Chapter 16 - Elize
I stormed away from the car and down the road. I didn’t even know what to think. I just felt numb. My mind seemed to stop working, and I just kept thinking about Troy’s words. They went over and over in my head.
He’s the reason.
Your uncle threatened me.
I didn’t want to believe him because I knew my uncle.
Martin had helped me more than anyone else in my family.
He was there for me when I needed someone the most. He’d told me to lean into my witch side and to accept myself.
Everyone else was trying to get me to suppress it, and he was the one who told me to embrace it.
So, in the world, would he tell Troy to break up with me?
But a small part of me wondered why Troy would say those words unless they were true. I wanted to chalk it up to Troy lying, but he wasn’t like that. Troy was honest.
I felt a twinge deep inside, wondering. Had I been seeing it all wrong? Was there something that I missed?
I walked across the park and headed for a bench.
I sat down and began contemplating my life.
I remembered dinners with my parents. I knew my parents loved me, but they were afraid.
I could see it in their eyes when we sat down for meals.
I watched the way it ate at my mother, not knowing what was happening.
And I remembered Martin. He always smiled and told me that I was made this way. That I was different, but that was okay.
He brought me to the councils and even let me tag along with him to meetings.
I felt more connected to Martin than to my own parents.
He was the one looking up information about magic and witches.
He was the one who was trying to help me grasp what was going on.
And I thought that Martin liked Troy. But now that I thought back, he never said anything about a relationship.
I don’t even recall him congratulating me on dating Troy.
I frowned, thinking harder about the past. Now that I thought about it, Martin always seemed to slip out when Troy was near me. It was almost like he was avoiding us.
I felt my shoulders sink as I thought harder. Any family dinner that Troy attended, Martin didn’t. He always ended up having a reason; he’d fallen ill or suddenly become too busy.
“Hey.”
I jumped, nearly falling off the bench as I turned, finding Janella standing behind the bench. She held back a laugh as she covered her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I called your name a few feet back, but you didn’t answer.”
I held my hand over my heart and shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just thinking. I didn’t hear you.”
She rounded the bench and plopped down next to me. “What are you doing out here? It’s starting to get late.”
I looked around, realizing that the sun had set. I hadn’t even grabbed the phone out of the car when I got out, so I couldn’t even check the time.
“I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing out here so late?”
“I’m taking an evening walk. I like the weather change and the leaves at this time of the year.” She tilted her head. “So, why are you out here?”
I sighed. “I had a bit of a fight with Troy, and I stormed out of the car.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Dang.”
I nodded. “I’m feeling a little childish but also angry.”
“At him?”
“At everyone,” I looked down at my hands and twirled my thumbs together. I knew if anyone understood this feeling, it would be Janella.
“Did your parents accept you?”
Janella nodded her head. “Oh yes. My parents were overly affectionate. They were constantly reminding me how special I was.”
My eyebrows went up. “Oh…” Maybe she wouldn’t understand.
She offered a smile. “But I grew up thinking they were forcing it. I knew it was different to have a witch daughter rather than a shifter daughter. They had expectations that I would never meet. There were aspects of my life they would never understand.”
“Troy told me something tonight, and I’m having a hard time mulling it over.”
She scuffed. “Oh Jesus, what did he say? Do I need to beat his ass?”
I shook my head. “That my uncle was the reason we broke up years ago.”
Her eyebrows raised. “Wait, you dated Troy before?”
I nodded. “Yeah, in high school. We were dating when he just ended things. Told me that there was no future and that the pack would never accept us.”
Her jaw dropped. “Seriously? He said that.”
I nodded. “Yeah, and what I never understood… why the sudden change. He told me he never cared if I was a witch and that he was going to get everyone to see the side of me he saw. And then just ended things.”
“Wow…”
I shook my head. “I just… for years I tried to figure out what could have happened. And he just told me. But I just… I don’t understand.
” I chewed on my cheek. “Martin was the only family member who I felt understood me. My parents always wanted to suppress my magic. They were always worried about what I could do. But Martin never seemed to care. He just accepted me. Or at least I thought.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I think Troy cares about you a lot.”
