by A J Manney
Emma looked down at the man standing a little distance away from them. She could tell he was a wolf. He was older than Garrett by a good twenty years and powerfully built, but he had a cold, cruel look to him. His eyes landed on hers and he raked her over from head to toe. Emma shivered and was glad she was wearing Garrett’s sweatshirt. She felt Garrett’s hand tighten on hers and a growl build in his throat.
“You know why I’m here,” Samuel called out. His voice was cold and heartless. “I’m here for the girl.”
This time a full growl left Garrett’s mouth. “Over my dead body,” he growled out, the words barely legible.
Samuel grinned. “Then so be it. I formally challenge you in a fight to the death for the finder,” he said.
“Challenge accepted,” Garrett ground out.
“No,” Emma said, turning to him in a panic. “Garrett, you can’t do this.” But he was already shrugging out of his shirt. His eyes never left his challenger. A moment later, all he had on were his pants. He turned and pulled her in for a bruising kiss. “I’ll be back for you,” he said. “Kyle,” he barked and nodded at Emma. Then he was gone. One moment he was standing next to her, the next he was down the steps and moving away from her.
“Emma, you don’t want to watch this. How about I take you inside,” Kyle suggested from next to her. Madison came and stood on her other side.
“Not happening,” Emma said. “Where are they going?” she asked.
He took one look at her face and nodded. “The fight circle. Come on, I’ll take you.” Kyle led her in the direction everyone was walking. It wasn’t too long before she saw it. There were deep grooves in the ground marking a perfect circle. Garrett and Samuel both stepped inside the circle. Emma tried to walk closer, but Kyle stopped her. “I can’t let you get any closer,” he said.
Emma saw that Max and Liam stood right outside the ring and two guys stood on Samuel’s side. “What are they doing?” she asked.
“The top enforcer for each side is there to make sure the fight is fair and clean, and the Beta is there to take the Alpha’s place if he—“ he abruptly cut off and looked down at Emma.
“If he’s killed,” Emma finished for him. Kyle nodded.
Madison put her arm through Emma’s. “It will be okay. Garrett’s powerful.”
“Ready?” Max called out. When both alphas nodded, Max called out, “Fight!”
If Emma’s eyes weren’t trained on Garrett, she would have missed what happened next. One second, he was standing there a man, the next he was leaping through the air a wolf. The fight was aggressive instantly. Emma covered her mouth when Garrett took his first hit. She had thought she could handle this, but she was so wrong. The fight was vicious and ugly. Within moments, blood was freely flowing. Garrett almost had the Alpha pinned when he suddenly turned and took out a chunk of Garrett’s wolf’s shoulder. Emma closed her eyes. She couldn’t watch. “Stand tall,” Madison whispered next to her. “You’re the alpha’s mate.”
Emma took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her whole body shuddered when the two wolves met in the air in a collision. Moments later, Garrett’s wolf had the other alpha pinned. “Close your eyes,” Kyle muttered. Emma did so without questioning. She heard a horrible sound that almost made her throw up on the spot. “Okay,” Kyle said. Emma opened her eyes. She stared at the dead body of the wolf. His throat had been torn out. She started breathing quickly and swallowing, trying to keep from throwing up.
“Beta of the Chicago pack, do you wish to take your Alpha’s place and challenge me?” Garrett called out in a gruff voice.
“No,” the man responded. “We acknowledge our Alpha’s defeat. I have no desire to challenge you for the finder,” the Beta responded with his head bowed. “We only ask that when the right time comes, she be allowed to help our pack find their mates.”
“Then you are now Alpha of your pack,” Garrett commanded. “We will figure out a way to help all the packs, but challenging me for her is not the answer. I will continue to kill every alpha that tries to do so. Spread the word,” Garrett said harshly. Then he turned and strode towards her wearing just a pair of black sweat pants. He grabbed her by the elbow and walked her in the direction of the house. She could feel the fury coming off of him. Instinctively though, she knew she was safe with him. That didn’t stop her stomach from rolling at what she had just experienced. Her legs didn’t feel like they could carry her. By the time they got to the house, Garrett was practically dragging her along. Without a word to anybody, he led her inside the house and down the hall to his room.
