Emma’s POV
“What the hell are you doing, Emma?” my brother asked, making me flinch and turn around.
I was trying to open the window and get the hell out of here, but no matter how hard I tried it just wouldn’t budge.
“Were you trying to leave?” Andrew asked, frowning at me.
He approached me, grabbed my upper arm, and pulled me away from the window.
“Are you crazy?!” he exclaimed angrily. “You can’t go out there alone, Emma! Rogues are everywhere. It is cold. You could get hurt.”
Well, I got hurt in my own home so that argument was completely invalid.
“Why is my window locked?” I asked as she started pulling me out of my room.
He looked down at me and sighed,
“I locked it,” he said. “I know that you’ve been using that window to leave the house and go out with Amy and Jacob.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back toward my room. It was open before I went to bed. I was sure of it. I closed it before I lay down. When did he have time to lock it?
Andrew and I started walking downstairs. I tried to pull my arm out of his grip.
“Emma…,” he spoke, but I interrupted him.
“No,” I said sternly. “I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to talk to him.”
Andrew sighed and stopped walking. He caressed my cheek and gave me a small smile.
“I know it hurts right now, Em,” he said softly. “But you will move on. You will find another mate.”
I studied my brother’s face for a second. Something was wrong. Something was off about him. My brother would never let anyone hurt me like that, not even his Alpha.
I was right before, wasn’t I? He agreed with Logan, didn’t he? What happened to my brother?
“You agree with him, don’t you?” I asked. “You don’t think that I am strong enough.”
My brother sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“He agrees with me,” I heard my mate’s voice.
Hearing him say that felt like a burning knife was being pierced through my chest. I kept my eyes on my brother. I felt the tears burning the corners of my eyes.
“Why, Andrew?” I asked, ignoring Logan completely. “Why?”
Andrew gulped and glanced at Logan.
“You are young, Emma,” he said, looking back at me. “You are too young for this. You are inexperienced. You are going to get yourself hurt and then both Logan and I will suffer.”
A tear fell on my cheek. Who was this man in front of me? It wasn’t my brother. My brother would never say those words to me. My brother would fight for me. He would stand up for me.
This wasn’t my brother. This was someone else.
Andrew sighed and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“I am sorry, Emma,” he said. “I am just being honest. I am just trying to save you. This pain will pass. If Logan accepted you as his mate, it would only hurt you both.”
I shook my head and tried to move away from him.
“No,” I said. “You aren’t my brother. My brother would fight for me. My brother wouldn’t let Logan do this.”
Andrew sighed again and tried to reach out for me. I moved up the stairs so he couldn’t grab my hand.
“Who are you?” I asked as another tear fell on my cheek.
Andrew tightened his jaw and clenched his fists. He looked angry and hurt.
“I am your brother, Emma, and I am doing this because I love you,” he said as he climbed up the stairs and picked me up. “I am doing this to save you, not to hurt you.”
I tried to get out of his hold, but he was too strong. He walked past Logan and we entered the kitchen. He put me down on the ground and took my hand in his, keeping me close to him.
I tried to rip my arm out of his hold again, but he only grabbed me tighter.
“You can’t run away from this, Emma,” Logan said as he approached me. “We have to do this. I have to do this.”
I wanted to sob, but I held it back. I didn’t want to show him how much he hurt me. I didn’t want him to think that he was right. I wasn’t weak. I was strong.
Logan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Andrew stood behind me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pressed me to his chest. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.
“I am really sorry, Emma,” Logan said, shaking his head. “I wish there was another way. I wish we were never even mated. I wish I didn’t have to hurt you.”
“You don’t have to hurt me,” I said, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Don’t do this. Don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me.”
Logan gulped and glanced at Andrew.
I couldn’t understand why I was fighting for him. Why was I fighting for a man who clearly didn’t want me? I should have just let him say those words and be done with it.
But I couldn’t. Something was telling me that I couldn’t. Something was telling me that I had to fight for him.
“I am sorry, Emma,” Logan said. “You are just not made to be my mate and my Luna.”
I pushed down a loud sob. His words made my heart clench painfully. It hurt so bad that I was sure my heart would stop. My whole body was burning in pain.
“I, Logan Carter, Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, reje…” he spoke, but I interrupted him.
“Stop!” I screamed. “Stop it! No! Please!”
I was going to die if he said it. My heart was going to stop. I was sure of it. I felt it. I felt myself slipping away as soon as he started voicing out his rejection.
I couldn’t let him do that. I couldn’t let him reject me. I had to fight for him. I had to fight for myself.
