Chapter 3 - Troy
I stood there in shock as I took her in. Her black hair had grown longer, going down her back. Her deep blue eyes were still the same, but filled with anger. She was wearing jeans and a baggy jacket. She looked so much like her younger self, but so much older at the same time.
I was sure that I was seeing things. There was no way that she was here, yet she was.
I felt that pull to be near her again, and I suddenly remembered just how much I wanted her.
I remembered how we laughed together. I could still feel the way my heart would flutter when she would look at me.
I felt like I’d struck gold. I never wanted to leave her, never wanted to allow any harm to come to her.
I looked at her uncle, still remembering his words from all those years ago.
Martin talked with me before I went out for a run, about a week before school was going to start.
I had just parked by the woods and spotted his car already there.
He was leaning on the hood, looking too comfortable.
I’d had conversations with him, but I was never looking for him.
I honestly avoided him as much as I could.
I got out of my car, and he pushed himself off his hood and walked toward me. “We need to talk, Troy.”
I stuffed my hands into my jacket. I only had an hour before I needed to head over to meet up with Elize.
We were going to go to the movies and do some stargazing afterward.
I felt that tug to see her. It was only a week ago that we’d finally done it, and I found myself constantly wanting more of her.
I knew I sounded like a horn dog, but it wasn’t like that.
I felt I could just be me when I was around her.
A part of me knew that this was much more than just a crush. I had been suspecting she might be my mate, but hadn’t confirmed it. Either way, Elize was the only person I wanted.
I’d never felt like this. I was riding on cloud nine, and nothing could bring me down. Not a bad grade, not losing on the team, nothing.
“Martin, I have a lot on my plate right now.” I figured he wanted to talk about my possibility of being Alpha again. The council members had brought it up a few times, mentioning that I needed to start thinking about my future for the pack. I didn’t want to deal with it today.
“This is about Elize.”
I froze. “What about her?”
Martin walked closer to me. “You need to distance yourself from her.”
I blinked and then started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. Martin was her uncle, and he spoke highly of her. So, clearly, he was just being protective about her. I figured it was a little late considering how long Elize and I had been seeing each other. “What? You want me to what?”
“You know that she’s a witch.” His face shifted, and his voice dripped with disgust suddenly. I ground my teeth together, suddenly growing angry at him.
I’d listened to Elize tell me how she felt like she didn’t fit in. She wasn’t telling people she was a witch, but I saw the way the truth ate at her. And I couldn’t believe how Martin was saying it. He was her family.
I remembered how scared she was to tell me. When things started to get serious, she was terrified I would leave. But I didn’t care. Witch or not, she was still her.
“And why would I care about that?”
“Because she’s dangerous.”
My eyebrows went up at this. He couldn’t be serious right now. “Did you hit your head on something on the way over here?”
“You don’t know her like I do, Troy. I’m trying to protect you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need you to try and protect me. If anything, you should be protecting her.”
He shook his head. “You need to think about what’s best for the pack. You need to end things with her. You’re going to be Apha, and you need a strong woman by your side.”
I ground my teeth together. “I’m not ending things with her.”
“Troy, think about.”
“I’m not ending things with her because you say so. She’s a beautiful person. She’s kind and sweet. She is…”
“Dangerous. She’s a witch. She hasn’t tapped into her powers yet. You have no idea what powers she possesses or when she will get them. One accident is all it will take before no one wants you to be Alpha.”
“So what?” I didn’t care about anyone’s opinion. I was willing to give everything up to have her.
“You have to think about the pack.”
“I don’t even know if I want to be Alpha for the pack, so why on earth would I pull away from her when I don’t even know if I want that position?” I knew it was crazy to even admit it, but Elize meant that much to me. I was willing to give up that future if it meant I could be with her.
“The pack will never accept her. You will never achieve anything with her attached to you.”
I felt like someone had kicked me, but what hurt more was seeing the truth. I could still see the way Elize lit up around her uncle. She talked about him all the time. He was a huge part in making her feel more comfortable here. She had no idea what he was truly like.
“You’re disgusting, you know that?” I stepped closer to him.
“You’re her family, and you don’t even see who she is.
She talks about you constantly. She rains your praise over and over, and you’re telling me to end my relationship with her because she’s a witch?
The very reason she feels she doesn’t belong to begin with? ”
“I’m doing my job and protecting this pack. You either end things, or I will.”
Now I felt my stomach dip. I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I hold the power, Troy. You are just a high school kid with a future. I don’t think I know what I’m doing. End things with her, or I’ll step in and do it myself.”
A chill went down my spine at his warning. I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t want to find out. “What are you going to do?”
“I can make people disappear, Troy. She’s not part of this pack. I made her feel comfortable, but I can make her feel unsafe just as easily.”
The sudden thought of never seeing her hit me like a rock. I couldn’t imagine not seeing her smile. I didn’t want to forget what it felt like to hold her in my arms.
