Chapter 1 Arrival Of The Fiancé

• Emmalee
• "Look!" Trudy, our maid, exclaims. "The Cimmerians have arrived! Come, Emmalee. Don't you want to take a first look at your husband-to-be?"
• I put my pencil down, and sigh before rolling out of bed. Trudy and Nadine are standing by the window of my bedroom, peering out at it with a bright look in their eyes. I squeeze between them and do the same.
• The huge SUVs are parked right beneath my window. A uniformed Gamma opens the door for Alpha Denver, who's Soren's father. Soren is my fiancé. We've never met before—this will be the first time we'll be seeing each other. I'm nervous, yes, but not excited.
• I don't want to marry Soren.
• I don't want to be a Cimmerian.
• "He'll be out at any moment," Trudy comments. Alpha Denver steps out of the car, and he's followed by a young man with dark hair and pale skin. Nadine and Trudy squeal with excitement and even high-five each other.
• This has to be Soren.
• He's looking around as if everything displeases him, but he's handsome enough, I guess. Trudy and Nadine shove me back and forth while telling me how handsome my fiancé is and how happy they are for me, and when I don't show the same enthusiasm, Trudy asks me, "Now, what's the long face for?"
• I shrug, and she slaps the back of my head. I exclaim, "Ow! What was that for?"
• "You better show your parents that you're happy about your fiancé! Arranged marriages have always been a part of werewolf tradition, and you're the daughter of an Alpha, so you're no different. What's the matter with you? Why aren't you happy!?"
• Before I can come up with an excuse, there's a knock on the door. All three of us turn away from the window the second the door opens, and standing by the door is the reason why I'm not excited about marrying Soren.
• Romain.
• His gaze flickers between the three of us, and he then clears his throat and says, "Emmalee, your father wants you downstairs."
• "Our father!" Trudy corrects. "The Alpha is your father, too, Romain. Don't you forget that! And why would you open the door without waiting for permission? What if Emmalee was naked? What is wrong with you kids!?"
• She heads toward the door while dragging me with her, and Nadine laughs at her grumpiness. Romain and I make eye contact, and his cheeks color while he stiffens. I'm pretty sure he's uncomfortable because Trudy had to go ahead and mention me being naked. He follows us while I'm dragged downstairs, to where Soren and his family are waiting.
• My father hears us approaching and turns around to look at me. He pastes a smile on his face and beckons me forward with a quick wave of his hand. My heart is galloping behind my ribcage, and my parents put some space between them to allow me to squeeze between them. My father's hand rests on my shoulder while he says, "Alpha Denver, Soren, this is my daughter Emmalee."
• My eyes are on the floor, but I slowly raise my gaze to meet Soren's eyes. As predicted, I feel nothing when we make eye contact. Thank the goddess; at least he's not my mate. He doesn't seem as excited about me either, so that's a relief. Or maybe I'm just projecting, and I don't want him to care for me. I wish he'd tell his father that he finds me ugly or something so they can leave.
• What are the chances of that happening?
• "Welcome to our pack, White Mane," I say to them in a steady voice. My mother has been coaching me to say these things since I learned of this engagement. "We're very pleased to have you here."
• Luna Ana smiles at me. "We're happy to be here, darling Emmalee. Oh, but you're so beautiful! Isn't she gorgeous, Soren?"
• His face colors, and so does mine, and our parents have the audacity to laugh at us. Perhaps I'd take this whole thing more seriously if they didn't treat us like we weren't eighteen.
• "I think we should let them get to know each other," my father suggests. "Emmalee, why don't you show Soren the grounds? Alpha Denver, Luna Ana, would you like to step into my office?"
• I make my way to Soren's side, force a small smile, and he follows me to the front door. However, before we reach it, I lock eyes with Romain, who's standing near the door with his arms folded, and my heart skips a beat. His gaze moves swiftly from me to Soren, and then they return to my face.
• My mouth feels very dry all of a sudden, and I'm aware that I can't stay here. Without saying a word to Romain, I walk past him, and Soren follows me.
• Once we're outside, he asks me, "Who's that guy?"
• I'm shocked by the fact that he asked me this. This is the first thing he's said to me, and he's asking me about Romain. I tuck my hair behind my ear and go with the standard response, which is the one my parents taught me to say. "He's my brother."
• "Brother?" Soren echoes. "I thought you only had one brother. Cade, right?"
• "Oh, Romain grew up with us, so he's like a brother to me," I claim. But even as I utter the words, I feel terrible. Does one fall in love with their brother? Do other sisters fantasize about being kissed by them?
• No, Romain isn't my brother. But that's what we're expected to be, and even he sees me as a sister. He's never treated me as anything more than that.
