Switched Bride, True Luna - Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Logan
I couldn’t stop thinking about our almost-kiss.
It replayed in my mind like a looped song I couldn’t turn off. I vividly remembered the way the candlelight had caught in her hair, how her breath had hitched as I leaned in, and the quiet moment before I stepped away. The look in her eyes had been expectant and vulnerable.
In the moment, I found myself unable to go through with it.
It was nothing more than cowardice.
She’d been angry enough at me the entire time that we had been living together. What made me deserve a kiss?
I had faced war councils, rogue attacks, and the constant burden of leadership. Nothing had ever shaken me like the way Emily had looked at me.
Even when she was angry.
That terrified me.
I needed to keep my distance. Or at least, I tried to. It was difficult when she was in my house, brushing past me in the hallway, curling up on the armchair I had never used until she’d arrived, and humming under her breath while making coffee like she’d always belonged here.
The scent of her lotion lingered in the bathroom. Her shoes were by the door next to mine. Her soft sweaters hung beside my crisp jackets in the entry closet. I hadn’t realized how intimate cohabiting would feel until I started seeing pieces of her in every room.
I told myself this was temporary and convenient. It was all apart of the deal, and it had nothing to do with the fact that, little by little, I felt myself being drawn to her.
I had planned to head to the gym to blow off steam when I got the call.
“They’re coming?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“Yes, Alpha,” Beta Tony confirmed. “Your father, step-mother, Eric, and Dean. They want to have dinner and meet Emily.”
I ran my hand over my face. “Fine. Can you arrange dinner to be brought in?”
“Yes, Alpha.” With that, I ended the call. I almost crushed the device in my hand. My family had to choose now to be nosy.
I found Emily in the kitchen, barefoot and nursing a cup of tea. The sunlight glinted off her hair, and for a second, I watched her, wondering what it would be like to see her like this every morning.
“My father and half-brothers are visiting this afternoon,” I said.
She stiffened, then nodded. “I can go to the office, give you space.”
“No,” I said quickly. “They’d like to formally meet you, although you’ve already been introduced to my father and Eric. I think they’re looking for something more personal.”
Her gaze lingered on me, unreadable. “I’ll be ready.”
“Be wary. I’m almost certain they won’t all have good intentions.”
“What I should I watch out for?”
“My brothers, mostly. They’re also interested in becoming Alpha, and they’ll likely try to find any weaknesses they can to exploit.”
“We will have to make sure they don’t find any then.” She nodded once more and turned back to her tea.
My heart swelled with pride and a hint of something else I couldn’t decipher.
When my family arrived, it was every bit as painful as I had expected.
My father was cold, assessing, and distant. The older of my two half-brothers, Eric, was cheerful and boasting, but I saw him eyeing Emily at every opportunity. Dean, a man who thought dominance was measured in disdain, wasted no time in finding anything, or anyone, to criticize.
“So this is the girl,” he said. “The human charity case.”
Emily lifted her chin. “My name is Emily.”
Dean snorted. “Feisty. Doesn’t change the fact that you’re a PR nightmare.”
I stepped between them. “That’s enough.”
Dean raised his hands like he was joking, but the sneer never left his face.
My father said little, his silence more damning than words. I already knew he disapproved of my relationship with Emily, so I didn’t need him to say anything.
It was my step-mother, Veronica, and Eric that I had to worry about most.
Everyone was cold to one another until we sat down to the catered dinner.
“This looks lovely,” Emily complemented. She inhaled deeply, getting a lungful of the delicious fresh spices in the food.
Tony had arranged for a large spread of Italian food. It included family style trays of antipasti and caesar salad for appetizers with chicken parmesan, lasagna, and handheld calzones for entrees. Dessert was tiramisu and panna cotta.
I had to admit that Tony went all out. It was important, after all, that my family see the best in everything I had to offer. That included the meals chosen to share with them. Even if they feigned how disinterested they were in it.
“Is this all?” Veronica asked as we sat at the dining room table. Her voice was chilly and full of disappointment.
“We can get all this at any Italian restaurant,” Eric said.
“I’m sure it is still delicious,” said Emily from her seat beside me.
