She raised her eyebrow as she stared back at me, not intimidated in the slightest. She glared at me with so much hatred, I could nearly taste it.
A woman who absolutely despised me was supposed to be my luna. Great.
“Just get what you need,” I growled.
Chapter 3 - Emma
I had celebrated the day I walked out of Silver Falls every year since I had left. I’d bought a cake in honor of my freedom, to remind myself that I was capable of getting out, that I was strong enough to make my own decisions and break away from everything. As I savored my victory in the tiny, shabby apartment I had rented using cash, I made a solemn vow as I bit into the marbled crumb and slightly too sweet but still delicious frosting that I would never go back. I was free, and no one would take that away from me again.
As we drove back through the unpleasantly familiar streets, I tried to remind myself of that night, how I had driven away and never looked back. I had gotten out of here once before. I could do it again. Except I knew that wasn’t the case anymore. Not if I really was Elias’s luna.
He’d explained the situation on the short drive from Adobe Creek, explaining about the wraith and the struggles of the town, and the Oracle’s prophecy. It seemed nearly impossible to believe. And yet, here I was, back in a town I despised, Grace sleeping against my shoulder in the back.
Elias pulled up in front of a small but tidy house. I sucked in a breath as I stared up at it, not bothering to mask my feelings. The last time I had been inside this house, my parents had called me a worthless disgrace and disowned me. Now, I was supposed to stay with them until after the wedding. I hadn’t argued because I knew it would be useless. Still, the idea of having to stay in this horrid house for more than a few seconds made bile rise up my throat.
Still, I didn’t exactly have a say in the situation. With a frustrated sigh, I pushed open the door and slid out of the car.
The lights were still on. Mom and Dad were waiting for me, apparently.
“I can help you take your bags in,” Elias offered.
“We’re fine,” I said through gritted teeth. Turning my back to him, I grabbed my suitcase and jerked it out of the car, followed by Grace’s smaller suitcase.
Elias watched me, hands in his pockets, his eyes dark and inscrutable. “I’ll be in touch about the details for the wedding.”
I barely gave him a short nod as I ushered Grace up the path to the house.
“I can walk you—” he offered.
“We’re fine,” I snapped in a clipped tone.
He glared at me, then rolled his eyes and stalked off to the front of the car. I heard it peel away as we walked up the steps. I may have been preparing myself during the trip, but that didn’t stop me from hesitating when I reached the door and raised my hand. Squeezing my eyes, I pounded on the door.
Shuffling inside, then the door opened to reveal two middle-aged, unsmiling people. A woman with my hair, and a man with my eyes and nose.
“Hi, Mom, Dad,” I said in a tight voice.
“Emma.” Dad gave a tight jerk of his head, his expression hesitant. “It’s…good to see you.”
The last time I had seen them, they had called me a slut and kicked me out for getting pregnant as a teenager. I guessed that now, with my surprise elevation in pack hierarchy, they were at least trying to be diplomatic.
That, more than anything, seemed to make the whole thing sink in. My parents, my father in particular, had treatedme like dirt once he found out I couldn’t shift, labeling me as weak and useless. Hell, they had cast me out. If it weren’t for Elias, if it weren’t for the fact that I was supposed to be their luna, they wouldn’t let me in their house.
It was all true. I really was destined to be their luna. I was mated to Elias.Fatedmates, just as I had first thought all those years ago. Except I had put those dreams behind. I had put Silver Falls behind. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want to be their luna. I just wanted to be back home, in my shabby house with my crummy job and crummy pay, but happy, and without the constant feeling of being a disappointment that had plagued me for years before I left.
Except that was no longer an option. Any hope of being able to walk away from this new life died as my parents deigned to acknowledge me.
My father lifted his head, sniffing the air, and I didn’t have to guess or wonder whose scent he had caught. There was no use delaying the inevitable. We were staying here until the ceremony after all.
Ceremony. The word still made my skin crawl and set my teeth on edge. How the hell was it okay that I was expected to mate someone I hadn’t seen in years? How the hell was it okay for them to force me into doing it?
And what did it say about me that, despite everything, all these years, I still felt that pull of attraction toward him?
I stuffed all those thoughts deep inside. I could worry about them later. Right now, I was just delaying an encounter, taking every few seconds that I could, protecting Grace one last time before throwing her to the literal wolves.
Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath and stepped to the side, revealing the tiny girl behind me, who was usingme (admittedly not very difficult, given my size) as a blockade between herself and these two strangers.
“Grace, these are your grandparents,” I said. “Mom, Dad, this is Grace. My daughter.”
