Chapter 21

Emma's POV

The trolley of dirty plates in front of me was heavy: too heavy for me to haul around alone. There was nobody standing around who could help me, so I knew I was alone on this.

I sighed and wiped the moisture off my forehead. Sweat clung to my body and made my dress stick to me like a second skin. Nobody would help me push the cart anyway. People have been avoiding me like the plague since the whole issue with the Alpha and his mother.

I let out a whoosh of breath, then laboriously pushed the cart forward. When I had walked into the dining room to clear the table after dinner, I had felt Lana's eyes on me. It was full of hatred and something cold, something I could not name. I seemed to be angering her just by living and breathing, and I didn't really know what to make of that.

In my train of thoughts, I wasn't really watching my steps. Suddenly my trolley hit something hard and I let out a startled gasp. I stepped back and looked up at what I'd hit. It was a man, wearing