8. Emma

After a moment of steady breathing my body calms; Owen's hands are roaming over my body as are his lips. The light touches make my body shudder and spasm with aftershocks. I push against his shoulders in an attempt to make him stop. It's too much.

I can feel his smile as he chuckles into my stomach. "Greedy girl, aren't you?" I look down my body at him and watch as he kisses his way farther down my stomach.

"No, no!" I shake my head as I realize his intent. "I didn't mean that. I can't." His low, rough chuckle tickles my belly.

"You could." He teases me and licks his lips. The sight sends a wave of desire through me and as I instinctively clench, I wince from the slight pain. I'm so sore. He sees my reaction and climbs up my body, kissing the tender spot in the crook of my neck. A shiver of pleasure runs through my body as he rolls me into him. I cuddle into his chest, rubbing my cheek against his hard chest. I close my eyes, savoring this moment. This is what I thought it would be like when I lost my virginity. My eyes open remembering Luke. I twist in Owen's arms and look through the trees, searching for him.

"What are you looking for?" Owen massages the curve in my waist and kisses my neck again.

I feel guilty thinking of Luke while I'm in Owen's arms. My arms cross over my breasts and I turn away from him, hating myself for ruining the moment. Owen gently places an arm around me and molds his chest to my back. "Are you cold?"

At his question I realize that I am a bit chilly, so I nod and bite the inside of my cheek. "I was looking for Luke." I blush and stare at the ground. "I thought I saw him."

Owen doesn't seem bothered in the least by my confession. "He was here earlier; I'm not sure if he stayed." He kisses me one last time before rising to his feet and towering over me. He holds a hand down to me and I give him a small grateful simper and take it. I'm grateful for many things, but mostly that he's not hurt that I was looking for Luke.

I wish I'd had this with him. Would he have held me close and kissed me so sweetly like Owen did? I press my lips into a tight line. I doubt it. I highly doubt it. My face heats with mortification and my eyes widen as I remember screaming Owen's name while locking eyes with Luke. My heart hardens and tries to leap through my throat. I can't believe I did that. My breath quickens and I frantically look through the trees again. He must feel so hurt. I feel like an absolute bitch. It wasn't done intentionally; he must know that.

"What's wrong, sweetness?" I can't help the small smile that comes to my lips at his pet name for me.

"Sweetness?" I question him and try to ease the worry in my chest. I'll just apologize to Luke. I'm sure things will be all right. Especially now that I know we're mates. I can't wait to write about this. It's going to open everyone's eyes and aid the cause to combine our worlds.

"Yeah." He playfully nips my neck. "You smell sweet and you taste sweet." He wraps a large arm around my waist and picks me up, making me squeal. He kisses my shoulder and gives my ass a slap. "And now I've got to get your sweet ass home."

Home. To a pack. As their mate.

So much has happened so quickly and my head swarms with questions. He gently sets me down on the ground and takes my hand in his to lead me back the way we came.

"Where is home?" I'm all too aware I haven't agreed to anything, and I'm not sure if I said no what would happen. I'm also not sure what they'll say when I tell them my intent.

"The Dark Valley." I stop in my tracks.

"By Shadow Falls?"

He looks down at me with confusion. "Yes."

"But what about the other pack?"

"Devin's pack?" I nod my head, all too aware of the details of that pack that were released. I'll never forget the looks on the women's faces at the Shadow Falls offering.

"How could two packs be so close together? And why would you want to be close to that pack?"

"You talk like you know of his pack."

"I saw the offering. There's no way they were mates." I bite my bottom lip, realizing I've given him more information than I intended.

"Sweet and smart." He grins down at me cockily. "They are their mates."

I shake my head. "No, they weren't. Did you see what happened?" There's no way with the way they reacted.

"I did. It's complicated, but my brother assured me that they are mates to his pack members." I furrow my brows.

"How would Luke know?" He shakes his head as we continue to walk back to the cave.

"Not Luke, Jude. Our older brother. He's a member of Devin's pack."

"Why isn't he a part of your pack?"

"Long story." I almost protest, but he comes to the conclusion I was going to argue. Before I can speak, he says, "I guess we have time." He sighs heavily and lifts a branch higher so I don't have to duck below it.

"Our father was an…unjust Alpha. He didn't approve of any kind of weakness or challenge to authority. Jude is the oldest and then there's Luke and me." I nod my head, keeping up with his tale as I hold his hand to keep my balance climbing up the hill. I hardly have any energy left. Owen takes pity on me and reaches down to pick me up. He holds me to his chest and walks as though I weigh nothing in his arms. His warmth and scent are everything.

