Chapter 5 - The Trouble

Karl Tiffany smiles, gazing across at Abby, who seems frozen in her chair behind the counter. I look between them for a moment, and it’s easy to imagine that Abby is drawing all kinds of conclusions about what Tiffany, and I are to each other. I only came to the capital for the Alpha party, and without a Luna, I decided I should invite my cousin Tiffany to come along. She recently returned from eight years of studying abroad, and I figured it would be a good way for us to catch up. I don’t get a lot of free time, and I couldn’t exactly show up at the party without a suitable female companion. It seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone. Although, I’m beginning to regret letting her blackmail me into this particular outing. After eight years apart, I forgot how strong-willed my cousin can be. When Tiffany wants something, she tends to get it. I tried explaining that I’m way too busy to go traipsing around to different food joints, but she wasn’t having it. “We need to book at a restaurant, like now,” she said, leaning against my desk with her arms crossed. “And clearly sending someone else to do it for you didn’t work.” “I’m too busy.” She frowned. “If you want me to come to this party with you, then you’d better get up and come to this restaurant with me.” “I don’t even want to go to this party,” I grumbled. It wasn’t like I had ample time to attend social engagements. The time would have been better spent working for the pack. She rolled her eyes. “Karl, you need to make an appearance, and you need me on your arm since you insist on not finding another Luna. Now get up. I don’t want to get there too late.” So here we are, using my status to get us a decent spot for the party. I’m just hoping we get this over with soon, so I can get back to work. I’m in no mood to drag this night out any longer than it needs to be. Since my divorce, I haven't eaten gourmet food of any kind. That was more Abby’s thing than mine. If it were up to me, I’d be perfectly fine just having my supplements. Other than a few business banquets, where I eat small bites of food out of politeness, I haven’t really made the effort to eat a fancy meal. I don’t have the time, and I don’t care much for the rituals of it. When Tiffany decided I should make the appointment in person, I didn’t have the will to argue with her about it. She’s dead set on booking the best restaurant in town for the Alpha party, and this place seems to be her top choice. I don’t really know anything about food, so I’m mostly just here to tag along and ‘be my Alpha self,’ as she put it. I just wasn’t expecting to walk in and see Abby. Tiffany and Abby never met, and it’s clear that neither one of them knows who the other is. We’ve been broken up for three years, and she looks completely different from the last time I saw her. Her hair is blonde again for one, and she’s filled out a little. I can’t help but think about how good her curves looked in that black dress the other night. As her wide blue eyes meet mine, my wolf mentally curses me. He wants Abby, and he’s pissed at me for leaving her. This isn’t the first time he’s argued with me about it but seeing her again has definitely brought it to the forefront of both our minds. Tiffany steps forward to talk to Abby, and I take the moment to respond to my wolf. I don’t know why he’s so adamant I get her back when he knows perfectly well what she did. It’s not like I ended things with her for no reason. She cheated on me with Justin, my gardener. I was convinced by the evidence. I’ve said it a million times, I say to my wolf. Cheating is my deal breaker, and the evidence is overwhelming. We’ll never get back together. She said she hasn’t had any contact with Justin, he argues. Maybe she’s telling the truth, and you suspect the wrong person! While I was working my ass off for the pack, my wife was screwing my gardener! I growl. It may be common, but I can’t forgive it. I clench my fists against his flare of anger. I can’t believe that even after all this time, he’s still skeptical. The evidence was overwhelming. You didn’t see it with your own eyes, my wolf snarls back. She never admitted it. You mean all that evidence, all the photos of intimate feedings, the sneak peek of the kiss, the pair of lace panties I gave her that showed up in the weed pile, and the fact that Justin disappeared immediately after Abby left, all of that wasn’t convincing enough? Just remembering all the evidence makes the hurt and anger rise to the surface. I had more than just suspicions, and he knows that. It won’t be until she admits it. My wolf growls. I want her to admit it! I hesitate for a moment. I can barely contain myself as I look at Abby. Even though it’s been three years, I haven’t been with anyone else since. I just haven’t been ready to replace her, not yet. The thought makes me feel a little sick, even without my wolf pushing for me to get her back. The internal struggle I’d surely experience just hasn’t been worth it. She’s as beautiful as ever. So beautiful, it makes something in my heart clench. Seeing her the other night with those men nearly killed me. I wasn't expecting to run into her like that, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to have to watch her go on dates with multiple guys. Abby smiles at one of the waiters as he walks by, and I can’t help but frown. The waiter smiles back, and my eyes track him as he moves through the room, stopping at a nearby table to speak to the men seated there. Why do he and Abby look so familiar with each other? Is she so short on money that she has to work in a place like this? Is this what she’s been doing these past three years? The thought makes something in my heart soften. Even after the betrayal, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I want her to be alright. Despite the cheating, I don’t want her to have a bad time. Abby looks up, and her eyes meet mine. I suck in a breath. I’m shocked that even after all this time, she still manages to create this sort of reaction in me. I always thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, but it’s like in the past three years she's gotten even more beautiful. I can hear my wolf agreeing with me as I gaze at her. Perhaps it isn’t just my wolf who wants her back after all.