Fallen Love
Chapter 17

Esra.

I’m watching the party, happy to see everyone enjoying themselves. Alice is glued to her parents, doing all the little attractions and stalls. A hand went up my back and gently rubbed it. Lisa put her head on my shoulder, looking in the same direction as me.

– You know, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said apologetically.

– I know, Lisa, it was just a shock to hear.

– I wondered how you’d react.

– You would have told me when Chris didn’t know about my nature and I would have been happy, but now I have to find a way to break the link.

Lisa stands up and turns me towards her, blocking my view of the party. Her face is so out of sync with the mood behind us, she’s scared and angry too.

– Esra, if I said no to you to break my bond, it’s the same for you.

– But what’s the point, because nothing will ever happen between us. You’re the same species, you see each other every day. We’re worlds apart.

The she-wolf looks at me puzzled and it’s true that she doesn’t know any of my future plans, apart from finding a job.

– We’ll still see each other, Esra, every day, that would be great.

– Not if I leave Lisa.

– If you leave? Or that?

– I don’t know yet, but I can’t stay here.

Lisa refrains from adding anything, but the look in her eyes says a lot about her thoughts, and here she is talking about the wolf.

– Is it because of Casey?

– No… Yes… he can still make a life for himself.

– But Esra, that’s crazy. You’re soul mates, you’re being crazy.

What do you want me to say to him? He doesn’t want me, so why should I stay here? I don’t know what I’m going to do after uni anyway, so moving somewhere else won’t make any difference to me starting afresh. Nick came towards us with a chichi cone, so I grabbed one quickly and stuffed it in my mouth. I much prefer this sweet to candyfloss, all I need is chocolate and I’d be in heaven, but you have to make do with the little things.

– Hey, thief!” choked Nick in disgust.

At the same time his sister took one too and we laughed to see her disgusted face. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Emmett in his corner, glaring at us. No, sorry, it’s Lisa he’s glaring at, but it’s almost the same thing.

– Anyway, Esra, you’re the fairy godmother in Cinderella, you’re incredible.

– I’m not a fairy, dummy,” I laughed.

– Oh, that was a compliment, you’re spoiling it.

A shiver ran down my spine and I realised why as Chris passed me. He leans towards me when he sees Nick deep in conversation with Lisa.

– Emmett would like to talk to you about the proposal you made to him.

– OK, I’ll do that.

– Go to my office, you’ll be fine.

I nod as I start to walk away from the party, and out of the corner of my eye I can see the wolf following me. As soon as I reach the Alpha’s office, Emmett closes the door and looks at me, not knowing what to do.

– Well, first of all, I want you to be sure of what you want.

– I just want to live a normal life, not be angry or constantly reject others.

– All right, then. Do you know why you’re angry?

Emmett nodded and sat down on the sofa. I took the chair in front of the desk and put it in front of him. I sat down and held out my hands to him. Hesitant at first, he held out his hands which I took.

– Don’t worry, this contact is just to facilitate the link, so that you can talk to me without fear of what you might say. I can hear everything. IS THAT OK?

– OK.

I close my eyes and suspect he’s doing the same when he sees me. The contact of our hands makes it easier for me to enter his mind. It’s still a mess, but I can still see some important things.

– Are you still in contact with your old pack?

– No, not since I left six years ago,” he answers directly.

That’s good, he doesn’t force his resistance and lets the magic flow calmly between us. With what he’s just told me, I see images of his old pack, he’s younger but already had a big build, which makes him stand out in the flashbulbs. I also see a woman looking at him expectantly, but all of a sudden the woman vanishes, leaving Emmett alone.

His mum.

– She’s dead,” he tells me.

– Do you feel responsible?

– Yes, I had to protect her and I failed in my duty.

Emmett is alone again, but a young girl appears and they hug. Who’s that? I can feel the wolf’s hands trembling, I think he cares about her. I see several images of them happily kissing and embracing. I’m pretty sure they’re not soul mates, since Lisa is his soul mate. It’s impossible to have two.

I’m beginning to understand the importance of this girl in his life. He seemed genuinely happy, unlike the man I’m with today. I see physical changes between the first images and the following ones, over a period of time, several years. Suddenly everything stopped and blackness appeared, leaving just a heart-rending scream that startled me.

