I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

CHAPTER 13

Emily

Living as Mary Saint Laurent was slowly making me go crazy. And not in the glamorous, dramatic way rich girls on reality TV claimed they were “spiraling.”

No.

I was genuinely beginning to lose it.

By the time school ended that day, I was exhausted from pretending to be somebody else. Pretending to smile like Mary. Pretending not to flinch whenever Ethan got too close. And acting like I belonged in giant cars and oversized mansions where the chandeliers cost more than my family’s rent.

I wanted home. Not Mary’s mansion.

Mine.

I missed my mother’s food. I missed my brother’s stupidity. I even missed our noisy ceiling fan that sounded like it was battling demons every night.

I just wanted to see home again.Even if it was only for an hour. So I came up with the perfect excuse.

Extra lessons.

Technically, it wasn’t even a complete lie because I was absolutely about to teach Mary enough chemistry so she stopped mixing chemicals the wrong way and embarrassing me.

I changed quickly and headed downstairs before I could overthink it. Vivienne’s voice echoed from the kitchen before I even reached the entrance.

“You overcooked the steak again!”

I pitied the poor maid. I could already imagine her getting slapped.

I slipped my shoes on quickly.

“I’m going for extra lessons!” I shouted toward the kitchen. “I’ll be back soon!”

I didn’t wait for permission. Waiting for Vivienne’s response felt too much like volunteering for disappointment. I grabbed the car keys and escaped immediately.

And yes, I drove myself. Because there was absolutely no way I was letting the driver follow me around when he would only tell Vivienne that I'd been at an Omega's house.

The drive home felt strange.

Mary’s expensive car looked completely ridiculous in my neighborhood. It stood out like a billionaire accidentally wandered into the wrong neighborhood.

The moment I parked, my chest tightened.

Home.

God, I missed home.

The walls were old, the paint was peeling slightly, and the front door still looked crooked because Adrian broke it three years ago trying to impress a girl with “martial arts.”

But it was home.

And for the first time in days, I could breathe properly. I stepped out of the car quickly and almost crashed into Adrian. He stood near the entrance staring at me in complete confusion…which made sense.

Because Mary Saint Laurent standing outside our house looked as unnatural as a wolf attending vegan therapy.

For one dangerous second, I almost hugged him. I genuinely wanted to even though he was technically a part of whatever happened to me.

But I missed him.

I missed him annoying me every morning. I missed him putting toothpaste on my face while I slept. I missed him hiding my textbooks. I even missed the shaving cream incident that nearly got him murdered.

But then reality slapped me. I wasn’t Emily right now. So instead, I awkwardly cleared my throat.

“I’m looking for Emily Carter.”

Adrian blinked twice. “You and Emily are friends now?”

The disbelief in his voice offended me slightly.

“Well…” I hesitated. “People evolve.”

He looked amused. “Yeah. Emily’s definitely changed.”

If only he knew.

He stepped aside and motioned for me to enter.

“Come in. I’ll call her.”

The moment I stepped inside, warmth wrapped around me instantly. Not physical warmth, emotional warmth. The house smelled like food and familiarity. Not like Mary's pristine mansion with Vivienne brooding around like an uncaged demon.

Adrian disappeared upstairs while I sat stiffly in the living room trying not to cry. Then footsteps sounded.

Mary appeared. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened.

“What are you doing here?”

I immediately stood and grabbed her wrist before she could start screaming.

“I’m saving my academic future,” I hissed, dragging her toward the dining area.

She looked horrified. “You drove here?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “Did you expect me to sit comfortably while you fail all my classes?”

“I am not failing.”

“You questioned gravity today.”

“Because it makes no sense. How do you give numbers to something that doesn't exist and isn't even polite enough to round it up to something memorable?”

I pulled out a chair aggressively. “Sit.”

That was when I noticed the outfit. And immediately regretted having eyes.

My shirt was now a crop top. She had cut more than half of the material so the fabric stopped just beneath her chest while she wore the shorts I never wear out. It was underwear.

I stared at her in horror. “What are you wearing?”

Mary looked down casually. “Clothes.”

