Chapter 13
EMMA
Wrong.
The first issue is being unable to find something to wear–clothing that’d be fitting for a first night out.
I continue to rummage through my closet, and I hiss when all I find is another pair of baggy pants. Apart from my school uniform, baggy pants and t–shirts seem to be the only attire I have in this closet and I didn’t even take notice until now. Maybe because I had nowhere else to go other than school and the training grounds
“Goddess,” I mumble as I take a step back from the closet. I swipe my right palm across my forehead as I stare at the only option I have before me.
“Going somewhere?” A voice echoes in the room and I turn to the door. Nina is leaning against it with her arms crossed to her chest and her brow arched at me.
It’s a surprise to see her by my door since she’s made it a task to ignore my existence from the last time I tried to speak to her. Still, I answer her question. “Yeah. Out with my friends.”
She ticks her tongue. “Bummer. Thought you were running away.”
“Why’d I do that?” I laugh and she uncrosses her arms before stepping into my room. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re unwanted here? You don’t know how to take hints, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” I frown as she takes yet another step towards me. “You’re not wanted here, dear stepsister. You’re destroying everything. Don’t you know that? We were all well in your absence, but you’ve turned everything upside down with your arrival.”
“Why would you say that?” I mouth in a small voice and she surges forward again, the space between our bodies slowly becoming nonexistent. “Because it’s true,” Nina starts again, and I don’t miss the malice in her words as she continues. “Why are you even back here? No one wants you here. Not even your own father.”
I don’t know if she touches the topic willfully to get a rise out of me, but I refuse to give her a reaction despite the way my blood spikes at the mockery that lines her words.
Nina is just fifteen and clueless. I refuse to fight with her over this.
“Stop.” I voice out with a struggle to keep my tone relaxed. “Will said I can stay here. He said I’m a member of this pack; if the Alpha doesn’t have a problem with me, then nothing anyone else says matters”
Nina laughs, and it’s not a sincere one. “Of course, he’d say that. I don’t understand why he cares so much about you, but I wisi: you’d stop being selfish and see how it’s destroying him–how it’s obliterating everything he’s built and the relationships he’s worked hard to keep. You might feel on top of the world now because you somehow manage to have his protection, but believe me; when he loses things meant to be important.. because of you? He’ll hate your damn guts just like everyone else.” She stares me down with that condescending look again before she walks out of the room, and 1 swallow as I gaze into space, her words echoing back to me.
“Yo!” The noise of my friends‘ arrival doesn’t give me time to think much about my stepsister’s lash out and a smile covers my face as they walk into my room. Elijah entering after Bianca,
“Just saw your stepsister walk past me with scorn–hey, why are you not dressed?” Bianca stops her initial words mid–sentence and frowns when she sees I’m still in my fit from training.
“I was just about to. Didn’t realize it already clocked eight.” I say and turn back to my closet. I settle with a pair of baggy pants with a black hoodie.
What.. what are you doing?” Bianca asks as I spread the clothes on my bed, where they’ve taken a sitting.
“Getting ready,” I respond with obviousness in my voice and she just gapes between me and the clothes I have laid down for a few seconds before she laughs–the kind where she throws her head back and her body bounces with the sound.
I know she’s mocking my choices, and I feign offense as I cross my arms to my funny?”
chest. “What
“You, darling” She speaks through her fit of laughter. The sound goes on for seconds longer before she calms herself with a
Chapter la
hand to her chest. “Goddess, you aren’t wearing these, Emma. Where do you think we’re going?”
“Out.” I lift my right shoulder in a shrug and Bianca’s eyes narrow down at my clothes. “And that’s your choice? I mean, come on, girl.” She tips her chin down, motioning to herself, and my eyes wander down her body. She’s in a cowl neck chain top paired with a mini twinkling skirt and black knee–high boots to go with. She has makeup on–one that enhances her features, especially her grey cat eyes–and her hair looks styled too.
I’ve done a poor preparation, it se
I lower my head and state shyly, “Sorry. I’ve never done this before and I don’t have anything other than pants, shirts, and hoodies”
“You poor thing” Bianca stands from the bed and lifts a hand to smooth the curls of my hair. “I know. That’s why I bought you a dress.”
My brows shoot up in surprise, and she grins. “It’s in my car. I had a feeling you’d need it, so we got it on our way here.” She plays with my hair before pushing the strands from my shoulders. “Thankfully, you don’t need makeup with this insane face card you got going on,”
“Thank you.” I matter and she embraces me in a hug when my arms spread out. “Of course, darling. You’re a friend and believe it or not, 1 like you better than I’ve liked most people in my life. I feel like I’ve known you forever!
1 beam against her neck, grateful that our paths somehow crossed. I’m still in Bianca’s embrace when I notice Elijah on my bed. Ile’s staring in my direction and when our eyes lock, his lips turn in a small smirk before he looks away
“Come on. We’re going to miss all the fun. We need to leave” Bianca pushes me back by my shoulders and I nod as Elijah gets out of bed. He doesn’t say a word and merely walks out before us while I grab my hoodie off the bed. Bianca gives me a weird look, but says nothing as we walk out after Elijah.
