Chapter Five: Daniel's POV

"Enough, Emma!" I said, my voice rising an octave. "This is none of your business. Please just stay out of it."

Emma didn't back down, I should have known she wouldn't. Instead, she moved to sit beside me, her eyes fixed on Emily. I could feel the tension in the air, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

This was not going to end well.

"No, I want to hear what's going on," Emma said, her voice low and dangerous. "You can't just expect me to stand by while you talk to someone else about something so important. It's not right."

Emily and the rest of her friends watched our bickering and I felt embarrassed and annoyed at this point.

Emma shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger. "No, I'm not going to be pushed aside like this. I deserve to know what's going on."

"And I deserve to have some privacy," I interjected, my own anger rising. "This is my personal life”

Emma opened her mouth again to speak, but I cut her off before she could say a word.

“I’ll help out in finding our kids”

Emily looked at me gratefully, and I knew she appreciated my intervention.

I turned my attention to the picture of the children on Emily's phone. Seeing their faces made me feel a surge of emotions that I couldn't quite put into words. They looked so much like me, and I felt a connection to them that I couldn't explain.

"They're a part of me, and I can't stand the thought of them being out there, lost and alone. I need to do everything I can to bring them home."

Emily's eyes filled with tears, and I could see that she was struggling to hold it together. She had obviously been through so much, and this was just another blow. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but I knew it wouldn't be welcomed.

"Thank you for offering to help," she said, her voice breaking slightly.

I couldn't help but feel a rush of pride at her words. It was clear that she trusted me, and that meant more to me than she could ever know. I wanted to do everything I could to make things right for her and the children.

"Of course," I said, my voice quiet. “I'll do everything I can."

"You mentioned that the children are missing," I said, turning my attention back to the matter at hand. "Can you tell me more about what happened? What led up to them going missing?"

Emily took a deep breath, as if gathering her thoughts.

"I went to pick them up from school like I always do, but when I got there, their teacher told me that someone else had already come to get them," she explained, trying to keep her voice steady. I could see more tears threatening to spill out from her eyes and could only imagine what she felt hearing that news.

Emma's eyes narrowed, and I could see the suspicion in her expression.

"Lies!” she shouted, her voice low and dangerous. "You're just making this all up."

I felt a surge of anger at her words, and I saw the same emotion reflected in the faces of Victor and Helen, her friends. They both looked ready to defend Emily, and I was grateful for their support to her.

But I also knew that it wouldn't help to get into an argument with Emma. She was clearly not going to believe them, no matter what they said.

"I don't have anything to gain by lying," Emily replied tiredly, her voice tight with emotion. "My children are missing, and I'm desperate to find them and you know nothing about me so please don't accuse me of lying."

Emily then looked at me for a moment, her expression unreadable. I was clearly getting tired of Emma's interruptions, but I didn't say anything to stop her.

"Have you received any calls or messages that might be related to the children's disappearance?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing at all," she said, sounding defeated.

I could feel the frustration mounting in the room, but I knew we had to stay focused.

“I want you to stay with me, for your own safety," I said, directing my words to Emily. "The person who took the children might come after you next. We don't want to take any chances."

"What? You can't be serious!" Emma's voice rose in outrage. "You can't expect me to just sit back and let her stay here!"

"I am the Alpha and my word is final. Emily is staying."

Emma looked like she was about to explode, her face red with anger.

Emily looked hesitant, and I could see the fear in her eyes. "I don't think that’s a good idea." She said, her voice quavering. “I don’t want to put you or your pack in danger. I can't ask you to risk your safety for me."

"You're not asking," I replied, sitting upright. "I'm offering and you can't refuse my offer,"

“I know this is a difficult situation, but you're not alone. I'm here to help you, and staying in this castle is the first step. I'll make sure you're safe, and we'll do everything we can to find your children." I said, my tone gentle but firm.

Emily looked conflicted, but I could see that she was wavering. I wanted to give her the time she needed to make her decision, but I also knew that we couldn't waste any time.

Victor spoke up, his voice quiet but insistent. “Emily, he is right on this. We have to move quickly. We can’t waste anymore time”

Emily took a deep breath, her eyes shining with tears. Finally, she nodded and I let out a silent sigh of relief, internally singing praises to the goddess.

“Okay," she answered, her voice barely a whisper. "I'll stay."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I smiled at Emily.

“Thank you,"

"We’ll need to leave and stay at the place where you're staying at least for a while," I suggested again. "It'll be easier to search for the kids from there."

Emma was quiet for a moment, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. “I'll be coming with you," she said, her voice leaving no other option.

I took a deep breath, knowing this was a bad idea. "No, you can't. You need to stay and look after the pack."

I waited for her response, knowing she wouldn't like to object to my offer.

"Fine," she said, her voice tight with frustration. "You're putting me in charge of the pack just to take my attention away from all of this. You can't do this to me!"

Emma stood up, her hands balled into fists. She glared at me, and I could see the hurt and anger in her eyes.

Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the room. I let out a long sigh, my shoulders sagging with exhaustion.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay here tonight," Helen said, and I could hear the gratitude in his voice.

"There's no need to thank me," I said, offering her a small smile. "Just get some rest and we'll start fresh in the morning."

I gestured to one of the guards and waved them over to take Helen and Victor to the spare rooms we had.

They nodded in gratitude and headed off to their rooms, leaving me and Emily alone.

There was a long silence between us, and I could tell she was still angry with me. Finally, I spoke.

"So..." I began, my voice hesitant. But before I could say any more, Emily cut me off.

"Thank you for keeping my old room," she said, her voice tight.

I looked at her, taken aback by her words. I wasn't sure what to say, so I just nodded.

“You're welcome," I said, and the silence settled around us again.

I could tell she wasn’t interested in having any personal conversation with me.

“Goodnight” She said as she turned to leave.

I wanted to stop her, to say so much to her, to gather her in my arms and never let her go again, to apologize for all the ways I had hurt her in the past.

But I knew she wasn't ready to hear it.

Would she ever be ready to hear it? Would she ever forgive me? All these questions haunted me all through the night.