The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (2 page)

better than most people. Hell, even Reed’s father lost his patience

sometimes, but Anson never did.

“Sure I can,” Anson replied. “But I don’t want Shiloh to be

worried about your welfare. You know he gets very loud when he’s

upset, right?”

Reed giggled at the description. “Yes, he does. I promise I’ll be

nicer.”

Anson chuckled again. “Why don’t I believe that?”

All too soon, they reached Reed’s house. Anson placed Reed

down and ruffled his hair. “Take care, okay, Reed? And don’t tease

your parents. They love you.”

For some reason, Reed wanted to ask if Anson loved him, too.

The thought faded before it really processed. Waving at the wolf,

Reed flew back into his room. He stole a look outside and saw Anson

still looking toward his window. The wolf grinned at him, then

backed away from the house and disappeared into the gloom of the

forest.

That night, Reed dreamt of a future he couldn’t quite grasp or

understand. Somewhere at the back of his mind, an idea was starting

to form. Whatever his dad said, Reed liked Anson, and he wanted to

wolf to like him back.

12

Scarlet Hyacinth

Fifteen years later, present day

“We’ve just received a report from the vampires regarding him.”

At the other end of the receiver, Isaac’s voice sounded certain, yet

cautious. “I’m planning on going hunting soon, and I’ll be taking a

select group with me.”

Reed could barely keep his excitement in check at Isaac’s words.

Ever since the warlocks’ attack on his loved ones, he had been itching

to go after the guilty party. According to what Isaac had told him so

far, a man named Tyrell Hall was guilty of attempting an attack on

Sidhe prince Winter by manipulating Isaac’s dual nature. Not only

that, but the warlock had ordered the death and torture of Reed’s

friends, family, and mate. That was something Reed could never

forget.

He’d expected Isaac to launch an invite, but to his dismay, the half

wolf said, “I’ll keep you posted to my progress.”

Instantly, Reed asked the question haunting his heart and mind.

“Can’t I come with you?”

“I think you should discuss it with your mate first, Reed,” Isaac

replied. “Your love life is none of my business, but I know you’re

suffering. Hunting down Tyrell won’t help that.”

If Isaac’s refusal to allow Reed to join the expedition had

surprised Reed, this shocked him into speechlessness. Oh, he knew he

had been acting strangely due to recent events, and his emotional

instability couldn’t have gone unnoticed by his friends. Still, as he’d

been well aware of his mate’s wishes, he hadn’t mentioned the truth

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

13

to anyone. He didn’t think Isaac, or anyone else for that matter,

suspected the truth, but it was still unsettling to be confronted with it.

“You’re right, but it’s one of the few options at my disposal,” he

said with a sigh. “Thanks, Isaac, for everything. I’ll figure something

out.”

“No problem,” Isaac answered. “Bye, Reed. I’ll let you know

when I find something out.”

“Bye, Isaac.”

Reed ended the call, feeling both frustrated and sad. He wished he

could share the emotions in his heart with Isaac, or any of his friends,

for that matter. But if that happened, he had no idea how they would

react. Isaac was right about one thing. Reed’s love life was a mess,

and it needed to be sorted out as soon as possible.

Before he could come up with a workable plan, however, a knock

sounded at the door. Already knowing who it was, Reed went to greet

his cousin.

Just as he’d guessed, he found Melanie Wade at the other side.

“You talked to Isaac?” she asked without preamble, her voice low and

subdued.

“I did,” Reed replied, leaning against the doorjamb. “He’s still

working on hunting down that warlock.”

“He hates me, doesn’t he?” In an uncharacteristic display of

vulnerability, Melanie looked like she was about to cry. “He hates me

for what I did.”

“Oh, Mel.” Reed hugged his cousin, allowing her to bury her face

in his shoulder. They weren’t really blood since Reed was adopted,

but that had never mattered to him or any of his extended circle of

family and friends. “He doesn’t hate you. He was angry with Elder

Wade for coaxing you into that crazy plan.”

He released the she-wolf and gestured her inside. “Come on. Tell

me what’s up with you. You didn’t come here for nothing.”

He and his family had a smaller house on Soren Wade’s pack

lands, which neighbored that of Carson and Brody Williams-Wade.

14

Scarlet Hyacinth

As Soren’s daughter, Melanie lived in the Alpha’s mansion, as did her

two brothers, Derek and Jace. But tension had been increasing within

the family ever since Elder Wade, Soren and Brody’s father, had

suggested that Melanie should mate his youngest son, Isaac, so that

they could eventually take over the position of leaders over the

werewolves. The worst thing wasn’t that Melanie had agreed to it, but

that her choice seemed to stem from a resentment toward her adoptive

father, Daniel.

According to what Isaac had told Reed, Melanie had spoken as if

she blamed Daniel for her mother’s death. Carlie Denning had been

Soren’s beta, and from what Reed had heard, a very brave and

capable woman. But Melanie’s behavior had caused great pain to her

family, which put Reed in a difficult position. Reed’s father, Liam,

had been Carlie’s brother, and even today, he mourned her passing.

This entire disaster had stirred old wounds, and while Reed wanted to

comfort his cousin, he knew she’d made a big mistake.

“Everyone hates me,” Melanie said mournfully. “Well, except my

dad. He’s just sad. I think that makes it worse.”