Again I'm reminded of the pull, and without a doubt, I can feel it. It steals away my logic and everything other than him. My mate.

"So it was just you three?" Owen nods his head, and a sadness crosses his face. "Our mother passed giving birth to us. So we were raised by our father, the Alpha." He clears his throat and continues to walk at a leisurely pace. "When we were in our young teens, a seer told our father that his son would challenge him. And that he would win, killing our father in the process." I part my lips in shock.

"A seer?" What is a seer?

"Someone who can see glimpses of the future." Well I suppose I could've figured that out on my own. "They're never wrong."

"So one of you three killed your father?"

Owen shakes his head. "No, he still lives. He was convinced we would though." He breathes deep. "We had to leave shortly after the seer gave him the news. He became an entirely different person. He was unstable and abusive. Jude took the brunt of it. Jude told us to leave one night. He'd overheard our father talking to the Betas." His eyes focus ahead. "They were trying to convince him not to kill us."

A chill runs through me as I stare up at him. He doesn't look down at me though. How fucking awful that a father would consider murdering his own children. I vaguely wonder if it's common, but I don't ask. I don't interrupt. "So we left that night and about a week later, we heard that Jude had left and we weren't sure where he'd gone. We met some interesting creatures along the way and decided to make our own pack. We were nomads for a while until Jude got a hold of us and Devin offered us the land next to theirs."

"But what about hunting grounds?" Owen's rough laugh bellows in the air.

"We rarely hunt." He kisses my cheek and moves a hand to my ass to squeeze. "Times have changed. Some packs still hunt and have temporary camps, but most are stable and have means of revenue."

"Oh, I didn't know that. What does your pack do?" I wish I had my notebook so I could write this all down. I don't want to forget anything.

"We have a tech company. We were just over at the University. We've got a good co-op going on over there and we needed an update. But it's sensitive information."

"Are you serious?" He's gotta be shitting me.

He laughs at my disbelief. "Yes."

"So werewolves are tech geeks?"

"Well no, just your mates and the Alphas of Dark Valley."

"There are two Alphas?"

"Yup. Your mates."

I still in his arms. "You're the Alpha? You're both Alphas?"

"What about me?" Luke's question comes out hard and angry. That aggression shoots a need to my clit. His low, menacing voice reminds me of what happened between us.

"You're her Alpha and her mate." Owen's response is clipped but doesn't hold any aggression toward him. I feel awkward in his arms with Luke's eyes on me.

"I am." His blue eyes roam my body before falling to the ground as he turns his back toward us. "We need to go, it's getting late."

"Could I talk to you for a second?" I don't know how I manage to get the words out.

"You want some privacy?" I nod my head once at Owen's question and squeeze his hand in thanks.

Luke turns back to face me as Owen sets me down and heads toward the cave. It's in sight and not even a quarter mile away. Time passes and tensions grow between us with the silence. I can barely look him in the eyes. I twist my fingers in my hand and try to figure out what words I want to say. Luke waits patiently, although his eyes are focused intently on me, and his intense glare makes me uncomfortable. He looks pissed. Or emotionless. It's hard to tell which.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." I hesitantly start. "With what happened back there."

"You didn't." His tone lacks all emotion, and his face keeps that dark, intense expression. I shift uncomfortably.

"I just thought you may have been feeling a certain way." I drift as my eyes look everywhere but back at that damn stare of his. I want to feel better, since he's saying he wasn't hurt. But the way he's acting makes me feel differently.

"I'm not. So don't worry about me. I don't care if you fuck him. He can have you." His words cut me to the core. Fuck, that hurt.

"You don't want me?" The very thought makes a sickening knot twist in my gut. He was my first. Owen told me he was my mate. Does that mean nothing to him?

He huffs a humorless laugh. "Doesn't matter if I want you or not." He walks closer to me and stands just inches away from me. Crowding my space and forcing me to crane my neck to keep eye contact. "Once your heat hits, you'll be begging me to fuck you. It's going to be fun claiming your ass while you're in heat." His snide remark pisses me off. What an asshole. I came to apologize and he's going to talk to me like that? Well, fuck him.

I walk around him, feeling colder by the second, and head toward the cave, not looking back to say a damn word to him. I've given him enough. There's no fucking way I'll ever let him touch me again. I don't know what the hell a heat is or claiming for that matter. But it's not going to happen. I'll follow them to their pack, but only to get my story. I'm not sticking around to deal with this. It sucks that I'll have to leave Owen, too. The thought makes my heart clench, but once I get my story, I'm done. I deserve better than to be stuck with this asshole.