Chapter 4

               Jason Pov

I take a seat on one of the stools at the countertop in the center of the kitchen. I look at Emma, before looking over at Kimberly at the stove cooking. I don't know what was being said in here before I walked in, but whatever it was neither one of them looked happy about it. 

I can't sit around and keep an eye on the two of them whenever they're here together, so they need to learn to tolerate each other presence for the next couple of months. 

Kimberly told me she wouldn't attack Emma unless Emma attacks her first, but an argument could easily escalate into a fight. 

I've made this mistake and I'm the reason why Emma is here. Kimberly has a good reason for feeling the way she feels towards Emma. Maybe if Emma didn't try to kill Kimberly, then maybe Kimberly wouldn't hate her so much.

My jaws clench, angry with myself as I think about how Kimberly must feel. She shouldn't have to watch my child grow inside of another female. She shouldn't have to be asked to get along with someone in her home that she doesn't want here. 

This is Kimberly home just as much as it is mine, and just because I've made a mistake and now have to do the right thing by having Emma here, its unfair to Kimberly.

It's all unfair to Kimberly. It's unfair for me to expect for her to get along with Emma because if the roles were reversed, I would've killed the male the second he stepped into our home.

I'm at fault and by me needing to do the right thing and take responsibility for my faults is the reason why Emma is in our home. 

Maybe if this would've happened a few months ago while I was still drinking myself numb, I probably wouldn't have cared about doing the right thing. I wouldn't have cared about my honor as a male. I probably would've called Emma a liar and left it at that, because I cared about nothing at that time.

But now things are different and now I'm back to the person I once was before I lost Ashley and Kimberly is to thank for that. But I've thanked her by hurting her, causing her to shed tears, something I thought was impossible for me to ever do to her.

I may be doing the right thing by Emma as she carries my pup, but by doing the right thing by Emma, I feel like I'm doing wrong by Kimberly.

I look over at Kimberly as she cooks. All I want to do is to make her happy the way she makes me, but I've failed her as a mate. 

She has been blocking me out. I can't feel her emotions anymore, but I don't need to feel them to know that she's angry and hurt. Angry that Emma is in our home. Hurt and angry with me because I've giving Emma something that only should be given to her. 

I don't want this with Emma, but what's done is done and there's no changing it.

"I'm going out for a walk, or am I'm not allowed to go out?" I can hear the sarcasm in Emma's voice as she glares over at me. 

"I suggest you do well to remember what I've told you and don't leave the pack territory." I glare back at her. I'm not worried about her trying to leave, because she won't get past the border patrol. She has one time to run and she'll be spending the rest of her time here in a cell until the day she goes into labor. 

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes, standing up from the stool, taking her plate over to the sink. As she passes by Kimberly on her way out the kitchen, the glare they give each other doesn't go unnoticed.

Once Kimberly finishes with the food, she brings over a plate, placing it in front of me before taking a seat next to me with her plate of food. 

I glance over at her as we eat in silence. It's not an awkward silence, just a silence. 

I don't say anything, because I don't want to try and force a normal conversation like everything is perfectly fine when it's not. I want to apologize to her again, but I know no matter how many times I apologize it won't change anything.

Once I finish eating, I take my plate over to the sink. "I'm going to head over to my parents home for a bit, would you like to come?" I ask, looking over at her.

"You can go ahead. I'm going to take care of the laundry and things around the house. Tell them I said hi." She walks over and opens the dishwasher to load it. She no longer has this happiness to her that I've grown used to seeing every day. Things just feel off now.

I walk over to her and place a kiss on her cheek, before leaving the kitchen.

I leave out the house and look at my car, before sliding my keys into my pockets, deciding to walk to think for a bit. 

As I walk, heading to my parent's home, I think about everything. I think about Emma being pregnant with my pup. I think about the hurt that I've caused Kim. The more I think about it, the angrier I grow with myself, feeling like I've failed Kimberly as a mate.

Once I get to my parent's house, I walk inside, heading to the living room where I hear the tv.

"Hey, kiddo," I say to my little sister who's sitting on the couch watching cartoons. 

A big smile spread across her face when she sees me.

