Emma Mayberry.
A small swirl of guilt started in my stomach as the image of her hurt, confused face blossomed in front of my mind. The last time I had seen her, I’d told her to get out of my house before anyone saw her. I remembered the surprise and hurt and confusion in her eyes. There was no way in hell she was going to want to see me.
But the Oracle stared at me, her lips a thin line as she gave me a glare, waiting for my response.
I exhaled through my nose, then gave a short half-bow. “In that case, I’ll find out where she—”
“No need.” The Oracle gave a vague wave of her hand. “She’s in Adobe Creek.”
Now, I slouched down in the driver’s seat, still staring at the front door. Emma. My mate. I had always sort of assumed I would have more say in who I got to choose as my luna, but it seemed I wasn’t going to get that luxury.
“Sitting here and brooding in the car isn’t going to make this any easier,” Sam piped up.
I glowered at him. “Why did I bring you along again?”
“I think you said it was for morale support,” Sam said with a wide grin.
“You’re doing a shitty job,” I fired back.
Another shrug. “I never said I was good at it,” he said. “You’re the one who said it, not me. If you wantedqualitymoral support, you should have asked Rachel to come along.”
That at least earned a genuine snort. My sister would have been less snarky, that’s for sure. But Sam was my second-in-command, and the only person I could really think of who I wanted nearby.
“Let’s get this over with,” I growled as I pushed the door open and clambered out. The walk to the front door was only a few yards, but it might as well have been a mile.
I pressed the doorbell. It was broken. I knocked.
It took a moment for the light to flick on and footsteps to sound on the other side of the door. Eventually, though, the latch turned, the door squeaked open, and Emma Mayberry stood on the other side, her mouth opening as she stared up at me as if looking at a ghost.
She had grown into her curves. Her auburn hair fell in loose ringlets past her shoulders. Her full lips suited her rounded face, as did her wide eyes.
“Hi, Emma,” I said. “We need to talk.”
“Elias?” she asked, her voice high with disbelief and something that, if I didn’t know better, might have been anger. “What are you doing here?”
I raised an eyebrow as I looked around. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
Her lips thinned as she looked up at me.
“No,” she said. The response took me so by surprise that she had already gotten the door halfway shut before I stuck out my hand and held it open.
She glared at me. “Leave,” she said. “Whatever you want to talk about, I don’t care. I don’t want you here.”
I gave a sharp-toothed grin. “Unfortunately, I can’t take that as an answer.”
Before she could fully close the door, I pushed it open again. She took several steps back, disbelief and anger radiating off her as she glowered up at me.
“You have got to be kidding,” she hissed.
“I told you,” I said as I turned back to look at her, one eyebrow raised. “I’m not leaving.”
Huffing, she folded her arms as she planted her feet. The way she held herself now, her shoulders back with a straight spine, spoke of confidence as she glared up at me. Despite myself, I had to admire her gall. I wasn’t used to people standing their ground against me, or looking at me with such undisguised hatred. My wolf stirred with interest as he regarded her.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?” she asked.
“I’m the pack alpha now,” I said. I paced around the tiny living room, taking stock of the broken and old furniture, her shabby clothes, and the cramped space. She was living in poverty.
Some other scent I couldn’t place lingered through the space. A male? For whatever reason, the thought of another man in this house, with Emma, sent an irrational spasm of jealousy through my wolf. This was our mate, no one else’s. If there were a male here, I was going to make it my business to find out who.
