Born not Bitten Chapter 19
Previously: The wolves found out about the prophecy and how Annie might be affected since she is possibly half witch. Annie and Nick had a steamy moment in the woods ;) Elena contacted the pack through Savannah's connection with Paige and everyone broke into teams to search two separate locations where Elena and Savannah might be.
"There's 3,000 acres of forest and 10 access roads. If we stand any chance of finding Aleister's base, we need to split up," Clay commanded once they'd reached their destination.
"Annie and I will take the East. You two head West," Antonio responded before Clay could split them up himself. Antonio knew Jeremy would want Annie to stay with a pack member. He didn't want to give Clay the chance to send the girls off together.
Paige was a little distraught at the idea of searching the area with Clay, he seemed the most savage of all the wolves. She'd much rather have been teamed up with Annie. At least Annie had showed her compassion instead of the contempt she felt from Clay and all the other pack members.
"Should we shift?" Annie asked once Antonio and her were surrounded by trees. Searching for Elena might be easier as wolves.
"No, we stay human," Antonio insisted. The last thing he needed was Annie taking off ahead of him if they did catch Elena's scent. Even on two feet he'd have trouble keeping up with her. Thankfully Annie accepted his answer without question.
"Why did you choose to go with me?" Annie asked after another bout of silent searching. They'd been walking for several miles now and still there was nothing.
"If one group finds it first, there will be at least one experienced fighter to help fend Aleister's minions off while the other searches for the girls," Antonio responded after a moment's hesitation. He didn't want to make Annie feel weak, but the truth was, her and Paige weren't fighters. "And I wanted to keep you close, both for Jeremy's sake and Nick's."
"If Nick had his way I'd be with him. Or in the car. Or at home," Annie huffed, unintentionally speeding up her pace just a bit.
"He cares about you. We all do. Which is no excuse for treating you like you're defenseless. Still, he'd do anything to prevent you from getting hurt," Antonio murmured.
"I care about the big idiot too, but I still let him out of the house when there's danger," Annie muttered, kicking a flower and making Antonio chuckle.
It was another hour of searching before Antonio got the call from Jeremy. They'd found the other military building, or what was left of it. The three of them were headed Annie and Antonio's way now to provide back up. Nick commandeered the phone at one point, making his dad swear to keep Annie safe. He didn't like that she was so far away, and he liked it even less that she was near Aleister's base. He'd prefer it if Jeremy and him had the correct location.
Not long after the call, there was an explosion about half a mile to their left making Annie and Antonio sprint in the direction. Antonio called out to Annie when she started pulling ahead of him, but she didn't stop. She had to make sure Elena was okay. Annie reached the compound shortly after Paige and Clay. When she saw Paige running towards a large building towards the center of the compound, Annie followed. Despite the lead Paige had on Annie, Annie ended up covering most of the distance between them. She was about twenty feet behind her when they broke through the compound doors to find shards of broken glass flying towards Elena.
Annie was momentarily paralyzed as her nightmare returned to her full force. Elena was about to die before her own eyes and Annie wouldn't be able to reach her in time. Before she could close her eyes or turn her head, Paige had reached Elena, covering her body with hers as she cried something out in Latin. With widened eyes Annie watched the glass disappear before it reached either of the girls.
Paige's heart hammered in her chest after the glass disappeared. She had finally found Aleister and Savannah. She had managed to save Elena from certain death before the blonde flung herself at Paige. But most of all she was shaken because Annie's nightmare had been inches away from coming true. She really was a witch.
"That was your vision, Annie. Told you you're part witch," Paige commented before removing herself from Elena's embrace.
Her comment had Aleister studying Annie. He remembered the girl as part of the pack from the barn and the name from the wolf who had given up Malcolm. Now according to his little sister, the little wolf before him was also a little witch. It was impossible. Nature wouldn't allow it. That's the whole reason injecting Savannah with Elena's blood was going to end the witches. Werewolf blood and witches blood had never converged.
"Paige," Savannah whispered from beside Aleister, drawing his attention from the conundrum that was the little wolf before him.
"Let Savannah go!" Paige shouted, rising from the floor and glaring at Aleister. Annie had come to stand between Elena and Paige, taking Elena's hand in hers. She was still stunned by Elena's almost death and needed to be close to her. Without looking away from Aleister, Elena squeezed Annie's hand. She was relieved that Annie was there. That meant Nick and the rest of the pack wouldn't be far behind.
"Paige, I'm glad it's you. We never got the chance to know each other," Aleister commented, seeming unaffected by being surrounded by so many hostiles.
"I don't want to know you," Paige spat back in disgust. All Paige wanted was to get Savannah away from Aleister.
"That's no way to talk to your big brother," Aleister retorted his face dropping the amused smile he had worn seconds ago. Annie's head whipped in Paige's direction at that. Paige never mentioned Aleister was his brother. Annie felt a bit betrayed until she saw the confusion on Paige's face. If Aleister was her brother, she hadn't known.
"No," Paige refuted. "That's not possible."
