Chapter 5 - Troy
I stared at her, feeling that tuck deep in my chest. It was the same feeling I had when we were in high school. I wish I had realized it sooner. She was my mate, and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again, crossing her arms as she stared at me with nothing but contempt. I guess I shouldn’t be hurt that she didn’t miss me. I had ended things without a good reason.
“I just wanted to see if there was anything else you wanted. I wasn’t kidding about giving the convent protection and helping where I could. If there is…”
She waved a hand, stopping me. “I already agreed, so I don’t know why you’re here.”
I knew she’d agreed, but I thought she was going to backpedal. I was sure she was going to talk to someone to help her get out of this. But she wasn’t. Or at least, she was giving me the vibe she was.
“Oh, I guess I’m surprised. You’re just agreeing so…”
She raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say easily if that was what you were about to say.
I’m agreeing because it’s what’s best for the convent.
It has nothing to do with you. And there will be boundaries.
This is not going to be some cute marriage.
It’s legal, but that’s all. I’m not labeling it husband and wife because that’s just an insult to the meaning of that. This is a contract.”
I felt like I’d been hit. I understood why she was saying everything, but it hit my wolf. He growled, frustrated in my head.
I nodded, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to fix this. “Understood.”
“I also will not be leaving my place in the convent.”
My eyebrows went up at this. “I’m sorry?”
She shrugged. “It’s not a marriage, so there is no need to pretend it is. I will continue to live at the convent.”
I frowned. “You don’t think you should be around at all? The point of this is to help calm my wolf.”
Elize shook her head. “You’ll be bonded to me, and that will be enough. Your wolf will be fine.”
I wanted to tell her my wolf had been searching for her for years. That being bonded to her wasn’t going to be enough. “That’s not how the bonding works, Elize.”
Her lips formed a straight line. “Take it, or I walk. I do not need to agree to any of this.”
“You do, because it could affect your convent.”
“But it hasn’t. And I don’t have to worry about something that hasn’t happened. I’ve agreed to this because it could. Because it’s what’s best for them. But I have other options.”
I ground my teeth together, knowing I didn’t have a choice but to agree. As much as I hated the idea, she was talking to me, and I would take anything she gave. We could always come back to this.
“You do realize you’re going to have to come back here. You can’t just disappear back into the woods. I will need to have some kind of communication with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. I do know how shifters are, Troy.”
“Well, I’ll set up a room for you at my place. Because you never know what the future holds.”
She scrunched up her nose. “I’d rather sleep on a park bench than go to your house.”
I almost smirked. “You sure about that? What about if it rains? Would be hard to sleep on a bench if it’s raining.”
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “I have a car and will be more than happy to stay at my ‘folks’ house.”
“Noted.”
She sighed, irritated. “Can I go now?”
“Nope. We should iron out the other details. Maybe even write up a contract. I want to make sure this is all finalized because you decide to run back to the woods.”
I watched her nostrils flare. “You think this is funny?”
“No, but you have to admit this is going to take time to figure out. It’s not going to be as simple as you think. This is a marriage that you’re agreeing to.”
“Troy, I have places to be, so if there is nothing else, move out of my way.”
She sidestepped me and headed for her car. I swallowed, my eyes quickly scanning her over. I watched her steps and the way her hips swayed with each step.
Don’t look at her ass. You’re not a complete animal, Troy.
My eyes went down. I internally groaned at the sight of her in jeans with her perfectly formed butt.
“Tomorrow we’re meeting at the city hall,” I yelled as she opened her driver’s door. “Don’t think I won’t be able to find you if you don’t show up.”
She paused for a moment as she pulled her sunglasses down. “Fine. I will see you there.”
“Wear something nice,” I added.
She flipped me off as she crawled into her car, and I smiled. She could hate me all she wanted, but I could win her over. I knew I could. I did it before.
The next afternoon, I headed over to the city hall. I was waiting inside, checking my phone every few minutes. We had agreed to start at one, and it was already one fifteen.
I stared outside the window at the street, waiting for her car to pull up. Had she decided she didn’t want to do this?
I looked across the space where her parents stood. They looked uncomfortable, neither saying much. I never thought ill of her parents, but I always wondered why Elize hadn’t been close to them. I knew that Elize loved them, but she also said their relationship wasn’t anything special.
“Why don’t you call her?” Ivan, my Beta, asked as he pushed off the wall next to me.
“I don’t have her number.”
He turned with his hands in his pockets. Ivan was a relaxed person with a cool edge. He said things as they were and gave his honest opinion. I picked him because I needed someone who would be hard when I didn’t know how to be.
“Why don’t you have her number?”
“Because she didn’t give it to me.”
He nodded toward her parents. “And why don’t you ask them to call her?”
I glared at him. “Because they don’t like me.”
He sighed. “So are we going to stand her and wait forever then?”
I rolled my eyes when I heard the doors. Elize came around the corner, and my heart sank a little.
I had thought she might dress up a little. But she was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweater. Her brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she looked like she’d crawled out of bed. She was holding a mug as she walked toward us.
“Sorry, I had a thing last night, and I didn’t sleep well. I’m here, though.”
Ivan scanned Elize and then smirked. “So, you’re the wife?”
Elize scrunched up her nose. “No. I’m what you call the mate, but that won’t include kissing, exchange of saliva, or sex. Call me Elize.”
Ivan smirked. “Ivan, Troy’s beta.”
