(Just want to thank a guest in the reviews who noticed a error I'd made in the code for Emma's apartment haha, sometimes I read over the chapters so many times my eyes just miss silly things like that, so thank you for pointing it out to me! I've gone back and changed it now. Again, thank you for reading, I'm so grateful for all of your reviews and that you have came back to read more chapters! Lots of love x)
Ten.
She kept punching, aiming right for the targets just like Blue told her. She was sweating like crazy, she'd been at it for a good two hours now, but she actually felt great. She was finally back in the gym, after missing her normal daily sessions with Blue for the last few days. Blue let her hit the targets a couple more time, encouraging her as she swung. When they finally stopped, Emma was panting like mad.
"You're doing great, hun!"
"I still don't think this is ever going to be enough, Blue. Graham is crazy!"
Blue rolled her eyes as she helped Emma take off her boxing gloves. They were both wearing dark workout outfits, making the difference between the two all the more visible. Blue was at least one head taller than Emma, and she showed a lot more muscle under her tanned skin. Even if Emma did gain a few new pounds and could last longer at training, she still felt as though she was lacking and weak. How was she suppose to defeat a grown man, an alpha to boot?
"No, it will be enough! It's all in the head, Baby! What you need is to work on your willpower, and to avoid being hurt."
Here we go, Emma thought. They all had this crazy idea that Emma would have some alpha potential, enough to be able to make Victor submit. She knew he wasn't the strongest alpha around, but she wasn't even classified as an adult yet, and only knew how to take a hit, not give one! She shuck her head.
"Blue, you're overestimating me. I can only stand Killian's gaze because he's my mate, not because I can actually dominate an alpha!"
"Not only the boss, Emma. Do you realise you've done it with every alpha you know? Even Peter asked about it. None of his friend can take back to him like you did. I couldn't, and my family is pretty strong! But we are wolves, and wolves stick to their ranks. And I'm telling you, your wolf should've never submitted to that pathetic guy in the first place."
Emma felt a growl inside. Her wolf agreed with Blue. She was never going to submit again, and she was quite angry about it.
What, you've been hiding for years and now you're ready to go all claws out against Victor?
She sighed. The new mystery of her birth that unexpectedly arise since Graham had visited had Emma thinking a lot. She remembered her parents. She looked a lot like her mother, and she loved her lots. Her father on the other hand, didn't care for her, favouriting Oliver who looked just like him. They fought a lot, though she couldn't remember what any were about. While thinking it over the night before, Emma remembered something Neal had said to her before: "It's your fault I'm an orphan!"
What did he mean by that? They both lost their parents in the most tragic of ways, but it was neither of their fault. She still remembered that day vividly, but Moon Goddess, she didn't want to reminisce. She'd already lost most of her childhood memories because of it, and that also meant she couldn't remember meeting Killian.
She hadn't seen him since their kiss the day before, but she understood he was working. She called him on that morning, thanking him for the job in Graham's restaurant, and to let him know she felt a lot better than before. It felt great being able to communicate with him normally, though she did blush throughout their entire phone call. He even said she should go out with Blue if she wanted! Emma felt like they had something planned, but she didn't mind.
Once they were back in the apartment, Emma went straight to her room to take a well deserved shower. She took her time getting ready for once, since they were actually going out. Since they were now in the end of November, she went for a pair of skin tight white jeans, a pretty cobalt blue jumper and some brown leather boots. She was still inspecting herself in the mirror, unsure on her choice of outfit when Blue walked in. She was wearing her black leather pants, an assorted jacket and a sexy white top with one one strap. She whistled when she saw Emma.
"Hello, honey.." She said with a playful smile, "Damn, I wish I was as thin as you. You look like some princess from a fairytale! Oh wait, you need accessories! Here let me pick some."
"I look like a fragile child." Emma sighed while putting on the silver earrings and bracelets Blue gave her. It was probably from the malnutrition, but Emma had always been one of those petite, slender girls. She wished she had more curves and muscle, like Blue. Killian looked so tall next to Emma. Just thinking about his build made her reminisce the touch of his hands on her... she got a hot shiver. Killian always treated her like she was some precious flower, but when she looked in the mirror, all she could see was the horrendous scar on her face.
