The lost mate

Chapter 102: Heart to Heart

Emily felt a bit out of place as she and Heather wandered through the gathering, sticking close to Anne, who had been introducing them around. The wolves were friendly enough, but there was an unmistakable air of curiosity that came from the mingling of humans with wolves.

Suddenly, a small whirlwind of energy barrelled towards Emily.

"Aunt Emily!" Ryan’s high-pitched voice rang out as he crashed into her legs, arms flinging around her in a fierce hug. Emily let out a soft laugh, bending down to scoop him up into her arms.

"Well, look at you!" Emily grinned, brushing a few strands of hair from his face. "You’ve gotten even taller since I last saw you."

Ryan grinned wide.

"I missed you! You should live with us again, like before." his eyes sparkled with hope, and for a moment, Emily’s heart softened.

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, indulging his request for the moment. "I missed you too, Ryan. But you know, I can’t live with you all the time, buddy."

Ryan pouted dramatically, wriggling slightly in her arms. "But it was fun when you did!"

Emily chuckled softly, glancing at Anne, who watched the interaction with a small smile. "You’ve got quite the fan club," Anne teased as she ruffled Ryan’s hair before introducing Emily to a few more of the wolves.

Heather had been seated among a group of older wolf women, and though they were friendly, their behaviour was... odd.

One of the elderly women, with sharp eyes and silver-streaked hair, leant closer to Heather, sniffing the air around her. It wasn’t subtle, either. The woman’s nose twitched before she spoke, her voice calm and kind. "How’s your treatment going, dear?"

Heather blinked, taken aback. "My treatment?"

The woman nodded knowingly, her keen eyes observing Heather with interest. "We can smell it. Illness has a scent, you know. Faint, but noticeable."

Realisation dawned on Heather, and she forced a polite smile. Wolves could smell nearly anything, and sickness was no exception. She hadn’t expected it to be so blatant, though.

"It’s going well, thank you," Heather replied cautiously, trying not to dwell on the thought of being so easily’read’ by a group of strangers. The older women simply nodded, satisfied, before turning their attention back to their conversation.

Meanwhile, Anne and Emily had found a quieter corner of the clearing, away from the bulk of the crowd. Anne seemed distant and distracted, and Emily quickly picked up on the tension in her friend’s posture.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, nudging her gently.

Anne sighed heavily, her eyes scanning the crowd before settling on Damien, who was talking with a few pack members nearby. "Damien told me everything," she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the bonfire in the distance. "About manipulating Detective Fred."

Emily’s eyes widened in surprise. "He did?"

Anne nodded, her expression troubled. "Yeah. He thought I should know. I guess he didn’t want to keep any secrets between us."

Emily crossed her arms, leaning against a nearby tree. "And how do you feel about that?"

Anne’s fingers absentmindedly brushed over the bite mark on her neck, a constant reminder of the bond she shared with Damien. "I don’t know, honestly," she admitted. "Part of me understands why he did it. He wanted to protect me, to keep me safe. But... another part of me feels like there are too many secrets in this pack. Too many things are done behind the scenes, and I’m not sure I’m okay with that."

Emily frowned, her gaze flicking towards Damien, who seemed to sense them talking about him but didn’t approach. "Yeah, I get it," she said softly. "It’s not easy when you realise how deep things go. But do you trust him?"

Anne was silent for a long moment, her eyes thoughtful. "I do. I just... I need to figure out how to navigate all of this."

Emily nodded, understanding the complexity of Anne’s situation. She herself was still grappling with her own issues with Chris’s confession. Trust was hard to come by in this world, but it was necessary if they were going to survive it.

"You must forgive him." Emily said suddenly.

Anne looked up, surprised by Emily’s statement. "Forgive him?" she repeated, unsure of how to proceed.

Emily nodded, her eyes full of empathy. "Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or excusing what he did, but you both have been through a lot." She leaned closer and whispered. "And if you get mad at him wont that make his witch of a mother happy ?"

Anne chuckled.

"You’re right," Anne admitted, her shoulders relaxing just a little. "I can’t let her come between us. Not again." She glanced back at Damien, watching him move through the crowd, his brow furrowed as he spoke with some pack members. He looked tired, like the weight of everything was pressing down on him more than usual.

"Thanks, Em. I needed to hear that."

Emily nodded, her expression serious again. "But seriously... if you ever need to punch Damien in the face, I’ll be here to hold him down for you."

Anne laughed, shaking her head. "I’ll keep that in mind."

"How are things between you and Chris?" Anne asked.

Emily let out a long sigh, folding her arms as she kicked at the loose dirt beneath her feet. "Complicated," she muttered.

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Complicated how?"

Emily hesitated, glancing back towards the gathering where Chris was standing with a few pack members, looking as distant and tense as ever. "He told me I was his mate."

Anne’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, he finally confessed?"

Emily nodded, still looking conflicted. "Yeah. He told me everything. But... I was mad at him. Not just because of that, but because he told me about Damien’s manipulation with Detective Fred. You know, the whole covering up the incident with you."

Anne’s expression softened with understanding. "He told you?"

Emily nodded, her hands dropping to her sides in frustration. "Yeah. I didn’t even know what to do with it at first. I mean, I was pissed. They were keeping secrets, and for what? To protect us? I get that part, but I hate feeling like I was left in the dark. Like I couldn’t be trusted."

Anne sighed, crossing her arms and looking out towards the bonfire. "I get it."

Emily let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "It’s like they think they’re doing us a favour by not telling us the whole truth."

"Exactly." Anne nodded in agreement. "But... we both know things aren’t that black and white. This world, it’s messy, and sometimes they do the wrong things for what they think are the right reasons."

Emily frowned, still unsure. "So, what am I supposed to do with that? Just forgive him for keeping me in the dark."

Anne was quiet for a moment, her gaze softening. "You know, Chris is a lot like Damien in that way. They both carry the weight of responsibility, and sometimes that means making decisions they think will protect us, even if it ends up hurting us."

Emily scoffed lightly. "So, what? I’m just supposed to let it go."