I reach down and lift her up as she runs over to me. "Hey, Jason." She says smiling, giving me a hug.

"Why aren't you at school ma'am?" I ask with a raised brow, knowing today is the weekend. 

"I no have school today." She says happily.

"Is that so." I playfully bite at her neck, causing her to giggle. 

I look over as mother walks into the room. "I thought I heard you in here." She walks over, placing a kiss on my cheek. "Is everything okay?" She asks. I'm sure she has heard the news. There were many pack warriors out there when Emma mate brought her here last night, so I'm sure the whole pack knows by now

I give her a small nod. Things aren't exactly okay, but I guess it could be worse. "Where's Father?" I ask.

"He's outback." She tells me as I sit Brianna down, letting her go back to watching her cartoons.

I head out back where I find father swinging an ax, cutting down the oak tree. He stops for a second and looks over at me as I walk over, before continuing to swing the ax, breaking away chunks of wood from the thick tree trunk. 

"Why are you cutting down the tree?" I look up at the tall thick tree, remembering the many times I've climbed up and down as a kid. 

"Your mother ask me too. She wants to replace it with her an apple tree." He says as he continues to chip away at the thick tree trunk.

"I take it that you have heard what has happened?" I frown, watching the pieces of wood fly away with each swing. 

"I have." He says not looking over at me as he swings the ax. 

"What do you think?" I need someone to talk to and if anyone can give me some advice it's father. 

"I think you've bitten off more than you can chew." He stops swinging the ax and looks over at me. "Do this female mate plan to go to the council board about this?" He asks. 

"I don't think so. I didn't take her purposely durn her heat. Her heat was undetected, there were no signs of it. It's her fault, she knew her heat was due and shouldn't been having sex." I frown.

"There's no point in pointing fingers now, what's done is done. How's Kimberly taking this?" He asks before starting to swing the ax again.

"She's hurt and angry and Emma trying to kill her once before makes think much worse." My jaws clench, remembering the scene when I walked into the room to find Emma choking Kimberly. 

"Tried to kill her?" He stops swing the ax again, looking over at me with a frown.

"They had an altercation during the time I was living in the city amongst the humans," I say not going into detail about it all. I'm angry with myself and thinking about that only angers me more. "Can I have a swing at the tree?" I ask, wanting to release my anger I feel with myself.

"Be my guess," Father says, handing me the ax. 

"I'm trying to do the right thing, but the right thing is unfair to Kimberly. She shouldn't have to watch someone carry my pup. She shouldn't have to share her home with someone that she doesn't want there. She shouldn't have to deal with this because of a mistake I've made." I growl out as I swing the ax, knocking a chunk of wood away from the tree trunk.

"You're right, Kimberly shouldn't have to deal with your mistakes." Father stands there as I release my anger on the tree.

"Would it be wrong if I moved Emma into another house here." I know that would make things better for Kim. She doesn't want Emma in our home and if that wants Kim wants, then that's what I want. 

"She's carrying your pup and your responsibility is to that pup growing within her. So to provide and care for your pup, you have to look after and provide for Emma since the pup is still within her. So it won't be you just putting Emma out your home and into another house, you'll be putting your pup out also." He says, leaving me with no other way to defuse the ticking bomb in my house.

It's not like Emma needs help with anything right now. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself for now.

"What would you do if it were you in this situation?" A deep growl vibrates my chest as I continue to slam the sharp ax into the tree. 

"I guess I would have no other choice but to do the honorable thing and do what you're doing now. You're doing the right thing as an Alpha and an honorable male." He says. 

But what I'm doing isn't fair for Kimberly. I just need to get through this. Once Emma is gone, things will be different with a baby, but Kimberly won't have someone in her home that she doesn't want there.

I talk to Father as I chop at the thick tree for about an hour, getting it to finally fall. After I'm done, I head home to make sure no one is being killed.

I walk into the house and head up the stairs following Kimberly's scent, leading me to our bedroom where I find her folding clothes. She looks over at me as I walk into the room. I don't get the warming smile from her that I would usually get.

"Hey." I walk over to her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Why are you all sweaty?" She looks at me with a raised, looking at my shirt.

