And Then There Were Four novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88: The Elder has Come

Ivy.

I wasn’t sure exactly how I was supposed to feel. Last night, I did the one thing I hadn’t expected to do in quite some time. I allowed myself to go too hungry, and in the end, I ended up hunting another animal that was slaugh tered without mercy to sustain the hunger burrowed inside of me.

Every time I did it, I felt guilty. Because that was anoth er animal that’s life was lost because of what I was. Where as the werewolves seemed to think it was a natural aspect of life, I did not.

I was a primal creature.

Something the world had never seen before, at least not in my lifetime or that of my forefathers. I was danger ous and unpredictable, or that was the words that the guys kept using repeatedly. As if by some mistake, I was placed here, and I should have been elsewhere.

They loved me, and I loved them. But I contemplated if what I was doing was even beneficial. Should I really be try ing so hard to fit in this pack, or should I see if there was a

way for me to embark on my own mission and leave?

The thought of leaving left an ache in my chest | couldn’t let go.

There was no way I could leave. I had a life with them, and I loved them. I just wish I wasn’t what I was. Why couldn’t I have been normal? Why couldn’t they have just allowed me to be a normal werewolf or even just a fucking

human?

Instead, they made me a creature that wasn’t normal by any sense.

“Ivy?” Hale called from the bottom of the stairs, causing me to get up from where I was currently sitting in my room, looking at paint swatches.

“Yes,” I replied as I met him at the stairs.

“The guest room was finished, and the contractors are here, so I just wanted to let you know they will need access to your room and that of the den so that they can go ahead and get work underway over the next couple of days.”

“Oh, okay, that’s fine. I will just take all my stuff down stairs into the living room. Perhaps start organizing through a few things.”

Sagging my shoulders, I turned with a heavy breath and headed to my room to gather my belongings. While construction was underway, I would have to sleep with one of the guys, which wasn’t a problem in my eyes.

I did feel slightly awkward, though, because they were acting weird towards me, and I didn’t do well with that kind of behavior. It made me feel out of place even though | shouldn’t have.

Making my way downstairs, I listened to the muffled conversations the guys were having from the kitchen. Once again, my name was being brought up, and knowing they were talking to me behind my back was irritating.

— If I was such a problem, I don’t understand why they

wanted me to be their Luna.

Deciding to ignore it all, I went into the living room and sat on the sofa with the swatches in my hand. Shades of green, yellow and creams littered the cushion as I thought over my idea of a nature-based theme for the twins.

I wasn’t quite sure how everything would come togeth er yet, but I knew I wanted to keep everything as close to nature as possibly could.

After all, the twins’ lives would revolve around that wolves and the darkness of the woods.

“Ivy, can you get the door?” I hadn’t even realized someone had been knocking as I watched James and Talon carry things from the stairs towards the back of the house.

“Okay.”

Standing to my feet, I moved towards the door. To my surprise, when I opened the door, it was Elder Jenny Harri son standing there in front of me. She was two days earlier than I had expected.

“Elder Harrison, I wasn’t expecting you for two more days,” | exclaimed, pushing away my shock to quickly re place it with a welcoming smile.

“Terribly sorry, I just finished things quite early with the other pack, so I just assumed it would be okay for me to come. If it’s not, I’ll just go ahead and head back to where I live,” she said, faking a fake sweet personality that I could tell was anything but sweet.

“No, no, don’t be silly. It’s perfectly fine. We’re just in the middle of having the contractors here to start the process upstairs. Follow me this way, and I can show you where you will stay.” Gesturing with my arm, I opened the door wider for her to pass through.

As she stepped inside, I watched Damian make his way to where I was with a scowl on his face. “Elder Harrison, it’s a pleasure to see you. I apologize for the construction that

is currently taking place.”

She looked at him with a curious glance, and a smug expression crossed her face. “Don’t worry, I’m sure that the accommodations are more than acceptable. Shall we go, my dear?”

Looking between Elder Harrison and Damian, I slowly nodded my head and gestured for her to continue follow ing me. There was a lot of tension in the room and how the elder had acted wasn’t how I was expecting.

She seemed more smug than a woman in her position would have been. As if she thought her authority was much higher than Damian’s was.

“So, how much longer do you have?” she asked me as I looked at her, watching how she kept eyeing my stomach.

“A few months,” I replied with hesitation. “I should actu ally find out tomorrow what the babies’ genders are.”

“Babies. You mean there’s more than one?” she asked wide-eyed.

| suddenly realized the mistake I had made by letting that out. I guess it hadn’t registered that everybody as sumed I was having one, not two. It wasn’t even something that we‘d really made official within the pack.

“Um, yes, we just found out at my last appointment that there were two, not just one,” | replied, quickly changing the subject into anything else. “Where you’ll be staying is just outside of the pack house.”

With a frown of disappointment, she stopped at the back door, looked inside the house, and then looked back outside. “So I’m not actually staying in the pack house. You’ re having me stay outside in the guesthouse?”

Is she seriously going to make a big deal of this?

“Yes, as I told you, we’re doing construction inside. So, unfortunately, the inside of the pack house doesn’t have any availability. Considering that rooms are being redone, but the guest house is a one – bedroom furnished place, and it is absolutely lovely. I actually stayed there when I first came here.”

With one raised brow, she stared at me. Her face was void of emotion as she nodded her head, gesturing with her hand for me to lead the way. She wasn’t impressed, and perhaps that was because she was expecting to be treated differently.

“Very well. I suppose it will do.”

“There are clean linens on the bed right now. Make yourself comfortable. I know you’re going to be here for just a couple of days, but there is food and drinks in the fridge. If you should get hungry, we will have dinner tonight, though, in honor of you being here as our guest.”

“Of course, that sounds delightful,” she replied as the awkwardness between us grew. 

“Wonderful. Well, I will just go ahead and leave you to get set in, and I will have one of the guys come fetch you when dinner is ready.”

Turning quickly, I made my way from the cabin and hastened my pace back up to the main house. Now that she was here, I regret allowing her to come. I should have given the phone to Damian and allowed him to be the one to tell her she couldn’t stay here.

Hale nodded his head as Talon sat with his arms crossed and a stone sharp look on his face. He wasn’t pleased with the elder being here, and I didn’t blame him. She was a very odd character. James, however, still had a look of absolute disgust on his face as he scoffed before quietly digging into the food in front of him while mum bling under his breath.