7 - Forever

The door's lock clicked again as my mom let the Alpha and his son into our house, which was supposed to be somewhere I felt safe.

Instead, I felt the electric pull of a mate bond from a mate who didn't want me.

Emmet walked past me and sat in an armchair like he owned the place.

"What're you doing here, in my house? Don't you think you've done enough?! Get out!" I snapped.

"Keep that attitude. I dare you," he growled, and the way his eyes drilled into me chilled me to the bone.

Without responding, I stared back and eventually tore my eyes from his, backing down from the challenge he posed.

Only after my submission did the Alpha speak. "I'm sorry for arriving unannounced."

He didn't sound sorry.

Studying me, he continued, "But I came to make sure you were alright."

"She's not feeling her best," My mom answered, telling the truth when I would have preferred a lie.

The soft footsteps of someone who didn't want to be caught eavesdropping whispered in my ears, and I whipped my head away from our guests toward upstairs to see Arden peeking over the banister.

While scowling at the curiosity gleaming in her pale blue eyes, a light flashed to Arden's left.

"Crap!" Harper snatched her phone from the tripod stand she'd placed on the floor.

"Mom, she's trying to record!" My voice cracked.

"Harper Violet, put that phone away!"

As soon as my sister listened, Mom snapped, "Now get in your room, and don't come out until I say otherwise!"

I had to admit that my mom yelling at us like we were still five was impressive, especially when it was Harper she was scolding.

The girl had the attitude of a pit viper, and I half expected her to start screaming, but in front of our guests, she only frowned and slinked toward the stairs.

"No! Come here," Alpha Callum barked.

Harper tiptoed down the stairs, then stood behind Mom, probably for some false sense of security.

When Callum clenched his jaw, my mom stepped to the side, revealing my older sister so he could see her as he disciplined her.

"That a member of my pack would broadcast her sister's pain disturbs me. Starting Monday, you'll be on the community cleanup crew. Expect a text from Delta Laura with the details."

Harper's eyes widened, and a sick satisfaction twisted in my stomach.

"You're dismissed, Harper," Alpha Callum said, then took a seat in our other armchair and motioned toward the couch while staring at my mom. "Sit."

Obediently, my mom listened but quickly hopped back up. "Sorry, I was making lunch! If I let it go any longer, it'll burn!"

The Alpha's hand rolled through the air, dismissing her, and he nodded slowly before setting his briefcase on the coffee table.

The latches clicked, and he pulled out a folder.

Rifling through the papers, he slipped one from the folder and slid it across the table toward me.

"You understand that my son has rejected you?"

"He made it pretty clear," I mumbled.

"I thought I did, too." The muscles in Emmet's jaw rippled as he pulled his from his pocket. "So why'd you post this?"

The screen's bright light flooded my face as he held it up where I could see.

Posted from my account was some stock photo of a heart and the caption: Em & Em Forever.

I gasped and shook my head while embarrassment heated my cheeks. "I didn't! Someone must've hacked my account!"

"Because of your circumstances, I'll forgive the name-calling, and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you aren't lying. Now, let's move on." Alpha Callum shoved a pen into my hand.

"Since you acknowledge his rejection, sign here."

He pointed to a large 'X' at the bottom.

I gripped the pen tighter, and a hole nearly poked through the paper while trying to make my signature.

"Fantastic," Emmet muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alpha Callum set his hand on top of mine and tugged it away from the paper. Meeting my teary gaze, he instructed, "Breathe."

Shutting my eyes for the comfort of darkness, I inhaled and exhaled. Slowly, my rough, choppy breaths steadied, and I forced myself to open my eyes.

The brilliant blue of Callum's eyes still swam in from of me, and the warmth of his hand remained on my skin.

"Are you calm enough to put your name instead of a hole?"

I wasn't sure if I was or not, which meant I probably wasn't. The pull I'd felt the other night was still there, clouding my head, but it didn't feel warm and fuzzy like before.

It felt like a magnet pulling me closer and closer to a pool of caustic waste.

Callum assured me, "It's better if you sign so we can all move on."

Move on from a feeling that consumed my soul… How could I do something like that?

The pen dropped from my hand and clattered onto the coffee table.

Pathetically, I wanted to be with someone who didn't desire to be with me at all, and I wasn't ready to let Emmet have the closure he needed to be rid of me.

My silence must've been irritating them both.

