Where The Ice Gives Way Chapter 153

**Charlotte**

Emily’s fingers twist into the blanket until her knuckles turn white. She doesn’t answer me for a while, she shivers against my chest, with her wet brown eyes fixed somewhere past my shoulder. The other rogues still growl behind their doors, and I can feel Blake’s need to get me away from all of this, but he doesn’t move me. He waits, and so do I.

“I found him,” Emily whispers, her voice sounding like it hurts.

I continue running my hand through her hair as I ask, “Who?”

Her eyes flick up to mine, so full of pain, and her lip wobbles as she stutters out, “My mate.” Emily lowers her gaze to her hands. “They said it was supposed to be a blessing.” Her voice shakes. “A gift from the goddess. The one person made for you.” I tighten the blanket around her shoulders, running my hands up and down her arms, silently encouraging her to let it all out. “He was the future Alpha,” she says. “He was strong and handsome and…” Her mouth trembles as a tear slips down her cheek. “I thought he would be happy.”

I can already tell how this story goes, and it pisses me off. Blake makes a low growl behind me, and I know he feels the same, but the sound makes Emily flinch in my hold.

“I’m sorry,” Blake says immediately, voice rough but gentle. “I’m not angry at you.”

She looks at him for not even half a second before her gaze drops again.

“What happened?” I ask softly, trying to keep her here in this moment with me. Her fingers dig harder into the blanket as she whispers, “He rejected me in the middle of the hall in front of everyone.” Her breath stutters as she breathes in deeply, clearly trying not to cry harder. “His father. His friends. The elders. The pack.” Her face twists, and she presses one shaking hand over her mouth before she lowers it again. “I couldn’t move. I just stood there while he said the words.”

My heart aches for her. I couldn’t imagine how hard that would be. “What did they do?”

“They all laughed at me.” I feel Shanti rise inside me, a silent rumble under my skin.

“Then his father said I wasn’t fit to stand beside a future Alpha. He said a girl from my bloodline would weaken them, and if his son didn’t want me, the pack didn’t either.”

My throat goes tight as I gasp. “They kicked you out?”

She nods once. “My parents wouldn’t even look at me. The border guards walked me to the territory line and told me that if I came back, they would kill me on sight.” Emily trembles harder. “I walked for days… weeks… I didn’t know where to go, and she cried all the time,” Emily whispers.

“Your wolf?” I ask, and she nods.

“She cried for him and for home. Then she cried because we were starving.” Her voice drops. “Then one day, she… she stopped, and I don’t remember much. Trees. Blood. Teeth. Running. Hunting. Rage…” Her eyes squeeze shut. “Sometimes I could hear people calling, but I couldn’t make my body stop. I couldn’t come back.”

My eyes burn as Emily lifts her head slowly and looks at me.

“Then I heard you.”

“What did you hear?” I ask.

“A howl.” Her eyes search mine. “It was far away, but it went through everything. Through trees. Through hunger. Through my wolf. I heard it, and I remembered there was once more to me than the animal.”

I tuck the blanket tighter around Emily and brush her hair away from her wet cheeks.

“You did so well to get to me, Emily. So well. I’m just sorry you had to go through all the pain alone.”

Gareth clears his throat near the door, and I turn to him. “I have clothes,” he says gently. I turn and see him standing just inside the cell with folded sweatpants, a shirt, socks, and a bottle of water. Theo stands behind him, and Emily goes completely still in my arms. Her fingers clamp around the blanket, and her breath stops against my shoulder. The usual easy expression is gone from Theo’s face. He stares at Emily as if the floor has opened under him, and he has no idea how to move without falling. Blake turns slowly. “Theo?” But Theo doesn’t answer.

Emily pulls the blanket higher around herself as she starts shaking again. Her face has gone pale beneath the dirt, and her eyes are huge, locked on Theo.

“No,” she whispers and Yelen whimpers. Theo takes a careful step back and lifts both hands where she can see them. “I won’t hurt you,” he says. His voice is rough… I have never heard Theo sound like that.

Emily shakes her head, tears spilling faster. “No, no, no.”

I watch as Theo’s face crumples, and he backs up another step. “I swear I won’t hurt you.”

Blake rises beside me, Gareth looks from Theo to Emily, and the pieces click into place for me. A new thread.

“No,” Emily sobs. “Please. I can’t. I can’t do that again.”

Theo’s eyes shine, and he looks like every instinct in him wants to go to her, and every decent part of him is holding his body still.

“You don’t have to,” he says, and Emily drags in a broken breath. “You don’t have to do anything,” Theo continues with his voice low and careful. “You don’t have to look at me. You don’t have to talk to me. You don’t have to accept anything from me.” His hands stay lifted as he continues taking small steps out of the cell. “I’m going to leave,” he says. “So you can breathe.”

Emily stares at him, shaking, while Theo carefully sets the water bottle on the floor just inside the doorway.

“For when she wants it,” he says, looking at Blake while his voice cracks. Then he leaves.

Emily watches the empty doorway as if she expects him to come back and take the choice away, but he doesn’t. I tuck the blanket closer around her shoulders and whisper, “You’re okay.” The only reply is her shaking breath as she  turns her face into my shoulder and starts crying harder.