Page 53 of His Rejected Fated Mate

Elize frowned now. “I don’t think we went to the same dinner, Troy. We had a pleasant time. Martin was fine. He had nothing to share, and he even apologized again for what happened. Maybe we just need to move on.”

I scuffed and pulled the car out of the driveway. “Unbelievable.”

“What?”

“You caved. You think he’s got nothing to hide, and that is far from the truth.”

She crossed her arms. “It’s not like that. I just… Martin has always been there.”

“And you can’t see that he isn’t who he says he is!”

She looked like I’d just slapped her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I snapped my mouth shut. I should have known that this dinner wasn’t going to change how she viewed her uncle. He was the person who stood beside her for years, while I was the one who left. Nothing was going to change that.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just drop it.”

“I’m not going to drop it. What was that supposed to mean, Troy?”

I turned the corner. “It’s nothing.”

“No, tell me what you mean, Troy!” Her voice rose.

“Your uncle isn’t who he acts like he is!” I snapped.

She looked stunned for a moment and then narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you like him? What is it? Is it because he’s a council member or…”

“It’s because he’s the reason we broke up!”

Her face went white, and I pulled the car to a stop. I couldn’t look at her as I turned my gaze to the steering wheel. “Your uncle threatened me years ago that the pack would never accept you. He told me that I either break up with you or he would end things and find a way to make you disappear. He did both in the end.”

She sank into the seat and just stared. I swallowed and ran a hand over my mouth. “Your uncle isn’t this nice person, Elize. He’s… I have my reasons to hate him. More than just that.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do this.” She grabbed for the door handle.

“Elize, hold on.”

She pushed the door open, and I tried to grab her, but she was already out of my reach. “Elize, please, stop. Give me a moment to explain better. I shouldn’t have just dropped it like that.”

She hopped out and shook her head. “No. I don’t need you to explain. I need space.” I could see the desperation in her eyes as she turned to me. I hated it. This was exactly why I didn’t want her to know.

“Elize…”

She hardened her face and tightened her hand on the handle. “I will walk home. Please, don’t follow me.” She shut the door, and I watched her turn and storm away.

I tightened my hold on the steering wheel, wanting to run after her. But I couldn’t. I kept seeing that despair in her eyes, and a part of me knew it wasn’t just about me. It was about Martin.

Chapter 16 - Elize

I stormed away from the car and down the road. I didn’t even know what to think. I just felt numb. My mind seemed to stop working, and I just kept thinking about Troy’s words. They went over and over in my head.

He’s the reason.

Your uncle threatened me.

I didn’t want to believe him because I knew my uncle. Martin had helped me more than anyone else in my family. He was there for me when I needed someone the most. He’d told me to lean into my witch side and to accept myself. Everyone else was trying to get me to suppress it, and he was the one who told me to embrace it. So, in the world, would he tell Troy to break up with me?

But a small part of me wondered why Troy would say those words unless they were true. I wanted to chalk it up to Troy lying, but he wasn’t like that. Troy was honest.