Chapter 244 - SIDE STORIES BOOK 1- CARTER AND EMMALEE CHAPTER 8

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Emmalee

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I didn't know why, but Dad had told us to leave. Not all of us really, just mom, Katie, and me. 

Apparently there were some major things going on with another pack and they were on their way to our land. I guess Dad thought it would get dangerous and wanted to keep us away until things were safer or until they were all gone.

So, until we were allowed back, we were staying with my aunt and uncle a couple hours away. We were out of our territory and safe from anything that should be affecting them. Mom didn't like this, I could tell, but she left anyway and took me and my sister with her.

I didn't care where I was, I was just glad I could skip class for a couple days and try to forget about my problems.

Typically I am a very sociable person and I love being in a crowd, but right now, with how depressed I had been feeling, I wasn't up to it, I hadn't been for a while now actually.

During the two days we were away I spent as much time as I could just exploring the woods near their house. I may be a total girly girl, but I am also a wolf and I love being in among the trees. I often hiked in them when I needed to think or to be alone.

These trees looked similar to the ones back by our house, and after a while they stopped giving me solace. Instead they made me think about running blindly into the forest, trying in vain to track a scent that was already vanishing.

I had woken from a nightmare of just that more times than I could count since I realized that my mate had run off. I would dream that I was walking into the woods, alone. I would be on a peaceful hike, something to bring me joy. Just after entering the trees, though, I would smell the man that had just been there moments before.

His scent would intoxicate me, make me smile and fantasize all at the same time. I would follow my nose, trying to track it, and just as I got a good trail going his scent would disappear.

Frustrated, I would start again. Finding a new path with a strong trail. But just as I was getting close the scent would dissipate again.

That would happen over and over until I just ran around the forest screaming for him to come to me, begging him to not reject me. Most nights I woke up screaming or with tears streaming down my face.

I wished I wasn't so affected by all of this.

I had been happy to visit my family at first, but the dreams were worse there for some reason. All I wanted to do was to go home, so when Dad called and said everything was settled and we could come home I was the first one in the car. 

The first thing I noticed when I got home and exited the car in the middle of the driveway out front was that sweet, dessert scent again. At first I thought my dreams, my nightmares, had started to come to me when I was awake. I thought that I was just finally going crazy.

When I smelled the scent inside the house. When I smelled it go all the way down the hallway to my dad's office where it pooled thickly with a dizzying, glee inducing intensity, then I knew that he had been here.

"Dad, where is he?" I ran to him, asking my question breathlessly.

"Who?" He seemed confused.

"My mate. I can smell his scent."

"Sweetheart, he was not here. The only people who were here were the family and guards of the Alpha and Luna from another pack."

"Then one of them was my mate."

"I doubt that sweety. None of them have ever been here before."

"But I smell him Daddy."

"I think you're just tired, baby girl. Why don't you get some sleep." My dad kissed me on the top of my head then and sent me away like I was a child. Did he not understand anything? Why did he have to treat this so lightly? I would show him, I would prove to him that he was here.

As I was walking back to my room I noticed traces of his scent again. It was scattered in different places. How could it be in so many places if he wasn't here?

One of the guest rooms had a particularly strong trace of his scent, but the room had already been cleaned and the traces were fading.

Next, I was walking down the hall and I noticed another pooling of the scent. There were people in the room down here, but his scent was all over the place down here. I needed to know what was going on.

I went and talked to my mom this time, asking her who was still in our house. It seemed the other pack's Alpha and Luna were here because the latter had been injured after she was kidnapped. The kidnappers had made it as far as our pack and were hiding out. They had been in our territory when she was rescued. And the Luna was a woman who was just about my age. I was envious of her having found her mate.

I wanted to go introduce myself, possibly ask who had been in the room with her before.

"Hi, Trinity, can I come in?" I knocked on the door and waited.

"Yes, come in." A female voice answered sweetly, but I heard a male growl unhappily.

When I went inside I saw a very pretty young woman with dark, dark wavy brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was smaller than me by a few inches and really pretty. She looked sweet and very friendly, and I instantly wanted to be her friend.

