Seperating Annie and Gerald

Gerald
I left the room a few minutes before Annie did. I was a lot less angry when I walked out, than when Osprey left. Tasting Annie again had brought me as much happiness as it had brought her pleasure. I licked my lips, longing for another taste of her, as I walked down the stairs. I wanted to buy a little time so that the strong cinnamon gum I was chewing could further kill the scent of her on my breath. Osprey was literally sniffing too close for comfort, and I was a little worried that even with the amount of toothpaste and mouthwash I used before coming downstairs, he would still smell her on me, but I didn’t care. It was exhilarating to be touching Annie right under their noses. I smiled at my mother as I walked out of the stairwell.
“Hey, Mom. I’m sorry about what happened earlier,” I told her. “I hope you can forgive me. It was rude of me to speak to you guys like that.”
“Oh, honey! It’s okay. We just want to help you. Please, let us,” she said.
I nodded. “Okay, Mom.” I turned to my father. “I won’t apologize to you, but I will say that I will try to be less angry now.”
My father narrowed his eyes on me. “You seem chipper.”
I shrugged, smiling a little. “Things changed.”
“I’m glad you and Annie are talking again. Maybe now you can go back to being our Gerry. I don’t like ‘Gerald’ much,” my mother said.
My lips turned up more at the thought of Annie. “Me, too, Mom. I’ve missed her. She was always my best friend. I’ve been lost without her.”
My father put his hand on my shoulder. “We know, son. You two were as thick as Scarlett and Elena. It’s been weird.”
“I know, trust me,” I said as my eyes immediately latched onto Annie as she stepped off the elevator. “I feel like I can relax now, which is nice. I don’t have to worry about my favorite person possibly being hurt. I won’t allow her to be hurt here.”
Annie smiled as she approached us. “I’m sorry for being late. I couldn’t decide which shoes to wear.”
Osprey walked over to her, draped his arm over her shoulders, and took a long, deep audible inhale. Our parents gave him a curious look while I smirked at him. I knew what he was looking for. He was looking for my scent on Annie, but he wouldn’t find it. I had taken a page out of his book and had her cover herself in my cologne. It was the same thing she did when she was younger, and she smelled faintly of my cologne when I picked her up at the bar, which told me she still wore it so nobody would ever know. Osprey thought he was slick. Well, I was fucking slicker, and Annie was mine. He wasn’t going to take her from me. I bit back a growl when she smiled sweetly up at him.
“You promised me food. Can we go eat now?” She asked.
“Of course. Let’s go. But I would like you to ride with me, Annie. I want to speak to you,” he told her, as he began to lead her out of the lobby. “And I will know if there is anyone eavesdropping,” he warned with his eyes on mine.
I held his gaze until Annie leaned against his side. “Okay, ‘Sprey.”
They left me standing with my parents, who were all wearing looks of confusion. I chuckled as I patted my mother’s shoulder before following Annie out of the lobby.
“He thinks I’m sleeping with Annie. Probably wants to question her without me around,” I called over my shoulder.
“WHAT?!” My father yelled.
I shrugged. “Crazy, isn’t it?”
I walked over to my car while my father jogged behind me. “Can I ride with you?”
I clenched my jaw but nodded. We got in my car before following Osprey down the road. I stayed on his ass so that I could watch Annie’s behavior and expressions while my father watched mine. I made sure to remain relaxed so as not to make my father suspicious.
“Are you sleeping with your sister?” He asked suddenly.
“No, Dad. Not only is she my sister, but you know that I’ve never been with a redhead. I like blondes. Annie brings out my need to protect,” I answered, lying through my teeth.
“Is that the only thing she makes you feel?”
I raised my eyebrow at him. “How do you think I should feel? Aroused? Possessive? Maybe something stronger? Should I want to risk the Goddess’s fury to mate and mark her? That would be stupid.” I shrugged. “When I left the sleuth, I didn’t want to lose Annie, but I did. I hated that we fought over my departure when it had nothing to do with her.” I paused as Annie laughed in the car ahead of us before throwing her arms around Osprey’s neck. Jealousy flared to life instantly. “I want a mate, Dad. That’s what drives me. Nothing else.”
“Who’s the girl you left the sleuth for?” He asked.
“Aggie. It crushed me when she found her mate,” I said honestly.
