Chapter 15 - Troy
“Are you ready?” I yelled as I finished buttoning my shirt.
I did one more look at myself before I slipped out of the bathroom.
I walked down the hallway and found Elize leaning into the fridge.
My eyes widened as I took in ass in the sundress she was wearing.
The dress stopped just inches down her thigh, and I knew just how easy it would be to slide my hand between her legs. I wondered how she would react.
A side of me wondered if she would lean into it or if she would push me away. Would she let me slide my fingers into her and give her another orgasm?
I quickly shook my head as she turned around with a bottle of water. She had been chugging the water before she looked me up and down. For a second, I wondered what she was thinking. She held no expression to tell me what she was thinking.
She set the water down and smiled. “Ready? You look nice.”
I nodded, tracking the way her fingers shook on the bottle. “You looked nervous.”
Her eyebrows went up. “What gives you that idea?”
I pointed to the water. “You just chugged half of that, and your hands are shaking.”
She rubbed her hands together nervously. “I guess I am. I just… things are a little different in my house.”
“I can handle it. I’ve met your parents before.”
“I know that. I just… I guess I’m still angry.”
I pulled my eyes up and couldn’t help but be surprised at her words. “Angry? You’re angry at your parents?” Had she said anything before about her parents and her? I knew they had a different relationship, but I don’t recall anything that would have left her angry.
I never knew what fully happened after we parted ways. I just knew she had left.
She nodded, “I grew up always having to suppress my witch abilities. I know that my parents did it because they were trying to protect me, but it only made me feel like I didn’t belong. It’s like asking a shifter to suppress their wolf.”
I frowned. “I never got the feeling that you and your parents didn’t get along.” But then again, she never spoke much about her family life.
She shrugged. “We got along fine, but I always knew they wished I were different. It left me feeling like I didn’t belong.”
I wanted to tell her I didn’t believe that. I saw the way her folks looked at her. Her father looked at her with nothing but pride, and her mother always spoke well of her. If her parents didn’t want her, we all would have known.
“Ready?”
I nodded and let her lead the way out. We drove over to her folks’ house, which was in a cul-de-sac. Her parents own a small house with a large wrap-around porch.
I couldn’t help but smile, thinking of so many memories. We spent hours reading on the porch. We’d danced on the porch trying to learn for a school dance that we never ended up going to.
All summer, we basked in the sun, soaking up the warmth. We laughed and argued. We had a water fight and ate pies together. We lay in the grass under the stars.
“Hey?” Elize waved a hand. “You coming?”
I nodded, reminding myself that it was in the past.
I knocked on the door and glanced at Elize. I reached for her hand and squeezed it. I expected her to pull her hand back, but she squeezed my hand back. She looked at me and softly smiled.
“If you decide you don’t want to press your uncle.”
She shook her head, not letting me finish. “No, we need to know.”
The door was pulled open, and Elize’s mother, Eva, stood in the doorway. Her mother offered a smile, and I could see so much love in her eyes.
“Elize, hi honey. And Troy. Welcome. We were just pulling the chicken out of the oven. I hope chicken is okay with you guys. We didn’t have time to throw anything else together at the last minute.”
Her mother pulled the door further open, and we stepped inside. The house was warm, so we took off our jackets and hung them up.
The living room looked the same as I remembered. They had an L-shaped couch sitting in front of the big window. There were pictures hung on the wall of the family and distant relatives.
They had a built-in bookshelf that was filled with books. Books that Elize and I had read together and argued over plots. Books that we swapped and kissed behind.
“We’re so excited that you guys wanted to have dinner tonight,” Eva said as we stepped further into the living room.
In the living room, Elize’s father, Lucas, was sitting on the couch. He was reading a book and glanced up from it once we walked in.
“Lucas. Elize and Troy are here.”
Lucas smiled as he set the book down and pulled himself up. “Elize, you look well. Troy, it’s lovely to see you again.”
I gave her father a nod as he stopped just in front of us. “How is everything going?”
“Fine, I’m fine,” Elize said, rubbing her hands together.
Lucas nodded as he looked at me. “And how are you, Troy? Things have been crazy in the pack this past couple of months. Hopefully it’s not too much for you.”
I nodded. “They have, but things are going well. Nothing to worry about. Everything is under control.”
Lucas smiled. “I don’t worry with you being Alpha. I know you do good work.”
Just then, we could hear the front door open and close. “I’m here.”
We all turned and spotted Martin as he entered the house. I couldn’t help but frown. I could feel Elize tense up a little before she forced a smile. “Uncle Martin. Glad you were able to make it.”
“Sorry, I’m late. I lost track of time. How is everyone doing today?” Martin walked into the living room, giving a jolly smile. It made my insides twist up how he could put a mask up so easily. “Elize, you look wonderful. Eva. Lucas.” Martin’s eyes paused on me before he looked back at Elize.
