Chapter 10 - Elize
I arrived at the house and came to a stop when I found Troy in the kitchen. The house smelled of roast, and my mouth watered instantly. I shut the door, still shivering from the cold outside.
“Hey.” Troy turned, offering me a smile. “I made dinner.”
“It smells good,” I said as I slid my shoes off. “But you don’t have to cook.”
He shrugged. “I like to cook, Elize. I enjoy it, so don’t think I did it because I felt like I should.”
I walked closer, still feeling we were getting our bearings around each other. I didn’t know how to act. I was still angry about everything, but it was hard to stay angry when Troy was so consistently nice.
“I did have a request,” Troy said as he started cutting the roast. “I have a meeting with the other Alphas, and I would like you to attend.”
My eyebrows went up, and my stomach dipped. “I would rather not do that.”
He paused. “And why not?”
“Because I’m still getting my bearings here, Troy. I would rather not meet more people who will dislike me. Can I save that for a day I want to feel hated?”
Troy frowned. “For starters, they aren’t going to dislike you. And Riley is bringing Janella, who is also a witch and my sister. I think it would be nice for you two to meet.”
I swallowed, still feeling unsure.
“Please?” he asked, “I want you to be there. This is an important meeting, and you should know about what’s going on here.”
I couldn’t deny that I wanted to know just as much as he did. I was supposed to help him heal the pack. I needed to know everything.
“Fine.” I walked closer as he handed me a plate of roast.
He smiled. “Great, and honestly, don’t worry about fitting in. You’ll be just fine. They are all easy to get along with.”
After dinner, I headed to my room. I flipped through some more books, trying to see if there was anything I could learn about the cauldron.
I’d checked out several books from the library and was coming up empty everywhere I looked.
I knew the basics, but nothing new. Nothing told me about the bubbling or how to learn about the magic within it.
I’d even tried to find books about dark magic, but that was a dead end as well. Whatever I did find wasn’t much. It didn’t go into detail on how to stop it.
I pinched at my eyes and felt they were burning. I needed sleep.
I slammed the book shut and flicked off my light. I stared at the ceiling fan and wondered if everything would be okay tomorrow. I couldn’t help but feel anxious about what would happen. Troy said not to worry, but it was only natural that I did.
The next morning, I stood in my closet trying to find something decent to wear. A lot of my clothes were hand-me-downs or something I’d worn so much that they were faded. I didn’t buy myself new clothes because I saw no need. I didn’t like flashy things.
There was a knock on my door, and I heard it open. “Elize, you up?”
“In the closet.” I hung up another dress and sighed, flipping through my clothes again.
Troy stepped into the closet and raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re still not dressed? We have to leave in ten minutes.”
“I have nothing to wear,” I grumbled, throwing my hands up. “I can’t go.”
He chuckled. “You have plenty of clothes, Elize. Just put something on.”
“I have nothing nice to wear.” I turned to him. “You should just go without me. I can’t attend if I have nothing nice to wear.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s not a party, Elize. And you have plenty of nice clothes. I promise, just put something on, and you’ll be fine. No one is going to care. You could wear sweatpants for all we care.”
“This is important. I’m meeting the other Alphas, and I don’t want to look stupid.”
He gave me a soft smile. “I promise no matter what you wear, they won’t think you’re stupid. Just put something on.”
He slipped back out, and I turned to my clothes. I grumbled, wishing I’d done some shopping. I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a simple plum blouse. I headed out and found Troy waiting by the door.
He was wearing a simple outfit himself. He wore jeans with a t-shirt, and I relaxed a little as we headed to the car.
“Are you nervous?”
I nodded. “A little.”
“I promise they are very relaxed. You’ll see.”
As he drove, I took in the view. We were heading out of his pack and into Riley’s, where they had all the meetings.
We arrived and headed into the building. I could hear chatter as we got closer and found there were several people in the room. A couple sat close together, talking in a low voice, with two other guys sitting across from them.
“We’ve arrived,” Troy announces. All eyes snapped toward us, and my stomach dipped. I tried to smile, but I know it probably didn’t come across correctly.
I did a quick scan of the room. It was a simple room with no windows. There was a coffee maker on a small table behind us with a water jug.
“You’re late,” one of the guys added. “You know the meeting starts at ten.”
The woman looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Dustin, you got her just three minutes ago.”
The guy looked at her and made a face. “He didn’t know that.”
