Chapter 6 - Aubrey
I stared out the window as Klaus drove. The radio was on low, and I could hear the wind blowing outside. I chewed on my cheek, nervous. I had spent the last week all over the place.
The first day, I stayed home twiddling my thumbs.
My mind ever seemed unsure what to do. Do I run?
Do I stay? I tried looking up information about shifters online, but I didn’t know what was real and fake.
I tried staying patient and calm. I told myself that this was going to take time.
But Klaus didn’t come home until late and refused to talk to me at all.
The second day, I was over it. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.
I stopped at the library and was pulling books off the shelves, looking for anything that would help me.
I was reading about shifters and witches.
The librarian was nice enough to tell me more about what she’d heard.
I started connecting dots and listening to what people were saying on the streets.
I knew there was a cauldron, and I knew that there had been others who dealt with it.
I glanced at Klaus, watching the way he held himself even right now. He always remained poised but held that grumpy expression.
“You’re staring.”
I looked away. “I was not. I was taking the view in.”
He snorted. “I could feel your eyes on me.”
I scoffed. “I think you think too highly of yourself.”
I could hear him click his tongue. “Do you want me to turn this car around?”
“Do you want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life?” I asked back, giving him a side glance.
I watched his fingers tighten on the steering wheel, giving me my answer. He didn’t want this any more than I did. We were both forced into this, and we both wanted out. He turned the music up, and I looked back out the window.
The rest of the drive was quiet. Neither of us spoke, and I found myself trying to think of a happy place, but nothing came to mind.
It had been so long that it felt foreign.
I bit my cheek, wondering if I’d ever have a normal life.
Or would I always feel like I was running?
Would we ever get answers? Was this trip to the cauldron a complete waste of time?
We pulled into a town, and I couldn’t help but be surprised at how lovely it seemed. The town was beautiful, and everyone seemed so happy. Not that Klaus’s pack wasn’t, but the aura felt different. It felt cleaner, like I was looking at a TV show rather than a real place.
We turned down a road and came to a stop in front of a tall building. A shiver ran down my spine. The building rubbed me the wrong way. “Is this a jail?”
He shook his head. “No, this is their town hall.”
I couldn’t help but stare for a moment. Klaus got out of the car, and I quickly shook my head and hurried after her.
We headed inside. The outside wasn’t any better than the inside.
It was just as cold and uninviting. There were pictures hung on the wall that looked like they were staring at you. I moved closer to Klaus unconsciously.
We headed up some stairs and into a room. There was a large table and a door directly behind it. I tilted my head at the layout. “That’s an odd spot for a door.”
He nodded. “Apparently, the council tried to keep it hidden for a while.”
“Why?”
Klaus shrugged as he opened the door. “Not my problem to know. Let’s go.” We went down a spiral staircase, and I watched Klaus scrunch up his nose.
“Are you good?”
He nodded. “It just smells down here.”
I sniffed the air, not smelling whatever he could, but I had read they had a heightened scent ability. It smelled earthy to me, like a cellar, but nothing that would make me scrunch my nose in disgust.
We paused at a large door that he opened.
Inside was a large black cauldron that was chained to the ground.
I raised an eyebrow at it. I don’t know why I thought it was going to be something different.
The room was small with no windows. You could hear the cauldron bubbling as if water were inside, but there was no fire lit.
There seemed to be nothing special about it, and yet it was apparently holding all the answers we needed.
I stepped into the room and frowned. I was disappointed.
“So, do you feel it?”
I turned to him. He stood in the doorway, refusing to step into the room. I could see how tense he was and the hope in his eyes. “Feel what?” I asked, suddenly wondering if I’d missed something.
“The energy. They said you would feel it. So, do you feel it?”
I frowned. I felt like I was staring at a cauldron. Like I was in the middle of a Halloween store and waiting for a witch to pop out to scare me.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. I don’t feel anything.”
I could see the disappointment cross his face. He sighed. “Well, that’s just great.” He raked a hand over his face and sighed. “We drove all this way for nothing.”
I couldn’t help but feel insulted. It wasn’t like I asked for any of this. “Are you sure that I’m the right person?”
His eyes narrowed on me, and his lips formed a tight line. “What?”
I shrugged. “I’m just saying. If I were, wouldn’t I be feeling whatever it is you think I’m feeling? Maybe you’re wrong about this. Maybe I’m not the woman for you.”
“You’re my mate,” he snapped.
“Or you could be wrong. Maybe it was another girl at the auction that you were feeling things for.”
“Knock it off,” he growled, “I’m not an idiot, and you’re the one. I wouldn’t have done what I did if I weren’t a hundred percent sure.”
I moved closer to him. “If you’re so sure, explain to me how it is you know? What is it about me that made you a hundred percent sure that I was the one?”
I needed to know so I wouldn’t just be wasting my time. I couldn’t stomach being trapped here because he’d been wrong from the start.
But some footsteps were coming down the stairs, and Klaus yanked me toward him. I slammed against his body and placed my hands on his chest to shove him away.
“Act like we are getting along,” he whispered, his voice softening.
“What?” I pulled my head up, and I could see his jaw tensing together and his nostrils flaring. He looked almost… concerned.
“Well, if it isn’t the new couple.” I turned my head just as I noticed the members from before. The council. I felt the hair on my skin rise, and I stopped resisting. My body pressed against his as they moved closer.
“What brings you guys here?” one of them asked.
“We were visiting the cauldron.” Klaus tightened his arm around me, and I inhaled his scent.
One of them raised an eyebrow at us. “We don’t just allow anyone to come down here, Klaus. You know that.”
“I spoke with Riley about coming down here. He okayed it.”