I glanced at her. “What makes you think that?”
“I can see it in the way he holds himself. I see it in the way he looks at you and how he talks to you. His actions.”
“I shouldn’t have complained to you. It’s inappropriate.”
She snorted. “Oh, please. If anyone is going to understand, it’s going to be me. My brother is sweet, but he’s kind of a twit at the same time.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I wondered why we’d never met, how I’d spent so many hours with Troy and never knew his sister. But then again, I tried hard to be invisible in school.
I looked across the park, taking in the silence. “Do you ever wish you could go back and change things?”
“All the time, but then we wouldn’t be here.” She gave me a smile. “And I’m grateful for you. I’m glad my brother has someone who cares about him. And I think you should trust him and your gut.”
“About?”
“Your uncle. I could see it on your face. You were thinking about something.”
I could feel the twist in my gut telling me. “I just…” I frowned. “If what he says is true… how will I be able to trust people?”
She offered a sympathetic smile. “You will. You just have to find the right people. And you’re not a kid anymore. It gets easier.”
We sat in silence for a moment longer. “Thank you, Janella. It means a lot.”
She tapped her shoulder against mine. “Anytime. We’re family after all, now. We witches, have to stick together.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that burst free.
I headed home a little later. I was determined to get to the bottom of whatever happened. I wasn’t going to bed until I knew the full story of what happened between Martin and Troy.
I marched inside and found Troy in the kitchen. I was pretty sure that he was waiting for me to get back home. He sat up straighter as I walked in. I threw my shoes off and marched over, standing across from him.
“You let your phone in the car,” he stated, sliding the phone toward me. I looked down and saw messages from Martin on it.
I grabbed the phone and slid it away from me. I looked back at Troy. “You’re going to tell me everything, and I mean everything, Troy. I don’t want anything let out. Put everyone on the table.”
He looked a little surprised at this. “Are you sure?”
I thought of my relationship with Troy in the past. I remembered how much he cared and how he’d always been there.
And for the life of me, I could never figure out why he suddenly ended things.
It wasn’t like Troy. And told myself for years that he was just an ass that didn’t know what he wanted. But that wasn’t true.
Troy knew what he wanted in life. The only time I ever saw him waver was when he spoke about being Alpha, and it wasn’t because he didn’t want it, but because he did. But he worried he would never get it. He didn’t have anyone in his family who could get him in. He had to do it himself.
Troy was strong-headed but kind. He was there for people and always offered a hand if needed. Even in school, I knew that Troy was going to do great things and people would flock to him. I knew that he would be a great Alpha.
I pushed my anger aside and felt my shoulders drop. Because for the first time in a long time, I just wanted to set my mind aside.
“Tell me.”
Troy explained that Martin expressed his dislike of our relationship from day one.
He told Troy many times that he needed to break up with me.
He explained that he told Martin no and that he wasn’t going to let me go.
He cared about me, and he didn’t care if it would be a hard relationship. He was willing to do whatever it took.
All words I’d heard him say so many times before. And I could see just how much he meant them, just like he had back then.
He told me how Martin tried reasoning with him.
Expressing that I was a witch and that you never knew what I could do.
My magic was knew and if I didn’t learn to control it, I would end up doing more harm than good.
That I could harm people, and he needed to think about the pack.
Martin told him that I would never amount to anything and that he needed to look for someone his equal.
Someone who could give Troy what he needed.
I didn’t know what hurt more. The fact that Martin said all of this while telling me a different tune. Or the fact that he was nothing like I thought. The man that Troy was describing was nothing like the Martin I knew.
Troy softened his words. “The week before we broke up, he told me that I had to end things or he was going to make you disappear.”
I blinked. “Disappear?”
He nodded. “Martin always reminded me that I was just a high schooler and he was a council member. He held all the power.”
I felt my stomach dip at this because I’d heard Martin express those same words. He would always tell me to let him know if I needed help. He was a council member, and he had the power to make things happen.