Emma watched Michelle’s reaction as Lucius and the woman came forward. She noticed that Michelle was angry but desperately trying to hide it. The woman had gritted her teeth but forced a smile as the pair drew closer.
“Hi Ayleen,” she said. “It’s been long since I’ve seen you. How are you doing?”
The other woman smiled cheerfully and went to hug Michelle. “I’m alright, dear. How are you?”
“I’m okay.”
Emma noticed that Michelle’s fake smile seemed like it hurt.
“Lucius, thank you for bringing our friend over. Please come in, both of you.”
Michelle led the way and Lucius and the woman followed. He didn’t even acknowledge Emma and she felt hurt. She took a deep breath when they were out of sight. She went around the car and opened the truck, hoping to hide her irritation.
“Hi I’m amber and I’ll take you both to your room. Unfortunately, you’ll be sharing one since we don’t have a lot of extra space right now. But if you’re okay with living in a building a few metres away from here, you can both have separate rooms. I wouldn’t advise it since you’re both women. It could be risky.”
“We’ll stay in the pack house,” Casey said.
Emma removed a suitcase from the trunk before going to the front of the car where the other two were. “Who is she?”
“Ayleen Smith, the daughter of the alpha of South Paw pack. She lost her mate last year during a territorial fight. She and alpha Lucius were thing for a while but it seemed to have ended a long time ago. I don’t know why he decided to bring her around now but I know it will drive Luna Michelle crazy and I love seeing that.”
“Do you think alpha Lucius may be romantically interested in her?”
The woman shook her head. “No, alpha Lucius would do no such thing. Although Michelle is horrible and doesn’t deserve his love, he still respects and treats her well. Ayleen seems sweet, though. I wish Lucius would stop being such a goody two shoes and reject his mate for her. This pack would be better off.”
“Sometimes the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know,” Emma said before going back to unload the car. With the help of Amber, they took their stuff into a small room on the ground floor. It had a bunk bed with two mattresses and all necessary beddings, a table and two spindly chairs. Apart from that, it was quite bare. Emma opened the window and looked out to the garden. She gasped when she saw Lucius and Ayleen walking around, talking while smiling and laughing.
“I wonder what game Lucius is playing,” Emma said.
“Why?”
“He’s walking around the garden with that woman and they seem very happy together.”
“Ayleen? I think he’s trying to make you jealous. Clearly, it’s working.”
Emma sighed. “If he wants to play games, we shall. Where is that make up of yours? I need to charm someone while I stay here.”
Casey chuckled. “Why play games? Why not just tell him you want him desperately despite the fact that he is now married. There’s a lot of sexual tension between you two and you need to let it all out. Go to another town, to woods or elsewhere and do it. You’ll feel better.”
“As much as I want that man, I can’t be with him until he separates with Michelle.”
“But you said you came here to bring the two together. Why are you lying to yourself? You don’t want them to be together. You want him for yourself but can’t admit it to anyone. You were secretly glad that Michelle is cheating on him. Now you won’t feel too bad that you two slept together.”
“Shhh…” Emma said. “Don’t be so loud. You never know who is listening.”
“By the way, my sister is coming back in a week’s time,” Casey said. “I’ll be leaving, so you should try to make up your mind about what you will do with your life. Do you want to go and live elsewhere or you want to stay here and fight for your love?”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Emma and Casey stared at each other, surprised. They were both hoping the person behind the door had not heard what they had been saying.
“Come in,” Casey said, lazily.
The door opened. It was Michelle.
“What is it now?”
“I was not yet done with the two of you,” the woman said. When she entered, her sweet smelling perfume filled the room. Unfortunately, it contrasted with her terrible personality.
“What do you want from us?” Emma asked. “Shouldn’t you be making sure that your husband does not wander too far with that woman? Who knows what they might do when they’re not around anyone.”
Michelle said. “As much as I hate Ayleen, she is not a big threat to me. Contrary to what you might think, I don’t care if Lucius sleeps with other women. That’s what men do. I care about my title and all I want is to make sure he does not replace me. Right now, Ayleen is not much of a threat. She is being courted by two richer alphas and I know the kind of woman she is. She won’t chose Lucius over them. As for you, you are very desperate and will choose him any day. Come with me, both of you. I have work for you.”
“Wait, I know why you don’t care. It’s because you’re cheating on him.”
Michelle’s face paled. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I know that you’re sleeping around with someone,” Emma said before laughing. “The most interesting thing is I know the person,” she lied, hoping for maximum effect. “I don’t know what Lucius and the other pack members will think if they found out. Will they still want you as luna, considering how unpopular you are already? You think I want your man and your position, but think about it.
If I wanted Lucius, would I keep this big secret? Would I have left when he wanted to reject you? I’m desperate and I need a place to stay. When I left here, I was kidnapped by the vampires and this lovely witch helped me escape. They took everything I had, all the money you gave me. We’re trying to figure out where to go next and that’s why we’re here. You have nothing to worry about. As soon as we figure some things out, we’ll be on our way.”
“Is that true?”
Emma nodded. “Yes, and don’t worry about your little secret. As long as you don’t trouble us, our mouths will remain shut.”
“Fair enough,” Michelle said before leaving.
Emma heaved a sigh of relief. They had bought some time.