I stopped dead in my tracks after Emmet called me out for my wolf not telling me who he was — that he was my mate. As he said, I should've known. Every other werewolf would've known.
So for him to say something about that wasn't outlandish, but honestly, I hadn't expected him to think further than what the brain in his pants wanted, at least until he'd satisfied it.
Yet, he did, and it startled me completely.
Except for my eyes, which wandered from Emmet's confused glare across the room to all the faces of the people my mom had just introduced me to by name, I was frozen.
If I lied to Emmet to buy some time until we were alone, any of those people could tattle on me. Then, I'd not only be a disappointment but a liar.
But if I fibbed, maybe the crowd wouldn't get a show, and I really didn't want them to have one.
"My wolf was too excited, I guess. The things she was saying didn't make sense."
There was an uncomfortable silence, and from the glare he gave me as he turned to face me, I knew he didn't believe me.
However, I stuck with it and squared my shoulders, trying to fake my way into seeming much more sure of myself than I was.
Maybe it would've worked if Emmet wasn't a werewolf — if his pack-link didn't work, but his eyes were glimmering silver, returning to blue, then shimmering again.
Even though I didn't know who was speaking to him, or, more likely, how many people were speaking to him, I knew what was happening.
So, I wasn't surprised when he asked, "You're Emery Turner, the omega?"
My chance to keep the conversation private was gone, and more lies would be risky.
After swallowing a lump in my throat, I managed to mutter, "Yeah. I'm Em."
Suddenly, the fuse lit by my inability to know right from the start that he was my mate, reached the bomb at the end, and Emmet laughed manically.
Throwing his hands into his hair, he shouted, "The Moon Goddess must have lost her mind!"
My body jolted at the sudden outburst, and I took a tentative step backward, trying to put some space between Emmet and me.
Disappointment had been expected, but not anger or whatever strange thing he was feeling, and so, I warily watched him, ready to bolt if I needed to.
"What kind of joke is this? Is she trying to punish me for something I did?" He raised his eyes as if he could stare through the ceiling into the sky and hollered, "Moon Goddess, whatever I've done, I'm sorry! She can't be the one! Please, I'll do anything if you take this back and give me another chance!"
Not knowing what to do or say, I shrank back more and wished I could actually shrink. Then, I could quickly flee from the humiliation of listening to him beg the Moon Goddess for a mate other than me.
The crowd of people watching us had conspicuously moved closer. All of their eyes were wide, some with shock, others with cruel interest, and I could picture each of them reaching into buckets of popcorn and chewing with huge smiles.
From within the mass of people entertained by my suffering, I caught a glimpse of my mother.
She was weaving through bodies toward my dad, who was still near the bar, watching with a pained scowl.
Next to him, Arden stood with a wide-eyed stare and eyebrows furrowed in worry, but like everyone else, she didn't make any move to rescue me from the spotlight I was under.
Emmet's voice brought my attention back to him, but everything would've been better if he'd kept his mouth shut.
"Emery Turner… No! Why is the Moon Goddess ignoring me? This is a mistake. It has to be."
Clenching my jaw, I hissed, "Why? So what if I'm an omega! So what if I'm... different! You don't even know me, so why do you think that this has to be a mistake?"
Laughter rippled from his throat. "Are you really asking me that?"
"Yeah, so answer! What's so wrong with me that you're acting like I'm worthless?"
"Not being able to shift is a good enough reason," Emmet frowned, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Is it?" I scoffed. "What does anyone here even shift for? It's not like you go hunting or defend us from enemies with your wolves. No one does, so why should it matter that I can't?"
Though my voice was confident and my words combative, it was only in defense of my pride. Shifting didn't have practical uses in Goldcrest, but being able to do it was a rite of passage, one I'd never passed.
It proved my wolf was weak, which meant so was I.
He meant to make sure I knew it, too.
Shrugging, he said, "How could you lead our people when you can't even understand them? You can't shift, can't speak to your wolf… You can barely be considered one of us, and I've heard you spend your time playing video games in your room all day. Someone as useless as you can't be Luna of a pack!"
The man I'd been fawning over, too stunned to think straight only moments before, uncrossed his arms and stalked toward me.
