“What’s going on?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” Adam said, his voice serious. Tugging me down the hall, we stepped into my bedroom and he closed the door. Walking over to my bed, he turned down the covers and pointed. “You need to rest.”

“For fuck’s sake, Adam. I’m not a little girl. If something is going on, don’t shield me from it.”

Adam’s jaw set, and his teeth clenched as he stared daggers at me. It may have been the wrong timing, but he was sexy as hell when he tried to be the oh-so-powerful-alpha.

“Nothing’s going on. They’re here to show their support. You don’t need to entertain them. We planned to play cards tonight anyway,” Adam said, resting his hands on his hips and arching an eyebrow.

“See, why do I think you’re lying to me?”

“Let it go, Anna, and get into bed,” he ordered.

Inside I was doing cartwheels. Though my body was still weak, I felt like myself. I was so happy to be away from the dark place in my head I couldn’t help but goad Adam a little.

“No, I don’t think I will.” I turned, reaching for the door when Adam’s arms wrapped around my waist. He lifted me into the air with ease, turned around, and deposited me on the bed.

“If you move an inch, I’ll strap you to that damn thing, understand?”

I smiled. Adam’s stony face softened, his lips lifting into a grin, and his eyes lighting with an emotion I came to recognize as want. As delicious as he was, my body wasn’t up for any frisky business. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to me, his lips velvety smooth. His warm breath blew against my mouth, a seductive caress that promised more. All of my resolve disappeared as my focus settled on the delectable tightening in my stomach. Would Adam always affect me this way? I hoped so.

“Now,” Adam spoke against my lips, “go to sleep and dream of me. I’ll see you in the morning. If you need anything, ring the bell.”

“Bell?”

Adam picked up a small, brass bell from my nightstand and shook it back and forth. “I’ll hear it.”

I didn’t doubt it; our hearing was very sensitive, even in a house full of rowdy werewolves. I nodded and settled down, but frowned a little so he’d know that even though I was doing what he wanted, I wasn’t happy about it.

A smirk lifted one side of his mouth. Reaching towards me, he pressed another soft kiss to my mouth. I curled my upper lip inward to hide my smile.

“Get some sleep.”

I watched him leave, closing the door behind him. I half-hoped he’d come back in and lay beside me. After staring for five minutes, I yawned and flipped over, hugging the blankets. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was very tired. It didn’t take long for the plush comfort of my mattress to ease me to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-six

The loud chattering of voices stirred me from my sleep. Rolling over, I glanced at my alarm clock—1:00 a.m. Yawning, my mouth was dryer than a desert; I swung my legs over the edge of my bed. Stumbling, still half asleep, I opened my door and headed toward the kitchen.

“Anna is not to know about this,” Adam said, stopping me in my tracks. I was awake now. I pressed against the side of the wall, making sure I wasn’t visible by the men sitting at the table.

“You don’t think she’ll figure it out?” Wade replied with a snort.

“If she does, it better not be from one of you,” Adam warned.

What the hell are they talking about?

“You forget your place, alpha,” Nicholas snapped back.

The rest of the house was still abuzz with a few members of the pack, far less than before.

“I don’t mean any disrespect,” Adam started, “but I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep her safe. They’ll use her against me to get their way. I’m not going to let that happen.”

There was silence and then Jeff spoke. “It was a surprise to see how quickly they gathered a following.”

Grunts of agreement circled around the table. “We’ll need to call surrounding packs to assist with the take down.”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it? We don’t know who they have on their side,” Jeff commented.

“Anna, did you need something?” Joe asked, coming around the corner and arching a knowing brow at me.

I gave him my best please-don’t-rat-me-out face, and he nodded, a shallow movement but relief washed through me.

The talking at the table ceased, a chair squeaked and Adam walked up behind Joe.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Adam asked, coming around Joe and gripping my shoulders.

“I was thirsty and—.”

“Didn’t I explain what the bell was for?” Adam said incredulous.

“I also needed to go to the bathroom,” I added. “Are you going to do that for me too?”