I suddenly felt scared because he was right. He had the power. “Don’t hurt her, Martin. She’s seventeen years old. She’s a child.”
“Then do what I ask,” Martin snapped. “And no one ends up hurt.”
“She ends up hurt,” I snapped back. “She has already fallen in lo…”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Martin said, his upper lip curling. “And don’t reciprocate. Just end it. You have until school starts before I take action.”
Martin turned and got into his car. I stood there feeling like I wanted to puke.
I tried to push it off for a few days, but I could feel Martin was watching. I held Elize tighter every day, trying to think of something else. But I knew Martin wasn’t playing around.
I figured it would be easier to watch her from a distance if I ended things. I feared he would take her somewhere I would never be able to find her. I’d been wrong because they both ended up happening.
I could still remember how hurt she looked when I broke things off. I could hardly put the words together, let alone actually tell her I didn’t want to leave her. Leaving her was the last thing I would ever want to do. But I couldn’t be the reason something happened to her.
Martin didn’t give away anything, but I felt nothing but anger toward him.
He might have been the nicest of the Council, but I wasn’t fooled.
He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The previous Alpha warned me, and I’d witnessed it myself.
Whatever this was, I knew he was pulling the threads. I just didn’t know what for.
He was the reason she was gone, and suddenly they wanted her back? And she was supposed to be married to me? It didn’t make sense. Why did he work so hard to get rid of her just to bring her back?
“I’m not agreeing to this,” Elize repeated the words once more. “I have a life. I’m in the convent. I have no need to return here and certainly not to attach myself to him.”
“We aren’t asking you to leave the convent,” Jasmine said.
Elize shook her head. “You are! You’re telling me that I’m his mate!
I know how this works. I’m not stupid. I was raised in these walls, Jasmine.
I know what that means!” Elize waved her hands.
“I spent endless hours in this building. I know this place better than you, so don’t you dare act like I don’t know what this means. ”
Jasmine didn’t say anything, and Martin spoke up. “Elize, we need your help with this pack.”
She turned to her uncle. I watched her face shift into disappointment. “I’m not speaking with you because you’re part of this. You told me you were bringing me here for lunch. You lied to me.”
Martin frowned. “We were going to talk about it at lunch. I was not planning for it to go like this.”
“You brought me here for other reasons than lunch, Martin! Out of everyone in this place, you should have told me the truth.”
Dean tapped his hand on the table. “You two can continue this argument later. Right now, we need to discuss this.” Dean waved a hand around the table. “Elize, Troy is the next Alpha to be matched, and you’re his mate.”
“I don’t care,” she said as she shrugged, crossing her arms. “Why should I care about this pack? Why should I care if there are any issues? I’m not a member here anymore. This pack hasn’t done anything for me.”
“Because the convent is within the pack’s boundaries and it’s only a matter of time before the problem hits you guys.”
Her face fell now, and she looked at them, confused. “What are you talking about? What problem?”
Had Martin not told her anything? Did she not know what was going on? Typical to pull her in without explaining anything.
Martin offered her a sad smile. “The pack’s bonding is failing due to dark magic. It’s only a matter of time before it starts to affect you guys.”
She shook her head. “We don’t have bonds. We may be in these pack boundaries, but we are our own community. So whatever is going on here doesn’t concern us.”
“We don’t know how this dark magic works. It might not be affecting you guys right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t do something to you guys. We can’t take that chance.” Martin moved closer to her. “We need you, Elize. Please. Think about what’s best for everyone.”
She chewed on her cheek, and I could see how uncomfortable she was. I hate it. I hated how he was throwing weight onto her like it was no problem. I hate that there was clearly more to the story here that they weren’t telling. I knew the council couldn’t be trusted, but this was on another level.
And now Elize was in the middle of it as well. I knew that getting her to agree to this idea wouldn’t be easy. She had no reason to trust me. She’d be stupid to agree after everything that happened.
I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.
I couldn’t protect her before, but I could this time.
There was no way I was letting Martin step into this.
He’d already hidden her away from me once more.
I could see the weight on her. I don’t know what she’d been through, but I wanted to change what I could.
“Elize, I know you have no reason to agree, but it’s true. This dark magic will only continue to grow. You should think about it.”
“I hate you,” she snapped the words. “If they had asked me to marry anyone else, I’d maybe agree. But it’s you. I’m not agreeing.”
“Elize,” Martin’s voice boomed, switching into a strict tone. “Stop acting like a brat. Let’s leave the past behind and move forward. You guys are kids anymore.”
I watched the way her lips pressed together tightly. I ground my teeth together, needing her to agree. I could see just how much of a hold Martin had over her.
And then I realized what Martin had said. She was part of a convent. “Elize, I can protect your convent.”
Her eyes snapped to me now. There was no love in them, but I could see something else behind them. I could see a little spark of hope. “We don’t need your protection.” Even as she said those words, I could hear the shift in her voice. She wasn’t sure about her own words.
“I think you do,” I countered. “No one can have too many allies, Elize. I’m not your enemy here.”