The Bite of Revenge

Chapter 9

When I finally made it back to the house, I could hear people arguing quite loudly inside. "What the hell is going on in here?" I asked when I walked into the living room.

"Where have you been?" Peter asked, rushing over to me and pulling me to his side, "every single werewolf is on edge because they heard the roar of an alpha earlier."

"I was at the library doing some research," I answered. I then looked toward Taylor and Alison, both looked just as worried, "didn't you guys get my note? I left it on the island in the kitchen before I left this morning."

"There was no note, Anna," Alison answered, just as Mr. Harrison joined us, "and trust me, we looked everywhere, including the trash cans." I clenched my fists in anger. Derrek must have snuck into the house after I had left and taken the note. That would explain why he had followed me.

"Is everyone okay?" Mr. Harrison asked, "I just got the news from Scot that there's an unidentified alpha in our midst."

"That's the understatement of the year," Peter growled, his arm still firmly around my waist, "I even doubled checked with Scot to make sure it wasn't him, and he said, and I quote, 'hell no.'"

"We all know McCall can't roar that loud," Taylor said, rolling her eyes, "unless he's taking some serious steroids that we don't know about, it sure as hell wasn't him."

"Taylor's right," Alison said seriously, "the sheer volume caused a minor earthquake and no werewolf, alpha or otherwise, is loud enough to cause mayhem like that."

"Well, somebody better figure out who the hell it is," Peter said, I could feel his claws digging into my skin, "I don't like the thought of a rogue alpha roaming around the Bone Yard." He then looked towards Mr. Harrison, "sir, may I have a word with you in private?" He then kissed me on the forehead before following Mr. Harrison out of the living room.

"I didn't know Scot was an alpha," I said once Peter and Mr. Harrison were out of earshot, "I just assumed he was just another one of Peter's students."

Technically, he's a full-fledged bounty hunter," Taylor said, "but sometimes he helps the younger students hone their abilities because Derrek doesn't have the patience for them." At the mention of Derrek's name, I clenched my fists in ager again, but before I had the chance to hit something, Peter and Mr. Harrison had returned, and I noticed that Peter looked very satisfied about something.

"Anna, can I see you in my office for a moment please?" Mr. Harrison asked, and I immediately got the feeling that I was being called into the principal's office, but I nodded anyway and followed him down the hall.

"Am I in trouble or something?" I asked as Mr. Harrison shut the door behind him, "cause if I am, I didn't do anything."

"On the contrary," he said as he sat down behind his desk and indicated that I should sit down as well, "I wanted to talk to you about something that Peter has already discussed with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm assuming that you've noticed that Peter has taken a liking to you?" I nodded and Mr. Harrison continued, "he has expressed his interest in the possibility of courting you according to werewolf mating rituals." I almost slipped out of my seat in shock.

"And what did you say?" I asked once I got my bearings.

"I told him that I don't usually get involved with folks' personal business," Mr. Harrison answered, "but as both your parents are no longer with us and I consider you my daughter, I did give him my blessing of the highest regard and respect. I just didn't think this would happen this soon."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"You're considered young by hell hound and even by werewolf standards," Mr. Harrison answered, "most were-creatures don't start actively looking for a mate until after their first three full-moons as an adult. It's the same for hellhounds as well."

"But I wasn't even looking for a mate," I argued, "I wasn't even trying, actually."

"When you were wrestling with Peter, did you shift at all?"

"Yeah, but that was an accident and I didn't fully shift though."

"Accident or not, Peter found your strength attractive, and what he's told me, it seems to me that he admires that strength and he'll do anything to encourage that strength to reach it's full potential." I sat there." I sat there in silence, contemplating on everything that Mr. Harrison had said. After a while, I thanked him and got up to leave. "Peter Hale's a good man, Anna," he said as I headed for the door, "unlike his nephew, Peter will treat you with the utmost respect."

"I'm guessing you talked to Derrek as well?"

"I did, and he asked me for the same blessing that Peter requested not too long ago."

"And? What did you tell him?"

"I told him if he treats a woman like he treats his students, he'll be lucky I didn't fire his ass," Mr. Harrison answered, "then I told him to get the hell out of my office."

"That would explain why Derrek was so pissed off earlier," I thought as I left Mr. Harrison's office, "he probably assumed that he could simply force me to become his mate without Mr. Harrison's blessing." When I came back into the living room, Peter was pacing the room impatiently, but when he saw me, he immediately pulled me to him and kissed me tenderly on the lips.

"What do you say we get the hell out of here?" he whispered, nuzzling my neck.

"That sounds like a good idea," I answered, and just as we were heading for the door, the doorbell rang.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Peter growled before I could open the door. I sniffed the air and realized that Derrek was on the other side.

"No idea," I answered as I opened the door to find Derrek standing on the porch with his hands in his pockets. "You have some nerve showing up here," I told him angrily.

"I came here to apologize for my behavior earlier," Derrek said.

"What the hell are you talking about, Derrek?" Peter asked, putting his arm protectively around my waist.

"Your nephew here thought it would be funny to jump me in the library," I answered, crossing my arms, "but don't worry, I put him through a wall." I practically had to hold Peter back when he tried to lunge at Derrek.

"If you ever come near my mate again, I'll kill you," Peter growled.

"Anna's not your mate yet," Derrek retorted angrily, "as far as I can see, you haven't marked her yet, so I still have a chance."

"What makes you think that I would let you anywhere near me?" I asked angrily, "you literally tried to attack me in the library earlier." Before Derrek could protest, Peter and I shoved past him and headed towards the main compound. "What did Derrek mean by you hadn't marked me yet?" I asked as we got into the elevator to go up to street level.

