Chapter 5: On The Way
She put on her seatbelt as Lucien started the vehicle. He pulled out of their garage and headed in the direction of the resort where they would stay. The day had dawned gray, but that couldn’t dampen Emma’s spirits.
This council was the most exciting thing she’d done in a while. Getting out of the house made her happy and Lucien would have to be on his best behavior in front of the other Alphas. She doubted he’d hit on anyone else’s wife and that would spare her some embarrassment.
Not wanting to spoil the moment, Emma remained quiet. She was just going to take it all in and enjoy herself. There would be activities for the Lunas while the Alphas met.
Lucien cleared his throat.
“Emma.”
“Yes.”
“I want to make clear what I expect of you during this trip.”
As much as she knew he’d change his mind at one point, she nodded. “Okay.”
“You are there only because everyone else is bringing their wives.I would look odd if I didn’t bring you along. That doesn’t mean I want you visible.”
Emma’s mind went to the green dress. Too late now to unpack it. “There are activities for the Lunas.”
“You may or may not participate. I’ll have to see. You are there to be quiet. That’s it. I don’t want any scenes.”
“When have I ever made a scene?”
He glanced her way, his red eyes flashing. “Do you understand what I expect of you? It’s not too late for me to leave you behind. ”
She had no doubt. And if she didn’t behave how he wanted her to, he’d leave her home next time. She didn’t know how to feel about all this. Sad, or maybe betrayed in a way. She would be the Luna he needed if he let her, but Lucien was not interested.
“Another thing. Stay away from the Alphas. That’s not just for me, but we can be dangerous in a room together. This council is a trial run so we’ve been warned to behave. If you got hurt, what kind of Alpha would the rest think I am?”
She could only imagine a room full of Alphas. The aggression and threats would be unspoken. And these were wolves that liked each other, but an Alpha was always an Alpha. They were made to be the leader. “Is someone in charge above all of you?”
“I don’t know why it would matter to you, but yes someone was elected.”
He held up both hands and made air quotes.
“You don’t think they are the right person.”
“I’m not discussing that with you.”
He wasn’t willing to give an inch. “Fine.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Emma. I can still leave you at home.”
She pressed her lips together and shut up.
“I want you to be the perfect Luna. Demure. Silent. Classy. Do you think you can handle that?”
The green dress was class, as was everything she had packed. “Yes, Lucien. I won’t embarrass you.”
He might embarrass her.
“Good. Remember that. I have a lot of business to attend to. This conference is about alliances. We have lone wolves that we need to protect my pack from. That’s one of the points of this conference.”
That was a lot of information coming from Lucien.
All of a sudden, I wished Julie was here. She would know how to have fun.
Lucien lapsed into silence.
“Can I run the activities I want to do by you?”
Lucien frowned. “I’m concentrating on driving.”
“There are some things I need to sign up for beforehand,” Emma said.
“Like what?”
“A spa day.”
“You don’t need it. I’m not having you getting used to being pampered. You’ll be too hard to live with after that.”
She frowned but looked away so he didn’t see it. “Do you expect me to stay in my room the whole time?”
“Maybe. If that’s what's called for then you’ll do it.”
“Lucien, then why did you bring me? I could stay in my room at home just as easily.”
She bit her tongue. That was a lot of backtalking to Lucien. He flashed her his red eyes again. “Don’t mess with me, Emma.”
“I’m not.”
He grabbed her arm and squeezed. He didn’t let go. “You are only coming because I had no choice. That doesn’t mean you get to enjoy this place.”
She tugged at her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. “Stop, Lucien.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes. I get it.”
Dex would never treat her that way. That should not have popped into her head. Lucien let go of her arm, but he couldn’t have heard her thoughts.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Emma said.
“We just left the house.”
“An hour ago, Lucien.”
“We’re going to be late.”
Looking at the navigation in the car, she said, “We have two hours to go. I can’t wait that long.”
He banked the steering wheel. She needed a moment away from him. He pulled into a rest area and she hopped out to find the ladies' room. The line was long and filled with attendees for the gathering. She hadn't expected to run into anyone so soon.
They chattered, but she kept to herself, lest she be accused of embarrassing Lucien. She washed her hands.
“You’re the Fang City Luna right?”
A younger woman stared at her in the mirror. Emma dried her hands. “Yes.”
Did she know this woman?
“Your husband is a bit of a rock star in our pack.”
“How does your pack know Lucien?”
The girl giggled. “We have our ways.”
The girl left and Emma wanted the earth to swallow her up. She’d thought she’d left behind anyone that Lucien may have been with. Instead, she was heading towards it.
Once out of the restroom, Emma looked around for the girl. She was too young to be a Luna, so she must be an Alpha’s daughter.
Emma never found the girl, but her words whirled around in her head. Not only did Lucien cheat on her with wolves in their pack, but he went outside seeking pleasure also. What was wrong with her that she wasn’t enough for Lucien?
“You took long enough,” he said when she climbed into the car.
“There was a line. I had no control over it.”
“Always someone else’s fault,” he said and took off down the road.
Was it someone else’s fault? Should she try harder with Lucien? She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what he wanted from her.
This wasn’t the time for a serious conversation. She did what her parents wanted. This was her life, but she wasn’t happy or satisfied. That made her think of Dex.
She had to get the wolf out of her mind. He was her past. It wasn’t a bright future, but Lucien was it.
“Someone in there knew me because of you.”
“Oh?”
“They said you were a rock star.”
Lucien shrugged. “That’s not any of your business.”
“It is when a person knows who I am and I have never met them.”
“You're reading too much into it, Emma. Now can we be quiet for the rest of the trip? I need to concentrate.”
She shut up, knowing it was no use talking to him.