Chapter 126 - ANTHONY'S REACTION

Emma knew that her boyfriend was angry, sad and angry about her misconduct, not regarding her inability to control her appetite for his mother's tuna casserole, but for the inability to have told his brother away; she shouldn't have let the older guy hold her hands. She knew she needed to apologise. But that would be later. She thought, feeling a bit awkward and jittery under his gaze.

"Back to earth, Emma!" Maya screamed, causing her to shift her attention from her boyfriend who was looking both sullen and angry at the same time, to the other duo in the room. She could see that even Anthony was looking at her weirdly, well they still had an unfinished discussion, and Maya, always the free-spirited one, was trying to lighten the tension in the room.

"What are you thinking about foodie?" Maya asked her, as she handed over the plate of the last surviving portion of the tuna casserole to her with a wink.

"The food of course." She replied, trying hard to put up a smile, but failing. Derek's unshifting gaze was already making her uncomfortable and guilty. 

But then she clucked her tongue and shrugged, as if pushing away the guilty and uncomfortable feeling, before diving into the meal which would have been screaming for mercy if human. She asked her mind which was berating her for holding hands with Anthony, why it was so judgemental of her. After all, her 'wonderful' boyfriend had been lying to her ever since. She wondered if he had ever told her a truth, well apart from the fact that he loved her. She knew he did. She was sure of it. His eyes gave him out.

"So, what have you guys been discussing about?" Derek asked, finally giving up on his anger, seeing that his little witch looked uninterested by his not so pleasant state. He might as well know what they were talking about.

"Just small stuff. About her family, and what she thinks about this place." Anthony replied, casting a furtive glace on his brother.

"I see." Derek stated, not really seeing. He felt that there was something more that the duo had talked about.

And so, he mind-linked Anthony, as Maya turned away, to wash the dishes in the sink, and Emma delved deeper into eating the last remains of her food.

"What are you doing with Emma? Why were you guys holding hands?" He reeled off, without a preamble.

"We were just talking." Anthony replied through the mind link.

"Talking about what?" He asked.

"Talking about the small stuff I had mentioned before." Anthony replied.

"I didn't know that talking about small stuff required holding of hands. Seems I'm in the wrong age and era." He stated sardonically through the link still.

"Chill out Bro. I just held her hands. I didn't kiss her. Stop acting like I did something worse than that." Anthony responded, getting a bit irritated with Derek's fussing, his earlier amusement dissipating. 

"Well, whatever. But don't touch her again." Derek said, putting an emphasis on the 'don't touch'.

"And if I do?" Anthony interjected, getting amused again at his brother's outburst. What was the dude's deal with the human? She wasn't his mate.

Derek's nostrils flared as he heard the challenge behind his brother's statement.

"We will kill you." He replied, staring blankly at Anthony, who scrunched his eyes as if trying to comprehend his statement. And when his eyes widened in realization, his mouth dropping open in shock, Derek knew that he had gotten his message, loud and clear.

"What the fuck!!!" Anthony screamed out, startling Emma who dropped her plate and spoon on the floor, due to her reflexes. 

"What the hell!" She screamed, after darting her eyes around the kitchen, looking for the object of concern, or what had caused her new eating buddy to have screamed that way, after finding nothing.

"Tony…what the hell! why did you shout like that?" She asked him, while holding her chest.

But Mr Anthony still looked lost, as he was still trying to process the information which he had just gotten. Maya had quit washing the dishes; the scream had done a good job on pausing her chore. She cast furtive glances at her cousin and his brother, soughing when she got an inkling of what might had taken place. It seemed that her cousin had finally told his adopted brother about his mate. 

'Oh well, welcome to the party.' She thought, before turning aside to continue her washing, while keeping her ears open for more information.

"Tony…" Emma called when she noticed that Anthony hasn't answered her question yet, rather he was staring at her with mouth agape. What is happening? The kitchen had been silent for some minutes now. She hadn't heard a conversation between the two brothers, but had known that they had been staring at each other heatedly even as she was eating. So, what could have brought Anthony staring at her this way, all of a sudden. Something happened. She was sure of it. But the fact that she couldn't place her hand on it, made her frustrated and angry all of a sudden that she landed a hot slap on Anthony's left cheek, while still maintaining her position on her seat.

Twack!!!

The slap echoed, causing Maya and Derek to gasp in shock. 'What the hell!' must have been the foremost phrase on their individual minds. They hadn't been expecting it, hadn't seen it coming.

With Emma's slap, Anthony snapped out of his haze, shaking his head like a bulldog before standing up the stool he had been sitting on, turning around in a bid to leave the kitchen.

"Where are you going to?" Emma asked, feeling guilty and stupid again, for the second time that night. What had propelled her to give her new friend a slap? 

'Oh God.' She muttered, covering her face with her hands for a second before letting them out. 

"I'm sorry." She apologized to Anthony, who had halted in his movement at her question, looking unperturbed in the most likely description, like he hadn't just received an ear tearing slap a minute ago.

"I'm sorry." She said again, when she saw that he wasn't saying anything.

"It's okay." Anthony replied, after a beat. Actually, the least of his concerns was the slap he had just received. He hadn't even felt any pain. He was a werewolf after all. They didn't feel much pain, and healed fast if they were wounded. The major thought on his mind was the fact that the redheaded human whom he had been fantasizing about at some point, was his brother's mate, and much more, a Luna, if Alpha Peter agreed. But then that was the problem and the issue at hand, the small probability that the older man would agree. No wonder Melvina had allowed her into the pack house. She knew! 

He couldn't believe this. He was still recuperating from the news that Arnold had come to the pack and exchanged some of their warriors with his, while letting his daughter stay in the pack house, of which his Alpha had agreed to; and now this. This was the height of it all. He thought, still wondering why the moon goddess had considered it wise to gift the soon to be Alpha of their pack with a human Luna, in these dark dire perilous times. The pack didn't need a human Luna!

He also couldn't grasp why Alpha Peter had let the human stay in the pack house since he didn't know of her capacity. Something must have also happened to have incurred that. He thought, remembering that the redhead had been able to hear the statement that he had made under his breath, and had mentioned the strange happenings which had been occurring around her; strange happenings she had wanted to brief him about, before Derek and Maya came in, interrupting and stopping her from doing so.  Well, Derek had mind linked him to wait for him in the room, that he would be giving him a full rundown on the train of events that he had missed, while away on his assignment. He just had to go and wait, tendering patience to his curiosity which was increasing as the time ticked by.

"It's okay." He repeated, more to himself than to Emma, before walking out of the kitchen in steady steps.

"What did you do that before?" Derek and Maya asked simultaneously, immediately Anthony left the kitchen.

"Nothing." Emma replied, soughing loudly at being left alone with two liars again, before bending down to pick the plate and spoon which had fallen from her hands some minutes ago out of reflex.

She stood up from the stool which she had been sitting on, cognizant of the fact that she was being looked upon steadily by her two close allies.. She kept the plates in the sink, merely brushing a still dazed Maya a bit on the arm, before picking up a long broom and a dustpan by the far end of the kitchen, to sweep together and pack away the crumbs of food which were lying idly on the floor.