Emily's POV
"What does that mean?" I asked Damon, alarmed.
I couldn't have heard right. It's not possible.
I know I was still yet to like him, it didn't mean I'd be prepared for the bombshell he just landed on me.
"What do you mean? Is that even possible? How? Why? When did you decide that? You had to lie to me saying we were meeting some other Alpha? Are you serious?!" I could no longer take control of my own tongue.
Just a minute ago, I was content with being fascinated by the wonderful golden fishes that swam above us, little did I know that the biggest fish was me. I'd taken the bait to be led where Damon could do whatever he liked with me.
"You haven't even heard what I've got to say." He said, begging me to sit still.
For some reason, we didn't have company, and I was grateful for it. Cause right after the outburst, came tears.
Just when I thought my life was beginning to get out together, Damon decides to leave me. But that's not how it works in packs, according to the books I've read. Only ordinary people could decide they were done with a marriage over lunch. Not a wolf, and definitely not an alpha.
"Vynara, please!" He said. His voice went up a bit higher this time, overshadowing my sobs.
"What is it you want to say?" I asked, weakly.
"I knew the circumstances that brought us both here. I remember the terms on which we agreed to this marriage." He started, making me remember my first weeks in the palace. The most dramatic, chaotic and interesting weeks of my life. "I do not feel like continuing a marriage on those terms anymore. I've been with you for over a month…"
"We've been together." I cut in.
"We've been together," He corrected himself, reaching for my hand from across the table, "for over a month. And I think life would be much better, sweeter if I got to know you better. I need you to know that I'm willing to actually give us a chance if you are. We are both young, and full of life. There's so much more we could be doing. I don't like the way things are, and I want to fix up. I need you to be happier, cause when you are, then I am." Damon completed his speech.
When he started, I was in tears, when he ended, I still was, but for different reasons.
"What is it you're saying now?" I asked. For some reason, I needed him to be as clear as possible.
I didn't want to lead myself on. I didn't want to imagine things, I did not want to make assumptions, I needed facts, pure unmistakable facts.
"To the world, Vynara, we are married." He said. "And that's how I want it to be. But there's certain things we have to do if it is going to stay that way for much longer. I want to get to know you, beyond being my Luna. I want you to know me too. We can't deceive ourselves for much longer. Please, Emily, it might not make a lot of sense, but I want you to be my girlfriend. I want to do all the sweet things we missed out on when we were rushed into this. I need to know you, I want to know how to be there, I want to love you, Vynara, please."
My heart was racing. That's the last thing I ever imagined would happen.
"This is a lot." I confessed.
"I know." He said, kneading my hands carefully in his. "I know. That's why I'm telling you here."
"I don't know what to say." I added.
"You don't have to commit, not right now." He replied. It seemed he had an answer for everything. "I just want to know what you think about it."
"I don't know what to think." I said, truthfully.
In my head, was a whirlwind, a whirlwind of nonsense.
"That's fair." He admitted, taking his hands away.
I felt bad for letting him feel that way. I had to say something!
"I want it."I blurted thoughtlessly. "I want to get to know you." I repeated, so he knows I meant it when I said it the first time.
"That's good." He said, smiling really widely.
His smile stretched from one end of his face to the other.
Might be the only time I'd seen him genuinely happy since I knew him.
"It's almost noon now, my friend and his lady will walk through that door any time soon." He announced.
"Do Alpha's always make Alpha friends?" I asked curiously.
"Well, in my case, Adrian is just a nice guy. For others, yes. Birds of a feather…" He replied, making a face.
"What's worse than being with one Alpha?" I asked myself aloud, chuckling.
"Being with two." Damon replied, catching my joke.
"You're right!" I said.
In that moment, I felt peace, I felt at ease. The weight of being a Luna, a werewolf at all, was taken off my chest.
I didn't miss all the hollow thoughts I ever nurtured in isolation.
There's no way staying back home was gonna beat the moment Damon and I had.
In my head, I told myself to tread carefully with Dathan. I liked him, and if I didn't want to break his heart, I needed to set him free.
I began to feel the urge to bring something up to discuss. Make the moment less awkward, I also contemplated just letting the discussions flow naturally.
Then his friend came to our rescue.
"Hey man!" His voice interrupted our staring-into-space competition.
"Hey." Damon replied enthusiastically, pushed his seat back, and hugged the stranger.
I hated that we had to have company, but they were the whole point of our outing, so I got up, summoning my widest smile.
"She's so fine!" The other Alpha said, and shamelessly, I blushed.
I didn't expect it, and I'm sure Damon didn't either, judging from the scary stare he threw at me, all the blood rushed back out of my cheeks.
"I'm Adrian." Damon's friend introduced himself to me.
After we shook, I extended my hand to the pretty lady behind him. She looked older than Zyna, who was older than me.
She snubbed me and put a hand around Adrian.
I smiled in the hurt of the embarrassment, and sat down.
This might be the scariest lunch ever, the warm food and cold stare from across the table weren't compatible.