Elijah's POV
I drove us as close as we were going to get. Like the other pack, we didn't have a road that lead directly into the territory. It would be a dead giveaway that we were living there and we didn't want to mix with humans.
"We aren't going to have to hike through these mountains are we?" Tess asked as she looked out the window. "It would take days."
I rolled my eyes playfully, "You think we don't have a shortcut?"
I pulled the car off into the trees and grabbed Tess' backpack as we got out.
"Werewolves don't usually use magic," Tess said.
I took her hand and lead her to a deer trail, "We're unusual then. The pack decided long ago to use magic for travel because the hike was so long."
Half a mile down the trail was an old rusty metal chair nailed to an oak tree.
"Our shortcut," I gestured at it.
Tess looked at me confused and I smiled.
"We kind of imitated the Harry Potter portkeys here," I said. "Touch it, say the right words, and voila you're at the territory."
Tess gawked at me, "You're all a bunch of nerds!"
She playfully hit my arm and changed the subject before I could come up with a witty comeback.
"It's good to have you back. I missed your smile, you've been so stressed."
I shrugged and looked up at the leaves in the trees, "It's hard not to be stressed. When I kidnapped Chloe from Nate, I kind of took responsibility for her. And finding out she might be in trouble and bringing you into the situation wasn't easy on me."
"All I'm saying," she gently pulled my chin down to make me look at her. "Is that its good to have you back. I'm not saying your stress is wrong." She turned back to the chair. "So how does this work again?"
I stepped closer to it, "Well, like I said; we copied the portkey in a way. Say expecto patronum while touching the chair and the magic brings you to our territory."
Tess chuckled and shook her head, "You should go first , they'll recognize you, I'd be some random person showing up."
I nodded and gave her a quick kiss before grabbing the chair. I said our silly phrase and in the blink of an eye, I was standing beside an identical chair on the edge of our territory. I took a deep breath nervous to be home. A rush of air swept by, signaling that Tess was coming, so I stepped back. She appeared next to the chair as I heard footsteps behind me, stopping maybe twenty feet away. Instinctively I grabbed Tess and pulled her close to me.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" A woman's voice said. "Elijah?"
I turned towards the speaker, keeping Tess behind me. It was a woman with braided shoulder length light brown hair, wearing in a midnight blue dress.
"Hi sis," I said.
"I don't believe it," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"
I shrugged, "I have to have a reason to visit?"
She nodded, "It's the first time you've ever come back. Don't blame me for wondering what the reason is."
Tess cleared her throat softly as she stepped up beside me.
"Oh my god, how rude of me," she walked up and extended her hand. "Welcome, my names Ashe."
"Tess," Tess shook her hand.
I saw the wheels turning in Ashe's head as she caught Tess' scent. Ashe was always a stickler for the rules.
"She's with me, she's allowed to stay," I growled softly.
Ashe smiled at Tess then rolled her eyes at me.
"You're not in charge anymore Elijah so you can't tell me what to do."
"Mind if we sit down while you two bicker?" Tess interrupted. "My feel are killing me."
Ashe lead the way to the opposite side of the nearest building where a dark green picnic table sat. I recognized this building to be our version of a town hall. It was basically two big conference rooms where we conducted any important and private business.
"You alright?" I asked Tess as we sat down.
Tess nodded and gave me a look that said I was worrying over nothing
"How long are you trying to stay?" Ashe asked as she said across from us.
"Trying? Really Ashe?" I frowned annoyed. "We were just coming by to visit, our friends that we travel with are visiting family nearby."
"You exiled yourself years ago," Ashe put emphasis on the word years. "You have no idea what the rules are here anymore."
I chuckled, "Yeah? Because you're so different from dad right?"
Tess leaned against me as I put my arm around her.
"I'm sorry, I'm really confused," Tess said.
"After our parents died and I left, Ashe was left to take over their responsibilities," I said. "And apparently she's still just as strict as dad when it comes to outsiders."
Ashe's smile grew and I glared at her, knowing what was coming next.
"You really didn't tell your girlfriend that you dumped your responsibilities as a pack alpha on me and ran away?"
I took my arm off Tess as she looked at me. I wouldn't look back at her, I stared down Ashe.
"Oh this is gold," Ashe was loving this.
A werewolf stepped out of the front door of the building and waved to Ashe. They needed her for something inside. She quickly dismissed herself.
"EJ," Tess said softly. I didn't react, "EJ look at me."
I did and said, "I was hoping she wouldn't tell you about that."
She reached over and took my hand. I realized it was worry in her eyes not disappointment.
"You're not going to do that to the baby are you?"
"Oh god no Tess," I immediately pulled her so close she was practically sitting on me. "I was a stupid scared kid who had just lost his parents. This is totally different, I'm not going anywhere."
We sat quickly for a while. I didn't know what to say to reassure her I wasn't leaving. After some time, Ashe finally came back out and took her seat across from us.