She smirked as she rolled her eyes again. “Don’t mind him. He’s just cranky because he didn’t have his coffee yet.”
I felt Troy’s hand land on my back, and I was grateful for the guidance. I followed him to two empty chairs, and we sat down.
“This is Dustin and Titus.” Troy pointed toward the two guys sitting next to each other.
“And this is Riley and Janella.”
Janella gave me a big grin. I was shocked by how pretty she was, and I suddenly felt a little self-conscious about what I was wearing.
She was wearing a nice gray dress with a knitted scarf.
She had thick hair, and I quickly realized she had her hand on her stomach.
“It’s so nice to have another woman in the group. The guys can be a bit much sometimes.”
Riley smirked as he placed his hand over hers. She looked at him, and I could see so much love in their eyes. I suddenly felt my stomach churn because I used to look at Troy like that. I remembered how I felt my stomach dip down just looking into his eyes.
I shook the thought away. “Sorry about being late. I couldn’t find anything to wear.”
Janella smiled. “I love that blouse. Really brings out the color of your eyes.”
I blushed.
“Did you guys start yet?”
“No, we were just about to start.”
The meeting began. I tried to pay attention to what they were talking about, but I kept looking at Janella. She sat with confidence and spoke casually with the others. It was clear she was comfortable with them.
The meeting went for about an hour before Riley brought it to a close. “Alright, I think we went over everything we needed. I need to get Janella to her pregnancy appointment.”
My eyebrows went up. “You’re pregnant?”
Janella blushed. “Yeah, I’m a couple months along.”
“Congratulations.”
The guys all got up and headed for the door.
But Janella stopped me and smiled. “Elize, I know that we don’t know each other well, but your husband is best friends with my husband, and you’re married to my brother.
So, I know that we’re going to be seeing each other a lot.
So, I was just wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch today? You’re in town already, so…”
My eyebrows went up. “Oh… well that’s really sweet of you to offer.”
“So, will you join us?”
I glanced at Troy, now unsure what he had planned for the day. “I’m not sure what Troy has planned.”
She waved a hand. “Troy! Do you want to stay for lunch?”
Troy turned from the door and offered a thumbs-up. Janella smiled. “Alright, lunch.”
We ended up heading to a small cafe that was downtown. We took a table near the window, and the space was busy but charming. It smelled amazing inside, and my mouth watered.
“The food here is delicious,” Janella chirped as we sat down. “They have the best fries in town, too.”
“They do have great food,” Troy added as he picked up a menu.
“Best tuna melt,” Riley said.
I looked over the menu and found that everything looked good. “I recommend the patty melt for first timers. It melts in your mouth, and the flavor is out of this world.”
“That sounds great.” I looked around the place and found people talking quietly. I couldn’t help but feel a little relaxed. The aura in here felt calming.
“So, Elize. Is my brother treating you right?”
Troy laid Janella with a look. “I treat her right, Janella.”
Elize smirked. “Is your name Elize?”
I smirked. “He has been treating me well, Janella.”
“Good, I’d hate to have to beat his ass.”
“Have you been adjusting well to the pack? I know it can be a big change and a lot to take in.”
“I think I’ve been doing fine. I kind of miss the quiet that came with the convent.”
“I bet. I imagine it was peaceful.”
I nodded. “Extremely.”
As we talked, I started to feel my shoulders relaxing. I found Janella and Riley were easy to talk to. Janella talked about growing up and how hard it was. I felt like I could relate to her. I found myself even laughing at her jokes.
She talked about Troy and how great a brother he was. Troy looked a little embarrassed as Janella went on about him. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking that I knew Troy was sweet. He’d always been sweet.
“Well, as long as my brother is treating you right.” Janella beamed. “And if he ever doesn’t, you just give me a call.”
“Don’t give her any ideas, Janella.”
I smirked. “I might take you up on that.”
“Does anyone feel like having dessert?’
“God, no, I’m stuffed,” Troy said, shaking his head. “I can’t eat anything else.”
Janella turned to Riley. “I’m full, but I will love the idea of brownies in about twenty minutes. Can we get it to go?”
“Or, we could stop at the bakery. I think they have better brownies.”
“Ooh, if we stop there, can we also get a caramel apple? Oh my god, no, let’s get their stuffed chocolate cakes.”
“I can get on board with that.”
“I’ll go order that and go pay,” Riley said, sliding out of his chair. Troy frowned. “I was going to pay.”
“Why would you pay? We invited you.”
