Page 29 of Enzo

I narrow my gaze at him. “They got there before I could warn everyone. They demanded to be served and the oldest even threatened Phaedra?”

“She what?” Chayton leans forward in his seat.

“Relax,” I tell him. “You know, if it had been serious, she’d be dead already.”

I quickly filled him in on what happened in the cafeteria. He leans back in his seat, pinching his brow.

“They refused to feed and serve her?”

“Of course they did.”

“Enzo, you told me you had that under control. Now you have me looking as if I set them up. The plan is to get them to fuck up on their own. If you provoke her and she reacts, you will only convince Elizabeth that we are the villains.”

I scoff. “We’re doing the best we can. We don’t want them here.”

“I know that. But at the moment, they have done nothing to garner your disrespect.”

I shoot to my feet, nearly knocking the chair over behind me. “Have you forgotten all the wolves we’ve lost to them? Your brother-in-law being one.”

Chayton holds up a hand. “Of course I haven’t. But if I want my mate to get away from that vampire, I have to prove to her that particular vampire is bad news. Holding Michaela accountable for the sins of other vamps will not work on Elizabeth. My concern right now is protecting Elizabeth.”

Understanding has me sinking back down in my chair. Chayton has a point. If I do anything to make the parasite attack, it won’t help us turn Elizabeth away from her. In fact, it might push her closer.

“Fine,” I grumble. “I can’t believe she came and ratted us out to Luna.”

He shakes his head. “She hasn’t said anything. I’m still the Alpha around here. Nothing gets past me.”

Chayton and I spend the rest of our time going over pack business.

chapter seven

Olive Branch

Michaela

Ipush the grocery buggy up the aisle as Marley walks beside me. Stopping in front of the row of pasta boxes, I grab a few different types and drop them into the buggy.

After leaving the cafeteria, Marley and I immediately went into Jonesville for groceries. I needed to put distance between myself and that pack. Watching them treat my sister the way they had nearly made me lose it. I almost snapped that female she-wolfs neck when she knocked Marley’s tray to the ground.

However, I know that’s what the Beta wanted. I wasn’t exactly sure of his plans at first. But staring into his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

They want me to act out, so they have a reason to tell Elizabeth that I’m the problem. They have no idea of our bond. Even if I killed those flea ridden mutts, my sister would take my side.

Are you sure about that?The thought comes suddenly echoing in my head. Elizabeth is now a mated woman. She has new loyalties. The reality of that hits me hard.

“Are you listening to me?” Marley’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

I turn to look at her.

“Are you seriously eating a pop tart in the store?”

She shrugs and takes another bite out of her pastry. “I’m hungry. Animal blood isn’t as fulfilling and I’m burning through it faster having to keep my block up around those wolves.”

That’s one thing I was worried about for her. Keeping that block up all the time has a lot of downsides. It causes her to be blind to situations around her. Empaths rely heavily on their ability to understand emotions. If you block that ability, they are blind to the surrounding environment. However, the biggest side effect of the block is that it is draining, but the alternative is no safer.

“I’m getting us food.” I look down into my barely empty buggy.

When I left the city, I only had a couple hundred in my purse and two hundred thousand in my safe at home. Yes, I have millions stashed in my safe house and even more in the bank. However, I didn’t have time to stop at my safe house and I can’t touch the bank account. Markis will be tracking that.

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