"I would rather not talk about that," Peter answered, and, for the first time, he looked really uncomfortable, so I dropped the subject. By the time we reached the lobby of Harrison Attorney at Law, there was a car already waiting for us out front. "I thought we could have a picnic in Griffith Park and then explore the city for a bit," Peter said as he opened the car door for me, "and hopefully get to know each other better."

"I'd like that," I answered as he helped me into the car, "Alison was right, you are a gentleman."

"I aim to please." I could see why Mr. Harrison preferred Peter over Derrek. The man was not only polite, but also respectful to anyone he met, while Derrek always seemed to have a stick up his ass. When we arrived at Griffith Park, Peter for out of the car first and offered his hand to me. I took it with a shy smile. "I had someone set up our picnic spot for us," he said after shutting the car door and offering me his arm, "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," I answered as he led me to a shady spot under a cherry blossom tree. "I'm just glad to be breathing fresh air for a change." Peter chuckled as we sat down on the picnic blanket. He then started asking me questions about myself, what my favorite color, favorite food and I did the same to him.

"Were you born a werewolf, or were you bitten?" I almost corrected Peter, but then thought better of it.

"Born," I answered instead," I didn't think it wise to tell him that. I was a hellhound, especially out in the open like this, "but my parents didn't get a chance to tell me, they died before they could break the news to me." Before Peter could say anything to comfort me, I saw someone approach us out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw that it was Viktor.

"Why haven't you returned any of my calls?" he asked, ignoring Peter entirely, "you haven't shown up to work in a week."

"That's because I quit," I answered, getting to my feet and crossing my arms, "didn't you get my letter of resignation?"

"Yes, but I didn't think you were actually serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious, if you think that I'll come back to work for your crazy ass family, you're sadly mistaken."

"At least take some time to reconsider," Viktor argued, "I can even persuade my uncle to give you the floor manager position you've been asking for." I could tell he was lying through his ass and all I could do was laugh in his face.

"Do you honestly think that I would fall for that Viktor?" I asked, rolling my eyes, "you're dumber than I gave you credit for." By now Peter had gotten to his feet and was leaning against the tree and watching me rip Viktor a new one.

"Just think about it, okay?" he said. I could hear the desperation and fear in his voice.

"Already have," I answered, getting right in Viktor's face, "and you can tell your uncle that I'm not interested in anything he has to offer." I could practically see the color drain from his face and I knew that I had hit a nerve.

"Please," Viktor begged, showing real desperation now, "he'll kill me if I don't bring you in." For the first time in the five years that I'd known him, Viktor looked absolutely terrified.

"You know I can't turn myself in to your family," I said, taking a step back from him, "you knew that when you walked over here."

"I know," Viktor sighed, "but you know, my uncle, he won't stop until you and your friends are dead, and he doesn't take too kindly to failure."

"You could just leave, you know," Peter finally piped in, "if you need help with that, I know someone who can get you out of the city, hell, even the country, if you want."

"But what if my uncle finds me?"

"Trust me, he won't." Peter then gave Viktor a business card, "Stiles may be an i***t, but he's good. Give him a call and he'll help you out. Oh and be sure to destroy that as soon as possible." Viktor nodded his thanks and before walking away, he turned back to me. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," he said sadly, "if I could go back and change them, I would." I realized he was apologizing for what he did to my parents. I nodded to indicate that I understood, and he finally walked away. After that, Peter and I finished our lunch in silence.

"Who's Stiles?" I asked as we packed everything up.

"He's the one that we send supernaturals to if they need to get out of Los Angeles in a hurry," Peter answered, "he's also one of the few trusted humans that works for Mr. Harrison and knows not to ask too many questions." When we reached the pond, Peter pulled me behind a tree and kissed me. I was so surprised that I almost lost my balance. "I've been wanting to do this all day," he whispered as he trialed kisses down the nape of my neck and his hand gradually went from my waist to my ass where his claws dug gently into my jeans. Just as I felt Peter's teeth extend, my phone rang and he swore quietly. "Don't answer it," he muttered, going back to kissing my neck, but I checked the caller ID anyway, and saw that it was Taylor.

"Girl, you better get your ass back here," she said when I answered, I could hear roaring and growling and what sounded like wood breaking in the background, "Derrek and Alison are duking it out, and it's getting hairy."

"I'll be right there," I answered and hung up. I then gently pushed Peter, who had his hand up my shirt and getting more persistent with his kisses on my neck, off of me.

"What's wrong?" he asked huskily.

"You need to keep a tighter leash on your nephew, that's what's wrong," I snapped and grabbed his hand and ran with him back to the car. When we got back to Harrison Attorney at Law, I bolted from the car, leaving Peter to chase after me. I reached the house in less than five minutes to find Derrek holding Alison by the neck up against the wall of the living room, which was totally trashed. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and flung him away from Alison, who had slid to the floor and was about to lunge at him again, but I turned on her and let out an earsplitting roar that shook the whole house. Alison immediately backed off and cowered against the wall. "Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on here?" I asked, breathing heavily.

"This son of a b***h wanted to know where you and Peter went off to," Alison answered as she got to her feet, "I told him that i had no idea and if I did, it was none of his god-damn business. He didn't like my answer, so he went off on me and I defended myself." I then stormed over to Derrek, who was just getting to his feet, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and dragged him to the front door just as Peter walked in. I ignored him, and hurled Derrek out the door, which was still wide open.

"If you ever come near me or my friends again, I'll f*****g kill you!" I yelled and slammed the door with a loud bang. I then turned to Peter and jabbed my finger at his chest, "and you tell your nephew that if I ever catch him anywhere near this house, I'll burry him." After that, I stormed upstairs and shut myself up in my room for the rest of the day, not bothering going to go down for dinner and eventually falling asleep in my clothes.