Chapter 6 - A Perfect Suitor

• Emily's POV
• Mila and I headed back to the kitchen, taking a shorter route through the square.
• "No cheating this time," I called behind Mila.
• "Oh, come on, Em!" she yelled over her shoulder. "We both know that you will beat me by far if I don't use my wolf's abilities."
• I chuckled, knowing she was right.
• Mila's parents were only high-ranking warriors, but everyone knew that her father came from Delta rank. He forfeited his title when he decided to switch packs to be with Mila's mom.
• I watched as Mila grabbed the door handle, swung the door open, and ran inside. She only had a two-second lead.
• I swung the door open, seeing Mila sprinting down the hall, and she disappeared around the corner.
• There was no way I could catch her now.
• I started running at a slower pace, passing my father's office. I knew that Alpha Col's office was situated next to his, and I didn't want to disturb an unknown meeting. I quickly, but as quietly as possible, tried to pass them.
• I froze in my tracks, passing the third door, when the most intoxicating scent of apple crumble hit my nose.
• Alexander.
• He must be in there!
• I hesitated in my tracks, and before I thought it through, I stood in front of Alpha Alexander's office.
• I swallowed hard, hearing his and an unknown woman's voices coming from inside.
• Jealousy and possessiveness bubbled up inside me, and the urge to barge in rose in me.
• I grabbed the door handle firmly in my hand and pressed my ear against the door, listening to their conversation.
• "Where did you go last night?" A woman growled. "You left me there all alone with those mongrels!"
• The screeching sound of the woman's voice made every hair on my back rise. I hadn't even seen her face yet, and I wanted to rearrange it.
• "I had an emergency," Alex said.
• "What kind of emergency?" She snapped, getting to her feet and walking closer to where Alex was, her shoes moving noisily over the hard, cold floor.
• "Something unexpectedly came up," Alex said aloofly. "And I needed to deal with it."
• "By leaving me alone on the dance floor?" She snapped. "You could have taken me with you!"
• Alex was on the dance floor. Why haven't I seen him there?
• "Angelica," Alex snapped. "I am the soon-to-be Alpha of this pack. I have to take care of my people first. If you don't like it, you are welcome to leave and go back to your pack. Nobody is standing in your way!"
• "Leave?" She gasped in disbelief. "In this weather? You have to be kidding me! I have better ideas than to leave now. Why don't we get comfortable at the fire? I'll even order the low-life omegas to make us something nice to eat!"
• The office suddenly turned silent, and my curiosity got the better of me.
• I pulled the door handle down and started to push the door open, but a huge hand grabbed hold of mine, pulling the door close.
• My gaze snapped at my invader, and my eyes widened when I saw him as my father.
• He looked angry and disappointed in me.
• "What are you doing?" He asked, his blue eyes almost gray, out of anger.
• "It's not what it looks like," I tried to defend.
• "Not what it looks like?" My father growled. "You were about to enter the young Alpha Alexander's office without his permission, Emily!"
• "Who is with him?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I needed to know who the other woman was.
• "It is none of your business," he snapped.
• "It is," I argued.
• "If you must know," my father sneered. "It is his future, Luna."
• Luna?
• His future, Luna?
• Alexander is matted.
• I blinked a couple of times, unable to process what he had just said.
• Did I hear correctly?
• Did I understand what he was saying?
• Does Alexander have a mate?
• But how? He had no mark on his nape. Did he lie to me?
• My gaze snapped back at my father. I had questions and needed answers.
• "Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
• "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice."
• My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
• Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
• My father lifted my chin and knitted his eyebrows together.
• "I know you have always had feelings for young Alpha Alexander," he said tenderly. "But it's time for you to let go of those feelings and find your own mate."
• If only he knew that Alexander was my mate.
• I burst into tears, and my father pulled me to his chest.
• "Calm down, Emily," he muttered. "It's not that bad. You will find the other half of your soul soon; he will be your perfect half. You will be happy and never think of Alpha Alexander again."
• That made me sob even louder.
• If only what he said was true.
• My father scooped me up in his strong arms, carried me back to the car, and drove me back home.
• We didn't live far from the pack house, but our cottage did border the forest.
• My father had designed and built the cottage when my mother fell pregnant with me. It was a beautiful two-story place centered between four huge trees and had a large garden.
• My father told me that someday the cottage would be mine.
• Most mated couples had built their own places to raise their offspring, whereas most unmated wolves still lived in a pack house.
• My father stopped the car, picked me up, and carried me upstairs. He sat me down on my bed and pulled the blanket over me.
• His eyes were tender yet full of love, but I couldn't help noticing the pity hiding behind them.
• He felt sorry for me.
• He saw me as a weakling and maybe even a disappointment.
• My father silently left my room, gave me one last look, and closed the bedroom door behind him.
• It wasn't long before my mother knocked and peeked her head in.
• "Emily," she said, with almost a hysterical pitch to her voice, entering my room. "I am so sorry, baby girl. You should've found out like that."
• The bed suddenly dipped next to me, and I knew she must have taken a seat on the bed.
• I inhaled her soft flower scent, and my heart pinched hurtfully inside my chest.
• My mother stretched out her hand and tenderly stroked my chocolate brown hair.
• She had done this many times when I was sad.
• My mother suddenly bent over and kissed the top of my head, then quietly rose to her feet to exit my room.
• "Everything is going to be alright," she whispered to me before she closed the door.
• If only my mother had known that this would be the last time she would see me before I started a new chapter in my life.
• ****