Page 8

chapter seven

Michaela

I push 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.

So, I have to live off what I have with me, which is the money I took from my home safe and my purse. When we were offered to eat with the pack, I was reluctant at first, but quickly realized how beneficial it would be. With us not getting a constant blood supply every day, we had to supplement it with actual food. Groceries are a large expense, and I need to save as much money as I can in case I have to leave again. But clearly that’s not happening.

“Once we get settled and some of the heat dies down, I’ll go over to the next town and hunt.”

“Until then, can we have lasagna tonight?” she asks excitedly.

Shaking my head. I smile. “Yeah, kid.”

I push the cart further up the aisle, stopping at the pasta sauces. A handsome dark-skinned man with the whitest, most perfectly straight teeth I’ve ever seen grabs my attention. He smiles at me. His eyes are dark brown and almond-shaped. A thick, full beard accentuates his wide lips. He had his low fade shaped and cut to perfection.

He and I make eye contact as he pushes his buggy past.

He’s absolutely handsome, yet nothing stirred inside me. After three hundred years of this, I’m used to the empty feeling.

Once he passes, I return to shopping.

“Seriously?”

I look over at Marley. “What?”

“I saw that.” She glances over her shoulder at where the guy went. “He was very interested.”

I roll my eyes as I grab our favorite spaghetti sauce. “Well, I wasn’t.”

“You can’t tell me that man wasn’t attractive. I don’t even like older guys, and he was hot.”

I glare at my sister. “He was cute. But I don’t have the time nor desire to be in a relationship.”

She didn’t need to know that I didn’t believe in love. Marley’s still young and had faith that there was a mate out there for her. Someone that would fit her perfectly. I knew the truth.

“Are you seriously telling me you don’t want to fall in love again? You don’t want to spend time with a man that adores you. Someone that thinks of you when you’re away and spends his time making you smile and laugh?”

I stare at the silly smile on her face as she recants the delusional image she has in her head.

“Absolutely not,” I tell her. “Even the thought of it turns my stomach. And if I find out you are spending your time with some hormonal boy, you’ll be spending time at a funeral.”

She scoffs and waves me off. “You’re almost 500 years old. I’m ready to be an aunt.”

We move further down the aisle, placing more things in our cart.

“Have you forgotten you have two older brothers? Both of which have children.”

She wrinkles her nose. “You know I don’t like them or their demon spawn.”

I have to laugh at that. My brother’s kids are awful. They are entitled pricks.

“Well, you better start to like them, because there will be no nieces or nephews from me.”

“You suck,” she teases.

“Yes, I do.” I joke.

Suddenly, my phone rings. There are only two people that have my new number.

“Here, take the cart and get the rest of the stuff on the list. I need to take this.” Handing the cart to Marley, I step away and answer the phone.

“This better be an emergency,” I immediately say as soon as the call connects. I slip out of the automatic doors of the grocery store and onto the sidewalk.

“It is,” my cousin Chelsea or Diya says.

Diya is the only member of my family besides my sister I deal with. She and I are the same age. Her father is my father’s younger brother.

“The council has called for an emergency shelter in place. Markis is on a rampage. Bodies are piling up. Muza and Alexander’s bodies were found last night.”

A chill runs down my spine. I knew this was going to happen, but even so, I couldn’t stay to help. Muza and Alexander were once members of his loyal disciples but they, like me, stopped drinking the poison that is Markis early on. I figured he’d go after them and all others he felt betrayed him.

“Where are you?” I ask Diya. “You need to get out of the city.”

“Girl, way ahead of you. I’ve been out of the city since you left. I’m getting this info from friends.”

I pinch my brow. “Good. Lie low and don’t tell anyone where you are. Markis doesn’t know we’re close. He won’t look for you.”

"Mizani, they have marked your family as aiding and abetting Markis." They stripped your father and brother of their title. As of right now, Uncle Abizi is the king of clan Nizam.”

That doesn’t concern me. If I go back and demand it, they’ll probably give the title to me, but I long ago stopped caring about titles.

“Also, the council is demanding your appearance to declare you’re not with Markis. If you don’t show within a week, they’ll put you in the same category as your father and send the legion for you.”

“I’m not worried about the legion or the council. Showing my face back in that city would do more harm than good. The council can’t help me now.”

“I figured,” she sighs. “I was just warning you.”

“Have the council notified the union?”

The supernatural world is made up of tiers like the human government. We have our councils, which are like state law makers. Witches have their council, the different shifters have theirs, and vampires have ours. Each council governs their own kind.