“You probably would eat anything, huh? Even if it was out of the trash!” commented Eric. Anger flared within me for one heated moment.
Emily’s hand squeezed mine under the table. Before I had the chance to interject, she answered Eric calmly.
“I don’t think that’s the proper way to behave around the dinner table.”
Eric scowled. “It was just a joke.”
“Regardless, it was in poor taste.” Emily took a bite of her food. “Unlike this amazing food! Good choice, Logan.”
“Thank you,” I said, still biting back the urge to punch my half-brother.
Even so, Emily took very good care of it. She didn’t defend herself exactly, but she instead threw it back in Eric’s face. As he was also vying for the spot of Alpha, any flaw in his conduct would be a grave offense.
“So, Emily,” started Veronica, “tell us about yourself.”
“I don’t have much to tell. I was raised in Blackwood pack mostly by my Alpha mother一”
Veronica interrupted her. “Ah, yes. I heard about your mother. Didn’t she fail as an Alpha and steal a bunch of funds from the pack?”
“That’s an unfortunate rumor,” I said. I was calm on the outside, but inside I was raging. I had no doubts that this was what they were here for. They wanted to size Emily up and make sure she was good enough, which they probably had already made up their minds that she wasn’t.
“Yes, and hopefully one that we will be able to clear up soon,” Emily added.
“I hope your lawsuit isn’t wasting pack funds to cover up past mistakes,” Eric said.
“I would never be so frivolous,” I said, my voice cold as ice.
We continued with dinner, and even though they initially protested the meal, they wolfed down their plates.
They stayed long enough to belittle Emily with looks and side comments, then left with vague promises to bring us a gift next time.
“I’m sorry that was so awful,” I said to Emily once they were gone.
“You don’t have to apologize for them,” Emily.
“For what it’s worth, I think you handled yourself very well,” I said. Her face flushed and she flashed me a shy smile.
After that, she went to read a book in the living room while I went to my office. There, I found an important email I had been waiting for.
My dearest Logan,
I’m attaching some information you may find interesting. It should be everything you need, bank statements, wire transfers, and email correspondence. I hope this will show you my sister’s greed knows no ends. Let me know when we can see each other next. Ill be sure to bring you an extra special treat.
Love,
Chloe
Chloe had finally provided me with the evidence she could dig up, but my gut twisted in warning. Before I did anything with it, I needed to make sure it was really. I immediately forwarded it to the private investigator and to Emily’s lawyer.
I chose not to say anything to Emily until the information had been vetted and verified.
That evening, I found Emily on the couch, sound asleep, her head resting against a throw pillow, a book open across her stomach. Her face was soft in sleep, all the tension from earlier gone.
I should have left her be. I should have gone upstairs and pretended like nothing had changed.
Instead, I grabbed a blanket and draped it over her.
My hand lingered.
She stirred.
“Logan?”
I froze. “Yeah. Just covering you up.”
She shifted slightly, her eyes still half-lidded from sleep. “Don’t go.”
They were two words that split me wide open. She didn’t say it like a plea. It was more like an invitation.
I sat down on the edge of the couch. “Emily...”
She blinked up at me. “You don’t always have to pull away.”
My breath caught. She was right, of course. Every time we got close, I retreated like a man walking backward off a cliff.
“I don’t want to make things harder,” I murmured. “There’s already so much at stake.”
She smiled softly, a flicker of sadness in it. “It’s alright. You’ll always have me.”
Her eyes searched mine. Her lips parted.
I wanted to. I wanted to close the gap, taste her name on my tongue. Let myself want what I shouldn’t.
But I didn’t. If I gave in now, there would be no going back. And right now, she needed protection more than passion.
So I rose.
“Get some sleep,” I whispered, forcing the words past the ache in my throat.
She didn’t stop me. Her silence followed me like a shadow all the way up the stairs.
The pack depended on me, on my decisions, and on my ability to stay focused and keep the chaos at bay. They didn’t need me distracted by my own desires, not those desires were probably only caused by proximity.
With Emily, the lines were starting to blur. The fire between us—unspoken, yet undeniable—was slowly spreading, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep it contained.
Still, I knew I had made another mistake I wouldn’t be able to take back.