“It’s great you could join us, Martin,” Eva said. “I was just about to pull out the chicken. Can you guys move to the dining room? Honey, can you help me pull out the rest of the food?”
Her parents slipped out of the room, and the space fell quiet for a moment. Martin looked at Elize and walked closer. “How have you been, Elize? Are you still mad at me?”
Elize glanced at her uncle and offered a smile. “I’ve been good, and I’m not mad at you anymore. Upset that you didn’t just tell me the truth. I thought we had a better relationship than that.”
Martin frowned. “We do have a better relationship. I told you, they just threw me off.”
I wondered if Elize believed him. She didn’t give any emotion away. She just smiled. “Well, I hope you make it up to me tonight, Martin.”
We headed into the dining room, where Lucas and Eva were setting out the food. Eva gave us a kind smile. “I hope everyone is hungry.”
“It all looks really good, Mom.”
We all took seats and started to dish up. I took the chance for the silence to get the conversation moving.
“So, Martin, have you and the council members found anything new?”
Martin froze for a split second before he smiled. “No, nothing new to report. Was there anything you needed to share?”
“No.”
Martin passed the beans to Eva. “We’re all in this together. We’re just hoping an answer comes to us eventually.”
“How is the cauldron?”
Martin gave another smile. “It’s fine, and if you don’t mind, I don’t want to discuss work while we are here.”
“Oh, we don’t mind,” Eva quickly added. “We have wondered where the cauldron came from. There are a lot of rumors about it.”
All eyes went to Martin, who didn’t drop his smile. “It just appeared like we told the Alphas. We hide it away to ensure no one gets harmed.”
“It just appeared?” Lucas asked. “Where did it appear?”
Martin shrugged. “I wasn’t there the day they got the cauldron. I was out with a cold, but they said in the woods.”
“So strange,” Eva said. “For it to randomly appear.”
“Yes.” Martin nodded in agreement. “It was.” I watched his eyes narrow on me, and I knew he wasn’t going to give me anything we wanted.
The meal continued without Martin giving up anything useful. I grew irritated because I could see how well Martin was with his words. He knew how to turn the conversation around if he didn’t want to discuss something, no matter how many times I would get it back on track.
I was feeling disappointed as we grabbed our jackets an hour and a half later. We thanked Eva and Lucas for the meal and headed out to the car.
“Well, that went well,” Elize chirped as we got into the car.
I turned the car over and shook my head. “I still don’t trust him.”
Elize raised an eyebrow at me, seeming uncertain now. “He didn’t have anything to share. Maybe there is nothing he’s hiding, Troy.”
I frowned, hearing the shift in her voice. Martin clearly got to her as well. “Don’t tell me you believe that act he put on. Anyone should be able to see through that.”
Elize frowned now. “I don’t think we went to the same dinner, Troy. We had a pleasant time. Martin was fine. He had nothing to share, and he even apologized again for what happened. Maybe we just need to move on.”
I scuffed and pulled the car out of the driveway. “Unbelievable.”
“What?”
“You caved. You think he’s got nothing to hide, and that is far from the truth.”
She crossed her arms. “It’s not like that. I just… Martin has always been there.”
“And you can’t see that he isn’t who he says he is!”
She looked like I’d just slapped her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I snapped my mouth shut. I should have known that this dinner wasn’t going to change how she viewed her uncle. He was the person who stood beside her for years, while I was the one who left. Nothing was going to change that.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just drop it.”
“I’m not going to drop it. What was that supposed to mean, Troy?”
I turned the corner. “It’s nothing.”
“No, tell me what you mean, Troy!” Her voice rose.
“Your uncle isn’t who he acts like he is!” I snapped.
She looked stunned for a moment and then narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you like him? What is it? Is it because he’s a council member or…”
“It’s because he’s the reason we broke up!”
Her face went white, and I pulled the car to a stop.
I couldn’t look at her as I turned my gaze to the steering wheel.
“Your uncle threatened me years ago that the pack would never accept you. He told me that I either break up with you or he would end things and find a way to make you disappear. He did both in the end.”
She sank into the seat and just stared. I swallowed and ran a hand over my mouth. “Your uncle isn’t this nice person, Elize. He’s… I have my reasons to hate him. More than just that.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do this.” She grabbed for the door handle.
“Elize, hold on.”
She pushed the door open, and I tried to grab her, but she was already out of my reach. “Elize, please, stop. Give me a moment to explain better. I shouldn’t have just dropped it like that.”
She hopped out and shook her head. “No. I don’t need you to explain. I need space.” I could see the desperation in her eyes as she turned to me. I hated it. This was exactly why I didn’t want her to know.
“Elize…”
She hardened her face and tightened her hand on the handle. “I will walk home. Please, don’t follow me.” She shut the door, and I watched her turn and storm away.
I tightened my hold on the steering wheel, wanting to run after her. But I couldn’t. I kept seeing that despair in her eyes, and a part of me knew it wasn’t just about me. It was about Martin.