Chapter 3: The Man Next to the Red Shoes
Anna’s P.O.V.
I walked through the door, tiptoe on my red slip on shoes. Hoping Geoffrey wouldn’t hear me enter. I climbed the stairs, avoiding the creaky steps and went up to the upstairs living room. I walked through the dark hallway over the even darker wooden floors, a beam of light shone from under the living room door.
He was waiting.
I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
“Where have you been?” He said with a weird tone, suggesting he had been drinking, the glass in his hand proved I was right.
“I went out to dinner with a friend.” I told him, which was true, I liked Lauren, I just left Brenann out of my story.
“They told me you left with a man.” He said. Crap, we had been seen.
“That’s her brother, he drove us to the restaurant.” I told him, still speaking the truth.
“Will you see him again?” He asked as he put the glass down on the table and walked towards me.
“If I hang out with Lauren I am sure to cross paths at some point.” I told him.
“I don’t want you to see him again, we’re going to have a baby, you don’t have time for other men.” He said as he started kissing my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
“Geoffrey, please not now, I’m tired.” I told him, hoping it would make him stop.
He didn’t
His hands moved over my back to my head, he held my neck and hair as he kissed me more on my neck, slowly going lower and lower until he had reached the top of my green shirt and black zip up hoodie. He pulled off the hoodie and the shirt slowly followed.
I struggled, Geoffrey yelled at me and I felt his hand tighten about my body, it hurt. One arm laid on my arms, I was sure a bruise would be there tomorrow. He was always scary when he was drunk.
I swallowed, I didn’t want this. A short image popped up in my head, the image of another man, a man with bronze hair and vibrant blue eyes. I gasped and the image disappeared.
Geoffrey was currently in the process of taking of my bra, something he was nearly unable to do because of his state of mind, and the fact that he was drunk.
Moment later my bra fell on the floor and Geoffrey kissed my breasts tenderly. He picked me up from the ground and took me to the bedroom. There he took of all of his clothes and stripped me down to my birth suit.
“Let’s make a baby.” He smiled as he kissed my breasts and slowly went down, he kissed every inch of my body, something I used to be able to enjoy, but now I found it repulsing.
I wanted to cry as Geoffrey spread my legs slightly and thrust his manhood inside of me. He kissed me on the mouth, his eyes closed as he made rough love to me.
Tears streamed slowly down my face. In my head the image of the bronze haired man and his vibrant blue eyes kept appearing. Brenann was on my mind.
He had left a great impression on me, he seemed powerful yet kind, he listened and responded, he conversed as to where Geoffrey just spoke and commanded.
I felt Geoffrey tense up as he reached his limit. He rolled of off me and took me in his arms. One of his hands on my stomach. He kissed my jaw and stroked my hair of my sweaty forehead.
Geoffrey’s dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes disappeared and were replaced by Brenann. I felt myself go mad. How could someone who I had only met such a short time ago take so much of me? I had never loved Geoffrey as he loved me, but I had always been able to fake so, that talent seemed to slowly disappear.
But that, right now, was the least of my worries. What if I got pregnant?
Brenann’s P.O.V.
I parked the car and without saying anything stormed up the stairs into my room.
I grabbed my desk chair and threw it out of the window. I growled. I yelled and cried.
A short image, an image through Anna’s eyes had popped up into my head. I could see a man lying on top of her, as naked as she was. He was making love to her but her eyes were filled with tears.
“Brennan calm down!” I could hear Lauren scream, she didn’t know what was going on.
“Get out!” I yelled at her with fury. When she didn’t move I walked towards her and pushed her out of the room, slamming the door shut.
The image came back, same as before, this time it wasn’t from our mate connection, this time it was a memory. The horrible memory of seeing my mate have sex with someone other than me. but the worst thing of all was that she seemed to dislike it herself.
I clenched my hand into a fist, my knuckles turning white. I exclaimed loud angry noises that were neither man nor wolf, they were pure agony and fury. I slammed my fists into the wall trying to knock it down, hoping it would help me calm down.
The door opened, or was taken down was more like it. My beta Harrison ran towards me and grabbed me arms but I broke loose.
“Brenann! Calm down.” He yelled at me while trying to grab my arms again, my own blood seeping of them and dripping on the floor as I swung them around to break free. A few others came in and helped Harrison, they grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back, I leaned forward and felt myself shaking, I was about to change of anger. I screamed again as the image appeared once more.
“Brennan calm down this is not you calm down!” I heard Harrison yell.
I struggled for a long time but tired out after a while, hot tears of anger and agony streaming down my face, my jaw clenched, dried up blood on my arms and the floor. My whole room had been destroyed. I let myself fall limb into my packs strong arms.
What had I done?
Anna’s P.O.V.
I cried silent tears when Geoffrey had already fallen asleep. I had wanted to take a shower, clean myself from him, and wash of all the sweat and semen that were on my body.
To make the pain go away I thought of this afternoon, the laughter the friendship the easy going conversations and the gentle looks and gestures. The memory felt like a dream until it really became one and I fell asleep.
~~
The next morning I awoke, still lying in Geoffrey’s arms, he was awake and looked at me.
