Emily’s POV
“Luna, let’s get you freshened up,” Luke said, standing at the entrance of the hospital door.
I had refused to take any clothes from him the night before, and I was still wearing only my shirt.
“Go with Beta, Luke,” Alex said. “I’ll be waiting for you in my office.”
My face warmed under his gaze. The last time I was in Alex’s office, things spiraled out of control.
I nodded, dropping my flustered gaze, and followed Luke out of the infirmary.
Luke took off in the opposite direction I expected he would, and I followed him in silence.
The pack house was surprisingly quiet at this time of day, and I had noticed a lot of changes made to the interior.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked when Luke took the stairs.
“Alpha Alexander’s quarters,” Luke said, turning to look at me.
“Why?” I asked hesitantly, yet I couldn’t help but be curious.
“You will see,” Luke said, smiling.
When we reached the fifth floor, Luke took an unfamiliar turn-off and headed again in an unexpected direction.
“Doesn’t Alpha Alex stay in the Alpha Quarters?” I asked.
Luke shook his head, and he came to a stop.
“Alpha made the changes when he took over the pack,” he said. “He requested to move his quarters to the north side of the pack house, overlooking the gardens, forest, and river.”
Something in Luke’s eyes told me there was more to the story, and I suspected that it was the same reason Alex’s office moved as well.
“We are almost there,” Luke said, giving me a small smile.
I nodded, not asking any more questions as I followed Luke down the long corridor.
Luke reached for his pockets when we came around the next bend and took out a set of keys.
There weren’t many doors on the floor-only two.
“That’s Alpha Alexander’s quarters,” he said, gesturing to the door at the far end of the floor. “This is mine.”
Luke turned the key and opened the door.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me as we entered, and he disappeared into his home, leaving me in the lobby.
My gaze moved over the spacious room; there wasn’t much, and it mainly screamed bachelor.
Wasn’t Luke mated?
Seconds later, Luke reappeared with a second set of keys.
“I am surprised you haven’t run off,” he said.
I nodded-I was surprised too. I could have easily sneaked out and vanished in a couple of seconds, but I guess my curiosity got the better of me.
“I still have a duty to the King,” I said, following Luke out.
My heart started to race the closer we got to Alex’s quarters.
Would his home look just as lonely as Luke’s?
Would it carry another woman’s touch and scent?
Luke unlocked the door, and the intoxicating smell of apple crumble washed over me.
I took a deep and calculated breath before entering Alex’s quarters. I needed to prepare myself for what was about to come-what I would discover.
Once inside, I was fairly surprised to notice that Alex’s home was clean and luxurious.
The walls were painted in a lovely light gray color, and it reminded me of his silver eyes.
The sitting room had a beige lounge suite and looked comfortable and warm. There was a huge fireplace, and my heart ached seeing that it looked similar to the one at the old cottage.
Luke showed me the kitchen; it was huge with gray and black marble, and my hands instinctively moved over the counter. I could see myself being in the kitchen baking a secret stash of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and Lex would excitedly sit and watch me.
My heart pinched. I have missed my boy so much.
“So, what do you think?” Luke suddenly asked.
“It is pretty,” I said.
“Then do you like it?” He asked.
I knitted my eyebrows together, confused at Luke’s questions. Was he trying to get a read on me?
“I do,” I said. “It is beautiful and warm. Alex’s mate would be happy to be living with him.”
Luke’s face fell, yet he quickly hid his disappointment and moved on to the next room.
“This is your room,” Luke said, unlocking the door, and excitement glinted in his eyes.
“My room?” I gasped, startled.
Was Luke excited to see my reaction?
He shouldn’t have his hopes up. He would end up disappointed if I didn’t stay.
“Yes, your room, Luke said. “All your belongings should be in here. Alpha tried to recreate your room at your parents’ house as closely as he possibly could.”
“Why would he do that?” I asked, my gaze moving over the spacious room.
