by A J Manney
“Are you leaving?” Emma asked.
“No, I’m just going around to the other side,” Garrett said. He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed a moment later. He lay down next to her and pulled her close, careful of her injury. “Do you need to change your clothes, baby?” he asked.
“This is close enough to what I wear to bed anyway,” Emma said.
“Okay. Just rest and let the pain pills help. I’ll hold you until you go to sleep,” Garrett said softly. Emma tried to relax in his arms; it was difficult with the pain in her shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re in pain,” Garrett said. She could hear the pain in his voice.
“It’s okay,” Emma said quietly. Emma lay still for a few minutes, content to just be in Garrett’s arms. “What happened to the wolves who killed your parents?” she asked softly.
“I tracked them down and killed them with the help of my pack,” he said.
“Good,” Emma said. She wanted to say more, but the painkillers were starting to kick in. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.
“Just rest, Emma. I’ll keep you safe,” Garrett said before kissing her on the forehead.
“I know,” she said softly. I love you, she sent to him.
I love you too more than anything in this world. His voice in her head was the last thing she heard as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 46
Emma woke up alone the next morning. She sat up slowly, taking stock of how she felt. Honestly, her shoulder didn’t feel that bad this morning. She turned to get out of bed and saw a single rose laying on the nightstand next to a white envelope. She picked up the envelope. She opened it and pulled out a simple card.
Emma,
Thank you for last night. Knowing you bear my mark is the greatest feeling in the world. My wolf was actually calm last night for the first time in a very long time. I can’t wait until I can have you in my bed every night and hold you as you drift off to sleep. It’s my new favorite pastime.
I love you, Emma, and can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.
Garrett
Emma smiled down at the card. She got out of bed and took a shower. She took her time getting ready and choosing something to wear. She found a pretty green blouse she remembered trying on at the store. She put that on and found a white pair of jeans Madison had talked her into. She put product in her hair so her curls would look good for the day. She put on earrings and pulled her hair up on the sides. After doing her makeup lightly, she left her room to go find Garrett.
She walked downstairs and into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She was just getting ready to reach out to Garrett when she heard a knock at the door. She walked over to answer without even thinking about it. She saw two men she had never seen before standing in front of her. They were both tall and lean and dressed impeccably in suits. “Uh, can I help you?” she asked.
The man in front of her took a deep breath and gave a small smile. “Oh, I think you’ll be able to help me just fine.” Something about the encounter was setting off Emma’s alarm bells.
“Actually, this isn’t a good time,” she said. “Maybe you could come back later.” She reached behind her to grasp the door handle, but the man moved in front of her before she could even blink.
He wrapped his hand around her wrist. Emma blinked up at him. She had never seen someone move that fast, and that was saying a lot because she lived with shifters. Fear wrapped itself around her.
Emma, are you okay? she heard Garrett’s voice in her head, but she couldn’t respond because the man with the hold on her wrist was pulling her towards him with an ironclad grasp.
Garrett! she gasped out. She tried to pull herself from his grasp, but she couldn’t get free.
Emma! Garrett was trying to get ahold of her, but she couldn’t focus on that. Right now, she was trying to get free and was being completely unsuccessful. Adrenaline flooded her system and her training came roaring back at her. She threw a hard punch that did absolutely nothing. The man just laughed at her.
“You’re a wily little thing, aren’t you?” he said. The other man came on her other side. They got her off the porch and down the stairs.
The door opened behind them, and she heard Kyle’s voice. “Hey!” A second later, a wolf was flying through the air towards them. The man holding her let her go to defend himself against the wolf. Madison’s wolf came at them next. The second guy grabbed Emma and started dragging her with him.
She heard a howl. She looked up and saw three wolves racing towards her. Her magnificent black wolf was at the front. He never stopped. He leaped at the man holding Emma. Liam’s wolf was with Garrett and together they pinned down the man. Emma turned to see Max and Kyle pinning down the other man. Garrett shifted. “You touched my mate,” he said in a tone Emma had never heard him use before. “You’ve signed your own death warrant. Why are you here? Why would you break a century-old pact and step foot on pack lands?” he asked with absolute authority. The man just stared up at Garrett with a small smirk. Emma looked around and saw more wolves gathering around them. They all were growling and baring their teeth. Emma wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew it was serious.
“Enforcers, get my mate into the house and keep her safe,” Garrett commanded. Soon, Emma had no less than four wolves surrounding her. Go inside, Emma, Garrett said in a fierce voice through their bond. Normally, she would have argued to stay with him, but not this time. There was genuine fear in his voice, and that was something she had never heard from him before. With one last glance at Garrett, Emma moved quickly towards the house. She held the door open as the wolves came in with her. She closed the door behind her and went to her room to give the guys privacy to shift back and get pants on. She knew Garrett kept stacks of black sweat pants in the front closet for that very reason.
