My alpha [D. Hale]

27. When his beta disappeared

Derek stopped picking up Emily when she got off work. He stopped talking to her. The girl was not at all surprised by his behavior.

It was easier for her when she didn't see him. She wouldn't know what to do if they met.

She would have wanted to throw herself around his neck, but she knew that was not possible. Not in the way she wanted to.

Emily was just leaving the building of the company where she worked when she noticed a certain werewolf waiting nearby.

And it wasn't Derek.

When the werewolf heard the door open, he turned and smiled at Emily.

'Hey, Emily. ' he said.

Emily just nodded her head. The werewolf continued to speak.

'I'm Ennis. I came with Deucalion. '

'So what? '

The werewolf sighed. He was tall, taller than Derek and bald. Emily knew that he was the one who had bitten Paige and led her to her death.

'Deucalion wants to see you. I just wanted to tell you that one thing... '

The girl looked at Ennis and shook her head.

'You can tell him I don't want to see him. '

She started to walk towards the house when the werewolf grabbed her arm. It squeezed her tightly and Emily hissed in pain.

'Let me go. ' she said looking at him angrily.

Ennis smiled and released his grip. Emily pulled her arm out of his grasp.

'I think I'm going to like you. ' he said quietly.

'The feeling is not returned. '

Ennis grabbed Emily's arm again and pinned her against the wall of the building. He only used one hand, but it was strong enough to immobilize the girl and prevent her from escaping.

Emily tried to break free of his grip and when she couldn't, she kicked him in the crotch. That didn't help much either.

Ennis smiled broadly at Emily's attempts to break free.

'Predatory you are. ' he said.

The girl had tears in her eyes and at the sight of them Ennis let her go and stepped back to let her pass.

He had a strange expression on his face, as if he regretted what he had just done.

'I'm sorry. ' He said sincerely and disappeared around the corner.

Emily stood in shock for a moment and, instead of walking towards the house, she walked in the opposite direction.

She wiped tears from her eyes. She had been very irritable and emotional lately.

She suspected that recent events were to blame.

***

Derek sat at the table in his mother's house. There was a plate of food in front of him, but nothing was missing.

Lately, Alpha had eaten little and slept little. Talia didn't know how to help him. She didn't want to believe that Emily was her daughter. It was unfair.

The moment her son finally found someone who fit him and changed him for the better, it turned out that they couldn't be together.

Derek became grumpy again.

'Eat something. ' Talia said as she looked at her son.

'I don't want it. ' He replied, burying his fork in the potatoes like a small child, unhappy with what he found on his plate.