The Finder (Wolves of the Northwoods Book 1)

by A J Manney

  Emma was feeling better now after eating. The energy in the room was contagious. She was enjoying being a part of this. The last fight of the night was finally upon them, and this crowd was ready for it. Many of the enforcers had settled in around Madison and Emma, ready to watch the last fight. Kyle was facing off with Garrett. The enforcers were busy hollering and cheering for Kyle. Liam announced the fight and the crowd went wild. Garrett walked over and stood next to Liam. Emma watched Kyle, expecting him to walk over to the ring. He made his way over to where Madison and Emma were sitting. Madison stood and gave him a kiss. The enforcers whistled and hollered. Kyle pulled back and grinned. Then he turned to Emma and knelt in front of her.

  “Emma,” Kyle shouted to be heard over the noise. “It’s tradition to give someone else a chance to fight the alpha if we’ve already done it, and somebody else deserves a chance. Do you want my spot?” he asked, looking up at her.

  Emma stared at him, completely shocked.

  Madison turned to Emma. “What are you going to do?”

  Emma couldn’t help herself; she glanced towards Garrett. His eyes weren’t on hers. They were focused on the woman standing in front of him. When he smiled, fury erupted inside of Emma. She stood to her feet. Without looking at Kyle, she said loudly, “I’ll do it.” She looked down at Madison. “Coming?”

  “Of course!” Madison shouted at her.

  They stood up and made their way down to the floor. Kyle jogged over to Liam. Emma didn’t look his way. She didn’t want to see Liam’s expression. Suddenly, Liam’s voice flooded the gym. “Well, well, well,” he said into the mic. “We have a last-minute change. We’re going to have a stand-in for tonight’s fight against the alpha. Kyle is giving up his spot; the one and only Emma, mate to the alpha, will be taking his place.” The crowd erupted.

  Emma didn’t look towards Liam, and she certainly didn’t look towards Garrett. She was stretching, getting ready when Barbie stopped in front of her. She gave Emma a withering look. “Looks like you’re even stupider than you look,” she said in Emma’s ear. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of him when you’re unconscious for the rest of the night.” She sauntered away, and Emma stared after her, furious.

  “Emma!” she heard Garrett’s angry voice from behind her. She didn’t want to turn around, but she made herself. She turned to face him. She was shocked at the anger blazing in his eyes, but it didn't matter. She had some of her own blazing inside of her. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, seething.

  Emma shrugged, feigning indifference. “Kyle offered me his spot.”

  He stepped towards her so they were toe to toe. “I am not fighting you in that ring,” he said.

  “So, you’re forfeiting?” Emma asked.

  “I’ve never forfeited a fight in my life,” Garrett ground out.

  “Then I guess you shouldn’t start now. I’ll see you in the ring.” With that, Emma handed Madison her sweatshirt and slipped into the ring. Emma closed her eyes, wondering if Garrett would leave her up here by herself. He didn’t leave her wondering for long. He stepped in and stood at his end of the ring.

  Emma closed her eyes while she waited for Liam to talk through his spiel. In her mind, she saw Barbie and her friend. She heard the words the blond had told her—how that she wasn’t anything special, that Garrett had already slept with her, and how she would care for Garrett tonight. She saw Garret and Liam’s faces when she said she was here to fight; she saw Alec’s face when he told her she would never amount to anything. Rage boiled deep within her. She was tired of being the butte of everyone’s jokes. She was tired of never being enough, never standing on her own two feet. She was done being that weak girl. She was no longer scared, weak Emersyn. She was Emma now, and she was no longer going to let other people run over her.