"Emma?"
Blue was looking at her with a worried expression. Emma unconsciously brought her finger up to touch her scar, following the long red thread from her eyebrow to her jaw bone.
"Sorry, I was just thinking.."
"Your scar... you never talk about it. How did you get it?" Blue asked, taking a seat on her bed. What was she meant to say? It was an accident? It was not precisely an accident... she bit her lip, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn't leave Blue too shocked. She really didn't want to go into the details, but she didn't want to lie to Blue, either.
"It was sort of a... domestic incident, I guess? With a knife. It happened when I was very young. But I don't want to go into it, Blue, sorry."
Blue nodded, still frowning, but Emma didn't want to about the memory. She put on a smile and grabbed her coat. They headed outside, with Ruby following them as usual. She was starting to wonder if she would ever see Ruby in her human form at all. The elevator took them to the underground garage, and Blue headed for the familiar shining black SUV. Ruby jumped onto the back seats, while Blue and Emma took to the front, and they set off. She was so happy to be out again! She aimed to open her window, but Blue closed it as soon as she did.
"No, no, honey. To dangerous."
Emma frowned. Why couldn't she open a window? It wasn't as if there was a sniper after her! She pouted, but didn't want to argue back to Blue since they'd only just left the building. As they drove, she realised the car did seem to have tinted windows. They were not kidding about her security. It was almost like she could see Killian's shadow was surrounding her.
"Blue?"
"Hm?"
"What is Killian's job exactly?"
Blue looking like she was thinking for a while before answering Emma. She looked so severe while driving, but she put in a pair off aviator glasses and turned on some rock music, making her look kind of cool.
"Basically, a businessman. The boss runs the BLK company along with his brother Graham, so that includes a few companies. He is the CEO and main owner, so he has to show up to meetings every now and then. He's really good, but he hated going to them and always says he isn't needed in them. He sends our brother, Alec, to replace him sometimes, but according to him, they always go crazy when the boss isn't there."
"Is that why you always call him Boss?" Blue laughed at her question and played with her ring while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
"Sort of. It was actually Ruby who started it. Since we're werewolves, there's always big internal struggles the money, deeds and who get more power and stuff. It's like a mafia, and the boss certainly works that way. He never forgives anyone who oversteps their boundaries or tries to double cross him. He has them all shaking whenever he enters the room. Thanks to that, it runs smoothly."
It didn't come as a surprise to Emma. Saying that it worked like a mafia didn't only applied to Killian group, but for the whole pack too. it was all about power between werewolves. They learn to respect and submit to the strongest, and fight to survive. The wars for territory were no joke. Some packs were known to be more peaceful than others, but no one wanted to step a foot on the wrong turf. Considering this, the Black Moon pack needed just as many assets to strengthen its power over Storybrooke. Being a strong wolf meant nothing if you had to beg others for money, or didn't have a proper place to let your pack live in. But from what Emma had seen so far, Killian didn't have that kind of problem... She wondered how and when he got the powerful.
Blue finally parked in front of a colossal shopping mall, the biggest she's ever seen. She were smiling at Emma so brightly it was almost blinding.
"Here we are! Shopping time!"
Ruby let out a law group, and Emma was pretty sure the wolf wasn't as enthusiastic as her sister. She soon understood why. It was nice for the first five or six shops they visited. Blue loved to try a lot of different things, dressing Emma up like a doll, and running around to see what she might have missed. Her chopping technique was a bit scary, as Emma had never seen someone pick out so many clothes so fast, and only branded clothes too! She felt a bit shy standing in the middle of such high class items, Blue was clearly used to it. And I wondered how she got the money to pay for all of it, though she only buys one 10th of everything she tried. She tried to keep blue from buying her things too, as her wardrobe was already full, but Blue didn't care. She even bought some clothes for her siblings. When they exited the tenth shop, Emma was carrying more shopping bags and decent, and her feet were killing her. She had to beg Blue for mercy.
"Blue, I'm just going to grab something to drink. Can you meet us at the café we saw upstairs earlier?"
"Sure, sure. But stay with Ruby!" She said, while looking into a pair of jeans.
