Alexandre arrived at the mansion all sweaty, which was unusual for a werewolf, at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon, saying that Alpha had asked him to accompany Anna on the video call to her family.
At first, Anna was annoyed that Adam wanted to control what she saw and said. She felt that he paid too much attention to her every move, all the time, and didn't give her a break. She was about to complain about it to Alexander, but gave up and felt the bad mood go away. If Adam had sent someone, it was because he was well, and she was glad to hear it. It was a good sign.
She made the video call and it wasn't long before her entire family appeared on the computer screen. Jenna and her father were in the background, while the children shouted excitedly and her paternal grandmother laughed, trying to calm them down so that they could speak one at a time. However, Anna couldn't concentrate on her children. She looked at Jenna, sitting next to her father, with a calm, even happy countenance. She probably didn't yet know that her hours were numbered. Anna couldn't help the sadness that invaded her chest. She forced herself to take some interest in what her children were saying, but she looked at them and nodded, without really knowing what they were saying. Nothing seemed to be affecting their daily lives. Suddenly, she thought of Max and was annoyed not to see him there. He knew that this attitude would make her resent him. He couldn't help imagining him in Camille's arms while she was suffering a nervous breakdown over Jenna. He was neglecting her, and that hurt her. Her thoughts were very dark, so she decided it was time to say goodbye and end the call, but just as she was about to hang up, Ian arrived and wanted to stay and talk to the brothers. Anna left him and went into the dining room. She needed a drink or she wouldn't be able to stand the pressure. Too many things were bothering her at the same time. She went to the kitchen first and made a cocktail with the rest of Adam's favorite whiskey. She went into the dining room, from where she could hear Ian's laughter and her brothers' voices. She looked startled at Alexandre when he entered the living room and handed her, without saying anything, his cell phone with a call in progress. She looked at the contact and it was saved as the boss's father-in-law.
"Dad?
"Anna... I've been thinking... Do you want to say goodbye to Jenna?"
"So you haven't changed your mind?"
"No. I'm not going back."
"She doesn't know yet, does she?
"No."
"Why do you want to let me say goodbye to her? You're not like that..."
"It's not mercy for her. But I realize that you have a special affection for her. So, for your sake, I'll let you see her in her final moments. But if you don't want to..."
Anna took a deep breath.
"I'd like to say goodbye, yes. But I don't think Adam will allow it."
Henry was thoughtful.
"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to Adam."
Anna thought about Adonis' proposal, and then remembered part of her nightmare. She felt she shouldn't try to change Jenna's fate, lest she suffer even more.
"Promise me you won't do anything against her until I come to see her and say goodbye?"
"I'll think about it... Adam may refuse to let you come, and I'm not in the mood to keep giving him reasons to change his mind, but if he agrees to let you come, I'll wait for you."
Anna felt frustrated. It seemed that her father had read her thoughts. For a moment, he believed that he was prolonging Jenna's life, making Adam fear that she would go there.
"Papa... What are you going to tell the children?"
"Just that she's gone on a trip. The children aren't very attached to Jenna yet. In a few days, maybe less, they'll have forgotten about her. What's going on out there? I could tell you were worried about something in the video. I know it's not just Jenna."
"Indeed. Adam's out shooting with Dester, and I don't know what's going to happen, and Max just seems to have forgotten that he has a wife."
"I'd rather Dester managed to kill Adam, but I've already told him he's a fool. Adam isn't going to die at the hands of humans, no matter if they manage to kill ordinary werewolves. So don't worry about him. Adam will be fine. He's smart, and strong. Very strong, Anna. No one could have imagined that the Alphas were such... Complex. I'll say it again... You don't have to worry about him. As for Maxwell... I think that the longer you stay away from him, the more he'll distance himself from his family. And the closer that marriage with you will come to an end. Now that you're by Adam's side, are you sure it's Maxwell you love? That it's him you want to spend the rest of your life with?"
Anna frowned. She vaguely remembered that in the dream, something had been said about this.
"You know, and Max also knows, that I have to wait, at least for a month. Ian is attached to him and doesn't like to go back on his word, and he promised Adam that he would stay here for that long. That's not fair to me. I love Max, and I won't let anything keep us apart. Before I do, I'll kill Camille."
"I'd love it to be that simple, my child... But you love Adam too."
"A different kind of love, but yes. I do."
"I won't be able to come today, but I'll come early tomorrow to spend the day with Ian. Send him my love." Anna's father said and hung up.
Anna looked around anxiously. Alexandre wasn't around. She could call and warn Jenna. There was still time for her to try to bypass Henry's security and surveillance and escape. But as she began to type in the numbers, the cell phone was violently snatched from her hands, and when she turned around thinking she would see an angry Alexander, she saw Adam staring at her angrily, cell phone in hand and rifle in the other.