I had pretty much avoided Emerald for the rest of the day. Anytime I got the courage to go and talk to her, those crazy eyes flashed in my mind looking up at me with her curly hair a mess. I just couldn't do it.I didn't realize just how much I liked having her around until now.
I had made her completely trust me and now I was about to send her away with a bunch of strangers. She would have to start all over again and I wouldn't be there this time. I couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to take this and the fact that sending her away could possibly ruin our bond.
I did however managed to talk it over with my aunt. She told me that Emerald would be fine and that her Alpha would be more then willing to take her in. She told me about the school there and that she would keep me updated and promised that she would bring Emerald back with her once a year when she visited.
My aunt didn't have a mate, so she never had any children. I had tried asking her one time why she didn't just be with someone else even if they weren't her mate. She told me though that she was loyal to the moon goddess and her plans and that if she didn't have a mate then she was meant for something else.
I hoped this is what it was because I couldn't stop thinking about tiny green flames and her glowing eye. She assured me though that it wouldn't be a problem and that she would work with her to control it. She had already called her Alpha and explained the situation and she said the extra room she had was already being made up for her.
"She'll be just fine August, you just worry about finding your mate tonight okay? She'll understand when she's older why you did it".
I didn't even care about the blue moon that was soon going to be up. The sun was starting to go down and everyone was gathered around eating and talking outside. Kids danced around a bonfire that was in the middle of the pack houses and wife's had decorated them with twinkling blue lights. Emerald was still in the field with Kacey.
They had stuck together like glue and it made me feel even more guilty that I was about to be the one to take that from her. I was the only one not eating or dancing and I was just steadily procrastinating the inevitable.
'Get it over with the moon is almost here'.
I wasn't going to be able to control Zeb when the blue light hits me. So I let out a deep groan and stood up from my seat on the porch. Johnson gave me a slight bow when I passed him, but I made sure not to look his way. He should've ran this past me way sooner then this and I didn't even spend a lot of time with her today.
I walked past the houses and when I was in the open field again I could see Kacey and Emerald chasing fireflies. They were giggling and smiling as they ran around slapping their hands together trying to trap the bugs. Emerald noticed me and smiled before running towards me.
Kacey followed right behind her and I tried to put a friendly face on.
"Alpha August can Emerald sleep over with me tonight since you'll be gone?" Kacey asked.
Emerald looked up at me and batted her tiny eyelashes and I couldn't stop my laugh when realizing they had obviously planned this. Kacey had taught her well and I crouched down to their level and gave them a small smile.
"I think that's a great idea Kacey. Will you go make sure it's okay with your parents while I talk with Emerald?"
She nodded her dark little head at me and quickly ran off towards the gathering that was still going on. Emerald looked at me and cocked her head to the side like she always did when she wasn't sure about something.
"Emerald, tomorrow my aunt Helen is going to go back home to her pack."
She nodded her head to me.
"Is it far away?" She asked.
"It is far away, but it's also beautiful there. They have plenty of woods to hunt in and lots of kids your age to play with. Aunt Helen doesn't have any kids so she's very lonely."
Emerald didn't say anything and kept a blank expression on her face. I had a feeling it was because she could hear that my heart was racing as I tried to push myself to get through this.
"I want you to go with her, she can take good care of you and be a mother to you like Kacey has. I'll still see you and you can come back here and visit me okay?"
Emerald furrowed her eyebrows together and looked down at her bare feet. She didn't say anything for a minute and I could tell she was biting her lip.
"You'll still get to be friends with Kacey I promise." I said trying to reassure whatever she was thinking.
She looked back up at me and my stomach sank when I seen the look on her face.
"Was I a bad person?" She asked and her voice cracked a little at the end of her question.
"No! you weren't bad at all. It's nothing you've done I promise. Emerald this will be good for you and you can trust Aunt Helen."
She took a step back from me and I stood up from the ground to look down at her.
"Is it my fire? I promise I won't do it again. I'll be good. I won't go to the farm anymore. I'll be good."
I felt shocked that she even spoke so much at once and realized I had been underestimating how much she actually understood.
"Emerald you didn't do anything wrong. Don't you want a mother ?" I asked and took a step towards her.
She took a step back and balled her small hands up into fists.
"No! I want to stay with you! You said I was apart of the pack! You said I had a responsibility!"
She was now breathing heavy and I could hear her heart racing. I tried to take another step to her, but she growled at me and took another step back.
"Emerald please stop, you are apart of the pack. I can't take care of you though, this will be better I swear."
