Free Embracing the Wolf - Book #2 (Anna Avery) by Stephanie Nelson Page A

steel.
    “I’m going to kill Wade,” he said through clenched teeth. “He put you in harm’s way for his own selfish reasons.”
    “Um … no, he didn’t,” I said. “We did it to find out what Anthony was planning, and I didn’t even get a chance to see anything from him.” I was still annoyed with myself that I hadn’t tried to touch his hand or something to see if could summon a vision.”
    “Of course he’s planning something,” Adam said. “You think he’s okay with me killing Eve? He’s not going to let that go. That’s why I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
    We were at an impasse, but I was not going to tell Adam that. I understood why he wanted me to stay away from him. It wouldn’t go against Anthony’s character to kill me to get back at Adam. Still I could not shake my curiosity at finding out if we were right or not. I knew Anthony had his bad moments, but why hadn’t he tried to hurt me in the truck? Did he know Adam was on our tail, and he wouldn’t have enough time? Maybe he was trying to gain my trust in order to fool me later. Not knowing was driving me crazy. I couldn’t continue to walk around with him in our midst and not do anything about it. If he was planning an attack, and I could get a glimpse into his mind, then that’s what I had to do.
    “If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I’m the one who broke the promise,” I told him. I slid my arms around his waist, clasping my hands behind his back. “Wade really was just trying to help.”
    “Unfortunately, my adorably frustrating mate, I find it hard to stay mad at you. One look into your eyes and my resolve crumbles, so I have to direct it at the other person involved.”
    I smiled up at him. “Well, then, please forgive us for scheming behind your back. It was done innocuously.”
    Adam cupped my face and brought his lips down to mine for a soft kiss. He leaned his forehead against mine and exhaled a heavy breath.
    “What in the world am I going to do with you?”
    “You have the rest of your life to figure it out.” I smiled.

After the drama with Anthony and Adam, I made it into town. It was my job to pick up enough paper plates, napkins, and plastic cups to supply the arriving crowd. I piled packages of each into my cart, pushing it down the aisle in an uninterested daze. Tonight was my alpha ceremony. Tonight, I would be the first made-wolf to rise to elite status, and all of the surrounding packs would stand witness to it.  I felt like vomiting. While my pack had shown me nothing but respect, I wasn’t so sure the visiting wolves would. And now that I knew my Chante was from olde blood, it only made our pairing that much more difficult. Not to mention his mother wanted me gone. Would she interrupt the alpha ceremony tonight, embarrass me in front of everyone? Would Chloe or Cadie challenge me to claim my spot?
     Relationships never used to be this difficult. Why couldn’t Adam be a regular guy with regular parents and regular problems? I’d gone twenty-three years without succumbing to the mushiness of relationships. Most of my dates had consisted of some guy trying to sweet-talk me while I silently prayed for an asteroid to crash into whatever diner we were at. It all made sense now, the reason why none of my beaus worked out before. I’d been waiting for Adam all along. It was like my soul knew he was out there, somewhere, waiting for me, too.
    Two weeks ago we’d been blissfully happy, too engrossed in each other to face the bigger issues. And to be honest, Adam was still in that state. I saw it every time he looked at me. Touched me. Kissed me. The issues were sitting solely on my shoulders. He was the prince in this story and I the waif he’d fallen for. God, it sounded like some bad Lifetime movie—only with a lot more hair and teeth. Maggie’s words haunted me. I wanted to shrug it off as nothing more than a snooty woman not thinking I was good enough for her baby boy. If only it