The warmth of the Alpha's hand suddenly left mine, and Emmet rubbed his temples like I'd given him a headache.

"This shouldn't be so hard for you. You said it was clear, so what are you doing?" Emmet sighed. Despite looking disappointed, he seemed fine. Not like his entire world had erupted into flames.

It wasn't fair.

While my head swirled with misery, I uttered, "I… can't."

Emmet's eyes flashed a brilliant silver, and he slammed a balled hand into the table. "Yes, you can! Hurry up and sign that form! There are three more after it. Sign those, too!"

My heart raced from the anger in his voice, and then silence so thick I could run my hand through descended on us.

The flashing of Callum's and Emmet's eyes made it evident that it wasn't silent for them, so while they had their exchange, I read through the documents.

They outlined and detailed many things, most of which included me limiting all contact with Emmet, agreeing not to seek any revenge, and keeping his name off my social media.

What it all boiled down to was that I wasn't allowed to cause any kind of trouble or voice any negative opinion about what happened.

They weren't even paying me for my silence, and why would they? The Alpha and his son could do whatever they wanted in Goldcrest.

My body trembled from helplessness and frustration, but Alpha Callum must've mistaken it for fear.

In a soothing tone, he said, "Emery, this is all simply to protect both you and Emmet from media backlash as well as help you heal."

"Keeping me quiet fixes how I feel, huh?" I muttered while shaking my head, then shoved the papers across the table. "I'm not doing this!"

Burning rage radiated from the men across from me, and Callum's fingers clawed into the arm of the chair. I instantly regretted raising my voice.

Heart thumping, I swallowed and whispered, "It's… I just…"

"It's too soon," Alpha Callum nodded very slowly, as if coming to terms with the idea that I wasn't ready, but though his tone was even, his eyes glinted dangerously. "For now, delete the post."

Right. The phantom post. Wanting that gone as much as they did, I pulled up the app and deleted it, then showed him it was done.

"Great. Come by the house tomorrow evening at five to sign the documents."

He handed me a card. "Call first."

As soon as I accepted the business card, I had the urge to crumple it, but I stilled my fingers until they'd left.

"Come on, Emmet," Alpha Callum urged.

His dark-haired son didn't move from his spot in the armchair. "Dad, I have plans tonight. If she doesn't accept it, then..."

Though he trailed off, I knew what he meant. Pain clenched my heart in its unyielding fist, and I choked, "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I would." Emmet finally stood. His nostrils flared, and the muscles of his jaw repeatedly twitched. "It's my life, and you're not part of it. If you'd just sever the mate bond, we could both be free of it."

"Even the Goddess can make mistakes, but if she's not ready to accept it, perhaps she'll be ready tomorrow," his father said quietly as he gathered all his papers.

They rustled as he straightened them, then slipped into the folder with a soft thunk.

While returning everything to the briefcase, he lifted his eyes to me. "Emery, I will keep Emmet home tonight so you can make sense of things. Consider it a kindness that you'll repay with your signature."

Alpha Callum pulled out his wallet and passed me a business card.

As I took it, he demanded, "Be at the packhouse tomorrow at five in the evening."

Emmet's lip curled, but he said nothing else as he rose from the chair.

I watched them leave and then headed back to my bedroom.

After slamming the door behind me and locking it, I dropped onto my bed and lay there for a few minutes.

Someone knocked once, and I called out, "Leave me alone!"

"Are you okay?" Mom asked.

Not answering, I groaned and buried my head in the pillow.

"I'm sorry. I should've come sooner."

Whether she was there or not probably wouldn't have made a difference.

"You were busy."

"I could've turned the burner off," she sighed. "But I was afraid I'd make everything worse. My emotions are… a roller coaster at best. I'm glad they're gone."

So was I, but I knew I didn't need to say it for her to know that.

After a quiet pause, mom softly asked, "Em, do you want to come down for lunch?"

I shook my head, almost forgetting she couldn't see me, then said, "No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

Her footsteps retreated, and I finally removed my head from my pillow and grabbed my controller.

I grabbed my controller, trying to play games, but after losing over and over, I cried about much more than the game.

Shutting everything down, I slumped into bed.

The comfort I expected to feel after cocooning myself in the blanket never came. I felt hollow.

Worse than hollow. I didn't know how to fix it, but I knew I couldn't just stay in bed all day.