Chapter 2 Conflict

• Emmalee
• I'm not sure who pulls away first.
• I'm frozen to the spot, my lips tingling from the sudden contact. My mind is racing as it tries to catch up with what happened.
• I see the same shock written all over his face, and he says, "I'm sorry, Emmalee. I shouldn't have—fuck, I shouldn't have done that."
• "Romain, why did you—"
• A shrill voice cuts through the air and instills fear in us both. "Romain? Emmalee? What are you two doing over there?"
• I look over his shoulder tentatively, and see Trudy standing a few feet away from us. She's wrapping her cardigan tighter around her plump body, and her expression is a mixture of concern and also suspicion. We put more distance between each other, and I leave his side and walk toward her to ease her mind.
• "What are you doing here?" I ask her, purposely making my voice lighter so she doesn't suspect that we did something wrong, which we absolutely did.
• It's hard to talk when I'm trying not to sound breathless from the kiss we just shared.
• "I came here to check on you and Soren," she explains while looking around. "Where is he?"
• "In the stables with Cade," I reveal. "I'm supposed to be there with them, but Romain wanted to make sure that everything was okay."
• Trudy places her hands on her hips and scowls. "And who says it's his job to do such a thing? Where's he going anyway?"
• I look over my shoulder and see that he's walking along the edge of the lake, his shoulders tight with tension. Watching him walk away physically hurts me. If Trudy hadn't interrupted us, maybe we would've discussed why he kissed me.
• Goddess, I don't mean to hope, but I already am.
• Is it possible that my love isn't unrequited? Could it be that he cares for me?
• "Emmalee," Trudy says forcefully, "you have to be very mindful of what you're going to do next. Alpha Denver is here with his family, and they'll be spending the next few days with us. You can't be running around with Romain like you usually do. We've talked about this."
• I put my hands together, lower my gaze, and nod.
• "Soren is your fiancé, and he won't like it if you're not paying him attention," she reveals. "I'm sure your parents have also talked to you about this."
• I nod. "They have."
• Trudy sighs after a beat, and caresses my cheek with her callused fingers. "I'm just trying to look out for you. I love you like a daughter."
• "I know, Trudy," I tell her before wrapping my arms around her neck and kissing her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll do what's right for the family. And the pack."
• "I trust that you will," she claims. "Go on. Go to Soren. Don't leave him waiting."
• I have no choice but to go to the stables while Romain is standing on the other side of the lake, staring out at the water. I pray to the goddess to give me an opportunity to talk to him about this.
• We can't leave things like this.
• I find Soren and Cade laughing as they exchange stories. I join them and listen to their conversation more than I participate. I catch the way Soren keeps looking at me, and I see a lot of tenderness in his eyes. It makes me feel terrible because I've been licking my lips nonstop while thinking about the kiss I just shared with Romain.
• "...should go for a ride," Cade is saying to Soren. "My father wouldn't say no."
• "I'd love to," Soren says while once again looking at me, as if for permission.
• "Sorry, what?" I ask.
• "We should ride the motorcycles around the estate," Cade says. "Give Soren a good look at the land around the manor. What do you think?"
• "Sure," I say, recalling how Romain and I do that all the time.
• We leave the stables, and just then, I catch Romain walking up the hill in our direction. He seems distracted, though, because when he sees us, he starts to turn around.
• "Romain!" Cade yells. "Why don't you join us?"
• Romain halts. I can't see his face, because his back is facing us, but my heart has never before beat faster than it is right now. I'm hoping he'll say yes, even though I know that I should probably watch myself around Soren. I have to remember Trudy's words. But right now, I just want to be close to him.
• "Where are you going?" he asks casually, though his facial expression tells a different story.
• "We'll go riding the motorcycles," Cade declares. I haven't seen him this excited in a really long time. He's always been such a sullen boy, and it got worse in his teens.
• I keep waiting for his gaze to meet mine, but it never does. He agrees to come with us, and we all head to the storage unit where we keep the bikes. His reaction is surprising me. How can he kiss me and then act like he can't see me in the next instance? What's wrong with him?