  When the air horn sounded, Emma was ready. She knew the only way she could land any kind of hit on Garrett would be to surprise him. She launched an aggressive attack against him. She saw his eyes widen in surprise right before she landed a blow on him; she knew for a fact he could have blocked it. She could see it in his stance and in his eyes. The place erupted. Emma came at him again with all the rage she had trapped inside of her. He met her blow for blow, but she knew he was holding back. There was no question about it. She didn’t care. She put every ounce of force she had behind each of her hits. She hit harder and faster. Suddenly, her feet were swept out from under her. She landed hard on her back with Garrett over the top of her. He had cushioned her fall with a hand under her head. The wind was knocked out of her, so it took her a moment to gain her bearings. She tried to get out of his hold, but it was no use. She was successfully pinned; yet somehow, he was keeping most of his weight off of her. He was putting most of his weight on his forearms. The airhorn went off, and the place exploded once again.

  Emma glared at Garrett, who was inches from her face and still hadn’t gotten off of her. “You can get off me now,” she grunted.

  He narrowed his eyes at hers and shocked her when he kissed her. The crowd went absolutely nuts, which only made Emma angrier. She tried to fight him off, but couldn’t. She finally settled for biting his lip, hard. He jerked back in surprise. Emma smiled when she saw the blood on his lip. He finally rolled off of her and jumped to his feet. He put a hand out to help her up; she only took it because of all the eyes watching them. She dropped his hand as soon as she was standing and moved out of the ring to where Kyle and Madison stood. Madison gave her a big hug. “You, okay?” she asked in concern.

  “Never better,” Emma replied. “Just mad I didn’t land any more hits on him,” Emma said and began walking. She wasn’t sure where she was going, just away from Garrett.

  “Emma,” she heard Garrett’s angry voice behind her, but she just kept walking. She weaved in and out of the crowd going out the front doors. When she finally made it outdoors, she took a deep breath of the cold air. The cold felt good on her hot cheeks.

  She was following the crowd when a hand snagged her elbow. She was whirled around to face a very angry Garrett. Without a word, he dragged her with him. Without making a huge scene, Emma had no idea how to escape him, so she let him take her wherever he was going. Everybody around them greeted them and congratulated them on their wins of the night.

  Emma tuned it all out. Soon, Garett stopped at a car. Max was already inside. Garrett opened the back door and ushered Emma inside. Then he slid in the front seat, and Max took off immediately. Not a word was said on the way back to Garrett’s house. Once they stopped, Garrett climbed out. Before he could open her door, she slid out the other side. It didn't matter; he was at her side a moment later, his hand on her elbow again.

  At the door, he turned to Max. “Nobody comes in.” Max nodded, and Garrett shut the door behind him. Without a sound, he pulled Emma along with him down the hallway and into his room. He shut the door behind them and released her.

  Emma turned on him, furious. “I’m not a thing that you can just lug around, Garrett. Next time, try using your words,” she said.

  Garrett didn’t say anything. He just studied her for a moment. “You’re mad,” he said.

  Emma snorted. “You think? Wow, what gave it away?” Garrett’s eyes narrowed at her. Emma shook her head. “I’m not doing this tonight; I’m going to bed.” She moved towards the door, but Garrett moved into her path, blocking her. “Really? You’re going to keep me from going to my room?”

  “We are going to talk about what's going on between us first,” he said in a calm voice.

  Emma crossed her arms and snorted. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

  “Your presence in the ring tonight begs to differ. You were furious with me; you still are. I want to know why. I told you that I didn’t want to fight you in the ring; you’re my mate...”

  Emma put her hand up. “Let me stop you right there, big guy. No more of this mate talk. It’s over. Whatever was between us or whatever it was you thought was between us is over. Not that there
was anything to it to begin with.”

  Garrett froze. “Emma, what are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your lies—all of them. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you won. Congratulations. You managed to hurt me more than anybody else in my miserable life. You know why? Because you told me all the things I’ve wanted to hear my entire life, and you made me feel the things I’ve searched for my entire life. You made me feel beautiful, special, protected, and valued for the first time. You made me care about you, Garrett. You made me think there was something special between us, but there isn’t. Apparently, there never was,” she finished brokenly. Garrett opened his mouth to say something, but Emma put her hand up. “Please, not tonight. I can’t do this anymore. Please just let me go to my room,” she said in a dejected voice.

