A Matter of Convenience

Thirty-Five

~Ericson~

SON OF A FU.CKING BI.TCH!!! I sit against the tree, grimacing at the pain that I feel throughout my body. I see Isis staring in my direction, but she’s not moving toward me. What the f***k do you think you were doing?! This isn’t what we are here for! This isn’t the fu.cking plan!

I know, and I’m sorry! I… I got carried away. You can’t tell me that you haven’t thought about it.

Thought about it?! What the f***k are you talking about, Blade?! This is a matter of convenience, just a situation to help us get what we want. It isn’t meant to be anything more than that. Whatever the f***k going on in your mind, let that sh.it go! We ARE NOT doing this! Blade snarls at me but retreats to the back of my mind. I let my head drop as I gather my thoughts.

When we ran here, I was okay with that. There really isn’t anywhere else I could have ended up. But Blade taking over my body and trying to make out with Isis is so far over the line. That isn’t what we are supposed to be doing here, and I’m not going to let him mess up a good thing.

The snapping of twigs breaks me out of my thoughts. I watch Isis lower herself to the ground and get comfortable in front of me. “Ericson,” She nods at me, and I nod in return. “I’m not going to ask what’s going on between you and your wolf. I will ask what brought you here.” I lean my head back and look up at the sky. It’s starting to get dark, but it still looks beautiful out here.

“My dad, of course. It’s just starting to be too much. He ambushed me with the purpose of trying to push Kira on me. Again.” Isis nods and picks up blades of grass in silence.

“What do you want to do? It seems that he’s determined to have you with Kira.” I cross my legs and lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“I’ve already done what I want to do. You and I have an agreement. As far as the world is concerned, we are marked and mated. We’ve already alerted the elders, and they are running with it. My father has no say in anything and can’t make me do anything.” Isis nods, and I watch her for a bit. She looks like she’s deep in, though, and I’m not sure if that’s good for me or not. “What do you want to do? If you want out, now would be the time.” Isis looks at me and shakes her head.

“This was my plan from the beginning, and I’m still with it. We have set the wheels in motion when it comes to the elders, so there’s nowhere to go from here but up.” A feeling of relief washes over me. Isis is free to change her mind and do whatever makes her happy, but her agreeing to stay with this puts my mind at ease.

Without warning, Isis pops up and holds her hand out to me. I look at her as if she’s utterly crazy, causing her to laugh out loud. “I have a plan. Let’s go.” I take her hand and stand to my feet. I have no idea what this plan is, but I guess we’ll see.

~Isis~

I have no idea if this is a good idea, but I will go with it. One thing that hit me after Ericson left is that this thing isn’t going to work if I continue to blindly react to everything Ericson does and says. It’s going to be a hard road, but I plan on trying my best.

I pull Ericson with me, leaving my territory and entering his. We walk up to the packhouse, not breaking our stride. “Isis, why are we here?” I stop and turn to face him.

“Your dad is giving you sh.it and using Kira to do it, right? Let’s make it very clear where we stand.” I don’t elaborate further but turn and continue on our path.

We enter the packhouse, and it’s pretty quiet. It isn’t that late at night, but I’d imagine that dinner is over. I stop in the hallway and turn to look at Ericson. “This is your domain. Show me where to go.” Ericson doesn’t say anything at first. He then nods and takes the lead.

“I guess I should take a shower, and then we can go from there.” He leads us upstairs, and I look around as we go. This packhouse is nice and homey. The walls are lined with pictures in frames. Some of them have familiar faces, and I assume they must be family members.

We reach what I assume is the Alpha floor and walk through the door. I look around, and it’s like a mini apartment. We hear voices in the distance. I guess this is happening sooner than I thought. “Son, is that you?” Luna Delilah’s voice calls out to us. Ericson pauses and looks at me.

“Here goes nothing, I guess.” I nod, and he pulls me along. “Yeah, mom.” We walk into an open area. It serves as a living room and a dining room, one of the open-concept spaces. Ericson’s parents are sitting on a brown leather couch. The couch faces a television that’s mounted on the wall. They are cuddled up and seem to be deep in conversation. When Alpha Trevor spots me, his entire demeanor changes. He looks as if he would love to see anyone else who isn’t me.

“Ah, Isis. It’s so good to see you. I hope you are well.” I don’t miss the note of concern in Luna Delilah’s voice, and I appreciate it.

“Yes. Things are as good as they can be.” She nods in acknowledgment, and it’s then that I register the tension in the room. Alpha Trevor hasn’t said anything, and he’s having a staring contest with Ericson.

“Please, have a seat, you two.” Ericson finally breaks out of his daze and moves to the loveseat off the side of the big couch they are sitting on. He pats the spot next to him and looks at me. I’m hit with a thought and decide to go for it.

I move over to Ericson and drop myself on his lap. I notice his sharp intake of breath, but I don’t miss how he rearranges himself and wraps an arm around my waist. He pulls me back as he settles on the couch. Luna Delilah has a soft smile on her face, but Alpha Trevor looks like he’s imagining my death. I’ve already started, so I might as well go for gold. I lean back on Ericson and wrap my hand around the back of his neck, slowly stroking his fade.