Chapter 5

After greeting their guests at the border, Emma and Quincy escorted them to the pack house. They spoke quietly in her private office that had wards placed on it by the pack witch. “Thank you for coming. Please send Alpha Liu my deepest gratitude. After we meet today, I will be available to speak to you at any time. However, I will be staying here with my mate. Quincy will be going with you. As soon as you have the people responsible I am to be notified. Their deaths will be at my hand.” Emma’s eyes flashed the bright yellow of her wolf as she spoke. After her speech, Emma left Quincy in charge of the meeting and went to her room.

Once the meeting was over Quincy asked to speak to her. Emma found him in the office as an Omega led the men to their rooms for the night. “Yes, Quincy? Was there something you needed to discuss with me?” The Beta nodded his head, “yes Luna, forgive me for what I’m about to say, but I believe it is in everyone’s best interest or I would not be saying it.” Emma inclined her head, indicating for him to continue. “Once I take the team to the explosion site, I will be returning here. These men are trained assassins. They do not need me to show them how to do their job. I will be of more use here assisting you with pack matters so you can spend more time with Alpha Daryl as he recovers.”

Emma listened to him thoughtfully. He was an intelligent and loyal man trained to rule the pack if the Luna and Alpha could not. It was wise to listen to him. “Very well. I believe we should start each morning with a meeting so we are both on the same page. I appreciate your thoughtful consideration of what is in the best interest of the pack and the Alpha. Now, our guests will keep to themselves while they are here. Tomorrow they will expect to leave before dawn. I will send Alpha Liu a generous thank you. I will be addressing the members at the hospital in 5 minutes if you care to join me.”

Quincy gave a curt nod, “gladly Luna. Thank you.” He followed her to the hospital and listened to her address the people in the conference room. Although he didn’t necessarily agree with her choice, he was not going to challenge her. Emma and Daryl had only been mated for three years and Quincy didn’t know her very well. Despite being Daryl’s best friend, he hadn’t gotten to know her very well. Emma was always kind and helpful but very closed off about her life before coming to their pack. Since revealing a connection with Alpha Liu, he was more than a little curious to find out more about her. He knew that she was only 18 years old when she found Daryl. He had been concerned about their age difference when he first met her since he was 25 at the time.

Despite his concern, the two quickly mated and she joined the pack. She was a good Luna and the pack loved her and respected her. She had a handful of close friends that she had made and everyone else she kept at a distance. Now that Daryl wasn’t able to protect himself or his Luna, that job fell to Quincy. He snapped out of his thoughts as Emma gave the command for no one to discuss Alpha Daryl’s injuries or condition until she announced it. He was surprised that she pushed her aura out to everyone in the room except him. He was standing in the back behind everyone else and could feel the tingle of her command but it didn’t touch him directly.

If she didn’t command him, that must mean she trusts him. That made him feel a little bit better about having to work with her until Daryl recovered. Everyone was dismissed from the meeting and Quincy waited patiently at the door for her to leave. As the pack members flowed out, Emma sighed. “Luna, if you’re tired I can walk you back to the pack house,” Quincy offered. Emma shot him a look, “I’m more than capable of walking freely within my pack Quincy. Thank you.”

Quincy didn’t respond, but he noticed that she looked very pale and tired. “Perhaps you would like to walk with me to check on Daryl,” he asked her instead. He had a feeling that she would work herself to death if he didn’t keep tabs on her. “Yes. That would be great, thank you. I’m sorry if I’m snappy. I’m just stressed and worried.” Quincy nodded and they walked the hallway. “Of course. You do know that I’m here to help you, right? There are lots of pack members that can help you if you will allow it. You don’t have to take on the responsibility of everything while he recovers.”

Emma entered the hospital room and sat on the edge of the bed. She took Daryl’s hand into hers. “I know, but if I don’t stay busy I might just lose my mind worrying about him. I don’t know how humans do it. They’re so fragile. How do they deal with knowing their partner could die from basically anything?” Quincy stood next to the bed and looked at his friend. “I don’t know. They probably would wonder about many of the things we do, if they were aware that we existed.”

Quincy patted Daryl’s shoulder gently, “hang in there man. I know you’re strong enough to pull through this.” He took a seat and sat quietly. The nurses came in every hour to check on the Alpha. They brought food to Emma and Quincy. Finally, Quincy broke the silence. “How do you know Alpha Liu and why would he owe you a debt that he would send an entire team of his men to help you?”

Emma turned to face him. “I knew you would ask me that eventually. I can’t really tell you much. There are a lot of things I’m not allowed to discuss but I can tell you that I was raised in the Lycan palace and trained by their best warriors. I was working for the royal family when I found Daryl. I chose to leave that life to be here with him.”

Quincy was speechless, he didn’t know what he expected her to say but not that she had come from the palace. The Lycan palace was located in Rome. “I thought you met Daryl at the Piney Woods pack in Texas.” Emma nodded, “yes. I had an assignment that took me there. Once I met Daryl, I advised my superiors that it would be my last.”

“Tomorrow I will be addressing the pack at 5 pm. If you are not back. I will understand. However, if you are back, I would like you to join me as I address the members. It will make them feel better if they see us working together.” Quincy tapped his foot on the floor as the thought about the things she had told him. “I will make every effort to be here by then. I think I will go now. I will see you tomorrow morning?” Emma nodded, “yes. I will see the team off.” Quincy stood to leave and she called to him, softer this time. “Thanks again, Quincy. I really appreciate having you here to help.” This time she looked every bit the 21-year-old that she was., instead of the strong leader, she showed their pack. “Any time Luna,” he said as he left her.