Stolen Fates - Anna

Fear and Panic

  The pressure had started behind Anna's eyes halfway through the first class of the day and only continued to worsen with each passing hour. She'd taken a few tylenol when it had first started but there had been no relief. Around two o'clock, before her last class, she couldn't stand the throbbing pain in her head anymore and sent her teacher an e-mail to inform them of her absence today. The brightness from the screen of her phone was sending sharp, shooting pains through her eyes and she decided to also inform her boss that she wouldn't be showing up for her shift tonight. Assuming it to be a migraine, she took a few more tylenol and headed home to try and sleep off the pain. The hours passed as the pain only grew.

******

Chase stood at the front door of Anna's apartment building, buzzing her intercom over and over again. He hadn't laid eyes on her since Saturday night and he was getting worried. She still hadn't returned his calls or messages. This was the longest he'd been away from her in over a year. Even when they'd broken up, he'd found ways to be close to her. He would sit at the opposite end of the bar while she worked, follow her to her classes and spend hours outside her apartment in the small park across the street. He was well aware that he was, by definition, stalking her but he didn't give a damn. He needed to be near her.He was so deep into his thoughts of her that he didn't hear Charlie walk up behind him. Chase wasn't aware of the danger until he felt a large hand wrap around the back of his neck, throwing him away from the intercom and against the opposite brick wall. Before he could get even get his feet back under him and steady, the same large hand had wrapped around his throat. Chase's eyes went wide in panic as the fingers around his throat squeezed and a pair of bright green eyes stared daggers into him.Charlie had lost it the second he'd seen Anna's ex at her intercom. Now, staring into the other man's face, he felt the growl rising from his chest before the sound escaped his lips. His canines began to extend and press into his lower lip and he squeezed his fingers tighter around the throat in his grasp."P-please," Chase gasped, his lungs on fire and screaming for air. Dark spots had started to form at the edges of his vision and he pulled at the fingers around his throat. "It's...it's not...what...you think," he choked out and felt the hand squeeze tighter, lifting him from the ground. The tips of his shoes just barely kept contact with the concrete as the green eyes moved closer to his face.Charlie felt his conscience being pushed back, his wolf clawing against the barriers in his mind to keep the beast in control. His body was burning up and he could feel his heart rate racing out of control. He watched as the fingernails of the hand around the man's throat came to a point and began to extend. At the sight, he released his hold and took a step back, watching the man gasp for air in a crumpled heap on the ground."Stay away from her," Charlie said in a deadly calm tone and crouched down to look in the man's eyes once more, the bright green fading to the more natural hazel. "If you come near her again, I'll kill you," he spoke in a more conversational voice and straightened himself to standing."She...she needs...help," Chase said while still gasping to draw air back into his lungs and pushed up on his hands and knees, his chin dropping to his chest as he coughed. "She needs...me," he said more confidently and brought his eyes back up to the wolf. Chase barely saw the man's face contort in fury before he felt the kick land and fell to the ground, holding his stomach and coughing once more."You won't get another warning," Charlie growly lowly and turned away from the crumpled mess of a man. He looked up toward the window belonging to Anna's apartment and felt a strange twist in his chest."I'm telling you," Chase began and gave a grunt of effort as he pushed himself back up standing, still holding his stomach. "Something's wrong," he continued forcefully and took a few steps away from the apartment building, toward the sidewalk. "If you won't let me help her," he tossed over his shoulder and paused the movement of his feet, looking up at the window, as well. "Then don't blame me for what comes next," he completed the warning and left, shaking his head and holding his bruised stomach.Charlie waited until the other man was completely out of sight before taking out his phone and calling Anna. He could hear her phone ringing through her open window and disconnected the call when her voicemail picked up. He tried again and grew more concerned when once again, he could hear her ringtone but she didn't answer.He glanced down the street her ex had disappeared down and thought back on the man's words. He had a feeling in his gut that on some level, the man was telling the truth. Something was wrong and Charlie suddenly and desperately needed to be inside. Taking hold of the knob of the door, he gave a quick, hard twist of his wrist and snapped the lock.He stepped through the door and quickly climbed the stairs. Reaching her door, he used his fist to beat on the door. He called her name loudly a few times and continued to pound on the door but there didn't seem to be any response from inside the apartment. He took a deep breath and felt his nerves calm just slightly as her lavender scent reached his senses. However, mixed with the lavender, another scent was present. This scent reminded him of pine needles on the forest floor during a snow storm. He banged on the door a few more times before simply opening the door by breaking the lock like he'd done downstairs. He couldn't say he was sorry for breaking in to her apartment and honestly, didn't think she'd hold it against him.His eyes scanned the living room and kitchen when he first entered but he didn't see anything to raise an alarm in him. He called her name through the apartment and felt a tingling sensation travel down his spine. He shook the feeling away and called her name again, walking around the apartment to search her bedroom next.He felt his wolf push against the barriers in his mind again, before a sudden, sharp pain shot through his head and dropped him to a knee at her bedroom door."What the f**k was that," he spoke to himself with a hand pressed to his forehead. Charlie squeezed his eyes tightly shut and shook his head, blinking rapidly in confusion as he pushed back to his feet and braced his hands against the doorframe of Anna's bedroom. The strong mingling of scents had him pressing his forehead to the wooden door and forced his breathing to slow before turning the knob.He had barely opened the door when he caught sight of Anna, curled in the fetal position in the center of her bed and shivering violently. "Baby," he called out to her as he dashed across the room to the side of the bed and pushed her matted hair away from her face. Her skin was scorching to his touch and she was soaked through from sweating."Baby, please open your eyes," he pleaded with her and felt, for the first time in his life, true panic. He could hear her whimpering in pain and was truly at a loss at how to help her. "Anna, please," he whispered with his lips pressed against the flaming skin of her forehead.Without warning, Anna's eyes shot open and the white irises landed on Charlie. He felt a stabbing pain in his head again and cursed loudly against it, pressing into his temple with the heel of his hand. As the pain receded, he heard Anna gasp and suddenly sit up on the bed, clutching her head with both hands.Charlie reached out to her and gently turned her face toward his. He watched her eyes as they faded to their natural sapphire color and breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled her to him, engulfing her in his arms. "Are you alright," he asked with an uneven tone, his voice still shaky from his fear and panic."I...I don't know," she answered honestly, still somewhat breathless and shaking. "I thought it was a migraine...but...I've never felt anything like...that before," she continued as she all but clung to him like a lifeline. "Everything...just hurts," she explained and felt his arms tighten around her."I want you to come home with me tonight," he muttered against her hair after placing a soft kiss to the top of her head and inhaled her lavender scent, finding the woodsy scent from before had faded greatly. "Please," he practically begged and felt his body relax slightly when she nodded her head in agreeance. "We'll figure this out, baby," he promised her and held her for a while longer before letting her go so she could shower and gather what she needed to leave for his home, the home of