Chapter 5: Back to theMarsh
1993 Words
“Yea, yes, I hear you, but unfortunately, that won’t change anything, sir,” she said to the man over the phone while she was filling out paperwork for yet another appointment on the books.
They were booked out for weeks in cars that needed fixing, and now she was forced to deal with a guy who was wasting her time.
“Sir, you decided to miss your appointment. Once you decided that you no longer had an appointment. How? Well, the answer to that is it was given to someone who felt enough urgency to come in as soon as their car began to malfunction. Since you weren’t coming in there was no need for the appointment to go to waste.”
She rolled her eyes as the man on the other end kept on with his tantrum. While he continued to scream about his dissatisfaction with her and demanded to speak to her superior, she continued to file the paperwork.
“Well, sir, if getting your car fixed meant that much to you, I can only assume that you would have kept your appointment or at least called ahead to reschedule, but instead, you didn’t show up, and you didn’t call, so your appointment was given to someone else. Now, since you’re on the phone now, I can set you up for another appointment three and a half months from now. If someone cancels, I can get you in earlier.” This wasn’t good enough for him. “Sir, my boss is not in right now. Since he left me in charge, I’m the highest-ranking person in command you can get right now. I’d also be the one working on your car, so-sir, I am Roy.” she was tired of him at this point. “Sir, if you’re that dissatisfied with how we do things here, you can always go to the dealership where you actually got the car. Honestly, sir, at this point, I could care less about what happens to you or that car. Well, sir, I have tried being courteous, but you have refused to accept politeness. Well, sir, my concerns stop at your car, not your childish tantrums. Have a nice day.”
She hung up the phone and teleported it back to its hook as she began to look under the hood of a car. The young woman seemed unaware, but she was, in fact, hyperaware of everything, which was why she knew that someone was standing behind her and they were not human.
“If you’re here to cause trouble, then you should keep pushing,” she said without giving whomever it was behind her much more attention than that.
“If I am?” said the deep voice of a man from behind.
It was at this point that she stood upright, and her eyes began to dilate, She wasn’t angry, just extremely annoyed.
“Then, I guess we’re going to have a problem,” she said. “Though, I’d prefer if you just pushed off. I have work to do.”
“Well,” said the man. “Unfortunately, I cannot do that.”
She growled, a little angry at this point. Turning around, she finally faced the man. “Well, then I guess we’re going to have a problem then—” she started when she realized who she had been talking to this entire time. “Beta Noland?”
He smiled. “It is good to see you, Royce.”
Behind him were five other wolf guards. Some of them were familiar to Royce. She wasn’t happy to see them.
She wasn’t sure how to feel about seeing Beta Noland again, but that guard, she most certainly wasn’t happy about.
“What are you doing here?” she turned around and continued working on the car.
“We need to talk, Caulder.”
Royce paused what she was doing and sighed. She glanced back at him and then at the guards. “After I’m done for the day.” she looked at him with a hopeful and yet snide grin on her face. “Unless that’s too long for you. I know you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, doing my father and the Luna’s bidding and all.”
Noland sighed, shaking. He knew that she was referring to her arrest two years prior. “Royce,” he started on a path to explain himself, but Royce didn’t allow it.
By this time, she had turned her attention back to the car. “Is that too long for you or not?” she asked, cutting to the chase.
With a frustrated exhale, the Beta answered. “I can make time for this.”
Royce rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she replied. “I get off at 5. Your goons are not invited.”
“Royce-”
“Get rid of them!” she faced Noland. “Or this conversation will not be happening at all.”
She stood her ground on this, glaring at the guards behind the Beta. When a prolonged silence ensued, Royce turned gaze back to him.
“Well, what’s it going to be?”
“That’s fine with me.”
“Great,” she said with sarcasm and then continued working on the car. “You can leave now.”
Five had come around quicker than Royce would have liked. Fortunately, she had to finish some paperwork, so she didn’t get off at precisely that time. The sun had begun to set, and the humid day had cooled into a mild breeze by the time she finally left the shop.
She had decided that instead of getting to her motel to take a shower only to leave again, that it would be best to get this meeting over with. They had decided to meet at a diner down the street.
When Royce arrived, Beta was sitting at the booth with a coffee, his eyes shifting around as he endlessly surveyed his surroundings. It was something he’d always done since Royce had known him. He claimed that the once great Delta wolf had taught him.