Chapter 37
The second the door closed behind them, Emma raced for the toilet. She threw up all the contents of her stomach. Garrett crouched next to her and held her hair back. Emma finally stood up, shakily. He handed her a wet rag.
“Are you okay?” he asked in concern.
“Am I okay?! You almost died!” Emma shrieked.
Garrett shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“But that other wolf, he-he,” she couldn’t get the words out.
“I killed him, yes. If I hadn’t, he would have killed me. And if he killed me, you would belong to him, Emma. It’s a cruel world, but this is the world that we live in. These are the rules our wolves live by,” Garrett said emotionlessly.
Emma nodded. “I know. I’m so sorry. I—” She shook her head as tears came to her eyes. “That was horrible.”
“I know, and I’m sorry you had to see that. I wish I could protect you from all this, but this is my life, the life of an alpha,” Garrett said softly. Emma nodded, trying to find her calm. “I need to shower. Will you be okay for a few minutes?” Garrett asked.
Emma shook herself. “I’m sorry. I should be helping you. You’re injured,” she said.
“It’s nothing. I’ll heal. I’ll be out in five minutes, okay?” he asked, ducking down to look into her eyes.
“Okay,” Emma said softly. Emma went and sat on the bed.
Her stomach was still rolling, and her mind was whirling. The human side of her couldn't wrap her mind around what she had just witnessed. A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Emma called out.
Paul opened the door and came in. “Hey, Emma. Garrett asked me to come check on you. I need to check on him too, while I’m here. It's been quite the day,” he said in a calm, relaxed manner.
“You have no idea,” Emma said.
“Do you have any injuries that you know of besides your forehead?” he asked.
Emma shook her head. “I’m mostly just bruised and beat up.”
Paul gave her a look of compassion. “I’ll do a once-over just to be sure, but I’ll wait until the alpha gets here. I would rather not die today,” he said with a smile.
“Good thinking,” Garrett said, striding into the room. “I’m here now. Let’s get started.”
Paul turned to Emma. “Let’s have you lay on the bed. Take your sweatshirt off, please.”
A low rumble sounded in Garrett’s throat. Paul acted as if he didn’t hear it. He moved towards Emma with the decorum of a professional. Emma quickly took off the sweatshirt and lay down, all without looking at Garrett. Paul bent over her, looking at the bruises on her arms. Then he felt around her ribs and stomach area. She flinched when he found one of the bruises on her stomach. He frowned and looked at Emma. “May I?” he questioned. Emma nodded. He pulled up her shirt to look at her stomach. She was sure she had gotten it from her fall.
Garrett growled louder this time. Emma glanced at Paul worriedly. “Just tune him out,” Paul said quietly. He finished checking her out and helped her sit up. “Everything looks good. Just some nasty bruising. Should clear up in a few days. If something still continues to hurt after a few days, let me know and I’ll take a look again. Let’s dress that wound on your forehead.” He cleaned it up and put a bandage on it.
“Thank you,” Emma said. Garrett took her hand and helped her sit up, then stand. He pulled her towards him and wrapped
his arm around her stomach so that her back was against his chest. Emma looked up at Garrett; he was scowling at Paul. Emma cringed. “Sorry,” she said out loud to Paul
Paul gave her a big smile. “I’m used to it. Thankfully, I don’t have to treat many females because we don’t have a lot in our pack. But when I do, there’s usually an angry mate somewhere nearby plotting ways to kill me.”
“Yep,” Garrett said gruffly.
Emma elbowed him lightly in the stomach. “Stop it.” He responded by tightening his hold around her waist.
“All right, Alpha. Your turn,” Paul said, nodding towards the bed.
Garrett shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“I'm sure you are, but just let me check. That's what you pay me the big bucks for,” Paul said easily.
