by A J Manney
“Madison,” he called out. Madison came towards them. “I want Emma to try something. Pin her, please,” he said and walked away.
Madison grinned at her. Then she came at Emma swinging. Instinct made Emma deflect her hits before she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She dropped her arms slightly, and Madison took full advantage. She took Emma down hard and fast, trying to pin her. Normally, this is where Emma tapped out. But using what she had just learned from Garrett, she successfully got out from under Madison and jumped to her feet. “I did it,” she said. She looked for Garrett. He was standing a little distance away from her. “Thank you,” she said. He nodded before turning and walking away.
Emma felt her smile fall from her face. Madison came and stood next to her. “You look like you just lost your best friend. What's going on with you two anyway?” she asked, looking in the direction Garrett had just gone.
“It’s complicated,” Emma said. “I’m going to go get a shower.” Emma was done training for now. Her heart and her mind weren’t in it. Madison let her go without saying anything. Emma made her way up to her room and showered again and got dressed in jeans and a sweater for the day. She decided to go see what she could cook. It had been a little while since she had cooked for everyone, and she needed the distraction.
She ended up working in the kitchen most of the day. It was therapeutic for her. She made several loaves of artisan bread, a huge pot of creamy chicken and wild rice soup, and another pot of cheeseburger soup. She also made chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies. She pulled the last cookie tray from the oven and turned off the oven. As if on cue, the front door opened and Liam and Max and a few of the enforcers walked in. “It smells like heaven in here,” Liam said, taking a big whiff. “Please tell me that’s for us.”
Emma laughed. “It is. Help yourself, guys. There’s fresh bread, creamy chicken and wild rice soup, cheeseburger soup, and chocolate chunk peanut butter cookies.” The guys started getting food. Soon, Madison and Kyle joined in. Emma looked around and didn’t see Garrett. She filled a bowl of cheeseburger soup, grabbed a few pieces of bread, a cookie, and went in search of Garrett. She went to his office, assuming she’d find him there. When he wasn’t there, she knocked on his bedroom door. He wasn’t there either. She decided to check downstairs.
She walked quietly down the stairs. Sure enough, she found Garrett in the same place she had found him this morning. He was seriously punching the life out of the punching bag. Emma set the food down and made her way over to him. When she got close, he stopped. He must have sensed her presence. “I made supper and didn’t see you, so I brought you some,” Emma said quietly.
“Thanks,” he said but didn’t turn to look at her.
Emma knew she needed to talk to him. She walked over and put her hand on his back. He stiffened. “We need to talk.”
“Not right now,” he said.
Emma stepped back in surprise. “Look, Garrett, I’m sorry for what happened last night. I got upset and took it out on you. I want to talk to you and try to make things right.”
“I can’t right now, Emma,” he said in a tight, agitated voice. He started punching the bag again. Emma had had enough. She walked around him to the other side of the bag and grabbed the bag, moving it just enough so he would look at her. She gasped.
“Garrett!” she said with her hands over her mouth.
Chapter 43
“What happened?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said.
“No, you’re not!” Emma responded. She stepped towards him. “What can I get you? Do you need pain reliever? Bandages?”
Garrett was quiet for a moment before meeting her eyes, pain in his gaze. “Can I just hold you?” Garrett asked in a low voice, surprising her.
She nodded, not knowing what else to do or say. He closed the remaining distance between them and pulled her against his chest. Emma stiffened. She didn’t want to hurt him anymore. “Relax,” he whispered. “You’re not hurting me.” Emma stood still for a moment then stepped back to fully look at all of his injuries. He had dried blood above his lip, his nose was obviously broken, his lip was busted, he had a cut that was almost in his eye. And that was just his face. He had deep gouges on his torso and black and blue bruises all over his body. “It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said. Now she understood why he was so agitated with her and didn’t want to talk. He had to be in a good amount of pain. “I’m just waiting for Paul to come. It will all heal up soon.”
“Were you in another challenge?” she asked, horrified. He nodded once. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” she asked in anger.
“I told them not to,” Garrett responded.
Emma felt like an idiot. She’d been in the kitchen cooking while Garrett had been fighting for his life. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Is the other guy... ” she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Garrett nodded. “Dead.”
Emma let herself go then and leaned against him. She felt him take a deep breath and exhale it. She felt some of the rigidness go out of his muscles the longer they stood together.
“Will you talk to me now?” Emma asked. He pulled away for a minute and led her to the wall. He slid down the wall and sat, pulling her into his lap. Emma carefully leaned against him. One arm came around her to hold her in place, the other arm he used to rub her back in small circles.
“I’m so sorry about last night,” Emma said.
“Will you please tell me what I did to hurt you?” Garrett asked.
Emma was quiet for a few minutes, trying to collect her thoughts. “Well, first of all, you and Liam laughed at me when I showed up for the fight.”
He cringed. “I know. That was wrong of me. I’m sorry. As I already told you, I underestimated you. I won’t do that again, but you were upset even before that happened,” Garrett said.
Emma took a deep breath. “Did you sleep with Barbie?”
