Loving Luna - Emily

Chapter Eight - Drama

Emily stretched out lazily and smiled. Her body was stiff and wonderfully sore. She was enjoying being locked up with Carl for the last couple of days and she knew the honeymoon phase would soon be over. She couldn’t get enough of him and it seemed to her that he couldn’t get enough of her either. She rolled over and got out of bed. Carl had gone to get them some food and she was starving. Emily didn’t bother to cover herself up as she went into the bathroom. Carl loved her naked and now she did too. She heard him come in and she quickly finished up in the bathroom.

“Emily?” he called out.

“Coming!” she yelled back. Making sure she was all clean, she went back into the room. He had brought a tray filled with freshly baked bread, cheese, slices of meat and she was happy to see he hadn’t forgotten the chocolate.

“Mm, smells and looks amazing,” she said and he looked her up and down.

“I agree,” he whispered and she giggled as he grabbed her, pulling her close as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. She loved how he kissed her. It was hungry and full of desire.

“Ok, let's eat,” he said as he gently released her. They sat in comfortable silence as they devoured the food he had brought. When they were done, he gave her a sad smile.

“I have loved every minute with you, but I have to get back to work today,” he told her, she nodded and knew that she too would have to get back to whatever it was that Vicky needed. She got up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the bed.

“You have on way too many clothes,” she whispered as she eyed him out, he quickly pulled off the dark blue t-shirt and dropped his denim. 

"Is that better?"

"Way better," Emily said as she smiled seductively at him. He growled out and allowed her to lead him all the way into the shower. Making love under the warmth of the water was sensual, satisfying and earthshattering. Emily loved how he filled her up and made her feel complete.

“Vicky?” Emily knocked on the door as she poked her head inside. No answer and no one around. She frowned as she wondered where everyone was. Walking back down the hallway, she was humming to herself when suddenly a breathless Peter blocked her path.

“Peter? What the fu-”

“Vicky is in labor!” he shouted out and turned rushing off, she quickly followed him to the infirmary and dashed into the delivery ward. The minute Jeffery saw her, he grabbed her hand and led her to Vicky. The she-wolf was sitting up, legs open, breathing hard and screaming so loudly that Emily cringed. 

“Thank god!” she cried out when she spotted Emily. She stood frozen as she took in the scene, the pack doctor was seated between her legs and there was so much blood, she felt faint. Jeffery nudged her towards Vicky, and she snapped out of the trance she had been in.

“I’m here,” she said as she grabbed Vicky’s hand. “Sshh it's going to be ok,” she looked over at Jeffery who was pacing the small room and then at the doctor who had a worried look on his face.

“What is it, doctor?”

“She is losing a lot of blood,” he replied, and Emily forced Vicky to let go of her hand. She went over to the doctor and thanked the gods her mother had forced her to go for a few courses at the infirmary.

“Ok, Vicky, your pup is dying to come out, I need you to push, really hard,” Vicky nodded, tears streaming down her face. Emily turned to Jeffery.

“Take her hand, help her to push, encourage her!” she yelled at him and he rushed over to her side. “Push Vicky!” and Vicky pushed so hard she looked blue in the face. She could finally see the baby's head and she breathed out relieved. “Come on Vicky you can do this, push!” Vicky screamed out in pain as she pushed. As the baby came out, the doctor quickly handed her over to the nurse who was standing ready. Emily watched as the nurse smacked her bottom and a loud wail filled the room.

“You did it!” Emily cried out as she rushed over to Vicky’s side.

“Is she ok?” Jeffery asked concerned and Emily nodded. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of Vicky’s face and smiled. She could see that the she-wolf was exhausted and when the nurse brought back a clean baby wrapped in a soft pink blanket; Vicky smiled. Emily gently stood to one side to give them some space and to allow the doctor to clean her up. After a few moments, the nurse came back to take the baby and Vicky was moved to another room. Emily followed and helped the nurse to get Vicky into a hot bath.

“Thank you, Emily,” Vicky whispered to her as she bathed herself. Emily smiled and nodded, finally she had done something right. She helped Vicky into a nightdress and back into bed. She turned to leave but Vicky caught her arm.

“No, please stay,” Emily nodded as she stood by her side, tenderly combing her fingers through her short black hair. Vicky fell asleep and Emily stayed by her side. Jeffery came in a few minutes later and he hugged Emily.

“Emily, I can’t thank you enough for your support. She was seriously struggling, I could see how the doctor,” he stopped as his emotions came forward and Emily quickly hugged him.

“Don’t worry, she is fine, and your pup is fine,”

“Do you want to see her?” he asked suddenly smiling and she nodded. He left and when he returned, he had the little bundle of joy in his arms. Emily gently took her from him and smiled down at the little pink face.

“She is beautiful!” Emily exclaimed.

“Her name is Jody,” Vicky whispered as she opened her eyes.

“You should be resting,” Emily scolded, and Vicky giggled.

“How can I? When I know my precious baby is here,” Jeffery helped her into a sitting position and Emily gently placed little Jody in her arms.

