Howl

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

“Where did you want to stay tonight?” Lukas asked Emma as they approached his car in the parking lot on campus.

“Um…” Emma hadn’t given it much thought, as she’d been far too busy paying attention in class or thinking about Lukas, although she didn’t want to admit that last part to herself.

“You can stay at the same place you did last night,” Lukas said, giving her a reminder of her options. “You can stay at my place too, but I do have roommates. I’m down in the basement, so I’ve got my own bathroom, but they can be loud.”

Emma wanted to stay with Lukas, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She felt comfortable around him and liked him, but she felt that it was just too soon for her to stay at his place. She wished she felt comfortable at her apartment, but going there in the morning had been hard for her. She wouldn’t have done it if Lukas hadn’t been with her. She opened the car door and sat down before giving her answer.

“If it’s really okay, I guess I’ll stay where I did last night.” She sounded unsure, as she wasn’t even entirely sure whose house that was. When she’d been brought there, there had been tons of people around. Now that Emma thought about it, it was rather odd how many people were there. “Whose house is that anyway?”

“She’s sorta my boss,” Lukas said as he started to drive. “I’ll introduce you to her. Her name’s Sophia. She’s nice once you get to know her, but she might seem like more of a bitch when you first meet her. Just don’t let that get to you.”

“Can we stop by my apartment? I need to pick some things up and I’d like to have my truck too.” After that comment Lukas made, Emma definitely wanted to be able to leave if his boss really was a bitch – she certainly wasn’t feeling confident about her choice.

“Sure,” Lukas agreed.

When they got to her apartment building, Emma was glad to see Lukas following her. She didn’t want to go in alone, nor did she want to ask him to go with her. She wasn’t sure how long she would stay away for, so she tossed enough clothes for several days into a bag, and then grabbed everything she needed from the bathroom.

Emma followed Lukas in her truck up to the house in Arvada. When they arrived, Lukas took her bag from her, not wanting his mate to carry all her stuff. She had her backpack, which was enough as far as Lukas was concerned.

They went inside, but there was no one to be found. Lukas knew that already, as he had heard a gathering of people outside in the backyard. He carried Emma’s bag upstairs to the same room where she had stayed the previous night and then, once Emma agreed to it, decided to get the introductions out of the way.

Lukas wanted to quickly introduce Emma to Sophia and whatever other pack members might have been there and then retreat back inside, but as soon as he stepped outside, he knew it was going to take a lot longer than he anticipated.

“Lukas!” A loud man bellowed.  Lukas tried to back up, but still found a strong pair of arms wrapped around him. At least the hug only lasted a few moments before the man pulled away. “It’s been ten years, boy, and this is how you greet me?”