Fate of the Alpha's Mate

Chapter 5

Esme

Aunt Lacey thought that living with me would settle Kenzie down. I think it only made her determined to have me go out as much as possible. It seemed like every night she wanted to do something. We had been in the human town several times already, drank way too much and now she was trying to convince me to go to some game night at the packhouse. Even though Lucas and I had our talk a few nights ago, I still don’t feel comfortable going to the packhouse. Finding out how to be friends would be a process. A process that I didn't know the steps to.

“Come on, you can’t hide forever,” she whined at me as she raided my closet.

“I'm not hiding,” I countered, though she wasn’t wrong. I am hiding, just not from who she thinks. I've managed to avoid Emily so far and know she will probably be there.

“It will be fun!” She giggled and came out of the closet with a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a black top with a low-cut neckline. “Put this on,” she added, throwing them at me.

“I never agreed to go,” I pouted, sitting on my bed with the clothes beside me knowing I don’t really have a choice. She will just keep going until I agree.

“You said you weren’t hiding. Which means you're going.” She smiled walking back into my closet.

“Fine,” I grumbled, snatching the outfit off of the bed and making my way to the bathroom.

“And put these on,” she laughed as she dropped a pair of heels on my bed and walked out of the room. I quickly threw on the outfit and touched up my makeup before pulling my heels on and heading downstairs to find Kenzie. She stood up when she heard my heels clicking on the stairs and waited by the door.

“You look amazing,” she smiled smugly at me. I feel way overdressed for a game night at the packhouse even though she is similarly dressed in heels and jeans with a cute crop top, her make-up much more dramatic than mine though.

“Since when is this a thing?” I asked her as we made our way over to the packhouse. We all used to get together all the time and hang out, but there were never official nights for gatherings like this.

“Like a year or so ago maybe. Lucas started doing different things to encourage everyone to socialize a little more. He has a big thing like once a month for the pups and their parents too. There are bounce houses and food trucks. It's a nice event for young families to get together and do with their kids. He started doing some teen nights in the packhouse. Sometimes it’s a movie, sometimes it’s a dance party. He tries to mix it up. Eventually, he added this game night for everyone around our age, no kids allowed because there is alcohol.” She explained and my heart felt full. It’s such an amazing thing for him to do. I can imagine it goes over really well and gives everyone a stronger sense of community and family in the pack. That was the Lucas I remembered.

We walked into the packhouse. I could hear music flowing from the entertainment room. The entertainment room was full of different games and activities for everyone to do. There were video games, arcade games, darts, pool tables, air hockey, and all kinds of board games lined in the cabinets. When we were teenagers, we hung out here a lot.

Kenzie pulled me to a makeshift bar that was set up against the far wall and ordered us drinks. I scanned the room and saw several people that I knew. Chase and I were really good friends growing up and I hadn't seen him since I'd been back. I saw him playing pool, so I made my way over to the table after we got our drinks. He took his shot and looked up with a huge grin on his face when he saw me. He stood to his full height, and I was shocked. He had grown significantly since the last time I saw him. He is a year younger and was just starting his senior year when I left. His small build had filled out and his muscles pulled against the arms of his t-shirt. His cocky grin is exactly as I remember it as his green eyes flashed at mine.

“Esme!” He shouted and moved to me with open arms. He pulled me into a tight hug and then handed me a cue. “Play with me,” he said and started grabbing the balls from the pockets.

“How’s it going?” I asked as he racked the balls.

“Good, really good. We’ve missed you around here.” He smiled and took his break shot. His first ball slipped into the side pocket, giving him stripes. He moved to take another shot and I saw Emily out of the corner of my eye, staring at us.

“I'm happy to be home.” I smiled at him, trying to ignore her. My stomach rolled with adrenaline knowing that I would probably have to speak to her at some point.

“Well, look who showed up,” Lucas called from behind me, running his hand over the small of my back as he walked up to the table. He used to always do that when he approached me when we were younger. It was almost instinctive now. My body came alive at his touch and craved it but I tossed him a smile and moved just out of his reach. I had no right to feel that way.

I knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but we needed to ease into a friendship and establish boundaries if we have any hope of moving forward. I also didn't want to give Emily any reason to hate me.

“Someone had to come to beat you,” I shot back at him with a smirk, moving further from him. Chase laughed and backed away from the table when he missed his shot.

“And you know she will,” Kenzie smiled, making her way over to Chase to say hi. I didn’t miss the flirtatious smile she shot him and reminded myself to ask her later about it.

“Doesn’t this just look cozy?” Emily sneered as she came up to the table. Lucas’s face fell and my stomach dropped at her voice. “Hey, baby,” she added, possessively snaking her arm around Lucas’s waist. I didn’t miss her eyes glaring at me, but I chose to ignore it. I refuse to allow myself to be petty to her. Again, boundaries for Lucas and I. Besides, his mate is not my business. Chosen or otherwise.

I made my way around the table and took my shot without a word. I caught the sneer on her face. I knew meeting her would be awkward. I didn’t expect her to be so blatantly hostile though. I sunk my shot in the corner pocket and moved around the table to line up my next shot. The tension was thick, and no one knew what to say leaving us in an awkward silence. I sunk my next ball in and again moved to line up my next shot.

“Wow,” Emily snarled across from me, but I ignored her. “Could you be more obvious?” she asked. I glanced up to see who she was talking to and noticed she was staring at me.

“Me?” I asked, my eyebrows pulled together in confusion. What in the hell was she talking about?

“Yes you,” she sneered. “Lining your shot up perfectly to be sure Lucas has a full view of your tits.” She spit venomously. My eyes grew wide at her accusation. I stood up straight to see if she was even serious right now.

“That’s enough,” Lucas growled at her.

“That’s right, your precious Esme is off limits,” she huffed at him. “Watch yourself,” she growled at me and turned to walk away.

“I'm so sorry,” Lucas tried to apologize, moving toward me.

“Don’t you apologize for me,” Emily snarled, turning back toward us. Lucas opened his mouth, but I put my hand up to stop him. I could handle her without him causing more problems in his relationship. If we had any chance of having a friendship, Emily and I were going to need to have an understanding.

“I know you seem to be a bit jealous of me, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you are not just a complete b***h all the time. However, I will not stand here and allow you to disrespect me.” I snapped at her and saw the satisfied smile on Lucas and Kenzie’s faces. I tried to give everyone a chance, but I wouldn't sit back while she attacked my character.

“You seem to be confused. You think I'm jealous of you?” She smirked, rolling her eyes. “He chose me,” she sneered, running her fingernail down his chest. Lucas grabbed her hand and pushed it away. I didn't miss the disgusted look on his face, but it wasn't my place.

“You keep telling yourself that,” I smirked at her and handed my cue to Chase. “I think I'm done. Thanks for the game.” I smiled at him and walked away. The adrenaline was pumping through my body. I knew I needed to walk away before the situation escalated. Selene was ready to tear her apart for touching Lucas. She didn’t agree that we should respect his choices, especially when his choice was such a b***h.

“Esme, wait!” Lucas called after me, but I kept walking, ignoring him. I made my way into the foyer to leave and glanced at the stairs. I decided to head up to see my parents since I was already here.

My first interaction with Emily was down and she was exactly what I expected. She and I would never be friends. The level of jealousy told me just how insecure she was in her relationship. Lucas cringed at her touch. At least she won't be something I will have to tolerate in the long term. It's obvious he doesn't love her, even she can tell. This made me wonder again what would make him be in a relationship that he was that unhappy in.