Chapter 13
Avery felt something was… Wrong. The air around her felt… Heavy. There was the sense of an ominous foreboding that she just couldn't shake. She'd felt this way since Bran had left her apartment an hour ago. In the beginning she decided it was because of Charles's obvious aversion to her. No matter what Bran told her just looking at Charles made it perfectly clear he no longer approved of her relationship with Bran. She wasn't sure if accepting his father's offer to take her as a mate would fix the problem. Part of Avery wanted to seek out Anna, and ask her what to do about Charles; but that wouldn't be right. Charles was Anna's husband, and placing herself between father and son was bad enough. Placing herself between husband and wife was just not her place.
Anna was sure that just waiting it out make her feel better. But as time went on she was feeling more and more apprehensive. The feeling wasn't dissipating, in fact it was intensifying. Still going to Anna just seemed wrong. There was only one other person that she felt she could go to for something like this. With little thought Avery bolted out of her home.
She didn't even bother to knock on his door as Pedro saw Avery burst into his home. "So it seems I'm worthy of your attention now, am I child?" Avery didn't answer just looked at him. The intense look of vacancy in her eyes threw Pedro off. "Did you come here to stare at me, or will you speak?"
"I feel like there is something wrong here."
"What's wrong? Where?"
"I don't know. I can't explain it. But something isn't right. What if something is wrong with Bran? What if something happened to him?"
"Bran is fine. He's my alpha; if he were in trouble I would know it. Describe what's troubling you. When did it start?"
"It started when Charles came and asked to meet Bran. I thought it was because Charles doesn't like me anymore, but it won't go away. It's feeling worse."
"Tell me more about what you feel."
"Something in me hurts. But I can't tell what, or where it hurts. I feel so nervous, like at any minute something is going to jump out at me. It's strange, I don't understand what's going on."
"Avery you reek of fear. Are you frightened of something?" Inside Pedro was growing more concerned about what Avery was experiencing; because he didn't want to make it worse he didn't tell her how concerned he really was.
"I think so, but I don't know why." Avery was almost shaking as Pedro looked at her. She wrung her hands together nervously.
"It's like." Avery started to tell him, but then paused to figure out how to describe what she was feeling. "It's like that nightmare is getting closer. Like it's going to find me."
~8~ ~8~ ~8~
On the outside Bran was the very epitome of apathetic. When Ryker and his men looked at Bran they saw no change outwardly. On the inside Bran was raging. His mind was screaming at him that it wasn't his Avery. That this wasn't the way it looked; but inside his heart was shattering. In that moment Bran knew that he had allowed himself to get to close. He'd told himself at his son's birth that he would never fall in love again, but he had broken that promise. The woman he was in love with, the woman he was to take as mate, was already mated to another wolf.
"Marrok, about that investigation." Ryker started pulling Bran out of his tortured thoughts. His eyes danced with superiority. "I could save to a lot of time and trouble and trouble. Here are your findings." He was laughing at Bran, right to his face. The pure arrogance of the man was astounding and infuriating to Bran.
"Her name, Avery Gibson. She was reported missing by her boyfriend, supposedly on her way to a doctor's appointment, last seen by a witness driving in her car toward said doctor. She was offered to me by my father, almost like a peace offering between father and son. I took her to mate. I reported the experiments to my Alpha, and he reported to you. I did fail to report the existence of my mate. I knew she would be in danger. "
Charles watched closely as his father stared at those four men in a way that could only be described as predatory. Maybe is father was to good at hiding who he was, or maybe these men were just too stupid to know who they were messing with, but it was only a matter of time if Rkyer kept going.
"Oh and if you check though those reports you took from Libby she is specimen LT 12, and later designation LB 12, those were her ID designation numbers.
Specimen LT 12, specimen. The woman he loved was specimen. Bran thought to himself. Charles saw the moment Ryker had went too far, but he could do thing for it. Bran moved so fast no one saw it, in what seemed like less than a second he was on him. The wall behind Ryker crumbled under immense pressure and Bran backhanded Ryker into it. The three wolves that came with Ryker moved to attack. Bran turned to them, his snout protruding from his face, as he roared his challenge to them. He didn't shift to wolf in his anger, but he was close to it. Drywall fell to the floor around Ryker, he sat there dazed and unsure of what just happened. The three wolves that came with him were poised to attack, but none of them moved to assist him.
Ryker felt an immense pain and pressure on his chest, and realized he was now on his back with a foot holding him down. The foot moved to his neck and he couldn't breathe. "Who do you think you're talking to?" Bran growled at him from above. "You insolent.. Conceited.. Smug bastard." He punctuated each word by pressing down harder on Ryker's throat. "You are in my town, I am your Alpha's master and you dare to come to me in such disrespect. I could kill you now and make my life a whole lot easier."
Ryker made a garbled incoherent sound. "What was that?" Bran asked. "I couldn't understand you." Bran finished pressing his foot down harder. Then he lifted his foot to hover just above his neck.
"I apologize. I forgot myself. I beg forgiveness."
"If you ever speak to me, or one of my wolves like that again I'll rip your tongue out, and we can see how long it takes to grow back."
"I won't happen again." Ryker answered quickly. Bran pressed his foot back into the young wolf's throat making him stay quiet.
"You and your wolves will report to the hotel. You'll stay there until I give leave for a mission to start." Ryker just nodded.