“I said I’m fine,” Garrett said, irritated.
Emma turned to face him. “Garrett, stop being stubborn. Let him check you out.” Garrett looked down at her. “Please,” she threw in. She could tell the moment he caved.
“Fine,” he said. He dropped his hold on her and took a step back. In one movement, he pulled his shirt up and over his head and handed it to her. Emma swallowed and stared at his massive chest for a moment too long. When she met Garrett’s eyes, he was smiling at her. Emma blushed and looked away.
“Go ahead and take your pants off,” Paul said. Garrett grunted but began to do just as Paul said.
“I’ll wait out in the hall,” Emma said quickly, escaping through the door. She leaned against the wall, waiting for the okay to come back in. A few minutes later, the door opened. “Everything okay?” she asked as she stepped back in.
“He looks good,” Paul said. “Nothing that won’t heal in a few hours.”
“Which is exactly what I said,” Garrett said.
Emma crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at Garrett. “Thank you for coming,” she said to Paul.
Paul looked at Garrett. “I know it’s not any of my business, but when are you going to tell the pack about Emma?” he asked.
Garrett scowled at him. “You’re right. It’s not any of your business.”
Paul nodded. “I’m just letting you know there’s a lot of questions and assumptions going around right now with the alpha of the Chicago pack coming to challenge you.”
Garrett nodded. “I’ll do it soon.”
Paul nodded. “All right. You two get some rest. Let me know if you need anything else,” he said before he let himself out the door.
Emma stood still, not really knowing what to say or do next. Garrett looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and she had no idea what to say or do.
“Are you going to talk to the pack tonight?” she asked, hoping she wouldn’t upset him. He nodded once. “Let me go with you,” she said. He was already shaking his head. “Just hear me out,” she said. He watched her with a brooding expression and crossed his arms. Emma took a deep breath. “If this,” she faltered for a second before continuing, “thing is going to work between us, we need to start being more open with each other.”
“This is not a thing,” he said in a gruff voice. “And you’re the one who ran away from me,” he said in disgust.
Emma cringed. “I know. I’m sorry.” Obviously, she wasn't going to live that down any time soon. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I know I messed up. The thing is, Garrett, I’m probably going to mess up and blow it again. This is all new to me.”
Garrett blew out a breath of frustration. “I know. It’s my fault too. I need to go talk to the guys. Then we’ll go from there. Come with me?” he asked.
Emma nodded and followed him out of the room. As they came down the stairs, everybody turned to face them. Emma saw Madison and Kyle, Liam, Wyatt, Paul, and a few others, though she couldn’t remember their names. The smell of food hit Emma’s nose, and her stomach growled. Garrett turned to her. “You need to eat,” he said. He walked over to where the island was covered in food. There were foil containers filled with food. Emma wasn’t sure where they had ordered from but it smelled delicious. There was chicken, beef, brisket, beans, rice, corn, chips and salsa, along with tortillas and all the toppings. Before Garrett could get any food, one of the guys stopped him and he was pulled into a conversation. Emma walked around them and worked on filling a plate for her and a second larger one for Garrett. She wasn’t sure what all he wanted, so she put some of everything and loaded up on the meats. She grabbed two bottles of water and their plates and moved towards the table. Two guys got up and moved when they saw her coming. “Oh, you don’t have to move,” Emma told them. “You’re fine.” They moved anyway. She turned around to find forks and saw Garrett grabbing a plate while talking to somebody. She walked towards him and put her hand on his back. “I got you a plate,” she said quietly.
She grabbed napkins and utensils and walked back over to the table. She sat down and started to eat. She didn’t have much of an appetite after everything that had taken place today, but she knew she needed to eat. Garrett slid into the seat next to hers.
