Chapter Fifty-Two

Anxious energy roused me from sleep early the next morning. My body burned with heat and nervous sweat, so a quick shower helped me shake off some of it and more of the dungeon stank.

Afterward, I tiptoed across the bedroom and got dressed in what I found in the closet: loose pants and an oversized sweater. Who did they belong to? Why were they here? At least the clothes were clean, even if I had to roll the waistband several times before the pant legs stopped dragging on the floor.

Aimes was awake by the time I finished getting dressed, and he let out a disappointed little groan when he rolled over and found me standing by the barred window, looking out at the sunrise.

“Really? You put clothes on?” he muttered.

I turned to him with a smirk. “You're disappointed?”

“Well, yeah.” He rolled onto his back, his hands clasped behind his head. With the blankets down around his waist, I had a clear view of his carved, tattooed torso, chest, shoulders, and arms. Not a bad view at all—better than the one at the window, no question. “Could you be persuaded to take that off and come back over here and see me?”

A deep, pulsing ache unfurled in my core at the tempting idea, but something held me back. Worry, maybe, or a different kind of hunger that rumbled my stomach, even though I’d eaten just hours ago. Or something else I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Not right now, but keep it in mind for later?”

He sat up, scrubbing his hands over his dark hair until it stuck up in all directions, all seriousness now. “What's up? What did I miss? Did something happen while I was sleeping?”

“No, it's nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

I shook my head, searching for the words to describe my feelings. “I’m restless,” I finally admitted, leaning against the windowsill, hugging my arms to my chest. “I had dreams last night, and I woke up a little while ago and knew something was going to happen, but I don't know what.”

“Something bad?”

“Not necessarily, but I feel like I want to be prepared for anything.”

“A good thing,” he said gently. “And it shows your wolf is still rattling around in there, trying to guide you. Also a good thing.”

“Yeah. I just wish she would show up for real or talk to me or…” I sighed heavily. “Anything.”

“So long as we're the only ones who know she's MIA, we still have a good position here.”

I saw what he meant, and like magic, some of the tightness in my chest loosened until I could breathe easier. “Of course. I didn't think about it that way. If there's still a threat of me unleashing the wolf—”

“That right there will keep you safe.”

“And you safe, too, I hope.”

A muscular shoulder bobbed while the power of his gaze pierced through me. “I'm not as worried about myself as I am you.”

“No. Noooo way. You want to protect me, and I want to protect you. This mate thing goes both ways, remember?” I stomped my foot on the floor, as if that would do any good.

The big, bad wolf girl, stomping her feet like a child throwing a tantrum.

Then again, he’d spent a lot of his life around men who were legendary professionals at throwing tantrums.

“I see your point,” he said, but I could tell he was just saying that to placate me. “What did you dream about last night?”

A sudden loud knock at the door made us both jump a little, and I was halfway across the room before the door opened.

Yet another nameless guard stared me down like he wanted a front row seat for my execution. “You are wanted.”

“What else is new?” I asked him, my tone icy.

Was this what my wolf sensed on the horizon? I stood up straighter and wished with all my might for my wolf to show herself. It would’ve been the perfect time. But no, she was still hidden from me. All I had on my side was bravado.

He seemed less than impressed. “Let's go. No stalling.”

“Wait a minute. She's not going without me.” Behind me, the sheets rustled like Aimes was getting out of bed.

Completely naked and with zero fucks given. All tatted muscle and a shiny, decorated sparkle cock, which was very erect with morning wood.

Holy shit. Suddenly my mouth was watering.

“Jesus Christmas, man.” Now the surly guard sounded impressed.

I bit back a chuckle as he tried not to stare.

“She didn't say she wanted you,” he told Aimes.

“What if I want him with me?” I demanded.

“Who asked you?” he fired back.

Terrific. I was wedged tightly between a rock and a hard place. I didn't love the idea of being on my own—and I didn't trust Annecy enough to imagine she wouldn't try some underhanded trick, like separating us before taking him hostage or something. What if my reaction to whatever she was planning to tell me would be the deciding factor? I had to keep that in mind and try not to piss her off if I could help it.

I shook my head slightly at Aimes. “It'll be fine. I'll be back soon.”

He growled, low and lethal. The sound of it broke my heart a little, but there was nothing I could do. We still had to at least pretend to play along with Annecy’s little games.

“Let's go,” I told the guard, motioning for him to head out.

He sneered at Aimes, a lingering, head-to-toe one, before leading me out into the hall. Aimes growled much louder this time, but it cut short when the guard slammed the door on him.

The walls in the mansion had some stellar soundproofing going on. I would never have guessed in my little haven with my mate that there was so much activity going on right outside our door. I’d noticed the people coming and going from the window, but there must have been a lot more of that while Aimes and I slept, totally oblivious.