“Because you paid for lunch last time,” Troy said as he slid up. But Riley ignored him, already walking across the space to the register. Troy hurried after him.
Janella smirked as she shook her head. “Always fighting those two. Honestly, you would think they were related more than him and me being related.”
I thought of her words from earlier and chewed them over. “Janella, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions about this bonding? I figured you’ve been married for a while, so you must know more than I do.”
Janella nodded. “Yeah, what about it?”
“How exactly did you get your guys bonding to another level? I know that Troy and I are connected, but I just wondered if there was a way to strengthen it. I’ve been trying to read up about it, but there isn’t much about it.
It just explains that if you want powerful magi to have a powerful connection. It kind of goes in circles.”
Janella nodded and made a face. “Ah, that. Did you not get told about bonding?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know about bonding. But I just feel like there is more to this. You mentioned you had visions, and I haven’t, so… I just wondered.”
She raised an eyebrow. “The full thing? You’ve been told about the entire thing?”
I paused. “What do you mean by the full thing?”
She cringed. “So, you don’t. It’s okay, I didn’t know either. Uhmmm… It’s stated that the bond is never fully formed until you sleep together. You know… have a physical connection.”
I couldn’t help but be a little surprised by this. How had I not known this? Was Troy ever going to tell me?
“Oh…”
She offered a tight smile. “It doesn’t have to happen, but that is what helped me. I started having visions after Riley and I had sex.”
I chewed on my cheek. “I see.”
“Alright, everything’s paid,” Riley said as he walked over. Troy scuffed behind him. “Only because you elbowed me in the neck.”
“Are you ready?” Riley asked, smiling at Janella.
She nodded, giving me another glance before sliding up. Troy tilted his head. “You good? You look like you’re sick.”
“I think I overate. Maybe shouldn’t have forced myself to finish the burger.”
He chuckled. “I think once you get in the car and relax, you should feel better.”
“I agree.”
We headed to the car, and my head seemed to be spinning with information. If we have sex, does that mean I would start to have visions? Would it help me at all?
The drive was quiet, and the music was set on a low volume. Troy hummed to the song, and I felt my stomach churning violently. As he pulled into the driveway, the words bubbled to the surface. “Why didn’t you tell me the bonding wasn’t complete?”
His head snapped to me, and he looked both stunned and confused. “What?”
“Janella told me. Why didn’t you tell me that?”
He sighed. “What exactly did she say?”
“That the bonding isn’t complete until you have sex.”
“That’s…” He didn’t finish. “That’s not entirely true.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
He scuffed. “Because it’s a line in the sand, Elize. You were very clear about what you were willing and unwilling to do. Kissing and touching weren’t on the table, so sex sure as hell wasn’t.”
“If this is a faster way to get us to a solution, I think you should have informed me.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Elize, you can’t be serious.”
“I am. So.”
He blinked and then shook his head. “No.”
I couldn’t help but be a little shocked. “No?”
He nodded. “Yeah, no.” He opened his door, and my mouth just hung open. I quickly pulled myself out and hurried after him. “You’re seriously saying no?”
“Yeah, I am.” He opened the front door, and I followed him inside.
“You’re not even going to think about it?”
“It’s not necessary for us to do that, Elize. The bonding is connected, and that was what we needed.”
“But it could help us!” I snapped back.
“Or it could cross a line we can’t undo,” he snapped back at me. “I’m not willing to risk that.”
I stood frozen and felt my stomach dip. I didn’t understand. If he really wanted to do what was best for the pack, he’d agree unless he didn’t like me.
“I don’t understand why you think this is such an issue. We’ve done it before.”
He crossed his arms. “No, this is not the same as that.”
“Why? Because you cared about me back then.”
“Don’t,” he growled, his eyes turning dark on me. “I’m trying to be considerate here, Elize. You might not think about it that way, but someone has to.”
“Considerate about what?!”
“Your feelings!” he yelled. “Everything!”
I shook my head. “Fine, don’t tell me the truth.” I stormed past him, heading down the hallway. But as I walked, I felt my vision snap out of place, and I was no longer in the house.
I was in the woods. Surrounded by the trees and the sound of the wind. But all the hair on my body rose, and I couldn’t place what I was feeling.
I felt like there were eyes on me, and I turned around. “Hello? Is anyone out there?”
I heard nothing, but I could feel something. It watched as dark clouds started to move in and the smell of decay filled the air.