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14
ELI
Silverstreak Ranch Home
Travis County, Texas
Ipulled down Remus’ long driveway, surprised to see my father’s rental car already parked in front of his garage. While I didn’t expect an itinerary of where my father was, it felt odd that Remus asked me to come over and didn’t mention that Nic would be here. The other possibility, of course, was that my father had invited himself over to see his other son and his grandchildren… Frankly, I wasn’t sure which idea made me more uncomfortable.
As I walked inside, I found Remus on the couch; on the porch was my dad, pacing back and forth as he spoke on the phone. I wasn’t much of a lip reader, and of course, Remus had those high-end glass sliders that basically blocked out all noise. “What’s he doing?” I asked, brows knitting together.
Remus looked up and set his phone down. “Hello to you too, Eli,” he rumbled, raising a brow in my direction. “He said it was pack business.”
Even though I was fully in my human form, I could feel my hackles rise. My wolf stirred, ears flattening against his skull. “It’s my pack too,” I hissed, fighting the urge to snarl.
Remus held his hands up, surrendering to my irritation. “Look, all he said to me was that Uncle Gage was calling him, it was pack business, and he had to take it. That was it.”
His attempts to placate me did nothing for the prickling sense of aggravation I felt. “He’s my uncle, Remus, not yours,” I growled, hating how petulant I sounded and not caring enough not to say it. It wastrue, and someone had to say it — no one else was going to.
The older alpha simply raised his brows. “He’s my uncle too,” he replied, looking at me as if I might have lost a few marbles. “He’s Nic’s brother. That’s what an uncle is, Eli.”
“I know what the definition of an uncle is!” I snapped, my lip trembling. I wanted to snarl at the man, but I wasn’t a damn idiot.Even if he thinks I am.This is Remus’ house, his territory, and ‘family or not,’ that could be seen as a threat — or a challenge. “You didn’t meet him until last year. You had no idea who that man was until then and vice versa. Just meeting your biological father’s brother doesn’t suddenly make him your uncle. There’s no magical emotional attachment just because you sharebloodwith someone.”
I couldn’t believe what I was saying. Uncle Gage and I had never been particularly close — but if Remus was already claiming my uncle, it was only a matter of time before he went after my cousins.Myleswasmycousin,mybest friend, andmybeta. I had to share my father; he couldn’t make me share anything else. It wasn’t my damn fault he was so… so…,whateverhe was, that he and Bane didn’t have the same type of relationship Myles and I had.
Remus watched me warily for a moment, his brows still raised as I lapsed into silence. After a moment, he cleared his throat, putting his hands down. “Eli — I’m not trying to steal your family from you,” he said calmly, as if I were some rabid dog about to bite. His composure only made me more annoyed.Iwas worked up, and he wasn’t matching my energy.
“I didn’t say that,” I snapped. “I’m not a little boy, Remus.” It was hard for me not to say his name like it tasted foul.
He still didn’t rise to my baiting. “I know you didn’t,” he replied calmly, keeping his face a casual neutral. Part of me wanted to punch that ‘chill guy’ look right off his smug mug. “Just thought it was worth stating. Silverstreak is more than enough for me. I have no designs for the Longbow pack. I just want to know my biological family. For my sons to have the opportunity to know their grandfather and his family. That’s all.” Remus raised a brow at me. “After what I’ve been through to keep Silverstreak going strong, you’d be crazy to think I’d give it up.”
I’m not buying what you’re selling, I thought vehemently. Remus was a salesperson, right? He sold cars. Maybe not literally in a car lot, but he secured clients for Silverstreak Motors. He had to sell the business or whatever. I wasn’t a damn fool; I could tell he was trying to sell me, too.
As much as I didn’t want to let the topic go, the slider opened up and my father walked inside, looking a little distant.
I tried to school the frown off my face. “How’s Uncle Gage?” I asked.
“He’s fine,” my father replied absently.
My brow twitched. “What was he calling about?”
“Hm?” My father gave himself a little shake, returning to the present. “Oh, not much. He just wanted to touch base and discuss a few things happening in London.”
My frown returned in an instant. Father wasn’t making eye contact with me, and he still seemed distant. I was pretty sure it wasn’t because Remus was in the room — he seemed to have no problem sharinganythingwith his older son — but was it because he didn’t trust me? He still thought I was some little pup that needed to be protected, not a grown-ass alpha who could be trusted to maturely discuss pack business.
How can I get him to see me?
Luna calledus all to dinner before we could discuss anything else. Being dragged into ‘family bonding’ still left me irritated, but Luna was such a good hostess, and the food was so delicious that I was unable to hold onto that feeling. I didn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Remus, but his cook, Elena?Amazing. If she ever needed a new job, I’d invite her across the pond in a heartbeat.
Honestly, if I didn’t think my father would make a big stink about it, I’d offer her double what Remus was paying and try to entice her to the Longbow pack.
Once my sister-in-law excused herself to put Ryland and Rory down, we retreated to the living room. My dad and Remus had a whiskey, but I wasn’t interested in drinking. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I wasn’t here for pleasantries.
Finally, my father brought up the reason Remus had asked me over. “Have you heard anything about the Sanders girl?”
“No,” Remus sighed, sitting back further in the chair. “Eli and I spoke to her parents yesterday, but there hasn’t been much to add to the case since then.” He paused, glancing at me. “I did look into her records, by the way. At least on the surface, it seems she was just as good as her parents claimed she was.”
I hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s something. I have had one of my men looking into her online history, the best he can from where he is. But so far, there isn’t anything noteworthy for him to trace on her browsing history — except that she didn’t seem to have any concept of internet safety.”