Stressfully, Royce ruffled through her wavy hair and headed toward the booth where Noland sat. She plopped down in the seat across from him and just sat.
“I was wondering when you’d finally come and sit.”
“Had to make sure that you didn’t have one of your goons around to sneak up on me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Why would you do anything that you do?” she asked rhetorically. “They’re here, by the way,” she told the Beta. “I don’t care how you dress them; I can smell the Marsh from a mile away.” She stood up to leave, and as soon as she did, Royce noticed over a dozen eyes staring back at her. None of them were human. She scoffed. “So you brought the calvary. You set me up.”
“No,” Noland stood. “That is not what this is-”
“Then what is it, Noland?!” she snapped irately. “Because I’m beginning to feel like I need to defend myself.”
“Please, Royce, sit. Let me explain.”
“Either they leave…or I leave, Beta.”
“Royce,” he sighed. “They’re here for protection, not abduction.”
“What?” She was hardly buying it. “You hardly need any protection.”
“Not for me,” he said. “For you.”
Royce rolled her eyes. “Despite what you think, I don’t need any protection either.” As she started to walk off, Noland grabbed her wrist.
“Your father sent me, Royce,” he quipped. She paused but didn’t turn around. “He’s concerned.”
“Why?” Royce asked with her arms crossed.
“A lot has happened since you left. You’re in danger.”
Royce finally faced Noland, but doubt was still evident. “How?”
“Your father wants to discuss it with you. I am only here to bring you home safely. That’s it.”
“Safe,” Royce scoffed. “Funny word.” She grimaced.
“Royce, please…talk to your father. He’s not been the same since you left.”
“I didn’t leave.” Royce quickly corrected the Beta. “I was forced out like a criminal. Or has that slipped your mind/?”
There seemed to be a hint of shame on the Beta’s face as he said, “It has not.”
“Good. We’re on the same page then. I’m assuming that dear old stepmother is not okay with this.”
“Her feelings on this matter are irrelevant to the alpha,” said the Beta. “Royce, he needs this.”
‘Guess it does not matter what we need.’ Katya spoke up in her mind.
“Did it ever?” Royce murmured to her wolf.
Still, despite her bitterness, the one person, if not anyone else, she owed was the Alpha. He had done a lot to take her in, and he tried his best to treat her well while she was under his roof.
“You’re asking as if I ultimately have a choice,” she finally said to the Beta.
“Royce, technically, you are a fugitive from the law. That is a serious crime. Coming home will prevent capital punishment.”
“Just like I said, did I ever have a choice?” She then walked away. “I don’t need your little guard detail. " “I know my way home.”
It didn’t take Royce long to pack her things, as she had very little in the first place. It wasn’t because she didn’t have any funds. Royce made great money at the shop as the best mechanic. She just didn’t see the point of spending a bunch of money.
She checked out of her motel, put on her backpack, and straddled her Ducati Diavel 1260s, then headed home.
******
He paced the floor impatiently as he waited for news of his lost daughter.
“You need to calm down, Cal,” his mate said. “Surely, she’ll be here.”
Her voice was clearly irritated as she said this. Calin glared at her and then shook his head. “For you have to send her away without telling me…without any justifiable cause of accusation.”
“Cal, she was seen on the CCTV footage,” said Kareen with a haphazard shrug. “And Melanie lost her life because of it-”
“Innocent until proven guilty, Calin. The girl would never have done such a thing. You know that.”
Kareen, tired of this conversation, stood out of her seat. “The only thing that I know is that you’ve given her far more credit than the girl deserves, Calin. Sometimes…it feels like you’ve chosen Royce Caulder’s child over your whole family.” She then stormed out of the room.
Calin took what she said with a grain of salt. Kareen may have been upset, but she would never have gone anywhere. The prestige was just too much for her to let go. He wasn’t in the mood for one of her little tantrums. His main concern at the moment was Royce.
“Alpha.”
Calin was so caught up in his thoughts that he couldn’t even hear the door open. He whirled around so fast he got a little dizzy for a moment before he asked. “Where is she? How is she? Is everything alright?”
Noland gave him a small smile. “You should ask her yourself.”
Calin watched Jesop move to the side, and moments later, a young woman clad in distressed denim jeans and a leather jacket came walking in.
“Hi, dad,” greeted the young woman almost bitterly. “Heard you wanted to see me.”
- Writer
