EMILIA'S POV

Her sleep that night was populated by nightmares. She tossed and turned on the bed, her sweat soaking the bedcovers. Shadows from her past: nameless, faceless shadows, chased her through her dreams. She willed herself to wake up, but she couldn't. It was as though those shadows were solid: they pressed her down and made breathing difficult.

She saw her mother and father, Raymond and her triplets, all staring at her with blank, unseeing eyes. The shadows that chased her creeped uo behind them: with razor-sharp claws, they tore at the throats of her loved ones. She felt her legs go immoblie, the scream stuck somewhere between her throat and her chest.

And just when she thought she would sink into the dreams and never come out, a voice cut through her sleep. "Wake up, Emilia." It urged.

And she opened her eyes.

A sudden forceful feeling settled in her stomach immediately she opened her eyes. She felt salty spit gather in her mouth and immediately jumped down from her bed, racing to the adjoining bathroom. She bent over the sink and retched, but nothing came out. She hadn't eaten in more than twelve hours: all that was left in her to puke out was saliva.

Emilia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then raised her head to look into the mirror above the sink. Goddess! She looked like a shipwreck victim. Her coal black, curly hair sat on top of her head in hairy lumps; she hadn't combed before going to bed last night. Her eyes were swollen and glazed from her disturbed sleep, and her lips were chapped and bleeding. She hadn't had a nightmare this vivid before.

She hurriedly poured water over her face, then dried it with a towel. She looked around the bathroom: Raymond seemed to have made adequate preparations for her return. She could see different toothbrushes on the sink, and lavender body wash too. It was particular scent she'd fallen in love with as a teenager. He remembered her favourite body wash.

She took a quick bath and wrapped herself with a towel. She stepped out of the bathroom and stood in the middle of the room. She was at a loss for what to wear: she couldn't possibly put on her tailored skirt and blouse which she'd worn to bed the previous night.

Her eyes caught a closet door on the other side of the room. She crossed the room and opened the closet door, peering inside tentatively. She wasn't aware of her mouth hanging open in shock as she took in the sight.

A huge closet lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves, which were piled high with female clothes. She stepped inside slowly, looking around in awe. She was shocked at the length Raymond had gone to prepare for her arrival.

She quickly walked towards one of the shelves and selected a random knee-length flair dress. She slipped it on and checked herself in the mirror. Not her usual style, but it'll do.

She walked out of the room after several other touch-ups to her appearance, and went in search of her children. She didn't have to look around for long: soon she heard their shrieks coming from a closed door.

She moved towards the door and opened it slowly, peeking inside. Ruby, Jasper and Diamond were having pillowfights while Raymond sat on a couch by the window, trying not to hide behind the newspaper in his hand.

He looked up from the paper as she walked into the room. "Good morning, Miley." He greeted.

Emilia gave him the coldest glare she could muster, then turned to her kids. "Kids!" She yelled, and they dropped the pillow and rushed towards her. She gave them big hugs, then crouched to their eye-level.

"Hey, why don't you guys go and find the nice lady from last night, eh? I would like to have a talk with...Mr Raymond here." She glanced at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

The children nodded and scrambled out of the room, then Emilia was forced to face Raymond.

Just what she'd been fearing since yesterday.

She walked closer to the sofa he sat on, eyes narrowed, then folded her arms. "Raymond, you really have guts don't you?"

"Miley," he started. "There's no reason to be mad at me. I can explain."

Emilia tried to steady her breathing. "I have tried, for six years, to not think about you. I have tried to cast you out of my mind, tried to create a new life for myself and my children, and you have no right to come and ruin that again. No right."

"Miley, please listen to me—"

She raised a hand to cut him off. "God, I don't even know why I came back. I so hate this town and the memories."

He raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Then why are you still here? You can just as well pack your stuff and go back to Chicago with the kids today."

Emilia narrowed her eyes. "Are you joking with me?"

Raymond stood up from the couch, the sudden movement startling her. She took a step backward involuntarily. In the revealing glare of the sunlight that spilled from the opposite window, Emilia could see just how weak and sickly he looked. There were sagging folds of skin under his eyes, and his skin was white and pallid. His dark hair, which had been flowing down his shoulders last night, was packed up in a man bun now.

"I am still your alpha, Miley." He growled in her face. "No matter how far you run, your roots remain here. You can't do away with me, neither can you do away with your heritage. You're a werewolf of the Princeton pack, Miley, and no amount of years in the human world would change that."

A sliver of despair went through her heart as she heard those words. If only he knew the secret she'd been harbouring ever since she moved to Chicago.

She tried to shake off the despair and looked him squarely in the eye. "You know nothing, Ray. Nothing about me and what I've been through these past few years."

His eyes softened. "It doesn't have to be this way, Miley."

"No, it doesn't." She shook her head. "I'm going to see my parents today."

He frowned. "Why? It's dangerous out there, especially now that you're back home."

"Why?" She stared at him in disbelief. "Because it's been six years and they're my parents."

Raymond gave her a long look, then slowly pulled his eyes away. His face was clouded with worry.

"You can't tell me not to go see my parents, Raymond. You have absolutely no right. Not after what you did to me and your kids last night." She added.

"Miley..." He sighed, then closed his eyes, frowning. "Alright, you can go."

Emilia stood up and smoothed out the brown dress. "I wasn't asking for your permission." She said, then walked out of the room, feeling Raymond's eyes on her back. Things between them were damaged beyond repair, and Emilia feared there was no fixing it.