– Emmett,” I said, opening my eyes.

He got up and moved behind the window to avoid my gaze. I saw tears rolling down his cheek in the moonlight.

– Who’s she?

– She’s my best friend and my first girlfriend.

– She must mean a lot to you.

– She’s dead too,” he said.

I suspected as much, so I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder in support.

– Clara was the Alpha couple’s daughter, there was an attack, it went wrong and she died. I couldn’t protect her either.

– You can’t save everyone, Emmett,” I whispered, sorry.

– Since I’ve known you, no one’s died,” retorted the wolf.

He seems so sure of himself, yes, since we’ve known each other, no one’s died apart from the enemies. I’m in control of my powers, I know what to do, which hasn’t always been the case. I take a deep breath, preparing to contradict him.

– You’re wrong, I couldn’t save my parents, or my adoptive mother.

I took my place on the sofa, looking down at my clasped hands. Emmett sat in the chair opposite me. We’ve reversed the roles. But I don’t want to talk about myself, it’s Emmett I have to help.

– Are you worried about Lisa dying?

– How can you not think so, you saw what happened to my mother and Clara.

– It’s a coincidence, if you hadn’t been together Clara would still be dead, the attack would have happened anyway. We all have an hourglass above our heads and one day time inevitably runs out. The fact that you knew them and were seeing them doesn’t change a thing.

I laughed when the Beta glanced over his head to see if there was an hourglass there. He smiles back at me, and talking about his past has already eased his mind. I can feel that he’s lighter. He’s realised that he wasn’t the reason his loved ones died.

– Lisa nearly died when you weren’t together, I point out.

– Yes, but she did it because of me.

– Which proves that you didn’t necessarily make the right decision.

I get up and go to the door, deciding I’ve had enough. He has all the cards in his hand to move forward, if need be I’m here, but he has to make his own choices. Without any influence from me. I still have to lead him down the right path. The road to happiness.

– Know one thing Emmett, when you’re destined to die, you die, whether someone saves you or not, your destiny remains unchanged. If I can’t save someone then they must die, it’s as simple as that.

– I understand that.

– And you can count on Lisa to give you a hard time, if you choose the right option. Nick won’t give up on you either, he’d have wanted to know beforehand, which is normal. Don’t give up.

I left the office, relieved that everything had gone well. I’d expected more resistance from the wolf, but he really needed my help to be so cooperative. Six years is a long time. Now the best thing would be to tell Nick the news, but that’s their problem.

Slowly I made my way back to the party and a breeze made me shiver, I covered myself with my arms and cursed myself for not having brought a jacket. Alice’s birthday was still in full swing. As midnight approached, I looked around for her until a jacket was draped over my shoulders and I was surprised to see Chris zip it up as I put my arms through it.

– Thanks so much, Chris.

– You’re welcome, you’re more afraid of the cold than I am,” I smiled. Who are you looking for?

– Alice and her parents, it’s nearly midnight, the spell will soon have worn off.

– They’re heading for the fountain with Ben and Sisi.

On the way to the fountain, Chris followed me, and I discreetly put my nose in his leather jacket and inhaled his woody scent. It’s so manly, so manly. It feels strange to smell something that belongs to him. I really wish I could go back and talk to him before exposing my powers to him.

Of course it was to save him and his pack, but I should have told him. I know he feels as I do about his situation, but it’s done and unfortunately we can’t go back. Well, technically I could, but I’ve never learned that spell. I see Alice in the middle of a conversation but Chris stops me.

– I warned them, they’re saying goodbye.

– So I wait there.

I glance at them and see Alice in her parents’ arms, tears welling up but they’re not crying. They said goodbye, they needed it and I’m glad I was able to help them through this ordeal.

– Thank you for what you’ve done,” says Alpha.

– It’s important to say goodbye.

– You didn’t do that with your parents,” he says.

My head went from left to right. I didn’t want to break down in front of him, but he put his fingers under my chin so that I could look at him and his thumb wiped away a tear that was wetting my cheek.

– Why don’t you call them?

