Emerald's POV
I went straight home and ran inside before slamming the door shut behind me. I looked up to see Alpha Paul walking fast to the door to see who it was and when he saw it was just me he gave me a confused look.
"I thought you had work today?" He asked.
I took in a breath and leaned my back off the door and then gave him a serious look and started to tap my sneaker against the hardwood floors.
"Did you know he was coming here?" I asked still holding my helmet at my side.
He raised an eyebrow and looked away for a minute and then realization must've set in because he looked back and gave me a sympathetic look.
"I didn't find out until this morning. I'm sure he's just here to say his goodbyes Em. She is his aunt after all and the only living relative he has as far as I know."
I looked away from him and back down at the floor. I felt guilty suddenly for not being more sympathetic and for acting dumb and running away from him. He was probably lost since he's never been here before.
"So.. how long is he staying?" I asked before looking back up at my Alpha.
He was a good man and a fair Alpha. I had a lot of respect for him and even though he knew I was a bit different, he allowed me to come here anyway and risked the safety of his pack members. He was however harder on me then the other wolves my age and we kept the reason why between us.
"I have no idea, but he can stay as long as he needs and you will make him feel welcomed here. He took you in and now it's your turn." He said sternly making my face heat up in anger.
"I wasn't gonna let him stay on the streets and not that I expect you to understand, but he didn't take me in. He tracked me down, strapped me to a bed, and practically held me against my will."
That wasn't really how I felt about him anymore. I had let go of all those things and was actually grateful towards August for what he had done for me. I just didn't like being told what to do. I think I just liked the idea of a dominating brooding male because whenever I was demanded of something it only made me want to resist.
His bright blue eyes hardened at me and that stupid Alpha influence of his made me look back to the ground. I walked past him and tossed my helmet on one of the couches before turning back to face him.
"You will do what is right and be civil with him. Do not make this about you when your mother is on her death bed." His voice was cold and his words cut deep.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and didn't look back up at his eyes. I heard a knock at the door and jumped up. My heart was beating like crazy and I knew that it was most likely August on the other side. Another knock was heard and I forced my feet to move towards the door and slowly opened it.
I let out a breath of relief and opened the door all the way when I was met with two golden brown eyes.
"Hey, I saw your bike outside and figured you got off work early. Is this a bad time?" He asked with a worried expression and I knew it was probably because he could hear my pulse racing.
"No, everything's fine she's still sleeping." I said with a small smile and moved to the side so he could come in.
He smiled his perfect white teeth at me and walked inside and shook Alpha Paul's hand. The did their little hellos and how are you's and then Keith turned back to me with that charming smile again.
"So what's up? Did Bobby let you slack off today ?" He asked and I just nodded my head yes and kept the false smile on my face.
"Cool, you think I could steal you away for a little while?" He asked and I watched his eyes darken slightly and I knew what he meant.
I looked to Alpha Paul, but he was still giving me a hard look. He nodded his head and I grabbed Keith's hand and began pulling him towards the door before the Alpha changed his mind.
"Don't be out late!" He called behind us and Keith flashed him his dashing smile before shutting the door behind him.
Once we were outside he quickly picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed and laughed as he smacked my butt playfully and he carried me to his car. He opened the door for me and then finally sat me back down to my feet.
"Such a gentleman." I coo to him before standing on my toes and placing a kiss to his clean shaven cheek.
Keith was handsome in a boy way and I knew he would only get better with age like good wine. He smiled at me and I got into the passenger side of his car before he shut the door. He came to the other side and cranked the car up and pulled away from my house and down the road.
"So, was Alpha Paul ripping you a new one or what? I could hear your heart all the way in the driveway." He said without looking from the windshield.
It wasn't that I enjoyed lying to Keith or that I didn't trust him. I just didn't want to bring all the weird things from my past into our relationship and thought it'd be best to just keep it from him. Besides August would find his way just fine and I'd give him plenty of time to visit and leave before I got back. I'm sure after seeing my reaction that'd he would just go back home.
"Nah, I think I'm just having some anxiety with everything that's going on you know?"
Another lie, but it was partially true.
He took one hand off the steering wheel and took my hand. He was sweet and had been there for me a lot ever since Helen first got sick. He helped take my mind off things and let's just say we had plenty of fun together.
We drove until we got to his apartment. Keith had gotten his own place as soon as he graduated and I thought it was attractive how independent he wanted to be. When we got inside I threw myself down on his couch and he let out a chuckle seeing me.
He leaned down over the couch and moved my curly hair from my face and began placing soft kisses down my cheek and to my neck. I hummed loving the feeling and moved my head to give him better access. I could feel the smile on his lips as he kissed my skin and then began to lightly nip on my soft spot.
'Watch it little boy' Anala said venomously, but I ignored her and let Keith do what he pleased.
She didn't like him and found his wolf to be too weak for us. I tried to tell myself that she would learn to warm up to him over time, but we've been together almost three years now and she still wasn't feeling it. I didn't want her to be unhappy and with someone she didn't really care for, but I enjoyed being with Keith.
What we had wasn't like what others did with the mate bond. We weren't forced to find each other attractive or interesting. It was natural and most importantly, consensual.
