Chapter 34

The walls of the room were thick, but not thick enough to drown out the voices arguing outside 

Emma sat up, her heartbeat steady, but curiosity burned through her like wildfire. 

The anger issues in their voices were unmistakable, the weight of the conversation pressing against her like an invisible force. She didn’t need to hear every word to know it was serious. 

She recognizes the voice as, Jayden’s, Kale’s, the Luna and the alpha king's. 

“Do not ever think of changing the moon goddess’ order,” The Alpha’s voice rang out, fork and absolute. “It will only bring ruin to the pack.” 

Emma bit her lips. The authority in his voice sent a chill down her spine.  

A brief silence followed the alpha words. Then she heard Kale's voice, it was kind of low that she could nearly catch up with what he was saying. 

“We are only saying that she…” 

“No!” Their father’s voice cut in like a blade. “You are my sons, but you will not defy the fate. If she is your mate, then she is yours. If you reject her, you will suffer the consequences. That is how it has always been.”

Emma’s grip on the blank tightened 

She had always known the mate bond was sacred, that it was supposed to be unbreakable, but hearing the Alpha saying it with such finality made it feel more real in a way she wasn’t prepared for. 

A deep silence fell over the conversation outside. 

Too deep. 

Emma’s breath hitched. 

Did they realize she was listening? 

The voices stopped completely, and the air in the room seized for a second. Her heart pounded as she heard footsteps, steady, purposefully heading toward the door. 

She barely had time to scramble back into the bed, forcing herself to look as relaxed as possible. Before the door swung open. 

The alpha stood in the doorway elegantly. 

His presence alone seems to make the room feel smaller. Power radiated from his body, but his expression wasn’t as cold as she expected. It was unreadable, but not openly hostile. 

His sharp gaze swept over her, assessing and calculating. 

Emma swallowed hard and quickly bowed to show the Alpha respect. 

“How are you feeling now?” He asked his jive deep and measured. 

Her pulse quickened. She couldn’t help but think Jayden and Kale were at the door outside, the thought only sent a shiver down her spine. 

Emma forced her voice to remain as steady as she’d wanted. “I’m fine.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to act indifferent, but she did. “Thank you for asking my Alpha.”

The alpha held her stare for a moment longer as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not. 

“Good,” he nodded suddenly. 

Without another word from him, he turned and walked away, his heavy footsteps fading. 

Emma released a slow breath. 

The suffocating tension that filled the room disappeared the moment he stroked outside, but something about the encounter left her unsettled. 

She sat on the bed long enough. Staring at the ceiling, letting her thoughts swirl as much as they could. 

Then suddenly a knock came at the door. 

Emma frowned. The sound was soft but deliberate. 

Something in her gut told her not to open the door. 

Her first instinct was to ignore it, thinking it was Jayden and Kale. Maybe they wanted to continue the conversation from earlier. But she wasn’t in the mood to entertain their thought, not after everything she’d overheard. 

But after a moment, she sighed, pushing herself off the bed. 

Might as well get it over with. 

She comprised the room and pulled open the door but to her surprise, she saw no one. 

Her breath hitched sighting. 

Her gaze darted up and down the hallway, but it was empty. The flickering touches along the walls case long, eerie shadow, but saw nothing. 

A cold shiver ran down her spine. 

“Great,” she muttered under her breath rolling her eyes. She shut the door and turned toward her bed but then the knock came again. 

She froze on a spot, cursing inwardly at whoever was there 

The knock came again, this time around it was firm. Her enters body went rigid.  

Her mind screamed at her not to open it again. 

She hesitated, gripping the edge of her blanket, debating whether to ignore it entirely or not. But curiosity gnawed at her, whispering that she needed to see whoever was there. 

Slowly, she turned back toward the door. 

She joshes it and is met with a stranger. 

A tall man stood there, dressed in black, his face set in a calm, unreadable expression. His stance was measured, not threatening but controlled. 

Emma’s first instinct was to slam the door shut. But something about the way he stood patient, expectant made her hesitate. 

Her gaze flicked to the speed at his waist then back up to his shape-focused eyes. 

Who was he? 

She crossed her arms, her tone firm “Who are you?” 

“I was employed by the Alpha to guard you,” the man inclined his head slightly. 

“I don’t believe you,” Emma narrowed her eyes. 

The man didn’t flinch. He skimpily lifted a tray in his hand. 

Emma’s breath caught. 

On the tray was her favorite food. Exactly how she liked it. 

The sight of it threw her off balance. 

No one had told her she’d have a personal guard. And yet, he was offering her a meal so specific that it was impossible to be a coincidence. 

Her stomach twisted in both suspicion and reluctant trust. 

She glanced back up at him. “You could have stolen that from the kitchen.”

The man’s lips quirked slightly, the closest thing to amusement she’d seen from him. “I could have.” 

Emma signed, running a hand over her face. 

The alpha wouldn’t assign just anyone to watch over her. And if this man knew exactly what she liked to eat…

She took a slow breath before stepping aside. 

“Fine,” she muttered. “Come in.” 

The man stepped inside.