"Ruth Winterbourne had a son. Me. She didn't want me, but now she'll feel the pain of losing the child she did want," Aleister threatened, causing Elena and Annie to take a threatening step toward him, letting go of each other's hand. The increased threat and being outnumbered had Aleister retreating to Savannah, using her as leverage against them. If they tried to hurt him, they might accidently hurt Savannah.
Everything after that happened so fast. When Savannah chose to go with Elena, and Aleister tried to retaliate, Page let out a guttural scream as she used magic against him first. The next thing everyone knew, Aleister was gone, and Paige had collapsed on the floor. Annie immediately went to her, followed by Savannah. Soon all four women were crouched on the floor together, Annie and Elena sharing a glance over the two witch's heads when Paige admitted she didn't know where she sent Aleister. It would have been better if they could have ended him there, without having to worry he had retreated on his own whim.
Elena volunteered to get Savannah to the car and safety while Annie and Paige went to search the compound for any sign of Aleister. Annie hadn't even realized Jeremy and Nick had arrived until she heard Nick shouting her name. Urging Paige to continue on without her, Annie let Nick catch up to her and wrap her in his embrace.
"Dad told me about you running off on your own. How could you be so reckless?" Nick chided as he squeezed Annie tighter to him.
"I wasn't alone, I followed Paige," Annie defended, her voice muffled as her face was pressed against Nick's chest.
"You both could have died," Nick murmured as he pressed his lips against Annie's hair. He was too relieved to be mad at Annie. In all honesty his anxiety was partly the fault of Jeremy, who had insisted on separating them. Never again would Nick let that happen.
"You say that a lot. Maybe I'm harder to kill than you think," Anna responded, a light smile on her face as she tilted her head back and looked up at Nick.
"I'd prefer you not test that theory," Nick retorted, leaning down to press a quick kiss to Annie's nose. He still had Annie wrapped up in his arms when Jeremy found them. The pack was preparing to leave with Ruth, Savannah and Paige. Jeremy tried to break the two up and get Annie to come with him. When he reached for Annie's arm, Nick glared at Jeremy, a low rumbling growl starting in his chest.
"I'm staying to help Nick," Annie responded, placing her hand on Nick's chest. Jeremy didn't like it, but the look on Annie's face warned him he would like it even less if he tried for force her to leave with him.
"If anything happens to her, I'm holding you responsible," Jeremy warned Nick. He knew Nick would put himself in danger before letting any harm come to Annie, but he was still upset with the possibility of Annie being in danger when he wasn't there. She had been his to protect for so long, it was hard to hand that job off to anyone, even Nick.
…
Roman was still reaching, still trying to discredit Jeremy and take over his pack. Jeremy could see the hunger in his eyes. Hunger for more power, hunger for Elena and Annie to be under his pack. It had Jeremy feeling better about his decision to let Annie say behind with Nick. If things did go South at Stonehaven, they'd have a chance to escape it before the Alpha council found them.
"Tell me, I haven't seen little Annie around. Where is she?" Roman questioned, unable to hide his interest in the little she wolf. Annie would make a perfect pet for the Russian pack.
"She's with another member of our pack," Jeremy responded evasively. The less information he gave any of the Alpha's, the better. They didn't need to know Annie's whereabouts.
"Her lover?" Roman asked curiously, wondering who all he'd have to deal with to get the girls. He knew he'd have to take care of Clay for Elena. He did not know he'd have to deal with another for Annie.
"My son, her fiancé," Antonio interrupted, stretching the truth a bit. Fiancé sounded better than boyfriend.
"Fiancé is such a human term," Roman responded, not at all deterred. "How about Elena. She is here, no? Let us talk with her. Elena, the one who killed Malcolm," Roman insisted, a glint to his eye. Jeremy knew he wanted to see her for more than just a corroboration of his story of Malcolm's death. Roman had already sized up Annie. Now he wanted to do the same to Elena.
…
"There's so many blood samples," Annie commented as she handed Nick another box. "So many wolves who were tortured and killed for one sadistic witches' prophecy."
"I'm just glad Elena wasn't one of them. And that Paige killed the guy. No more risk of dying from the prophecy," Nick murmured, tossing the box into the barrel fire they'd made before circling his arms around Annie from behind.
"No, now there's just the risk of the Alpha's," Annie whispered, leaning back against Nick's chest. Even with proof of Malcolm's death, she couldn't fight the feeling the Alpha's wouldn't stop trying to discredit Jeremy until they had what they wanted: Elena and her.
"None of them are going to lay a hand on you, even if I have to kill them all," Nick assured her, whispering the promise in her ear before kissing it softly.
"Do you think they'd lose interest if they knew I was half witch?" Annie mused. "I mean, it's only speculation, but if I could find proof about who my mother was. Maybe Jorge could help. He found your mom."
"Jorge found her because he knew her name," Nick corrected gently, hoping not to upset Annie.
