Chapter 5 Strike

• Emmalee
• As I walk toward the main house, I immediately spot Soren standing near the front door with Cade.
• The sight of him sickens me and it's only been a few hours since I met him. I'm now more certain than ever that I don't want to spend the rest of my life with him, and I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this arrangement.
• I'll do anything.
• I'm honestly disappointed that Cade would be talking to him after what he did to Romain. Romain is one of us; Soren isn't.
• "Hey, Emmalee," Cade says when he sees me. I keep my eyes on him and don't glance at Soren once, despite the fact that his eyes are fixed on me. "How's Romain?"
• The question catches me off guard, and I hear myself ask, "Why would I know?"
• He points at me—at my dress—and I see a few stains of blood near my left thigh, which I realize was close to Romain's body while I was cleaning him up.
• "What do you think?" I ask instead of answering his question directly.
• I see Soren stiffen, and then he says, "I didn't mean to cause trouble, Emmalee."
• "Really?" I say, whirling around to face him. "I don't believe that."
• "He attacked me," he claims, gesturing at his swollen eye. He sounds flabbergasted, perhaps by the fact that I'm defending Romain over him. "I didn't mean to hurt you, and you know it. He had no right to punch me in the face, for crying out loud!"
• "I don't want to get into this with you," I say brusquely. "Excuse me."
• I push past him and Cade, and head inside the house. Trudy mentioned that my father was looking for me. Well, I'll go to him now and figure out what he wants. I'll also make sure to tell him that I want nothing to do with Soren or any of the Cimmerians.
• On my way to his office, I spot Soren's little sister playing by the foot of the stairs with her doll. She must be around twelve or thirteen. She looks up at me as I pass her. I don't say anything to her.
• I just want to get this done and over with.
• When I get to my father's office, I knock before entering. I wait to hear his voice, and then push the door open.
• He's seated behind his desk, and there's a glass filled with an amber liquid in front of him. He's rubbing his face, and he gestures to the empty chair before him wordlessly.
• I take a seat, my eyes trained on his face. I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell him that I want out of this.
• It's Romain I love.
• I can't imagine being with anyone else.
• "Emmalee," my father begins, my name coming out as a sigh. "I understand that you're upset about what has happened, but you have to realize that Romain was out of line."
• "Why?" I ask hysterically. "Why was he out of line when Soren was the one who hurt me?"
• "He didn't mean to hurt you, did he?" he asks, his eyes flashing with an emotion I can't identify. "If it were on purpose, the conversation we'd be having would be different. But I can't—"
• The door opens suddenly, and Nadine walks into my father's office. However, after a few steps, she sees me and her eyes widen. "Oh, forgive me, Alpha. I thought the office was empty and I could clean up."
• "Come back later," my father states.
• She nods and closes the door hurriedly. My father then settles his eyes on me again and says, "I can't hold Soren accountable for what happened to you with the motorcycles, and neither can you. Romain isn't one of us, but Soren is.
• "How can you say that?" I ask in wonder. "Of course, Romain is a part of us!"
• "There's a lot you don't understand about him, Emmalee. Your mother agrees with me that you're too young to know, but after you and Soren marry, I'll reveal the truth to you."
• "I'm not going to marry Soren," I declare.
• My father's face stiffens, and the change is swift and sudden. "What?"
• I don't allow myself to be intimidated by his words. "I won't marry Soren, not after what happened today."
• My father goes still. It's an eerie kind of silence, the kind that creeps under my skin and makes me feel like I'm guilty. Like I've committed murder. But I'll stand by what I've said. He can't force me to marry Soren.
• He can't force me to marry anyone.
• It was my eagerness to not disappoint him and strengthen the pack that made me agree to all of this. Plus, I hadn't known that Romain felt the same way I did.
• "Emmalee," he begins in a low voice, "I'm going to let this slide because I know how angry you are, but I want you to come back here tomorrow morning and apologize for what you've said."
• I frown. "Why should I apologize? I meant what I said."
• Anger flashes across his eyes, and he stands up, towering before me. "Do you have any idea of what you're saying!? How can you be so immature and childish? For years, I've seen you as someone I can count on. Someone dependable and responsible. You're telling me that you're going to throw this opportunity away because of some bastard child that nobody wanted!?"
• "Don't say that about him!" I exclaim, standing up. "He's not an unwanted bastard child. He's a part of us and I love him!"
• My father strikes me across the face, the action so sudden and painful that I topple backward and fall. My hand goes to my cheek, and I watch my father through the strands of my hair. He's fuming; his nostrils are flared, and his hands are clenched by his sides.
• "Out!" he yells. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Not another word, do you understand?"
• I'm shocked, so much that I'm rooted to the spot. However, I force myself to stand up, all while staring at the floor. I can feel my face start to swell just a little. My cheek is throbbing.
• I shuffle toward the door, still clutching my cheek and holding a sob deep inside of me. This went horribly, and presently, I don't know what to do.
• My father has never shown me this kind of aggression before. I'm in shock and not sure that I'll be able to get over this, not anytime soon.
• I can't believe this.
• I know he really wanted me to get with Soren and be part of the Cimmerians, but I didn't know that he wanted it badly enough to hurt me if I refused to play along.
• I pause in the middle of the living room. My shoulders are moving up and down with every breath I take, and I don't know where to go. Trudy must still be with Romain, and anyway, I wouldn't want to go to him with a swollen cheek.
• I'd rather let it pass, which will happen by tonight. I think. Most of my scrapes and bruises subside quickly. I've never been slapped across the face, so I don't know if it'll pass as quickly.
• I guess I'll have to find out.
• So, I barricade myself in my room and lie in a curled position on my bed. Tears slide freely down my face, and I watch my curtains billowing with the wind flowing in from my open window. Right below, I hear laughter and chortles. Soren and Cade, no doubt. I place a pillow over my head to block out their nose, and then sob uncontrollably for a few hours. It's all I can do. My heart's heavy and bruised by my father's brutality, much like my face is.
• This is bad, and for the first time in my life, I don't know what to do.