Adam smiled, a sexy glint lighting his eyes. Ignoring him, I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door. Walking over to the mirror, I gawked at my reflection. My hair was all kinds of chaos, and Joe and Adam had seen it. That’ll teach me to go to bed with it wet again. Fishing a brush out of the drawer, I ran it through my frizzy locks a few times. When enough time had passed, I walked over to the toilet and flushed, hoping I’d fooled Adam. His conversation with the leaders nagged my mind. What were they talking about? I hadn’t asked him what happened to Eve and Anthony. I hadn’t questioned him about that day at all. Would he even tell me? There seemed to be secret plan underway and he was doing his damnest to exclude me from it.

Opening the bathroom door, I came face to face with the man in question. Adam leaned against the wall, a glass of water in his hand. As I watched him, I noticed how pale his face was and how bloodshot his eyes were.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“I don’t know,” he said with genuine confusion. I took the glass; clasping his hand I led him to my bedroom.

“I know you’re planning something,” I told him, straightening the blankets.

He scowled, realizing I heard at least part of his conversation.

“And it’s not going to work if our pack has a sleep deprived alpha leading them.” I smiled, finding it funny that Adam and I had reversed roles and now he needed to be persuaded to rest.

“You need to sleep.” I nodded toward the bed.

“I’ll sleep,” Adam said, dragging his T-shirt over his head. My eyes soaked up the beauty of his chest and abs. “But lay with me. You still need to rest too.”

I flicked a glance to the door, anxious to snoop into Adam’s secret plan.

“Nothing out there concerns you, Anna,” Adam said, catching onto my idea. He shuffled into bed, inching over so there was room for me. Propping himself up on his elbow, he stabbed the mattress with his finger, and his I-mean-business stare pinned me in my place.

“Get. Into. Bed.”

I spared one more look at the door. If I disobeyed him, he’d be out of that bed and hauling my ass back before I made it down the hallway. Declaring defeat, I climbed into bed. Adam slung an arm around my waist, guiding me against the hard plains of his body. He was so warm, my muscles immediately relaxed against him. Being held prisoner had taken a lot out of me. It could have been worse. Eve and Anthony could have really tortured me.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Hmm?” Adam mumbled, his nose buried within my hair.

“At the place where you found me,” I paused, a new question occurring to me. “How did you find me?”

“I tracked you,” Adam said.

It was a bit surprising, but not all that out of the ordinary for a werewolf. “And?” I fished.

“And nothing. You’re home, you’re safe, and you’re in my arms. That’s all that matters.”

His dodging knew no bounds. Frustration and anger overthrew my nonchalance. Where did he get off keeping things from me? Especially when those things involved me.

“What happened to Eve and Anthony?” I asked through clenched teeth.

Adam released a breath through his nose, a subtle sign he was just as annoyed and frustrated with me as I was with him.

“They fled,” he admitted. “But they won’t hurt you again. Now close your eyes and go to sleep.”

*

When I opened my eyes and saw my bedroom, I frowned. I planned on sneaking out of bed after Adam fell asleep and doing a little recon. I guess becoming a spy was not in my future. Still, I vowed that I’d find out what Adam was hiding.

Sitting up in bed, I looked over my shoulder. Adam was gone, and because he thought he was clever, he sat the brass bell on top of his pillow. Did he expect me to stay cooped up in my room all day? Week? I’d spent six days being held against my will, and I wasn’t going to become a prisoner in my own home. Getting dressed for the day, I slipped out of my room and headed, with purpose, to find Adam. Though still weak, I was stronger than before. I wasn’t 100%, but I was sure after eating some more I’d feel even better. Adam wouldn’t be able to use my frailty against me.

“Good morning, Anna,” Wade said, looking over the top of the newspaper. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. I think the twenty hours of sleep helped.” I smiled. I swiveled my head, looking around the house. The pack was still here. Some were sleeping, their bodies strewn all over the living room floor. I guess with the leaders each having a spare bedroom, the floor was the only option for them.

“Is Adam around?”

“Ah, I think he ran into town,” Wade said, his eyes traveling back to the print in front of him.

I sat down at the table across from him and glared at the newspaper that hid his face. “You know, you could say congratulations,” I snapped, annoyed not just with Adam’s absence, but with Wade’s evasiveness. I knew damn well Adam wasn’t in town, and if he was, it wasn’t for shopping.

Wade bent the newspaper down so he could see my face. “Excuse me?” he asked, arching a brow.