Emma felt exhausted when she left school.
Her shoulders ached, she had a splitting headache and her body wasn't feeling like it belonged to her plus she felt a chill in her bones.
Physically, the untrained eye couldn't see her changes but once you were among the elites then the changes were visible. Emma however wasn't aware of this.
Chad had to take her home and she got a pass from her teachers to leave for the day. On the way home Chad was treating her differently. Emma wondered if it had anything to do with her fainting but brushed it off as nothing.
When they got home Emma and Chad got out of his car and went towards the kitchen.
Emma took the honey from her bag and left her bag on the couch before entering the kitchen while Chad left his bag in the car.
Emma had a notch to check on her bees but she wanted to spend some time with Chad before doing so.
Chad sat on the kitchen stool looking at Emma who was now sucking on a honeycomb she took from the fridge.
"Watswrng?" Emma asked with the honeycomb in her mouth. Chad signaled for her to take it out.
"Oh am sorry," Emma said while chewing the honeycomb, she felt so much better and the chill in her bones subsided.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Emma asked now opening the bottle of honey to take a sip and instantly spat it out.
"What's wrong?" Chad got up and stood beside her holding her up for support.
Emma gargled some water before spitting it out.
"That honey taste contaminated," Emma said before taking another honeycomb from the fridge.
Contaminated? Chad wondered.
Chad did not say anything further but kept on looking at Emma who was now preparing a sandwich.
Emma took the ingredients from the cupboard. She made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Chad and a honey sandwich for herself.
"Don't you think you are eating too much honey?" Chad asked before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Never" Came Emma's harsh response.
"I'll be right back," Emma said before going to look at her bees. She had to feed them and now was the best time as she left school early.
Chad stood up to watch her from the kitchen window. He checked his phone for the beta response but didn't see one. The only way he could ensure he got the message was to mind-link him but it was a bit risky with Emma present so he watched her for a while before reaching out.
Emma felt different when she got to the farm. She noticed that the bees were acting irregularly so she went closer to investigate.
Laying on the floor of the farm was the former Queen bee, when she approached the bees suddenly turned towards her, she could hear the distinctive buzzing sound again.
'The past cannot be changed but the future still remains, behold such beauty, she must be fed royal jelly to keep her healthy.
The Queen has chosen, the royal lineage still holds.
She must be fertilized for the future generations must be born strong and bold.
The dark age approaches, she must be ready, royal jelly royal jelly'
Emma felt dizzy again. She felt like she was falling but before she hit the ground she felt the muscular hand of her boyfriend.
Emma kept going in and out of consciousness. She could hear he boyfriend speaking to someone before she opened her eyes she heard Chad saying.
"Yes, Eric I'm telling you this is the real deal."
Then Emma slipped away again. Chad watched her keenly so he could know when not to speak.
Chad felt a bit distorted. He had to sacrifice the person he thought was his second chance on his Alpha's behalf.
He wasn't exactly keen on the idea but he had to follow orders and that was the reason he started to attend Bomc yenoh High. He never thought that he would like someone after his mate was killed for sleeping with someone's else mate.
They were never together but due to the intensive training Chad went through being a Gamma he could smell the bloodline of his mate and her parents told him the story. Only Gamma from the Razor Storm Pack has such an ability.
Emma's eyes slowly opened and she saw Chad's eyes perk up. He had dog-like ears and his eyes were unusual. She squinted her eyes and looked at his again but this time everything looked normal.
"Chad" The hoarseness could be heard in her voice.
Chad immediately knelt over her, all changes reverted and handed her a glass of water.
"Emma, how are you feeling?"
"Am okay I guess" she said uncertainly she then remembered that the Queen was dead but forgot the chanting that took place.
"Emma, what has been going on lately?" Chad asked concern laced his voice. He knew he had to give her up sooner or later so he could only take the best care of her now.
Emma sat up on the couch and replayed today's event in her mind.
"Chad if I told you a ridiculous story will you believe me?" A glitter of hope could be seen in Emma's eyes.
And so she told Chad what took place, her vision with the Queen bee and the fact that she came home and saw the Queen dead. Emma also told him that it had something to do with her mother.
Chad listened keenly. He knew some of the information provided and the fact that she was Queen. However, Emma did not know that the duty of the Queen bee was to protect the Luna with her life and at the moment the Luna wasn't in the best shape hence the Alpha was unable to carry out his duties.
"Please tell me you believe me?" Emma asked softly on the brink of tears.
Chad held her hand but didn't know what to say. He spoke with him Beta earlier but his only instruction was to protect her. He could no longer date her until the Rituals of Apis was done.
In this life they weren't any good without evil and the fact that the Queen bee had chosen her human counterpart then the Vespa had also chosen and the Alpha was is for another repeat of the great stinging if action wasn't taken.
Chad kissed Emma. He didn't know what to say. If he admitted to believing then he would be too accepting. So he kissed her to ease her pain.
Emma visibly relaxed and then looked at Chad with hopeful eyes.
"Stay with me tonight" She begged.
"Ems...." Chad lamented but looking at Emma he couldn't refuse.
"Okay"
Emma kissed him. At that moment Emma's dad walked in.
"Hmmmemmmm" He announced his presence.
"Chadrick un-hand my daughter!!!" Jason said in a raspy voice that Emma heard for the first time.
Sure she had kissed Chad before but never in her dad's presence and Chad hadn't been invited over since Emma's mom died. Well, he had only visited once and that was when Emma introduced him to her mom and dad.
Chad recognized something in Jason's voice for the first time and immediately pulled away from Emma.
"Dad I'm the one that kissed him." Emma tried to defend Chad.
"Enough Emma. Go to your room. I need to have a word with your boyfriend." He said while taking off his shoes and laying down his briefcase on the kitchen counter.
"Dad please" Emma pleaded.
"Emma, the room now!" Emma stomped towards her room. Mumbling under her breath.
Jason then walked towards the hall with Chad following.
*******
Emma played on the bed but couldn't fall asleep, her dad and boyfriend were downstairs. Nothing in that felt normal. If only her mom was here.
She had never left them in a room all by themself. She got so worried she opted to go downstairs and talk to her dad so that he could see reason but before doing so an album fell from the book stand.
The page displayed a picture of Emma and her mom on her first birthday. At the bottom right of the picture spelled the words.
'Brave all the odds. Break the cycle.'
Emma thought this meant that she could live and not be bullied and now she was living that dream, it also meant that she had to be brave regardless of the circumstances.
She picked up the book placed it back on her bookshelf and went downstairs.
She had to brave all odds and take responsibility for her previous actions. Chad couldn't be blamed for her kissing him and her dad had a tendency of being somewhat 'irrational' when it came to his little girl.