Chapter 21 - Ezra
As much as I wanted to completely forget about my parents and the whole situation surrounding them, I knew I couldn't that easily.
I cursed myself for ever allowing electronic contact between us when I invited them to visit. Ever since they were armed with my number, they wouldn't stop blowing up my phone. It got so bad that I considered smashing the damn thing. Even then, I was still considering it.
After Zoe and I decided to be together and communicated as we should have all along, I was well aware of how our mate bond intensified even more.
With no more resistance between us, and after nurturing it, that connection felt more alive than ever before, and it became such a strong presence within my chest.
With a sense of understanding and ease between us, I did not doubt that I wanted Zoe.
I knew nothing could change my mind or sway my opinion on the matter. She was my mate, and we both acknowledged that bond.
But even so, I didn't know what to do about Nora and her dad, let alone my parents.
I could pretend those issues didn't exist, but I had the sinking feeling they would all eventually come to a head.
Even if things were better for Zoe and me, and I was more than grateful for that, I could still feel the pressure from every angle, clouding my head completely.
Given the chance, I found myself in the garage and decided to keep myself busy rather than dwelling on everything going on.
But of course, being in the building alone with only the radio to keep me company, I naturally found my thoughts wandering.
Everything with my parents and the Nora situation was a completely different matter, but one thing I couldn't shake was how Sebastian might react to knowing his sister was my mate.
While there was no denying how important that bond felt or how badly I wanted it, dealing with his thoughts on the matter seemed like a whole new beast to deal with. Given how we were friends, it could either work in my favor or completely blow up in my face, and I wouldn't know until it came down to it.
He had no idea that our feelings had gone beyond the ruse, and the unknowns surrounding that situation had me at a standstill.
I spent some time underneath the car, tinkering and getting lost in thought while a few others joined me in the garage, working on their own projects. Even if my mind was all over the place, at least I was able to physically focus on something else. Plus, having a few of my pack members around, including Nick, helped put me at ease.
When I urged the more worrisome thoughts to leave, they were soon replaced with ones of Zoe.
Despite everything else, things felt good between us. We were being honest with ourselves and each other, and I couldn't deny how refreshing it was.
For the first time, we were connecting deeply, and neither of us wanted to ignore what was blossoming between us.
It was reassuring to know that even after messing up multiple times, she still cared for me and didn't want to give up on us.
In a sense, I felt like I didn't deserve her or that opportunity, but I was still incredibly grateful for it.
As I got out from beneath the frame of the car, I went to clean my hands off when a presence hit me, followed by a scent that seemed vaguely familiar—but not one associated with any significant memories.
Turning around, I was caught off-guard by the sight of Kody Arron standing just beneath the garage door, a hard stare set on me. At once, we all noticed, and the others tensed from behind me.
Nick was at my side in a moment’s notice, gaze firmly on him with a questioning expression.
Despite being surprised to see him, especially after so many years, I regained my bearings and stood my ground. I glanced at Nick reassuringly, holding out an arm as a silent bid to stand down.
Apprehension surrounded him, clearly not liking being restrained given the intruder, he did so anyway and forced out a breath. His eyes never left Kody.
Immediate tension filled the garage, but I was immediately reminded of my not only status, but also the fact that I had pack members with me, and above all else, I was to protect them. To protect the pack as a whole, and our territory.
"Arron."
"Pierce," he returned simply, gaze locked on me.
Despite the shifter blood in his veins, he looked older than the last time I saw him. He had to be in his late forties to early fifties by then, and given the situation at hand, his presence was unnerving, to say the least.
I was immediately guarded as I took him in, expecting the other alpha to want to fight over everything. Nick tensed, surely making the connection of who Kody was, and the issues that surrounded him.
Still, I made no move to alert him of any impending problem, or cause the others to step in.
Kody's anger was evident through his stance and the emotions emanating from his body, but he seemed to have enough control over that rage to keep it repressed within him.
"What are you doing here?" I finally asked him after growing tired of that lingering tension between us.
"It has come to my attention that you don't plan on following through with the arrangement between you and my daughter, Nora," Kody said, jaw clenched to keep the anger at bay. "I thought I'd pay you a visit myself to see what was happening."
I grit my teeth, hating hearing about the arrangement from him. "Of course, I don't plan on following through with it...I never agreed to it myself."
Kody's eyes narrowed at me. "Yet, I was still promised an alpha for my daughter anyway."