Down the grand staircase, I was barely able to sidestep a group of women carrying sheets and towels before they crashed into me, while a cluster of men called out for us to get out of the way. They were carrying long metal poles down the hall, three at a time, balancing them on their shoulders. The earsplitting chaos left me feeling jumpy, and I swung my head back and forth as I looked out for the next danger.

“What's that for?” I asked as the men with the poles continued ahead of us.

“None of your business,” the guard snapped.

“Seriously? It was a simple question.”

“She decides what you deserve to know and what you don't.”

Was he afraid to use her name out loud?

“If you're afraid of her, you can just say so,” I said, glaring daggers into the side of his head. “I promise I won't tell.”

He lifted his lip, snarling the way I knew he would. “You’d better watch your mouth. Some around here might be scared of you, but I'm not.”

I lowered my gaze, looking down at the floor, hoping he wouldn't see the smile I couldn't suppress. The idiot. He’d just admitted people were scared of me. So Aimes was right about that.

Annecy’s rooms were clear on the other side of the mansion, and it felt like we walked forever before reaching a tall, arched door with all sorts of carvings I sort of wished I had time to examine. I saw plenty of wolves, trees, and full moons, but there was more to it than that.

The guard swung the door open before I could take in any more. Immediately, I knew these rooms must’ve belonged to Connolly. The giant portrait hanging over the fireplace was a dead giveaway. So were the oversized furniture, the gilded mirrors, the plush carpets… It was all as over-the-top as the man himself.

“There you are,” Annecy muttered, barely glancing up from where she and a few of her people were looking over papers spread out across a long table in front of the fireplace.

The guard and I drew a little closer, and I realized they were blueprints, or at least renderings.

“We have to sit him close to the front. He'll be upset if we don't, and we can't afford to alienate any of the pack elders. I'm going to need them satisfied with themselves if I'm going to pull this off without having to stave off an uprising on top of everything else.” She finally looked up at me long enough for our eyes to meet. “We can discuss this later. I have business to settle with Harlow.”

Lucky me. Summoning my inner Aimes, I maintained a neutral expression—at least, I thought I did—while everybody filed out of the room.

There was no shortage of snickering and muttering, but I let it roll off my back. I knew the facts: I’d bested all of them, me and Aimes together. The sight of me was a reminder of how much they’d failed.

“Wow. And there I was, thinking I had a handle on the amount of planning that would go into something like this.” Chuckling, Annecy rolled her head back and forth like she was loosening stiff muscles. “This wedding is putting me through the ringer.”

“So that's what all this excitement is about.”

“Are you surprised?” she asked with a little head tilt. “Or did you think I was bluffing when I talked about the wedding?”

“I didn't think you were bluffing, but I've never seen anything like this.” I hiked my finger over my shoulder to the chaos outside the door.

“No one has ever seen anything like this,” she informed me.

The sick intensity glittering in her eyes rattled a shiver down my spine. I hated being around her when she was like this, all villainous and full of herself. It made me want to mourn for the friend I thought I had, but that was pretty stupid. Any friendship we’d had was in my head, and if I cared about her, it was because she’d tricked me into it.

“Come. See what we've already put into place.” When I hesitated, she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Harlow. Do you think I'm going to kill you? I was serious when I discussed how important you are. What, do you think that was a bluff, too?”

“I'm not sure what to think,” I shot back.

“Well, you can take me seriously when I say I don't have much patience, and I don't like to repeat myself.”

I gritted my teeth and joined her at the table.

She waved an arm over the plans, almost glowing with contentment. “See? In two days’ time, the outer courtyard is going to look like something out of a dream.”

I lifted an eyebrow in slight appreciation when I got a look at the plans that were drawn up. There would be a raised platform, a lighting rig—was that where those metal poles were going?—and what had to be at least two hundred chairs set up before it.

“And that's only for the wedding ceremony,” she explained, a little breathless. “The banquet is going to be beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. I'm talking rivers of champagne, gold place settings, three different bands working in shifts so there won't be any gap in the entertainment. This is going to be a feast for the ages.”

“I guess it's not usually done this way,” I murmured, looking at the lists of supplies that were either already stocked up in the mansion or in the process of being transported.

Several sides of beef, pigs, chickens, and fifty cases of champagne. How much would something like that cost? I had a feeling she didn't care much—actually, no, I realized she did care very much and wanted it to cost an arm and a leg. She was showing off. Making sure everybody knew who she was, how powerful, how wealthy.

Though it wasn't her wealth, was it? But it would be, or as good as, once she murdered Stride and took his place as Alpha.

