I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

Chapter 19

Emily's POV

"Come on," Ethan said quietly. "You know this dance. We've danced it a million times."

His voice reached me from somewhere very, very far away because my soul had officially left my body. It was probably floating somewhere near the chandelier while the rest of me stood frozen under a spotlight in front of half the pack.

I couldn't feel my legs. I couldn't feel my hands. I couldn't even feel my dignity.

All I felt was panic. Massive, overwhelming panic.

Okay, Emily, I tried to tell myself. Calm down. You've got this.

I had watched enough dance scenes in movies. Girls did this all the time. How hard could it be? All you had to do was move those limbs to that rhythm, expect I couldn't hear the rhythm from what was playing.

Suddenly, this wasn't just dancing anymore. This was survival…and I was a ballerina with two left feet.

I carefully lifted one foot. Ethan immediately leaned closer.

"You can't remember, can you?"

I looked at him desperately. "Help."

A soft chuckle escaped him. The annoying thing was that it wasn't even a mean chuckle. It was warm, fhrbkind that said, “I've got this.”

"I've got you," he said. "Just listen to me and you'll be fine. It will come easily to you…you're a natural.”

I swallowed. I was a natural disaster.

He adjusted our grip despite the storm brewing in my chest.

"Left foot."

I lifted.

"Good."

That was a lie. Nothing about the move was good.

"Now follow me."

The music carried on and I stumbled through it. Sometimes I swung too far. Sometimes I moved too slowly. Sometimes I completely forgot which foot belonged to which side. And most of the time, I stepped directly on Ethan.

Good thing he didn't complain. Instead, he smiled through the pain. If I could see Vivian's face right now, she would probably be planning my funeral. Thankfully, all I could see was darkness beyond the spotlight.

It was just me, and my ongoing battle against public humiliation.

The silence stretched, and the stupid music kept playing. Ethan didn't seem bothered Unfortunately, silence and I had never been friends. The more nervous I became, the more I talked. And looking back, speaking was probably the worst decision I had made all night.

Maybe all week.

Possibly all year.

"Dancing is a lot like molecules arranging themselves, isn't it?" Ethan said.

The question caught me completely off guard.

Molecules wasn't something I expected Ethan to talk about. But it was my favorite subject. And the conversation suddenly felt like the one thing in this entire mansion that actually made sense.

If I had stopped to think for even two seconds, I would have realized it was a trap.

Unfortunately, my brain was too excited to talk about chemistry, too excited that I forgot I was actually in Mary's body, attending Mary's party, and in the arms of Mary's boyfriend.

"Not really," I said automatically.

Ethan's brow lifted.

I continued before common sense could tackle me to the ground.

"Molecules don't dance unless you're talking about Brownian motion. But right now, I'm dancing like a duck with two left feet.”

The words left my mouth. Then everything stopped.

Not literally.

The music continued. We continued dancing.And the room remained exactly the same.

But inside my head?

Everything stopped.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

I slowly lifted my gaze toward Ethan. His expression had changed. He was looking at me like he had discovered something. His gaze was suddenly sharp, the kind that made your stomach fall through the floor.

Mary didn't know Brownian motion. Maybe brownies. But not a motion about haphazard movement of molecules.

For a few seconds neither of us spoke.

Then I laughed nervously, trying to salvage the moment. "I mean..." I cleared my throat. "What do I know about chemistry?"

Maybe I shouldn't have said anything because the moment I did, Ethan stopped dancing. The music continued around us, unaware of the impending disaster.

Suddenly, Ethan was no longer gentle. He tightened his grip around my wrist and I knew I had messed up. My heartbeat exploded in effect.

Moon goddess, he knew. Was this the time to take me back to my body. Lessons learnt.

Ethan stared at me the way a hunter stared at prey after finally finding it.

"Mary doesn't know Brownian motion,” he said.

My pulse skipped.

"And that comment about dancing with two left feet…"

I swallowed hard.

Ethan leaned closer, his grip tightening. I couldn't even fight it. I couldn't even think of something to say to defend myself.

His voice dropped. "So either you've developed a sudden interest in chemistry...and you're defending omegas and giving them front row cheerleading act…”

His eyes locked onto mine.

"...or you're not Mary."

My lungs forgot how to work. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move…I couldn't even think.

The music faded into background, and all I could hear was the rapid beating of my heart…and the spotlight suddenly felt hotter and brighter.

Ethan studied my face and I wondered if he knew. Every second stretched painfully.

Then he said the one name I had spent an entire week trying not to become.

"Emily.”