“Thanks,” he said. Emma simply nodded. “Liam, go ahead and make the call. Let the pack know we’re gathering in thirty minutes.” Liam nodded and left the table. “Wyatt, grab twelve enforcers and get set around the meeting hall. Only one entrance open and check each person coming in.” Wyatt nodded. He grabbed a few guys, and they left. “Kyle and Madison, you’re protection duty for Emma 24/7. You’ll stay here with us until things settle down a little bit. Whenever you go somewhere with Emma, always have two more enforcers with you. Emma doesn’t go anywhere without four enforcers, understood?” Garrett asked.
Kyle and Madison both nodded and didn’t say anything. Emma knew they still felt bad about what had happened to her at the coffee shop. She hated that they felt that way. That was her fault. “Ricky,” he called out to a guy she didn’t know. “I want four enforcers around this house, 24/7 starting now. Max is working on something for me, but he knows all this. He’ll let you all know the schedule going forward when he gets back. Head it up for now.” Ricky nodded and grabbed the two remaining guys and walked outside.
It was finally quiet. Only Garrett, Emma, Madison, and Kyle were left in the house. Kyle and Madison stood up and disappeared, leaving Garrett and Emma alone. Garrett stood up. “You ready?” he asked. Emma nodded at his plate.
“You need to eat something. You have to be depleted after your fight,” she said. “I need to go change anyway.”
Garrett looked up at her. “You don’t need to change,” he said.
Emma laughed. “I’m meeting your entire pack for the first time. I’m not going to do that wearing your sweatshirt.”
“You could, though,” he said with a disappointed expression.
Emma smiled. “I’ll be right back.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Madison,” she called as she walked through the house.
“What do you need?” Madison asked, coming towards Emma.
“I need help finding something to wear to meet the pack for the first time,” Emma said.
“On it,” Madison said. She led the way to Emma’s room. After skimming through Emma’s closet, she pulled out skinny black jeans and a black v-neck top that had crisscross straps in the front right over her chest. “Put those on,” she said. Then she dug around the bottom of Emma’s closet. “Found ‘em,” she said. She handed Emma a pair of black heeled boots.
“I didn’t even know those were in there,” Emma said.
“I did,” Madison said with a grin.
Soon, Emma had on the pants, top, and boots. She turned around for Madison. “What do you think?”
“Hmm,” Madison looked at her for a moment. “I’ll be right back,” she said. She left the room and was back moments later. “Here, try this.” She handed Emma her black leather jacket.
“I can’t wear this; it’s yours,” Emma said.
“Come on, just put It on. I want to see how it looks,” she said. Emma slipped it on. “It’s perfect.
Here, put these on.” She handed Emma a pair of big hoop earrings. “Now, run your straightener through your hair really quick and leave it down.”
Emma quickly brushed her hair and did a quick straightening job while Madison helped her do her makeup. When she was done, Madison stepped back. “What do you think? Your hair and makeup give you a soft, sweet look, but your outfit gives it an edge of ‘don’t mess with me.’”
Emma shrugged. “I guess. The real test will be Garrett.”
“Well, lead the way,” Madison said with a grin.
Emma and Madison left the room and headed down to the kitchen. She glanced at the clock, relieved they had done all that in about fifteen minutes. Garrett and Kyle were talking by the front door when they came down the stairs. They both turned towards them. Garrett’s eyes narrowed as he took in her outfit. “That’s what you thought she should wear?” Garrett asked Madison.
Emma’s spirit fell. “I can go change,” she said quickly.
“Don’t you dare,” Madison said. “You look hot. Doesn’t she, Garrett?”
Garrett scowled at Madison. “Let’s go. We’re going to be late,” he said. Kyle and Madison went out the front door. Emma started to follow, but Garrett grabbed her wrist and turned her back to him. He slipped his arm around her back and pulled her close. Emma looked up at him, breathless from his closeness.
“You look better than hot,” Garrett said in a low voice. “I just don’t want you around my men looking like that,” he said in a low, sexy voice. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s go. Do not leave my side tonight.” With that, he released his hold on her but snagged her hand as they walked out the front door. Enforcers fell into place behind and in front of them.
Chapter 38
