My teeth chattered together as the cold Autumn breeze swept over my bare arms as I reached out my hand forming a fist and quickly knocking on the small blue door, snatching my hand back as if someone was going to pull it off. After what felt like a full hour of agonising anticipation but what really was a few moments the door was pulled open to reveal a dishevelled looking Preston."Emily? What's wrong, is everything okay? God you're freezing" Preston's voice rushed out as he stepped outside his door, his long slender arms reaching out and taking me by the shoulders his eyes wandering up and down my body wildly as if he was physically accessing me to pinpoint anything that could be possibly wrong. Once his eyes finished scanning me they quickly wandered behind me as if he was looking for Four."Yeah, everything's fine-" I began as Preston let out a breath of relief at my reassuring words, however he only held onto that relief for a moment as he held a firm grip onto my arm and began p
"You scared me" I barley managed to get out in a sentence as he had now released his grip on me and was now fumbling around on the ground in search of the key he had made me drop."Shit, I didn't mean to sneak up on you" His voice sounded different, deeper or something as he now straightened up to his full height. I couldn't make out his facial expressions in the dark night but I could just imagine his small smirk playing on his lips.I shook my head taking in a deep breath, of almost relief. Part of me was happy to see him, know that after what happened he was still okay. However, my relief was soon washed away by panic, no doubt in less than ten minutes Four would be here."Are you stupid? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" My voice now sounded like thunder in the silent air as I attempted to lean forward and push his shoulders."I-" He began, as he caught my hands that were trying to hit him using it to pull me towards him."Four is going to be here soon, please Dylan leave. D
I raised my hand to knock on the familiar door now, a sense of dread and fear fuelled by my guilt had eaten me away on my way here and now I just wanted it to swallow me whole. Not only had I blank out lied to Preston but I knew what Four would do and what he is capable of, look what he did to Dylan, and I still used him to get what I wanted.My thoughts were interrupted however when before my hand could knock on the door it swung open, revealing Preston's large stance as if he was already anticipating me knocking. My eyes travelled up to his face as if to access his physical state, I took a deep breath of relief when I saw all was clear, he was okay."Hey" I mumbled after a few minutes of awkward after not one of us made a move.He gave me a small smile in return which quickly dropped after a few seconds as he stepped out of the door revealing a bag slung over his shoulder before turning his back to me and shutting it."Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked as he had now turned an
I felt my anger boil at the sight of seeing Four on my way home from school, it was only break time but I stormed out after I tried to calm down for a few minutes but my anger grew until I had to get out of there, I felt trapped. I had been rehearsing what I was going to scream at Four when I seen him from not mentioning the fact that my wedding day was supposedly in three weeks. But now that I seen him as he unloaded boxes from a large van onto the ground outside a shop all I wanted to do was run over and punch him, I knew it would hurt it I did it though I would only end up hurting myself.As I became closer to him I seen him look up through the crowd off people that were already gathered here, I don't know how he saw me or maybe he could hear my heavy breathing but his eyebrows crinkled together probably wondering why I was out of school already and maybe I looked angry from the outside."What's wrong did something happen?" He asked as he stopped what he was doing and started walki
FOURS P.O.VShe's a girl, a human, still in school and you expect her to marry me in three weeks when she only just found out about the werewolf's? I'm Alpha of this pack and if I want more time I will get it" I felt my voice rising as my chest pushed up and down as I tried my best to restrain myself from jumping over the table."Alpha, it was your choice not to tell the girl about the wolves and you were aware of the marriage traditions in this pack for months. The time is up and we have gave you extensions, this decision is ours" One of the elders spoke only adding to my rising anger as I began to rise of my seat my hands shaking from the rage.I felt Finn, my beta, hand place on my shoulder as he attempted to rein me in from my rage reminding me that physically if I was too hurt one of them it wouldn't be good. Yes I was Alpha but they were the council, I had no control over the traditions.I looked at them before I shook my head leaving the room, Finn following behind as he tried
EMILY'S P.O.VI thought those words were exactly what I wanted to hear for the last few weeks but now that I was actually hearing them they never brought the happiness and relief I thought I would feel, well that's a lie for a second I felt relieved that what I thought was going to be the end of my freedom wasn't going to happen but after that left I was left with a shitty feeling in my stomach. I didn't know what it was at that time and for a while after until I managed to asked Terri about it when it wouldn't go away and was only growing stronger and she told me it was the mate bond so it wasn't my fault and I decided it wasn't how I actually felt. But in that moment I didn't want to actually tell Four, I actually wasn't going to tell Four because I knew he had worked so hard to make me happy and I honestly was grateful that I wasn't going to have to do it.At the time we didn't really talk about it, I could tell Four didn't want to do I just thanked him but now it was like only a f