She stomped her tiny foot into the ground and began snarling and throwing her fists against her legs.
"You're lying! You're Alpha, you take care of everyone! You said we were a family! I can protect us! I can make the pack strong!"
Her eye started to glow and tiny flames appeared and made a large circle around the both of us. At first they were small, but she balled her fists up again and they quickly started to grow higher.
"Emerald stop it!" I said to her, but her eye started to glow brighter and the flames grew taller. Beads of sweat started to form on my neck and forehead and I started to feel panic run through me.
She started shaking and soon her tiny body started to lift off the ground. My eyes went wide when seeing her float up and the heat from the green fire was starting to burn my skin.
"EMERALD STOP!" I screamed using my Alpha voice, but she only rose higher from the ground.
The flames were now above my head and I dropped to my knees from the heat. It was like being cooked alive and I could barley open my eyes from the burning sensation.
"PLEASE !" I yelled out trying to force my eyes open to look up at her.
She finally looked back down at me, her golden curls were floating around her head as she was able to easily defy gravity. Her eye was still glowing, but suddenly the flames started to get smaller and soon she was floating back down to the ground. When the flames were completely gone I rubbed my eyes from the tears that were forming from almost being singed.
I looked up and Emerald was standing in front of me watching intently as her green eye stayed glowing. Her wolf was in control, but I knew she was still in there and that she could see me.
"We are better off alone."
It wasn't her voice and it came off a little deeper then Emerald's. Like it was two voices at once talking. She turned away from me and started slowly walking towards the woods. I stood up and looked back to see several pack members watching the scene from a distance. Johnson was looking at me with a blank look and everyone else looked shocked or scared.
I turned back to the woods and started walking to catch up to her.
"Emerald come back I don't want you out there by yourself." I called behind her.
She didn't look back and after each step she took a small green fire was left in its tracks. When she disappeared behind the pine trees a line of flames went across the tree line blocking me from following her. I took a step back from them and started cursing at myself.
"COME BACK HERE NOW!" I screamed using my Alpha voice.
The flames only got bigger though and kept me from following after her. The sun was completely gone and the sky was black with only a few stars out. The moon would be up soon and I felt helpless thinking about her being alone in the woods.
Suddenly a broken wolf call was heard coming from the direction Emerald had gone in. It was the same broken howl I had heard the first time I found her. It was agonizingly painful to hear for some reason. It made your chest feel like it was about to cave in on itself. She called to the moon over and over in desperation and soon her howls were joined by others.
I turned around to see the line of pack members who had been watching from the other side of the field. Some of the kids began walking away from their parents side and closer to the line of trees. One by one they all fell to their knees and began to howl back to Emerald. Some of the kids had tears streaming down their small faces as if it was physically hurting them to hear her calls. Parents soon joined their children and they too began howling to Emerald.
It was like everyone could feel her broken heart when howling to the moon and it was forcing them to call back to her. They all wanted to comfort her just like me and it only made me feel even worse about what I had done.
I could sense Johnson was close and took another step back from the line of trees before looking away from them and to him.
"Happy now ? She fucking hates me!" I said in my Alpha voice.
Johnson gave me a sad look and shook his head.
"She will get over it in time and forgive you."
I looked back at the woods and suddenly the flames disappeared and I started walking towards the trees to find her.
"Don't August, the moon." Johnson said from behind me.
I looked up at the sky and saw the moon starting to creep up. Zeb was clawing and scratching in anticipation and I knew I was going to be forced to shift soon. The howls from the pack had stopped along with Emerald's and parents began to scoop their kids up to carry them back to the pack houses.
"I'll find her okay? Just try and focus on your mate. The girl will be fine."
I turned back to him and gave him a deathly look.
"She has a name and if anything happens to her, you will be the one who pays the price!"
Johnson's eyes widened and he quickly looked away from me. The moon started to climb higher in the sky and when I looked up at the blue rays I could feel Zeb trying to take over.
I tried to hold him back a little bit longer, not wanting to give in. I wanted to go after Emerald and make sure she was okay.
Zeb started howling and pushing himself to get through and I could feel my bones start to contract and pop out of place and soon I was forced to shift. I took off into the woods in the passenger seat of my body. I watched a blurred picture of tall trees flying past me and I could smell and hear everything all at once.
I knew even now that I wouldn't see Emerald again before she left. Zeb would run and track all night and most of the time I would be in a completely different state by morning. I tried not to think about that sad look she gave me when she realized what was happening.
She had practically begged to stay with me and I rejected her. I just hoped one day she would understand and forgive me like Johnson said.