WOLF LOYALTY

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Amelia

“Don’t struggle. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The voice shocks me so much that I indeed stop struggling.

That’s Raymond’s voice.

He cautiously removes his hand from over my mouth.

I spin around and slap him across the face.

What the hell, Raymond! Rogers is going to murder you for this – that’s if the police don’t get here first.”

I’m already reaching for my phone, but it doesn’t seem to be where I left it. I fumble with the lamp switch. Light floods the room, but my phone is nowhere in sight. Rogers must have hidden it somewhere.

Raymond is rubbing his cheek, but he makes no further aggressive move against me. “Just calm down, Amelia, or I’ll have to restrain you again. We need to talk.”

“Like hell we do! Luke! ROGERS!”

“He’s too far away to hear you,” Raymond snaps.

He doesn’t know that Luke has a werewolf hearing. I have half a mind to let Rogers kill him when he comes back.

I know what he is, Amelia.”

That shuts me up.

There’s no way Raymond can really know.

He’s just trying to scare me.

“Rogers is a werewolf.”

I manage to force out a laugh, but it sounds a lot more panicked than I’d like. “What are you on, Raymond? In case you’ve forgotten, werewolves don’t exist.”

I’ve been following you and Rogers for months. It took me a while – I had to get some pretty fancy technology to hide my scent. That’s what I’ve been using on my hideout here. That’s why Rogers hasn’t found me yet.

That makes way more sense than it should.

Could Raymond be telling the truth?

You’re crazy,” I insist. “You’d best get yourself to a hospital on the mainland before Rogers gets back.”

I was in the forest, following him and his friends from the building. I saw them turn into wolves, Amelia. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

I’m now in the grip of a wholly different fear. It doesn’t look like Raymond is going to hurt me physically, but his words present a whole different level of danger.

No one will believe that. You’ll be committed to even suggesting it.”

“Maybe that’s true… but I have evidence.” Raymond pulls out a camera. “Don’t bother destroying it – I have copies of this video stashed all over.”

I take the camera and press play with trembling fingers.

It’s worse than I ever imagined.

Raymond has clear shots of Rogers, Derek, and a number of other pack members. The video clearly records them turning into wolves and running off.

“Some people will say the video is fake.”

Raymond shrugs. “But there are ways of verifying a video’s authenticity. Eventually, the truth will win out”

You can’t.” I hate that my voice is trembling. “Werewolves will be hunted down – or captured and studied, at the very least.”

“Well, that’s up to you.”

What do you mean?”

I have an idea of what he might mean, but I’m hoping he’ll prove me wrong.

It’s quite simple really. You return to me.

Move back in with me. Marry me. Be with me. As long as you do that, I won’t release the evidence.”

What’s stopping me from having Rogers chain you up here until you agree to destroy the evidence?”

“I have lawyers all around the world who have instructions to release the documents if they don’t receive an instruction not to within a week.”

If that’s true, I’m in trouble.

I can’t let Rogers’s secret get out, and Raymond is stubborn enough that he wouldn’t tell the lawyers to destroy the evidence, even under torture. I don’t think

either Rogers or I have it in us to torture someone, anyway.

What I need is to buy time. Stop him releasing the evidence long enough for me or Rogers to find a way to destroy it for good.

“Fine,” I spit. “But you know that this is under duress, Raymond, no matter how much you may wish it otherwise. If you try to touch me, it will be rape. Any consent I give is coerced.”

I’ll give you the time you need. You’ll come to see that I’m the one for you.”

He’s insane.

I never would have expected this kind of reaction from Raymond. He’s just proving to me that leaving him was the right choice, but I can’t say that.

Here.” Raymond hands me a map.

Here’s my base on this island. Meet me there the day after tomorrow at dawn. Oh, and one more thing. Don’t tell Rogers why you’re leaving. I want you to just disappear from his life as you did from mine.”

“You know why I left you! You cheated on me.”

Regardless, you won’t tell him. And don’t think you can get away with it. I have cameras stashed all over. How do you think I knew you were alone now?

That’s certainly a chilling thought. I feel like the walls are closing in on me, and there’s no escape. Rogers has covered every possible option.

You must know this will never work. I’ll never love you again, Raymond.”

He leans in and kisses me on the forehead.

You will. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, Amelia.”

I hate the confidence in his voice. I hate that I know he’s right. I won’t sacrifice Rogers’s life for my happiness.

If I have to be Raymond’s captive for a few weeks – or even months – I will do it.

Of course, if I run off without telling him why, he may never forgive me, but that’s a chance I’ll have to take to protect him and all other werewolves.

“Fine. I’ll do it. Now get out of here.”

Before he leaves, Raymond gets out a spray bottle and sprays the room thoroughly. It doesn’t smell like anything to me, but Raymond grins as he makes sure he’s got the Corners.

This will remove my scent from the room.

“Rogers will never know I was here.”

Fuck. There goes that hope.

I sit on the edge of the bed as Raymond leaves. I feel useless and helpless, but what can I do?

This isn’t something I can fight immediately, but that hardly makes me helpless. I’m a journalist. I’m good at tracking down information people want to hide. I can do it.

I turn out the light and force myself to lie down. I close my eyes, but sleep won’t come.

I need to be asleep by the time Rogers is finished looking for Rogers. If I’m not, Rogers will smell my distress in an instant.

Exactly how I’m meant to sleep when my insides are in knots over what I have to do tomorrow, I have no idea.

I toss and turn, getting more anxious with every passing minute.

Rogers is bound to be back soon, and then he’ll realize from my scent that something is wrong. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it from him then.

No matter how I try to keep them closed, my eyes keep popping open. Eventually, I allow myself to sit up.

Maybe I need a snack. I’ll just grab a bite to eat out of the fridge, then I’ll be able to sleep

We’ve got a large plastic container of leftover pasta in the fridge.

I’m just putting a plate of it in the microwave when I hear footsteps behind me.

I grab the nearest object – a frying pan – and swing my whole body around, ready to knock Raymond unconscious.

Rogers grabs the frying pan, stopping my blow short. He gives me a strange look. “What’s wrong, Amelia?”

“Oh! Nothing. You frightened me, that’s all.”

Rogers is frowning. He doesn’t believe me.

“You smell distressed.”

I’m just hungry.”I gesture to the plate of pasta. “I thought I’d have a snack.”

Rogers puts his hands on my shoulders. “I know what hunger smells like. This isn’t it. Something happened. Tell me.”

I clamp my mouth shut.

I can’t tell him. I have no way of knowing where Raymond’s cameras are. If I want to protect Rogers, I can’t say anything.

Amelia?”

“I just want to go to bed. Please, Rogers ?”

“I thought you were hungry?”

Shit.

I am. Hungry and tired. I want to eat in bed, then go to sleep.” I turn away from him and press start on the microwave.

I didn’t find the watcher.

I tense. “Tm sure he’ll show himself soon enough.”

I can tell Rogers is confused. He doesn’t know why I’m lying to him.

The microwave beeps and I grab my plate of pasta. I’m not hungry anymore – lying to Rogers is making me feel slightly ill.

If I care about him, though, I’d better make this look convincing.

I hurry to the bed with my plate. As soon as Rogers steps into the room, he stiffens. He sniffs the air.

Oh no. Raymond’s scent-blocking thing can’t have been strong enough. What the hell am I going to tell Rogers?

He looks at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Amelia?”

Shit, shit, shit.

Rogers is looking at me. I open my mouth, willing a reasonable excuse to come out, but nothing does.