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had perished in the gale. All had drowned, lost to the
cruelty of the bay when the boat had capsized. After his mate had died, Dante
was left with a void, one he’d not been able to fill. Now Anya was there, and
it seemed as if she were fated to be his. However, the nightmare had brought
back the terror of losing a mate, and that fear filled him again. What if he
lost Anya? What if he did have to return her for his sister? And what if he was
reading the signs from Anya wrong? What if she really didn’t want him?
    Self-doubt crept
into him. It was not something he liked to feel. As alpha, he needed to be
sound, strong and without doubts. He set out, having decided he needed to wash
away those thoughts and clear his head. Dante made his way into the woods
before he stripped down and then shifted forms. It felt great to run, and as he
let his beast free, his head arched back and he let a mournful howl escape into
the early morning air.
    Dante loped off
down the old cattle trail to the river and didn’t slow down as the swimming
hole came into sight. Memories of his younger years flowed through his mind.
When it was all a carefree existence and all he had to do was hunt, play and
make love to the pretty human females on the mainland. As his body crashed into
the crystal clear water, he let out a yelp of surprise. The water was ice cold
and the shock of it took him off guard. It’d been a long time since he’d come there
for a swim.
    It didn’t take
long before his mind drifted back to Anya, though he would need to go there
again this morning and question her as to his sister’s whereabouts. He knew she
was lying, knew her pack had his sister. For the life of him, Dante could not
reason out why she just wouldn’t tell him. After all, he’d promised her freedom
if she did. That meant there had to be something or someone Anya tried to keep
secret. The next time he talked with her, he would have to ensure he was not
soft. He couldn’t afford to let her see that side of him.
    He took his time
walking back to where his clothes were. Dante continued his thoughts on how to
get the truth from Anya. There had to be a way to do it, one that didn’t have
her hating him completely. The long call of the roosters echoed from the
village. He would have to bring Anya her breakfast. Again a smile slid over his
face. He couldn’t help the excitement building in him to be able to spend time
with her.
     
    * * * *
     
    Anya made good headway
digging into the floorboards. She figured within the next few nights she would
have a hole big enough for her to crawl out. That is if the feeling and
mobility were back in her lower half by then, she thought. After several hours
of scrapping away, she shifted back to human and used her hands to push the
torn up slivers of wood into the tiny hole that she’d managed to break all the
way through. The rich smell of the earth floor a few feet below drifted up to
her nose, and she felt elated at the prospect of escape.
    Crawling out
from under the bed, she struggled to get back on it. The digging had nearly
wiped her out. Her attempt to get back onto the mattress was more than she could
manage, and she decided to get dressed as she leaned against the side of it. If
they asked her in the morning why she was on the floor she would lie and say
she fell out of bed. Tired, aching and feeling a little hopeful with her
progress tonight, she pulled the quilt down and then stretched out on the floor
and fell asleep.
    The soft rattle
of the chain awoke her. Anya had only been asleep for a few hours as she still
felt extremely tired. She looked up at the door as it opened and Dante stepped
inside carrying a basket with a towel over it. His eyes looked as they always
did, burning and glaring at her. But in the instant he saw her on the floor it
changed. His look of concern was as plain as day.
    “Anya, why in the
hell are you on the floor,” he exclaimed and rushed to put the basket down on
the table. He turned and