“Everyone is here,” Jeffery said and Vicky smiled. He nodded to someone and Emily saw Peter rushing off. Soon there was a queue of wolves, male and female, as well as children, coming to see the newest edition to the pack. Emily stood by Vicky’s side and when Jenny entered the room, she groaned softly.

“Oh, Vicky! She is adorable,” Jenny gushed out as she gazed down at the pup.

“She is, isn’t she?” the two she-wolves cooed over the baby and Emily quietly slipped from the room. She couldn’t help overhearing some of the wolves whispering among themselves as she passed.

“Poor Emily,”

“Such a nice girl,”

“I wonder if she knows,”

“Jenny is a b***h,”

“She’s our Luna’s rightful beta,”

“Carol!” Emily rushed outside and to the woods, she hadn’t wolfed out since she had been here, and everything was suddenly too much for her to handle. She allowed her wolf to take over as she wolfed out mid-air and disappeared into the forest.

-

Carl shouted out to Emily as she ran and then wolfed out. He stood amazed at the flash of red and was just about to join her when he felt someone grab his arm.

“My son, will you escort me inside to see Vicky’s pup?” his mother asked him, and Carl felt torn, he wanted to run after Emily but looking down at his mother, he smiled and led her inside. He immediately picked up her scent and his wolf began to growl angrily. Carl shushed him and smiled at Vicky.

“We want to see her too,” he said as they got closer. She gently held the baby out and his mother touched the pup’s cheek.

“Gorgeous, congratulations to both of you,” Audrey said as she smiled at Vicky and Jeffery. Carl looked at the pup and wondered when he would be a proud father. Suddenly low growling could be heard, and Carl looked up to see Jeffery growling at Jenny, who was now backing away.

“Get a grip! You beast!” Vicky cried out as she slapped his arm. Jeffery gave Jenny one more warning look and then stood back. Jenny excused herself and ran out.

“Go to her,” Audrey whispered, and Carl hesitated. He had been trying to force Jenny out of his mind and heart ever since that morning his mother had confirmed that he was in fact still in love with Jenny. His mother had been right. He was still in love with Jenny and his emotions were torn. He may not be in love with Emily, but he did love her. She was his mate and he felt their connection daily. He quickly shot Jeffery a look and then ran after Jenny.

“Jenny!” he called out to her and she stopped. “Jenny are you ok?” she turned to him and he saw she was crying.

“Do I look ok to you Carl? You are the love of my life! You consume me! You ruled my world for so long and then toss me aside the moment your ‘fated mate’ shows up! Worse you have me banished from the castle! I’m not even allowed to see my best friend in peace!” She yelled out and then stormed off. Carl stood rooted to the spot in shock.

“Monster,” he heard someone whisper and he took off in the direction of his mother’s house. Once inside he broke down and cried.

“Don’t shut me out!” his wolf raged.

“I don’t want to listen to you!” Carl snapped back.

“You and I are not on the same page! Begone!” his wolf yelled out and silence filled his head and the small house. Carl sat on the floor wiping his face when his mother entered the room.

“Oh, my son, what have you done?”

-

Emily sneaked back into the castle and rushed to her room. She dressed quickly and looked around. She wondered where Carl was and figured he might still be doing training. Heading in that direction she bumped into Peter.

“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded and she noticed how angry he looked.

“What? I went for a run,”

“Where’s Carl?”

“How the hell should I know?” she shot out and Peter slapped her.

“Damn you! What the hell kind of a game are you playing?” he yelled out and then turned from her. Emily rushed after him and pushed him up against the wall.

“Game? Is that a joke? Do you think you can just slap me and accuse me of some game? How dare you lay a hand on me!” she snarled, and Peter whimpered in response.

“Emily! Drop him!” at the sound of Jeffery’s voice, Emily released him. “Both of you in my office, now!” Emily and Peter rushed to his office and he slammed the door shut behind him.

“Peter explain right now!”

“She attacked me,” Peter started but Emily quickly interrupted him.

“He slapped me and accused me of playing some game,”

“Peter you’re on a time out, wait for me outside,” Jeffery ordered and when Peter didn’t move Jeffery roared.

“Out!” when he scurried from the room, Jeffery looked at Emily.

“Emily, tell me exactly what happened,” Emily told him everything, not leaving out the tiniest detail.

“I admit, when he slapped me, I went into a rage and probably shouldn’t have pinned him to the wall, I am sorry for my outburst,”

“What did he mean by it?” Jeffery questioned.

“I have no idea what he meant, I’m not playing any kind of game, I am just as confused as you are,” Emily had managed to calm herself down and she felt the sting of Peter’s slap on her cheek. She wanted to cry and ask him why, but she felt ashamed by her own actions.

“Can I come back in now?” Peter asked and Jeffery glanced over at Emily.

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” she said quickly, and Jeffery nodded to Peter.

