Emma felt her face heating up, the heat spreading all over her body. She looked up and met his piercing gaze. Lucius let go of her face and let his hand fall to his side.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Emma smiled. “Thanks but I don’t think so.”
“Are you really going to leave?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “Of course. You’ve all been so kind to me but the time has come for me to continue moving around. Maybe one day, I’ll find a home. Or not. Now that Tommy is gone, I’m going to the human cities. I’ll live with them, pretend I’m one of them. Maybe one day I’ll meet someone else and we’ll start a family.”
“What about me?” he asked.
Emma tilted her head. “What about you?”
“I need you, Emma.” He blurted out after some seconds.
Emma’s lips parted in shock. “What?”
“I think I’m falling for you,” he said. “I was mesmerised with you from the start. You’re such a wholesome woman. So kind and nice, yet so strong. You risked your life to save my sister and your friends. You have been through so much and yet you still smile and laugh, and make other people happy. Your smile lights up every room you walk into. I think you’re an angel and I don’t want to let you go.”
“I don’t know what to say about this. You like me?”
“Yes I do,” he affirmed, taking her soft hand. “I like you so much that I think I’m already in love. You’re everything any man would want in a partner. Axel was foolish to reject you. You’re perfect and I need you in my life. My life hasn’t been going so well lately and I need someone like you to keep me going.”
Emma pulled her hand away and took a few steps back. “Lucius, you have a mate. Have you forgotten?”
“You’ve seen it yourself. Michelle is horrible. She pretends when we’re around people but she doesn’t care about me. All she cares about is herself. If you accept me, I will reject her immediately and we shall be together.”
Those were the words that had been in Emma’s fantasies. She had day dreamed of Lucius rejecting his mate for her and making her his luna. She had thought she’d be elated but hearing them didn’t make her feel happy. She felt scared. It was too much to handle.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ve already been through so much, fought with so many people. I just want peace, not to get into fights with Michelle and everybody on her side, I don’t have the strength for drama at this point of my life.”
“You can have peace here,” he said. “Most people don’t like Michelle anyway. A lot of people have grown to like you in the short amount of time you have been here. They would support us being together. Don’t you have any feelings for me?”
“i…”
“If you say that you don’t care for me at all, I’ll leave you alone. I will never speak of my feelings for you again.”
“I can’t lie to you,” Emma sighed. “I like you. I have fantasised about being with you a lot of times but reality is very different from fantasy. In my fantasies, Michelle accepts defeat gracefully. Knowing her, I don’t think the same would happen in real life. Let’s not stress ourselves by imagining things that will never happen. You and I can never be together.”
“Emma, why are you so interested in destroying our love before it even starts? Why don’t we give ourselves a chance? Let’s see how it goes. If I don’t make you happy, you will be free to leave.
Before you came, I had resigned to my fate. I thought I could never be happy and I was cursed to be with a terrible mate forever, but since you came along all that has changed. You told me that we could create the lives we wanted and now I see a possibility of happiness with you. I want a life with you, Emma.”
Emma sighed and started walking away. “I’m sorry, Lucius. I don’t think we can be together. I have to go back now. I don’t feel like fishing anymore.”
“Emma, please wait. I’m not pressuring you. You don’t have to make any decision right now. All I’m asking is for you to think about it.”
Emma glanced at him and started running back towards the pack. He remained there, watching as she ran away from him. When Emma reached the house, she went straight to her room and packed her things in her backpack. After that, she stood by the window and looked out, tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t want to leave but it was for the good of everyone.
She had caused a lot of trouble for her rogue friends and now she didn’t want to start trouble in Summit pack. It seemed like everywhere she went, chaos erupted. If axel hadn’t kidnapped her, he wouldn’t have been arrested. She was not sure what her presence at Summit pack would cause so she decided it was best for her to leave before she got too attached.
Emma wiped her eyes and went out of her room. She went upstairs and knocked on Katya’s door.
“Come in,” Katya said.
Katya was slowly getting her life back. She was seated by the window reading a book.
“What are you reading?” Emma asked.
“The Perfect Mistress by Angella Blaine,” the girl replied. “It’s about this girl who fell in love with a married man and started wanting him for herself. Why are you back?”
That hit close. Emma figured it was a sure sign that she should leave. Alpha Lucius was as good as married. Emma didn’t want to end up being his mistress. She was sure Michelle would do anything in her power to get married to her mate.
“Is it interesting?” Emma asked.
“Very,” Katya said.
“Okay then, I’ll leave you to it. You’re an amazing young woman, Katya. I hope you’ll always remember that.”
Katya narrowed her eyes and glanced at Emma. “Why are you speaking like you want to leave?”
Emma chuckled. “I’ll leave some time soon, I guess. Anyway, I thought you were free. I didn’t feel like fishing anymore and thought we could do something.”
“We can. I can leave the book. I decided to read it because I was bored.”
“No, not necessary. I’m going to check on Linda.”
“Alright, have fun.”
The girl turned back to her book. Emma smiled and left the room. She hurried to her room and grabbed her bag.