CHAPTER 5

"Hey girl!" Emilia cheerfully greeted me as I entered the kitchen, enticed by the delightful scent of freshly baked bread. My stomach grumbled, leading me straight to the source of the aroma. To my surprise, I found Emilia herself baking the mouth-watering bread.

"Good morning, Luna," I replied with a friendly tone. However, I was taken aback by the sudden change in her expression, which turned scornful, and her questioning blue eyes.

"What was that for?" She asked with a sneer.

"Huh?" I replied, unsure of what I had done.

"I don't like it," She answered. I was getting scared to know what I could have done to trigger her. She was all bubbly a moment ago.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked anxiously, worried that I had already messed up our relationship.

"Girl, how would you like it if I greeted you by saying 'Good morning, Alpha'?" She complained, and a feeling of relief flushed through my spine as I realised that I hadn't done anything serious. I couldn't control my emotions, nor could I suppress the amusement that I felt as I laughed.

"I'm so sorry," I apologised, still laughing. I tried to control myself to not make her feel offended, but the moment she joined in on the laughter, I realised I was safe.

"Be casual with me; we're the only females in this house, so let's be besties." She winked, and I returned it with a bright smile on my face. This was the opposite of what happened back at my pack.

I was raised and trained to be the perfect Luna. I wasn't allowed to crack jokes with my parents, nor was I allowed to speak too casually with them. I was always reminded that my in-laws and future husband wouldn't want any of those things.

Never for once did I ever catch my parents being romantic in the presence of their children, or rather, being jovial with them; everything between them always looked forced and contractual, and that was what I prepared to get into.

Even though Terran might be the type that wants formality, I'm glad his parents are different from him.

"Hey baby," Emilia said with a broad smile on her face. The familiar scent that I could never forget wafted through my senses as I came to the realisation that Heath was behind me.

I was unsure of what to do; I couldn't just stand still without greeting him. That would make Emilia suspicious of me, but at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. What if I turn to look at him and the images of the short moment we spent together last night flow through my mind? I can't do it.

"Hey mom!" he greeted Emilia, walking past me as he strolled towards her. His huge frame pulled her into a hug.

"Be careful; I don't want to stain you with flour." She smiled as he pulled away from the hug.

"Where are the fruits?" He asked. Memories of how he always loved fruits resurfaced in my mind.

"Oh, honey, the servants must have forgotten to buy them yesterday," She pouted.

"I'll have them get it for you," She added, but he was quick to prevent her from calling for a servant.

"No, it's fine. I'll get it later." He replied, and the moment he was done in the kitchen, he walked past me once again without glancing at me before leaving the kitchen.

It was as if I were a ghost to him. I should be happy with the fact that he wasn't bothering me and wouldn't be a problem for my union with Terran, but seeing him treat me like a ghost wasn't what I wanted at the same time.

It was I who had wronged him by ending things with him; he has every right to be upset at me after all, but my heart couldn't bear him being cold towards me.

"So... how was last night?" Emilia asked, bringing me out of my thoughts as she jerked my waist with her elbow in a ticklish manner. Even though I wasn't in a happy state of mind, I had to force a smile through my lips.

"Oh, I slept well last night," I replied. I knew where she was heading, but none of those things happened. By the time I woke up, I was the only one in the room, and Terran wasn't beside me.

His scent wasn't present in the room either, and that could only mean that he didn't sleep in the room last night.

"Did you perhaps..."

"No, we didn't do any of those," I answered, but for some reason, my cheeks flushed a bright colour. I already knew where she was headed, so why was I still flustered? Perhaps hearing my mother-in-law ask about a thing like this was something I had never expected.

"But you're in his shirt; didn't he give it to you?" She asked, and a perplexed look was etched across her face, but a tinge of fear was also evident on her face.

"No, I had nothing to wear after my bath last night, so I wore any of his shirts," I replied.

"Did he see you like this, this morning?" She asked again, and I could feel the tension in her voice as each word left her lips.

"I don't think he slept in the room last night," I answered, but the moment the words left my lips, Emilia quickly pulled off the apron from her neck, held tightly onto my arms, and sprinted out of the kitchen.

"What's going on?" I asked, shocked and taken aback by her sudden demeanour.

"You can't let Terran see you in his shirt; let's quickly go to my room and get you something to wear," She announced, with her legs moving as fast and sneakily as she could.

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"You'll know soon, but for now, let's get you to safety." She said, but just as we were about to take the staircase, she switched directions.

"The elevator is more discreet and faster," She added, leading me to the elevator, which I never knew existed. I was still confused as my mind raced with different thoughts.

What could be the big deal about a simple white t-shirt that I wore to cover my nakedness? I had made sure to select a plain shirt that wouldn't be of more importance to him in order to avoid any issues, yet this was still a big issue.

On getting to the elevator, Emilia's hands fumbled to press open the doors, but the moment the doors of the elevator slid open, our hearts both escaped from its cage.

It was Terran.

On seeing the baffled expression on both our faces, he was shocked and surprised, but the expression on his face didn't last until his eyes trailed down my body, stopping on the plain white T-shirt I was wearing, and on seeing it, he released a heavy sigh.

"You're wearing what is mine," He said, stepping his foot out of the elevator. I turned to look at Emilia, and she had a baffled look on her face as she mouthed "Sorry" to me before slowly moving away from both Terran and me. He didn't care to glance at her as she scurried away.

"It's not yours," I said, my mouth seeming to have been faster than my brain.

"I can tell what is mine and what isn't mine," He replied.

Okay, fine, but isn't it just a t-shirt?" I asked; he didn't answer, nor did his piercing gaze leave my face.

"Also, I had nothing to wear," I added. He seemed to be processing his thoughts for some moments, but after a while of him staring at me and not saying a word, I couldn't continue with the silence anymore.

"Okay, I'll make sure to get you another shirt today when I go to the mall," I said. I was planning to get some new clothes from the mall since I had nothing to wear in this house.

"Good," He coldly replied before brushing past me and walking away.

The moment he walked past me, I couldn't help but control every nerve in me to not call him a jerk, but he was surely acting as one right now. He has all of the money anyone could possibly have, so what was the big deal about a shirt?

"I'm so sorry about that; I promise you he'll warm up to you soonest," Emilia said as I returned to the kitchen with a look of pity on her face, but beside her was Heath in an apron as he assisted his mother with her baking.

"It's fine; he wasn't that hard on me," I answered with a reassuring smile.

"Good morning, Heath." I managed to release the heavy words from my lips so as not to make Emilia suspicious of the both of us.

"Good morning, Alpha," he replied, without turning to face me. And yet again, I could feel a sting in my heart as it ached.

"I should probably get you something else to wear," She said, attempting to pull off the apron once again, but I was quick to stop her.

"No, it's fine; I should get some clothes for myself at the nearby mall. Will your driver be available to take me there?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" She answered, but as she was about to call for her driver, she stopped.

"Heath, why don't you take her to the mall?" She asked as my heart skipped a thousand beats with my eyes wide open in awe.

"I'm busy with you in the kitchen," He replied.

"You're only making things worse for me. Just help her out and show her around the pack. Moreover, you could get your fruits from there," She added, leaving me stunned.

The last thing I would want for myself is to be alone in a car with Heath after all of the unspeakable sins we've both committed in our cars in the past.