A Not So Timid Annie

Gerald
I was flipped out of the bed while it was still dark outside. I glared up at Giselda as she smirked down at me.
“Get the fuck up! It’s time to get to work!” She snapped.
“What time is it? It’s still dark outside,” I told her.
“I know it is. It’s 3 AM. I’ve already eaten, showered, and gone for a run. It takes a lot to run Havana. Probably more than you realize because your sleuth has 8 alphas. Don’t be weak, Gerald. Weak beta boars die.” She shrugged. “If you embarrass me, I’ll kill you myself. So you either get the fuck up, or you accept my rejection. Take your pick.”
I sighed as I pushed myself up off the ground. “Alright, Giselda. Will we be getting up at 3 AM every morning?”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “If I choose to.”
“So let me get this right. I have to get up when you do just because?” I asked.
“If you want to stay here with me, yes. If I leave the room, so do you. If I’m in the room, you are too. If I eat, you eat. If I go for a run, you do too. If I go to the gym to work out, I fully expect you to spot me. I want you to be in my sight at all times.”
“Anything else?” I said, barely able to contain my anger.
“Yeah. I hate you.”
She spun around to walk out of the room, and I hurried after her. I hated having to pretend like I was submissive, but if it kept me here so I could eventually get to Annie, then I would tolerate her complete disrespect. At least for now. The lower her guard was, the easier it would be to take them both. I entered into an office on the floor above us, and I glanced around, taking in where everything was. There was not really much in there that could be of use to me. There was nothing to hint at weaknesses, neither hers or Logan’s. Not that I needed to know Logan’s weakness. I already knew what his was, and it was the same as mine.
Annie. She was the only weakness worth having, but I, thankfully, had managed to turn my love for her into a strength. It kept me focused. It kept me pushing forward to do whatever I had to do to make her mine again. I glanced at Giselda. To make both of them mine. Giselda gestured to the couch on the other side of the room.
“Sit down and don’t bother me,” she ordered.
I narrowed my eyes on her but went to sit down on the couch. “Am I just supposed to sit here all day and do nothing?”
“Yep. Now be a good beta boar, and shut the fuck up!” She growled.
“Yes, Giselda. As you wish, Giselda,” I muttered under my breath.
I leaned back against the couch, putting my feet on the coffee table as I put my arms behind my head. The room remained completely silent for an hour until quiet sniffles drew my attention back to her. She was wiping her face every few seconds while she poured over documents. I clenched my jaw, hating the way her tears came so freely for a man who wasn’t me. Goddess, I was going to enjoy killing her when it was time. She was going to regret choosing him. I would make sure of it. I hated her. Even though she was my fated mate. I hated the little bitch. I looked away from her, pretending not to have noticed that she was upset. Again. For a man that she didn’t belong to.
I closed my eyes, wanting to pretend like I was asleep. I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t want to be around her. I wish that she hadn’t put this stupid requirement in place. Having to be in her sights at all times. What in the fuck was I? A naughty six year old? Pfft. My time could be better served exploring the sleuth to find an exit strategy. I knew that I couldn’t walk out of the gate with the two bitches. I also knew that they wouldn’t go over the wall with me. They would fight me tooth and nail. I might even have to kill one of them on the way out and I didn’t want to, which was the exact reason that I needed to find another way out. I wanted to find a way where both of them could survive. I had plans for them.
My eyes snapped open to glare at Giselda. Especially that one. Annie would never speak to me the way this little whore did. Annie was a good girl, and that was why I might let her live after I trained her. She was a good girl. She always was. She always would be, and that was why I loved her. She was the only one that deserved my love. Not Giselda. Annie would choose me again. She would be mine just like she was before she met Logan. After he was gone, she would come crawling back to me. She would have no choice. I would make sure of it.
Kraven’s ears perked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs and Annie’s scent drifted over to us. I got up to cross the room to place my hands on Giselda’s shoulders, and she immediately shrugged me off. I bit back a growl as the office door opened. Logan walked in with Annie cradled in his arms, sending a wave of fury and hatred through me as I put my hands back on Giselda’s shoulders. Annie started struggling in his arms, and he set her down, pulling her close to his side. I looked down at Giselda to avoid seeing the way my woman leaned into Logan. Oh yeah, I was going to kill the little prick.
“Logan, Annie. You’re back,” Giselda gushed, making me want to snap her neck.
She had been so standoffish and rude to me since I arrived at Havana while she was nice to everyone else. Logan narrowed his eyes on me, making me smirk inside my head while Kraven bared his teeth.
“We are, and I would like to know where Milton is. I would like to know even more why in the hell Gerlad is standing in my office?” Logan snapped.
Giselda glanced up at me before sighing. “We were attacked yesterday,” she whispered as she reached up to link her fingers with mine. “M-Milton was–” Her words caught on a sob. “Milton was killed. I would have died too if it wasn’t for Gerald.”