“Good morning sweetheart.” He said as he kissed me. “If after last night you’re not pregnant I don’t know what I have to do.” He said and got up to take a shower and make breakfast. Leaving me, naked and dirty in the bed with many worrying thoughts.
Should I get the morning after pill? Should I secretly start taking anti conception? But Geoffrey probably had his man on the lookout at pharmacies. The only thing to do now was hope I wasn’t pregnant and buy many, many, pregnancy tests.
I found myself in desperate need to tell someone about my problems, a first in my existence. I had never depended on another soul apart from my father, but as he was not in London, I couldn’t talk to him properly.
“Lauren.” I spoke her name softly; she was the only person I knew I would be willing to talk to.
With sudden enthusiasm I got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, Geoffrey was still drying himself off but I didn’t care, I wanted a quick shower before getting out. I showered at super human speed and got dressed and ate breakfast in the same fashion. I got out of the house with a short goodbye to Geoffrey and took the subway to the ballet school. I checked her coat hanger, number 134 but it was empty. I sat down on the steps in front of the school and awaited her arrival.
Lauren’s P.O.V.
Throughout the nigh Harrison had stayed with Brenann, comforting him and trying to calm him down. Brenann hadn’t allowed me to treat his wounds yet and I hadn’t heard what he had suddenly gone mad about.
I had taken the bus to the school, I was later than I’d normally be but still had half an hour to spare before I had to enter the school. I liked being early, that way I could practice before the others came into the dancing hall.
But as I laid eyes on the school, I knew I wouldn’t be having extra practice today.
Anna sat on the steps, her back straight and her legs beautifully laid to the side as if she was a mermaid sitting on a rock. Her eyes absent and sad, her hands placed gently in her lap. I walked towards her and she looked up with eyes filled with happiness. She got up from the steps.
“Lauren!” She said and walked towards me, I had never noticed before but she walked as If she was dancing, she looked like a happy child if it hadn’t been for the presence of breasts and that her face gave her age away.
“Anna, that’s surprising.” I said with a gentle smile.
“What is?” She asked.
“You waiting for me in the morning.” I told her with a grin.
“Yes… I have a request that might sound strange…” She said while looking at her red shoes.
“Let’s hear it then.” I said with a comforting smile, urging her to tell me what was going on.
“I need someone I can trust, I need someone to talk to.” She whispered.
“Why not ask your husband?” I asked with slight confusion.
“It’s him I wish to talk about.” She whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” I whispered back.
“I’m being watched, everything I say goes straight to Geoffrey.” She whispered so softly only werewolf ears would be able to hear. I nodded and took her hand. I led her around the school into the gardens, there was a place, an overgrown maze, where no one ever came. Apart from couples wanting to make out of course.
We looked for a bench and sat down, I felt completely unfeminine beside her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she blurted out her entire story.
The fact that she hadn’t been considered good enough to be a professional dancer, that she had seduced Geoffrey for the money and the power, that she didn’t love him one bit.
And worst of all that she thought she might be pregnant of a child she didn’t want.
“Yesterday, he wouldn’t stop, I told him I didn’t want to have sex but he just did it and I stopped resisting, is it bad of me to not resist? Should I have put up more of a fight? I was so terribly scared he can be quite dangerous when he’s drunk.” She cried softly and I put my arms around her small shoulders.
I wondered if this small girl could even carry a child, the thought of her carrying a baby made me feel sad, it would hurt her a lot, it would bring an end to her carrier, it would be a chance for Geoffrey to lock her up for once and for all.
“Shush, you are not to blame Anna, please don’t think about those kind of things, you stood no chance against a man as big as Geoffrey, you tried to stop him but he didn’t listen, he was at fault.” I told her while stroking her hair and she buried her face in my shoulder. “Do you want to get a morning after pill or see a doctor?” I asked her.
“I can’t, he keeps close watch on every pharmacy in London, I’m sure of it and a doctor’s appointment? I could never get away with it…” She said the sound of her voice muffled by my shoulder.
“But what if I got it for you? He wouldn’t know it was for you right?” I asked her.
“I’m sure he’ll find out. I’m sure they are watching us as we speak.” She whispered. I used my werewolf hearing and noticed that indeed, at a distance there were 3 men present, they were too far away to hear us but close enough to see us.
“Then I guess all you can do is hope…” I said, my mind wandering to Brenann, was this the reason he had gone mad? Had he seen something through their mate’s connection?
“I could get you a pregnancy test if you want?” I tried, I wanted to be of help.
“I’m sure there is already a stash at home but they won’t do any good, I have to wait to see if I get my period first…” She sobbed.
“When were you supposed to start your period?” I asked her.
“Two weeks…” She told me still sobbing.
“Do you want to come to my place after class?” I asked. she looked up at me.
“Can i?” She asked.
“I’m asking you for a reason.” I told her with a smile.
“I’d love to.” She said.
“You won’t get into trouble?” I asked.
“Not as long as Geoffrey isn’t home yet.” She said while wiping the tears from her face.
“That’s settled then.” I told her as we got up and made out way to class.
This would cheer Brenann up.