Elize nodded and turned to her parents. “Oh, I didn’t think you guys were going to come.”
Her parents looked stunned as they looked her up and down. “You need witnesses,” her mom whispered.
Her father spoke softly. “And this is a ceremony, Elize. You could have worn something. Do you need more time to change?”
She shrugged as she took a sip of her drink. “It’s not that important.”
I bit my tongue from telling her it was. This ceremony was a big deal for shifters, but that wasn’t how she was seeing it. She was seeing all of this as a big mess.
“So, where to?” she asked as she looked back at Ivan and me.
Ivan had a wicked grin on his face, clearly enjoying this. “It’s this way.”
Elize walked past us, and her parents followed her. Ivan looked at me, and I smacked him on the head. He scolded, rubbing at it. “What was that for?”
“Wipe that smile off your face.”
“What?! I’m happy you’re getting married.”
“You’re smirking because of the situation.”
We headed down the hallway and into the altar. It was a small space that had a row of benches and a skylight. The room was light with flowers, with the priest already at the altar. I quickly spotted Martin sitting at one of the benches.
My stomach churned as Elize walked down the aisle and Martin pulled her into a hug. I could see the hurt expression on her parents’ faces as they took a seat.
“I’m so happy that you’re doing this,” Martin added as he leaned back. “This is a great thing for both of you.”
I ground my teeth together. The priest cleared his throat, and we both moved to the altar.
“You’ll take each other’s hands and repeat after me.”
Elize frowned. “We aren’t doing vows or anything. Just a straight, get this official ceremony. There is no need to make this more than what it is.”
The priest nodded. “This is part of it. You have to be holding hands for the bond to snap into place.”
Elize looked a little surprised before she looked back at me. I held my hands out, and she grabbed onto them. I felt a shiver roll down my spine. Her hands were soft against mine.
I swallowed as the priest spoke. I could hardly hear his words as I felt my heart was racing. I felt a tug deep in my chest, unable to break my gaze away from her. I’d felt something for Elize, but it was more powerful as the priest spoke.
“With these words, you are connected. May your bonding continue to grow and thrive as your relationship grows.”
It was the same words they said at any other ceremony. I could see that Elize looked unfazed, but I was feeling it all. I could feel the snap of the bonding. I felt like someone was grabbing my heart and yanking on it.
Elize pulled her hands free and turned. “Well, now that this is done, I have things to get done today.”
Martin moved up from his front seat, beaming with pride. “Oh, Elize! This is wonderful! I’m so proud of you.”
I watched her parents get up and offer her tight smiles. Ivan moved closer to me. “So, how do you feel? Can you feel the difference?”
I stared at her. I watched her talk with Martin. I watched as he tugged her down the aisle, speaking like a proud father. Her parents looked uncomfortable as they followed leave us behind.
The next morning, I headed to a meeting with the other Alphas. I was the last one to arrive and found the others already deep in discussion.
“This is a problem, Riley.” Dustin snapped. “We need a solution.”
I cleared my throat as I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me.
“Glad that you didn’t wait for me,” I said as I walked over to my seat.
“Sorry,” Dustin grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. “I’ve had a long night.”
I looked between them and raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“One of his members attacked a woman,” Riley said, his face falling. “She died.”
My eyebrows went up. What shocked me more was that it was in Dustin’s pack. He hadn’t been having any issues, which we thought was because his pack wasn’t affected, but we couldn’t say that now.
“Shit. Is anyone having problems?”
Troy nodded. “And I’ve had several losing control and being locked up.”
“What kills me is I can’t even explain what’s going on. I just look like an idiot without answers.”
Riley gave a tight smile as he looked back at me. “So, how is the bond? Do you feel like a different man now?”
I felt like our bonding was different, but I didn’t feel like I was different. I knew how badly they wanted to hear good news, though. I could see it written on all of their faces.
“It’s the start, but I feel positive.”
They nodded. “That’s good. So, things are good between you two?”
Good wasn’t the word I would use to describe us. After she left the altar, she disappeared. I had no idea where she went. I knew better than to go looking for her. I figured she either went home or she went to her parents’ house. I figured I should give her a little space.
“It’s an adjustment for both of us.”
The phone vibrated, and Dustin looked down at it. He quickly frowned. “Crap, I’ve got to take this.”
Dustin pulled himself up and headed for the door.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
Riley shook his head. “He called me frantic. I brought Janella over to help calm the guy, but we couldn’t do anything for the women.”
Titus sighed. “I should probably be getting back. I have rounding to make.”
The space fell quiet as Riley rubbed his hands on the table. “I wish I had the answer on how to help you guys.”
We came up with the idea that the bonding between the Alpha and his mate might be necessary. Maybe it was the answer.
“Now that it’s just the two of us, how is it really going?”
Riley knew about my history with Elize. I sighed. “It could be better, but it could also be worse. I still can’t believe this happened.”
“Do you think this is going to work between you two?”
“I’m going to try my hardest to make it work.”
“Have you told her about what happened?”
“No, and I’m not going to.”
Riley looked shocked. “You’re not?”
I shook my head. “No point in bringing up the past like that.”
“Except that your past is all over. Martin is still around.”
“I know… But I don’t want to hurt her. I just…” I sighed. “I just want this to work this time. Is that stupid to want?”
Riley shook his head. “No, it’s not. I know how much you looked for her. Just don’t let Martin screw this up for you.”
I wasn’t going to.