Chapter 10: Exploring

Today was the day. Emma had worn Lucien down and he let her out of the room. Out of the cottage more importantly. Today there were no activities, but she could go where she wanted without him.
Lucien left for the day because the Alphas still had some work to do.
“Stay out of trouble,” he said before he left. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t, Lucien. You can trust me.”
He studied her, then went out the door. This was her first taste of freedom. Her first taste of being an actual Luna. She rubbed her hands together. This could be fun.
Lucien had told her he might meet her for lunch. Most likely it was to check up on her, but she wasn’t going to complain even if it was a temporary thawing of their relationship. She would take what she would get and do well with it.
She left the empty cottage and looked around. The sun shone and she turned her face to its warmth. The last time she’d been out was when dusk had been falling when they first arrived. Didn’t matter, she hadn’t had time to look around.
Today was for exploring, so she picked a direction and went that way. She heard laughter and her spine stiffened. Sometimes she was laughed at behind her back in Fang City, but no one could see her right now. She crept to where she heard the noise. A group of women was standing on either side of a net, holding racquets. Badminton?
She watched for a few minutes, standing by a tree near the open field.
“Hey,” someone said, coming up behind her.
Emma jumped. “Hi.”
Her usual reaction was to look at the ground. That was the old Emma. Today she smiled at the woman but did look away after a little bit.
“I’m Kendra.”
“Emma.”
“Do you play?” she asked, pointing to the game in progress.
“No,” she said. She was happy just watching.
Kendra grabbed her arm. “Come on. Let’s join.”
“I don’t have a racquet,” Emma said, trying to dig in her heels.”
“We’ll borrow one.”
Kendra was clearly determined to include her in this and Emma chose to let her. It might be nice to meet some people. Kendra stopped just outside the lines drawn on the grass. “Can we join the next game?”
“Sure,” someone said.
Emma watched, trying to learn the rules as they played. Finally, the game ended. Everyone introduced themselves, but Emma wasn’t going to remember everyone’s name. Kendra snagged her arm again. “We can be a team.”
She guessed Kendra was now her friend. Other than Julie, Emma hadn’t made a new friend in a long time. Emma smiled. “Sure.”
They played until the other team won. Emma didn’t care. She was out in the fresh air and meeting people.
“There’s a beach here, too,” Kendra said. “Let’s go.”
Emma tugged at her auburn hair. “I’m not a beach person.” Then she thought again. “I’ll come with you.”
Kendra laughed. “I bet you burn. You don’t mind going?”
“No.”
Emma was happy that she’d gotten to play, but now she wanted to check out this place further. They passed a group of women playing volleyball. “Hello.”
They all waved and yelled.
Maybe it was because they were all Lunas that she fit in here. Or maybe she was just letting herself fit in. Without Lucien monitoring her, she could be herself a little more.
Whatever the reason, Emma had never felt so free and comfortable. At least not as an adult. Emma found herself on a trail and decided to figure out where it went. They ended up at the beach.
Blankets dotted the sand.
“Hi.”
Emma jumped then whirled to see Dex leaning against a tree. She put a hand on her heart. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I guessed that.”
Kendra pointed to a group of women. “I’ll be over here, Emma.”
“Okay, thanks.” Kendra left. “Shouldn’t you be in the meeting?”
“It’s over. I chose to come out in the sun instead of hanging out having the same conversations we had yesterday,” he said.
She didn’t know what that meant. “Are you making progress?”
“They are accepting my pack, which is good. They are also seeing the good in what I’m doing in gathering the orphans and outcasts.”
Emma nodded. Should she mention the food?
“I didn’t expect to see you out here,” he said.
“I haven’t been out much.”
“Not that it is any of my business, but not at all from what I could see. You used to be a social butterfly, Emma.”
Those days were gone. Lucien had made sure of that. “I guess I grew up.”
He frowned. “Shame.”
“Why?”
“Because part of being a Luna is being social, but that’s not my business.”
“It isn’t.”
She felt the need to defend Lucien to Dex, but she didn’t want to. Whatever Dex thought of Lucien was his business. She’d chosen Lucien and there were no do-overs. She was making the best of the situation. Standing here talking to Dex was probably not a good idea, but she was in public. Just as she’d been in the street when she saw him.
No one could accuse her of any wrongdoing.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut then.”
He should. She couldn’t stop staring at him. It had been more than five years and he’d filled out. His blond hair was falling in his face in the beach breeze. She jammed her hands into her pockets so they wouldn’t have a mind of their own and brush it out of his face.
How did Dex still have this effect on her? She’d always loved his hair. It had been soft and curly when they were together. He kept it a little shorter now so the curls weren’t as obvious.
Emma came back to the food. “Thank you for bringing me food.”
“Someone brought you food?”
That was how he was going to play this. “I know it was you Dex. I saw you the first night.”
He glanced away, his cheeks showing a hint of pink. “It wasn’t.”
“It was the suit I saw you in earlier that evening. I’m not stupid, Dex.”
He smiled down at her. “Okay. It was me.”
“I do appreciate your gesture. I was starving both times.”
He shrugged. “It was nothing.”
“No it wasn’t,” she said, stepping closer. “You took care of me.”
She’d almost put her hand on his arm. Would she have felt that jolt again like in the kitchen? That electricity would be dangerous. Dex had a new pack and she was a Luna. Nothing good could come of it so Emma stepped back.
“It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Emma studied him. Why was he downplaying this, she wondered. “It was, but you were the one who stepped up to do it.”
“There’s no one else in the house, Emma. I was the only one who saw the situation. It was up to me to correct it. Anyone would have done the same.”
Lucien wouldn’t have, but she didn’t say it. “Not everyone would have.”
“I’m an Alpha. I solve problems. It’s what we do for our packs.”
“I’m not in your pack.”
“You’re a fellow wolf, Emma.”
As if that explained it all, but she suspected there was more to it. He pushed off the tree.
“Thank you, Dex. I mean it.”
“Fine. You’re welcome.”
She wouldn’t chase him, but he didn’t move away. Instead, his gaze was firmly on her. As if she were the only female in the surrounding area. She’d forgotten about his intense stare. She met his gaze with her own. It wasn’t challenging. She was being confident. “I don’t think you’ll have to do it tonight.”
“Good. I may not be around.”
“Oh?”
Where was Dex going? She suddenly didn’t want him to leave. She was enjoying his company. “Oh?”
He shrugged. “My business is done.”
“Dex,” someone said from behind him. Brutus. Even after all these years, Emma still remembered Dex’s best friend.
“Brutus. You remember Emma,” Dex said.
Brutus scowled at her, which made Emma take a step back. “Yes, I do.”
He didn’t ask how she was. Instead, he turned to Dex. “You left early. I had some great conversations.”
“Then you’re fulfilling your duties as a second-in-command,” Dex said.
“I made some connections, too. Ones you should have made.”
Dex rose to his full height. “Are you questioning my actions?”
Brutus took a step back and looked at the ground. “No, they were merely suggestions.”
“Good,” Dex said, but there was no rancor in his words.
He’d made his point. Emma watched the interaction with interest. She wasn’t surprised that Dex had chosen Brutus as his Beta.
“I’ve got to go,” Dex said then left her there with Brutus.