"Please tell me I didn't miss the big fight," she said.
"Do you really need to be such a jerk?" I growled. "I haven't seen you in how many years and this is how you react?"
Ashe shrugged, "Little sisters are supposed to torture their older brothers." She looked to Tess, "Are you hungry? I'm starving."
I interpreted the offer for food as Ashe easing off a little bit about Tess being here. Maybe Ashe realized she was going a bit far.
Tess nodded.
"Great! Follow me," she stood up.
As Tess and I stood, I think Ashe finally took a moment to look her over because she gasped. Before we could say anything, Ashe had cleared the picnic table and tackled me in a hug. Air knocked out of my lungs, I coughed and tried to push her off me.
"Get off me," I said as I tried to pry her off but her grip was solid.
"No," she said stubbornly. "You should've told me that I'm going to be an aunt. That changes things."
I looked up at Tess who was laughing at my situation. I managed to snake my hand under Ashe's arm and tickle her armpit. Her one weakness. Ashe flinched and jumped back laughing. I quickly got to my feet and dusted the dirt off my clothes. Ashe squeezed Tess with a hug next.
"Congrats," she said to Tess with a huge smile. "Let's get food."
We followed Ashe as she started walking.
"Why does it change things?" Tess asked curiously.
"Well because if you're mates then you're welcome to the pack. We don't allow random werewolves around but mates are a different story." Ashe explained.
"How do you grow your pack if you don't talk to others outside it?" Tess asked.
I threw my hands up, "Thank you! I asked that for years."
Ashe rolled her eyes at me as we walked into the tavern. The place hasn't changed much since I left. The layout was simple, dark wood tables lined the walls and two pool tables were in the center of the room. The back wall had a small bar and the doors to the kitchen and rest room.
I felt eyes on us as we took our seats. I'm not sure if I was being paranoid or if people were recognizing me. Most people probably hated me for deserting my role in the pack.
A woman that I didn't recognize brought waters over to our table.
"Ma'am," she nodded to Ashe before addressing all of us. "What can I get everyone?"
"I'll have the usual fried chicken please Gabby," Ashe smiled.
She quickly scribbled it down on a notepad and looked to me.
"A burger please," I said.
Again she wrote it down before looking to Tess. Tess hesitated for a moment, probably because
we didn't have menus.
"A salad," was the first thing she could come up with.
Ashe held up a hand before Gabby could write it down.
"She'll have some chicken too," Ashe said.
Gabby nodded and walked away.
Ashe rolled her eyes at Tess, "You've got to eat more than lettuce dear."
"You know you can't tell her what to do right?" I raised an eyebrow. Had my little sister gone
crazy with the power of her position?
She ignored my question and asked Tess, "How did you two meet?"
Tess smiled hesitantly, "Well... the first time we met was years ago. He was looking for a place
to stay and I ran a safe house so we were put in contact with each other. EJ helped out around
the property a lot, it was great to have company around that wasn't paranoid psychos. I uh sort
of started to fall for him but he disappeared one night after some warlocks showed up looking
for my other tenant." Tess paused but Ashe didn't say anything. She just listened to Tess with
intense curiosity. "The second time we met, EJ showed back up on my doorstep with my
adopted daughter that had gone missing. He'd found her and brought her home."
Tess glanced over at me with a smile. I smiled back but honestly that story made me feel
crappy. I didn't mean to disappear on her. Did I really leave every time things got tough?
"I have so many questions," Ashe said. "Why was Elijah needing a safe house? Why'd he
disappear? Why'd he come back with your daughter? Wait no answer that first. I want to hear
about your daughter. Was she from your mate?"
Tess shook her head, "She's not biologically related to me, I just unofficially adopted the girl
when she showed up at my house. Poor girl had been through so much she needed family.
Elijah was working for her boyfriends pack at the time so when she showed up on his doorstep
and mentioned me, Elijah brought her home."
Ashe's attention was on me now, a flicker of anger in her eyes, "You left our pack for another
one?"
I shook my head, "No Ashe, after I left the safe house I needed to find protection somehow and
they offered it if I did work for them. I was never truly part of their pack."
"Why did you need protection and a safe house?" Ashe asked.
I wanted to snap at her and tell her to stop hounding me for answers but the muscles in my back
tensed. Telling me that giving into the anger wasn't a good plan.
"I made some mistakes," I said. "Made some powerful shapeshifters angry. I needed to make
powerful allies quick before they killed me."
"What did you do to a bunch of shapeshifters?" Tess asked grabbing my hand.
I sighed before answering. "Exposed their whereabouts to a bunch of angry demons and while
they were all fighting I stole the shapeshifters source of magic. It was this weird meteorite or
something, I'm not really sure."
"What did you do with it?" Ashe asked.
I shrugged, "Sold it to the highest bidder."
Thankfully the food showed up and the conversation died down as we started eating. I didn't
know how much more I wanted to explain about my past.
