Chapter 29
Ella
Ella felt conflicted as she drove into town to meet Cassius. She had had a wonderful time with Adam, but she really liked Cassius. He was a fresh start, was so handsome, and thought she was funny and amazing. She felt so good with him, but she felt good with Adam too. He had changed since she left.
Ella couldn’t deny her feelings for either of the two wolves fighting for her affection. But she needed to shove aside those thoughts today - today was just about her and Cassius. Adam had asked to take the children that day and Ella took the opportunity to see Cassius. It had been a while since they had gone on a proper date. Sure, seeing him every night on her phone was nice, but Ella missed seeing him in person.
She checked her rearview mirror and saw Preston’s car trailing behind hers. He said it would be as if he wasn’t there, so hopefully he’ll be less conspicuous when they actually park. Today, Ella made sure to pick somewhere there would be no food or beverage needing consumption. She and Cassius would be going miniature golfing. It was cliche, but Ella enjoyed the activity.
She parked the car and locked it as she stepped out into the bright morning. There was a slight breeze that kept the temperature down enough that it wasn’t blistering. Ella smiled as she noticed Cassius standing outside the gate, leaning against the admissions building. His tight gray t-shirt showed off his toned muscles. His classic trademark half-smile was on his face and always lifted her spirits.
“Hey, stranger,” she called as she walked closer.
Cassius looked up and a his grin widened.
“Ready to sink those holes in one?” he replied.
Ella chuckled. “I’m not that good, but I’m sure I could give you a run for your money.”
Cassius lifted an eyebrow as his grin widened. “You sure about that?”
“Guess we’ll see.”
Cassius looped his arm around Ella's waist as they walked around a hedge toward the side of the building where the ticket window stood.
“Two for a round of minigolf,” Cassius said, sliding his card through the opening.
The cashier took it without another word. He ran the card and handed it back along with two putters and two balls. Cassius thanked him and grabbed the set of equipment, handing one of each to Ella. They walked through the gate and stopped when they came to the first hole.
Ella spied Preston mumbling to the cashier and he entered.
Guess we’ll see just how covert he can be in a place like this. I expected him to wait outside.
Ella turned back toward the hole, trying her best to ignore Preston’s gaze. The first hole looked easy enough. It was a short, curved lane to the small white hole at the end.
“Ladies first,” Cassius said, gesturing for her to start.
Ella placed her brightly colored blue ball on the tee mat. She figured bouncing it off the far wall would be her best chance to sink the ball. She could try to get the ball to follow the sides, but Ella knew it would be easier to just hit the ball toward the wall and let it bounce off. If not a hole-in-one, she’d at least get it in two hits, still keeping under par.
Ella swung, hitting the ball with a quick ping. Just as she expected, it rebounded off the side, heading toward the hole, but still rolling passed. Cassius lined up his shot on the far right side, aiming for the ball to follow the curve. He hit it, but the force he put behind it was too much. It went around the wall, passed the hole, and shot back toward where he had started, stopping two feet from where Cassius stood.
Ella placed a hand over her mouth, stifling her giggle. Cassius’s ears turned pink with embarrassment. He gave a small nervous chuckle.
“Don’t worry, you just need to warm up,” Ella assured him. “I’m sure the other holes will be better.”
As she finished talking, Ella putted the ball right into the hole. She stood patiently off to the side as Cassius took two more turns to sink his ball. Cassius shook his head as he bent over to pick up his ball out of the hole, mumbling under his breath.
"Now that you've moved back to the compound, do you think you're going to stay?" Cassius asked as they walked together to the next hole.
"I don't know yet," Ella confessed. "I had gotten used to living outside the pack. But Adam deserves to get to know his kids, and I know he would never abandon his pack."
The next hole stood at the end of a zigzagging course. This one would take a little more skill if she wanted to stay under par. Ella stuck her tongue into her cheek as she debated the best place to hit the ball. If she could hit it just right, she could likely hit the ball straight into the hole, not even hitting a wall.. She eyed the pathway between the corners and decided to go for it.
Ella hit the ball and it rolled straight toward the hole. She held her breath as it neared. The ball started to slow and Ella was worried she hadn’t hit it hard enough. But it teetered on the edge for a second before plopping right into the hole. Ella pumped her fist into the air.
“Hole in one!” she shouted, ecstatic.
“Niiiice,” Cassius said with a grin. “I’m going to have to work much harder if I’m going to beat you.”
He gave a wink and placed his ball down. Trying to replicate her hole in one, Cassius lined up his shot and hit the ball. It nearly passed through, but a small bit of it hit on the last edge and it ricocheted off, away from the hole. He cursed.