"I'm sorry," Anny murmured. She knew Nick's mom was a touchy subject. Knowing who she was hadn't helped him heal from not knowing her while growing up. In a way, knowing about her, knowing she was alive, was worse than if she was dead. Annie couldn't meet her mother even if she wanted to. Nick could, but it'd be risking his mother's life should she ever find out what he was.
"Don't be. You can talk to me about anything. Even my mom," Nick added with one final squeeze before releasing her to throw the panels of wood he'd found nailed to the trees with the weird symbol into the fire. With that last bit, there was nothing left to burn. The whole compound had been sterilized.
"Come on, let's go home." Pulling Annie to his side, Nick led them back towards the car, holding the door for Annie. The compound, even abandoned, had Nick's hair standing on edge. He wanted to put as much distance between it and Annie as possible. Using the Bluetooth on the car, he called Clay as he put the car into gear. He'd promised Jeremy he'd let someone know when they were returning.
"Nick what's up?" Clay answered after two rings.
"Hey we're just about to head home," Nick announced as she turned the car towards the dirt road that led out to the main stretch of road.
"Any problems?" Clay asked, hoping the answer would be no. They had enough of them when it came to the Alpha's downstairs.
"Nope it's all buttoned up tight," Nick assured him, a smile creeping on his face and into his voice as Annie his free hand in hers.
"Did you hear from Logan yet?" Annie's hand tightened in Nick's when he responded in the negative. It worried her that they didn't know where Logan and Rachel were.
"How's Jeremy?" Nick asked, feeling out how things were going on the home front without coming right out and asking. He didn't know who might be listening in to their conversation on Clay's end.
"He's worried about him too," Clay responded hesitating before adding "The Alpha's are back. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime it might be a good idea to keep Annie away from Stonehaven until they take their leave" Tempting the Alpha's with Annie and Elena wasn't a good idea. It was best if Annie and Nick avoided coming home for the time being. The last thing the pack needed was more trouble with the council.
"What about Elena?" Annie interrupted before Clay could hang up. Elena was at Stonehaven with the Alphas. If they could only have one of the girls, Annie was sure they'd take the opportunity.
"We've got her back here. You just find a place to hide out. Far away from Stonehaven," Clay ordered before disconnecting the call.
"So, where do you want to spend our fortunate alone time?" Nick asked, bringing Annie's hand up to his lips. It was rare for them to get time where they were truly alone. He was definitely going to savor every moment of it.
"How about Hawkesbury?" Annie suggested hesitantly. It was the perfect opportunity for Nick to see is mother. They didn't have to tell her who they were. Annie knew if she had the opportunity to see her mom, she'd take it.
"No," Nick immediately shot down the idea. "No way."
"You don't have to tell her who you are. We can play tourists for a day. Shop around town, grab a bite to eat where she works, then spend the night. I think it's the perfect opportunity. And it'll pass the time until we can go home," Annie defended her suggestion, sending Nick her best wide eyed pleading look.
"Not the pout, I can't say no to the pout," Nick groaned as he caught a glimpse of Annie out of the corner of his eyes. "Fine. One night," Nick relented, causing Annie to break out in a huge smile.
…
"You think you float above it all. Your estate, your paintings, your precious Elena and Annie. Who is mysteriously absent," Eduard commented once Jeremy led him out the back door.
"Goodbye Eduardo," Jeremy responded turning towards the house. He'd left Antonio to keep the rest of the Alpha's entertained, but if needed he'd use the other Alpha's requiring his attention as an excuse to leave Eduardo alone.
"You killed my Alpha. Here. In your house," Eduardo called out, stopping Jeremy's retreat and forcing Jeremy to turn back to him.
"Be very, very careful what you're saying," Jeremy threatened, stepping towards Eduardo.
"But why didn't you bring it up with the other Alphas? Because you killed him impulsively. Then you covered it up," Eduardo pressed on. He knew he needed to press his advantage. Every Alpha wanted what Jeremy had: female werewolves. Eduardo was no different, but he also wanted Roman gone.
"An accusation without proof is just a story, and you have no proof. Would you like to take your little fairy tale to the Alpha council? I'd be delighted to watch you fall," Jeremy retorted, refusing to back down as he took another step closer to Eduardo.
"I have something more important than proof. Your Nick Sorrentino, little Annie's lover," Eduardo countered with a smug smile. "Did you know he just arrived in a tiny town called Hawkesbury, with Annie? If you'd like to see Annie again, if you'd like Nick to remain alive, you will do something for me. By the end of the day, you will kill Roman Navikev."
"Do you think I'd want to kill the Russian Alpha and start a war because you threatened me?" Jeremy spat out, grabbing a hold of Eduardo's jacket and pulling him in close. It only had Eduardo smiling wider.
"I expect you to make a choice. I know Elena is with Roman now, showing him your estate. If he still lives at the end of the day then, your Nick will die, and Annie will be on a plane with a one way ticket to Spain."
As soon as Eduardo left Jeremys side Clay emerged from the kitchen where he'd been watching the two. He didn't trust any of the Alpha's, but he trusted Eduardo the least. He was a knew Alpha, even more power hungry than the others. And he was right to mistrust him.