"Hi, I'm so happy to meet you." I smiled at her as sweetly as I could.

"Um, hi." She seemed a little apprehensive.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself." I giggled. "I'm Emmalee Evans. My father is Bryce, the Alpha of this pack." There was shock followed by relief as the emotions flitted across her face. 

"It's nice to meet you Emmalee." She smiled at me. "Was there something I could do for you?"

"Actually, I came to help you. I was told you needed some more clothes and things that were forgotten, but no one has had a chance to go yet. I would have stopped on my way home if I knew, but will my clothes work for you?" This hadn't been a lie, Mom told me when I went to see her that Trinity was missing a few things that her mate had forgotten to pack for her.

"Oh." She looked surprised by my offer. "Actually I think that would be great. Thank you." Relief was settling in now.

"Not a problem, we girls need to help each other out when we can, right." She looked so happy right now, like she didn't get out much. I was glad I could help.

"I'm just not used to this is all. But I would appreciate the help a lot." Nailed it.

"Well, come on to my room then, you can pick out something to wear to dinner tonight. And I can get you a brush, it looks like someone might have forgotten to bring you one." I laughed as I offered the use of my things.

"Is it that bad?" She asked self consciously.

"It's not too bad, we can fix it easily." I assured her.

"Sounds good." She tried to get off her mate's lap, but he held her in place. "Reece?" She asked him, looking confused. "Can I get up now."

"Trinity." He looked at her with concern. "You can't just go." Awe, he seemed so lonely.

"And why not? I'm not going to leave the house Reece. I will be inside and safe the whole time." She patted his shoulder to reassure him.

"I'll keep an eye on her, I promise." I was smiling at him to show him I meant what I said.

"Fine, I have to go talk to someone anyway, so I'll walk you there." He grumbled. I was pretty sure he just wanted to know what room she was going to be in.

"Whatever you say." She rolled her eyes at him with a smirk on her face. 

Her mate didn't leave her side until he saw us safely into my room. He was caring, sweet, and doting. Not to mention hot. I wish I could find my mate and have all of that too.

"Dinner isn't going to be formal or anything, but if all he brought you was loungewear I can understand why you would want something else for tonight. With how much staff we have, even I don't feel comfortable wearing my loungewear around the house." I laughed as I spoke.

"See, you get it, why can't he. No woman wants to walk around a strange house with a bunch of people she doesn't know while basically wearing pajamas." She laughed right on back at me, a bright smile on her face.

"Still, I envy you." I could hear that my voice had turned somber and the tears were building again.

"You envy me? What for?" She sounded astonished.

"You've found your mate. I want to find mine. I thought I had recently, but I guess I was wrong." The emotions were almost too much right now. I had to rein myself in and soon.

"Yeah, well, it hasn't been all perfect." There was an edge to her voice, some darker emotion from her memories.

"You seem so happy though." 

"I am, now. But we weren't so happy when we first got together." She seemed to be remembering something from the past.

"I wouldn't care, I just want to find my mate. I know that I will be happy." I tried to sound happy but even my heart broke at the sound of my voice and I could tell that my smile was crooked and uneven.

We talked for a while longer, Trinity was finally ready for dinner, and her mate showed up to take her down to the dining room. I walked them leading them as their hostess. It was fun, and I was glad to have the new people around to help me be happy.

During dinner we learned that it was Trinity's nineteenth birthday. We were only a little over a month apart in age. This was going to be exciting. I knew what I had to do. I hurried through my meal and stormed out of the room, taking my sister, my brother, and her brother, ok well he was her cousin but should be her brother from what I heard.

These hostages I took with me helped me to get everything ready. I called other pack members and friends to get last minute things together. A cake from my favorite bakery. A friend to buy a gift on her way in. And lots of decorations from my stash of emergency decorations.

And VOILA!

We had a small party ready for her in no time, and she looked happier than anyone I had ever seen before. I was glad that I had met her and I hoped we could be friends for a long time.