Pacing around the room seemed to heighten my nerves. It was sending me over the edge. I sat down in a squishy white chair by the window. The lack of movement soothed my nerves but it did little to calm my heart.
With each passing moment I was beginning to feel a pull on my heart from the distance between Dante and me. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on him. I thought about how his sweet, masculine scent overpowered my senses. I could almost feel the smooth skin from the back of his hand as he slowly brushed it against my cheek.
The only thing missing was the warmth flowing from his body to mine. Remembering the way his soft lips felt against mine brought tingles from my fingers to my toes. My mouth twitched into a small smile when I thought about the other morning. It was the first time he ever told me he loved me.
The memories were enough to give me the strength to pull on the dark green dress Johnny had brought me in a box almost an hour ago. I was under strict orders to be dressed and ready to go within the hour. I was having a hard time bringing myself to give in to his demands. I had to be strong, not for me but for Dante.
I didn't even bother checking my reflection before stepping outside the bathroom once I was dressed. I didn't really care if I looked a mess or not. Who was I here to impress? No one.
I took one last look out the window. Sunsets were my favorite part of the day. The brilliant pinks, oranges, and yellows that filled the sky brought me tranquility. For once today I was thinking clearly. No matter what happened tonight I had to be prepared for it. I couldn't let my anger get the best of me.
There was a small knock on the door.
"Are you ready?"
I turned around to see Tristan leaning against the doorway. I immediately thought about the first time I woke up in Dante's room. He was standing in the exact same position. Add a scar to his perfect face and grow out his hair. He could pass for my Dante.
"Yes," I whispered.
Tonight I was going to play nice. Hopefully he would stop being so cruel in return. This wasn't the Tristan I knew. Maybe I could bring him back. It was a long shot but I had to try.
"You look nice," he complimented. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was being sincere.
"Thank you."
"I would appreciate it if you could behave yourself tonight in front of the other Alphas. I don't want to alarm any of them and their wives."
I was right.
"They don't know about you and Walter?"
"Not yet. They think we rescued you from the rogues. Tonight we are going to discuss you giving your pack to me."
"I did not agree to that."
"I know. It doesn't have to happen tonight but they think it will happen soon."
"What makes you so confident I will just go along with your request?"
"Arianna," he tiredly sighed, "Just for tonight could you behave and at least pretend like you want to be my mate?"
"What will I get in return?"
"I will let you see your friends."
"Really?" I looked at him curiously.
"Yes. I will allow Hannah and Freddie in to see you tomorrow morning."
I thought it over. There was no way he would negotiate my freedom even if he hadn't drugged me. This was probably the best deal I was going to get.
"Make it Hannah and Logan."
"No."
"Please," I begged him.
He sighed again and I knew he was giving in, "Fine. I will have it arranged that Logan is brought in but only after I see you behave."
"Deal."
The feeling of making a deal with the devil overtook me. I just hoped he would actually keep his end of the bargain. He took my hand into his own and led me outside to the car. Johnny was waiting in the driver's seat for us.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. I didn't want to deal with either male. Thankfully neither of them was trying to talk to me. The silence was relaxing.
The car hit a few bumps in the road. I spent the entire car ride clinging to the handle above the door. Johnny was definitely not the safest driver.
"Are you going to be able to do this? They will sense if you're nervous or skittish."
"I'm fine," I quickly responded without looking at him.
"Arianna, you don't look fine to me."
I scoffed "What do you know about me?"
"I know when you're nervous you bite the right side of your bottom lip. When you're lying you don't like to make eye contact with the person you're lying to. You focus slightly to the left of their head or don't look at them at all."
Words escaped me. My jaw dropped back in shock.
I had a snarky comeback all ready for him but it completely left my mind. No one had ever noticed that stuff about me, not even my best friends or family. The only person who knew that was my father. Even then he would let me get away with anything.
"Arianna, I know more about you than you think. I'm your mate, what did you expect? I have had almost seven years to get to know everything about you."
"Well aren't you special," I muttered under my breath when I finally brought myself to speak.
