JARED'S POV
I woke up panicked, rushing around the house in search for Anna, noticing the note she had left me. I didn't like the fact that she had gone without telling me. I was concerned for her, but I knew that my pack was watching her. They would make sure she got to the school alright.
Dylan had informed me that he hadn't sent Sophia to school today, and I didn't blame him. He was worried about her safety, and I agreed that the safest place for her at the moment was at home with her family. He had also assured me that his fighters had spotted Anna entering the school today, so I didn't need to worry about her whereabouts.
Anna not having a phone was freaking me out, and I decided that I would take her to get her one as soon as she got back from work. I needed to be able to communicate with her.
Pulling out my laptop from my bag, I began working on some spreadsheets, running my hand through my hair in angst as I tried to sort out everyone's training regimes. They were compromised at the moment though, and I knew that a lot of them would be having to cut their sessions short to head out and search for Amelia.
There hadn't been any more sightings of the strange man that had been leaving and re-entering the town though, which was good news. It appeared that he had disappeared, and I started to convince myself that it wasn't Anna's Father. It could have just been a coincidence. There was no need to bring it up to her and worry her even more.
I wasn't sure how long I had worked for, but the time seemed to breeze past me, the sound of the front door opening gaining my attention. I instantly wheeled myself over to it, the scent of Anna wafting through the air.
"You're home," I stated, taking in her frown and dishevelled expression.
I didn't even need to ask. I already knew what had happened.
Opening up my arms, Anna moved over to me to wrap hers around me, snuggling her face into my neck.
"They said they wouldn't involve the police if I left," she said, pulling away, and I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. I had expected her to look more upset, but she appeared to be taking the news well.
"Are you okay?" I asked, chewing on my bottom lip.
"I think so." Anna nodded, dropping her bag to the ground. "I collected my things I left when Amelia showed up."
"Your phone?" I questioned, and Anna reached into her brown faux leather bag, pulling out her crushed phone, pieces dangling off of it.
I grimaced, taking it from her and studying it, shaking my head. "It's fine. I'll get you a new one. Do you want to come and choose one?"
Anna shrugged, looking a little uneasy. "I don't know. I don't really want to blow my entire pay check on a phone."
I cocked my head at her, offering her a smirk. She already knew that I wasn't going to be letting her purchase it for herself.
"Come on," I said, taking her hand. "Let's go."
"What about Amelia?" Anna asked, pulling me back, digging her heels into the ground.
"The pack are watching. They'll call me the second they pick up her scent," I told her, smiling.
We couldn't allow Amelia to control us. She had made it clear that she wanted me and was going to stop at nothing to get what she wanted, but I didn't care about that. She was never going to have me. I was going to continue to live my life with Anna, ensuring that she was safe by my side.
We couldn't cower in fear and allow her to win. We had the upper hand here. Amelia was greatly outnumbered.
I called a cab for us. I couldn't be bothered to spend twenty minutes walking to the phone store, and I wanted us to be in and out as quickly as possible. Lingering around wasn't safe.
Anna seemed excited at the prospect of getting a new phone, and I laughed as she bounced her leg up and down on the cab seat. I could tell that she wanted to argue about me buying the it for her, but I quickly shut that conversation down.
If she needed to save her money, then she could. I had no problem buying her something that she needed, especially since Amelia was the one who had broken it.
We thanked the driver as we got out of the cab, and I craned my neck as I gazed up at the large phone shop in front of us. I had never been inside before, but it was always busy and bustling, and today was no exception.
We entered, hand in hand, the chattering of people filling the room and banging against my eardrums. Anna instantly took notice of the sheer amount of phones that were on display, and I nodded at her to continue, pointing to a few that I thought she would like.
Her eyes immediately widened at the price, and I rolled my own at her, shaking my head. "Don't pay attention to the cost. It doesn't matter."
I looked around the room at some of the colleagues, all of them busy and speaking to other customers, so it appeared we would have to wait. Although, Anna didn't seem to mind. She was already busy playing on the display phones, tapping away and going through the features that they had. The phone she had had before was severely outdated.
I watched her in awe as she did so, smiling to myself, but, a strange scent suddenly filled my nostrils, and I narrowed my eyes. I gazed around the room, attempting to look through the sea of people, but, being in a wheelchair further to the ground than everybody else made it tricky.
"Looking for me?"
I whirled around at the voice, my eyes widening to see Amelia standing in front of me, her hand on her hip. I gasped, focusing in on Anna who's eyes were glued to the back of Amelia's head. She looked panicked, her mouth slightly ajar and hands shaking.
"Amelia," I muttered, reaching into my pocket for my phone, but, Amelia moved forwards quickly, grabbing my hand tightly.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she muttered, nodding to a small child that stood beside her, completely infatuated with one of the phones. "I can snap her neck in a matter of seconds and disappear without anyone seeing me. You wouldn't want to be the reason for the death of a human child, now would you?"
Gulping, I huffed, shoving my phone back into my pocket, nodding at Anna to make her way over to me.
"No," Amelia growled, turning to my mate. "You stay exactly where you are."
Nobody was paying attention to us, all of the humans in their own little world and continuing on with their tasks. We were in the corner of the room, away from prying eyes.
"What do you want?" I spat, shaking my head.
"Isn't it obvious, Jared?" Amelia teased, pouting slightly, trailing a finger down my neck, lingering on my chest. "I want you."
I shivered in disgust under her touch, shoving her hand away and releasing a small growl, baring my teeth.
Anna's face went red, and she took a step forwards, causing Amelia to whirl around and release a threatening growl, quiet enough that it couldn't be heard by the majority of the people in the shop. "Don't even think about. I could break you like a twig, and I would hate to do that. I want to long this out. It will ruin my fun."
The words caused me to roll forwards, and I grabbed a hold of Amelia's wrist, squeezing tightly. "I will call my pack and get them down here. You'll be dead in seconds."
"Oh, really?" Amelia chuckled, pushing her long blonde hair away from her face. "You wouldn't want to cause a scene though, would you, Jared? As I said, I could kill anybody here and not think twice about it."
I took a deep breath, clenching up my fists. I was glad to know that my feelings were still the same towards Amelia. There were no tingles when we touched, and I felt nothing but hatred towards her. She looked older and more mature, but her actions showed otherwise. She was the same old selfish, bitchy and neurotic Amelia. Severing our bond was one of the best things I had ever done.
"It's me that you want. Don't take this out on people who don't deserve it," Anna spoke up, and I shook my head at her, telling her to remain quiet. We didn't need to rile Amelia up. She seemed unstable, and I honestly believed that she was willing to kill any innocent human here just to prove a point to us.
Amelia rolled her eyes, gazing at Anna, looking her up and down. "I don't want you. I want you to suffer. Haven't I made myself clear?"
"Yes, you have, so it's time for you to go," I growled at her, moving around the table to take Anna's hand, pulling her behind me.
"Oh, stop with the protective shit, Jared," Amelia sighed as she began tapping away on one of the phones, looking bored. "We both know it's just for show. I'm sure you'd much rather be protecting me."
"You're brave being out in public," I stated. "The pack will pick up on your scent quickly, and they'll find you."
"That's why I don't stick around for too long," Amelia told us, raising her eyebrows. "But I just wanted to remind you both, that I'll always be here. And I also always get what I want. One way or another."
She smiled, turning on her heel and exiting the shop, her heeled boots clacking against the tiles. Anna released a small sigh, turning to me and burying her face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her, immediately pulling my phone from my pocket, placing it to my ear.
"Dylan, the fighters need to get over here now."
•••
She's always just popping up.
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