Intransigent

Intransigent | 18

Chapter 18

Emma's POV

I was fidgeting in excitement when we pulled up the driveway to the pack house and Ashton put the car in park. I lunged for the door handle only to be stopped by Ashton's hand on my shoulder.

"I'll open the door for you," Ashton told me.

I flopped back into my seat impatiently and Ashton smiled as he slid out of the door and came quickly around to my side. I took Ashton's offered hand and slid out of the car, a bright grin taking up residence on my face. I was home.

A door slammed and we all looked up in surprise to see Elizabeth running down the porch stairs, tears streaming down her face with a squealing Lisa right behind her.

I laughed, opening my arms right before Elizabeth slammed into me. Lisa was right behind her, now tall enough to be able to wrap her arms around my waist instead of my legs. I wrapped an arm around Lisa and one around Elizabeth, squeezing them tightly as my parents and Will and Aly walked over to us with smiles on their faces.

"Emma!" Lisa cried. "I was so scared for you!"

Loosening my grip on Elizabeth, I leaned down to look in Lisa's eyes. "I was scared for me, too," I told her, "but I'm just fine now that I'm back again."

"Was it scary?" she asked, looking up at me with big eyes.

"It was very scary, but girls are strong," I told her with a wink. "We can make it through anything."

She grinned back, doing a fist pump. "Girl power!" she exclaimed, making everyone laugh.

"Girl power," I agreed. "Plus, I had a wonderful friend to keep me company. Lisa, Elizabeth, this is Rick."

Rick grinned charmingly as they turned to him and shook their hands. "You took care of our Emma?" Elizabeth asked him.

There was a flash of pain in his eyes before he covered it and said, "I did my absolute best."

Elizabeth patted him on the shoulder and gave him a smile before turning to Ashton and Dane. "And who are these two handsome young men?" she asked me.

I grinned, walking over to them and taking Ashton's hand. "Elizabeth, this is my mate, Ashton, and his beta, Dane."

Elizabeth was squealing before I'd even finished the introduction and ripped Ashton away from me in a bone crushing hug. He didn't seem to know what to do as he slowly returned her hug and I couldn't help but chuckle at him.

When she let him go he came right back to my side and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. "Where is everyone?" I asked, as we all walked towards the door. There's normally a bunch of people at the pack house.

"Your father told them to keep their distance until the party tonight. He wanted you to have some time to rest before meeting everyone," my mom answered.

I nodded in understanding. "It wouldn't have bothered me if people were here now," I told him.

He rolled his eyes. "I know you wouldn't be bothered, but I would be. Relax and enjoy being home. They'll all be happy to wait a couple more hours."

I rolled my eyes right back at him. I would have been completely fine with the pack being here when I got here, but I could wait for the party to see everyone. "When is the party?" I asked.

"Tonight at six," my mom replied. "The entire pack will be there as well as many of our allies that are happy to know you've returned."

I grinned at the thought of networking again. I had absolutely loved helping my dad with inter-pack affairs. His office was like my second home. Hopefully Ashton wouldn't have a problem with me helping him with pack business. If he did, he'd just have to get over it.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Lisa grabbed my hand and began pulling me towards the house with an eager grin on her face. "You're just in time to help with dinner!" she exclaimed happily.

I laughed while Elizabeth scolded her. "Lisa, Emma is tired. She doesn't want to help us in the kitchen today."

Lisa looked up at Elizabeth with the saddest eyes ever and I squeezed her hand. "How about Ashton and I keep you company in the kitchen and make cookies?" I suggested, knowing that I could sit and relax while making cookies.

Ashton's arm tightened around my shoulders and he had an unsure look on his face. I patted his back and said, "I'll teach you," referring to making cookies.

My parents laughed as we all headed inside. They branched off towards my dad's office while I lead Ashton towards the kitchen with Lisa and Elizabeth. Dane and Rick didn't really know what else to do, so they followed us into the kitchen as well.

We sat around the island and Elizabeth put all the cookie ingredients and measuring cups on the counter. I started giving everyone at the island directions and measurements to make. As they followed directions and dumped everything in the large silver mixing bowl, I stirred it.

Elizabeth and Lisa were chatting easily with us as Elizabeth continued to work on dinner and Lisa brought us anything we still needed so that we didn't have to get up. Lisa also took the pans full of cookies to the oven for us.

We spent a good two hours in the kitchen making and frosting cookies while Lisa and Elizabeth happily filled me in on what had been happening in the pack for the past couple years. It was worse than I thought, and I knew that Elizabeth was sugar coating the depression the pack had fallen into.

There were no questions about my time in the past couple years. Elizabeth wouldn't bring it up in front of Lisa and no one wanted to ruin the little bit of fun we were all having.

The guys hadn't been sure about making cookies but by the time Lisa carried a bunch of frosting to the island they were grinning like little boys. Frosting could do that to just about anyone, even a big bad alpha that was currently wrestling with his beta and trying to rub frosting into each other's faces while Rick and I watched with happy smiles.

We did eventually finish the cookies though, and then it was time to get ready for the party. My parents showed up in the kitchen to let us know and lead Rick and Dane to guest rooms so they could get ready. I just took Ashton's hand and lead him up to my room.

I paused in front of the door, my hand hovering over the knob. I hadn't been in this room in two years, the last time being on my seventeenth birthday. I was nervous to open the door and discover just how much I'd truly changed while I was a prisoner. How my view of the world had changed as I was tortured day after day with no reprieve.

Opening this door, facing everything I used to have, would force me to face the old me, the one that wasn't here anymore. I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. I felt Ashton place his hand on my lower back and looked up into his eyes. All I got from him was comfort. No matter what, he would be by my side.

I took a deep breath and grabbed the knob and twisted. I threw the door open and stared into the room that looked the exact same now as it did two years ago. Nothing had changed, not even the pile of pajamas that were still sitting on the floor just outside my closet door. The room was still done in soft shades of blue with turtles and seahorses the leading theme.

With absolutely no warning at all, I crumpled to the floor in uncontrollable sobs. Ashton scooped me up immediately and carried me to the bed where he sat down to cradle me in his lap. He whispered soft, comforting words in my ear, but I couldn't help the endless cries pouring from my body.

This room represented how innocent and trusting I was two years ago and now all of that was destroyed. I was abused, distrusting and broken. I would eventually heal, but the scars would never let me be the same. That reality crashed down on me harder than ever and there was nothing I could do except curl closer to my mate, wrap my hands in his shirt and let it all out.

And so I did.

~~~*~~~Author's Note~~~*~~~

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope that it's a good one! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

It's the last one I had prewritten, but don't worry, I'll still be updating on time. This week is going to be crazy busy for me, but I'll have this weekend to write the next chapter and hopefully a few extras next week since it will be spring break :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

~Haley~