EMILY'S P.O.VI stared at Four from my position on the bed, my vision still adjusting to the bright light streaming in through the window as Four rushed to silence the loud ringing that just erupted from his phone while he was in the shower I'm guessing by his wet hair and towel covered body and while I was still sleeping.I watch as he lifts the phone to his ear silencing it as his gaze lands on me as if to check if it woke me up sending me a small smile when he released I was awake, however it was soon replaced by his eyes brows furrowing to create worry lines in the middle of his head as he brought his hand up to his wet hair running his hand through it at whatever the person was saying to him on the phone.A few minutes later when I emerged from the bathroom Four was no longer on the phone but the tense look hadn't dropped from his face as he shook his wet with the towel that was once around his waist now replaced by a pair of shorts."Luna Theresa is here with her pack" His voice
I shook my head as he rolled his eyes shaking his head at me a small smile on his face "I swear your going to get me banished" he joked. I could tell from his face he was feeling sorry for me today, any other time and he would actually be angry at me for not telling Four where I was but he didn't say anything."There's Rice Krispies in the cupboard if you want, have some with milk you pour into the bowl." He shouted from the front door adding the last part which only made me laugh and if he was beside me I'd hit him.After a half an hour of sitting in Prestons house waiting for this quick meeting to be over, I had really considered leaving to go to the meeting myself, I mean I live here as well. But after I made Prestons bed and made my self cereal I had honestly exhausted myself. More mentally exhausted than physically but exhausted none the less. I don't know if I could mentally prepare to actually meet her today.I was just about to open the front door when a loud ringing from Pres
EMILYThat evening, I returned to work, going about my shift at the hospital as though nothing had happened the night before, answering my coworkers' questions about the time I'd spent with my sister but not mentioning to them that I had stolen her identity and ended up at a party that was more amazing than any- thing I had ever experienced before.I ran through my list of patients, taking care of each one as needed. Each person I took care of only served as a reminder of the path I had chosen in life. Sure, I was pleased with my career, and I found it incredibly fulfilling what I could do in the lives of others.But, when it came down to it, I was feeling incredibly envious of my sister. I wanted her life. I wanted to be invited to those parties and to meet those men. I wanted to be the one everyone knew from the cover of a magazine. I wanted to be wanted once again. Try as I may, there was no way I could get Kyle Cun- ningham out of my mind, and each time his face appeared in the ba
KYLEI left early that morning, letting Emily sleep in. I didn't know much about her, and I didn't want to break the spell of the night we'd spent together by talking about things that we didn't need to talk about. All too often, I would wake up next to a woman only to hear how she was getting back at her ex-boyfriend, or that she was doing something to bring drama into some relationship she was having.There were those who were lonely, and those who merely wanted to get a taste of what it would be like to be with a man like me. Sure, they were all intended to be one-night stands on my end, too, and I hadn't ever formed any real opinion about any one of them. But, at the same time, I didn't want the woman cur- rently in my bed to wake up and tell me something about herself that would change the way I felt about her.That thought filled me with confusion.I liked doing what I did and splitting the next day. It was the ego boost I needed; a modicum of fulfillment in a life that I wasn't
."Maddie please, don't do this." He sighed raising his hands in the air in a defence position taking another step forward.I opened my mouth and met out a piercing scream, it lasted for around twenty seconds. Long enough for Dylan to back away from me and the lady around the till to come rushing around.It felt as if the next few moments were played out in slow motion the women had barley reached me when I heard the door of the cafe slam open the impact a lot larger than mine that it caused the glass on the door to shatter.My eyes shot to the doorway which was being took up by Fours large stance who's whole body was clenched his chest heaving up and down his golden eyes set on me before flickering to Dylan.My eyes widened as he took no time before he stalked over his long legs carrying him to my side where he reached out grabbing ahold of my arm pulling my into his large chest blocking my view from the rest of the cafe.I felt heat radiating of his body as his chest huffed and puff