It’s dark when we step out of the pack house with only a few warriors scattered across corners of the building. I don’t see Ryan when I take a peek around and my chest falls before I enter the car after Bianca. We both settle in the backseats while Elijah gets behind the wheel in the driver’s seat,
The engine roars to life, and we drive away. I gasp when Bianca brings out a dress from under the seat. She removes the nylon keeping it neat and I cover my mouth with both hands when she spreads the dress out for me.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She grins, seeming proud of her choice, and I nod. “It’s gorgeous” I remove my hands from my mouth to mumble before I caress the dress. The fabric is soft and the sequins scratch against my palm as I roll a hand down.
“But too short, don’t you think?” I tell Blanca, and she shakes her head. shorter than the school’s skirt.
sto w
your mid–thighs. Only an inch or two
I hum and continue to caress the dress, unable to keep my eyes off and totally in awe of the material.
“Hey,” a voice from the front of the car makes me lift my head, and the guard at the border of the pack’s territory is peeking. through the window by the passenger’s scat. His gaze shifts from Bianca to me, and he stares longer when his eyes rest on me. His lip presses into a thin line as he looks back at Elijah.
“You said it’d be just you and your sister.”
“She’s a friend. Harmless, I promise,” Elijah says, and he looks back at me. He clicks his tongue before stepping back and allowing us passage.
“Harmless?” I repeat as I turn to Bianca and she nods, shoving the dress to me. “We are stepping out of our territory. It isn’t always allowed for safety reasons, but we know that guy, so we’re good.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. The others won’t learn of this.” Bianca holds a hand over my right when I get lost in my thoughts and I throw her a smile, relaxing back into my seat. “I know. I have you.”
“That, you do” She winks before nodding to the dress on my lap. “Get changed. We’re almost there.”
“Right here?” My voice rises a notch as I look at the one behind the wheel and Elijah meets my eyes in the rear mirror. He chuckles. “Don’t worry. I promise not to steal a peek.”
“Don’t ruin it” Bianca pushes the back of his head and Elijah hisses, “Easy, sister. I might just lose control of this wheel and drive the car into a tree or something”
Chapter 13
She rolls her eyes before turning to me. “Ignore him. I’ll cover you if that’d make you feel better?”
she shifts on the seat, turning her body in my direction with her back to the front. I remove the shirt I have on and throw the dress over my head. Biama helps me yank it down, and an exhale leaves my mouth as I push the dress down my losly
“Shit, girl. Were you hisling all this beneath that enormous shirt of yours? Bianca’s eyes are almost popping out of their sockets when I finally have the dress to my thighs, and I let out a shy hackle at her compliment. “You have a killer body. Fuck. I need to get you in more of this” She helps me to his the short sleeves of the dress and I remove my pants from underneath it belour tossing it in the side and seuling back in my seat. Bianca is still ogling me, her lips slightly parted and I look down at myself, blood rushing to my face at the way the material hugs me tiglatly, bringing out every curve of my body.
It’s almost as though Manca took my measurements to get the dress with how fitted it looks on me and when I try to pull at the deep slope of the chest area, she slaps my hand off. “That’s how it’s meant to he
“My boobs are
“Sexy as fuck.” She completes as she settles back in her seat. “I don’t know why you hide all that when you have every girl’s dream body. You need to wear more of this, I’m telling you.”
We’re–holy Goddess. What the actual fuck, Fama?” Elijah’s whistle takes my eyes of Bianca and I redden even more when I ser his wide eyes and dropped jaw. “Fuck, Youtlook
“Sexy, right? See? Even my dumb brother can tell. We’re here. Put on your heels and come out. Eli, stop staring at her boobs and get out.” Bianca grabs her bag and moves out of the car, Elijali removes the car key before he looks back at me. “You’re perfect, Kuma.”
“Looks good?”
“Good? Better than good, honey. Words can’t describe how beautiful you look right now. I have to make sure you’re by my side for the rest of the night so you don’t get snatched,” He throws in a wink before he gets out of the car, giving me a few minutes of privacy, and I place a hand over my chest to calm my racing heart.
Despite the twins‘ reactions and their compliments, I still feel so nervous. I stare at myself in the rearview mirror and pull at the slope of the chest a bit more before lowering my head to get the heels Bianca prepared with the dress on.
Elijah and Bianca are waiting several feet away when I step out of the car. I take a look around the place and the building is buzzing with life as people move in and out of it—the sound of distant music and the promise of fun just by the door. “Daughter of Selene. The wind blows past a faded echo, and I gasp as my head snaps from side to side. I heard those words. but there’s no one in sight and run my hands down my exposed arms to kill the chilliness that consumes my being before running to meet my friends.
Learn a few glances as we walk past and I start to get conscious when I feel a hand rest on the small of my back. I look Elijali smiling at me anil he leans in to whisper, “I got you.”
I give him an appreciative smile and Bianca shows the guaril by the door some cards before we’re allowed entry.
up to see
It’s dumed inside with the blinking lights of different colors giving brightness to some corners of the room. Elijah’s hand doesn’t leave the small of my back as he leads me through the crowd of bodies, and 1 put my fingers in my cars to block out the loud music booming across the room.
Despite the dimness in the room and several unfamiliar faces surrounding me, I manage to catch the one gaze I shouldn’t and my steps halt, my lips parting in surprise when the blue lights shine on him, bringing his face out.
Not
