Chapter 13 - Ezra
The old garage in town was quiet aside from the radio I had playing while I was busy underneath the frame of a beater I bought from an auction some time ago.
When I took over the small town, the three-door garage was abandoned. With some elbow grease and spare time, I fixed it up and hired a few guys from the pack to run it, mostly for the locals.
Fixing cars was a hobby of mine, but since I didn't always have the time, I tinkered whenever I could.
Luckily, my Saturday was free, and with Zoe busy at the gym, I finally had a chance to get lost in my work.
I eventually slid back out from underneath the frame and grabbed a spare rag to wipe my hands on. Glancing down the street as I took in the sights and scents, I watched as several pack members went about their day casually, chatting with one another and heading into the various stores on the strip.
Even if I was typically busy either moving between territories or occupied in the office, I always did my best to appreciate everything the pack and I built. Being able to witness the fruits of our labor taking hold and seeing how happy everyone seemed to be there made it all feel worth it.
Watching the other wolves meander around reminded me that it had been some time since we last had a pack run, and it would be good to have another. It always brought us a deeper sense of connection, and that was something I found myself wanting more and more.
I even wondered if Zoe might join us…making the idea feel even more tempting.
Tucking the thought away in the back of my mind, I perked up at some kind of commotion on my right.
Curious, I stepped out further from beneath the garage doors and peered out as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
My beta, Nick, stood some distance away down the street, hand up to try and stop my parents. He dwarfed them with his tall, muscular frame, but that didn't stop their angry expressions from settling into their features.
"Not right now," Nick said, urging them to stay away.
Of course, that wasn't enough. Dad gave him an irritated look while Mom scoffed and determinedly walked around him. Nick huffed out a breath and followed them.
Their immediate anger caught me off-guard as I stood there, sweating and covered in grease. A part of me wanted to laugh at how my beta was struggling to hold them back, looking vaguely nervous at the idea.
But at the same time, I couldn't ignore the flicker of irritation in my chest, well aware that they were likely there to give me an earful. I didn't take too kindly to them being demanding about anything.
Still, Nick didn't need to deal with them on my behalf.
"There you are," Mom uttered, throwing an annoyed glance at Nick. "We were looking for you, and this one was no help at all."
Nick put his hands up with a breath, looking defeated. "I tried, man."
Shaking my head, I waved him off. "It's fine. You can go ahead."
Looking vaguely relieved, he nodded, then gave my parents one last warning look before leaving.
With a sigh, I looked between my parents and mentally prepared myself for whatever they had to say.
I already knew what was coming, so at least I had that preparation going for me.
They both looked pissed, as I imagined they would be. I was surprised they didn't show up sooner after the gym's opening day.
"What the hell is going on with this supposed engagement?" Dad asked, giving me a look I knew all too well from my childhood.
Once, it would've shaken me. It would've influenced me to do whatever he wanted without question, near the point of groveling, just to make sure he took it easy on me.
But at that moment, I was indifferent to it. I did my best to keep my cool as I met his gaze. Being taller than both of them certainly helped my efforts.
While I didn't want to cause more problems for me and Zoe, and a part of me didn't want to keep pulling her along for it, I had no choice but to lean into it.
"It's true," I began, wearing the faintest grin, aware that I had to really sell it. "What you saw and heard at the gym was true, hence why I can't marry Nora. That's the main reason why I refused."
They both looked shocked, as if they half expected me to admit it was all a ruse and that I never actually withheld anything from them. Almost like they were hoping I'd back down from it and admit I was all wrong.
But that wasn't going to happen.
"You can't be serious," Mom muttered, looking thoroughly disgusted at the idea of me taking control of my own life.
Regardless of our engagement not being real, the audacity and entitlement that came from them very much was.
Even while I tried to explain that I was taken, even though it was fake, they refused to accept what I had to say.
It was so typical of them and only continued to remind me of exactly why I left them behind in the first place.