She didn’t have to wait long. She heard the front door slam and Garrett’s voice rising above the others. She took a deep breath and walked out of her bedroom. Garrett was striding towards her. He met her in the hallway and pulled her tightly into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to help him calm down. “I’m safe.” He just held her in a bruising hold for a few moments. Finally, she felt him relax slightly. She pulled back a tiny bit. “Who were those men?” she asked. Even she could hear the fear in her voice. Garrett looked down at her. She could tell he was debating on what to say. “Shoot straight with me, Garrett.”
“Vampires,” he said. Nothing else could have shocked Emma more than that one word.
“Vampires?” she asked dumbly. “I didn’t even know they existed.” She felt like her world had just imploded.
“They exist all right, but we haven’t had any doings with them in over a hundred years,” Garrett said in an angry voice.
“Why here? Why now?” Liam’s voice came from behind Garrett. Garrett turned them so they could face Liam. She noticed he didn’t let go of her, though. Max came and stood next to Liam.
“I don‘t know, but I don’t think I’m going to like the answer,” Garrett‘s voice rumbled. Garrett looked at Liam. “Assemble the pack. Tell them we meet in thirty minutes.” Liam nodded and turned away. Garrett looked at Max. “Gather all the enforcers. We double security everywhere, including night watches. Nobody guards alone. Groups of two always.” Max nodded and was gone a moment later.
Garrett turned back to Emma. Emma could see the tension in his body. “What can I do?” she asked.
“Stay safe. Until we figure out what’s going on, you are with me every second of every day,” he said.
“Okay,” Emma said simply. Garrett leaned down and kissed her, but it was brief. She could tell he was distracted.
“Do what you need to do. Get something to eat. We leave in ten minutes,” he said. Then he turned and walked away from her.
Emma leaned against the wall in the hallway and watched him go. She couldn’t help shake the feeling that their world had just changed.
It had shaken Garrett, and that man was unshakeable. She wasn’t sure what any of it meant. Only time would tell. She only hoped they would be strong enough to face whatever was coming.
We will, Garrett said in her mind.
Emma smiled. Yes, we will because we will face it together.
Always, came his response.
Epilogue
Emma stood in front of the mirror trying not to panic. She closed her eyes, trying to ease down the anxiety building inside her. She had spent the last eight hours getting prepped and ready for her bonding ceremony tonight with Garrett. She couldn’t believe how fast the time had passed, and it was finally their special day. They needed today. Their pack needed today. They needed one day to forget about what the future held. They needed a day to forget their troubles and celebrate. She was glad that she and Garrett would be able to give them that.
They didn’t really know much more than they had a few weeks ago when the vampires showed up. It had been strangely quiet since then. Everybody knew something big was coming. They were all simply trying to be as prepared as possible for it when it came. Garrett had been running himself ragged trying to get to the bottom of why the vampires had shown up and broken the treaty by stepping onto wolf land. But he hadn’t made any progress yet, and he was beyond frustrated. Emma was glad to have today. He needed it just as much as anybody else did. Emma sighed. After today, they would finally be mated or married, however you looked at it. She was excited about that. That wasn't why she was panicking.
No, right now she was panicking over the dress she was wearing. While it was beautiful, absolutely exquisite actually, it wasn’t her. It was a soft sequined cream dress that was strapless with a plunging v-cut that clung to every curve in her body. And since she had been taken in by the wolves and started finally eating more, said curves were much more noticeable. If that weren’t enough, there was a scandalous slit that went past mid-thigh. Paired with ridiculously tall nude heels, she looked like she was ready to walk the runway, not head to her bonding ceremony.
The dress had been created by one of the women in the pack, and Emma knew it was a great honor to wear it. The ladies had told her that repeatedly. She just wished it was a little less revealing. The older, mated ladies in the pack had fussed over her all day. Madison had spent most of the day with her and helped with her hair and makeup, but even she hadn’t seen Emma in the dress. Emma closed her eyes, willing the panic to go away. She would just have to choose not to think about it. It was almost time to head outside anyway.
“Are you ready?” Greta, the dear woman who had helped her all afternoon asked.
Emma turned and smiled at her. “Yes. Thank you for all you did for me today.”
“It’s my greatest honor to help the mate of our alpha prepare for her bonding ceremony.” She handed Emma a wrap that was created specially to cover the dress while traveling. Emma followed her out to the car and carefully climbed in.
Max sat behind the wheel. Emma was glad he was her security today. She didn’t want to have to talk; she wanted to just be able to focus on breathing. All too quickly, they were in front of the beautiful hall the shifters used for weddings and events. Max opened her door for her and put his arm out for her. She shakily put her hand on his arm. They walked towards the building. When he opened the door and walked into the entryway, Emma could hear the music playing. She could hear the quiet buzz of voices. Suddenly she panicked. She just stopped. Max looked down at her. “I can’t do this, Max,” she whispered. He looked down at her. “I need to see Garrett.” He simply nodded.
Garrett? She reached out through their bond.
Emma, you okay? Garrett asked. She could hear the concern in his voice.
I need you. I’m in the lobby, Emma said.
I’m on my way.