Above the council is the union. Which is similar to the human federal government. An appointed member of each council sits on the board of the union. The union makes and passes laws for all of us.

Most of the time, the council deals with their own issues, but occasionally the union is called in. When Markis was put to ground, it was the union that had to capture him and voted on his punishment.

“As of right now, the vampire council has kept this away from the union. They are too ashamed to let them know they’ve fucked up.”

I let out a relieved breath. This is good news. As long as this information does not get back to the union, I can keep it from the pack.

“Alright, you stay hidden. Remember, only call this number for emergencies.”

“Okay. Stay safe, Mizani.”

I disconnect the call with my cousin and quickly head back into the grocery store. Even being away from the pack this long makes me uneasy. I need to get back.

Marley and I carry all our bags from the entrance of the pack lands all the way to the furthest side of the property where our cabin is. As soon as I unlock the door, a booming voice has me turning around.

“Where have you been?”

The angry Beta is standing on my bottom steps. His eyes glowing.

“Marley, take the groceries inside.”

Marley doesn’t question me; she quickly scurries inside the cabin.

“Excuse you?” I ask.

His gaze narrows. “You don’t leave these premises without my permission.”

“I don’t recall the Alpha ,” I say, emphasizing the word Alpha. “Saying that in his welcome speech.”

The Beta takes a step up on the porch. I watch him closely.

“I don’t need the Alpha’s permission to tell you not to leave without letting someone know.”

“Well, problem solved. I told Elizabeth I was leaving. She is the Luna. Someone else with higher ranking than you.”

His growl rumbles so deep I can almost feel it in my chest.

“The day I get to rip your head off your neck in front of my Luna will be a great day.”

I smile. “Do you think it will be that easy?”

I have to admit, the cockiness from this Beta is entertaining. He is so sure that when the time comes, he will be able to kill me. One reason I’m here amongst these wolves is because if I was going to take on my ex, I needed all the help I could get. Wolves, at least those with the gift, have the ability to hold their own against vampires. Scouts were blessed with the power to kill vampires. However, I was no ordinary vampire. I would not be an easy win for this Beta. But I kind of want him to try it.

“Are you threatening me, Leech?” he says right in my face.

His body is like a furnace up against mine. His towering height and wide chest would intimidate a weaker person. I stare him in the eyes.

I could kill him right now. Before his wolf could even think to make an appearance, his lifeless body would be at my feet. But unfortunately, I need them, all of them. Even this arrogant Beta.

“No,” I say, stepping back. “I am not threatening you. I’m simply asking if you think it would be so easy to kill me in front of my best friend.”

Those shining eyes watch me intently. “You’ll prove us all right eventually and then she will see how undeserving you are of her friendship.”

His words cut like knives, but I won’t let him know it.

I shrug. “If you will excuse me, Beta. I need to put away my groceries.”

Turning my back to him, I head for the front door of the cabin.

“You and the other one are now allowed to eat in the cafeteria.”

I spin around to face him and scoff. “How generous of you.”

“Do not make this difficult,” he snarls.

Chuckling, I shake my head. “Difficult? Is that what you think? That I’m being difficult?”

He shortens the space I’d put between us. “That’s what it looks like to everyone around here.”

“Was I being difficult when my sister’s plate was knocked out of her hands? When you showed up on my porch demanding I not leave without permission, was that me being difficult? Seems to me everyone else has been the difficult ones.”

“If you don’t like it, you can get the fuck out of here.”

We stare at each other once again. The bracelets around my wrist vibrating with my need to slaughter this damn dog.

“Okay,” Marley says coming back out on the porch. “Maybe we should all calm down. Both of your emotions are really high, and I don’t have the energy for it.”

Immediately, I relax my stance and block my emotions. I got so caught up with this wolf; I let my guard down.

“Sorry,” I apologize to Marley. Turning back to the Beta, I say. “Thank you for your invitation to the cafeteria.”

He snarls at me but doesn’t reply. Turing my back to him, I walk inside of the cabin.

“You’re welcome to join us for dinner if you’d like?” Marley offers.

“I’ll pass,” he spits out before I hear his heavy footfalls hitting the steps and then the gravel path between our houses.

Marley walks into the house and shuts the door. She looks over at me with a huge grin.

“What?” I ask.

“Oh nothing,” she says before heading off into her room.

I ignore her as I put away the groceries and prepare our late dinner.