"I'm entirely serious," I said firmly, feeling as more anger flared within me. "You coming here doesn't change any of that."
Dad clenched his jaw. "While I understand you didn't know about this arrangement with Kody before, that's no reason to continue with this ridiculous engagement."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Ridiculous?"
He scoffed. "That's exactly what it is. You really believe you'd get anything out of being engaged to that woman?"
The way those words left his mouth with disdain and a lack of respect woke up that protective side of me—the bond that linked us together. It took a lot of willpower to hold it back, regardless of how much I wanted to snap at him.
"You don't get to decide what I do or who I value in my life," I returned, tone sharp and unwavering. "It doesn't matter what plans you made behind my back or what promises you foolishly agreed upon. I am engaged, and that won't change just because you've asked me to."
"We're not asking...we're telling you to," Dad added, his eyes doing their best to throw me off my rhythm.
But I didn't let them. Instead, that irritation grew into anger as I looked down at him.
I hated how they felt like I needed to answer to them. That I was still someone to be ordered around despite being my own man and alpha.
They lost the ability to control me the moment I left their pack, even if it meant leaving everything behind. I did it for me, and that was probably the one smart decision I ever made.
At least I could get that one right.
"That's bold coming from someone standing in my territory—and one who was never invited in the first place."
"We're your parents; we don't need an invite," he returned, his eyes glaring with anger.
"Is that so?"
A sense of anxiety came from Mom then, much to my surprise, given how angry she had been herself. She glanced nervously between us. "All right...that's enough."
As much as I didn't want to back down, I caught the awareness in his features, surely unable to ignore his Luna's request. Instead, Dad bit back whatever else he wanted to say and took a small step back.
As if trying a new approach, Mom took a deep breath and looked at me. "We wouldn't have bothered you if we didn't think this was absolutely necessary...if you don't call this engagement off and follow through with this arrangement, your father's status will be at risk."
I bristled at the implication that I was to blame just because I wanted to make my own decisions and not be steered by whatever they wanted me to do. "How does that correlate at all?"
Dad scoffed. "If we don't follow through with this promise, then there's a high chance Kody will contest my position and do whatever he can to collapse my status."
While the faintest part of me, perhaps what was left of my old self, felt vaguely affected by that news. But for the most part, whether he had his status or not made no difference to me.
"Is your claim as alpha so fragile that just anyone can come in and take it away from you?"
They both grew more irritated at my words. Dad's blood seemed to boil as he scowled at me. "As you know, the older the alpha, the easier it is to break the claim. To challenge him and take his title away. Don't be dense."
Meeting him halfway, I clenched my jaw, and I couldn't help but wonder just how far I was willing to go to defend myself and prove my point.
Even if he were my Dad, I would have no qualms about putting him back in his place if he got too out of line.
But before anything could get out of hand, Mom put a hand against his arm and looked at me with a final scalding gaze.
"Consider what we said...end this ridiculous engagement or risk your father's status with your selfish behavior."
I was prepared to snap then, but the two of them pulled away before I could, saving all of us a mess that I was sure they didn't want to find themselves in.
Biting back everything I wanted to say to them, I watched for a moment as they walked off.
On one hand, I didn't want anyone holding anything over my head, even if it was my Dad. I didn't want them to be able to take the safe way out and blame me for him potentially losing his alpha status.
But on the other, I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of winning. Of thinking they could control me forever.
I spent long enough being controlled by them, and I wasn't prepared to give up that freedom I worked so hard to give myself.
Besides, they didn't know how much harder that reality would be. Regardless of how reckless it was, Zoe was my mate, and calling it off for a second time would bring us both a world of pain.
Even the idea of rejecting Zoe again made my inner wolf feel agitated.
While our arrangement may have been fake, the bond wasn't, and I didn't want to discard it all over again.
Even if it meant risking my Dad's position. Even if it meant Sebastian hating me for it.