  Garrett didn’t say anything for the longest time. Finally, he responded. “Go get some sleep, Emma; but know that this conversation is far from over.” He moved to the side and Emma hurried past him to her room.

  Emma stripped out of her clothes and took a quick shower. Once she was out and dressed and ready for bed, she braided her hair and slipped under the covers. She thought sleep would find her quickly because of the night she had, but it didn’t. She stared at the ceiling replaying the words she’d said to Garrett over and over again in her mind. She heard a soft knock at the door, but she didn’t answer. She hoped whoever was there would go away. She closed her eyes when she heard the door open quietly. She heard footsteps and knew it was Garrett. She almost gave herself away when he ran a finger down her cheek gently. Somehow, she managed to not jump and to keep her breathing still. Probably from years of practicing, growing up in the home she did.

  “I’m so sorry, my precious Emma. I don’t know what I did, but I vow to you that I will make it right.” Emma didn’t move. She heard a soft noise and soon realized Liam had joined Garrett.

  “What happened tonight?” Liam asked in a low voice.

  “I don’t know what I did, but I hurt her really badly,” Garrett said just as quietly. Emma had to strain to hear both their voices. “I have to make it right,” Garret said. His voice sounded so sad; Emma had never heard him like that before.

  “You will,” Liam said.

  “What if she doesn’t forgive me?” Garrett asked. Emma held her breath, waiting to hear Liam’s answer.

  “She will,” Liam said confidently. “She’s a good person, Garrett. She’s been through hell and back and is still standing. She has every reason to be angry and bitter, but she’s not. She's still sweet and kind. She loves other people and takes care of them. That’s not the kind of girl who won’t forgive you.”

  Emma waited for them to say something more, but they didn’t. She heard the click of the door latch and realized she was alone once again. For the first time that night, serious doubt lingered in Emma’s mind. Maybe she was wrong about Garrett.

  Chapter 42

  The next morning, Emma woke up early, ready to get to training; but she groaned when she sat up. Her body had taken a beating last night, that was for sure. She sat on the bed a little longer than usual before she finally made it into the bathroom for a warm shower. She stopped when she entered the bathroom. On the countertop was a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses in a glass vase. There was a card sitting in front of it with her name on it. She slowly walked over and picked up the card.

  Emma,

  Please forgive me.

  Garrett

  Emma turned the card over. That was all it said. She sighed and put the card down. Thoughts ran through her mind while she was in the shower. Maybe she was being too hard on Garrett. He was an alpha after all; he probably wasn’t going to be great with relationships. She thought through everything Barbie and her minion had said last night and knew she needed to give Garrett a chance to defend himself. That was a conversation she wasn’t looking forward to. So much had happened and been said last night.

  “How do you even start a conversation like that?” Emma asked out loud to herself. “Hey, so Barbie claims you slept with her and that you will return to her once you’re not interested in me anymore? Is that true?” Emma groaned out loud. She finally pushed those thoughts aside and finished and climbed out. She put on her workout clothes and braided her wet hair. She needed to go work some of this frustration out.

  Emma made her way to the basement. She didn’t see anybody on her way, so she figured Madison and Kyle were already downstairs. As she descended the stairs, she heard someone going at it on the punching bag. She turned the corner and was surprised to see Garrett. He had his shirtless back to her and was beating the large punching bag to death. He was in a rhythm, and she didn’t think he knew she was down there. She stood for a moment and just admired his strength.

  “He’s been beating that thing to death for the last hour.” She jumped when she heard the quiet voice next to her. She turned to see Liam standing next to her. He too was shirtless and sweaty.

  He looked down at her in concern. “You okay?”

  Emma sighed. “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry for laughing at you when you showed up to the fight last night. That was rude and mean, and I’m sorry. I was wrong. You deserved to be there.” He grinned. “You did really well.”

  Emma was shocked to hear him apologize. “Thank you,” she said. “Liam,” she paused. He patiently waited. Without looking at him, she asked, “Do wolves ever have human mates?” Liam looked away from her and watched Garrett. “The truth, please.”

