Chapter 3

Elisa’s POV

“Are you a werepriest? So you left Helves to become a priest in America?”

“Did you not think of how I’ll feel being without you?” Tears had begun to form. “And the pack, wouldn’t be taking over from your dad as the Alpha again?”

These questions ran in my mind but I couldn’t walk up there to confront him, he was praying, so I waited. The moment he finished and was walking out, towards my direction, I stood up, spreading my arms wide and blocking his path.

He paused.

“What’s it, Elisa?” He started with a cool voice. “Are you shocked that I’m a priest?”

I threw in all the questions I had in my mind, sniffling. Rhys paused, lowered his head in deep thoughts before raising it up back at me.

“Miss, I don’t know who you call Rhys or who Rhys was to you. I’m Roman. Padre Roman Jordan, that was the name my adoptive parents found on me upon meeting me.”

Slowly my eyes began growing wider.

Jordan?

Same surname with my Rhys.

Adoptive parents? Missing?

A sharp thought rang in my head. Who knows he could have gone missing as a baby. Maybe this is Rhys’ brother but does the Alpha family know about him? I looked at his face. Straight and firm. There was no element of lie. I’d thought to check and confirm if he was telling the truth, not Rhys who had picked up a new life and never wanted to accept anything about his past.

My eyes lingered on him even at this. My head was spinning as my brain tried to pull the situation under control.

“You still don’t believe me?”

I nodded.

“Would you mind if I asked you to follow me to my study at the lecturer’s quarters? I have a whole lot of documents identifying me as Roman and a citizen of New York here, including my pictures dating back.”

I jumped at the idea, not minding whether he’s a priest, saying the truth or not. Whatever it takes to find Rhys, I was ready for it. I nodded, following right behind him. It was dark outside and I couldn’t see so clearly. Right now, I was walking as a human and would see better if I shifted but I couldn’t before him.

While heading to the quarters, I hit my toes violently on a tree stump, stumbled and fell with a groan. I was walking too fast.

Roman as he claimed, but I still had him up in my mind as Rhys, until he proved otherwise, paused, turned and ran towards me.

“Are you okay? Are you deeply hurt?” His voice went panicky. Switching on his phone’s flashlight, he pointed at my leg. My lips parted in shock. Blood was draining out. I had a terrible bruise over there.

“What the fuck!”

My heart gripped.

A priest swearing because of me?

“Is this how emotional you are in private?” I couldn’t believe it. He looked at me, rolling his eyes away without saying anything. When I least expected, he jacked me off the ground, carrying me in his arms like a baby.

My lips couldn’t close again. I was gasping for breath. Something I’d never expected, not in my wildest dream.

First, it was him panicking because of me and next, he’s carrying me gently like a baby. I thought werepriests don’t touch ladies?

“I’m carrying you because you’re seriously injured because of following me, otherwise I would let you walk by yourself.” His cold voice rang in my ear, leaving me wondering as to how he heard what I was thinking in my mind. I swallowed a deep gulp of saliva, trying to suppress my quick breaths.

We arrived at the lecturers’ quarters, a luxury housing unit for professors who wished to stay within the campus premises. It was quite far from the main lecture theatres and academic blocks. I could imagine the distance he had to carry me, what went on through my mind and what he could be thinking.

I smiled to myself as he proceeded to open his door, he shifted me, making my ass sit on his hand as he proceeded to open with one hand.

Goshhhh!

I couldn’t control my blushing.

He kept his face straight, pretending as though he didn’t notice. Upon getting inside, he set me on the couch.

The moment he did, it dawned on me. I was in his private space, as a girl. What’s going to happen? My breaths got heavier as he proceeded in, all I thought was he’s going in to undress and walk out here shirtless to seduce me.

Elisa, stop the dirty thoughts!

My good-girl self was trying to be cautious but my wolf was getting rather more chaotic. I sat on the couch waiting for him to come out. When he wore just a black singlet and a pair of shorts, my heart stopped. At the moment, I felt like I’d never known him intimately before and this was the first time I saw him in such a pose. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, puffing out a deep breath that made my lips linger in the air.

“What’s that?” He asked, curious before searching his body. “Oh, my outfit.” Then folded his lips. “It’s my personal space and I just wanted some air, that’s why. Not a big deal.”

But it’s a big deal for me!

While he squatted at my feet, opening the first aid box which he had brought out, my muscles grew stiff. If I don't do this, I will misbehave. Gently, he cleaned my wound, spreading methylated spirit over it and then applied the cotton wool, the plaster.

My attention wasn’t on the wound any longer but him. My desire for him at that moment skipped up and I felt like grabbing him and kissing him. When I wanted to control myself, my wolf was getting weirder and out of control.

Goshhhh!

No! I can’t be too cheap, to seduce a priest.

I forced myself to accept reality even when not fully. My inquisitive mind proceeded back to my thoughts of him being Rhys, what brought me here which is to know who he is.

“You can sit here while I bring my old pictures, school documents and activities journals to you to convince you that I’m not Rhys, whoever he is.” He flared his hands, turning around with a quick frown.

I sensed jealousy.

I nodded. “Okay, I will be waiting.” I whispered.

Padre Roman as he claimed took over twenty minutes to come out, setting several pictures, books and documents before me. Right from his childhood, I scanned through them one after the other. Pictures don’t lie neither do the documents. As a kid and teen, he had honey brown hair meanwhile I’d always grown up with my Rhys, his was black. A clear difference. He was raised here in America. He wasn’t the Rhys I thought of.

I gasped.

“What are you—“

“I mean—“ I pointed at him with widespread eyes, a shock I couldn’t explain in words. “Could you be his long lost twin brother or something.” I quickly pulled out my phone to show him pictures of Rhys, even his childhood pictures.

Roman stood still, glaring at me in shock, then in thoughts. His hands were on his waist. He was left speechless. Neither of us could speak upon realizing this but I was ready to take it further.

“Can I meet your adoptive parents and—“

“And what?” He cut me off before I could even complete my statement. I glared in shock.

“I mean—to ask some questions?” I stammered.

A smirk. “I don’t think that’s necessary for now, I wouldn’t have the strength for that.”

“If so—“ Another idea came to mind as I remained still in a shock mood. “Then I should call his parents and tell them what I’ve seen."

Roman stretched his hand but stopped midair.

“I wanted to ask you not to—“

“Why?” I asked softly.

“I just want to know what happened to Rhys?”

Even at this, my heart hadn’t still left him, I was worried and anxious. My heart thumped at this discovery. When I saw him at the zoom interview, I thought it was him and I had a hope of meeting him and rekindling our lost relationship but I was wrong.

Where are you now, Rhys?

My mind went pale and gloomy. I felt something dark, like something bad had happened to him. Or perhaps I was just overthinking.

“Let me call his parents.”

“It’s night, I don’t think you should.” Roman tried to stop me which made me feel as though there was a secret hiding somewhere. I snapped out of his grip in anger limping to the balcony of his house and called the Luna, his mom.

While the phone rang, my heart was held bare, suspense at its peak.

Oh goddess! What will I hear next?