Max didn’t move from her side while they waited. A moment later, the double doors opened and Garrett strode through the doors looking incredibly fine in his tux. Emma couldn’t focus on that though. She was having a hard time breathing.
Garrett is immediately in front of her, blocking her from view of the guests. Max moved away from them to give them privacy. Garrett’s eyes stayed locked on hers. “Emma?” he said questioningly.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, looking down at her dress.
“Is it the dress?” Garrett asked in a low voice. She nodded, miserable. Garrett eased out of his jacket and put it gently around her. Emma grabbed it like a lifeline and pulled it tightly around her. Garrett put his arm around her and led her back into the corner of the room. He stood with his back to the room to give her privacy.
“Emma?” she heard Madison’s confused voice behind Garrett. Garrett moved out of the way then.
“Help her find another dress,” he commanded. Madison nodded at once.
“What about everybody waiting?” Emma asked.
“They’ll wait some more,” Garrett said, his alpha coming through. He turned and strode back through the doors to where the crowd was.
Madison turned to her and looked at her. “I’m so sorry, Emma.”
“Can we just get out of here?” she asked, miserable. Madison nodded. Emma tightened Garrett’s jacket around her and started walking. Madison walked right next to her. She didn’t have to look to know that Max followed right behind them.
It was a silent ride back to Garrett’s house. Madison and Emma went straight to Emma’s room where Emma kicked off the heels and took off the ridiculous dress. She quickly pulled on leggings and a sweatshirt. Turning to Madison in a panic, she said, “What am I going to do?”
Madison didn’t even answer. She was digging around in Emma’s closet. She finally came back out with a dress that was still in a garment bag. She laid the bag down on the bed and unzipped it. Then she pulled out the dress.
Emma stared at it. “Try it on,” Madison said.
Emma didn’t waste a moment. She slipped into it and Madison zipped it up in the back. Emma stepped in front of the mirror. It was a black fitted dress with a wide neckline and long sleeves that were shaped. It had a scalloped hem that landed right above her knees. The dress had an overlay of sheer scalloped lace that made it so elegant. “It’s beautiful,” Emma said. “I don’t understand. Where did it come from?”
“Garrett bought it. He said he found it one day when he was at a shop doing business. He said it looked like it was made for you. So, he bought it and told me to hang it up in your closet for a special occasion. I think this is a special occasion, don’t you?”
Tears sprang to Emma’s eyes. “Yeah.”
“Don’t cry,” Madison ordered. “We don’t have time to replace your makeup. Now just let me grab one last thing.” Madison dug in the bottom of the garment bag and pulled out a jewelry box. She opened it and showed it to Emma. Inside were beautiful black diamond earrings. “To match your ring,” Madison said.
Emma just shook her head. “He’s too good to me,” she said almost to herself.
Madison grinned. “Well, it’s about time you had somebody in your life that was. Now let’s find your black heels and get you to your mating ceremony.”
When they made it back to the ceremony, Garrett was waiting for them. He came right towards Emma. Emma took off his jacket and handed it back to him. He glanced down at her and smiled. Then he met her eyes. “Is this better?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “It’s so beautiful, Garrett. Thank you.” He bent and kissed her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered when he pulled back. “I know I kept everybody waiting. I just—”
Garrett cut her off. “Don’t ever apologize for hiding your body from other men’s eyes,” he said, his eyes glowing. He moved closer. “Your body is for me and my eyes alone,” he said fiercely. He kissed her one more time then took her arm and led her towards the double doors.
The doors opened before they could get to them, and Liam slipped through. He grinned at both of them. “I just wanted to congratulate you both before the ceremony starts because we all know that afterwards
I won’t be able to get near you.” He reached out and hugged Garrett. “I’m so happy for you, man.” Garrett clapped him on the back. Emma smiled at them both. Then Liam turned towards Emma. “You look beautiful, Emma,” he said. He bent and gave her a quick hug. He picked up her hand and started to say something, but Emma was lost to the bright light in front of her that quickly faded away. She saw a sign. It was just a simple brown sign that read Hilltown High School with a tiger mascot painted beneath it.
Emma was snapped from her vision. She heard a growl coming from her mate and an apology from Liam. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it. I was just going to give her some advice for marrying you,” he said defensively. Garrett growled again and turned to Emma, blocking out Liam.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Emma grinned at him. His eyes narrowed. “You saw something, didn’t you?” Emma nodded again, not saying anything. She wanted to torture Liam just a little bit.
“What? What did you see? Tell me, Emma. What was it? What’s she look like? Where is she? Move, you big ox,” Liam said, trying to shove Garrett away from Emma so he could see her. Emma burst out laughing. Garrett smirked and moved aside. Liam scowled at both of them. “That’s not funny.”
“Oh, but it really is,” Emma said. “Fine. I saw a sign. It’s not a lot to go on. You’ll have to figure out—”
“Just tell me,” Liam butted in.
“Hilltown High School. There was a tiger mascot beneath it,” Emma said.
“Hilltown High School,” Liam repeated. Then he turned to Garrett.
