Page 208 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Alex shook his head. “Nein, Anna. Devin is right. You cannot go to New York.”

The hope that had blossomed wilted at Alex’s words. She raised her hand and rubbed over her heart as her eyes filled with tears. The eyes that had looked at her so lovingly in the past now looked at her so coldly. “Why?” she asked in a broken voice.

“Because neither he nor I live in New York.”

Anna shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”

“You cannot live apart from us, Anna. You have obligations to Devin, which cannot be performed when you are not with him. It would be unsafe for you to be there alone and... bad things could happen if you were away from either of us for any length of time.” Alex spoke in a tone that allowed for no argument. His gaze flickered behind Anna.

“Did Anna tell you her news?” Devin’s voice came from behind and Anna’s shoulders slumped. He greeted Wilhelm and Alex with a handshake.

“She just told us.” Alex’s eyes were hard as he looked at Devin. “I was just telling her I agreed with your decision.”

“You agree?” Devin raised his eyebrows, then looked coldly at Anna. “You came to plead your case with Alex?”

Anna shrank under his gaze. Nate appeared, and both Devin and Alex raised their eyebrows at her.

Anna’s eyes widened. “I?—‍”

Devin frowned and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I think we need to have a conversation at the Manor before we leave on Monday.”

Anna swallowed hard.

“End it with Nate. Now.” Devin straightened and strode away.

Resigned that no one, not even Wilhelm, would take her side, she took Nate’s hand and led him away.

“Anna, I was thinking... we can leave without telling anyone,” Nate said softly. “New York’s a huge place. No one will find you there.”

Anna shook her head sadly. “I can’t go. But you should go without me.” She released his hand and stepped away.

Nate stepped close again. “No, I’ll stay here with you. Maybe we can?—‍”

“No.” She had to get him to leave or Devin would do something terrible. “You have to go without me.”

He stared at her, frowning. “I thought we had something special, Anna.”

Anna blinked back tears. “I like you, Nate. I really do, but I can’t leave. It’s... hard to explain.”

Nate looked at her, perplexed. “So that’s it?”

“I’m sorry.” Guilt burned in her heart, and she stared at the floor.

He stood there for a long moment. “I can’t believe—‍” She looked up in time to see him shoot her a dirty look before walking away.

She turned and stared at the wall, feeling numb. When would she learn not to get attached to people? All she did was hurt them, or get hurt by them. Why did her heart refuse to protect itself?

Alex watched Anna from the opposite side of the room. Her heartbreak was written all over her face.

His brother appeared at his side. “Why did you say no?” he asked softly in German.

He glanced at Kurt, then looked back at Anna. “It’s not safe for her to be someplace without a Master.” He sighed. “Not for an extended period of time, anyway.” He hated agreeing with Devin, but the Elder was right.

“You think staying here with Devin is safe?”

Alex pressed his lips together. “Not especially. But I can’t take her to Germany. Especially now.” He clenched his jaw. Everything he’d tried to do, all the affection he’d lavished on her before he left... felt like it had been for nothing. He couldn’t do anything to comfort her, and just being in the same room as her was hurting her. And him. Knowing what he knew now, had he taken her to Germany with him when he left, there might have been a chance for their bond to be strong enough to withstand her separation from Devin. But he hadn’t known it at the time. And now? Unlikely. His heart felt as if it had been torn in two. “Sometimes I hate The Brotherhood.”

Kurt arched his brows. “What?”

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