"Get Nick on the phone," Jeremy ordered, wiping his hands against his jeans. He needed to keep a calm head, but it was hard when Eduardo was threatening two members of his pack. Jeremy should have insisted Annie go with him. She might be around the Alpha council, but at least she'd know about the threat to her. At the moment, Nick and her were sitting ducks.
"Phones go straight to voicemail," Clay ground out in frustration after trying both Nick and Annie's phones.
"Keep trying," Jeremy insisted.
"Okay, I'm going to track Nick and Annie down. Keep them safe. I won't let another member die, and I sure as Hell am not letting anyone take Annie. She's pack. She's under our protection. You know what the Spanish will do to her."
"No, no no no, I need you here," Jeremy stopped Clay. As much as it killed him to not send Clay after Annie, the pack needed all the muscle they had at home. "We have to trust Nick can take care of himself, and Annie."
"What about Roman? Why shouldn't we just bring this to the Alpha council?" Clay was tired of the blackmail.
"We have no proof. And Roman wants Annie and Elena as much as Eduardo. He would use my story as a weakness, claim I'm not fit to protect my pack. We need to deal with Eduardo once and for all. We keep Roman close for now. That'll buy us a little more time." Hopefully it would buy Annie and Nick some time as well.
"What do you want me to do?" Clay asked, crossing his arms. He'd do things Jeremy's way, but that didn't mean he had to like leaving Nick and Annie stranded without backup.
"Eduardo is ambitious. This won't be his only plan. I want you to watch him, follow him. Find out what else he's up to and tip his hand. And we'll use that ambition against him," Jeremy ordered.
…
Following Eduardo was uneventful until he drove out to the riverside to meet with a car that was already there. When Marsten stepped out of the parked car Clay cursed under his breath. He knew letting Marsten go free wasn't the best decision they'd made. The bastard was betraying them.
The meeting didn't last long, and as soon as Eduardo pulled away Clay made his way across the grass towards Marsten's car. He was busy adjusting his mirror and didn't even see Clay coming.
"You're supposed to be fifteen hundred miles away from here," Clay growled, lifting Marsten halfway out of his car and twisting his seatbelt around his neck. "We let you live. Let you walk away after you betrayed us. And this is how you pay us back. By meeting with the Spanish. Huh?"
"The Spanish want to kill Jeremy. They want to take control of North America," Marsten spat out, desperately trying to pull the seat belt Clay had twisted around his neck away from his throat so he could catch his breath. "Eduardo wants me to help him. I was just about to call you."
"Why should I believe you?" Clay demanded, pulling the seat belt tighter around Marsten's neck.
"Because Jeremy let me live. I owe him my life. And if the Spanish take North America, they take over all of you. Even Annie," Marsten rushed out. Clay half wanted to string him up again for mentioning Annie, reminding Clay he cared for her, but he couldn't when he knew Marsten was telling the truth. Marsten would never betray the people Annie loved. He would never put her in the hands of the Spanish.
"You want to help us, then you're coming with me back to Stonehaven," Clay ordered, finally releasing his grip on the seatbelt.
…
"I think I'm going to get a steak. I'm starving," Annie commented trying to ease Nick's anxiousness as she glanced over the menu.
"This was a bad idea," Nick retorted as his gaze traveled around the restaurant. When his gaze suddenly froze on something behind her shoulder, Annie knew he'd spotted Lily.
"There she is," Nick murmured, causing Annie to turn in her seat. She found a dark haired woman resetting the corner table by the window. Seizing the opportunity, she rose from her seat and started towards Lily, causing Nick to mutter her name under his breath. He'd thank her for this later.
"Excuse me, would you mind if I moved tables? I'd love a seat with a view, and it's brighter by the window," Annie asked with a small smile.
"Sure, are you alone?" Lily asked, her eyes darting around the restaurant as if searching for someone.
"No, my boyfriend will be joining me. Eventually," Annie put emphasis on the last part, eyeing Nick expectantly from across the room. He narrowed his eyes at her before rising from his own seat and joining her.
"You're boyfriend?" Lily repeated with a small smile that she hoped the girl didn't notice enough to question the response.
"Hi, I'm Nick," Nick greeted, trying to fight back his nerves.
"It's nice to meet you Nick. I'm Lily." Annie was beaming behind Lily's back and Nick had to fight hard not to make a face at her. "I'll be right back to take your order." Nick waited to take a seat beside Annie until his mom had left.
"I can't believe you just did that," Nick chided before inhaling deeply through his nose.
"I like to people watch," Annie responded with a coy smile. If Nick had it his way he'd never say a word to his mom. Annie wouldn't let the day pass without him getting to know her, even just a little bit. That's how, an hour later, Lily had joined them at their table.
"I was too blind to realize he had a thing for me until he up and kissed me when I was home for the holidays. He'd always just been my older brother's best friend," Annie continued her story of how her and Nick had gotten together. She had to edit some of the details, but it was basically how it had happened.
