Kai and Emma both had a positive first encounter.
XANDER Emma left breakfast for us on the counter and was gone before we left for training. It was like she was avoiding us which I hated. She did not have to deal with life alone anymore. “She’s had a lot of shit thrust at her lately.” I sighed, scrubbing my hand over my face. I was not about to tell Ethan about last night. It was a private moment, one that I was not quite sure she would have liked me being a part of. Kai, on the other hand, was thrilled that she wanted to spend time with just him. We still could not get over how carefree she was with a strange wolf. It was the first time that she saw Kai before. Yet, she spent time with him like it was just another person beside her. He loved that. “Yeah. I couldn’t imagine going through life like she did. She’s free and safe here, but demons of our past haunt us all,” he said. Ethan was right. My demons still haunted me. It was nothing like Emma’s past, but I still felt like I failed my family and my pack with the war and what c
XANDER She moved her body until she was laying against his side and watched the stars above. It felt completely natural, and she seemed much happier than earlier today. If she liked watching the stars, she would love the view from the mountaintop that could be seen from her window. There was an entirely unobstructed view up there. It was one of my favorite places to go actually. It was quiet for a little while. Emma looked out at the water, lost in thought. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. Kai nudged her, causing her to smile. “You’re easy to talk to. It’s not because it’s me hearing my own voice. Trust me. That would be very lame. It’s because I know you’re talking back to me. Today kind of sucked. Well, the past two days kind of sucked to be honest. That’s why I was at the training field. I was trying to release some issues. I’m sure you don’t want to hear all this. Tell me about you,” she said, trying to change the topic. Kai nudged her agai
XANDER Was it possible that Emma actually had an aura like he mentioned? I never heard of it before, but that did not meant it was an impossibility. Emma was a unique creature all around. I was beginning to understand that I should not underestimate anything in terms of her because she surprised me at every turn. Her personality, her affinity to give her all, her kindness, her abilities, and everything else. One reason she frustrated me so much was because I could never get her out of my head, but it seemed like she was not having the same problem. Ethan said she had the hots for me, and with that declaration to Kai, perhaps I had actually been mistaken. On the stairs, it seemed like she did. I badly needed to test that out because my control was slipping. Had she not maneuvered around me on the stairs, I was prepared to just give in and smash my lips onto hers whether she wanted me to or not. I laid on my stomach, trying to fall asleep, but the revelations of tonight really kept m
EMMA Xander’s sudden chattiness and openness was confusing, but I surely was not complaining. Talking to him was easy, and I appreciated how he let me open up instead of demanding answers. Ethan was right. He really was not a bad guy once you got to know him. There was more to him than I originally thought. That would teach me to not look beyond someone’s exterior. Although, it was a very sexy exterior. Perhaps I had been too quick to pass judgement on him. Sometimes my insecurities got the best of me. He really seemed to be putting forth an effort. The look in his eyes when I turned around and noticed he was in the kitchen would forever be etched into my memory. The hunger in his eyes made my stomach twist in knots. I wanted to push him up against the wall and kiss him, but I was not going to ruin the chance to actually talk to him. I felt like we made progress in the kitchen. Quickly, I made it to the bedroom and changed into something more suited for a trek outside than pajamas.
EMMA The image was too much, and a furious blush hit my cheeks. He seemed damn well amused by the blush. “Where was your mom in all of this?” he asked me after a moment. My mother was never a mother. She was a monster. She worked so well with Ezekiel and Heath. I had always thought she was part of the reason they attacked the pack, but I never found proof. The feeling in my gut told me it was true though, and my feelings were never wrong. “She was there. She said Ezekiel used his Alpha command to make her comply, but I never believed her. When they thought I was knocked out with the wolfsbane, I’d hear her talking to them about my progress. She acted as if I was some fucking science experiment. She was the one to give them ideas on how to break me. She said I was weak and would submit one way or another. If a certain tactic didn’t work, she would give them bright new ideas of how to destroy my will.” My mother and I were never close. Once Papa was killed, it was like all pretenses
EMMA I woke up with the goofiest smile on my face. My finger grazed across my lips where Xander’s had been last night. Completely unexpected but certainly not unwelcomed. It made me realize that he did see me too. It was incredible to hear how much I affected him. It had not just been me who was affected. It made me really giddy if I was being honest. He could kiss me all the time, and I would never get tired of it. Those sparks just enhanced the sensations. His lips were dominating and unyielding, and it was incredibly sexy. As far as first kisses went, that had to be a 20/10. His eyes had darkened, and I could feel his arousal against my ass when my legs were wrapped around his waist. I felt great knowing that I did that to him. Me. Just feeling his hands on me, and his body pressed up against mine had my panties soaked instantly last night. Yes, I had to take care of that, just as I had to many times since coming here. I was lusting so hard after him that I would have died with
EMMA He bent down and let me climb on his back. I absolutely loved running with him, and I was thankful he ever proposed the idea in the first place. He took me on another run, but this time he ran deeper into the mountains. He was careful with which paths he chose, deliberately making sure I was comfortable. I laughed with the exhilaration of it all. Nothing compared to running with him. “Let’s see how fast you can run,” I said loudly enough for him to hear me over the whipping wind. He let out a long howl of delight in response and shot off like a bullet. Okay, yeah, I was not expecting him to be quite that fast, especially with me on his back. I lowered my body and held on tightly. He jumped over fallen logs and wove in between trees without so much as getting a scratch on either of us. His speed and agility were absolutely incredible. I whooped and laughed because I felt like I was legitimately flying, and I enjoyed every second of it. A fallen tree was laying at an incline,
XANDER I was torn from sleep with a sharp pain in my shin. My mind felt groggy, clearly a byproduct of not enough sleep. Kai stayed with Emma last night as long as he could, but I did not want her to wake up to a naked Alpha in her bed. I figured Emma probably would not be too keen on that. I growled, willing to destroy whatever the fuck caused the pain. My eyes snapped open to see Emma standing over me. She was still dressed in the clothes she fell asleep in. This angle gave me a perfect view of her creamy thighs, and I swallowed hard. Her arms were folded over her chest, emphasizing it from where I was. She looked fairly angry. If looks could kill, I would be a very deceased Alpha twice over. “Emma?” I asked hesitantly, unsure of why she was angry. Whatever the cause, she felt it warranted assaulting my shin. Her narrowed eyes were laser focused on me and gave absolutely nothing away. It was very unsettling and making me uncomfortable. That was saying something because I was a