• There are only three bikes, so I'll have to ride with one of them. They start pushing the bikes all the way down the dirt road, and although I'm walking alongside Cade and Soren, I slow down so I can fall into step with Romain. But even that isn't enough to make him acknowledge me.
• "Oh, so now you're the one who's doing the ignoring?" I ask him in a low, annoyed voice.
• Romain doesn't answer me, and that makes me feel even more desperate and upset. "Look, you're the one who kissed me, so your reaction makes no sense! Why are you mad at me?"
• Romain stops walking, and without looking at me, says, "The kiss was a mistake. I'm sorry."
• "But why did you do it?" I ask.
• Before he can answer me, Cade turns around to face me, and says, "Since there are only three bikes, you'll ride with Soren."
• "Soren isn't used to driving these bikes, and I don't want to get in the way," I say, coming up with the first excuse that pops into my mind. "Why don't I go with Romain instead?"
• Romain finally looks at me, but I can't look back at him. Soren smiles easily and says, "Don't worry, Emmalee. We have these exact models at home. I'll drive slow, I promise."
• I force a smile. Now, I have no choice but to agree to go with him. Romain's eyes don't leave me as I get on the motorcycle with Soren. I wrap my arms around Soren's waist, and he starts the bike.
• Not a minute later, we're crashing on the ground. I land on my arm, and a wave of agony spreads all through it.
• "Emmalee!" I hear Cade exclaim while he climbs off his bike. Romain does the same, only he isn't saying a word.
• "I'm fine," I assure him while standing up.
• Romain says to Soren harshly, "If you didn't know how to ride the motorcycle, why did you insist on taking her with you? You almost killed her!"
• "That's an exaggeration," I say to Romain while placing a hand on his arm. Our eyes lock, and I tell him, "I'm fine. Really."
• "She's fine," Soren echoes. "You're all exaggerating. And I didn't lie about knowing how to ride the bike. I can. Emmalee, I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."
• I nod at him, and Romain shoots me an accusing look while he stares at my scraped-up arm. I just want this to stop.
• "Could you pick it up for me?" Soren asks Romain this while dusting his pants. It's very clear that he's talking to Romain and not Cade or even me, and he's referring to the motorcycle. His palms are bleeding from the fall, and he stares at them with a crease between his brows.
• "What?" Romain asks coldly.
• "Could you pick it up for me?" Soren repeats the request like it's the most natural thing in the world.
• "Why don't you do it?" Romain asks back. A heavy silence falls between us as a result.
• "What?" Soren asks like he didn't hear him.
• "I said you pick it up yourself," Romain retorts. He's emanating aggression now, and I fear this won't end well at all.
• Soren scoffs. "But isn't your job being told what to do?"
• "No, that's not his job," I say, cutting in. "Look, whatever. I can pick it up. It's no big deal."
• I start toward the fallen motorcycle, but Romain's fingers dig into my arm, hurting me. It tears an unexpected yelp from me. He says, "Don't you dare lay a finger on that bike, Emmalee. He's the one who should pick it up!"
• "Hey!" Soren exclaims while stepping forward. "Don't touch my fiancée like that. You're hurting her!"
• "I'm fine," I say loudly. Romain releases me, and I rub the sore spot.
• "No, you're not!" Soren exclaims while gesturing at my arm. "You're bruising already!"
• "Oh, and she's not bruising from the fall, which so happens to be your fault?" Romain asks him angrily.
• Soren's face turns a pale shade of purple, and he faces Romain fully, who's a good head taller than him and is glaring at him with murder in his eyes. "What the hell is your problem, errand boy? Not only are you putting your hands on my fiancée, but you're also disobeying a direct order from a superior. Pick. The motorcycle. Up! And don't touch her again!"
• I glance at Romain's face. He won't do it. In fact, he looks like he's going to do something really stupid. With the intention to diffuse the situation quickly, I say, "Both of you, calm down! This isn't—"
• Romain throws a punch at Soren's face, and the words die on my tongue.