• "So he's not your brother?" Soren asks, sounding confused.
• "He's kind of my brother," I explain.
• "But he's the one who opened the gate for us?" he says. "Why is he treated like an employee if he's kind of your brother?"
• I change the subject quickly and start showing him around. Soren doesn't say much, and I can tell right away that he's not interested in any of this. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong, but at the same time, I can't make myself seem more enthusiastic than this.
• When we reach the edge of the lake right behind our house, we stare at the glittering surface of the water. Memories of perfect summers invade my memory. I see Romain and I swimming and playing games in the water, and my heart warms right away even though the temperatures are dropping and it's quite cold out here.
• Soren comments, "Your territory is charming."
• "Thanks," is all I can say.
• A few moments later, we're interrupted by approaching footsteps. When I turn my head, I see my brother Cade walking toward us. He's sixteen—two years younger than me—but he's way taller than me. His eyes are on Soren, and then they land on me.
• "Hey," he says, which makes Soren turn around. He extends his hand, and says, "I'm Cade, Emmalee's brother. You're Soren Cimmerian?"
• "Yes," Soren says while shaking his hand. There's a small smile on his lips as he says this. "I take it you're Emmalee's real brother?"
• "Ah, you've found out about Romain," Cade says while stepping back. "He's our real brother, too. Well, it depends on what you describe as real. He's been there for as long as I remember, so of course I consider him my real brother."
• I smile at Cade, and he winks covertly at me. Soren raises his hands, smiles, and says, "I don't mean to be rude. I'm just trying to understand since I'll be a part of the family soon."
• Just like that, his mood has changed, and I have Cade to thank for this. When he's smiling, Soren doesn't look so bad, and when his eyes meet mine, he seems excited for once. It makes me feel bad for not feeling the same way about him.
• We're going to spend the rest of our lives together, and I can't find it in myself to feel anything toward him.
• "Emmalee, did you show him the stables?" Cade asks. "Our father keeps horses. He's a fan of them."
• "I love horses," Soren proclaims.
• "Let's go?" Cade asks, looking at me.
• I nod, but from the corner of my eye, I see a shadow. I turn my head and see Romain standing behind a tree. He tries to hide and act like he isn't there, but he does a poor job of it.
• We start toward the stables, but I look and see Romain peering at us again. This makes me stop and say, "You know what? You two go ahead. I have to go to the bathroom."
• Cade arches a brow at me, and looks at me like that was a very strange thing to say. Soren nods mildly, and I watch the two of them walk ahead.
• Once I'm sure they're not looking, I race to where Romain is standing. He tries to run away, but I say loudly, "I've already seen you, stalker! And don't make me run in my sundress! How long have you been standing here?"
• Romain pauses and turns around to face me. He seems embarrassed that he's been caught. "I'm just making sure you're okay."
• "Okay?" I echo. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
• He folds his arms and leans against the tree. "It's clear that you're not into this whole thing, Emmalee. I don't know who you think you're kidding."
• I frown. "I'm not kidding anyone."
• "Are you sure?" he asks while skewering me with his silver gaze. His thick dark eyebrows are forming a knot above his eyes, and his lips are in a thin line.
• "What do you mean?" I ask. My heart is beating fast, and it feels way too hot all of a sudden.
• Romain scoffs. "Come on, Emmalee. You can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to me."
• "Why?" I ask angrily. "Because you know me so well?"
• "Better than you know yourself."
• "That's just ridiculous," I claim. If he knew me so well, he'd know how I felt about him, and he doesn't, so this whole conversation is pointless. "Look, I have to be heading back. Cade and Soren are waiting for me."
• I take a step away from him, and he immediately grabs my arm. The strength of his grip shocks me, and I find myself staring at his hand wrapped around my upper arm with wide eyes. He says, "At least tell me that you're doing this because you have to. Because you don't have a choice."
• "Why do you need to hear that?" I ask in a low voice. "What if I do care about Soren?"
• A muscle in his jaw ticks as he fights to stay calm. "I just need to hear it."
• "Why?"
• "Don't ask too many questions, Emmalee," he warns. "Just tell me the truth."
• I tear my arm away from his grip, and he lets me go. We've never had a conversation this confusing before, and I don't know what to make of this. "It doesn't matter how I feel, can't you see that? I have to marry Soren. What I feel is irrelevant."
• "No, it's not," he claims in a low voice. He closes the distance between us, and he's standing so close that his warm scent invades my nostrils. "It matters to me, okay?"
• I stare into his eyes, and ask again, "Why?"
• His throat bobs and he raises his hand to brush away the hair that the wind blew in my face. "Because I'm tired of pretending, Emmalee."
• Before I can ask him what he means, he presses his lips against mine.