The Truth is a Tough Pill to Swallow

             Emily was getting ready for bed. Tomorrow would be here soon, and it would be a long day. But ask she came out of the bathroom, she heard an odd sound outside her cottage. This was a more quiet section of the pack’s territory, being that it was closer to the lake house than the packhouse. Also, the time of night was off. This didn’t bode well for her peace of mind, and she went to see what it was all about. If there was a problem, the person should take it to the enforcers on duty or go to the packhouse. She worried it might be a medical emergency or a rogue attack. Both things Janine worried about when Emily moved out to this cottage alone.

             Emily moved to the front door and slipped off her shoes in case she needed to shift quickly to protect herself. What greeted her wasn’t a rogue wolf or a bloody accident. No, it was a drunken wolf. A wolf she knew all too well. James sat there, weaving from side to side in his inebriated state. She knew this state all too well. She’d dealt with him in that state many times over the years. It was one of the few reasons she’d stopped drinking herself. Emily needed a clear head to deal with him in this state.

             “What do you want, James? It’s late. Shift and just tell me. Then I’ll call Evan to come to pick you up.” Clearly, by the pack on his back, he’d gone out for a run and on his journey, he found a bottle or two of alcohol.

             James shifted, swaying on his feet and naked. He glared at her as if she was the one embarrassing herself. She said nothing, just left the front door open and walked back into her cottage. It didn’t take him long to stumble in and fall onto the settee in the corner.

             “So talk to me. Why are you here so late? What do you need to say that’s not said at any other earlier time?” She didn’t have any coffee to serve him, even though he clearly needed it.

             “I have questions and you can answer them.” He slurred his words as he said this. One arm fell on the back.

             “Fine. What are those questions? I’m listening.” Emily crossed her arms. She wanted to sleep and the faster she got this over and he has gone, she’d get back to getting to bed.

             “You’re so mean right now. What’s wrong with you? Fine, I’ll say it. What is so wrong with me? Leaving me like this? And why can’t you be happy here with the way things are?” He got even more comfortable as he tried to get a better view of her.

             Emily couldn’t believe this. He’s only now only a day before she left to ask her this. Her first instinct was to soften her words and placate him. But then she figured he’s drunk, and he often blacked out about what he did when he was in this state. He’d not remember what she said to him.

             “Fine. If you want to know so badly why this is happening, I’ll tell you exactly why. I never wanted to be a Beta. I wanted to be a mate and mother. I wanted a home I could care for and a mate to be there for. The pups to cuddle and raise. But no, instead I get a pack I can’t find a mate in because I’m too closely related to except for you. With all the complications from that bite, I will never find my true mate, so when this opportunity came up, I jumped at it. Damon has pups and needs a mate to help him raise them. Why would I stay here to receive more disrespect, nitpicking my every action, pushed to the side, and the pièce de résistance, my best friend, treated me like his personal servant? I have no future here, everyone disregards my dreams, and I have to clean up your messes again and again without even a thank you. Tonight’s dinner was for me. But I spent most of it fixing your issues. You couldn’t even say a single word to me that was thoughtful. You made Evan feel like a failure, and he’s scared he will either find out he’s fired or that he’ll need to quit. You’re too hard on those around you and you’ll end up alone. You’re childish and act like a spoilt brat. I may have contributed to that, but no longer. Why should I stay here where there’s nothing but misery and disappointment when I’m being offered a future that I crave? No, James, you need to leave and look at yourself. Stop blaming everyone for your problems and start fixing them yourself. Now I’m calling Evan to come to pick you up.” As Emily stormed over to her charging cellphone. She heard her front door slam. When she turned, James wasn’t on the settee and his wolf was running away from her cottage.

             There was nothing else she could do. She wasn’t his keeper anymore, and he was a grown man. With everything done, she could go to sleep. She’d said her piece.

             Hours later, her cellphone rang, and she crumbled to pick it up. When she answered it, Evan was on the other end of the call.

             “Emily, have you seen James? I just got a very odd call from him. He’s not back from checking out the perimeter. He said he was up at the lake house, and he sounded drunk, maybe even depressed. You’re the closest person to the lake house. Can you go make sure he’s safe? If he’s up there alone and falls in, he might drown.”

             Emily couldn’t believe this. She’d quit and it wouldn’t stop. But this was James, the man she’d known since birth. Emily felt guilty after what she’d said and how he’d left. If he got himself hurt, then she’d never been able to forgive herself. “Fine, I’ll go look for him. I’ll call you when I know what’s going on.” She didn’t get dressed because she decided there wasn’t time for it and left as soon as she hung up. It didn’t take her too long to get up there.

             A quick check of the lake house. She found it open, but no one was inside. His scent was all over it and quite fresh. Several whiskey bottles lay empty about the living room area and a mug half full of whiskey rested on the patio railing. So she followed his scent out toward the lake itself. In the dark, she worried if he was still drunk, he could fall in and not be able to get out. With her heart heavily beating in her chest, Emily padded out to the shoreline, following his scent.

             It didn’t take her long to find him. But what she found was nothing like what she expected to find. The drunken fool that sat on her settee now walked toward her with a determined look of a sober man on a mission. What was she getting into now? What was he up to and where would it go?