Chapter 15: Waking Up

Emma came awake first. She knew instantly she wasn’t in her bed, but she couldn’t remember where she was. She felt the arms around her tighten slightly, and she suddenly realized that they did not belong to Lucien
Dex.
They’d fallen asleep in the closet.
“Dex.”
He groaned but didn’t wake.
“Wake up.”
She shoved him this time. His eyes flew opened. “What?”
“We fell asleep in the closet.” She looked at her phone. Lucien wouldn’t be awake yet. She might still have time to slip into bed.
Dex sat up, yawned, and scratched his chest. “My back is going to hurt all day.”
“Yeah? That doesn’t seem like a huge problem. I have to get back to the cottage.”
He rose. They both listened. “I don’t think anyone is out there.”
She moved to the door, but Dex caught her. “There is no one else I’d rather be in a closet with.”
She smiled up at him. She’d had a good time, maybe even better than if she’d met up with Kendra.
Wait. She needed an alibi. She pulled out her phone, holding a finger up to do Dex. She sent a text to her new friend.
“If anyone asks, I was out with you.”
Kendra sent her a thumbs up emoji.
“I’ll explain later,” Emma sent in a text back.
“I better go,” she said to Dex.
“Wait.”
Dex put his hands on her arms. “I had a good time.”
“I did, too, Dex.”
He leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. “Now, go before anyone else is in the lobby. I’ll wait a while before I return.”
“Thanks, Dex.”
Emma left him in the closet and slipped out. She looked around, but there was no one there. Lucien’s alarm would be going off in a half of an hour. If she was in bed, he wouldn’t have any idea she’d been out all night.
Racing to the cottage, she didn’t see anyone out and about yet. She guessed all those late-night partiers were sleeping it off. She closed the door to the cottage softly, then tiptoed upstairs. When she opened the door, Lucien was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Crap.
She was busted.
He looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Just getting in?”
Emma took a deep breath and let it out. If she was going to lie she better make it a simple one so she didn’t have to remember what she’d said. She wouldn’t remember too many details.
Since she was in the same clothing she wore yesterday, she couldn’t say she’d gotten up early. She cleared her throat.
Lucien put up his hand. “I’ve already heard that the Lunas went a little crazy last night.”
He thought she’d been with Kendra and the others. Hopefully, Kendra would keep her secret, though she felt nervous at the idea of her fate in the hands of a woman she’d only known a few days.
“Oh?”
“A group text I’m on has already posted pictures.”
Great. Pictures she wouldn't be in because she hadn’t been there.
“You, as always, were camera shy.”
“Did someone post them on social media?” Emma asked.
She stepped into the room. If he was going to think she was with the Lunas so be it. She wasn’t going to disavow him of that notion.
“I don’t know. You know I don’t do that crap,” he said.
He was still in his pajamas. She gauged his mood, but couldn’t tell what he was feeling or thinking.
“You want to shower first?” Emma asked.
“I want to talk to you about today.”
“Okay.”
“Your family is going to be here and so is mine.”
Her parents were the last people Emma wanted to see. Right now she was angry with them for forcing Lucien on her. She’d wanted Dex and now he was an Alpha. If they’d had more faith in her decisions, she would still be with him. “That’s today.”
“Yes, Emma, that’s today.”
She leaned on the wall opposite him. “What exactly do we need to talk about?
“Given your reckless behavior last night, I want you to be on your best behavior today.”
“What does it matter in front of our families? They know this wasn’t a marriage of love.”
His gaze shot to mine. “I still don’t want you to reflect badly on me.”
“It's always about your image.”
Today, she didn't want to hear it. Her backbone was growing stronger. She’d never embarrass Lucien on purpose. She had more class than that.
“It is about my image because that directly affects my ability to rule our pack. If I’m not seen as an effective leader then my position could be challenged. I don’t want to be challenged. It’s bad enough I don’t have an heir. That makes me vulnerable enough.”
“No one’s going to challenge you, Lucien.”
Emma had always thought he was being paranoid.
“We have plenty of upstart wolves in our pack who would like a piece of me.”
Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You come from a long line of Alphas.”
“Yeah, well that line isn’t being extended,” he said.
Emma didn’t want to talk about it since Lucien wasn’t willing to get checked out. Her plumbing worked fine.
“Our families will be here in an hour.”
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. She hadn’t invited her parents. They’d invited themselves. She could have just stayed in her room all day and catch up on sleep.
Emma hadn’t even told her parents about the Council, but they’d known. “Fine.”
“Don’t you want to see your parents? And mine?”
The two couples that orchestrated this sham of a marriage? Not really. “Your mother and I don’t get along.”
“You just haven’t tried. “
Lucien rose. “I’ll shower first.”
He left her hoping the day would go quickly.
Lucien’s parents were on the front porch of the cottage when Emma finished up her shower. They were early; No families were supposed to be here yet. Emma paused inside the front door before pasting a smile on her face.
Lucien sat with his father and mother in silence. Emma didn’t understand Lucien’s lack of affection or empathy until she met his parents. They were even colder than he was. The tension could have choked an elephant.
“Emma,” his mother Irma said.
There was no affection in her voice. It was merely an acknowledgment of Emma’s presence. No smile or hug to greet her with. Emma settled on the arm of Lucien’s chair and searched for things to say. “How was your drive up here?”
“Traffic. That road needs to be widened.”
She meant the country road to this isolated resort.
“Well, now you’re here.”
“And you weren’t ready to greet us,” Irma said. “You have any good news for us?”
Emma stiffened. She knew what her mother-in-law meant. “No.”
“What’s taking you so long?”
This was the last conversation Emma wanted to have with this woman. Irma didn’t think there could be anything wrong with her son. He was perfection.
Emma grasped for another topic of conversation. “Are you attending the former Alphas meeting, George?”
Lucien’s father grunted. “It’s depressing. All these Alphas, past their prime.”
Emma pressed her lips together. She didn’t point out that his description included himself. George had given up the Alpha role; Lucien hadn’t challenged him for it. Emma suspected the man had actually been lazy. She’d heard rumors that he hadn’t been a very good Alpha.
“You can catch up with old friends.”
George snorted. “Old is right.”
As if George was still young. What was she going to do all day with these people? Her parents were only going to be slightly better.
Why did Lucien’s parents even come here? Nothing was going to be right for them. What was it like going through life always unhappy?
They all lapsed into silence. Emma grasped for neutral topics, but she couldn’t come up with anything. All the subjects she could think of would be minefields. She was too tired to be witty or patient.
“There’s a breakfast reception in the main dining room,” Emma said.
Surely food was a good topic.
“We ate on the way up,” Irma said.
Emma sighed. She glanced at Lucien, who didn’t seem to be interested in helping her. He rose. “I’m going to get some food.”
“I guess we can pick,” Irma said.
“Mom, Dad, we’ll meet you there,” Lucien said.
They left and Lucien turned to Emma. “You know you could try just a little harder with them.”
She never wanted to hit anyone until now.