“I can imagine.” Reed sighed. “He cares about you and the guys

deeply.”

“You’re not helping,” Melanie answered.

“What do you want me to say, Mel? You know you gotta fix this.

I can’t even figure out why you said those things in the first place.

You love your family, and you practically worship both your dads.”

“I don’t know.” Melanie threw her hands in the air. “I’m just sick

of being the only girl, the one everyone wants to protect. I want to do

something with my life, to be someone.”

“And that’s great,” Reed replied. “But you don’t have to go

against your folks to do it.”

Or so he said, but even as he spoke the words, he knew he was

being a hypocrite. Everything he had done, the secrets he had kept,

they were all actions that his parents, and especially his dad, would

hate and be hurt by. Reed only maintained the hope that, as mates,

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

15

they would understand the bond, even if the unlikely circumstances

made this connection problematic.

“Reed? Reed? I asked you a question.”

“Huh?” Reed realized he’d completely zoned out. “Sorry, what

did you say?”

Melanie rolled her eyes. “I asked you what was up with you.

You’ve been pretty upset and distracted lately. Are you still worried

about Liam?”

Reed’s father, Liam, had also been among those injured by the

warlock’s plan. Reed would have liked to say that concern for his

parents was the only cause of his recent attitude, but that would be a

lie. And God, he was so very sick of lies.

“Yes and no,” he answered. “Let’s just leave it at that. I don’t

want to talk about it.” Deciding to change the subject, he said, “Come

on. I’ll take you back home. You need to have a serious conversation

with your parents and your brothers. Running to me won’t help.”

“Okay, okay,” Melanie agreed with obvious reluctance. “But

don’t be such a stranger. Here you are, staying with the pack, and you

hardly visit the Alpha mansion anymore.”

There was a good reason why he did that. Truth be told, he should

probably be returning to the United Paranormal Academy, but how

could he, with everything that had happened? Recent events had made

him realize just how short life was. He couldn’t go along with a

normal existence, not when his destined lover was waiting, so close

and yet so far away.

But today, Reed vowed he would not allow this situation to

continue. Whether his mate wanted to or not, the man had to accept

the truth, as did everyone else. Reed was Anson Wright’s other half,

and no amount of running or hiding would change that.

* * * *

“Hey, Sonny, have you seen Mel?”

16

Scarlet Hyacinth

Anson looked up from the report he was studying and mentally

sighed upon seeing Jace and Derek. His Alpha’s pups were a handful

on the best days, but lately, even more than usual. All of a sudden,

Melanie had decided she wanted to follow in Carlie’s footsteps, and

the best way to achieve what her mother hadn’t been able to was to

become Isaac’s mate. But their supposed bond would have been a

mockery of everything shifters held dear. For crying out loud, they

were blood, and they would have never seen each other in a different

way.

It was absurd to say the least, a disaster waiting to happen, and

Anson resented his elder for manipulating Melanie into this. He knew

better than to believe the young she-wolf could have come up with

this idea herself. Not to mention that he had known Carlie. She’d been

his friend, and he thought it was disrespectful to use her memory to

push Melanie into something she wasn’t suited to.

Of course, Jace and Derek knew that as well, and while they had

seemed angry with their twin sister, they were also obviously

concerned. “I saw her leave earlier,” he replied. “She said she’d just

be dropping by Liam’s and she’ll come back.”

There was only one person she could go see there, the same one

who was on Anson’s mind all day. It was quite amazing, really. He

well remembered a time when he’d been just as carefree as Soren’s

kids. Even after becoming a beta for Soren, he hadn’t changed in that

regard, preserving his sometimes teasing and flirtatious nature. But

his life had made a dramatic turn with the emergence of an

unexpected and heartbreaking factor.

Shaking himself, Anson focused on the two younger wolves in

front of him. They looked so much like their Alpha father that Anson

couldn’t get over it sometimes. While they were twins, they weren’t

identical, but it was their personalities that made them truly unique.

Jace was more impulsive, while Derek was quieter, wiser, in a way.

“You guys have to do something about this,” he told them. “She

didn’t mean to do what she did. You know that as well as I do.”

The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf

17

“I do,” Jace replied, “but she didn’t even talk about it with us

before she rushed into it.”

Derek rubbed his eyes. “And then there’s what she said about

Dad…”

“Do you think you can’t forgive her?” Anson inquired, already

knowing the answer to his own question.

“That’s not even an issue,” Jace shot back almost angrily. “She’s

our sister, and we love her. We just want to understand.”

Join the club, boys.
Anson would have liked to understand many

things as well, mostly why life had played a cruel trick on him.

“Don’t worry,” he encouraged the young men. “This is only a

temporary problem. You guys will work it out.”

Derek released a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, Sonny. I just wish I

could do more.”

Anson knew exactly how the younger wolf felt. All his life, he

had struggled to help those more important than him, without actually

being important for any of them. And now, when he at last had the

chance to change that, he had to refuse it.

In that moment, Anson felt a presence approach, as if brought

about by his thoughts. He stole a look out the window, and sure

enough, he spotted Melanie and Reed coming toward the house.

Reed’s home was close enough for him to walk here, which only

added to the torture Anson experienced every time he thought just

how easy it would be for him to go claim the younger man. Lately,

Reed had stayed away from the Alpha mansion, but that hurt even

more. Christ, Anson himself didn’t know what he wanted.