Chapter 4

Elana POV

Pulling up to my childhood home, I can’t pin down all the mixed feelings colliding in my chest. I haven't been here for five years, but somehow it still looks the same. I tell myself I came because I’m worried about Damon and I want to be there if he dares to show up, but the truth is, I want to go back to my childhood, where I was happy without a worry. I wait for the feeling of nostalgia to wash over me, but instead, I am overwhelmed with anxiety. The last time I was here, I was told to leave and never return. I know Lara lies, but never in my life have I ever wished that she didn’t this time.

Gabby yawns in the backseat. "Where are we?"

"We are at Grandma and Grandpa's house," I tell her, trying to fake excitement in my voice.

"Do I know them?”  She asks in a sleepy voice. 

Of course, she doesn’t know them, but how do I explain that to her?  Even though she is the daughter of the Alpha, they never had an interest in meeting her.  They hate me, and by extension, they hate her too.

I turn to look at her.  “No,” I smile fakely.  “You don’t know them, but I am sure they will love you.”  Or at least I hope they do. 

As I help her out of her car seat, Lara squeals loudly from the porch. She rushes to the car and attempts to take Gabby from my arms, but I turn my body to shield my child.  Lara pouts but doesn't protest. She walks with me to the house, chattering about how happy she is that I showed up.

Mom is waiting on the porch. Her hands are on her hips, and there is a scowl on her lips. She looks me up and down with displeasure before turning her eyes on my child.

"She looks like her father," she says in a clipped tone.

"She does," I attempt to smile at her, but she doesn't return one.

The three of us stand awkwardly on the porch. I am waiting to be invited in, and my mother is determined not to look directly at me. That’s not the look of a mother expecting her child.

My heart sinks. My hope of Lara’s words being true is getting thinner and thinner.

Lara sighs, breaking the silence. "How about I take Gabby while you catch up with Mom and Daddy?"

Gabby is struggling to get out of my arms. She is anxious to see the inside of the house, but I am reluctant to give her to Lara.  No one knows Lara better than I do. She can be malicious and cruel. I will do whatever it takes to protect Gabby from her.

My mother groans loudly. “Just give her the child. She doesn't need to hear what we have to say."

She really asked me to come home? Always the people pleaser, I hand my child over to my tormentor and follow Mom inside. She leads me through the house into the kitchen.

No one is cooking. I assumed I was here for dinner, but I guess I was mistaken. My father is sitting silently at the small kitchen table.

"Hello, Daddy," I greet him, but he doesn't look up from his coffee.

"Really, Elana," my mother snaps. "You are too old to be calling him Daddy."

“You are the one reaching out to make peace!” I snap. 

Mother doesn’t bother to correct me.  Why would she?  She is never wrong.  She hasn't changed at all. Everything is about appearances, even within the privacy of our home.

“Sit down,” she snaps at me.   

Every fiber of my being is telling me to disobey her, but I remind myself why I am here.  To make amends with what is left of my family. 

I sit down across from my father and rest my hands in my lap.  Growing up, I was always a Daddy’s girl.  I viewed him in the way Gabby looks at Victor.  He hung the moon.  Now, he won’t even look at me.  I am nothing but an unwanted stranger inside his house.  It hurts, but I refuse to show it on my face.   

I am not offered a drink. It is clear I am not welcome. I knew Lara would lie, I just couldn’t understand why. I thought kicking me out of the family was her dream.  Perhaps this is just another “fuck you” from her.  Showing me how much my parents still hate me would be something at the top of her list.

"We need to talk about your current situation," Mother begins. "Pack members are beginning to gossip. You will accept the Alpha’s rejection with dignity and fade into the background."

"Is this why you asked me to come?" I scoff, offended. "So you can lecture me on how to handle my divorce. I assure you, I have no intentions of causing a scene."

"Good," she says, clapping her hands together. "The more pleasant you behave, the easier it will be for your sister to have the chance you stole from her."

  Now it makes sense.  This is why I am here.  To make sure that I do not ruin things for Lara.  It was never about reuniting us as a family.  I am supposed to pave the way for my sister to take my husband, my ex-husband.

"You ruined her life five years ago," my mother continues to talk. “Correct your wrong, THEN you are welcome back home.”