Even though I only gave him a vague and partially false story about where I was from and why I didn't have parents. I was still myself around him and he understood and liked me for me. That was my favorite part about us, he wasn't faking and he wasn't forced to like me. He chooses to and for that reason alone I felt extremely grateful for him.
"Why don't we go into my room and I can rub all that anxiety out of you." He said seductively into my ear.
'Not in this lifetime or the next'
I rolled my eyes at Alana. She was the only thing that held me back from ever actually going all the way with Keith. I had wanted to a million times and we had came close plenty, but it felt wrong to do that when my other half didn't want to. Despite the fact that Anala and I disagree a lot, she is me in a way. She's this other part of me that I don't really understand, but I do listen to her when it's important. My body in a way is hers and her body is mine and I wouldn't give it to someone she wasn't comfortable with.
I would always make up some lame excuse as to why I couldn't or why we should wait. Or id say I wasn't ready yet. Which was a big fat lie. I was more then ready and resisting him was torture.
"Hmm I'm sorry dear, I'm just not really in the mood right now."
Keith pulled his head back from me.
"You're never in the mood." He said in annoyed tone.
I turned over on my back and raised an eyebrow at him. I made a finger telling him to come closer and he smirked at me and leaned his head back down. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him over the couch and on top of me.
"That's more like it." He said teasingly and I smashed my lips over his.
He was a great kisser and his lips were soft and smooth. We tangled up together and made out breathlessly until I finally needed some air. He leaned his forehead against mine and was breathing just as hard. I smiled up at him and he kissed my lips one more time before rolling off of me and onto the floor.
"Wanna watch some movies and just.. cuddle ?" He asked from the floor, but I could see the devious look he was giving me. His golden brown eyes matched his light fluffy brown hair and he had one small dimple that would poke out when he smiled.
I laughed and nodded my head to him. He got up to his feet and walked over to the multiple collection of movies and started looking through them. It didn't matter what he picked, we had watched them all. He popped the disk in to the DVD player and grabbed a blanket from the closet and jumped back down on the couch with me and wrapped us up.
Commercials started playing and Keith waisted no time in placing kisses down my neck again.
He moved up to my ear and goosebumps peppered my skin.
"I love you." He whispered.
Oh yeah. There was that too. When Helen got sick me and Keith started seeing each other more since I didn't have anyone telling me I couldn't. I still spent most of my free time at my her bed side. Anytime I got a break though I was with Keith and he had dropped the L word a couple times over the past few months.
I never knew what to say back. I didn't even know what that word meant and even though I knew it was just what couples would say to each other. I just didn't see the point. I obviously liked the guy. Wasn't that enough?
I turned my head and forced a fake smile and just continued kissing him hoping that he'd drop it. He gave in of course and started to swirl my tongue with his. He broke our kiss, but I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't going to let it go.
"I know you're scared. I can feel it Em, but I promise it's true. I love you so mu.."
I put my hand up to his mouth to keep him from word vomiting further. Why did that word have to exist? Sure I care about a lot of people very deeply. Helen, Kacey, Keith, even August in a way.
But love ? I had heard girl's go on and on before about their undying love for their mates. That couldn't be love though, that was some weird mind control crap.
Unfortunately that didn't make me think that what me and Keith had was love either. There was never anything that possessed me to want to say that to him and even though I would kiss him practically twenty four seven I never felt.. whatever it was that he obviously did for me.
"It's not that it's just.. a lot is changing right now and I don't know if I can handle two big changes at once." I said to him like the deceitful little liar that I was.
He nodded to me and leaned his head down on to mine.
"Okay... you're worth the wait." He said and I thought I would be sucked down to whatever hell that people like me got sent to.
We kissed some more and eventually Keith fell asleep still laying on top of me. I tried to concentrate on the movie or his breathing, but a pair of white and blue eyes kept popping up in my mind. I wondered if he had found his way to Helen's or was he so offended by how I had acted and just immediately leave?
Did he want to see me or talk? I felt silly for imagining about him thinking of me. I wonder what he thought when he saw me. He was just as stunned as I was, so he obviously didn't expect to see me there. I don't know why I thought he had came to see me. He was probably worried sick about his Aunt.
I felt bad that he was fixing to lose his last blood relative. I mean I could relate easily and even though I wasn't sure if all my family was dead or if I had parents somewhere still out there. I knew what it was like to feel completely on your own. I had friends and Helen treated me like I was family, but I don't think it was the same as actually being related to someone.
To truly be a family with someone. I was always a bit envious of my friends with their perfect complete families and would want to pull my hair out when hearing kids from school complain about having strict rules or because their parents wouldn't let them go out late or whatever stupid petty thing it was. They had no idea what they had and I felt like they didn't deserve all that love and devotion.
"They take care of you and teach you everything you need to know about life. They love you unconditionally."
I rolled my eyes at the memory and tried to kill that warm feeling it gave my stomach.
After a while I scooted out from under Keith. I looked back down at him and when I knew he was going to stay asleep I snuck out the door and closed it slowly behind me. It wasn't that far of a walk anyway and I wanted to prepare myself incase August was at the house.