A day had passed since Emma and Lucius made love in his living room. Emma was pruning the small trees in the garden while thinking about it. She was glad that Michelle had not yet come for her. Suddenly, a flowery scent spread all over the garden and Emma was pretty sure it was not from the plants. She turned and saw Michelle walking over. Her heart sank. Good things don’t last forever, she thought. She waited for Michelle to make some insulting remark but it didn’t come.
“Hey Emma,” Michelle said happily.
Emma frowned in confusion but greeted back. “Hi Luna Michelle. What can I do for you this afternoon?”
Michelle chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re so formal. There’s no need for that. I think we should leave that Lucius mess behind and be friends. You want the man, I want to be the luna. If both of us stick to our lanes, there won’t be any trouble.”
No, I don’t think so.
“Uhmm,” Emma said, not knowing how to reply to that. Something was fishy if Michelle was trying to make her a friend.
“I’m just an ordinary person and these fights have made me realise that you and I are so much alike. Even Jenezel confirmed it. We both know what we want and will not rest until we have it. I got what I want but I’ve been insecure that you might take it away from me but you haven’t intentionally tried to do that so maybe we can be friends and come to a mutual understanding.”
Emma cut off more leaves with the plies she was holding, letting the leaves fall and land on the ground without a sound. “I don’t understand what is going on here.”
“Okay, you got me. I need your help with something. I have to pick up some equipment from Orville and I need you to come with me.”
Emma tilted her head. “Why me?”
Michelle groaned. “You’re so stubborn, Emma. Okay, I would like us to be friends. To be honest, I don’t really hate you. I have just been feeling really jealous since you got here. I was insecure and thought you might take Lucius and my crown away from me but I’ve had time to think and realise you won’t do that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because, it doesn’t really matter how you feel about him or how he feels about you. Whether you date or not, I know the elders will never allow Lucius to leave his mate for no good reason. That’s why they haven’t separate us and trying to make me change so I can be better. If I can prove that my change is genuine, I’ll continue being the luna of this pack. If those elders wanted me off the throne, I wouldn’t be on it.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t mean you should want to be my friend.”
“Yes, but I’ve admired your strength and confidence. You remind me so much of myself and I want friends like that. The only friends I have are minions who will do anything I tell them to do and it has started to bore me. I need actual friends who don’t worship me.”
“Why would I believe you?”
“I don’t know but if you become my friend, you may be able to be with Lucius more often that you are able right now. I can always go and be with my lover when you want to be with my husband. The arrangement can work for both of us.”
“Are you trying to bribe me?” Emma paused and stared at the other woman.
“Is it working?” Michelle asked with a smile.
Emma laughed. “Maybe.”
“That’s settled then. You will have the rest of the day off. In fact, if you want, I can get you whatever you want.”
Emma shook her head. “No, I’m alright.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after lunch. I want us to travel together. I have to go and pick some supplies for our plastics company”
“Okay.”
Emma was confused by Michelle’s sudden change of attitude. Could she really trust the woman? She figured she’d never know if she didn’t give it a try. Although Michelle was not the type of person she would always befriend, being on her good side didn’t seem like such a bad thing.
“Michelle wants to be my friend,” she told Casey as they enjoyed their lunch.
“Why do you seem excited about it?” Casey asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
“Because she proposed something that might work for both of us. It seems she’s tired of fighting over the same thing. I’m tired too.”
“You know what kind of person she is but are choosing to believe her? That’s crazy.”
“What if she’s not that bad? She wasn’t that mean to me at first. Maybe she become worse because I threatened her position in the pack and Lucius’s life. Besides if I become her friend, she won’t harm me.”
Casey laughed sarcastically. “Yes but I don’t think she wants to be your friend. Michelle hates you and I think she might be trying to manipulate you. Either she just wants to use you or get you into trouble. If you want to stay here, please avoid that woman like the plague.”
“It’s too late now. If I say no to her now, she will be angry. And if she is angry with me, I will be in danger. I’d rather be her friend. Besides, they say keep your enemies close.”
“If you keep an enemy close, you give them a chance to stab you properly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you”
“You’re too negative. If friendship doesn’t work out, we’ll go back to how things were. If she turns out to be horrible, I can stop being her friend.”
“I don’t want you to be involved in this but it seems you have made up your mind.”
Emma sighed. There was no point in arguing about it. Her friend hated the other woman and wasn’t about to change her mind. They had their lunch and parted ways. Emma went out back to continue her work but Michelle came and invited her to travel together. Since it was that or pruning all day, Emma decided to go with her.
Two minutes later, Emma sat and leaned back on the soft seat in Michelle’s Porsche. Michelle started the car and they chatted about mundane things as they drove out of the household and into a quiet road.
Orleans was a great lively city. They went into a street with minimal traffic, many people and tall buildings.
“Where exactly are we going?” Emma asked as they cruised through the city, heading towards the suburbs. She noticed they were in a residential area and there were no warehouses in sight. If they were there to pick up stuff for the company, they wouldn’t be heading to someone’s house?
“We are going to first check on my friend Sandra.”
“Why?”
“She’s ill. She’s a human.”
“Okay.”
When they drove past the residences, Emma started to get worried.
“Why does she live in the woods?”
Michelle laughed loudly as she quickly branched onto a dirt road. Realising something was amiss, Emma pushed open the door and jumped out. Unfortunately, Michelle was fast in turning the car and running her over. Emma lost consciousness.