"Then she tried to use every excuse in the book as to why we shouldn't be together. I eventually wore her down though," Nick added with a goofy smile on his face as he glanced at Annie.
"Well he did buy a night club near my campus just so we could stay close to one another," Annie retorted, glancing at Lily. "How could I say no to that?"
"So I bought the club with love in mind. How about you? What made you decide to buy the restaurant?" Nick pressed, bringing Lily back into the conversation, truly curious what had made her go from waitress to owner.
"It was time," Lily sighed, her eyes losing some of their brightness. "When I was seventeen I lost my fiancé, and my son."
"That's awful," Annie murmured, reaching her hand out for Nick's under the table when she noticed Nick's guarded face.
"It's hard to explain what happened," Lily continued, clearing her throat and looking down at her hands. "The truth is they just disappeared. At least from my life. I waited for a long time. Hoping they'd turn up. Hoping I'd get a second chance. But it never happened. And I realized I had to take control of my life. So I bought the restaurant."
"And then you got married," Nick commented, nodding towards the ring on Lily's left hand.
"No," Lily murmured, lifting her left hand to study the ring with a small smile. "As corny as it sounds, he was the love of my life. This is our engagement ring."
Nick squeezed Annie's hand tightly from underneath the table, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Listen to me, you're just passing through. I've kept you long enough," Lily sighed, rising from the table.
"If we wanted to stay the night, where would the best place be?" Annie asked before Lily went too far. They couldn't go back to Stonehaven yet, they might as well stay the night. And it would give Nick the option to see Lily again, if he wanted too.
"There's a B and B at the North end of Main Street," Lily pointed towards the side of the restaurant. "It was really nice talking with you two."
"You too," they both murmured at the same time.
…
"Lily was great," Anna murmured, taking a seat on the king-sized bed in their newly booked suite and drawing her knees up to her chest.
"Yeah," Nick agreed, taking a seat beside her. He'd been strangely silent since they left the restaurant.
"Is everything okay?" Annie prodded, scooting closer to him on the bed.
"I don't know," Nick responded, looking down at his hands. "There were a lot of expectations I had whenever I imagined meeting my mom. I just never expected to feel so guilty."
"Guilty for what?" Annie asked, knowing that Nick rarely felt like talking about his feelings, but that it always made him feel better when he did.
"Dad broke her heart. Took her family from her. I feel guilty for the pain that caused her," Nick broke off, moving his right hand to cover his eyes. He'd always thought his father had done the right thing by taking him away. Now he wasn't so sure.
"It saved her life Nick. You know what the pack would have done if your father even tried to stay with her," Annie insisted, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him.
"I know. I just…" Nick broke off, running his hand through his hair. "It also made me realize how lucky I am to have you. Someone I can be myself around. Someone I don't have to lie to. Someone I can have a family with."
"You want a family?" Annie stammered. She'd never thought of Nick as a family man. He'd always been the wild one. Even when he admitted his feelings for her, she never let herself expect more than what they had at the moment.
"I want a family with you," Nick stated, turning to meet her eyes so she'd know how serious he was.
Nick's words had Anna pulling him into a kiss that had their tongues entwining and her toes curling. Pushing him until he fell back on the bed, Annie quickly climbed on top, straddling him. His words had a frenzy of feelings through her and she couldn't control them. All she knew was she wanted to be close to him. As close as physically possible after that raw, honest declaration.
Her lips pulled at his bottom lip, biting it lightly before Nick's hand pulled her closer by the back of her head. Annie could feel the bulge in Nick's pants and it had her hormones going haywire. Rubbing her jean clad core against it had Nick moaning against her mouth. The friction she'd started and the sounds Nick made had her lower half throbbing. She needed to get him out of his pants.
"Annie, I don't have anything on me," Nick moaned when he felt Annie's hands undoing his pants. He hadn't expected the day to take the turn of events it had. Sex had been the last thing on his mind when they went looking for Alister. Okay maybe not the last thing on his mind. But it was pretty far down on the list earlier.
"I don't care," Annie assured him, her voice a little strained as she finally freed him of his pants. Hers came off next, and she didn't seem to have as much trouble with them. A few tugs later and their clothes lay scattered around the floor, Nick's flannel shirt that Annie had borrowed laid half hanging off the edge of the bed.
"God you're perfect," Nick murmured as Annie kneeled between his legs completely naked. He still lay on the bed, his forearms holding him up and giving him a better view. His comment earned him another heated kiss as Anna moved over him again and leaned down, brushing her breasts against his chest.
Breaking their kiss when the passion became too much, Annie rose up, keeping eye contact with Nick as she eased herself onto his member until he was hilt deep. She lost eye contact when the sensation of him filling her completely forced her eyes to flutter shut. She didn't need to see him to know it was good for him, as he let out a long groan that had her core twitching around him.
