Chapter 20

• MATTHAN
• "Well, your threats are practically useless now. Maybe you'll finally put some effort if you want a relationship with Eloise instead of relying on cheap tricks." My wolf mocked the second the door slammed shut and as much as I hated to admit it, it was right. Eloise was completely done with the singular threat I had up my sleeve. But it stung nonetheless. Because I knew there was no effort I could put in to get what I wanted with Eloise. She had explicitly told me. She was afraid of a relationship with me. I was a werewolf. As much as Eloise tried to deny her heritage, I couldn't. I was a Beta. There was no changing that. Eloise Carter however didn't do werewolves because her father's depravity had warped her perception of what a healthy relationship with her kind was like. I fitted in my keys in the ignition and slowly backed up before putting it into drive and backing out of the driveway. I was beginning to realize how empty my threat had been. I could not see myself exposing Eloise to the elders. Not after what that Carnation werewolf said. The way she said it sounded like they were protecting her. They knew of her existence. That was not new but they were keeping their distance. There had to be a valid reason. So while I was tempted to go on with it, I found it hard to imagine what the aftermath would be like. Especially for Eloise. As I leaned toward the radio to play something mindless and enough to distract me, my nose caught the smell of something wafting through the air. It was warm. Familiar. Too familiar. It scented of a werewolf. A pheromone that once used to bring a smile to my face. It hit a nerve when I made the connection. I knew that scent all too well. My wolf growled at the same time. What the hell was Alice doing around here? She had been in my car. It was unbelievable realizing that I was being stalked now. Without a second thought, I searched for my phone, quickly dialed her number, and waited until a voice picked up on the other end to speak.
• “Hello, Matt? Is your date home now?” I could hear her heartbeat. It was slow which implied she was troubled. It had been the same when we found ourselves in the hallway. Her eyes had been glazed. Like she was about to burst into tears. Her body language all said the same thing. It was why I had approached her. Until she turned erratic and tried to kiss me. But her tone of voice was sarcastic nonetheless.