"Don't be a bitch. It doesn't suit you."
I bit back my tongue to stop myself from lashing out at him. The whole attempt at being nice wasn't going too well.
The car finally came to a halt in front of a familiar parking lot. We were going to the Italian restaurant Hannah and I loved. He was taking me to a public place where I wouldn't be able to make a scene. What was he planning that he didn't want me out of control?
Surprisingly, when Johnny got out of the car he came around and opened the door for me. He smirked as he saw my shocked expression when he held out his hand to help me out of the car. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't trust him for a moment.
He raised his eyebrow when I hesitated taking his hand. Tristan cleared his throat in impatience. I reluctantly placed my hand into his. This was going to be a long night.
Usually the pack Alphas rent out an entire restaurant for privacy during these dinners. Walter had set this one up and they wanted to keep me quiet. I looked around and saw other pack members throughout the dining room.
One of the waiters took us all the way to a private back room. The other Alphas and their wives were waiting for us at a large round table.
"Ari, thank god you are okay!" Aunt Fiona exclaimed.
She stood up from her seat and wrapped her arms around my body. Uncle Bruce calmly stood up and pulled both of us into a bigger hug.
"We are glad you are back safely," he whispered in my ear then straightened up, "Why don't we all have a seat and get this dinner started?'
Tristan pulled out one of the empty seats and motioned for me to sit there. He was going to behave like the perfect gentleman. Tonight was going to be a one-man circus act. He was going to fool everyone but me.
"Arianna, we are all so glad you returned safely," Walter started off the conversation. Well maybe it would be a two-man circus act.
Tristan pinched my leg under the table and gave me a quick glare. I held back on rolling my eyes at his blatant lie.
"Thank you, Alpha Walter," I responded as nicely as I could.
"In fact, I think I shall propose a toast," Walter lifted up his filled champagne glass, "To the safe return of our beloved Arianna and to our newest Alpha couple."
Everyone raised their flutes and clinked them together. There were smiles all around the table.
For once the only ones who weren't faking niceties were the three Alphas who I always distrusted, Terrence, Christian, and Regan. They were also the only ones who had no idea what was going on behind their backs.
Once the toast finished, the waiters came around for everyone's food orders. Aunt Fiona's hand crept under the table and gave my right hand a tiny squeeze. She was trying to reassure me. I felt I could breathe a little easier with her. They knew what was going on and were here for me.
"So, Arianna, now that you have returned will you let Tristan claim the Shadowlands at the next full moon?" Terrence asked after he took a sip of his red wine.
For a moment I panicked thinking about Tristan claiming my pack. But Terrence was just genuinely curious.
"When is the next full moon?" Christian asked.
"In three days," Tristan smugly responded. He placed his arm on the back of my chair. He knew I wouldn't allow it around my shoulders.
"So are you?" Walter prompted.
I hesitate a couple moments too long. Tristan knocked his leg hard into mine under the table where no one could see. I choked on my water from the sudden contact.
"Are you okay?" Fiona asked concerned while she tapped me on the back.
"Yes," I gasped, "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
"Johnny will take you," Tristan quickly snapped his fingers and he appeared behind me.
This was just too weird for me. Why would a hunter as skilled as Johnny be under the beck and call of an Alpha wolf shifter? It just didn't make any sense to me. It should have been Tristan fearing the hunter, not the other way around. It made my curiosity grow. I had to find out just what he had over the hunters to make them act like this.
"I am perfectly capable of finding the ladies room on my own thanks," I gritted my teeth.
"No, let him take you," Tristan dared me to defy him again.
"Fine!" I threw up my hands in exasperation.
It was too much effort to fight with him in front of the Alphas about going alone to the bathroom. I would save my fight for something more important.
Once the door to the ladies room had swung shut behind me, I clicked the lock. My back slid down the wooden door until I was sitting on the ground.
I needed a plan to get out of this mess. I still had at least thirty hours before I would be able to run away from him. There was also my shifting predicament. How would I run away if I couldn't shift? The wolfsbane was still in my system. It could take longer than thirty hours to filter out.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Ari? Are you okay in there?"