Rotating her hips had Annie gasping at the sensations and Nick groaning beneath her once more. She'd never taken control like this before, and it was incredibly sexy. He watched through half lidded eyes as she worked him, building herself higher until she gently came undone before his eyes. The sexiest little moan escaped her lips as she tilted her head back. When she came down from her high she gave him the cutest little half smile. Unable to control himself, Nick reached up and pulled her body closer to him. With a hungry kiss, he shifted his grip to her waist as he began pounding up into her relentlessly. Annie's hands gripped the covers beside his head as she kissed him roughly.
Moving her hands to Nick's shoulders and her mouth beside his ear, Annie couldn't hold back the sounds of pleasure that escaped her lips. She never imagined how much better it would feel for him to be inside her without a barrier. Skin on skin, baring it all to each other. She'd never be able to go back to using condoms.
"God, Nick. Harder," Annie managed to whisper in his ear. She needed more friction, she needed him deeper. Reaching down to cup her butt, Nick adjusted her angle until he hit a spot that had Annie losing focus.
"Fuck," Annie moaned as she dug her nails into Nick's shoulders. She was powerless to the pleasure he was causing her. She felt her wolf beneath the surface, bristling under her skin with every thrust of Nick's hips. She had no doubt her eyes showed how close her wolf was to the surface. One look at Nick and Annie was surprised to see his eyes half shifted as well. Knowing his wolf was just as close as hers had Annie longing for more.
"Mark me," Annie begged, nipping at Nick's earlobe. She needed to feel close to his wolf as well. She wanted all of him.
Flipping them in one lithe movement so that he was hovering over Annie, and Nick had more control over his movements, Nick obliged Annie's request. Thrusting into Annie as fast as he could, Nick bit down hard on the smooth skin of her shoulder on the side he had yet to mark.
"Oh, God," Annie breathed out, a low growl reverberating through her chest as her whole body exploded with pleasure and she found herself barely holding onto her control. Her wolf was enjoying herself just as much as Annie.
Nick's high came crashing down on him shortly after Annie's, the sensations almost forcing a shift. He'd never come as hard as that, and it had him biting down harder on Annie's shoulder in order to ride the waves a little longer.
As the sensations started fading and he returned to reality, Nick slowly pulled out of Annie, collapsing on the bed beside her and breathing heavy.
"I don't know how we're ever going to top that," Annie murmured, turning her head and giving Nick a heart stopping satisfied smile.
"I can promise I'll never stop trying," Nick assured her before rolling up off the bed. "Wait here, I'll be right back," Nick insisted when Annie started to sit up too.
Watching Nick disappear into the bathroom, Annie fell back onto the bed, fully content to stay put. Her energy was spent, and her legs would probably collapse under her if she even tried to follow Nick. Letting her eyes drift shut, she hadn't realized she fell asleep until something warm touched her shoulder. Blinking her eyes open she found Nick hovering over her, cleaning away the blood from his mark with a warm wash cloth.
"Hi," Annie murmured sleepily.
"I really did a number on your shoulder," Nick responded, pride evident in his voice even while his face showed his guilt.
"It's not like you haven't bit me before. Besides, the pain and pleasure mixed together to create the best orgasm I've ever had. Do not feel guilty about that," Annie insisted, reaching her hand up to cup Nick's cheek.
"Is it bad of me to wish you wouldn't heal my mark completely?" Nick asked, pulling the blood stained washcloth away.
"I find it kind of endearing. Is that sadistic of me?" Annie countered. No normal person would be thinking any of that. But they weren't normal. They weren't even human.
"It's animalistic. And I take it as a sign that your wolf has accepted mine as much as you accept me." Pressing a light kiss to Annie's lips, Nick picked up a new wash cloth he had sitting beside him and moved to clean between Annie's legs.
"That would be awkward if she didn't," Annie giggled, a blush rising to her cheeks as Nick cleaned her.
"How about we take a bath?" Annie suggested, feeling like her muscles could use a hot soak. She'd seen the tub earlier, and it was definitely big enough for the both of them.
"Then food," Nick agreed, smiling when the mention of food had Annie's stomach letting out a loud rumble of approval.
…
"Are you going to finish your fries?" Annie asked, eying Nick's plate. They were sitting at a table outside the Bed and Breakfast enjoying a second lunch in the autumn air.
"They're all yours," Nick chuckled, sliding his plate towards Annie. His smile only widened as she devoured them in record timing. His amusement and his smile faltered when he noticed Lily approaching them.
"Lily," Nick addressed her, rising from his seat.
"I know you're leaving tomorrow," Lily started, seeming flustered. "I was just wondering, ah, um."
"What's going on?" Nick asked, concerned for what Lily was seeming to have so much trouble saying.
"When you came to the restaurant, I figured you must know," Lily started over, trying to keep her nerves under control. It was hard when the son she'd only known through pictures and Antonio's letters was standing before her. "That you came for a reason."
Nick's face slackened as he shared a glance with Annie. It was sounding an awful lot like his mother knew who he was.
"I waited for you to say something. When you didn't I thought maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was a coincidence that you're here. But I don't think it is. And I couldn't let you leave without telling you," Lily finished, her voice cracking at the end.
