CHAPTER 2

Emily let out a shaky sigh as she glanced around herself, feeling her palms get sweatier as she stared at the clock right above her head. Today was the day she had to make the biggest decision in her life and since she had been running away from it for too long, this was her last chance in the mating ceremony. Not that Emily had never been approached before, as a matter of fact, Emily had many alphas asking for her but she just couldn't come to do it as it brought back taunting memories from her dark past.

A past she thought she could never run away from up until Valentine and Margret saved her, taking her as their own and raising her into the woman she was today.

But despite all they could do for her, she couldn't just forger as though nothing happened. The scars ran too deep for her to seal shut. Even though it could come as embarrassing, Margret and Valentine always smiled even when she ended up stepping away from the mating ceremony, all they could do was assure her that it was okay and that they will always support her in any way. But this year, Emily had to do it, she just didn't want to keep her mother and father in embarrassment since she was now a young woman and needed to find her mate before the pack began glancing her way with questions.

It was her twenty fifth birthday and she needed to end her loop once and for all. She just needed to...

"Oh, Emily." An all familiar voice called behind her and she instantly turned to the tall man standing in front of her. His soft but dominating brown gaze instantly sparkled her heart as she held back a breath. "Happy birthday." He chuckled, giving her a soft charming smile that she instantly melted into.

Jase, a man she had always felt she belonged to since the day she first met him as an older kid. But she was so much older than her that she didn't want to tell him how she truly felt about him. He was already old enough to find his own mate and perform the mating ceremony the time she met him. As a matter of fact, Jase was a married man already with a wife who goes by the name Melanie. He was now in his early thirties while she was in merely in her twenties, an eleven year ago stood between them, but Emil knew he was keeping her heart hostage.

"Oh ... Thanks..." She smiled slightly as her cheeks heat up from the eye contact that she forced to break as she glanced towards the ground. He smiled slightly and reached out to pat her head, forcing her to frown as she faced the ground.

That's right, he had always treated her like a younger sister, patting her head every now and then and talking softly as though he was talking to a child. In his eyes, she knew she was just a younger sister to him. She knew Jase was never going to see her as a woman but as a child. That's why she never revealed his feeling to him, she was afraid he would step back and end up hating her for it, or hurting herself when he declined her confession.

"Where are my presents?" Emily forced on a smile as she glanced up into Jason's eyes. His eyes lit up as he smiled out with a small chuckle.

"You still want presents after all those gifts I've given you before?" He asked as he raised his brows at her to which she nodded to. "Well lucky for you, I really did buy you a gift." he chuckled as he reached into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a small necklace that immediately caught her eye. She gasped in shock as she reached her palms out. He placed the necklace into her palms slowly as she stared in complete shock.

It was a beautiful silver necklace with micro chains that made up the string holding a blue crystal in a small glass bottle that almost seemed as though it was glowing. She held it to her eyes, inspecting the crystal inside it, there was no doubt it was expensive to buy.

"Wasn't this really expensive?" She asked and she gently brought it back to her palm and curled her fingers around it. "Didn't it cost a little too much?" Desire the pity she was holding in that he had to purchase something this beautiful, she couldn't help ignore the fact that it was the most romantic gift he had ever given her from his usual candies and specially ordered cakes.

"It did cost a lot, but nothing I couldn't afford." He smiled at her as she immediately began to wear it. "Oh, let me." He offered and she nodded, turning around for him to clip it together. It took a mere second before she turned and glanced down at the necklace. "It's really beautiful."

"You think so?" He asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"It is. I really love it." Emily grinned with excitement as he stared at her a bit more.

"Last time I took Melanie to the store she hated it because it was the cheapest thing there." He chuckled out and reached to the back of his head uncomfortably as he glanced to the ground in embarrassment. "You probably don't like it now that I said it was the cheapest."

"It's still beautiful." She frowned a little as she watched his uncomfortable gaze. "I like it."

"You're really an angel, aren't you?" He chuckled as he reached out and patted her head again, getting her to frown even more.

"Is something wrong between you and Melanie?" She asked as she gazed into his eyes to which he looked away from and sighed. He sat back to the couch behind him and she followed, sitting close enough to him to the extent their tights brushed lightly.

"I didn't want to worry you." He shrugged his shoulders lightly as a frown made its way to his lips while he avoided her eyes. "It's embarrassing to start complaining about my love life..."

"Oh no, it's okay." Emily said with a small smile as she patted his shoulder, assuring him. "I don't mind." She nodded and he glanced at her for a moment before sighing out deeply, running a hand through his short black hair.

"Melanie has this weird urge to be controlling all the time. Even though I'm a beta, she just won't live with it. She keeps talking constantly about how much I could be making as an alpha and how much she would enjoy being an alpha's wife. She wants me to make so much money so she could live like a Queen when I don't have the power to just wake up one day and become the alpha. It's not my fault I was given the position of a beta, right?" He asked as he glanced to Emily who nodded in agreement. "But she won't take it. All she literally thinks about is how rich she wants to get that she began to rule over me, trying to turn me into her money puppet. I once heard she asked your father to give me the alpha stand but I'm glad he denied her. She's so obsessed in power that it's kind of ticking me off."

"Did you try to talk to her?" Emily asked as she balled her hand into a fist, taking in his sad expression.

"She won't listen to a word I have to say. She says she doesn't want to be a wife of just a beta. She doesn't want to just accept it as it is. Even though she's better off than most women, to her it's not enough." He sighed out, running his fingers across his face. "Would it be wrong if I told you I want to divorce Melanie?" He asked and she perked her ears up the moment he said it. A thud hit her chest, making her cheeks turn warmer as she stared at in his sad eyes.

"Um..." She cleared her throat and glanced down at her thighs. "I can't stop you. You deserve someone better than her. If she won't accept you for who you are then I don't see why she needs to stick around, right?" She asked with a small smile to which he returned. "I know someone is dying to be with you right now..." She bit onto her lower lip as he shifted his gaze towards the ground lost in thought to himself.