Chapter 6

Emma

I hurried to get dressed When I was done, Andrew was almost ready. We went to his car without uttering a single word.

As expected, the entire trip was silent. I remembered a few instances when I had tried to make conversation during the rare times Andrew was with me inside his car. But every time I did, he would always tell me to keep quiet so he could concentrate on the road.

So now, I won’t even try. After all, I don’t want to be accused of causing an accident, just in case we have one. But the deafening silence was disrupted by the ring on Andrew’s phone. 

Andrew’s eyes widened. "What?!” he exclaimed. “You fell and got hurt on your way out? I’ll be right there."

He hung up and turned to me. "Hmm, something came up at work. I’ll go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later."

Andrew pulled over, and I was forced to get out of the car. Then he turned the car around, driving away from where I stood. I rolled my eyes as I stared at his disappearing vehicle. I already knew who it might be.

Ruby. I’m sure it was her. 

“Since when is a werewolf falling a big deal?” uttered my wolf inside my head. But we both know that Ruby was just exaggerating things to be with Andrew. And yet, Andrew was too naive to even realize that. 

A sad thought struck me. My husband was willing to leave me at the side of the road for a mere fall of her secretary while I was in an accident and yet he never visited me in the hospital.

"Planning to catch up with me? There won’t be a next time, Andrew," I whispered in the wind. Whether Andrew was chasing Ruby or Jessica, or any other girl, I didn’t care anymore.

I called a cab and arrived at my parents’ house shortly. Andrew Even before stepping inside, I could hear some lively chatter and joyful laughter from the inside. I bit my lower lip and tried my best to cheer myself up. When I was still living here, I never shared any laughter with any of them. I had never witnessed this side of my family. I never had a wonderful chat like they were doing right now. They even treated our nanny better than they treated me. Julie was more accepted as part of this family than I was.

But in the end, there was no point in pitying myself. So, I held my breath and approached where the laughter was coming from.

Everyone was having a good time at the dining table. My brother, Luke, was holding his stomach from laughter. Both Mom and Dad were enjoying the food, talking with Jessica about something I didn’t know. Even the nanny, Julie, joined them in the happiness of their warm family.

“Look who’s here…” my mom suddenly said when she finally noticed my presence inside the house.

“Hi,” I said unenthusiastically.

“Hi there, sis!” Jessica exclaimed while everyone was hovering around her.

She welcomed me with a warm smile, unlike everyone else. The room fell silent once they all saw me standing awkwardly in front of them. The lively chatter had now turned into cold stares.

I actually hated this feeling. I didn’t know if anyone could understand me. I was treated like an outsider in my own home. But then, I had no choice but to pretend I never noticed their eyes.

So, I walked in and joined them.

Jessica was still wearing a warm smile and her sweet, doll-like face. Her angelic appearance and aura made it seem like she was innocent and harmless. But I was the only one who knew what kind of monster was lying deep inside her.

“You’re finally here. Where’s Andrew?” Jessica asked.

Everyone became serious and quiet. Jessica was the only one leading the awkward situation.

“He’s busy with work,” I replied, trying to avoid any eye contact.

My brother, Luke, sneered. He looked at me from the side of his eyes and said,

"Hmm. I wonder if the Alpha is really that busy, or if someone’s keeping him away on purpose?"

Luke's sudden response made my heart race. Every beat wildly asked me to stand up and turn around before I could hear worse things than this.

Jessica shoved Luke's side and quickly jumped in.

“LUKE! Don’t say that. Emma would never do that." she exclaimed. 

That didn’t end, unfortunately. Luke didn’t back down nor choose his words wisely. It was like he had lost his senses and didn’t care about the impact of what might come out of his mouth.

"Why not? It’s obvious she stole him from you—"

Luke threw his hands into the air, mocking and judging me. I also saw my dad smirking in silence. I was trying to act like I was seeing normal things, that I shouldn’t be affected by anything. But my brother’s words made me snap. I pulled out my phone, slid it on the table towards Luke, and dared him.

"If you don’t believe me, call the Alpha yourself and ask him."