"Lily, I don't…I don't know what you're," Nick started, trying to deflect the situation. Lily couldn't know the truth. If she knew, it could hurt her worse than the broken heart his father left her with.
"You're my son," Lily stated with confidence. "Nick, I know. You're my son."
"What, what are you talking about," Nick stammered, his voice shaking. Leaning forward in her seat Annie slipped her hand in Nicks for support. She didn't want to interrupt the moment, but she wanted to remind Nick he wasn't alone. She'd be behind him no matter what he decided to tell Lily.
"Over the years, Antonio sent me pictures. Showing me that you were okay," Lily murmured, teary eyed as she pulled out a stack of photos.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this," Nick interrupted, pulling his hand from Annie's and fleeing around the building.
"Don't move, just give us a minute, please," Annie murmured, squeezing Lily's hand before chasing after Nick.
"Nick!" Annie called as she sprinted around the corner, her footsteps echoing on the cobblestone. She almost ran right into him.
"I can't do this Annie. It's way too dangerous. She knows, and you know what the others will do if they find out she knows," Nick ranted, gripping the back of his head in his hands. He'd never had a full blown panic attack, but he was pretty sure he was close to one.
"She knows you're her son. She doesn't know anything more. And she never has to. Just, come back. Talk with her. Let her get to know your human side and leave her with a happy memory of her son," Annie pleaded, wrapping her arms around his waist. She knew Nick needed it as much as Lily did.
"Okay," Nick breathed, moving his hands to Annie's face. "You're right, I can do…" Nick drifted off as he inhaled deeper, his whole body freezing. Annie was about to ask what was the matter before she smelled it too.
"There's another werewolf nearby," they both stated at the same time.
"It can't be a coincidence," Annie murmured as she sniffed the air again, trying to find which direction the scent was coming from. "Another werewolf wouldn't just happen through this tiny town at the same time we're here."
"We need to draw it away from here, away from Lily," Nick instructed, pulling away from Annie and tugging her towards the car by her hand.
"How much do you wanna bet he's the one who broke into the car and took our phones?" Annie asked as Nick sped along backroads. She hadn't scented any wolf in the car when they left the restaurant, but he could have been too quick to leave any trace behind.
"He's been tracking us the whole time. I should have realized it, but I was too distracted after meeting Lily," Nick grumbled, hitting the steering wheel with his hand.
"It's okay, we're nowhere near Lily, she's safe," Annie reassured Nick.
"But you're not," Nick ground out as he pulled to a stop on a dirt road between cornfields.
"I'm not staying in the car," Annie retorted before Nick could suggest it.
"Just stay close. I want you glued to my side and never out of my sight," Nick countered as he unhooked his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Annie followed behind him, moving through the cornfield as they waited for the Mutt to show himself.
"We should shift. We'll have the advantage if he's in human form, or we'll be on even ground if he's not," Nick suggested, already shedding his clothes. By the time Annie started to peel off the flannel over shirt, Nick was already mid shift.
"Nick, Annie!" A familiar female voice called out. It took Annie a moment to realize it was Lily.
"I came offering an exchange," A man's voice called out, thick with a Spanish accent. "Your mother's life for Annie."
Glancing at Nick, Annie knew he needed more time to complete the change. Murmuring an apology under her breath, Annie stepped out from the cornstalks. The Mutt smirked when he saw her, his grip loosening minutely on Lily.
"I'll take her place," Annie spoke first, praying that she'd distract him enough for Nick to finish shifting. If the mutt found him mid shift, when he was most vulnerable, she could lose him. "Just let her go."
"A deal is a deal," The mutt retorted, removing the knife from Lily's throat and moving her an arm's length away while still keeping a light hold on her shoulder. Before letting go he glanced around them. "Where is your lover?"
Annie couldn't help but smile at the mutt's inquiry. It came a little too late. She could hear Nick's paws against the soft dirt. Before she could respond, Nick's wolf launched himself out of the cornfield, and into the mutt. Reaching out, Annie pulled Lily to her other side, further away from the now unconscious mutt.
"Are you okay?" Annie asked, turning her attention towards Lily once Nick started pulling the mutt further into the cornstalks.
"That's him, isn't it?" Lily asked, her breath hitching as she asked it. "That wolf. It's Nick."
Annie didn't know what to say. She just stood there, staring dumbfounded at Lily. Had she pieced it together from what she saw, or had she known all along. Either way, Annie wasn't sure she wanted to be the one to confirm Lily's theory.
Nick didn't shift back until he was sure he was far enough Lily wouldn't see him. Ignoring the fear that consumed him when he realized Annie wasn't beside him after he came out of his shift, and then finding his mother with the mutt, Nick slipped on his pants before manhandling the mutt into a chokehold, his own knife at his throat. He'd chew Annie out for being reckless with her life, again, later. At the moment, he needed to know why the mutt had been tracking them.
"What the hell's going on?" Nick demanded. A flash of red catching his eye had him pulling the mutt's left hand closer to him with his free hand. "You're an Escobedo," Nick spat out, recognizing the ring as the ones the Spanish pack wore.
