Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
The weather forecast on the telly is all about freezing temperatures, but assuring viewers that it’s not time for snowfall yet.
“And then he told me all about what Izzy likes at the holidays. Food, dessert, drinks.” Will has been carrying on about Izzy’s ex, a bloke named Matthew, and how he ran into him earlier at the supermarket. “And I want you to meet him.”
This startles me out of my focus on the screen. “Excuse me?”
Will’s dark blue eyes are steady on me. “It’s possible he’s a part of our pack.”
“Hang on,” I put my hands up, then lower my voice. “You think Izzy’s ex is our pack brother?”
Will nods.
“But… if that were true, why on earth would they have broken up?”
Will frowns on a sigh. “Izzy told me their breakup was strange. Like, he just left out of nowhere without a word.”
“And that doesn’t make me like him any more than I already have done.”
“Something else is going on here. Something we’re missing.” His head shakes slow. “I want you to go see him and assess our… kinship. If I’m right, I want to invite him for Thanksgiving. If Izzy is okay with it.”
I gape at him. “You do realize Thanksgiving is tomorrow.”
“Yep,” he says, rising to his feet. “So, you’d better get your coat and get going.”
“Well, hang on. I never said I would go.”
Will gives me that “Oh, really?” look that reminds me of my mum, and I let out a growl.
“I take it you know where he’s staying?”
Lilly’s Floral Shop is like a central piece of Crescent Lake. Everyone loves the quaint location as much as they love its owner, Lilly.
It’s after closing now as I climb the side stairwell up to the private entrance to the second-floor flat and knock firmly on the solid door.
It isn’t long before there’s rustling on the other side, and the door swings open a touch, revealing a young man, dark hair and beard, looking more than disheveled in sweatpants and a tee shirt.
He squints up at me. “Yeah?”
I’m unimpressed. “Matthew, right?”
He blinks and stands up straighter. “Who’s asking?”
A sneer stretches across my face as I stand out in the cold, looking at this…
dick. His attitude needs immediate readjustment.
And I find myself downright pissed off when the energy rolling off him in waves smacks into me, proving that Will was right.
This arsehole is our pack brother, gods preserve us.
I stand quietly, lip curled, and stare long and hard until Matthew’s entire body seems to deflate. With a hunched upper back, he steps aside and waves me into his apartment.
Which is an absolute wreck.
He flips on the overhead lights to reveal junk food wrappers and fast food drink containers strewn all about, mixed with gaming equipment as far as the eye can see. The couch is covered in blankets and pillows, like he’s been sleeping there instead of on a mattress.
He moves to the couch, shoves all the blankets and pillows to one side before gesturing for me to take the plush armchair adjacent to it, which I scrutinize with care before sitting down, stiffly.
When Matthew drops down onto the couch, his elbows rest on his knees, his chin in his raised hands. “I know who you are.”
“Doesn’t take much. I’m on the telly and internet enough.”
“Not just that,” he sighs and leans back. “You’ve got a pack bond with that other guy, Will, right? And Iz is staying with you both.”
I watch his movements, slow and almost groggy. Too much so for this early in the evening, despite it being dark outside.
Will was right. Again. Something else is happening here.
“That’s right,” I tell him with care.
He lets out a frustrated growl and leans forward again, nearly folding his body in half with the sudden move. Then, he turns different color eyes on me. “I know you think that I’m your pack brother, like Will. I can feel something when I’m around you two. Something I’ve never felt before.”
And just as I start to think he isn’t a complete lost cause, he opens his mouth again.
“But I’m telling you now to walk away. I’m not pack material. I’m damaged goods. Just ask Iz.”