Chapter 61
Ema's
I walked into the school cafeteria and made my way through the noisy crowd of students. I found Lia sitting at our usual table and sat down across from her. I had a tray of food in front of me, but I wasn't really hungry. I picked up my fork and spent most of my time just poking at the food, moving it from one side of the tray to the other. Despite the heavy things on my mind, Lia and I were both laughing. We were talking about something stupid one of the teachers had said earlier in class, and for a moment, I felt like a normal teenager again.
As our laughter died down, Lia leaned in closer across the table. Her expression changed, and her voice became soft and full of concern.
"How are you really doing, Ema?" she asked. "You have been very quiet lately. I can tell that there is a lot on your mind."
I looked at her and tried to give her a reassuring look. "I am okay," I said, smiling a little bit. "Really, Lia. I am doing fine."
She smirked slightly at me. It was a playful look, but her eyes were knowing. She didn't entirely believe me. "What about Derek?" she asked. "Is he giving you a hard time? Or is he finally being nice to you?"
I laughed again. This time the sound was light and genuine. I shook my head as I thought about him. "No, he isn't giving me a hard time," I said. Then, I decided to be honest with my best friend. "Actually, I think I have fallen for him."
Lia's eyes went wide, and she reached out to hit my hand playfully on the table. "You have to be joking!" she exclaimed. "There is no way you have fallen for him, Ema. Did you forget every single thing that happened? Did you forget the kidnapping? Did you forget all the threats he made when you first met? And besides all of that, Derek is older than you. Like, way older. He is a grown man and we are still in school."
I looked at her, and I felt my smile soften as I thought about why I felt the way I did.
"I know all of that," I said. "But age is just a number to me. It does not change how I feel when I am with him. He has been there for me, Lia. He has been there every single time I needed him, even when I didn't want him to be. Even when I pushed him away as hard as I could, and even when I tried to run away from the pack, he came back for me. He stayed when everyone else would have left."
Lia stared at me for a long second, searching my face. Finally, she let out a long sigh and slumped back in her chair. "You are absolutely hopeless," she joked. "But I guess if he makes you happy, that is what really matters in the end."
Just then, I felt a strange sensation. It was like a cold presence nearby, a feeling of being watched by someone who didn't wish me well. My skin prickled, and I instinctively looked up from my tray.
Lily was standing there. She was near the entrance of the cafeteria, just a few yards away. She was staring at me as if she wanted to say something, but she was hesitating. She looked different than the last time I had seen her. She looked tired, and there were dark shadows under her eyes. She looked much weaker, probably because of the power I had accidentally taken from her.
I quickly stood up from the table and turned to Lia. I didn't want to deal with any more drama today.
"Let us go somewhere else," I said quietly. I started gathering my things. "I do not like this at all. It feels weird having her watch us like that."
I tried to walk away, with Lia following right behind me. We headed toward the exit, but as we tried to pass by her, Lily reached out and grabbed my hand. Her grip was weak, but it was enough to make me stop.
"Please, Ema," she said softly. Her voice sounded small and almost broken, which was a huge change from the arrogant girl she used to be. "Can I talk to you? Just for a minute?"
I pulled my hand away from her with a sharp movement. I didn't want her touching me.
"I have nothing to say to you, Lily," I said coldly. I felt a surge of anger. "I heard you finally woke up from your coma, so congratulations on that. But I really thought you would have learned your lesson by now. It looks like you are just asking for more trouble by coming here."
I pushed past her without waiting for an answer. Lia followed close behind me, making sure Lily didn't try anything else. I kept my head down and did not look back.
The rest of the school day went by in a blur. It was finally almost time for classes to end, and I was looking forward to going home. The bell rang, loud and final, signaling that the day was over. I walked out into the hallway with my bag over my shoulder, ready to leave the building and find Derek's car.
But then I stopped.
Lily was there again. She was waiting for me in the middle of the hallway, blocking the path to the exit. I tried to walk past her, keeping my head down and pretending I didn't see her.
She called my name. Her voice was soft but urgent. "Please, Ema. I will not take much of your time," she said. "I just want to talk to you. I want to really talk, person to person."
I stopped walking and let out a loud sigh of frustration. I was tired of being followed.
Lia stepped forward immediately. She was being protective, standing between me and Lily. "What do you want to talk about?" Lia asked sharply. "Have you not done enough to Ema already? Just leave her alone."
Lily stayed silent for a moment. She didn't look at Lia; her eyes were fixed entirely on me. She looked desperate.
I gently reached out and held Lia's hand, squeezing it once to let her know it was okay. "It is okay, Lia," I said. "I will hear what she has to say."
Then I looked at Lily. My voice was flat and showed no emotion. "Talk. I am listening."
Lily glanced around the hallway nervously. There were still a lot of students passing by us, and some of them were starting to stare. "Can we go somewhere private?" she asked. "Too many people are watching us here."
I hesitated for a moment. I didn't trust her, but I was curious about why she was being so persistent. Finally, I nodded. "Fine. But do not waste my time."
We walked into the nearby girls' restroom. It was empty and quiet. Lia quickly went around and checked all the stalls to make sure no one was hiding in there and listening to us. Once she gave me a nod, we turned back to Lily.
Lily walked toward me slowly. Before I could even react or say anything, she suddenly dropped to her knees right in front of me on the tile floor.
I froze. My breath caught in my throat as I looked down at her. I never expected to see the proud Lily kneeling on a bathroom floor.
"I am so sorry, Ema," she said. Her voice was shaking with emotion. "I was stupid and I was blind. I can finally see it now. Everything that has happened... it is all my fault."
She looked up at me, and I could see tears shining in her eyes.
"I know you will not forgive me for what I did," she continued. "I don't expect you to. But at least listen to what I have to tell you. It is important."
Her voice shook even more as she spoke the next words.
"It is about Derek," she said. "And it is about Peter's mother."
I felt my heart start to race against my ribs. I frowned, feeling a sense of dread.
"You should be very careful, Ema," she said. Her voice was quiet but very urgent.
I let out a small, bitter laugh. "I already know that she wants to kill me, Lily," I said. "That is not exactly a big surprise to me. She made that very clear."
Lily nodded her head slowly, and her eyes dropped to the floor. "It is good that you know that," she whispered. She paused for a second and swallowed hard. "But this time, it is different than before."
My expression changed. I became wary and more serious. "What do you mean by that?" I asked.
She looked straight into my eyes again. She looked serious and she looked scared.
"She made Peter agree to kill Derek," Lily said.
My heart skipped a beat. The news felt like a physical blow.
"And if Peter actually kills Derek," she continued, her voice dropping so low it was barely a whisper. "She will be the one in complete control of the pack."
She swallowed again, her whole body trembling as she finished her warning.
"And everyone, will become her slaves."