“I am sorry Emily, I think they lied to me,” Peter said as he came to her, she took a step back and he frowned. “I will never ever lift my hand to you again, I swear it,” she stood still as he came to her and hugged her.

“Who lied to you?” Jeffery asked.

“Whoever started the horrible rumor,”

“What rumor?”

“I overheard the she-wolves talking about how Emily was using Carl and that she would eventually leave him,” Peter explained and Emily growled out angrily.

"What do they mean that I will eventually leave?" she asked him.

"Something about you ruining his life and breaking his heart,"

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"To weaken the pack,"

“Who started this rumor?” Jeffery asked seriously.

“I don't know, when I asked them about it, they kept quiet and wouldn't tell me anything else,"

“I have no idea who would say such a thing, but Jeffery knows exactly why I am here, I have no alternative motive," Emily said and Peter blushed. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t just ask you about it when you said you had gone for a run, my imagination went wild and then when you snapped and said how the hell should I know where carl is, I thought the rumor might be true,”

“I feel like I’m back in high school with this drama,” Zoey commented, and they turned to see her curled up on the couch.

“What the hell?”

“Sorry, I wanted a quiet place to take a nap and I awoke to you guys all yelling at each other,” Emily burst out laughing and Peter joined in. Jeffery chuckled as he got up and went over to Zoey.

“This is my office, not a place for you to take a nap, or to be entertained,”

“Sure, but it is so much better than watching tv,” they all burst out laughing at her joke and Emily wondered who had been spreading around rumors.

-

“Are you sure I am doing the right thing?” she asked quietly.

“Yes dear, trust me, the sooner he realizes the better for you and me,” the older she-wolf whispered back. Jenny stepped back into the shadows and stayed there until Audrey had left. They couldn’t let any spot them together. Jenny wasn’t sure why, but she had been following Audrey’s advice for years and she had never failed to fulfill any expectations.

“Stupid Emily,” she hissed out as she thought about the she-wolf. Jenny had to admit that Emily was beautiful and funny and kind and-

“Stop!” she whispered aloud. She couldn’t lose sight of her end goal.

-

Carl flipped through the channels looking for anything entertaining to keep his mind off his problems. When his mother walked in, he turned the tv off and sat up.

“Hey mom, you’re back early,”

“It was just tea with a friend my son,” she said as she slipped off her jacket. Carl shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed a haircut.

“Listen, mom, I appreciate you letting me hide out here, but I should probably head back,”

“No need, I informed Jeffery that you needed some time away from the castle. He said he would pop in tomorrow morning, so I wouldn’t worry about going back there now,”

“What the f**k mom?”

“Now don’t you use that tone with me, my son,” she scolded, and he quickly looked away. “I’m going to make dinner, you just relax until its ready,” he watched as she left and shook his head. He would never say no to his mother’s cooking, but he didn’t like to be away from the castle and from Emily. He did love her, he wanted her, he wanted to be around her, she completed him. Then why was he so torn by Jenny? He thought about what she had said to him and he cringed. He hated that he had hurt her, and it wasn’t his fault that Jeffery banished her. And why was Jeffery so hostile towards her, Carl didn’t know.

“Mom, I’m going to go see Vicky, I’ll be back before dinner,” he called out.

“Ok,” he quickly exited and made his way to the infirmary. He knocked on the door before opening it and found Vicky softly singing to her pup.

“Come in Carl,” she invited, and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He quietly walked towards them and smiled at the sleeping baby.

“Can we talk?” he whispered, and she nodded, closing her eyes. A nurse came in and gently took the baby away. When she closed the door behind her, Carl turned back to Vicky.

“What is it?” she asked, and he began to tell her everything.

“I know I love Emily, how could I not? She is beautiful, talented, funny and so much more. She is everything I could ever want or need. My wolf adores her, I adore her, but whenever I’m around Jenny I feel conflicted and I hate the fact that I hurt her,”

“Do you love Jenny?”

“No, yes, I mean, I don’t know anymore,” he threw his hands up in frustration and shot Vicky an annoyed look when he heard her giggle.

“Oh Carl, you are making things so much more complicated than what they truly are,” she told him, and he frowned.

“How?”

“Let Jenny go, she will be fine, she will pick herself up, just as she has in the past,”

“What do you mean?”

“Carl, when I first came here, Jenny was running after you and you wanted nothing to do with her, she would cry to me, but I always laughed at her. She would cry over you and then run after another wolf; I could never understand how her mind worked. When the two of you finally got together, she was over the moon, but honestly, I think it was more about the title than anything else,”

“What are you saying? She used me to be beta?”

“In a way, yes, I do believe that she loves you, but I think she loves the idea of you more than anything else,” Carl thought about this for a moment.

“That is…confusing, but it still doesn’t help me figure out how I feel,”

“I told you before, follow your heart, your gut, and your wolf,”

“My wolf has shut me out,” he admitted, and Vicky gasped.

“Oh no Carl, that is not good news, if your wolf continues to pull away and shut you out, you could well, you could, um…”

“Die?”

“Yeah,”

“Ah f**k,”