Mask | ✓

29

As I walked toward Eli's house, I couldn't help but feel bad about how I snapped at Tatum earlier. It wasn't intentional, but I didn't expect him to bring of Isaiah out of the blue. I didn't expect him to ask me why I did it.

The situation kept replaying in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more guilty and a little anxious I became. Why was he suddenly so curious? It made sense for him to ask when we first met, but he hadn't brought it up since then. So why now?

Did something happen when he was at the pack house? That was the question I kept asking myself. He hadn't been worrying about Isaiah yesterday—at least not that I know of—so it had to happen today.

A sick feeling took over my body. I didn't want this to become the norm. I wanted him to drop the questions altogether and go back to how we usually were. The point of bringing him here was for him to relax, not for him to go around playing detective.

I didn't want him to uncover something Nolan, Mom, and I tried hard to keep buried away.

When Eli's house came into view, I took a deep breath and collected myself. The last thing I needed was for him to worry about me when he was at his lowest. This was supposed to be me taking care of him.

I walked to the front door and opened it, using the key Eli had given me ages ago. I walked down the hall to find the beta, but it didn't take me long to do so. Not when Fen was practically on top of him.

"Hey, E," I greeted my beta, trying to remain calm and ignore the other man's presence.

Eli turned and wiggled out of Fen's grasp. His eyes met mine, and I could see how much of a toll the whole situation had been taking on him. Anger and Sadness coursed through me, but I held them back. If he saw that I was angry, it would only cause Eli to pull away from me out of fear for his mate. It didn't make sense to me why he was still willing to protect the bastard, but that was Eli — loyal to the end.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him and took a seat on the bed.

Eli tried to smile, but it was clearly artificial. "I just...I just don't understand, Nix. I want to get over it, I want to be happy, but I also want my mate. Or, I don't know, to at least know why Reu—he rejected me."

Reu. Eli tried to brush over it, but I heard it. I made a mental note of the name.

"People are stupid, Eli. They never realize what they have until they lose it," Fen told him.

I stared at Fen's face, and I immediately could see what Eli had tried to deny for years: the crush Fen had on him. That was precisely why I didn't want him here. If I knew Fen, then I wouldn't put it past him to use this situation as a chance to make a move on Eli.

"Fen, can I talk to you?" I asked the gamma. Fen studied me before nodding. We exited the room and took a seat in the living room. "I know what you're doing, and it needs to stop. Now."

Fen raised an eyebrow. "What am I doing other than being there for my friend?"

"Cut the bullshit," I told him. "I'm not blind, Fen. I know about your pathetic crush on Eli, and I know that you're trying to use this as a chance to try and get him to like you, and I'm telling you now to drop it. Eli isn't in a place to be thinking about that, and you are going to manipulate him during a time of weakness to get what you want. If Eli's interested in you, then he'll tell you on his own."

But seeing as it has been years, I doubted that day would ever come.

Fen stared at me with a blank face. "You don't even like mates."

"My opinion on mates plays no role in this. It has everything to do with the fact that Eli is like a brother to me, and I won't just watch you fuck with his emotions. I'm telling you now, Fen. If you keep it up, you won't be a member of this pack anymore."

Fen didn't respond to me, but I could see the subtle clench in his jaw. This was likely the only reason he'd come back: he knew it would be the best opportunity to try and win Eli over. He wasn't in his right mind and felt low about himself. Eli never saw Fen as the same nuisance I had. He always thought Fen was misunderstood and tried to be friends with them. He thought Fen was more innocent than he actually was, and it was that naivety that would allow Fen to get him.

I left Fen in the living room and went back to Eli.

"Cooping yourself up in here isn't good for you, E, or for your wolf. You should try to get out more. I know you don't want to but locking yourself up inside isn't healthy. Mentally or physically."

Eli didn't respond, and I sighed before pulling him into a hug.

"You know I care about you, right?" I asked him.

"Yeah," Eli replied quietly.

"Good. So come on, get up, and go take a shower. You and I are getting out of this house."

Eli stared up at me before sighing and following the instructions. He walked slowly into the bathroom, and I could hear the sound of water running. This run would be good for him and also for me. I needed to get my mind off of Tatum and the situation. Everything was going to be okay. Eli was going to be okay, Tatum was going to be okay, and I was going to be okay.

Everything was going to be okay. It had to be.