In the moment of truth though, all went silent. I waited with baited breath as the blond challenger leapt into the air merely feet away from the other. One wolf followed quickly by another, all responding with a harsh spring. They were all flying through the air, their sharp claws angled outwards as war cries shook the surrounding timbers. They were on a collision course with each other. Everything slowed right before impact.
I leapt up in a panicked sweat, gasping for air. My heart was pounding, mind racing and heart breaking at the reality of my dream. These wolves meant something to me; I was worried sick over their safety. My heart truly would stop beating the moment the alphas lunged for each other. I couldn’t allow this to happen. I couldn’t bear witness to a blood bath over me.
“Shh. It’s okay, mi amor. I’ve got you,” Marco cooed. His tone comforted me as he pulled me back down to him. I wrapped my arms firmly around him as I tried to push past the idea of anything happening to him or another member of the pack. He gently rubbed my back in a soothing circular motion.
—
I awoke again, but this time I was alone. The fireplace was on, filling the room with a soft flickering light. On the bed beside me was a pair of soft flannel pajamas with a note on top telling me to call the front desk and room service would send up dinner for me, and if I needed anything, he was in the Oberthur Ballroom.
I decided to forgo the dinner. I glanced down at my clothes. They were wrinkled from sleeping in them, but I didn’t think pajamas were the best thing to wear around the hotel, particularly when you were…something…to the owner.
I did a fast search, but found no room key, a ploy to keep me there I was sure. Ignoring his wishes, I headed downstairs to the front desk.
“Hi, Emma,” Kristina greeted me with a bright smile.
“Hey, how are you?” I sidled up to the desk.
“I’m great, thanks. What can I do for you?”
“Where is the Oberthur Ballroom?”
“It’s down the right hall, past the elevators. It’ll be the second door on your right.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
I made my way towards the room. Placing my ear against the door, I could hear what sounded like a crowd of people all talking amongst themselves.
“Settle down,” Marco commanded.
I quietly opened the door and slipped in only to find myself at the front of the room with everyone’s eyes now on me. I froze, looking around at what must have been at least sixty men.
“Emma,” Marco whispered. I shook my head and turned my attention to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Interrupting?”
Kuha took over. “For those of you who haven’t met her, this is our newest pack member Emma. Emma, this is the entirety of your new pack.” I gave them a shy smile and waved before ducking around to the back of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Marco dismissed everyone, but not before telling them to prepare for a counterattack the night of the full moon. My nerves were getting the best of me. I was putting pressure on myself to ensure they got nowhere near Ryan’s pack next week.
“Hello, Emma, my name’s Alexander.” He smiled easily, holding out a hand; his Scottish accent flowed vibrantly. His ivory skin stood out next to the others, but his brown hair and blue eyes, reminiscent of my own, made me feel at home. There was something about him though that warmed me. I could tell he was sincere, but I could also tell he had a touchy temper. He wasn’t as well built as many of the other guys, and had a bit of a pudgy belly. He looked to be in his forties and stood only a few inches taller than my 5’4”, but I knew that wouldn’t stop him from tearing his enemy to shreds.
“Nice to meet you, Alexander.” I shook his hand with my good one.
“I see the bastard messed you up pretty good there.” He frowned, gesturing at my cast.
“I’m okay. Most of my bruises are gone and my hand will heal in a few weeks.”
“That doesn’t make it right though. I’m ready to murder the beasty bastard.” He studied me for a good ten seconds. “You’re a good one, Emma. Glad you’re a part of the pack.”
“Thanks.”
He nodded his head and winked before strolling off to chat with a few others.
Within twenty minutes, I’d officially met everyone in the pack. I hadn’t realized so many lived outside the confine. Most of them were married, though few of them actually had children for some reason. Regardless, I couldn’t rip them away from their families to fight a battle for me. It wasn’t ethical.
When the last of the pack finished their conversation with Marco, he approached me with a cheeky grin.
I narrowed my gaze on him. “What are you smiling about?”
“You look adorable.” He grabbed my hands; leaning in quickly, he kissed my forehead.
“You got most of it for me.”
“I know.” He kissed my lips this time. “Did you eat?”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Why are you avoiding my question?”
I sighed. “No, I didn’t eat.”
He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie. “Send up two filet mignons with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli as well as two slices of cheesecake to room 360,” he radioed.
“What drinks should accompany the order?” a man called back. He raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.
“Water?” I asked.
“One bottle of water and a bottle of Blue Moon.”
“It will be delivered in about twenty-five minutes,” the man replied.
“It looks like we have twenty-five minutes to spare.” He winked. “What do you want to do?” His eyes glazed over as his tone took on a seductive quality.
I shifted back and forth. “Go to the room?”
“And?”
“And spend time with you?”
He broke character, laughing. “Alright, let’s go.”