"Why are you hunting me?" Nick asked, tightening his grip on the mutt and bringing the knife closer to his neck.
"When Jeremy killed Rodrigo, he started a war. Eduardo wanted to keep Annie and Elena from the bloodshed. Annie was to be flown to Spain while we slaughtered the rest of you. There will be nothing left for you in Stonehaven. No Antonio, no Jeremy, no Elena, and no Clay. They will never stop coming for you, for her, whether you kill me or not."
Nick's breathing became uneven at the mutts words. Without hesitation, Nick sliced his throat through to the bone. Letting his body slide to the ground, Nick rose from his spot to grab his shirt. He needed to get back to Annie and he needed to make sure the body wasn't found.
"Who was he?" Annie asked as Nick carried the dead mutt out of the field towards the car.
"Spanish pack. We need to get back to Stonehaven. Eduardo is going to kill dad, Jeremy and Clay. Maybe even Elena since she won't go without a fight." Nick hated taking Annie into a possible war, but he couldn't just leave her defenseless and alone in Hawkesbury. Eduardo knew their location. "Where's Lily?"
"I told her to meet us at the restaurant," Annie responded as Nick slammed the trunk shut.
"I heard her with you Annie. She knows what I am," Nick whispered, kicking the bumper of the car in frustration. They never should have come to Hawkesbury.
"I think she always did, Nick," Annie murmured, laying a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to face her. "The conviction she spoke with, the awe at seeing you. It's like she was finally seeing what she knew was a reality."
"What do I do?" Nick whispered.
"You meet her at the restaurant and hear her out," Annie answered, squeezing his shoulder before moving towards the passenger side of the car.
The ride to the restaurant was a silent one. Annie didn't try to interrupt the silence, knowing Nick needed to contemplate what he was going to say. When the parked in front of the empty building, Annie followed behind Nick, taking a seat at the table they'd eaten at earlier while Nick approached Lily at the bar.
"Nick, thank god you're safe," Lily breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of her son. When he started to speak she held up her hand. "Please let me talk. Please." When Nick finally took a seat beside her at the bar, she began to try and explain.
"I know who you are, Nick. And I know what you are, too. I know because I saw your father transform." Lily admitted. Seeing confusion in Nick's blue eyes she pressed on. Hoping he'd understand. "When you were born, he told me he had to leave. To keep you safe. To keep me alive. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. But I understood."
"You thought that maybe he'd be able to come back," Nick added, seeing the hope in his mother's eyes.
"He wanted to send me money. To make sure I was okay. But to be safe, to be sure, I told him I could make it on my own as long as he sent me a picture every year. I remember the first one he sent of you with her," Lily smiled, nodding towards the corner where Annie sat.
"The way you looked at her in that photo. It was the same way your father looked at me. It makes me so happy to know you'll get to keep that, to keep her. All I've ever wanted was your happiness. I've kept your father's secret all this time. And I will do the same for the both of you." When she finished Nick had tears in his eyes as he leaned forward to embrace her. Lily automatically returned the hug, holding the back of his head like she had when he'd first been born. Catching Annie's eyes over Nick's shoulder, Lily smiled at the girl.
"I can never come back," Nick informed Lily when he finally released his hold on her. "I can't risk it. For both of us." It killed him to say it. Even more because he meant it. He wanted Lily in his life. He wanted her to be there when he married Annie and to see her grandchildren. But his world wasn't safe for her.
"I know," Lily sighed, reaching up to brush her fingers along her son's cheek. "Goodbye, my boy. My Nick."
Annie was waiting for Nick at the door, taking his hand in hers when he reached her. Lily smiled when he raised her hand to his lips before holding the door for her. With one last glance over his shoulder he was gone.
A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. I'm sorry about that. But, this chapter is way longer than normal. I feel like it might be the longest chapter I've written on fanfiction to date. I hope those of you who are still reading enjoy the update!
Onto guest review responses:
Ally: I'm so glad you loved the update! I'm excited to explore Annie's mom's background more too. I'm relieved you like the idea of Annie possibly being a witch.
To the guest who was so glad I updated again: I'm sorry I made you wait so long for this update. Hope the length made up for it!
To the guest who said it'd be great if Annie was a witch as well as a wolf: I kind of expected half of the reviews to be hate towards the idea and am very happy to hear more people are excited about that plot point. Annie has to learn what her powers are and how to control them before she can use them to help the pack. I think it'd be fun to have her use more magic and tie it in with her wolf fighting style. She's always felt like the weak link in the pack, using magic could help her be stronger.
Emily matthey: sorry this update took forever and a day, but I hope you liked it!
Sive: I have not abandoned this story, it's just been a long time since I've watched Bitten.
Puddins little minx: hello! Welcome. I'm glad you found the story and are enjoying it. I try my best to stay true to the characters and to weave my plot in with the season's plot as best I can. Glad you think I'm doing it well so far. Oh and PS: hope the sex scene in this chapter didn't disappoint. I try not to make any two the same but sometimes it's hard.
Rach
xoxo