The members looked at me, and I felt Klaus’s arms tighten almost protectively. I leaned into his hold, sinking into him.
I could feel them looking me up and down. It was like a vulture looking at prey. “How are you two getting along?”
“We’re doing well, and if you don’t mind, we have some other stops to make.” Klaus pulled me with him as we passed them. His hand was tight around mine as he pulled me up the stairs.
But one of them spoke. “Klaus, we need you to do what’s best for your pack.”
We came to a stop, and I could feel his fingers tense in mine. I stared at him, watching his throat as he swallowed. “I always do what’s best for the pack.”
I glanced over my shoulder and could see them watching each step we took. They had their eyes on me now, and I swallowed, feeling my stomach drop.
“I thought you said you had no issues with the councils,” I whispered when we got up the stairs.
“I don’t,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I like them. I don’t like people in my business, and I don’t like being told what to do.”
He pulled us down a hallway, then came to a stop. I slammed into his shoulder and scowled. “What the…”
“Klaus?” A woman stood in front of us and offered a bright smile.
I couldn’t help but stare because she was stunning.
She had jet black hair and deep blue eyes.
She was wearing a simple cream dress that hugged her curves.
Even her smile was perfect. “Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. How are you?”
I glanced at Klaus, who forced a smile. “Elize, I’m fine.”
She looked toward me and extended her hand. “I’m Elize. Troy’s wife. He’s the Alpha of the pack next to this one.”
“I’m Aubrey,” I said, not sure if I was supposed to be introducing myself as Klaus’s wife.
“She’s my wife,” Klaus added.
Eliza’s eye sparkled. “I heard. Congratulations. We’ll have to catch up sometime. Troy was just talking about you. You haven’t been to the last couple alpha meetings.”
Klaus scowled. “I doubt he was talking about me, or at least in a nice manner. There is no need to be so formal, Elize.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “He speaks all good words. I do wish you’d join in events.
” She looked down the hallway before looking back at Klaus.
“I would love to pull more words out of you, but Troy is waiting for me. It was nice to see you. Really, reach out. We should all get together sometime.” She glanced at me.
“And welcome, Aubrey. Let me know if I can help you. I know how hard it can be to adjust to the role, and I imagine you have a hundred questions. I’d love to help you answer some of them. ”
She walked past us, and I couldn’t help but stare at her. I felt something twist up in my gut as she walked away. It was odd. I’d never really felt a pull toward someone until now. I wasn’t the type to trust people, but something in my gut told me I could trust her. Like I should be.
“Who was that again?” I asked as I looked at Klaus.
“That would be Troy’s wife. He’s the Alpha of the pack next to Riley’s. Riley and Troy have always been close. Janella is Troy’s sister and Riley’s wife. It’s kind of confusing sometimes.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t help but look back at her. She held herself so confidently, and there was something else about her. Something… different. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, though. I watched as she walked inside a room, shutting the door behind her.
“What else?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “What do you mean?”
“I mean like… what else? Is she a human like me or a shifter?”
He nodded as he turned. “Janella and Elize are witches.”
My eyebrows went up at this. I looked back at him. “Why do you say it like that? I thought you got along with the other Alphas.”
“I do, but I don’t trust witches. They are the reason we are having these problems to begin with.”
He pulled the door open, and we stepped outside.
As we walked to the SUV, I pondered his words.
As he started the car, I tried to connect the dots.
I knew that there was a curse placed over the pack and that the packs needed to be healed.
I didn’t know how it was supposed to be healed.
I thought visiting the cauldron would at least give me some kind of clue.
Klaus wasn’t sharing much, and I didn’t know whether he didn’t know or just didn’t want to tell me. Eliza was the first person to offer a hand. She was willing to answer questions that no one else seemed to want to.
“Why do you not trust witches? That seems like a problem considering the other Alphas are married to some.”
“Not all are nice,” he stated as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. “There are good witches and bad witches. You can smell it on them.”
My eyebrows went up. “You can?”
He nodded. “Although I doubt you would, since you are human. But it’s like a rotten corpse. Evil magic has a way of twisting people, turning them into things they aren’t. It rots them from the inside out.”
“You speaking from experience?” I asked, knowing he had to have reasons for feeling such strong emotions.
He nodded. “I’ve seen more evil witches than good in our pack. Shifters and witches have an old rivalry. We’ve come a long way, but some things aren’t always a hundred percent fixed. I doubt they ever will be.”
I looked outside the window. But my head thought about Elize. I don’t know what it was about her, but it was like I knew her. I’d never met her in my life, but a part of my soul felt like I had. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“I would like to see her again.”
He made a face. “I think not.”
I scowled. “And why not?”
He shrugged. “Because there would be no reason to. Let’s not waste time on you making friends. You’re not planning on sticking around after all.”
I crossed my arms. “This isn’t about making friends. This is about me finding out what happened before and how everyone in the pack healed. If you want your freedom back, I need to know the big picture. I can’t help if I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing, and Eliza was offering to help me.”
He ground his teeth together.
So, I pushed. “Do you not trust Elize? Is that why you don’t want me to?”
He clicked his tongue. “I trust Elize. I just don’t trust the convent.”
I shook my head. “Who?”
“The convent, the other witches in Troy’s pack. They are new to joining the pack.”
“And I think you need to push those emotions aside because we have to dig up what will help the pack. I can’t just sit at home and twiddle my thumbs trying to find things out. I have to talk to people.”
I watched him sigh, his jaw clenching and unclenching.
I raised an eyebrow. “Or would you like me to live in your house forever?”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I will take you to visit their pack.” He turned the radio on, and I knew it was his way of wanting quiet.
I glanced out the window and sighed. I felt like I was never going to find the answer.