—
The next day, Marco and Kuha began house hunting. Marco was insistent I accompany them and help make the selections: a house for him and me and another for the pack young. Within three days we found two homes side by side on a good sized patch of land backed up to the forest. It was on the opposite end of town, just past the resorts. The most unique aspect of the property was a large red barn—great for pack meetings and summer parties. It was perfect. Marco put in a full price offer for the pair, not wanting to waste any time negotiating and we were set to close in thirty days. I was able to breathe easier knowing that they would recover some portion of what they’d lost.
—
Monday morning I ventured downstairs to the lobby. Guests filled the space fresh from their complimentary breakfast in the dining hall.
“Morning, Kristina. Morning, Joe,” I waved as I breezed past them on my way to Marco’s office.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” Joe warned.
A chill of foreboding traveled down my spine. “Why?”
“Just take his word for it, Em,” Kuha said, coming up behind me.
I turned, considering each of them. I got the feeling they were trying to keep me from seeing something…or someone. “Why is everyone acting so strange?” Nerves ate away at my courage quickly. Fear began carving a hole in my chest, filling it with doubt. My old concerns rose to the surface with a vengeance. Knowing I needed to act quick, I walked straight up and threw his office door open, stopping short at the pair seated before him.
His face was hard, eyes cutting through them. The man before him was stocky with reddish brown hair and weathered skin; he had a harsh, demanding set to him. His business suit screamed power hungry. The woman beside him had long, dark brown hair that waved slightly as it fell. She was petite, yet had sufficient curves showcased in her blue figure-hugging cocktail dress that fell just above her knees. Her back was straight, the epitome of demure posture. She held her head high, announcing her confidence to the world.
It wasn’t until they both turned to
look at me that I knew exactly who they were. The man’s bright blue eyes were reminiscent of my own, and the woman’s facial features were a match to my own. If that wasn’t enough, boasting from the woman’s neck was a necklace identical to my own and the man wore a similar ring.
My heart raced and my palms instantly began to sweat. I could only stare wide-eyed at the pair before me. These were my parents. These were the people who had so willingly gave me away. These were my betrayers, sitting before the first man I’d ever considered opening my heart to.
Marco looked to me, an apology on his face and sadness in his eyes.
I slowly backed out of his office and took off for the front door. I weaved through the crowd, racing to get away from them. I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to know them. I couldn’t believe they came. Not only had they come early, but they came with expectations. I saw it in their demeanors. I wasn’t ready for them; I wasn’t ready to face them.
“Emma!” Kuha yelled, running to catch up with me. The cold air slapped me as I pushed through the doors. I didn’t make it far before he was at my side. “Come with me.”
I abruptly stopped and stared at him questioningly. “Just come with me. I won’t take you back there, but at least come in the car and let’s drive around. You’re going to get sick without a jacket out here.”
I nodded and followed him to his black Camaro.
We drove around for a good hour, silence filling the heated space. It was the exact opposite inside my head. I couldn’t shake my anger, the vicious fury invading my every thought. How dare they! It didn’t matter who they were in the werewolf community. It didn’t even matter that they created me. They abandoned me. They dropped me off on a doorstep and walked away without looking back…until now.
“What do they want, Kuha?” I whispered.
He peered sideways at me. The beginnings of a frown turned down his features. “I don’t know, sweetie.”
“What do they want from me?” I shook my head, frustration tightening my muscles. “I don’t understand. Why now?”
He laced his fingers through mine and squeezed gently. “They probably want to get to know their only daughter.”
“I don’t have siblings?”
“Three brothers, but not from your mother.”
I swallowed hard. When I was younger, I dreamed of having someone, a big brother - or two, - to step in and protect me like Lydia had. It was a little late now though.
I gazed out the window. “Do they even know about me?”
“I don’t know.” He rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand.
“How old are they?”
“Roman is thirty-three, Christian is twenty-seven, and…” he hesitated.
I looked at him. “And?” I prompted.
“And Anthony is nineteen.”
My stomach knotted, unease wreaking havoc on my gut. “Nineteen? Do they all have the same mother?”
He let go of my hand; his features neutralized, revealing nothing as he stared straight ahead at the highway.
“Kuha, do they have the same mother?” My voice rose higher. This was a new lifeline. For some reason, for some sick reason, I had to know.
“Yes.”
My heart sank. So that’s why they’d given me up. I was the product of an affair. I was an unwanted complication in what was probably an already complicated situation.
I mulled over this revelation. In the end, I couldn’t wrap my mind around it all. Any child of mine would know my love, my goodnight stories, my praises over every little accomplishment they had. We wouldn’t have a lot, but growing up in the orphanage, I didn’t have much either. But worse, I didn’t know love. I was never loved. I’ve never been loved.
“Where is she now?” I asked.
“Gabriella just recently passed away.”
I closed my eyes, scrunching my brows at the news. That explained everything. I was the product of an affair. They gave me up in order to protect their reputations. Well, my father’s anyway. Now that Gabriella was out of the picture, it was the perfect time for my mother to step up beside my father on the throne, and with them both in key positions as a couple, I suppose they believed no one would bat an eye should I be revealed as their daughter. The entire situation made me sick to my stomach. I wanted no part of it.
