She stopped and watched as the door opened. It was like time had frozen as she watched the man she loved strut into the room followed by an equally handsome man. Their striking appearances commanded attention and changed the atmosphere in the room. They were both tall with broad shoulders, wearing black suits. Lucius’s jawline complimented his sharp features increasing the magnetic charm of his blue eyes. Every step he took was effortless and graceful.
Emma glanced at the man walking beside Lucius. He was impressively tall and looked very athletic. Unlike Lucius, this man had long, wavy hair that cascaded down the sides of his face. “This is she?” the man said, approaching Emma. “You were right. She’s perfect.”
Lucius stopped right in front of Emma who was yet to move because she didn’t know what to do. He went closer and pulled her into his arms. They remained like that for a minute. When he pulled away, the other man had gone to the table.
Lucius looked into Emma’s eyes. “Why?”
“Guys, first come and eat,” the man said. “You can make love later.”
Emma opened her lips to say something.
“Let’s go,” Lucius said.
Reluctantly, she followed him to the dining room. He choose not to sit next to her. He sat on the chair opposite hers. She didn’t say anything but let Margaret serve her. Emma tried to eat but her appetite was low. She didn’t like the way Lucius was looking at her as if she was to blame for something.
“So Emma, how did you end up almost getting killed by Axel?”
“I don’t know how he found me really,” she said. “I think someone recognized me from church because today was the first time I left the house.”
“The house you had been living in with a man,” Lucius chipped in.
Emma’s lips parted in surprise. “Yes. Andres was really nice to me. Without him, I would have died a long time ago. It’s so sad that he died because of me.”
“How did you meet the guy anyway?” the man asked. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Jack Carver, alpha of Blue Moon pack.”
Lucius put his fork down and stared at Emma expectantly after hearing the question.
“Lucius, why are you looking at me like that? It seems you hate me.”
“You were alive and fine, but not one day did you think of me. I guess Michelle was right. You don’t care anymore, right?”
“You believe Michelle over me?”
Lucius looked like he had been cornered. But he recovered shortly. “You left just like that and I was so worried about you. This is not even the first time you’ve done that. Couldn’t you at least write a note or tell someone? I will never force you to do anything. I’m tired of you thinking I’m someone who wouldn’t understand.”
“Weren’t you the one trying to convince me to stay when I told you I was thinking of leaving so that everyone could be safe?”
“So, because I tried to convince you stay, you decided to just run away. How thoughtful of you. Thank you for making us all worried sick only to find out that you’ve been living with some guy you barely know.”
“I didn’t leave willingly.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ask your beloved, Michelle. She knows the whole story.”
“Michelle said she gave you a ride and you went away on your own. What happened?”
“Yeah, Michelle the trustworthy one.”
“Okay guys,” Jack intervened. “Let’s calm down a bit. We need to talk about this calmly so that we understand each other.”
“Why are you here anyway?” Emma asked. “Did Michelle send you to finish me off?”
“Emma, some guys tipped me off that Axel was in the area. I decided to have him followed and when we realised that he had found you, we had him killed. Lucius here had told me to look out for you.”
Emma now began to feel bad for her outburst. She looked at Lucius who was trying to cut out a smaller piece of meat from a large potion.
“Michelle tricked me. She pretended that she wanted us to be friends and I stupidly believed her. When I realised that it was trick, it was too late. That’s how I ended up in a room where I was tortured by Michelle and Axel. When I escaped, Axel sent his men after me. It’s a long story but I managed to get to the highway where I stopped a car. The human man Axel murdered was the one who saved me that day. Axel was ready to kill me after using me for his selfish desires. If it wasn’t for Andres, I would not be here.”
Emma didn’t have to look up to know that Lucius was feeling guilty. She could feel it.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” he told her.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
“Finally, that’s settled.” Jack said. “Maggie, take the food away. Get us some drinks. I guess that’s what we need as we listen to the longer version of the story.”
When the drinks came, Emma took some to gain liquid courage before telling them everything that had happened, excluding the part where she and Andres made love. That was a secret she planned to take to the grave. There are things that even the most reasonable man won’t understand or forgive.
The next day, they spent the afternoon with Jack’s wife and kids who had come over. Everyone tried to convince Emma that she should go back to the pack but she was adamant. Although Axel was gone, there was Michelle to think about. That woman was never going to let Emma and Lucius have any peace. Emma didn’t want to see her end up dead like Axel just because she was fighting for what technically belonged to her.
“I can only return if you divorce her,” Emma told Lucius later that evening. They were standing on the porch.
“Let’s go home. I’m going to do it tomorrow if you want.”
“Well then I’ll return after tomorrow.”
“I can’t leave you here, and I have to return home to protect everyone. Emma, please stop being so hard.”
“You said you wouldn’t force me to do anything, why are you trying so hard to convince me?”
Lucius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The door opened and Jack walked out. Through her peripheral vision, Emma saw him giving Lucius something. When she turned to look, Lucius hid it and started to move closer to her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
And then she felt it. A sharp prick of a needle on her thigh. She looked up at Lucius as she started to feel dizzy and the world faded into darkness.