EMILY"Now, tell me absolutely everything. I'm shocked that you even went, and I want to hear how you held up with the rest of the crowd." Maddy said as she walked in through the door.I smiled and shook my head, also unsure of how I had managed to do so well with the situation I had put myself in. I wouldn't have said that I'd handled things perfectly, but I had certainly held my own in the club. "You're not mad at me, are you?" I asked as the two of us walked into the kitchen.Maddy laughed."I have to admit, I thought it was a little strange when you hopped into myride but when you didn't answer my call, I figured you knew what you were doing." She shook her head with a mischievous grin and I smiled, too. I still felt the ex-citement in my chest, and I was eager to relate to her what had happened.Maddy took a seat at the counter and I handed her a glass of iced tea beforegrabbing my own glass and settling in to begin."Well, as you know, we arrived at that mansion up on the hil
EMILYlopened my eyes, slowly blinking as I looked around the room. I had a headache from the champagne the night before, and it took me a moment to remember where I was exactly. Slowly, the events of the previous day came to mind, and I began to piece together what today would hold.I remembered having the disagreement with my sister, and began searching for my phone. I then remembered that I had dropped my clutch out in the living room, and figured my phone must be inside. Looking around the room, I could see that Kyle was already gone, having gotten dressed while I was still asleep.I hurried out to the living room in nothing but my underwear and, sure enough, found my phone inside my clutch. Kyle had been kind enough to pick it up off the floor and leave it sitting on the coffee table for me, and I ignored the feeling of embarrassment that threatened to swell up in me.I was a grown woman, and I was allowed to do anything I wanted-includinghaving a one-night stand with a person t
KYLEIhad to admit, I wasn't entirely sure what had come over me. I'd had many one- night stands in my life. In fact, it was my preferred way of doing things— get the girl in bed, have fun, then get away from her as fast as possible. Miss Shadows, on the other hand, had piqued my interest.I hadn't had any real expectations when I'd taken her up to the party upstairs, but seeing her reaction first to those who were enjoying each other, then seeing her in bed with me, sparked an interest in me that I had never experienced be- fore. I had no intention of committing to her or making any kind of promises that I would ever see her again, but I did wish to get to know her body a littlebetter and that wouldn't be possible if we stayed at the Gathering. There was a little voice inside my head that warned me to be careful taking any woman home, especially one like Emily. Not only did I feel a connection to her, but I could sense that she was feeling a connection to me.It had become easy for
EMILYIwalked quickly and silently next to Kyle as we made our way through the hall. I wasn't sure how he knew the rooms in the house, but I trusted he knew what he was doing, and he wasn't going to take me anywhere I wouldn't feel safe. The rooms were all dark, with some dim lights lining the hallway.It was clear that, though there were many people in the room behind us, it wasn't entirely encouraged for people to be in these back rooms. I didn't even know for sure who owned the house, nor what their connection was to my sis- ter. For a moment, I hoped I wasn't doing anything that was going to get her in trouble. The feeling was a brief one, however, as Kyle kept his hand on my back, guiding me past room after room.The sounds that came from inside several dark corners revealed that we weren't the only two people to have this idea, but it was clear that Kyle didn't have any intention of exploring my body in the shadows of a doorway like some high- schooler. He wanted to take me some
KYLEIkept my palm on the small of Emily's back as we headed for the staircase, fresh drinks in hand. There were a few men and women scattered along the way- some engrossed in conversation, some busy watching the events on the dance floor.As for me, I had come to the conclusion that if you've seen the dance floor once, you've seen it a thousand times, and I felt I wasn't missing out on anything tak- ing her away from itI knew this was her first time at the Gathering, but Emily seemed to be enjoyingherself, in spite of the nerves she must be feeling. I had to hand it to her, shedid manage to fit in with the rest of the guests, though it was evident she hadn't done anything of this sort before. I could feel a slight tremble in each step she took as we mounted the stairs, and I added gentle pressure to my palm on her back. There was no doubt in my mind that she was going to be fun in bed, but Ididn't want her to feel nervous taking this next step in her night. She was sobeautiful,
EMILY"Please, call me Kyle."The man they'd introduced as Mr. Cunningham sat at the bar next to me, sip- ping on his whiskey and smiling at me as though I were the only girl in the room. Every now and then, he would turn his attention to the other guests, but I never felt like he was focusing on anything but our conversation."But that really is enough about me. I'd love to hear about you; I don't recall see-ing you here—or in any other club around here for that matter," he said, look-ing down at me as he lifted his glass to his lips and took a drink.I immediately felt flustered and began stumbling over my words. I had kept upmy sister's identity throughout the entire evening, but now that I was with aman who not only found me attractive, but didn't recognize me as my sister, I felt I had the opportunity to drop the act and tell him the truth."My name is Emily Shadows. I'm a model." So much for telling him the truth.Kyle looked at me for a moment with raised eyebrows, as thoug