And it had. I had spent so many nights begging the Goddess to make her my mate. I thought that if I had a mate, I could let Annie go and stay at home, but it didn’t work out that way. She had found her mate on our date in the city soon after we graduated. I had returned home defeated, while she stayed behind to get to know her mate. Annie had been waiting for me on the porch that night, which only added to my frustration. Mating with Aggie had been my only hope, and it had blown up in my face.
He sighed. “Alright, son. What are you going to do with Annie now that she’s here?”
“Protect her. Guide her. Help her and be whatever she needs me to be,” I responded as I pulled into a parking spot beside Osprey’s vehicle.
“Will you tell me if we need to bring her home?” He asked me.
“Yeah,” I agreed, knowing full well that I was going to do no such thing.
“I’m worried about her, Gerald. She has been so sad since you left. It’s probably why she slept with the wolf. She can’t do that. The last thing she needs is to have a baby with someone who’s not her mate.”
“I know. That’s why I got her the Plan Bs. I promise you that I will take care of her. She is my favorite person.”
“I know. We are just worried. We sheltered her so much. She doesn’t have any real-world experience, like you do.”
“I know.”
Annie bounded over to knock on my father’s window. “Come on, Dad, Gerry. I’m hungry.”
I rolled my eyes. “She just ate two hours ago. She could always pack it away.”
“She’s our baby, Gerald. We’re depending on you to keep her safe,” my father said before getting out of the car.
Annie glanced at me as he hugged her. I watched her for a moment, chatting excitedly with our family, and once again, guilt filled me. They started walking into the Golden Corral while Osprey stood still, obviously waiting for me. Resigning myself to another argument with him, I got out. He glared at me, making me frown at him. What had Annie told him?
“Annie said she had a date with that wolf! Did you know about that?” He asked.
“No.” She better not have a fucking date with that bastard!
“She said she liked him. I don’t trust it. Watch him and make sure he knows that we are not going to tolerate any disrespect toward her.”
“I will,” I growled, irritated beyond belief now.
He patted my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s eat. Scarlett told me that making sure our parents didn’t kill you or Annie was more important than feeding me before I left.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re a fatass. I would have told you that too.”
“HEY!” He shouted behind me. “It’s Godric.”
“Sure it is, big bro’. Sure, it is.”
I quickly zeroed in on Annie at the buffet line. I grabbed a plate before starting at the other end, stacking my plate high with all the things that Annie loved, knowing that she was going to pick off my plate. Annie didn’t ask. She just took. From everyone. When we met in the middle of the line, she smiled at me while I frowned at her.
“So, you have a date with this wolf now, do you?” I whispered furiously to her as Kraven’s aura bled out a little.
“Of course I do. How else am I going to explain my continued need for Plan B without a boyfriend?” She whispered back before moving around me.
I narrowed my eyes on her for a moment before continuing to get food. I wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, but she better fucking be, or I was going to kill the bastard. When I got back to the table, I instantly became more agitated, seeing how there were only two empty seats across from each other. I wanted Annie to sit next to me, but they hadn’t left two seats open side by side. I took a chair, and my mother beamed at me.
“Gerry!”
“Yes, Mom?”
“Did Annie tell you the good news?” She gushed.
“She told me about the program, yes…”
“Not that. The other thing,” she said as Annie walked up to the table.
“No. What other thing?” I asked, a little worried at the way Annie refused to meet my eyes.
“She has agreed to consider being the Alpha Sow, at the Havana Sleuth, on the west coast after her schooling is completed! Isn’t that exciting?”
My fingers tightened around my fork as pure fury raged through my body. “Very.”
My mother put her arm around Annie’s shoulders, squeezing tightly. “She’s going to be a great Alpha Sow. She’s been training with Scarlett and me. She’s got everything down pat.”
“That’s amazing,” I said happily, priding myself on how well I could fake the emotion while I was drowning in sorrow. Her eyes finally met mine, and I could see the apology in hers. “Alpha Sow Annaria. Has a ring to it.”
And it did. But the only way I wanted her to be Alpha Sow, was if she was going to be mine. Not some sleuth’s Alpha Sow across the country. She was mine, and I needed her. Fuck that Alpha. If he tried to take her away from me, I was going to kill him and his entire fucking sleuth.