– I’m scared,” I confessed. I can never get through the ritual. Silly, isn’t it? I laughed nervously.

– No, it’s not silly at all.

Against all odds, he took me in his arms. I wasn’t expecting that. So what do I do? Shit, I think I’m blushing. No, it had stopped. Chris backed away slowly, still keeping very close to my face. He smiles at the colour of my cheeks, which must bring back a few memories. I feel his breath on my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

– You’re welcome to my territory, Esra,” he says. I should have told you before ….

Chris couldn’t finish his sentence as I was propelled into the air. I screamed in surprise before landing with my back to the ground, mostly in the dark and silent. It took me several minutes to realise that something had just attacked me. My head throbbed and I whimpered in pain as I put a hand to my forehead.

The laughter, the music, the attractions, all disappeared and now I understand why. The attack was so sudden, I wasn’t expecting it, that I let go of the thread that was controlling the party. Who the f**k attacked me? Someone came towards me and saw Nick helping me to my feet. I really have to lean on him not to fall. The fact that he’s a werewolf gives me good balance.

– Are you all right, Esra?

– I’ve got a headache,” I whispered, wincing.

– I’ll take you home.

– Wait, I’ve got to take Alice’s parents back to heaven.

Resigned, he leads me somewhere and I hear grunting and spitting. That’s Em. We get to the fountain and I try to smile but I’m moaning more than anything else. They’re torn between joy at having been reunited and sadness at seeing me like this. Tara, Alice’s mother, stepped forward and took my free hand between her fingers.

– Thank you so much Esra, you allowed us to see our child one last time for over three hours. If you only knew how much that meant to us.

– Children shouldn’t have to suffer so much,” I replied.

– This pack is lucky to have you,” says Joe.

Welcome here! Is that what the Alpha of this pack told me? I’m not crazy. And yet I’m not wanted in this territory. It saddens me that they still hate me. I thought I’d proved my devotion to Chris’s pack, my complete protection of them and my loyalty. I guess I was wrong. I look at my watch and see 11.58pm.

– How about a photo? I suggested. Nick, please photograph them.

He took out his mobile phone in one hand and waited for them to pose with beautiful smiles before capturing the moment. Once done, they kissed their daughter one last time, said goodbye to the pack and when midnight struck, they left in a cloud of smoke. The next minute, a photograph appeared in Alice’s hands and she saw the photo Nick had just taken. On the small margin at the bottom was written.

“For our princess’s birthday. We love you Alice.”

The little girl clutched the photo to her heart. I almost fell over, but a hand pulled me up. Emmett held me close and gave me a look of thanks.

– You dirty witch,” roared a voice.

As I turn, I realise that the voice is coming from Casey, Chris’s girlfriend. I take a step back, not reassured, but see Em staring at her in front of me, daring her to approach me. Chris and Lisa hold her back while Nick and Emmett keep me from falling.

– You should be dead,” she spat.

– Shut the f**k up before I let Em eat you,” Lisa threatens.

Casey realises that Em is the snake when she approaches, spitting again.

– Take Chris’s jacket off, Esra! It’s driving her crazy.

I do as I’m told and, with the help of the boys, manage to take it off. As soon as I’ve done that, the jacket flies off and crashes into Casey’s face. Em came back to me, keeping an eye on everyone, including our allies, and with one look she sent Nick and Emmett away from me. The reptile wrapped itself around me to keep me upright and bit me on the shoulder before teleporting us home. Lying on the bed, Em releases me but I don’t move, having a hell of a headache.

– I’m fed up with this pack. You do everything for them and what do you get for it, you get beaten up, attacked and threatened. This is unacceptable, I should go and remove the protective barrier right now.

– Don’t do that, just calm down.

– You’re not about to set foot on this territory again, I’m telling you.

Oh shit, she’s really angry now. Em’s waiting for me to get up, put on my pyjamas and get back under the covers so she can leave, I don’t know where. That is, if I have any idea, and I might not like it. Even though it’s already too late, I warn Lisa of my petard python’s imminent arrival. I stop myself from crying, I love that animal, I could never live without her. She’s everything to me, a part of me until the day I die. I fall asleep with a smile on my face, happy with the evening despite the mishap at the end.