  “No, they don’t,” he finally said. He turned to look down at her. “But nothing about you has been normal. You’re a mate finder, Emma. We’ve never had one of those before. We’ve always heard of them, but we’ve never had one in our lifetime, or even in the last few generations.”

  “Because Garrett’s an alpha, he should be with a wolf, right? I mean, he’s going to need an heir—a wolf heir,” Emma said without revealing any emotion, even though the words were painful to say.

  Liam narrowed his eyes at her. “Emma, I don’t know who’s been talking to you, but you need to talk to Garrett.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better if I just disappeared from his life? Then he could mate a wolf,” she said.

  Liam’s eyes widened and he grabbed Emma’s shoulders. “What are you talking about?” They heard steps, and Emma knew Kyle and Madison were on their way down. “Emma, please don’t do anything stupid,” Liam said, desperately. “Talk to Garrett.”

  “I will.” She looked up at Liam. “Please don’t tell him what we talked about.” Liam shook his head like he was going to argue. “This has to be between me and Garrett.” Liam looked away for a moment, then back to her. He only nodded and moved away from her. Emma watched him walk away as sadness filled her. She turned back around and saw Garrett’s eyes boring into her. She looked away and greeted Kyle and Madison.

  “How’s our new female champ?” Madison asked with a big grin.

  Emma smiled back at her. “Stiff and sore,” she responded. Kyle and Madison chuckled.

  Madison moved close to Emma. “What’s he doing down here?” she asked, nodding her head at Garrett.

  Emma shrugged. Before she could respond, Garrett called out, “Emma you’re with me.”

  “Uh, oh,” Madison said, but she moved away from Emma before Emma could ask her what she meant by that.

  Emma thought about defying Garrett’s order, but she figured it would just cause more problems. So, she walked towards the man who was glowering at her. “I underestimated you, and I’m sorry. I won’t make that mistake again. I will take over your training from here,” he said. Emma wasn’t really sure that was a good thing, but she didn’t say anything. He started walking away, and Emma had no choice but to follow him. He stopped in front of the smaller punching bag. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” he said without any emotion.

  Emma realized that he was in straight-up “trainer” mode. There would be no talking about last night, no talking about anything
at all. If that’s what he wanted, that’s what he would get. She pushed all emotion from last night deep down inside. She took a deep breath and tuned out everything around her. She rolled her neck, before stepping into position. She released a deep breath and began her routine. She could feel Garrett’s eyes boring into her, but she kept her focus on what she was doing. He moved in and put his hands on her waist; she tried not to show any reaction to his hands on her bare skin. He angled her slightly. “Again,” he said. Emma started up again. He let her go for a little bit. It felt good to release her frustration.

  When she was really starting to sweat, he stopped her and led her to an empty ring. “I watched you last night. You can handle your own when you’re on two feet, but as soon as you go down, you’re useless on the mat.” Emma scowled at him, but he ignored it. “Just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself once you’re down.” He moved into position and motioned her to do the same. “Let’s go.” Emma reluctantly moved towards him, but he didn’t wait for her to get settled. He came at her hard and fast. She ducked at the last possible moment. He growled at her. “Too slow, Emma,” he said.

  Emma came at him and let her frustration carry her. He deflected everything she gave him. They got into a rhythm. Then he took her down. Emma grunted under his weight. “Now, this is where you need help,” he said. “Once you’re pinned, you just give up. Instead, you need to focus on creating space between you and your opponent. Straighten your legs and lift your hips and push your shoulders into the mat. Continue to push backwards so you can’t get pinned. When you have enough space, shift your hips hard and fast. Where your hips go, your spine will follow. This creates unbalance for your attacker. If you get a kick in, make it hard and fast. Then roll out from under your attacker.” Emma took it all in. He talked her through each step and they worked through the motions slowly first, then up to speed. After a few tries, Emma was starting to feel good about it. Garrett stood up and pulled her to her feet.