Another Chance

Chapter 22

JARED'S POV

I went and got Anna from Gia, noticing how my mate relaxed once I showed up, her shoulders sagging and untensing. The journey home was mostly quiet, Anna occasionally looking back at me with a worried expression, but I just offered her a reassuring smile, hoping that she wouldn't ask too much about the letter.

I knew that I had to tell her about Amelia, but I didn't know when the best time was. She had only just found out about us, and dropping yet another bomb on her was sure to send her brain into overdrive. I needed to allow her thoughts and feelings to settle until I could tell her my story. I didn't want her thinking she was any less than she was. She was my everything now.

I had offered to make her a hot drink when we got back, but she excused herself, slipping into her room, but not before giving me a quick kiss on the side of my face. She looked exhausted, and I didn't blame her for wanting to get into bed. She had had a long day, and she needed to allow her mind to re-fresh itself overnight.

I couldn't sleep though, attempting to work through some kind of speech to give Anna on how Amelia meant nothing to me and she was all I wanted, but I eventually gave up, heading to bed myself. I was making myself go crazy and just needed to relax for the time-being.

The next morning, Anna was up early, mumbling to herself as she fixed herself a bit of breakfast from the kitchen. I entered after having freshly showered, noticing her munching on a piece of toast, her eyes wide once I rounded the corner, having caught her off guard.

"Got work this morning?" I questioned, and she nodded, brushing a few crumbs from her toast off of her pink knitted sweater.

I smiled, quickly pulling my phone from my pocket to send Dylan a text to let him know that Anna was headed to work and the warriors would need to keep an eye out for her, but, I was sure that he already had the school surrounded. Sophia was also going to be in there and he didn't want to risk anything happening to her either.

"Have you got your surgery today?" Anna asked, taking a seat at the dining table, looking anxious as she clicked her knuckles. I could tell she was concerned for it to go ahead in case anything went wrong, but I was a wolf, and I healed much faster than humans did. The risk of something going wrong was much lower.

I shook my head, biting at my lip. I was going to have to explain why I thought postponing my surgery was the best thing to do, but, we didn't have time to talk about it now. Anna was going to be late for work.

"I'm postponing it for the moment," I told her honestly, trying to make it seem casual as I wheeled myself over to the fruit bowl and took an apple, biting into it.

Anna knitted her brows together, looking taken aback. "What? Why?"

I shrugged, releasing a small chuckle. "Things are busy around the pack right now, and there are lots of things I need to sort out with the training program for the warriors. Now just isn't the right time."

Anna chewed on her bottom lip, slowly nodding, but she didn't respond, and I felt instantly guilty for lying to her. I couldn't tell if she knew if I was lying or not, but if she did, she didn't mention anything.

"That makes sense," she said, getting up from her chair. "I need to go to work."

"Have a good day," I told her. "Do you want me to meet you there when you finish?"

"Sure," Anna responded, pushing her braided hair off of her shoulder, grabbing her bag. She gave me a kiss to the cheek, quickly exiting the house, and a shiver ran down my spine. I was never going to get used to her kissing me, and I was frightened to never feel it again if I told her about Amelia. She could hate me for not telling her sooner, and putting it off was making me feel worse.