Chapter 34
Emily’s PUV
Liam burst out laughing as Nathan winked at me and walked out.
I stood still in the kitchen, my heart pounding. What just happened? Was he joking, teasing me, or trying to tell ne something?
Nyx purred warmly. “ That was definitely flirting.
“ No, it wasn’t, ” I argued.
“ It absolutely was. ” My wolf sounded far too pleased with herself.
I pressed my hand to my burning cheek. I needed some air.
I walked into the living room and stopped by the fireplace. It wasn’t lit, but I could imagine it burning when utumn arrived. That thought made me feel a little better.
Until I heard heels behind me.
Stella stepped into the room. Meredyth was still in the kitchen. We were alone.
She stopped a few feet away and stared straight at me.
Suddenly, anger rushed through me, sharp and quick.
“ What? ” I asked.
Stella’s lips curved. “ Do you think your mother’s recipes will help you win his heart? ”
She had no right. No right to bring my mother up.
“ You really shouldn’t talk about my mother. ”
“ Or what? ” Her smile widened.
I looked at her. “ Or I might stop being polite. ”
Surprise flashed in her eyes. Then the mask returned. “ Careful, Emily. ”
r
“ No. You be careful. ” The words slipped out before I could stop myself. But once I said them, I didn’t regret it.
Stella’s expression sharpened. “ You’re getting bold. ”
“ Maybe I’m tired. ”
“ Of what? ”
“ Of you. ”
5:25 pm
Neither of us said anything. Then decided to take a risk. It was a dangerous move.
“ I know you pushed me. ”
Her face didn’t change Not really. Only hereyes – they narrowed slightly “ Excuse me? ”
“ At the cliff. During the wolf run. ”
Stella let out a soft laugh. “ You think I pushed you? ”
“ You threatened me before it happened. ”
“ And? ” She stepped closer. “ Threatening someone and trying to kill them are very different things. ”
Something about her reaction felt wrong. It wasn’t guilt or fear, but more like amusement. Maybe even atisfaction. I tried to stay calm.
“ Maybe someone else did me the favor, ” she said quietly.
A chill moved through me. “ What? ”
She tilted her head.
“ You really should be careful with accusations. ” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “ I don’t know how things worked n your old pack, but here? False accusations have consequences. ”
I swallowed.
“ And if those accusations are against the future Luna … ” Her eyes flashed. “ That can hurt you more than you
understand. ”
Future Luna.
Nyx snarled.
Stella turned on her heel. Her hair whipped across my face as she passed, stinging my cheek. Then she walked out of the house as if nothing had happened.
If she was lying, she was convincing. But if she wasn’t …
If Stella didn’t push me, then who did? If it wasn’t her, someone else wanted me dead. I wasn’t safe here, and I
lidn’t even know who I should be afraid of.
“ Emily, ” Nyx said quietly. “ We need to be careful. ”
“ I know. ” I hugged myself. Suddenly, the warm house felt cold.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Meredyth refused to let me leave the residence. I told her I felt better. I offered to help in the garden. I even asked if I could visit the packhouse. She refused all of it.
“ Until those bruises and scratches are gone, ” she said firmly, “ you are staying here. ”
5:26 pm
of ended up in the living room with a book from the library. I tried to read, but the words blurred together. I read the same line three times and couldn’t remember any of it.
My thoughts kept going back to Stella, the cliff, and the light – haired work Then, annoyingly, they shifted to Nathan. I kept thinking of his smile, his dumb wink, and the way he said Feral Desires like he knew exactly what it
meant.
My face flushed again.
Nyx purred. “ He was flirting. ”
I groaned and pressed the book to my face. “ Please stop. ”
A knock sounded at the door. Before I could answer, a familiar head peeked inside.
“ Emily? ”
“ Jessie! ”
I was so relieved I almost jumped off the couch. But that was a mistake. Pain shot through my ribs, and I sat back down right away.
Jessie rushed inside. “ Don’t move like that! ” She dropped onto the sofa across from me. “ Finally. I’ve been trying
to see you for ages. ”
“ It’s been one day. ”
“ One long day. ”
That was fair.
She looked me over. “ How are you really? ”
I hesitated, then told her everything: the fall, my suspicion about Stella, and the conversation by the fireplace.
Jessie’s face grew serious with every word. When I finished, she leaned back slowly. “ You need to be careful saying
hat out loud. ”
“ I know. ”
“ No, I mean really careful. ” Her voice was lower now. “ Blackwood pack takes accusations seriously. ”
Jessie leaned in a bit closer. “ And especially if you accuse someone powerful without proof. ”
“ I wish I had proof, ” I said.
