If only | Damon Salvatore

032. WOLVES AT YOUR DOOR

Chapter thirty two

"Wolves at your door."

The next day, Beatrix sat at the dining table, practically inhaling her breakfast. She quickly knocked back the rest of her orange juice in one heavy gulp.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" her mother asked, looking up from across the counter.

Beatrix slammed the empty glass down on the wood. "I'm heading to the Grill to study. I haven't been to school in a while, and I really need to get my grades back up. There's a lot of work to do." She adjusted the heavy strap of her bag on her shoulder, spun around, and hurried out of the house.

Winnifred raised her brows, watching the door frame vibrate as it clicked shut. "I know I always say knowledge is power, but she seems a little frazzled. To the point where a little motivation spell would make it just a bit easier for her."

Cassandra huffed, picking up her daughter's empty plate and glass. "No, we are absolutely not doing that. She'll figure it out on her own."

Down the driveway, Beatrix was already digging frantically into her purse to find her phone. She turned the corner to head down the street, entirely distracted, and plowed right into a solid chest.

She gasped, looking up from her purse to find Tyler standing directly in her path.

"Tyler?" Beatrix blinked, caught off guard. "What... what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer. He just stood there, staring down at her with a heavy, unreadable expression.

Beatrix took a step back, shifting her bag. "Okay, you're kind of freaking me out right now..." When he still didn't move, she stepped right around him and began walking down the sidewalk.

Tyler immediately spun around, trailing right behind her. "We need to talk."

Beatrix looked over her shoulder at him, not breaking her stride. "No, no, we don't. We slept together once, and we mutually decided to just stay friends. Conversation over, Tyler." She turned her head back around.

Before she could take another step, Tyler lunged forward. He grabbed her firmly by the upper arm and violently spun her back around to face him.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing?" Beatrix snapped, trying to pull away.

"What happened to my uncle Mason?" Tyler demanded, stepping directly into her space.

Beatrix forced a dry, incredulous chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

"He's dead," Tyler stated, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And I want you to tell me exactly what happened to him."

Beatrix shook her head, her face masking any hint of panic. "Maybe he got drunk and crashed his truck somewhere, Tyler. Do I look like the sheriff to you?" She wrenched her arm out of his grip and turned to leave.

But Tyler wasn't finished. He grabbed her by both shoulders, physically forcing her back around.

"No!" he yelled, his eyes flashing with a desperate rage. "How about I tell you what happened, Beatrix? You, your mother, and your grandmother killed him. Because the three of you are witches. And Caroline, Damon, and Stefan? They're vampires."

"Tyler, you're hurting me," Beatrix told him, her voice strained as she fought to keep her composure, knowing she couldn't give him the satisfaction of confirming the truth.

"I don't want to hurt you," Tyler said, his grip tightening anyway as his breathing turned heavy. "I just want to know if it's true."

"Tyler, you wouldn't understand even if I told you..." Beatrix tried to reason.