When We Were Mates (Demetra and Emris) novel Chapter 176

20:27 Mon, Jun 1 MO

Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Luna Demetra.

“There you go. Emris hooks my bra for me and his fingers are warm against my spine, lingering just a second longer than necessary. I slip the dress on myself but wait so that he can zip it up for me. The sound of the zipper climbing my back is loud in the quiet room.

When I turn around, I can tell my face is still red from what we just did.

He can see that and he chuckles, reaching over and caresses my cheek before I tip forward and give him the kiss he’s andling.

for.

“Stay tonight. We haven’t watched a movie together in how long-”

a

“I can’t.” I put my hand flat on his chest and feel it rise. “Wren is downstairs. I have no explanation for why I’m having a sleepover at an Alpha’s house when I told her we barely know each other.”

He makes a sound of acceptance that doesn’t sound particularly accepting.

I tip onto my toes and kiss him anyway…this time, I’m the one who initiates. But Emris takes it literally, kissing me as if we didn’t just go rounds upstairs. His tongue sweeps across my bottom lip. His hand slides to the back of my neck. I melt into him for just a second before I pull away.

“Loved seeing your fangs,” he murmurs against my mouth.

“Loved hearing you moan.”

I

say and surprise crosses his face….briefly, quickly covered by a laugh that he turns away from me to produce, and I watch the back of his neck go slightly pink which is genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

“I was not moaning. Fuck not.”

“You absolutely were.” I step back, putting distance between us, and he immediately tracks the movement with his eyes. “Or should I demonstrate, Alpha Emris?”

“Come here, Demi.”

I don’t.

I keep backing toward the door and I pull up my best impression of him. I try to imitate him by a low, breathy, desperate Demi falling from my lips in a terrible impression.

Emris can’t watch. He turns away, but I see that wide smile spreading across his face.

“The powerful, mighty Alpha, saying Demi in my ear like that. You looked so cute though.”

“You know it’s because-

“Oh, Emris.” I cut him off and he’s still arguing with himself. “When you come downstairs, come looking less Alpha–y and more… approachable. Easy to speak to. I don’t want Wren freaking out.”

1 go through it before he can catch me.

The elevator brings me down and I step out into the sound of voices and Silver’s laugh and something that smells extraordinary coming from the direction of the kitchen. The table is being arranged and the girls are already seated.

Robin and Jupiter

are there too, which I was not expecting.

GG

20:27 Mon, Jun 1 MO

Chapter 176

“Oh my gosh.” Wren looks up the moment she sees me. “Where have you been, Demetra-

I feel my face get instantly hot.

Everyone here apart from Wren knows where I’ve been. I would have to explain it–or be put in the middle of the question… because it’s obvious that a Luna and Alpha who haven’t seen each other would… mate.

“Um.” I smooth my skirt and sit across the far end of the table. “The gardens looked beautiful.”

“Oh, the gardens, huh?” Silver says. “I bet you saw the long flowers?”

Robin and Jupiter turn their faces away to burst out from laughing.

“Oh. I’m sure she saw the long flowers.” Lolly says with zero expression and they all start laughing.

“They’re horrible people. Don’t pay any attention.” I tell Wren who looks between all of us with the expression of someone who suspects there’s a joke she doesn’t have the context for and has decides to let it go.

“Did you see the Alpha while you were up there?” she whispers.

“No, actually. What are you having?” I look at the menu with

“Rasta pasta with lobster.”

great interest.

“Perfect choice. I’ll have steak, white rice, the house salad.” The chef nods and I settle into my seat as my face returns to a normal temperature.

Then Emris appears.

Transparent linen shirt… loose trousers, house slippers, wet hair pushed back from his face in a way that suggests he ran a towel through it once and considered that sufficient. He sits directly across from me and almost smiles.

“Uh.”

I look at Wren. She is staring at Emris in frozen quality.

“Hello, Wren,” Emris says.

“Oh my gosh he knows my name-” She turns to me and I lift one shoulder as my plate arrives. She turns back, straightens, adjusts her glasses, and assembles a full sentence.

