\[William’s POV\]
I walk slowly, my irritation rising with each passing step and minute. Stopping, I turn and look at the man beside me and wait.
“What?” My father asks, eyeing me curiously. “Is there something you want to say?”
“Why are you here?”
It was pretty fucking obvious what I would want to know. There was absolutely no reason for him to have come here with Uncle Hamilton and Aunt Naomi. His feelings about Rosco and anything that had to do with him were pretty obvious.
“I can’t be concerned?” My father asks, giving me an ironic look. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Given your actions just the other day, no.”
Goddess, I wasn’t in the mood to be dealing with this shit.
“If you just came here to attempt to get me to go back to Crystal Fang once again, then...”
“I didn’t.” My father says firmly. “You’ve made it clear that you are going to disobey my wishes, so I won’t try that again. I simply came because your uncle requested I do so.”
Because Uncle Hamilton requested it, he came along. There was no fucking way that was true, but I couldn’t simply say that. I didn’t know what it was that my father was up to, but for the time being, I would play along.
“Then you should go join him.” I say, wanting to get away as quickly as possible and hunt Elise down.
“That impatient to get away from me, huh?” My father chuckles knowingly. “It’s because you want to get back to that criminal, right?”
Tensing, I bite back on my initial response, as I know it will do nothing but add to the strain that I’m already feeling.
“You don’t have to try to pretend.” My father continues. “It’s pretty fucking clear just how infatuated you are with her, but dare I warn you of what showing such affections to an outsider has caused in the past?”
At his words, I feel my eyes widen. Wasn’t this his way of basically confirming that he was the one responsible for what happened to Marigold and her family?
Immediately, a wave of guilt rushes through me as Marigold’s accusatory glare flashes in my mind. I can almost hear the words ‘Your fault,’ as her lips silently move.
‘Now isn’t the time.’ Rue reminds me. ‘You need to focus on finding Elise and sticking near her until your father is gone.’
‘Right.’ I respond, turning my attention back to my father. ‘He can’t be here for anything good.’
“Let me show you to the infirmary.” I say now, beginning to move again. “Uncle Hamilton and Aunt Naomi will most likely be there.”
I don’t wait for a response before I’m moving. By this point, I don’t care what else the man silently following me has to say. Nothing good came out of that bastard’s mouth since I was young, and in the moment I found myself wondering why I ever gave two shits about wanting to please him.
When we reach the infirmary, the tense atmosphere presses against my skin, urging me to stay back, but I continue to push through until I reach Rosco’s room, where I can hear soft voices.
“In here.” I say, nodding toward the door. “They’re in here.”
Nodding, my father walks past me and stops in the doorway so he can take in the scene taking place inside.
“Damn,” he mutters, though he doesn’t seem too upset. “So it’s true that Rosco has fallen ill.”
“Yeah,” I respond, peeking past him so that I can see Rosco, who is wrapped in bandages, lying in bed while Uncle Hamilton and Aunt Naomi sit on one side of him while Denali sits on the other.
“He was among those who tried to fight off the nue.”
“Mmmm.”
I wait as my father continues to stand in the doorway, simply watching, but even with his silence, I can almost feel his satisfaction over the scene in front of him.
He truly was a spiteful bastard and a piece of shit to be able to be happy about another’s misery.
‘At least you didn’t take after him.’ Rue murmurs. ‘But you should really watch your back and stick close to Elise when you bring her back to Crystal Fang.’
‘Yeah.’ I sigh. ‘I got it.’
“Since I’ve brought you here, I’m going to head out now.” I say, clapping my father on the shoulder. “Please try to stay out of trouble while you’re here. Remember that this place isn’t your territory.”
“You’re speaking as if I’m some villain who has come to terrorize your cousin's pack while he isn’t capable of protecting it.”
“How could I possibly think that, father?” I counter. “I’ll see you later.”
Turning, I begin to move while my father’s gaze burns into my back. I can only hope that he doesn’t cause too much trouble while I’m not there. However, I was sure that even if he did, Uncle Hamilton could easily handle him.
With this assurance in mind, I make my way to Elise and Marty’s shared space while annoyance begins to flare in me. Why in the hell did Rosco think letting a man and woman stay together was a good idea? Especially when both were extreme flirts.
‘Someone’s jealous.’ Rue chuckles, only making me angrier. ‘Claim her as yours already, so no other man can touch her.’
‘I’m trying.’ I snap.
If Elise was a normal woman, then it wouldn’t be so hard to tie her down, but she was Elise, and that was one of the things I liked about her. She was a different species from all the other women. She wasn’t afraid to say what she thought, and she didn’t give two shits about what anyone thought, to the point where she didn’t bother trying to clear up misunderstandings. Along with that, she was strong in her convictions and beliefs.
Honestly, if she wasn’t like this and easy to claim, I don’t think I would be so damn interested.
‘You’re a glutton for punishment.’ Rue huffs in annoyance. ‘I can already tell who will be the one to wear the pants in your relationship.’
‘If all you’re going to do is insult me, then you can go the hell on somewhere.’ I growl, shoving him aside as I reach Marty and Elise’s place.
Lifting a hand, I knock on the door and wait until Marty appears with a look of mischief in his eyes.
“Can I help you?” He asks, keeping the door half closed so that I can’t see beyond. “You see, we are quite busy right now.”
His words are like a dagger that stabs into me, and they cause my irritation to flare to the point where I’m reaching out, grabbing the door, and pulling before I can even stop myself.
“Oh ho!” Marty laughs, enjoying my reaction. “Someone sure is anxious. Are you worried that I’m having my way with your precious Elise?”
Actually, that was exactly what I was thinking, but as I look inside the room, all I can see is travel gear strung around the area.
Right. They were preparing to leave in search of the enemy's location. I guess even with the turn of events, they were still going forward with this.
“As you can see, we are quite busy.” Marty repeats. “So you can...”
“No,” I snap, shoving my way past him. “I can help, at least.”
Originally, I wanted to secretly go along with the group, but with the turn of events, the best thing for me and Emerald Moon was for me to stay here in order to make sure that they had someone strong to fight if the enemy were to appear.
“Aren’t you a gentleman?” Marty gushes, giving me a disgusting look. “Then could you be a dear and help me pack my toiletries?”
“I didn’t say I’d help you.” I point out, looking toward Elise’s room. “You can do everything yourself.”
Ignoring the laugh that escapes Marty, I begin to move, but stop as Elise appears with Serenity in tow.
“Oi, Marty,” she calls before she sees me. “Why are you here?”
For a moment, I don’t speak as I find myself picturing how Elise would look carrying our child. She just looked so natural when it came to caring for children.
‘Snap out of it, lover boy.’ Rue urges me. ‘We didn’t come here for this.’
Dammit. I needed to get it together, but when it came to Elise, all damn reason disappeared.
“I came to see if there was anything I could help with.” I finally respond. “You’re packing for your journey, correct?”
“That’s right.” Elise responds. “But we’ve got it under control. We don’t need any help, so you…”
We. Fucking we. I didn’t like her referring to her and Marty as a we. It made them sound like they were already a couple.
“I’m helping.” I repeat firmly. “Tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it.”
“Then change this.” Elise huffs, passing me Serenity. “Or better yet, take her back to her mother.”
“Denali is busy right now.” I point out taking Serenity. “Give her to me; I’ll handle her.”
“Are you capable of taking care of a baby?” Elise asks, giving me a look of disbelief. “Have you ever done it before? Don’t tell me you have a secret love child out there somewhere.”
“Of course I don’t.” I snap. “But how hard can it be?”