“What!?” he asked.
“The blond who has perfect boobs and a body to die for. She looks like a walking Barbie. She has a minion sidekick who has dark hair and olive-colored skin,” Emma said, angry again.
Garrett put a finger under her chin and turned it towards him. Emma winced at the sight of his beat-up face. “I only know of one woman with perfect boobs and a body to die for, but her hair is red.” He shrugged. “I'm more of a redhead guy.”
Emma felt her face heat up. “Don’t sidestep the question.”
“You mean Chloe and Stacey?” Garrett asked in genuine confusion.
“I don’t know what their names are,” Emma said angrily. “I just want to know if you slept with her or them or either one of them?” she asked.
“Emma,” Garrett said slowly. “I haven’t slept with either of them. Why would you think that? I told you that the mate bond is special, that we don’t mess around. We wait for our true mates.”
“You can’t expect me to believe that all of the male wolves in your pack wait until their mate,” Emma said, scoffing.
Garrett nodded. “You’re right. They don’t all, but they regret it immensely when they finally meet their mate. Where is all this coming from? From Chloe and Stacey?”
Emma decided to just lay it all out there. “Last night, while I was waiting for Madison to sign me up, Stacey and Chloe cornered me. Chloe told me that I wasn’t your first and that she would be around after you got tired of me to take care of you. She said that you need a wolf in bed, because a human could never satisfy you or give you wolf babies.”
Garrett growled low in his chest at her words, and his eyes flashed dangerously. “Chloe will be dealt with,” he said in a low, angry voice. “Emma, look at me,” he commanded. Emma met his eyes. “I have never slept with Chloe, nor am I intending to ever do so. You are the only one I want in my bed now and forever. I know you’re human, and that’s okay. We’re going to be fine.” He shook his head in anger. “I’m sorry she said those things to you.” He was quiet for a moment, then a slow s
mile started to play across his lips. Emma noticed distractedly that it was already beginning to heal.
“What?” she asked, still frowning. “What’s that smile for?”
“So last night, when you were so angry that you won all your matches and even took on an alpha, it’s because you were jealous?” he asked with a smirk.
“I was not jealous,” Emma said indignantly.
“You sure? Because it sure seems like it. You were so angry,” he began.
“Of course I was angry,” Emma finally let out. “Chloe said you slept with her and that you would return to her last night after you knocked me out. You’re not hers. You’re mine!” Emma almost yelled.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to say that?” he said huskily.
Garrett’s lips descended on hers before she even realized what was happening. He slipped his tongue inside and groaned when he tasted her. Emma shifted closer. Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and resituated her so she was straddling him. He wove his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back, angling her so he could kiss her better.
“I came to check on the alpha, but it appears he’s quite recovered.” The voice was like cold water, dousing Emma. She jerked back from Garrett. He didn’t release her so she couldn’t move too far away from him, though.
He smiled at Emma for a moment, then turned his head towards Paul. “I told you I was fine.”
“Just let him check you out,” Emma said softly to Garrett.
“I’d rather have you check me out,” he said in a low voice.
Emma smacked him lightly before scrambling off his lap and standing up. “He’s all yours,” she said to Paul.
Garrett stood up smoothly and Paul had him move to a chair so he could check him out. Emma slipped upstairs so she wouldn’t be a distraction. Max came into the kitchen while she was getting a bowl of soup. “Do you want some soup?” she asked him. He nodded. “Which kind?” she asked.
“The burger one,” he said. Emma dished him up a large bowl and handed him a few pieces of bread. “Thank you,” he said in his quiet, low voice. When he didn’t walk away, Emma looked up at him. “You did good in the ring last night,” he said. Emma’s eyes widened in surprise. That was the most he had said to her, like, ever. “You won the pack’s respect by standing up to our alpha last night. They know that you are strong enough to stand at his side. I may have misjudged you. I’m sorry.” He paused. Emma couldn't think of a single thing to say; he had so shocked her. But he wasn’t done shocking her. “My sole focus is to keep the alpha safe. As his mate, that protection now extends to you.”
Emma stared at this huge man in front of her that was so tough. “Thank you, Max. That really means a lot.” He nodded. Just before he began to walk away, Emma put her hand on his arm. “You’re going to make some woman incredibly happy.” She saw his eyes darken. That was the closest thing she had ever seen to emotion on his face. He didn’t move away from her.
“Have you seen anything else about her?” he asked, his voice gruff.
“Give me your hand,” she said softly. He looked like he was going to refuse. She saw him glance around the room. “He’s not here. He’s in the basement with Paul. This is your chance,” she said quietly.
He put his soup down. “Do it quickly,” he said gruffly. From anybody else, she would have taken insult at his command. Not from Max. That’s just the way he was. She reached out and tentatively took his hand. Immediately, the bright sensation came. Emma knew enough to just stay still and wait. Soon, the light faded. She stared, trying to see what she could make out. She saw the same backpack she had seen before. It was sitting next to something Emma recognized quite well. She turned her head slightly, trying to see more; but she couldn’t. She could only see what was right before her in the vision. Right before she was about to give up and let go of Max’s hand, she saw a flash of long dark hair. A moment later, a person attached to the hair stepped into her view. The girl turned and Emma caught a brief glimpse of her face. The next thing she knew, the girl whirled around. She threw a hard fast punch straight towards Emma’s face. Emma squeaked and jumped back, dropping her connection with Max.