Bran stepped off him, and looked toward his son. Bran wasn't feeling quite right at the moment and wasn't sure if he trusted his instincts. Are they in place? Bran asked his son telepathically. Charles simply nodded without a vocal response. There were several other wolves that had positioned themselves around town. They were there to watch the wolves, but at the same time make them believe they were alone.
"Get out of here." Bran growled at the new wolves. "The hotel will be expecting you. Take your room key, and don't leave until we contact you again." Bran dismissed them from the room. Really he just wanted them out of his sight. He wasn't expecting this news, and didn't know how to deal with it.
Part of him was insanely jealous. That man was his closest competition, it was the jealous part of him just wanted to kill him and take his woman back. The end, mission accomplished… But another part of him, and yes it was a bigger part of him was intensely angry. Ragingly furious, and he was raging at Avery. Memory loss or no memory loss, if you had a mating bond you felt it. There was no way that she couldn't feel a connection to a mate, and this wolf was clearly mated, and he wasn't lying when he said his mate was Avery Gibson.
What the hell was going on here? He was now forced to question things he hadn't questioned in months. But in hindsight he could see facts that were incredibly disturbing.
A woman, an unknown creature, miraculously shows up in his town, supposedly sent by his grandson. That woman is unlike anything he's ever seen. The same woman initiates the destruction of his mating with Leah, and then opens a place inside the pack for herself. However not only did she reject that place, she already had a mate making it impossible for her to take this position in the future with her current circumstances are they are.
So here Bran is, an Alpha weakened by an unfulfilled mating bond, with rival wolves in his territory. All brought on by Avery. She was the start of his failed mating; she rejected him, just in time for the arrival of these wolves. Did she seek his grandson out while in Missoula; did she manipulate him into telling her about Bran? Did she plan this from the start? Was she here to perpetuate his downfall?
~8~ ~8~ ~8~
"Well that was… interesting." Evan said.
"How so?" Ryker growled at his underling.
"Mr. Control back there just flipped out on you." Evan said gesturing to the office they just left.
"Or maybe he was just putting on a demonstration to show who's boss." Trent guessed. "Anyone who comes into the Marrok's home and challenges him like that is asking for death."
"Just wait and we'll see who's boss, once we get." Daylan started to say when Ryker cut him off.
"Enough Daylan. You talk too much." Ryker told him, looking around and seeing what he expected. They tried to hide, but there were wolves around them, watching them as they headed to the hotel.
"Nothing matters if Ryker can't get permission to stay in Montana. After what happened in there we'll be lucky if Bran doesn't kill you." Trent told them.
"I still think something else was going on with him. That was more than just dominance."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the hotel's office. There was a human at the desk. "You're in room 4. They wanted me to remind you that you can't leave without permission." Ryker sneered at the girl. He was opening his mouth to tell her exactly what he thought of a human telling him anything when he heard a growl coming from beyond her. Ryker looked behind the woman, and from around the corner behind her a wolf came into view. Ryker bit his lip to keep from speaking, yanked the key out of the human's hand and they left the office. They got to their room and Ryker slammed the door behind them.
"So what now?" Trent asked plopping down on the bed.
"We wait there's nothing else we can do." Ryker answered.
"And when he sends the rest of us back to Derrick? We're treading thin ice here, if Derrick finds out." Daylan started, but he was again cut off by Ryker again. Derrick was their alpha, and Ryker didn't want any here to be privy to their pack's business. Daylan and Evan took the seats at the small table while Ryker flopped down on the other bed.
"We don't talk about pack business here. You should know this." Daylan nodded and quieted down.
"So what do you think it is that Bran's doing? Why didn't he just send us packing, and get you a few men for the search."
"Maybe he's doing a little research." Trent answered. "Finding out what he can before he sends his own people out. He would be a fool not to."
"What if he calls Derrick himself?" Daylan asked. "What if he asks about?" Within seconds Ryker pulled Daylan out of the chair threw him to the floor and placed the chair over his body. It was a tight fit so such a big man, Ryker sat on the chair pinning him in place.
"You need to learn to shut your fucking mouth." Ryker practically whispered to him, making sure that no one more than a foot could hear him. He wanted to scream at the other man, but knew there might be ears to hear him even here in the hotel room. "There are ears all over this town. Nowhere is safe, you keep talking and the wolves that cover this town will hear, and report to their alpha. The last thing we want is for Bran or Derrick to know why we're out here searching. Shut the fuck up."
~8~ ~8~ ~8~
"Da, are you alright?" Charles asked him.
"As fine as I can be." Even when the words came out of his mouth he knew that as fine as he could be right now wasn't good enough. With a roar he flipped his desk over trying to vent his fury. "Call your Anna here. I think I'm in need of her." Bran told his son.
The bond that Anna and Charles shared allowed him to send a feeling of need to her. She would come running to him soon. As Charles watched his father suddenly stiffen he wondered if she could be here soon enough. Bran was trying to pick the desk up, and set it back to right when suddenly his claws elongated and gouged the wood. "Bring her here fast Charles," Bran said darkly. "I believe I will need her even sooner."
It was then that Charles felt what his father did. In the distance there were others coming their way. No one besides Anna had been told to report to the town conference center, but these two would be here soon. A wolf and the other that had invaded their lives were on their way. Avery had no idea what she was walking into. Avery, a woman who had been created to destroy his kind.