Kuha’s phone shrilled in the quiet of the car. He picked it up and checked the caller ID. “It’s the boss,” he announced. “Hello?” He looked at me expectantly. I knew what was coming too. “We’re still driving around. Did they leave?”
I waited, rubbing my bandaged wrist anxiously. “We’ll be right there.” He closed his phone and returned it to the console. “They left, but they’ll be back. Apparently they just want to talk to you.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I know they’re your parents and all, Em, but they’re also the royals of our kind. Essentially, your father is Queen Elizabeth to us. You don’t deny him.”
I hated that comparison. I didn’t think the Queen would give up her child, regardless of the scandal that ensued, though, morally, she wouldn’t have put herself in that position to begin with.
“Just listen to them, Em. You don’t have to talk, just listen.” He earnestly wanted me to do this. My only guess was to appease the King.
I wanted to be angry with him. He was pushing me to do something I didn’t want to. But I knew Kuha wasn’t the pushy type. His persistence insinuated repercussions might hit the pack, and they’d already been punished enough over my presence.
I expelled a sigh. “I guess I can hear them out.”
His limbs relaxed. I hadn’t even noticed his stiffness prior.
Hear them out; all I have to do is listen…
When we arrived, I took my time going back inside the resort; Kuha diligently walked behind me at my procrastinating human pace. The temperature had dropped five degrees in the hour and half we’d been gone and the wind had picked up in speed. It felt like a snowstorm was about to roll in. I took it as an omen.
Marco met me at the door. He embraced me fully, kissing my head. “I’m sorry, mi amor.”
“What for?” I waited expectantly for his explanation.
He held me a little closer. “They’re staying here.”
I instantly shoved away from him. I was certain my hurt flashed in my eyes.
His jaw was set; he was prepared to stand his ground. “Come upstairs with me.” He held out his hand.
I didn’t recognize him. This was the man who had assured me that he couldn’t hurt me, that he wouldn’t break my heart in any way. I glared at him unabashedly, gathering strength from deep within. He knew how I felt about my parents. Why would he do this?
He leaned into me. “I’ll explain everything upstairs, mi amor. Please just trust me.”
“So you must be the saddle child,” a tall male said, approaching me beyond the front desk. I looked up, startled to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring down at me. “Name’s Christian. You must be Emma.” He stretched out his hand towards me.
I paid it no mind. I was focused on the man who let him in. I stared at Marco incredulously. “They’re all here?”
He at least had the decency to look rueful, but it didn’t matter the moment he opened his mouth. “I can’t deny them.”
“So you deny me then? You ignore my wishes?” I’d been such a fool. I really believed, after all they’d done for me, that they were looking out for me.
“Don’t twist this, Emma. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you intentionally.”
My anger manifested as tears, stinging my eyes. My hands balled at my sides. I’d never been so upset, felt so…unimportant. I peered straight into his eyes. “Well you just did.”
Marco ground his teeth, his breath puffing through his nose like a pissed off dragon. “What would you have me do then?”
“Tell them to book a room somewhere else.”
“I won’t do that, Emma. They’re not harming you by being here. Stop bein
g stubborn.”
“Fine, then I’ll go.”
“Like hell you will!” Marco yelled. His eyes flashed a bright honey hue; fire blazed in their depths.
Christian dropped his hand. “Nice to meet you too, sis.” He frowned, pursing his lips as he did so.
I turned to him, only slightly embarrassed by my rudeness. “I’m sorry. I’m just not ready for all of this. It was nice to meet you though, Christian.” I rushed past them, leaving them both stunned I was sure. I glanced back to find them gaping open mouthed at each other.
—
Chapter Twelve
I headed straight for the elevators, nearly running to the room when the elevator dropped me off on my floor. I was almost there when Josten popped his head out of his door and grabbed hold of my sleeve.
“Whoa! Where you going in such a hurry?”
I turned and stared at him. I didn’t want to talk about it. I knew I should, but I just couldn’t. I would probably end up saying something I would regret.
He studied me, his eyes analyzing the details of my face. “Uh-huh. Well, seeing as how you seem a bit emotional, and that’s when you like to go M.I.A., I’m going to have to watch you for a little while. So come on in, buttercup.” He pressed his hand to my back and escorted me into his room.
“Hey, Em,” Micah greeted me as I entered their room. It no longer surprised me to see a room full of half-naked men in only athletic shorts.
“What’s up, Em?” Nate asked, sprawled out on their sofa as if he owned the place. He was the bulkiest of the bunch, and his guns matched his attitude.
“Emma’s here?” Noah walked out of one of the bedrooms. Their suite was nearly identical to mine except it looked like they had three bedrooms.
“Don’t you smell her, you nitwit?” Nate scowled in Noah’s direction.
“Calm down, Nate,” Josh scolded. He was the oldest in the room.
“Is it that time of the month for you too, Josh?” Nate teased, though it wasn’t lighthearted by any means.
“Hey.” I frowned at him.
“Sorry.” He shrugged.
“What’s wrong, Em?” Josh asked, concern shimmering in his brown eyes.
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