EMMA He slipped the earbuds from my ears and leaned patiently against the wall. The anger radiating through him told me that he saw my memories. I had not intended on that, but I could not change it now. Hearing about a few things and seeing what he just witnessed were two very different things. He clung to me like I was his life preserve, and I clung to him because he was mine. I did not know how long we stayed like that. Eventually, my tears subsided. Neither of us spoke for a little while after that. We just allowed one another’s presence to soothe us. He pulled my forehead to his and looked into my eyes. There was a sheen in his copper orbs, and it made my heart hurt that it was there at all. “Love, I wish that you could see how important you are to us and to this pack. You strengthen our pack already. Kai and I are better Alphas and better people in general because of you. You love us despite our faults, our ghosts, and our responsibilities. You have every right to want to tuc
EMMA “Don’t be such a baby, Brian,” a young voice taunted. Multiple voices all laughed with his taunting. “You can’t be a werewolf because of your stupid arm. You’d be picked off in a second.” I picked up my pace and saw a group of kids standing in a circle. A boy on the ground came into view as I got closer. He looked so small with his body curved to protect itself. It was a position I knew all too well. My heart started beating quickly, and it broke for this young boy. The boy standing over him had his foot pulled back to kick the one on the ground. “Oh, there you are, Brian,” I said loudly. My voice startled the group of kids. They all turned around and looked like they got caught doing something they should not be doing. Well, they really did. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” I said, smiling widely even though I was seething inside. How dare those kids bully him. I had to remind myself that they were children, and I could not just rip their heads off their shoulders.
EMMA “His father did what?” I asked, seething yet again. What was up with such fucking dickhead parents? I understood my mother’s actions better than what his father did. How could he do that to his son? Xander looked at me, understanding my anger. He knew how I felt about it. I knew how he felt about it. It was inexcusable. “He was killed during the war. I can’t say that anyone mourned his death, not even Kristi. He was an absolute piece of shit. I think it’s great that you’re going to train him. He’ll be a badass in no time,” he smiled encouragingly. Ah, well that was great to know that he supported it because I needed to drop a small bomb on him now. “I’m glad you think so because she didn’t realize who I was. So, I sort of lied and told her that it was your idea for them to come to supper.” I peered up at him with the most innocent expression I could muster. His arms locked around my torso, holding me to him. His eyes stared down at me with a hard look while a single brow wa
KAI “Doll, you really need to stop fussing,” I told her for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. We were waiting on the wolves from Alpha Carlos’ pack to arrive. Doll, being the nervous and nurturing type that she was, had been cooking up a storm for the past three hours. I told her that we could just order something in, but she shot down that idea because they had been traveling for days and deserved actual food as she put it. I knew that she was also just worried about meeting them for two reasons. First, they were one of the last ties that she had to her father. Even though Phoenix said that he was still alive, Doll would not allow herself to hope until she saw him again. Second, their arrival brought a finality to everything. It meant that there was a true reason to be concerned about Ezekiel and a true reason to be concerned about her destiny. She sighed and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head buried itself into my chest, so I just held her. She certainly put up
EMMA ‘Waking up without you in bed isn’t my idea of fun, love.’ Even through the mindlink, I could tell he was pouting. The Alpha Xander that I got was just for me. Everyone else got the disciplined, tough, and unyielding Alpha. I was not complaining though because I loved both sides of him, but I coveted the one that was just for me. It was the same way that I got the sweet and gentle side of Alpha Kai. Likewise, they got the unfiltered and vulnerable me. We never had to hide from one another, and we were the only ones who got to truly see each other without barriers. ‘It’s not mine either,’ I replied honestly. I hated to do it, but I woke up with a nagging feeling, so I followed it. ‘I’m in the War Room. Why don’t you bring Ethan in right quick?’ I focused back on my task. I had been at this for an hour and found a lot of shit in that time. Bellamy mentioned that there were traitors in our pack. We found Devon, but he used plural instead of singular form. Phoenix agreed with my
EMMA Now, I sort of regretted that we put off the ceremony. There were bound to be others like Ashley that doubted who I was or if it was my rightful place. I did not owe them anything, but it would have made this a little easier. Or at least I thought it might have. ‘You must keep to the story you told Devon about how you knew you were mates before your birthday. Any of Ezekiel’s spies may be here. Also, you must protect against people saying you are not fated,’ Phoenix said. Well shit. Hopefully, I sounded convincing because this could go badly. I could not believe that I had to lie to my pack. I relayed Phoenix’s comment to my mates and Ethan. That way they would also be aware in case they had to talk about it. Johnson led a pissed off Ashley towards a single chair that was placed on the other side of the squad and far from me. Her wrists were bound by handcuffs. She said something too low for me to catch, causing Johnson to all but shove her into the chair. It had me curious ab
EMMA I was not sure what to expect with the trial, but I felt Marcus was extremely fair with his ruling. I knew that Xander and Kai wanted Ashley to suffer more because she attacked their mate, but Marcus had chosen a just punishment in my opinion. I knew that she would have been done for if there was actual damage. Plus, I was certain that Tyree would keep her quite busy. No doubt he would enact little punishments here or there as well. Both for her bitchiness and for his own amusement. I did not miss the look on her family’s faces as they watched me with guarded eyes. There was no doubt that they blamed me for the entire event. They watched me with the careful eyes of the lion who zeroed in on its prey. Either they were just pissed, or they were a threat. I was unsure which it was yet. We would just have to keep an eye on them. ‘Warrior, you need to trust me. Go with your mates and Shield to your room. Place a blood ward up. Hurry,’ Phoenix said once the trial ended, and everyone
EMMA Papa’s deep laugh filled the room. Goddess, it sounded the exact same. Despite the nature of the conversation, I had to smile hearing his laugh. My memories did not do it justice. It did make me wonder why he was laughing to Ethan’s question though. It was not necessarily a funny comment. “Nobody has ever found their way out of their dreamscape. She believes that it will be the perfect way to play with you, and the Moon will enjoy every moment of breaking you. However, nobody has had these souls that surround you right now, Emmaline. She does not know the full arsenal you have nor that you have me. She does not know the absolute truth of where you come from. You will understand tomorrow.” I wanted to scream in frustration and demand answers, but I refrained and acted like a big girl. As if sensing my train of thought, Papa came to kneel before me, placing his warm hands on mine. “Just remember that you must be convincing since you are to know none of what you do. You will get