Emily’s POV
I was pacing up and down my room, enraged by what had just happened.
How in the world did Lex get here?
Where the f*ck was Mila?
I let out a roar that rattled the windows in the bedroom. I needed to get all this anger out of me, or I would explode!
“Calm down!” Willow said. “It is not going to help to get…”
“Upset?” I snapped. “Are you f*cking serious? Lex was at the duel; he saw me fighting! I lost because I took my eyes off my opponent, and now…”
I was out of breath and panting.
How the f*ck did this happen?
My gaze snapped toward the door before the knock sounded at the door.
“Yes!” I barked.
“Luna,” Luke called calmly. “I located Mila. She is in Alpha Alex’s office, waiting for you.”
I grabbed the door handle, threw it open, let it crash against the wall, and ran out the front door down the hall before Luke had finished talking.
I was in Alex’s office in less than two seconds, my claws securely around Mila’s throat.
“Please give me one solid reason not to break your neck and tear you apart!” I roared in her face.
Mila gave no resistance to my grasp and let out a gentle whimper.
“Release her!” With such authority, Alex’s voice boomed behind me, stirring something deep within me.
“Why should I?” I sneered through gritted teeth. “She was in charge of taking care of Lex! She has failed me, you, and him. Lex could have been killed.”
“She hasn’t failed you,” Alex said calmly. “She was attacked at home.”
“Then why has she not called me?” I growled.
“Because she was injected with wolfbane,” Luke said, cutting me off.
I winced.
Depending on the dosage, wolfbane can cause fatalities in addition to extreme pain in its victims.
That was the work of a professional who knew exactly what they were doing, not one of the rogues.
Who would take such action?
“And Jax?” I snarled. “Where was he?”
“In Tango Hearts,” Mila managed to choke out. “He went to investigate a lead.”
Alex leaned in and rested a hand on my shoulder.
“Let go, love,” he said tenderly. “Mila is not your enemy; she is a victim.”
I paused for a moment. This was too convenient. What if-
I dismissed the gloomy thoughts. Mila cannot be involved; we have known each other for years. She wouldn’t betray me.
I let go of Mila’s throat, withdrew my claws, and Alex pulled me to the safety of his arms.
Luke swept right past us to tend to Mila’s needs.
F*ck! I snarled to myself. I came very close to killing my best friend.
I couldn’t handle this sh*t anymore and broke down sobbing, feeling my heart scatter into millions of pieces.
Alex snaked his arms around me, holding me tightly as I sobbed, soaking his shirt.
I could just imagine what he was feeling and thinking.
I disappointed him.
I let the pack down.
I completely destroyed everything, giving Angelica the Luna title and my mate on a silver platter!
“There, there,” Alex patted and stroked my back in an attempt to calm me. “It’s not the end of the world. We will figure out a solution.”
“How?” I cried. “S-sh-she is now your…!”
Speaking the word ‘mate’ aloud was too much for me to handle. The thought of what was about to happen hurt so much.
Willow whimpered in my head, feeling exactly the same amount of distress and depression that I did.
Alex wiped away my tears and said, “She will never be my mate, and she will not get the opportunity to be my Luna either.”
Alex used his index finger to lift my chin and looked directly into my eyes.
His storm-gray eyes were warm, but I could sense the revelation and coldness behind them-a massive storm was approaching.
“What are you going to do?” I asked, wiping my tears.
Our hopes and dreams were now scattered and left in the wind.
“We are working on it,” Luke said.
I turned to look at Mila; she was sitting on the couch, her hands cupped over her face.
The red lines on her face and her swollen eyes have only become apparent to me now. She must have been crying.
“Mila,” I uttered, regretting my previous actions. “I apologize. I shouldn’t-”
“Don’t be,” Milla cut me off. “If it had been Lilly who was taken, I would have reacted much more violently.”
“However,” I countered. “Before attacking you, I should have listened to you for a minute.”
With a sigh, Mila reclined. Her eyes locked with mine; she appeared to be emotionally spent. Her eyes were losing their sparkle.
“Everything happened so quickly,” Mila remarked as her emerald eyes swept over mine. “We were playing hide-and-seek one minute, and the next I was on the floor in terrible pain.”
My heart throbbed inside my chest, imagining how much pain Mila must have been in.
“Lilly discovered me on the kitchen floor and called Xavier,” Mila said, lowering her head to her hands. “After that, everything became hazy. I am unable to tell you when he was taken.”
Mila’s face flushed, and she began to sob.
“When I realized he was missing, I went completely crazy,” she exclaimed. “I looked everywhere for him-the whole f*cking White Moon territory.”
“He is safe now,” Alex said.
“However, at what expense?” Mila shot a snarl.
“Mila, it is not your fault,” I said as I stepped to her side. “Whoever carried out this task meticulously planned it.”
“Still,” Mila said. “Something like this was not supposed to happen. I was crazy worried. I am unsure what I would have done had Luke not called to let me know that Lex was safe.”
With a promise in his voice, Alex stated, “We will find the one responsible.”
“Maybe Lex could tell us what had happened?” I said hopefully, shifting my gaze to see where he was.
My face went pale when I didn’t see him.
“Where is Lex?” I growled.
****