“ Then we’ll get it, ” she replied.
“ We? ”
5:26 pm
ppp
Jessie gave me a look. “ Obviously, we. ”
I found myself smiling a little.
“ But if anything happens, ” she continued, “ you tell me right away. We’ll catch her. Or whoever it was. ”
Her words didn’t take away my fear, but they did help me feel a bit better.
“ So, ” I said, trying to lighten the mood, “ why did you really come? ”
Jessie gasped dramatically. “ Excuse me. Can’t I simply visit my injured friend? ”
“ You can. ” I narrowed my eyes at her. “ But you always have something else planned. ”
Jessie collapsed back against the sofa. “ Okay, fine. Guilty. ”
I laughed, and she grinned back at me.
“ You probably forgot because of everything that happened, but my birthday is the day after tomorrow. ”
My eyes widened. “ Oh, Jessie, I’m so sorry. ”
“ Don’t be. You were unconscious. I’ll allow it. ”
I laughed again, unable to help myself.
“ I came to invite you. ”
“ To what? ”
“ My birthday party. ” She leaned forward, her face bright with excitement. “ But not the usual boring eighteenth
> irthday ceremony everyone expects. ”
I blinked. “ You have ceremonies for eighteen? ”
“ Usually. It’s this whole coming – of – age thing. Speeches, Blessings. Formal clothes. Very pretty. Very boring. ”
I’d never experienced anything like that in the Gray Moon pack, though it didn’t really surprise me.
Jessie kept talking. “ I want a real party. Like humans have. ”
I just stared at her.
She clenched her fists. “ We were supposed to go to a club in the city, but after everything that happened, leaving the territory is impossible. ” Her frustration was obvious. “ So I’m bringing the club here. ”
I tried to imagine Jessie turning her house into a club the way humans do. It was surprisingly easy.
“ My brother already agreed, ” she added quickly.
“ Blake agreed? ”
5:26 pm
PPP
le complained for twenty minutes, then agreed. ” Jessie grabbed my hand. “ So? Will you come? ”
“ I … I’ll need to ask Meredyth. ”
Before I could finish, Meredyth appeared at the upstairs railing with a stack of papers in her arms.
Jessie jumped up immediately.
“ Luna Meredyth! Good afternoon p>
Meredyth looked down, amused. “ Good afternoon, Jessie. ”
Jessie immediately clasped her hands together in a begging motion. “ Can Emily please come to my birthday
> arty? It starts tomorrow evening at Blake’s house. Please? ”
Meredyth looked down at us thoughtfully. “ If Emily feels up to it, I don’t see why not. ”
Jessie gasped loudly. “ Really? ”
Meredyth laughed softly. “ Yes, really. ”
Jessie spun toward me, her eyes wide. Before I could react, she turned back to Meredyth. “ Thank you! ”
“ But, ” Meredyth added.
Jessie froze on the spot.
“ She is still recovering, ” Meredyth said. “ So, if she feels even a little tired, she comes straight back home. ”
Jessie nodded so quickly that her hair whipped around. “ I promise. ”
Meredyth smiled. “ Then she may go. ”
Jessie let out a high – pitched squeal. “ Yes! ”
She pointed right at me. “ You’re coming to my party. ”
I laughed. “ I guess I am. ”
Jessie started rambling about decorations, music, food, and a dozen other things. Most of it blurred together in a
rush of excitement, but her happiness was contagious.
For a moment, I almost forgot everything that had happened – the cliff, the clinic, the fear.
Almost.
Then I looked toward the windows and the forest beyond the glass, and my smile faded. Somewhere out there, someone had pushed me off that cliff. Someone wanted me dead, and I still had no idea who it was.
A chill ran down my back.
5:26 pm
PPP
“ Tmily? ” Jessie asked, noticing tny expression.
I quickly forced a smile. “ Sorry. Just thinking. ”
She studied me for a moment but didn’t push. When she started talking about her party again, I nodded along and
pretended to listen.
But my eyes drifted back to the trees. If Stella wasn’t responsible, then someone else was. And whoever it was, hey were still out there.
“ Emily, be careful, ” Nyx warned, her voice a low growl in my mind. “ A party means a crowd. It’s the perfect place
or them to finish what they started. ”
Next Chapter
Chapter 35
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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.