Elk paused for a moment, shaken by Jackson’s words and Rish calling him ‘dad’ after so many years. He couldn’t find it believable, his wolf anger simmering. No lie, he couldn’t just let it go.
“Please try to understand, Elk,” Priya urged softly. She didn’t know what else to say to calm him, hating this kind of anger.
Priyank’s scary demeanour was why she disliked him his violent tendencies made her feel scared.
Certainly, Elk had a valid reason, but Priyank’s reasons didn’t seem reasonable at all.
Elk sighed as his wolf started to calm, glancing towards Maya, who was still pale and crying. He hated seeing his mate like this, wanting only to see her happy and smiling.
Today, she cried because of him, but it was understandable it was normal for him to be angry, though not the smashing and breaking.
He didn’t know what had happened, but for some time, his wolf had taken over, and he couldn’t control himself.
That he had broken things in someone else’s house was embarrassing.
“Calm down, Dad. I know you’re angry with Mom, but don’t be like this,” Levi mumbled, shaking as if she might break.
It was crazy and threatening, the first time she’d seen a wolf on edge, her own dad no less. The words tingled on her tongue, but felt good to hear.
With shaky hands, Elk fisted his hands. “I’m going. I don’t want to be here.”
“You can’t run away. Why not talk with your wife like a man, or maybe rest here until you feel better,” Priyank’s dominating voice broke through the thick air.
“I’m man enough to hear whatever she has to say. That doesn’t mean I have to stay until I get an answer I clearly don’t want. I want to be alone for the time being, and that feels manly enough to me,” Elk stated.
“Take your time, Elk, as I said. But for now, the important thing is you need to help us find a safe house for Priya and Priyank. They can’t stay here because of Lucas. If Priya’s identity is revealed, it won’t be good,” Maya spoke.
She knew the situation wasn’t great, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t say anything. The reason was important, and she couldn’t just leave it because he was angry.
The anger she could bear, but losing Priya or getting her exposed wasn’t an option.
Priya and Priyank looked at each other in confusion, as they didn’t know when this was decided, but the reason was enough to tell how it was the better decision.
Elk nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of the situation. “You’re right, Maya. Priya’s safety is the priority. I’ll make some calls and see if I can arrange a secure safe house for them.”
Relief washed over Maya’s face. “Thank you, Elk. I knew you’d understand.”
Elk gave a curt nod, his jaw still tense. Without another word, he turned and strode out of the room to make the necessary arrangements.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Levi fidgeted nervously until Jackson put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“It’ll be alright,” he murmured. “Your dad just… he needs some time.”
Rish watched Elk go with a pained expression. After all these years, finally having his father back in his life, only for this mess to drive a wedge between them yet again. He sighed heavily.
“I should go talk to him,” Rish said, making a move to follow.
But Maya stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. “Let him have some space for now. We’ve dropped a lot on him today.”
Reluctantly, Rish nodded.
Priyank pulled Priya closer in a protective embrace.
“I think we all need rest. How about we just get some rest?” Jackson spoke up, as the tension in the room was palpable. Anyone with a sane mind could feel it.
Maya nodded in agreement. “Jackson’s right. It’s been an incredibly stressful day for all of us. Some rest would do us good.”
Levi leaned gratefully against Jackson, utterly drained from the emotional rollercoaster. Rish looked like he wanted to protest, his eyes flicking towards the door Elk had exited through, but he held his tongue.
Priya met Maya’s gaze over Priyank’s shoulder. “Yeah,” she said softly.
Squeezing Priya’s hand, Priyank added gruffly, “Let’s go.”
With arrangements temporarily on hold until Elk returned, the group began to disperse. Jackson ushered Levi off to a guest room while Rish reluctantly followed Maya’s lead to another.
Priya pulled herself away from Priyank’s hold, as he had been holding her by the shoulder in front of everyone. She wasn’t able to say anything then, but now that they were alone, she could.
Silently, she walked toward the room. Priyank looked at the empty space she left, not liking it one bit the way she distanced herself. It clearly made him mad.
He clenched his jaw, following after her with heavy footsteps. “Priya,” he called out gruffly once the door closed behind them. “What was that about?”
She turned to face him, arms folded across her chest defensively. “You know I don’t like when you touch me.”
Priyank scowled. “I do like it, why I should go according to your liking every time.” He has enough of her.
“Is that so?” Priya challenged.
Letting out a frustrated growl, Priyank ran a hand through his hair. “You’re overreacting. I was just trying to comfort you after everything that’s happened.”
Priya’s expression softened a fraction at that. She knew he had a point – today’s events had been extremely taxing on her. With a sigh, she relented. “That doesn’t mean you can just touch me whenever you want.”
Priyank wanted to scream at Priya, to show her that she couldn’t stop him from being physically affectionate. He wanted to throw his hands up in exasperation, but he knew it wasn’t worth escalating the situation further.
He was trying to be nice, to comfort her, but she made it so damn hard day by day, acting as if he was committing a murder. A dark part of his mind wondered if maybe he should commit one, if it would finally make Priya see his perspective.
“Look, I’m not trying to start a fight here,” he said, keeping his tone as level as possible.