Max and the present came back immediately in front of her. Emma stared straight ahead for a just a moment. “What’d you see?” Max grunted impatiently.
Emma looked up at him and grinned. “She’s beautiful, Max. She’s got real pale skin and long dark hair. She’s perfect for you.”
“How do you know?” he growled out.
“Because she was in a ring fighting,” Emma said with a grin. That brought an instant frown to his face. “She looked like she was handling it just fine. She threw a punch at whoever was behind me faster and harder than some of the wolves I’ve fought.”
The closest thing to a smile she had ever seen from him crossed his face. “Good,” he said. Then he picked up his soup and walked away. A hand enclosed around her waist and she was brought back against a hard chest. “Thank you,” Garrett said near her ear.
Emma turned her head towards him. “Why?” she asked.
He nodded his chin at Max. “You gave him hope.”
Chapter 44
Emma leaned against his strong body. “I wish I could do more. I wish I could actually find mates for these guys. I feel like my little glimpses aren’t going to be enough.”
“They will,” Garrett said confidently. “When the time is right, the details will paint the entire picture. I’m convinced of it. You’re a finder. You’re blessed from our Creator to help us find our mates. Trust the process.”
Put that way, how could she not? “I hope so. Garrett,” Emma said turning in his arms to look at him. He looked down at her. “I’m not positive; it was just a glimpse, but...” she glanced over her shoulder for a second at Max before looking back up at Garrett. “I don’t think she was a wolf,” she said quietly, knowing he would hear her. She didn’t want anybody else to, though. Emma didn’t see any ounce of surprise on Garrett’s face. “You’re not surprised,” she stated more than asked.
Garrett looked down at her. “After you, nothing surprises me. I don’t have all the answers. We’ll just keep taking things a day at a time.”
“So, you think it’s a good thing if Max’s mate isn’t a wolf?” she asked.
“If she’s his mate, how could that not possibly be a good thing?” he asked.
“But what about...” she let the question hang; she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
“What?” he asked.
“Well, if she’s human will they ever be able to have a baby or a pup or whatever?” she asked.
Garrett’s entire face softened. “Are you asking for them or for us?”
“I’m just wondering,” Emma said quickly.
“Do you think you would be the mate finder and my fated-mate if we couldn’t have kids? We’re going to be just fine,” Garrett said confidently.
“Do your females have babies in wolf form or human form?” she asked.
“How about we take this conversation somewhere private?” he said quietly.
“That’s probably a good idea. Do you want me to pack some soup? Are you hungry?” she asked Garrett.
“No, we can get something later if we need it. Go grab some shoes and a coat. I’ll wait for you,” he said. He bent and kissed her quickly on the lips.
Emma went to her room and quickly grabbed her purse and coat. Then she slipped on her shoes. She walked out to find Garrett waiting for her at the front door. When they walked out the front door, she saw Max climb into one of the vehicles in the driveway. Garrett took her hand in his and led her to the car. He opened the back door for her and she slid in. He closed the door behind her and went around to the other side, sliding in next to her. “Okay, close your eyes,” Garrett said.
Emma looked at him. “What? Why?”
Garrett smiled. “Because I asked you too. Come on. Close your eyes.”
“But why? Where are we going? What are you going to d
o?” she asked in confusion.
Garrett grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap and promptly put his hands over her eyes. “I don’t like surprises,” she grumbled.
She heard a sound that sounded like a laugh from Max. “No kidding,” Garrett said with humor in his voice. “You’ll like this one, I promise,” he said. When he said nothing more, Emma relaxed against him. She had no idea what he was doing, but she trusted him.
They didn’t drive long, probably less than five minutes. She felt them come to a stop. “Can I look now?” she asked.
“No,” Garrett said. She felt him move and felt the door open “Keep those eyes closed,” he ordered. Emma did as he said and felt his hands disappear for a moment. Then she was swept up into his arms and one of his hands was back across her eyes. Emma was so confused as to what they were doing. A few moments later, she heard a door open and close. Then she was being lowered to her feet. “Okay, are you ready?” Garrett asked.
“Ready for what?” Emma asked in exasperation. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Garrett laughed a deep sexy laugh behind her. “Open your eyes,” he said in a low voice.
Emma did as he said. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked all around her. “Garrett,” she said in shock. He stepped close behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I know how much you loved working at Sip and Drip. I wanted to recreate something similar for you but on pack lands where you will always be protected. So, we made this. It’s our very own Northwoods Pack Coffee House. It’s got commercial ovens so you can make your cinnamon rolls and whatever else you want to make. It’s got all the fancy machines that Helen had and all the same products to make the drinks. I ordered everything from the same company Helen does so it’s all the right stuff.” He was quiet a moment. “Do you like it?”