"That has nothing to do with me," I returned, unwavering in my conviction. "As an alpha, I can make my own decisions. And my decision is not to claim your daughter."
That anger flared in his eyes again, seemingly using a lot of restraint to keep himself from snapping. He pulled in a measured breath, dark eyes set on me. "Don't take this warning lightly, Pierce. If you don't comply and step up to this occasion, then your father will suffer the consequences. But surely your parents have told you this already."
Irritated at the mention of them, I scoffed. Even if they were my parents, they had pushed me far more than they ever should have, and I was already at my wits end with them.
"I don't know what they've told you , but I'm independent of my parents. They may have committed me to your daughter, but I never agreed to it, and I won't be held responsible for my father's decision," I told him firmly, aware that I couldn't waver even for a moment. If I did, he was surely prey upon any sign of weakness. "Do what you will, and unleash whatever consequences you might have on him. Either way, I won't be claiming your daughter. Not when I have a mate of my own already."
At the mention of it, Kody's brows went up in surprise. "You already have a claim?"
I nodded, face set and unchanging. "I do."
"Your parents never mentioned this to me," Kody said, features darkening slightly after a moment of consideration. "But if you are sure this mate claim is genuine, then forcing you to be with my daughter wouldn't work in the first place...the bond would never be real."
"No, it wouldn't be. She would never be a Luna as you want her to be," I said, noticing how he seemed to be processing it all. "My parents never should've promised you anything...and for what it's worth, I understand your anger. But your daughter is not mine to claim."
Despite still seeming angry, Kody clenched his fists, forced out a breath, and looked away in consideration.
"As much as I don't want to admit it, you aren't my enemy here," Kody conceded, expression still tight with irritation. "With your mate bond in place, I don't need to bother putting my daughter through that...but your parents are still not off the hook."
For a short, flickering moment, my stomach dropped at the thought.
Even if Kody seemed to come around to my side, or at the very least, he could acknowledge that his problem wasn't with me, he still needed to place his anger somewhere. Given his evident pride, he wouldn't be the type of man to let it go easily. He would likely follow through with his threats and contest Dad's authority and position as an alpha.
While I didn't care about that and knew he deserved it for making promises he couldn't keep, the faintest part of me felt guilty about it.
Rather, that small, meek version of myself who once would've caved the moment the very task was given to me felt guilty. That small piece of me left unhealed and unable to move on from that state, ached within me.
But it didn't reflect who I had become. While it existed inside my chest, it didn't control me. That wasn't who I was anymore, and I was determined to keep it that way.
Pushing that kernel of doubt away, I reminded myself that it didn't matter. If my dad was foolish enough to make a promise on my behalf and try and force me into it still, he could face the consequences.
It wasn't my burden to bear. After everything they had done to me, I wasn't willing to shoulder that mistake any longer.
Letting go of a decided breath, I nodded. "You'll have to take it up with my father. It's out of my hands, and that's how I plan to keep it."
Regardless of his anger and resentment for being screwed over, Kody seemed to calm himself in my presence, and he nodded.
"I can't say I'm satisfied with this, but I have enough honor not to make this your problem too," he said, keeping himself level-headed. Despite restraining himself, that deeply rooted anger, now firmly trained on my dad, still gleaned within his eyes. "But don't come crying to me when something happens to your parents."
Even if things went better than they could've, I wasn't in the mood to hand out any spare kindness, so I just nodded and watched as Kody turned away with a final breath and headed in the opposite direction.
The moment he was gone, I huffed and shook my head in disbelief as the others looked at me.
“That didn’t go how I expected it to,” Nick uttered, doing his best to reign in his defensiveness.
I huffed out a breath and nodded, gesturing to the garage doors. “Will you keep an eye on him? Make sure he leaves and doesn’t cause any problems on the way out.”
Nick and the others nodded, quick to leave the garage and trail Kody from a distance. Leaving me alone then, I had to the chance to wrangle that mixture of relief and additional pressure that brewed within me.
At the sight of Kody, I could've sworn he would've been ready to tear into me, but it seemed he had more sense than my parents.
Reaching for a rag, I wiped my hands down and did my best to ignore that semblance of guilt in me.
There was no doubt that things were going to ramp up between Kody and my parents, but I couldn't focus on that.
I didn't owe them anything...especially not when they caused all that bullshit for me.
Ultimately, I did the right thing for Zoe and me, which mattered most.