Chapter Four

Emmaleigh

I hear a commotion before a door somewhere in the house slams shut, the echo reverberating through the entire structure. I am slowly making my way downstairs to thank Peyton for her hospitality when she comes around the corner to find me standing there.

“Emmaleigh.” Her smile is bright and welcoming. “I’m glad to see you out and about. Did you want to shift and go for a run?”

She is talking a mile a minute and already I know she is nervous and trying to hide something. She doesn’t hide her emotions or anxiety well, an open book for anyone to read.

“Actually, I just wanted to thank you for everything you and your pack have done for me and Rose.”

“And Thomas.”

“Thomas?” I ask in shock. “Is Thomas here?”

“Yes, he was brought in with you and Rose,” she replies with a frown.

A sigh of relief leaves me. “They said he was dead,” I say softly. “I’m glad he’s not.”

Knowing that the boy I mourned is alive makes me happier than I have been in years. When I was told he had died, a little part of me died too. My heart shattered into a million little pieces. He had become somewhat of a little brother to me and I was devastated by the lies they told me.

“How well do you know Thomas?” Peyton asks, leading me into the large kitchen.

I smile, remembering the knob-kneed boy they led into my cell that first day after I was taken from my home. “I’ve known him for five years. They were hoping he would mate with me but I think Thomas was nothing more than a child. After a while he saw me as an older sister and their plan never came to fruition.”

“So you two get along?” she asks cautiously.

“I may have been held prisoner for five years but I can tell something is going on. Why don’t you just tell me what the problem is?”

She stares at me, studying me. I know she is trying to see if I am fragile, perhaps broken before giving me the news.

“It seems Thomas shifted and no one can get him to shift back,” she says.

For the first time in years, I laugh. Out loud. It’s a strange and freeing feeling. Joy. Hope. Happiness. They all seem foreign to me right now, having lived so long without them. But I’m glad to know I’m still able to experience these emotions.

“Are there a bunch of men in the vicinity?” I ask, at which Peyton nods. “Then he won’t shift back. If you want I can help.” I make the offer because I know it will just go so much faster if I do this myself.

“That would be great,” she says sending off a text. “We can walk over to where he’s staying.”

Once outside the house, I take in as much as I can while we walk. There are men and women, working and smiling. Children running around laughing. So many things I never thought I would experience again. The fresh air in my lungs and the sun shining on my face has a smile spreading across my face. People wave as we walk by, smiling at us, and I can’t help but return the gesture.

Perhaps this could be the turn my life needed to take.

****

Nico

“I need all the men to leave,” Caine says after reading a message on his phone. “Emmaleigh says he won’t shift back if there are men around.”

Hearing my mate’s name has both my wolf and I instantly perking up and paying attention.

“I am not leaving my mate or my child alone with an unstable, ginormous wolf,” Godrick argues.

“She is on her way to help sort this out,” Caine replies looking directly at me.

“Who?” I ask, not quite sure I understand what is happening right now.

“Emmaleigh is coming here to help with Thomas.”

“Hell no! She should be resting. She almost fucking died.” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “Why would you ask her to do this?” I accuse my Alpha.

“No one asked,” a melodious voice says behind me. “I offered.”

Turning, I take in my mate. My wolf whines in the confines of my mind. She is magnificent, even with the bruises around her throat. She is short but lithe. Her legs are encased in black yoga pants paired with a red off-the-shoulder top, and her dark hair is piled on her head in a messy bun.

“I am well aware that none of you know us,” she says walking past me. “But I know Thomas. And he won’t hurt anyone.”

I watch her approach the grey mountain of wolf and it takes everything in me not to drag her away from him. She scratches behind the wolf’s ear, murmuring softly, and I watch him nuzzle into her touch. Irrational jealousy surges through me and I must fight to keep my wolf at bay. He may want to fight the other male but I know we will lose that bout. I also don’t want our mate’s first impression of us to be irrational jealousy.

She holds out a hand to Joy, who easily jumps into her arms before being passed off to Peyton.

“He won’t shift with men in the room,” Emmaleigh states not looking at us. “You’ll have to leave.”

“How do we know it’s safe to leave you alone with him?” Calum asks. “I don’t mean to be rude but he could hurt you.”

Emmaleigh smiles sadly at Calum. “Because I am the one that told him to stay in his wolf form until all the men left.”

Pain laces her words and my greatest fear comes to life before my eyes. She doesn’t trust men and has taught those around her the same thing. Getting my mate to accept me is going to be harder than I could ever imagine.

I can only hope that she will give me the chance to prove I am nothing like the bastards that hurt her.