Trying to Save Annie and Gerald

I lowered my eyes as I walked past the open door of my father’s office. I cursed under my breath when he called out my name. I knew better than to think that I could sneak by his office without getting caught. I walked in confidently. I had learned years ago that if I came to my father submissively, he would walk all over me. My father, unlike my siblings’ fathers, was pure Alpha. He didn’t tolerate bullshit of any kind. It didn’t matter who you were; if you needed to be put in your place, he would be more than willing to do so. I clasped my hands together behind my back.
“Yes, Father?”
“Shut the door and come sit down,” he ordered.
Fuck! He only had me shut the door if he was going to rip me a new one. Once that door shut, everyone knew not to disturb him. I hated being on this side of the door when it was shut. I hesitated a little before shutting it and sitting in the seat in front of his desk with my eyes on his.
“I would like for you to explain to me why you forced Annie to come home,” he said, his tone calm yet stern.
I sighed. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t at this time. I will tell you, though, that I will be allowing her to go back today. I just need a few hours to get certain things situated before I do.”
He finally put his pen down on his desk. “How concerned should I be about this, Osprey?”
“Very, but if I can fix this problem before it gets out of control, then not at all,” I answered.
“What can we do to assist you?” He asked.
“Trust in me,” I told him.
“I hope you know what you’re doing…”
“Me, too.”
He studied my face for a long time before sighing while nodding his head. “Alright, but if this gets out of control, promise me that you will come to me so that I can help you.”
I nodded. “I will. I promise.”
“Alright. Go on. I’ll be watching you,” he warned.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I told him before bowing my head a little and walking out of the office.
As I walked up the stairs to Annie’s room, I nodded at Scarlett, who was going to watch the hallway for me so I could do what was necessary to fix this without interference. Once inside her room, I pulled my phone out to call Logan, the Alpha of the Havanna Sleuth, knowing that Annie would remain asleep during my conversation.
“Hey, Osprey! How are you doing?” He asked as soon as he picked up.
“I’m good. How are you?” I inquired.
“How’s Annaria?” He asked, ignoring my inquiry.
I sighed as I pressed my fingers into my eyes. Every time we spoke, he asked about her. She had never spoken to him, never informing any of us as to the reason why. Now, I knew and needed to fix it immediately. Annie deserved to be loved correctly by someone who could give her everything, and Gerald needed to find the woman that he could love wholeheartedly.
“Annie is doing well. That was actually why I was calling you…”
“I’m excited to meet Annaria this Thanksgiving. I’ve been so busy preparing for her arrival at our sleuth,” he told me. “They are so excited that I have chosen such a promising, young Alpha Sow from such a powerful family line.”
“And what about you? Is that all you’re concerned about?” I asked.
“No! I want to get to know her and develop a bond with her. I want her to be my Alpha Sow in every way possible. In title, power, and emotionally. I just hope that she reciprocates my desires,” he confided.
“About that, Logan. There’s a slight problem. That’s why I was calling you. We need to talk about Annie.”
I listened as the excitement in his voice died an immediate death. “Has she changed her mind?” He asked defeatedly.
“Yes, but I want to convince her to change her mind back to her original decision. Would it be okay if I switched our call to a video call?”
“Sure.”
I quickly connected us via video before switching the view of the camera around to face Annie while I watched Logan’s face closely. When I saw the intensity on his face deepen, I relaxed a little as hope filled me.
“I can’t really see. Who is that?” Logan asked.
I flipped a light on so he could clearly see Annie.
“Mate!” He whispered as he stared at her in awe. “Who is that?”
“This is Annie. Your promised Alpha Sow,” I informed him.
“She’s so beautiful,” he said, completely in awe of her.
I cut the camera off, earning a loud growl from him. “What the fuck, Osprey?!”
I sighed deeply. “We need to talk. When can you come to our sleuth?”
“Will Annie be there?” He asked excitedly.
“Sadly, no. We need to discuss something first,” I answered.
“Alright. I can be there tomorrow.”
“Perfect. We will develop a plan to get her to change her mind. Or at least be open to it,” I said.
He sighed. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”
“Will do.”
As soon as we hung up, I moved to the side of the bed, letting my aura flare out lightly. Out of all my siblings, Annie was the most susceptible to my aura. I hated using it on her but I needed her to be open to giving Logan a chance if I had any hope of saving our family. I let my aura surround her as I pushed my command out to surround her.
*’Don’t mate with Gerald.’*
******
Scarlett
Hours later while we were eating dinner with our family, Osprey nodded at me, telling me it was time for the second step of his plan. I hated it just as much as he did. I could feel his guilt eating at him. He never wanted to interfere with anyone else’s mate bonds due to the fact that others had severely messed with our own. I was so anxious about this whole situation. I excused myself from the table to go upstairs to Annie’s room, where I knocked. I waited patiently until I heard her groggily call out for me to come in. I entered before crossing the room to sit on the bed next to her so I could rub her back, letting my aura out a little to soothe her.
“How are you feeling, Annie, honey?” I asked softly.
“I’m mad at Osprey,” she sniffled.
“I know,” I told her as I smoothed her hair down. “I am angry with him too.”
She shifted so that her head was lying in my lap, looking up at me. “How did you and Osprey make it work when everybody tried to tell you that your love was wrong?”
“We knew that it wasn’t wrong. It didn’t feel wrong. Are you in love with someone, Annie?” I asked her.
“Yes. And I know that everyone will tell me that it’s wrong.”
“Who is it?” I questioned her, wondering if she would tell me.
She sighed. “It doesn’t matter. How can love be wrong if it’s true?”
I hesitated, not knowing exactly how to answer her, so I opted to change the subject a little. “Not all love is equal, Annie. The love between siblings is very different from, let’s just say, the love between mates. When you find your mate, the love that you will share is out of this world. There will be nothing that can compare to it.” I sighed dreamily as I continued to play with her hair. “Have you ever thought about finding your mate?” I wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when she didn’t answer. “I remember when Elena used to fantasize about her mate. It made her so happy, and when she found Beanie” —I smiled softly— “she couldn’t be happier. He was better than anything she could have imagined. You should try to think about your mate. It’ll help you get through this.”
“What if I don’t want to find my mate? What if I’m happy with the way things are?” She asked.
“I would say enjoy it,” I said honestly, “but I would also tell you not to simply shut down the idea of having your mate. He or she will complete you in ways that no one else can.”
Annie sighed before nodding. “Alright, Scarlett. I promise to keep an open mind when it comes to finding my mate.”
I beamed proudly at her. “That’s all I ask, Annie. Now, what’s the plan?”
“I want to go back to Grimm Forest. My classes start Monday, and I really want to attend them. But Osprey won’t let me go. He was so angry with me. I don’t know what I did to make him bring me home,” she sniffled.
“Osprey was really angry when you guys got home,” I confirmed. “But he has calmed down a lot.”
“Do you think he would let me go back?” She asked hopefully.
“I don’t know. Why don’t we go ask him?” I told her.
She bounced up eagerly before taking my hand to pull me along behind her. She paused just outside the dining room door.
“He’s going to say no,” she whispered defeatedly.
“You don’t know that. It doesn’t hurt to try,” I said softly.
She took a deep breath before pushing the door open. Everyone fell silent as we walked in. When Annie stopped in front of Osprey, shifting nervously, he raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yes? Do you need something?” He asked her.
“I would like to go back to Grimm Forest. My classes start on Monday, and I-”
“You may go, Annie. I will honor our agreement,” he said, cutting her off.
“Really?”
“Yes, Annie. I will give you a lift after dinner. Please, sit. Eat before we go.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Osprey.”