"Promise."
The big wolf was only happy to accompany her to the third floor and escape her sisters shopping marathon. They walked side by side and, once again, she wondered how come nobody said anything about the enormous beast walking around in broad daylight.
They found a table in a corner, and Ruby hopped on the bench. Emma ordered two lemonades since she'd seen Ruby drink some at home. She was so tired already. She didn't have a clue how Blue could run around in her heels all day. The mall was actually not that crowded. It was a Tuesday, after all, so it wasn't much of a surprise. She liked it, it was all white, rather neat and clean without being too pompous. There were three floors, the two upper ones being open so people could see downstairs. She liked to look around and watch what people were doing. It was mostly early Christmas shoppers, though December was only a few days away.
She wondered if she should get a Christmas present for Killian... the only person she got a gift for each year was Neal, but he always rejected them. Even if she couldn't take part in the party, she liked Christmas with the Red Moon clan a bit. Mostly because she could spend all day in the kitchen to prepare the Christmas dinner.
But what could she get him? He must be so rich, and she had yet to make any money! Killian owned building and companies... what could she possibly offer him that he couldn't get himself?
While she was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly got a chill. Her wolf started growling, and she instinctively was on her guard, too. She felt like someone was observing her. She looked around, but aside from them, the café barely had more than a couple of customers. She still couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling. Something was off.
"Ruby?" She was growling, too, and stepped back until she was against Emma's leg, in a defensive position. They waited, looking all around to understand what was going on, but for a while, nothing happened. The uneasy feeling gradually disappeared, and after a couple of minutes, she saw Blue running towards them.
"Emma! What's wrong? Ruby said something was happening!"
"I don't know. I feel like someone was watching me. I'm not sure, and we didn't see anyone." Emma answered, while looking nervously around her. Blue looked around them, too, but everything seemed normal. She was sure someone was staring at her, and it gave her the creeps. Her wolf instincts didn't lie.
"Whatever it was, it's gone... but I don't like this. If someone's watching you, that's not good, Emma."
"Could it be someone else Killian sent to protect me?" But Blue shuck her head at her question.
"No. He only trusts Ruby and myself for your security. He would have told me if anyone else was supposed to watch you. And Ruby didn't pick up any familiar scent either; it's definitely not someone from our pack."
Blue sat, still on her guard, but Emma thought whoever it was, was gone. Blue suddenly grabbed one of the many bags around her feet and handed it to her. Emma frowned while opening it, and it turned out it contained a small box wrapped in Christmas themed paper. Blue smiled widely at her.
"Sorry, it's for your birthday, but they only had this kind of wrapping. An early birthday present, though you should have had one sooner."
Emma opened the present, curious to know what it was... A brand new smartphone! She knew of this Korean brand, and it was the latest model! Blue had even picked a white case, and some very girly, shiny stickers so Emma could decorate it. It was already turned on and unlocked, and in the contacts, Blue had put in her number, as well as Killian's.
Without warning, she couldn't help but let out a few tears.
"Emma! What's wrong, honey, why are you crying? Don't you like it? Would I have picked a different model? Or is it the colour?"
Blue was so panicked by Emma's tears that she couldn't help but laugh at her questions. She wiped out her tears to answer, a bit embarrassed to be crying in public.
"No, no Blue, it's amazing, really. I... I just... I haven't received a present in a while. It's been years, so I'm really touched. Thank you so much!"
"Oh, Emma, you are so cute..."
She scooted over and embraced Emma in a hug. She was really sincerely touched. Back in the Red Moon clan, nobody cared about her birthday. Most of them didn't even know when it was. Even sneak gradually forgot about it, not that he cared anyway.
Blue ordered a coffee and took her time showing Emma how her new phone worked, since it was her first time using one. Her phone was the same as Emma's, except she had chose the gold model and even out small diamond stickers all over it. Blue explained the most basic features to her but suggests she got an email set up and some games on later. Apparently, Blue used her own phone a lot.
"Does Ruby have a phone?" Blue nodded, and took out a second phone from one of her jackets inside pockets. It looked like the older version of hers, but in black.