“Can I ask a question?”

She sighed dramatically. “If you must. I've gotten used to you being slow on the uptake.”

Even though my blood heated at her diss, I forced myself not to react. “Why are you going to all this trouble if you're only going to kill Stride after he gives you the wolf mark?”

“Where is your sense of drama?” she asked before blurting out a high-pitched laugh.

She was losing it, if she hadn't lost it already. Like a train out of control and moving faster and faster. It would inevitably crash. I hoped I didn't end up getting crushed in the wreckage.

“I think it's a fair question,” I murmured, hoping to bring her down a little so we could have an actual conversation. “This seems like a lot of trouble to go through, is all.”

“They're going to see who I am.” She curled her hand into a fist and rapped it against the table. “Every pack is going to know my name when this is said and done. They're going to see what I'm capable of, and they are going to regret ever thinking less of me. This is going to be a wedding no one will ever forget.”

“I have no doubt,” I murmured, and I meant every word.

“And you, Harlow, are a big part of that.”

There it was. I knew she would eventually get to the point.

“What do you mean?” I asked her, though the question sounded more like a disgusted statement.

“Remember, you have a job to do.”

My stomach clenched at the thought. “What does the wedding have to do with me?”

“Think for once,” she spat. “Of course Connolly can't avoid attending the ceremony. This is his son. It would look suspicious if he wasn't in attendance, and if there's one thing Connolly cares about, it's how he looks.”

My palms went slick while the back of my neck prickled with cold. “You expect me to kill him during the wedding? Are you serious?”

“Or immediately after. Can there be one thing I don't have to micromanage?” she asked, throwing her hands into the air. “Don't you see what I have on my plate?”

The poor, poor woman.

I ground my teeth into dust. “Considering this is your idea, I thought you might be able to offer a little guidance.”

“You want guidance?” Her smile was tight, threatening. “If you want that mate of yours to continue breathing, you'll find a way to get this done. Use your imagination. You have one of those, don't you?”

Sure, but what I didn't have was my wolf. She didn't know that, though, and it wasn't like I could afford to tip my hand and give it away. Annecy might have thought I was slow, but there was one thing I knew for sure—the threat of my white wolf was all that was keeping me alive. If anyone knew I couldn't bring her forward at will, though, the situation would change drastically.

“Do you need to be reminded of everything Connolly's done? All of his crimes, the missing contestants at the Full Moon Games, the murders he oversaw? Genocide, when you get right down to it.” She waved her hands at me. “And here you are, having a crisis of conscience.”

“Uh-huh. Well.” I balled my hands into fists, willing my straining muscles not to swing them at her. “I'll get it taken care of.”

“You'd better. I don't have time to hold your hand and guide you through this.” She went back to her written plans, shaking her head. “Somebody's going to have to learn to deal with not sitting right up front during the ceremony. There are only so many chairs.”

“I have another question,” I snapped.

“What a surprise,” she muttered, not bothering to lift her gaze.

“Was this your plan all along? You made it sound like it was.”

“What, the wedding? The forced mating? All of that?” When I nodded, she did the same. “Yes. This was always my end game. Do you know what it's like, being rejected? No, you wouldn't, since this is all so new to you. Being rejected by a mate is one of the most painful, horrifying things one of our kind can go through. And he did it without thought, without any concern for me. It wasn't as if I chose him any more than he chose me. That was fate, but I was still made to suffer while he got off scot-free.”

She was breathing heavily by the time she finished, her green eyes glittering while her chest heaved. “Yes, I've been plotting this for a long time.”

“Then why did you pretend it had anything to do with restoring the damage Connolly did to the packs back at your camp? All that posturing, all those speeches to your army. Why bother?”

She wore the look of a person sick to death of having to explain things to me. “Do you honestly think I could have raised an army on my rejection alone? No, an army needs a mission, something to believe in. I gave them something to believe in, and they're ready to fight for it.”

“But—”

“Two things can be true at once, Harlow. Your thinking is too black and white. It's infuriating.” She ended that statement on a growl, tension sizzling in the air. “Anything else?”

That was my cue. She was about to lose her patience completely, and I didn’t need to be around for that.

“Well,” I said and clicked my tongue. “I wouldn't want to interrupt your plans any longer since I'm so infuriating.”

“Yes, the sooner you and your questions are out of here, the better.” She signaled to one of the guards standing idly. “Take her back to her room.”

Before I left her, though, I had one more question that needed to be answered.

“Where is Stride?” I asked, ignoring the guard waiting for me.

She couldn't seem to help the wry smile that bloomed across her once-pretty face. Like this was all a big joke. “He's resting up for our wedding, of course.”