“So close!” he groaned.
Cassius hit the ball again, and the ball rolled straight into the hole.
“Two isn’t too bad,” Ella responded.
Nodding, Cassius headed to the next hole with Ella right next to him.
“Do you want to try going first this time?” Ella asked, waiting to put her ball down.
“Naw,” Cassius replied. “What kind of gentleman would I be if I gave up so early and went before you?”
He winked.
“Besides, watching you gives me ideas on how to hit my own ball.”
Ella shrugged with a chuckle. “Okay then.”
As Ella walked over to the beginning of the next hole, Cassius asked her a question. "So, what's it like living in your pack? Do you feel safe and secure with all the security?"
She placed the ball down and hit it toward the windmill at the next hole. Her timing was off slightly and the ball hit the blade, bouncing back toward Ella, stopping just inches from where she had started. Ella sighed, stepping away for Cassius to try. As she moved away, Ella caught Cassius watching her endearingly.
"It's all right, I guess," Ella replied, blushing slightly.
"Is it because your pack is so large? You feel out of place?"
Cassius hit his ball, easily sending it through the hole. They quickly scurried over to the other side to see where the ball would go. He grumbled as the ball passed straight over the hole, but gasped in surprise as it hit off the wall and landed straight into the hole.
“Wow! Impressive!” Ella praised.
Cassius smirked. “There’s more where that came from.”
Ella laughed as he playfully nudged her arm, a twinkle in his eyes. She walked back over to where her ball sat. She hit it through the opening in the windmill’s base and it came out, rolling to the right. With one more hit, she sunk the golf ball intot he hole.
"The pack is pretty big, but I don't think that's it. I think maybe it's because I feel more trapped here than I felt before."
As Ella picked up her ball, she thought about how she hadn’t seen Preston since the beginning. She looked around to spot him, but couldn’t see him anywhere. Ella knew he was still watching though - he would never disobey a direct order from Adam.
“Is something wrong?” Cassius asked, coming up behind her just as she turned back around.
Their faces became incredibly close. Ella blushed as Cassius didn’t move right away, chasing away the thoughts she had been thinking. After a moment, Cassius closed the gap between them, pulling Ella closer with one hand around her waist. Surprised at the sudden closeness, Ella jumped, but as their lips met, she relaxed, kissing him back.
As quickly as it started, the intimate moment ended as another group came to the hole behind them, babbling away, reminding them that they weren’t alone. Cassius smiled, taking Ella’s hand in his before leading her to the next hole.
They played all 18 holes before the hour was up. They tallied up their scores, breaking even.
“Who’s supposed to pay for ice cream if we tied?” Ella asked innocently, batting her eyelashes dramatically, completely forgetting about Adam's warning.
Cassius laughed. “Who ever said the loser was going to buy ice cream? I don’t remember agreeing to those terms.”
Ella placed a hand on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought.
“Good point,” she mused.
Cassius chuckled, placing their putters on the table next to the exit.
“But I can’t deny a beautiful girl some ice cream. What flavor do you want?”
They walked over to the ice cream cart right outside the mini golf park.
“I love strawberry,” Ella said.
“Then strawberry you shall have.”
Cassius ordered two ice cream cones and they went to sit under a tree while licking at the frozen treat. That’s when Ella remembered she wasn’t supposed to eat or drink anything from anyone. She stared down at her cone, a frown forming on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Cassius asked, his brow creasing.
When Ella didn’t say anything right away, Cassius added, “Is it bad? I can go back and ask for something else.”
“No, It’s not that,” Ella replied. “I was just thinking about the wolves that have been poisoned recently. There have been more than those two outside the coffee shop.”
Cassius drew back in surprise.
“Really?”
“Do they know what happened? What poisoned them? Have they beefed up security? Added more guards?”
Ella shook her head. “All I know is that they were all aconite poisonings. I don’t think they have figured out a commonality between any of the victims. Adam has placed more wolves around town to be there in time for any others being poisoned, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't changed anything with the border patrol.”
“You don’t have to finish it if you don’t want to,” Cassius said, laying his hand on her knee. “But I doubt that it’s poisoned. Neither of us have gone unconscious yet.”
Ella nodded. “You’re right. I’m just being paranoid.”
They both continued eating their ice cream, enjoying the cold treat offsetting the heat of the sun. Though the cold felt good, Ella couldn't quite shake her unease. Her fear caused her ice cream to taste not quite right, but she didn't want to ruin this moment with Cassius, so she didn't bring it up again. Instead, she smiled and continued to slowly lick the frozen treat.