"I have been helping father chop down the tree in their back yard." I look down at my shirt. I didn't realize I worked up this much of a sweat. 

"I always thought that tree in their back yard was really nice, why did they get rid of it?" She asks, looking over at me standing next to her, before looking back down as she grabs another shirt to fold.

"Mother wants to replace it with her an apple tree," I tell her, enjoying this unforced conversation we're having. Even if it's about something as simple as a tree being cut down.

"Well, I guess that's worth getting rid of such a nice tree." She says. 

Things go silent as I stand here watching her fold the clothes. 

I watch her the way I have many times. She's beautiful and I've been blessed by the goddess with a second chance at true love with her. 

I hate that I've taken the joy out of her with this mistake that I've made. I never thought it would be possible for me to cause her heartache, but I have, even if it wasn't attentional. Even if I don't have to, I'll still spend the rest of my days making up to her for this mistake that I've made. 

"What?" She looks over at me with a raised brow as I stand here staring at her.

"You know if there was another way to go about this, then I would do it for you right?" I ask wanting to make sure that she understands that if there were any other way to go about this, then I wouldn't have Emma here.

"I know." She says, sincerely. 

I lean over placing another kiss on her cheek, appreciating her trying to be understanding of the mess that I've dragged her into.

"Get away and go shower." She gives me a playful glare, wiping my sweat away that I managed to get on her cheek.

"Do you not like my sweat?" I smirk as I kiss her cheek again, making sure to get more sweat onto her.

"No, get away you sweaty wolf." A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she wipes her cheek with her hand again. 

"Are you sure?" My smirk grows as I wrap my arms around her waist, pressing my sweaty cheek against hers. 

"Ewww." She giggles, moving around in my arms. 

Her giggle comes to a quick halt, when Emma calls my name, opening the room door, stepping inside.

"Get out of our bedroom." Kimberly words come out through clenched teeth, glaring over at Emma. 

Emma glares back at Kimberly. "I need to speak to ja-"

"I said get out! Now!" I feel this power starts to leak from Kimberly. It's the first time I've felt the power She now holds. I tighten my hold around her waist, feeling her try to go towards Emma.

"You heard her Emma," I say, trying to keep the peace around here. 

Emma glares at us both before leaving the room. 

"I don't want her in our bedroom! She's already in our home! Our bedroom is our space and I will not share it with her too!" She glares over at me. 

"She won't be coming in here again," I tell her, before leaving the room to see what it is the Emma need that made her feel like it's okay to rudely walk into someone's bedroom with knocking. 

I walk into the room she's using, where she's standing there looking down at her phone.

"You're not to go into that bedroom again Emma. Do you understand?" I ask, needing to make sure we're clear on this. This situation is fucked up enough and I don't have time to babysit the two of them every second of the day just to make sure no one tries to kill anyone. I'll just stop the problems before they even start. And her being in our bedroom is a problem for Kimberly.

"Yeah, whatever." She let out a sigh of irritation, not looking up from her phone.

My jaws clench at her disrespect. Not in the mood to deal with her, I ignore it. "What is it that you needed to speak with me about?" I ask.

She glares up at me with a frown. "Chris doesn't want anything to do with me, so he's not bringing me my things. You have to send someone to pick them up for me." 

"Where's your mate's pack?" I ask.

"About eight hours east of here. The night stone pack." She says, looking back down at her phone.

"I'll send someone to get your things tomorrow morning," I tell her before turning to leave the room, but stop to make sure I stop any problems before they start.

"As long as Kimberly doesn't touch you, then you will do the same and not touch her. Is that understood?" Kimberly said she wouldn't attack Emma as long as Emma doesn't touch her, so if Emma understands not to touch Kimberly, then no one will be attacking anyone. I just hope this plan works just as good as it sounds in my head.

"I won't touch her if she doesn't touch me. But if she touches me, I'm going to do more than choke her next time." She let out a low growl.

A deeper growl vibrates my chest, hearing Emma threaten Kimberly's life. But I highly doubt things will go the way they did before. Kimberly isn't that same weak human that she choked once.