Chapter 8- EMILY'S P.O.V
806 Words
Hey guys," Diane said, but none of them responded. Two were caught up in a football debate while another boy tapped away on his phone like we didn’t exist.
"I’m not talking to myself here," she muttered. That got their attention. The two guys arguing looked up, and the one who looked just like Diane said, "Oh hey," but he wasn’t talking to her—he was looking at me.
"Hi," I said politely, but curiosity was already poking at me.
"Um, sorry to ask, but… are you and Diane twins?" I asked.
Instant laughter erupted. Diane rolled her eyes as the guy with red hair elbowed the twin. "Told you she’d ask. You all owe me five bucks."
"Yes, Diane and I are twins," the boy confirmed, smirking.
"Okay, okay, enough already," Diane groaned.
"Yeah, we should calm down. Wouldn’t want to upset the queen," her brother teased. Everyone stifled laughter as Diane gave a death glare.
"She’s glaring," Red Hair said with exaggerated fear. Everyone dropped their smiles like a switch had been flipped. I tried not to laugh, but a giggle escaped.
"You too, huh?" Diane said, narrowing her eyes at me.
"I’m sorry," I muttered, head bowed, trying to suppress my grin.
"Anyway," she said, regaining control, "that’s not why we’re here."
"I thought we were here to eat. It is lunchtime," her twin added, shrugging.
I liked him already.
Diane glanced at me and shook her head playfully. "Guys, this is Emily. Emily, meet the chaos crew."
The quiet guy finally looked up from his phone, met my eyes briefly, then looked away. For a second, I felt like something passed between us—unspoken.
I learned their names quickly. Diane’s twin was Dylan, the red-haired one was Zack, and the quiet guy was Ace. We sat, talked (well, they talked), and laughed (mostly I laughed). For once, I didn’t feel invisible.
The bell rang all too soon.
"I guess this is where we part ways," Zack said dramatically, clutching his heart. I laughed again.
We all waved goodbye and headed to our classes. I stopped by my locker to grab a book when—
"Ah!" I jumped as I shut my locker to see Dylan standing there.
"Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you," he chuckled.
"You did!"
"I saw you and figured I’d walk you to class."
We walked side by side down the hall. I could tell he wanted to ask something. He kept glancing at me.
"You can just say it. You’re giving me goosebumps," I teased.
He laughed. "Okay. I just wanted to ask—why the hoodie?"
I stiffened slightly. Not this question.
He noticed. "You don’t have to tell me. I won’t ask again."
I nodded, thankful for the way he respected my silence.
We reached my classroom.
"So, this is it," he said.
"Yeah. If your teacher asks why you’re late, just say Emily Parker held you hostage."
He laughed. "I’m always fashionably late."
I smiled. "I think I like you already."
"Really? I think the feeling’s mutual."
We laughed. I waved and stepped into class.
—
The rest of the day passed in a blur. When school ended, I spotted Diane and Teresa waving and waved back.
"I see you’ve made new friends," Dad said as I got into the car.
"Good afternoon, Dad."
"That’s not an answer."
I smirked. "They’re nice."
"Still dodging."
"Okay, okay. I guess I have."
He smiled. "Told you so."
At home, I showered, ate dinner with my family, then went upstairs. I lay in bed and, for the first time since moving here, felt like I was actually starting to belong.
---
LOGAN'S P.O.V.
After my evening run, I sensed someone tailing me.
"Come out," I said, using my Alpha voice.
A guard stepped from the trees, head bowed. "Beta Dylan sent me. The elders have called a meeting."
"I didn’t authorize a meeting," I muttered.
"They insisted."
"Tell them I’ll be there," I growled.
As soon as he vanished, I shifted back to wolf form and raced toward the pack house, adrenaline pumping.
When I arrived, I shifted and pulled on my jeans just as I reached the gate. Inside, I spotted Dylan and Zack pacing while Ace sat, casually glued to his phone.
"What’s going on?" I asked.
"What took you so long?" Dylan said.
"I was running. What’s this about?"
"The elders," Zack said, "are meeting to find you a Luna."
A growl tore from my throat before I could stop it. Max, my wolf, was already pushing forward.
Why would they do this when we already have a mate? Max snarled.
"Let’s go," I said, jaw clenched.
We stormed into the meeting room. A guard opened the door and the elders stood.
"Alpha Logan," they greeted.
This was going to be a problem.
- Writer