I wanted to slap him, or maybe my wolf did. Her rage was burning so hot inside me that I thought I'd erupt in flames, but I knew better than doing something stupid.
All I really wanted was to end my embarrassment, and part of me could understand what he was saying and why.
People were obviously bad-mouthing me through the pack-link, and while it was upsetting that Emmet so easily believed their every word without considering that they were leaving things out, there was no reason to hold it against him.
"You know what? I can do much more than play games, but I'm not going to waste time arguing. You'll see how wrong you are, and in a few days, I hope you'll apologize."
As he came within reach, I held my ground instead of taking more steps back, hoping that bit of courage would bloom into confidence, but as Emmet's hand raised toward my face, I yanked my head away.
"Just for a little," he muttered as he reached forward again and firmly gripped the side of my head.
The sparks that flew between us hadn't disappeared even after his insults, and as he slid his down my jaw, then the length of my neck, my lips parted, releasing a soft breath.
"Why you? But, still... I want to... " He whispered as he leaned forward toward my lips.
The closer he came, the more heavily the scent of cloves became, and I inhaled slowly before stepping back and shaking my head.
"Don't! You think I want that after what you just said?"
There was no way I would let him kiss me after the things he'd just said, no matter much I wanted it. He'd have to earn that right, or maybe I'd settle for something as simple as an apology.
"That's a shame, but maybe it's for the best I don't know what it feels like," he growled, then snapped his hand off my skin and shoved it into his pocket. "Emery Turner, I reject you as my mate."
My heart shattered, and I breathlessly clutched my chest. "What?"
As he turned and walked away without another word, every part of me felt as if it was crumbling into dust.
It would've been better to be a chalky pile on the floor than listen to the gasps and snickers coming from the ground.
But I didn't have the luxury of disappearing.
With my chest rising and falling heavily, the world began spinning, and I ducked my head down to stare at the ground, hoping it would help.
How long I was like that, I don't know, but it felt like years as I listened to whispers from the crowd.
"Emmet made the right choice."
"True. No matter how many years she had until she was Luna, it wouldn't change that she can't shift."
"Seems like she's surprised he didn't accept her, though."
"Yeah, but how could she think he would?"
"She's a talentless loner… not Luna material."
"Shut up!"
Even as my head spun and Emmet's rejection echoed in my ears, I recognized that last voice. It was my dad.
He spat curses at all the gossipers.
Then, a warm arm wrapped around my back, and I was slammed into a hug.
"Darling, everything will be fine."
Unable to speak, I shook my head and quietly sobbed into his shirt.
"I promise it will," he whispered, stroking the back of my head with a comforting hand.
Shaking in his arms, I violently shook my head and slammed my eyes shut.
The ache in my heart had spread through my blood, leaving me in agony.
"Come, let's go home," my father whispered. "Whitney, can you get the girls?"
"I've got them already," my mom answered.
Three sets of footsteps approached me, and I was tugged toward the entrance.
My feet dragged like they were locked in concrete, and no matter how hard I tried to will them into moving a bit faster, they wouldn't.
The slow paced probably irritated my dad. He was always at top speed, always in a hurry, but without complaining, he whisked me into his arms.
He carried me out of that miserable celebration, but the misery didn't stay in the building. Because it was inside me, flowing through my veins, churning my stomach, and squeezing the air from my lungs.
A few moments later, we were back in the car and heading home. Once we got inside, my body wobbled back and forth as my dad carried me up the stairs.
Then, I sank into the mattress, and he tucked me in and kissed my forehead.
My mom did the same and murmured, "Goodnight. I love you, sweetheart."
Footsteps retreated, and then Arden whispered, "It's gonna be okay, Em."
"I can't believe that happened," I heard Harper mutter as most of the light from the hallway faded while my bedroom door was closed.
In the dark, alone, I suffered. Eventually, I fell asleep, but my dreams were no escape from my pain.
Inside, my wolf howled in agony, and I felt everything.
Like me, maybe even more than me, she'd wanted to find her mate, but instead, we'd been broken.
Emmet haunted me. His words wouldn't leave me alone.
Rejected.