. They couldn't be cooped up all day, and Anna could here Heylight a stall over whinny in impatience. He wanted breakfast, and Anna would bet anything the horse was willing to beat the wall of his stall down to get to it.

Heylight was Anna's horse, and Portabella was her mates. As much time as Anna spent with Portabella one might think it was the other way around, but Charles would crush Heylight if he bounced the wrong way. Anna was probably exaggerating, but it was a scene she could picture.

Grabbing the buckets of feed she'd set aside for the horses last night, Anna filled Portabella's then Heylight's feeding buckets. The horses were still downing their breakfast when Anna opened the doors at the back of each of their stalls which led to their grazing paddock. The horses would emerge when they pleased, which was fine with Anna. The connecting barn and paddock saved Anna the trouble of haltering each horse and dragging their lazy butts to their much beloved grazing area.

When Anna rounded the outside of the barn to the side paddock door, she caught a whiff of a familiar, albeit unexpected, scent. She glanced up to the house, and at this angle she could just make out the rear of a familiar Humvee.

Anna took her time finishing her chores in the barn, knowing Bran would be inside waiting for her. If she were lucky, he would be in just the right mood to fix breakfast. He'd done it before, so it couldn't hurt to be a little hopeful.

When the she-wolf slid the backdoor of the house open, her wishful thinking was rewarded with the tantalizing scent of pancakes and bacon. Bran was filling each plate with food when Anna entered the kitchen; his was back turned, and his shoulders were relaxed.

Anna was wary. Her Father-in-Law liked to appear to be nonchalant, but he was still the alpha of alphas. Out of habit, Anna took a seat at the table and waited for Bran to speak.

It took a moment, but Bran finally turned and placed a plate in front of her. When he sat, he spoke. "So," he started, meeting her eyes as he leaned back in the kitchen chair. "How have you been, Anna?"

Werewolves couldn't lie, which was such an inconvenience when Anna needed it the most. She'd found, especially around Charles and his father, that skirting the truth was the best way to keep out of suspicion and save face.

Anna picked up her fork and sliced at her stack of pancakes. "Okay," Anna answered simply. When she was met with silence, she glance up to see Bran's skeptical look.

Damn.

Well then.

Anna cleared her throat and took a bite of her breakfast. "You know, if you and Charles got together to cook a feast I bet it would be one of the best in history. Legendary. Piles of food, devoured in minutes by a lone, starving she wolf."

Anna gave a goofy, toothy smile at Bran, and was rewarded with a slight humored crinkle at the corner of Bran's eyes.

Bran let out a long breath, and let his leaning chair fall back onto four feet. "I need someone to go into Missoula to check out a new shop that has opened up."

With Bran's intentions out there, Anna knew she'd been allowed to pass under his radar for now.

She took a bite and nodded. "The new Wiccan shop?"

It was Bran's turn to nod around his food. "Yes. I was hoping you had nothing planned today."

Translation: If you had anything planned, reschedule. This is more important, but I'm not going to be outright with that fact.

Anna grinned. "Bran, with Charles gone do you really think I had anything important planned?"

Bran shrugged, closed his eyes, and then sighed.

Setting his fork down, he began, "Anna—"

"Don't," she interrupted, pausing mid bite to stare at the table. And with the tone he'd just slipped into, Anna knew this breakfast and errand he was asking of her had hidden intentions behind it. Bran's movements and decisions always did. "I'm not mad, or frustrated. I'm okay with your decision to send Charles alone on this assignment." She looked up to meet Bran's eyes, and to his gaze was trained on her sudden tense form. "I'm fine."

There was silence as they each ate their breakfast, before Anna finally said, "I was thinking of going into Missoula today anyways. I needed some new reading material."

Bran said nothing, but she could feel his gaze on her as she purposely avoided his. She knew Bran was checking on her, making sure her wolf was safely at bay and that she was taking care of herself while Charles was away.

Anna was fine, truly. But it didn't help that she had to keep telling herself that. After the Arizona trip, Anna had finally realized how her inner demons hadn't disappeared when she'd met Charles. They had merely buried deeper into her conscious, waiting for the worst moments to appear.

Anna would go to Missoula later, do a little shopping, check out the shop Bran was curious about, and she would be back to normal. She just had the jitters because Charles was away. She would push aside her slight annoyance at Bran's meddling, and have a fun day to herself. She had to repeat that to herself a couple times before she could meet Bran's eyes, and smile with conviction.