Page 113 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“I’m just here to take your vitals and observations,” Emily said to Heather. “If all looks good, you should be able to go home soon.”
Heather looked relieved at the prospect of being discharged. I turned to Emily, wanting to make sure I had all the information to properly care for my sister.
“Is there anything in particular we should watch out for once Heather is home?” I asked.
Emily didn’t respond or even glance my way. She busied herself with the blood pressure cuff and thermometer, acting like I hadn’t spoken at all.
I furrowed my brow. Had she not heard me?
I cleared my throat. “Emily? I was just wondering if you had any specific instructions for?—”
“I heard you the first time.” Her words were clipped, her manner brusque as she scribbled Heather’s vitals on the chart.
An awkward tension filled the room. I exchanged a puzzled look with Heather, who just shrugged. Why was Emily so cold toward me? We got along fine in class. Perhaps she was just stressed or overtired from a long shift.
Emily turned to face me, her eyes flashing with undisguised hostility. “You can drop the act. The whole concerned-sister routine? It’s not fooling anyone.”
I blinked, taken aback by her harsh tone. “I’m sorry, what? I don’t understand?—”
“Sure you don’t,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “You think you can just waltz in here, batting your eyelashes at Noah, and suddenly you’re part of the pack? Please. We all know what you’re really after.”
My mouth fell open in shock. Where was this coming from? I glanced at Heather, who looked equally stunned by Emily’s outburst.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said slowly. “Noah and I... we’re just friends.”
Emily let out a derisive laugh. “Friends? Is that what you call it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re making a play for our alpha. And now, thanks to you, he’s been shot.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. The color drained from my face as I struggled to form a response. “That’s not... I didn’t... George was the one who?—”
“Save it.” Emily held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. The fact is, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t come to town. But you just couldn’t resist, could you? Had to sink your claws into the most eligible bachelor in the pack.”
Her accusations washed over me. Is that really what people thought? That I was some kind of gold-digger, out to snag a famous mate?
“Emily, stop,” Heather snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Zoey isn’t?—”
But Emily ignored her, keeping her steely gaze locked on me. “Let me make something very clear. I’m loyal to this pack. I’ve been here for years, watching out for our own. But you? You’re nothing more than the alpha’s flavor of the month. A temporary distraction.”
Each word was a knife twisting in my heart. I wanted to defend myself, to tell her how wrong she was, but my tongue felt heavy and useless in my mouth.
“I don’t have to pretend to like you,” Emily snapped. “And I won’t. Because we both know you won’t be sticking around much longer. So why don’t you do us all a favor? Take your kid and go sniff out a new daddy elsewhere. Noah doesn’t need any more trouble from you.”
At the mention of Roland, something inside me snapped. Anger surged through my veins, hot and bright, momentarily overshadowing the hurt and humiliation.
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “You have no right?—”
But Emily just smirked, clearly enjoying the rise she’d gotten out of me. “What’s the matter, Zoey? Did I strike a nerve? I’m just calling it like I see it. Poor little Roland, being dragged from pillar to post while his mommy chases after men she can’t have. It’s pathetic, really.”
I felt Heather’s hand on my arm, a silent warning to stay calm, but I couldn’t. The pain and rage inside me demanded release, even as hot tears spilled down my cheeks.
“You don’t know anything about me or my son,” I spat. “How dare you stand there and judge me when you have no idea what I’ve been through? What I’ve survived?”
Emily’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t reply. A thick, suffocating silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing.
Heather leaned forward, halfway getting out of the bed, her small frame radiating a fierce protectiveness. “Emily, calm down. Zoey didn’t hurt Noah.”
Emily scoffed, her eyes flashing with disdain. “She may not have pulled the trigger, but if she hadn’t come to town, George wouldn’t have, either.”
Heather’s jaw clenched, and I could see the effort it took for her to keep her temper in check. “Emily, you should leave the room. Now. You don’t know the circumstances, so maybe you’dwant to watch your damn mouth. Especially as a nurse. You should know better. Or do you want me to report you?”