"I keep it for her most of the time. She doesn't like to use it too much anyway, except for listening to music. She loves Latino stuff, like reggaeton."
"Really?"
It was funny to imagine that the big, lazy and aloof wild loved dancing music! Blue nodded with a smile while petting her sisters fluffy ears. She noticed Ruby really loved to be petted, like a giant house dog.
"You should see her dancing! It's the only time she doesn't want to sleep. Put this girl on a dance floor, and she becomes a real killer. We will take you out dancing someday!"
"I want to see that someday, Ruby!"
They laughed for a while, but then she focussed on her new phone again. Blue showed her a few more things, and she understood quickly how it worked. Blue left her to use it for a while as she drank her coffee, Emma even downloaded and played on a cooking game for a bit.
"Okay, enough playing, Emma. How about trying to make a phone call?"
Her smile spoke volumes about who Emma should try to call, and she blushed immediately. To call Killian? Out of the blue? What was she suppose to tell him? What if he was busy? She pondered for a while, but she really did want to try to call him. If she was to call him, she needed some intimacy! Emma got up and exited the café to stand in the hall. Blue and Ruby could still clearly see her through the glass wall, as she was barely a few steps away.
She tried to ignore the fact that Ruby could probably hear everything she was about to say since she was in her wolf form, and she called Killian. It rang for a while, and she wondered if he might be busy; maybe in a meeting or something? But all of a sudden, someone picked up.
"Who is this?" Emma frowned. It was a masculine voice, but not Killian's. She didn't think it was Graham either, she didn't recognise the tone at all. Did Blue type the wrong number in by mistake?
"Um, hello, is this Killian- I mean, mister Black's phone?" She mumbled, confused.
"It is. I asked who are you?"
"Oh, sorry! It's Emma, Emma Swan."
"Emma? Oh, I'm sorry, hold on a second." His tone changed completely as soon as he heard her name. She could hear someone immediately pick up the phone, and this time, she heard Killian's voice.
"Emma?"
"Killian! Hi... sorry. I... Blue got me this new phone, and I wanted to try calling you. Are you busy?"
She must have been so red. Calm down, Emma, calm down.
"No, no, it's okay. Sorry about that. Alec usually answers when it's an unknown caller. I'll be sure to save it for next time. How are you? Everything okay?"
So that voice was Blue and Ruby's older brother! She forgot he was Killian's beta. What's with him and having others answer his phone, anyway? Last time it was Graham. So intimidating!
"Yes, I'm fine, Blue took me to this really big mall today, so we are out shopping. It's nice to be out. Oh, and Ruby is with us, so don't worry."
"I know, Blue texted me. Did you find anything you like?"
"A few things, yes. Blue is good at choosing for me; actually I don't know how she can pick so many clothes so fast."
"You should choose things you like, too, emma. Don't let Blue do it all for you."
"I chose a few things... but I... I don't really have any money yet, so-"
"Who cares? I own the mall! Pick whatever you like, Emma."
Oh Moon Goddess. Oh course he owned the mall. That was probably why Blue picked it in the first place. For some reason, she felt so embarrassed. She blushed and nodded, before realising he couldn't see her. She needed to change the topic.
"Are you at work?" She heard a sigh on his end.
"I am. Getting ready for a meeting."
"Blue told me you... scare your associates."
"I do. People work faster and better when they think I will kick their asses if they don't."
Emma chuckled at his response. They stayed silent for a moment, and she found herself brushing her hair with her fingers absentmindedly.
"I love to hear your voice." He suddenly said, making her blush.
"I love to hear yours, too." She whispered back to him, embarrassed. "When can I see you again?"
"I'm busy with work, for now, since I missed a lot recently... And Alec is glaring at me right now, so I guess it will be hard to take some time off. But you can call me anytime."
"Okay, I'll do that, then."
"I have to go. I'll call you later!"
He hung up, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She knew he was busy with work, but still, she felt like they'd only spoke for two seconds. She bit her lip.
While she was about to walk back inside the café, her eyes suddenly caught a movement in the corner. Emma turned around, and she saw him. He was wearing a black cap and a large jacket. He stared straight at her from across the hall.
Neal.