Logan immediately moved forward to pull Giselda out of her chair to hug her. “Oh, Gilda, I am so sorry that I wasn’t here. I should have been here.”
Giselda pulled back from him to touch his cheek. “It’s not your fault, Logan. Ryan arranged the assault. It’s his fault. He is in the dungeons awaiting his punishment.”
“Does this mean that you forgive Gerry?” Annie asked quietly from the doorway, making everyone’s eyes go straight to her.
There was my good girl. Always sticking up for me. I knew she still loved me. Giselda glanced back at me and I tore my eyes away from Annie to meet her eyes. She sighed before nodding.
“I’m trying to. He jumped in to protect me, and helped kill the feral bears. And then when I was dying from losing Milton, he kept me alive,” Giselda told her softly.
Annie looked between me and Giselda, and I held her gaze. I knew from the way her eyes were suspiciously blank that she wasn’t sure if Giselda was being honest or not. Annie might be a sweet, sheltered girl, but she always picked up on the emotions of other people. Well, most people. I learned to hide how I felt from her years ago. It was the best thing I could have done, because it brought her to me. I almost groaned when Giselda walked over to her to hug her tightly. Just the sight of the two of them in an embrace made my dick hard. I looked away from them, moving my eyes over Logan’s face, not missing the knowing look on his face. Well, shit! I had to be more careful with my reactions. I was really under the microscope now with both Giselda and Logan watching me.
“Giselda, we should plan a funeral service for Milton,” Annie murmured. “I would like the honor of doing it for you. I know how much he meant to you and I also know how wrong I was to not see how right he was for you.”
My head snapped around to look at Annie. What in the fuck did she just say? Did she just say that the bastard was right for my mate? MY FUCKING MATE? Oh, she was going to pay for that. The only one that was right for either of them was me. Giselda pulled back to kiss her cheek.
“It’s okay, Annie. Gerald already agreed to plan the perfect service for Milton. But if you would like, you can have the final say so when he is done,” Giselda told Annie.
“Yeah, that would be okay,” Annie said as she took Giselda’s hands. “We will make sure that he has the most beautiful service ever. He deserves to be sent off with a service fitting of who he was, what he meant to Havana, and more importantly, with all the love that you had for him.”
Giselda wiped a tear off her face. “I’d like that, Annie. Thank you.”
“Of course, Gilda.”
Annie hesitated before walking over to me where she looked up at me. “I’m glad you are here, Gerry. Giselda needs all the support that she can get right now. I know that you want to be her mate, but I think that you should go slow and not pressure her for anything.”
“Annie–”
She narrowed her eyes on me. “I’m serious, Gerry. This isn’t like when you would come to the gate just to talk to her. This is deeper than that. She needs someone to lean on, not jump into another relationship. If you can’t respect that, then you should leave until she has had time to grieve.”
My eyes moved from Annie to Giselda who was watching my interaction with all of her muscles coiled in anticipation of a fight. I was so fucking livid that that Annie was speaking to me so strongly. I was going to have to remind her just who the boss was. And after the lesson, she would never forget it. But now was not the time. I sighed as I nodded.
“I promise not to pressure her, Annie. I just want to love her and be here for her. I just want the chance to show her that I’m willing to do whatever she needs me to do. I will be whatever she needs me to be,” I told her.
She ran her eyes over my face slowly before nodding. “I hope so, Gerry. I love you, but I love Giselda too. She has been good to me. She treats me better than I deserved to be treated. I am the reason she was so hurt. I was what stood in her way when it came to you. I won’t do that again, but I also won’t advocate for you. She loved Milton. She chose him. Nothing else matters. If she ends up accepting you, I will be happy, because I think both of you deserve to be happy with each other.”
She touched my cheek, and even though I longed to lean into her touch, I forced myself to take a step back. She gave me a sad smile.
“Be good, Gerry. This is my sleuth. You may be my brother, but my loyalty is to Havana. It’s to Logan, and to Giselda. And that will never change,” she said.
I lowered my head. “I understand.”
“Good. Logan, I am going to bed. I know you want to speak to Gerry. When you’re done, hurry to bed. I’ve missed you.”
“I will.”
He walked her to the door, watching her walk away for a moment before coming back to me, glaring at me. He leaned across the desk to peer at me.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, Gerald, but I won’t allow you to hurt either Annie or Giselda. You are on my land, so tread lightly. I am the law here. I don’t have to have a reason to kill you. I can just do so and no one would ever question me. My advice to you, stay away from Annie, and respect Giselda. Otherwise, there will be hell to pay.”
I held his gaze as I nodded. “Understood.”
And it was. I understood that I was going to kill him the first opportunity I got. He was the law? Pfft. I wasn’t afraid of him. At the end of this, I was going to make sure he had fear in his eyes when I killed him. And I was for damn sure going to enjoy it. He rolled his eyes as he started to leave the room before pausing at the door.
“I hope so. Or you won’t like me very much. That I promise you.”