“Um. I mean. Good evening, Alpha. It’s the first time I’ve ever met an Alpha from a major pack and I almost. I genuinely can’t believe this is real.”

“I’ll be teaching at Wolf Arts starting Monday. So you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”

Emris smiles. Oh, so he actually listened when I told him to come down looking less Alpha–y.

“Wowwww.” Wren says.

“Let’s eat!” Lolly says, reaching for her fork.

The food arrives properly and it’s extraordinary. The table finds a rhythm and a conversation moves between everyone. Silver is telling a story about Jupiter that Jupiter keeps trying to correct, Lolly asking the chef follow–up questions about the pasta because she intends to replicate it.

Then Wren puts down her fork.

“I heard you’re married, is that true?” she says to Emris.

O

O

GO

13

O

20:27 Mon, Jun 1

MO

Chapter 176

I cough and grab the water at my side to take a sip, hoping that Emris handles this smartly.

“Is that true? Actually, I also heard you were divorced. I’m not sure which one is right. I’m sorry…I’m really not trying to he disrespectful, I just-”

“It’s fine.” Emris cuts into his steak. “I am married.”

We end up having an excellent dinner. The steak is perfect, melts on my tongue. The white rice is fluffy. The salad is crisp and I can obviously see how excited Wreit is having Emris here.

She’s decided to ask him a lot of questions. About the Deltas. About the Zetas. About pack structure and hierarchy and how many wolves it takes to secure a territory border. It’s almost as if she’s interested….genuinely, passionately interested….and Emris answers her questions too as we’re on dessert.

Lolly has gone along with Jupiter for some… for some reason. I see them at the corner of my eye, playing tennis on the indoor court like they’ve known each other for years.

“You seem really interested in Delta stuff.” I say, pushing my empty plate away.

Wren adjusts her glasses.

“I’ve heard the pay at the Black Covenant Pack is a lot. It has been my dream to work there. I come from a very small pack with not a lot of opportunities. My parents actually put their life investment into me so I could go to Wolf Arts and make something of myself.” Her voice drops. “But being in Fox Class… I may have disappointed them.”

“Oh, Wren.” I reach across the table and touch her hand.

“You know you can go up a class, right? It’s not permanent plus….not everyone in upper classes has to be physical fighters. We need dorks. Knowledgeable wolves.” Emris says and Wren blinks.

“How do I go about it?”

pass information to

“Easy.” Emris picks up his glass of water. “An educator in Wolf Arts may have one student they rely on to the rest of the class. If you’re ready, I can make you that student. But just so you know, I won’t be easy on you. You’ll read everything I assign. I’ll ask you questions without at the top of you head and I’ll put you in Dragon Class on my recommendation. Temporarily at first. Then permanently if you earn it.”

“You can do that?”

I’m smiling. But Wren is smiling even more.

“I can.”

“Thank you so much, Alpha Emris! I swear I’ll never forget this. What you’ve done for me… giving me a chance-

“You’re welcome.”

Emris gets up from the table.

“You girls can stay here longer. Jupiter will drive you back to school.” He looks at me and something passes between us. “I have some work upstairs.”

When he walks away, Wren throws her arms around me, and I giggle, hugging her back.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Pinch me. Pinch the crap out of me!”

I pinch her arm.

She yells at the top of her lungs in a happy scream that echoes off the high ceilings.

O G

G

13

|||

20:27 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 176

MD

“Wow! Dragon Class? Not even Panther?”

Seems like Alpha Emris is really kind, huh?” I say.

She nods aggressively.

“Wow. His wife must be really lucky if this is how he treats other she–wolves! I’ve gotta tell Lolly about it.”

Wren gets up from the table and runs toward the indoor tennis court.

I quickly leave the kitchen island to give Emris a reward kiss. The moment I get to the hallway where I’m about to turn, he’s already on me.

His body blocks the light and he kisses me until I’m backed against the wall…with his mouth consuming every sound I try to make.

“Reward?” He mumbles against my lips.

“Reward.” I confirm.