I scrambled to stand up and unlock the door. Aunt Fiona stood outside the doorway. I quickly pulled her in before locking it once more.
"I should be asking you if you and the pack are okay."
"Everyone is fine. We are on lock down. The entire pack has been ordered not to leave their house until we know what's going on. They took your mother last night," she told me. Tears began to form in her eyes.
"I know. I saw her this afternoon."
"You did?"
"She escaped," I whispered as I lowered my voice. My lips were barely moving. I didn't know if Johnny was eavesdropping.
"Is she okay?"
"She is with Dante and his pack."
"The rogues?"
"Yes, they're the only ones we can trust right now."
She looked at me curiously before eying my bite mark, "You mated with Dante."
"Yes. He is my mate now, not Tristan. Although that's not from lack of trying."
I lifted the bottom of my dress and showed her the mark Tristan gave me earlier this morning. She gasped when she saw the red, swollen mark. I hadn't paid it any attention until now; out of sight, out of mind. I would rather pretend it wasn't even there.
"We should get you home where you will be safe," she suggested after she composed herself.
"I can't leave Tristan. He poisoned me. I have to be within fifty feet of him at all times for two days."
The bathroom was just close enough. I could feel a slight tug on my insides. The back wall would be too far. I would drop down to the ground, screaming in pain.
"He didn't!"
"He also gave me wolfsbane. I can no longer shift for I don't know how long."
"I'm sorry Ari. We will figure this out."
"Okay, come out now," Johnny pounded his fist against the door, "You've had enough time in there!"
The wood shook under his powerful hand. I quickly unlocked the door.
"It's about time."
Dinner had been brought to the table by the time we returned. I hadn't the slightest clue as to how long we were in there for. It only seemed like a couple minutes. It was clearly too long from the tight-lipped expression Tristan shot me when I took my seat.
"Don't do that again," he hissed at me.
"I don't have the faintest idea as to what you are talking about, sweetheart," I responded in an overly sweet voice. I reached out and touched his cheek.
His hand snapped up and swatted away mine, "Don't test me tonight Arianna. Need I remind you that one toe out of line and you won't see your friends."
I sighed and turned towards my dinner plate. My appetite was long gone. Something had happened while Fiona and I were in the restroom. Everyone was eating in absolute silence. You could only hear the scraping of utensils against the plates.
The quiet was unnerving. I began to fidget in my seat. My eyes grazed over everyone until they landed on Christian. He was blatantly staring at me. I quickly looked around the table to make sure no one was watching us. Not even Tristan was paying attention to me.
Christian's eyes bore into mine like we were caught in a staring game. I raised my eyebrow and dared him to say something, anything. He slightly shook his head and mouthed 'not now' to me.
I looked at him curiously. What the heck was going on?
'I know' he mouthed again. I froze in my seat. He knew what was going on. Why wasn't he doing anything to stop it? Was he on Tristan's side? I should have known better. With the exception of Alpha Daniel and my family, everyone at this table was violent and power crazy.
"Do you mind if I join you?" a deep voice asked.
Everyone looked up from their plates. The sound of metal clanking against plates echoed throughout the restaurant. The head hunter, along with ten others behind him, stood next to Tristan and surrounded the table.
My father showed me his picture once when he was teaching me about the dangers of hunters. I looked at him closely. He was a lot younger than I remembered. He was over six feet tall with wavy blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. His muscles were bigger than Johnny's, which was a frightening thought.
"What is going on here?" Terrence demanded.
"Sit down," the man ordered in a commanding voice.
I had never seen anyone order Terrence around or speak to him in that tone in my entire life. We all watched as one of the hunters placed a hand on Terrence's shoulder and shoved him back into his seat.
"I suppose an introduction is in order. My name is Evan. My father was Gregory, the leader of the hunters. He passed away a few years ago and I took his place," he informed us.
"That didn't tell us what you are doing here in wolf territory."
"Oh, right. This is an invasion. Nobody move."