I didn’t take many of my belongings over to White Moon when I left; I mostly left with some clothes.
My emotions overwhelmed me when my gaze fell on the old oak desk. I used to sit and do my homework there.
My small dresser stood in the corner of the room at the same angle as it was in my room. I wonder if my diary is still there.
Tears threatened to spill over when I saw my old Teddy Bear sitting patiently and waiting for me on a chair. I had held him many times when I cried, missing Alex.
My gaze landed on the shelves against the walls, and I took an unwilling step closer, looking at the old photos.
They were mostly photos of me, Mila, and my family in my carefree days as a teenager.
Things were much different then than now.
My fingers started trailing over the familiar textures of the books, noticing they were in the same order as I left them.
My fingers paused on an old book I was looking for and pulled it from the shelf.
Tears burned behind my eyelids.
Will it still be there?
Did it survive the last couple of years?
I carefully opened the book and saw the old photo of Alex and me still safely hidden inside.
Every year, the elders would take the pups, aged 10 to 16, camping to prepare them for adulthood, and that year was no exception.
That night, it rained, and we couldn’t go outside.
Tears spilled over as my mind raced, recalling the night I fell in love with dancing and Alex.
A couple of older kids suggested we play Truth and Dare, just to pass some time. Everyone agreed-it was such a silly game, but so much fun.
When the bottle landed on Alex, he went with ‘dare’.
The girl who spun the bottle got to her feet, and a teasing smile followed at the corner of her lips.
“I dare you to choose a partner and dance with her,” she said. Everyone knew that Alex was an exceptional dancer, and every girl wanted to have a turn to be in Alex’s strong arms and be able to sway to the music.
“Very well,” Alex said, starting to look around for a perfect candidate.
“No, Alpha,” the girl said, stopping him and taking out a blindfold. “You need to randomly pick a girl without your knowledge.”
“That makes it much easier to pick someone,” he said, laughing.
Alex allowed the girl to blindfold him. She spun him around a couple of times, and he lifted his finger, pointing in my direction.
The kids gasped when Alex pointed to me.
“Emily,” the girl called, smiling, and my friends pushed me forward. “You will be Alex’s dance partner.”
I was nervous and scared about going to the center. I didn’t know how to close dance.
Alex took my hands in his and set them in position.
“Don’t be scared,” he said, removing the blindfold. “I will not make a fool out of you.”
I wasn’t worried about myself; I was worried I would make a fool out of him.
That was my first dance with Alex, and it was as if we fitted together perfectly.
Someone secretly took a photo while we danced, printed it, and gave it to me. The book has treasured the photo all these years.
“Alpha only has eyes for you,” Luke said, bringing me back to my presence. He was silently watching me from the entrance. “This was the closest he could be to you.”
He did all this just to be with me.
“Did he tell my parents why he wanted my things?” I asked.
“No, not until he saw you in the club,” Luke said. “Your parents only assumed that he felt sorry for you.”
My parents just recently found out.
Did Alex keep us a secret all these years?
Luke sighed.
“Alpha keeps his personal life very private,” he said, entering the room. “I was the only one who knew about you.”
I wasn’t sure how to react to that.
Why didn’t Alex keep me a secret?
“Alpha made it his life’s mission to find you,” Luke continued. “He never gave up. He is still in love with you.”
I ignored the pinch in my heart upon hearing Luke’s words.
“Is the bathroom in there?” I asked, changing the subject.
Luke nodded and opened the door for me. I peeked my head in, and my eyes widened. The bathroom was light and spacious, and it had a bath and shower.
“Here is your closet,” Luke said. “All your clothes should be inside. I’m just not sure if anything would fit. Let me know if I should…”
I raised my hand, cutting Luke off.
“I’ll manage,” I said. “Thank you.”
Luke smiled and headed toward the exit, closing the door behind him.
But I never expected that I would have an unexpected visitor waiting in my room while I took a shower.
****