“Those are not clothes. Those are threats to public decency.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down. “I’m at home.”

“Brother Col is around!”

That finally got a reaction. She looked up slowly.

“Brother Col?” she repeated. “Please never say that again. It sounds really concerning. He's not your brother.

.”

Technically, he was. Col has been friends with my brother for a long time and he's been coming to our house since I was seven. He was more family than her, so he was brother Col.

I ignored her and opened my books immediately. Teaching Mary was one of the hardest things I had ever experienced. And I once tried explaining social media trends to my mother. That didn't sit anywhere near my frustration level with Mary.

She questioned everything.

Absolutely everything.

“Why does sodium react like that?”

“Because it does.”

“But why?”

“Because science says so.”

“And why does gravity exist?”

I stared at her blankly. “You are currently sitting on a chair because gravity exists.”

“Yes, but why?”

At one point, I genuinely considered dropping out of school before she genuinely embarrassed me in class with these questions..

Still, somewhere beneath all the drama and stupidity, there were functioning brain cells. Tiny and weak, but present enough to remember you don't add water to an acid.

Eventually, Adrian came downstairs carrying his PlayStation like it was a newborn child. He barely acknowledged us before settling into the living room. But I kept glancing at him anyway. And somehow, seeing him sitting there playing games so casually made my chest ache.

Mary noticed immediately.

“There’s nothing special about a guy who plays games all day and only stands up to eat,” she muttered.

I looked down at my notebook quietly. “I used to think so too.” I smiled faintly. “Now I miss him.” And before I could stop myself, I added softly.

“I miss my mom too. I miss her pancakes.”

Mary scoffed immediately. “She made those pancakes this morning.”

My head snapped toward her.

“Really?”

“She made pancakes,” Mary repeated carelessly. “I didn’t eat them.”

I stared at her in horror. “You what?”

“It’s not my favorite food.”

I abandoned the books instantly. There was no way in hell I was letting homemade pancakes by my mom go uneaten. I hurried toward the kitchen so fast I almost slipped.

And the moment I entered, I froze.

Col stood there, fixing something in the sink. He glanced up when I entered. And for one embarrassing second, I remembered last summer. How suddenly he started looking different with broader shoulders, sharper jaw, and that stupid smile.

I had worked extremely hard killing that crush.

Unfortunately, being in Mary’s body suddenly made the crush feel socially acceptable again.

I straightened slightly. “Hi.”

He looked mildly surprised. “Mary?”

I nodded with a stupid smile.

“You’re friends with Emily now?” he asked casually.

“Not technically. I needed a favour.”

He nodded once, like he was distracted. “Good. She needs more friends.”

Friends with a rich Alpha?

Also, he called me Emily now? Not Poochie? Not the ridiculous nickname I hated but couldn't tell him.

I grabbed the pancakes quickly and escaped back toward the dining room before I said something that was going to blow the cover. Teaching Mary continued for another painful hour before I finally left.

At least I left happier.

I had seen my home and Adrian. I had eaten pancakes. And successfully prevented Mary from failing chemistry tomorrow.

By the time I returned to the Saint Laurent mansion, I was hoping to sneak upstairs quietly. Which was stupid optimism. Because Vivienne Saint Laurent was already waiting near the entrance.

Her eyes landed on me immediately.

“Where were you?”

I tried to stay calm.

“I told you already,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Extra lessons.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes. I heard that part.”

Something about her tone made my stomach tighten.

“Where exactly did you go?”

“I went to Joye’s house,” I answered quickly. “Joye, Clara, Sasha, and I studied together. The semester is becoming difficult and we can't afford to fail.”

Vivienne stared at me for a long moment. Then she smiled slightly.

It was a terrifying smile.

“Joye?” she repeated softly.

My heartbeat slowed dangerously; it almost counted as hypotension.

“Yes.”

“That’s interesting,” she said. “Because Joye and the others were here looking for you.”

Oh no.

My stomach dropped instantly.

Vivienne stepped closer slowly. “So tell me again, Mary.”

Her eyes hardened.

“Where did you really go?”

And when she raised her hand, I knew exactly what was coming.

But not this time, I told myself.