Twenty-Three

Amira awakes to multiple things beeping around her and assumes her alarm is going off in her delirious state. She tries to reach over and grasp her phone, but something tugs painfully on her arm and wakes her up completely to see a tube sticking out of one arm and an IV in the other. She blinks her eyes against the white light, shocked to see she is back in her room at home rather than in a hospital or Calix's bedroom. 

      The last thing she remembers is being bitten by Myla and bleeding out before Calix found her, but she passed out seconds after and doesn't remember anything else. Where is Calix, and why isn't she back at the pack house? 

      Her mother walks into her room carrying a tray of food, but quickly drops is when she sees Amira sitting up in the bed, letting out a large cry that alerts her father. 

      "You're awake, thank God!" she cries and runs over, hugging her in a death grip. 

      "Be careful, sweetheart, you might hurt her," her father coaxes. 

      Her mother pulls back and wipes her tears away. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, honey. Are you all right? How are you feeling?" 

      "Why am I here?" 

      Her parent's are taken aback by her question, not expecting her to answer with that. 

      "We brought you back from the hospital, you needed somewhere proper to rest other than what they had you in," her father says.

      "Where is Calix?" 

      It is her mother to sits next to her with a timid smile, her father looking otherwise confused. "Honey, I dropped the food coming in here. Would you mind making Amira another bowl of soup to eat?" 

      Once her father is out of the room her mother turns to her once more. 

      "Sweetie, I think it's best if you don't see him anymore." 

      "Are you serious?" Amira tries to jump out of bed, but the many wires attached to her restrict her. "You can't possibly blame him for this?"

      "You were almost killed, Amira. You've been asleep for over a week; we've been worried you might wake up with some sort of brain damage or trauma to your heart. We thought you were staying at the summer house to focus better on your studies this entire time." 

      "Please mother, you can't separate us. Calix did everything he could to protect me, what happened was because of my own stupidity and I'm the one who lied to you. Please don't punish us like this," Amira pleads. 

      Her mother throws up her hands. "Why are you acting as if the world is ending? I'm trying to do you a favor, this is the second time one of those wolves has hurt you, and this time it almost cost you your life rather than just hurt feelings." 

      "Calix isn't anything like Isaac," she groans. 

      "How do you figure?" 

      "Because I'm actually his mate, Mother." Amira starts to raise her voice. 

      "What does that even mean?" 

      If they continue, they will be in a full blown yelling match, but her mother puts up her hand to cut her off. 

      "Look, you'll be on house arrest for the next week for lying to us about where you've been. We have already reached out to the college about transferring your assignments and lessons for the week electronically, you can complete them from home without missing anything, so don't even try that argument." 

      "Mother, please–" 

      "Enough, Amira, we'll talk about this when you have healed." 

      Once her mother leaves, she reaches for her cellphone on the bedside table but quickly remembers that she still has yet to get Calix's cellphone number, never needing to call him before this. She puts her phone down and flops back against the bed, feeling guilty and upset that she never even got to say good-bye to Calix, and wonders how he is reacting to all of this. 

      She assumes he has gone back to his pack territory since she can't feel any sort of secondary emotions hitting her, just her overwhelming grief and sadness. 

~*~ 

      Calix has barely made it through the last week, holding on to the hope that he will get to see Amira at the college eventually, but it is Monday now and there has been no sign of her and no way to contact her. He sunk as low as he could and asked Isaac for her number, but he refused under the claims that her parent's have put her on house arrest for the time being. 

      He has no idea when the next time is he will see her if he ever gets too again. 

      An odd sense of frustration comes over him and he recognizes the detached emotions through the mate bonds link. 

      She is somewhere nearby. 

      Calix races out of his classroom and toward the front door of the building. Once he is outside, her scent hits him instantly and he continues to the parking lot. He is able to make out Amira's blonde hair from a mile away but gets the scent of Evander close by. 

      He comes to a stop when he sees the two of them speaking, feeling the rage bubble in him at the coincidence that he has sought her out yet again, the second she shows her face after her accident. He wonders if he should interrupt their conversation or wait until they are done, not wanting to upset Amira for being rude or hostile again. 

      Instead, she notices him over Evander's shoulder and pushes past him mid-sentence to rush over to Calix, her eyes lit up. He can't help but beam at her in return, opening his arms to receive her hug and squeeze her to his chest to inhale her scent. He feels all the worry and loss he has suffered melt away in an instant and he wants nothing more than to grab her and run. 

      But Evander is still staring at them with his irritating smile. He walks up to them and clears his throat. 

      "Don't want to interrupt this reunion, but I was wondering if you had a second to hear me out?" He asks Calix. 

      Calix tucks Amira behind him slightly and nods his head, not having the energy to converse with this mutt. 

      "I wanted to let you know that I had thought a lot about why you might not like me, other than being around your mate, that is. I haven't paid the proper respects to the packs that have laid claim in this city and shown great disrespect. I would like to apologize for that and ask if you would be willing to host my family and I for dinner this weekend." 

      Calix scoffs. "Why not on your own territory?" 

      "It only seems right that if we are to pay our respects and show our acknowledgement to you as Alpha, us being labelled rogue wolves ourselves, that we do it on your pack territory." 

      He isn't wrong, but Calix can't shake the feeling that he is walking into a trap. There is no avoiding this, he knew it would either come to this or a full fledged attack on Evander's end, but if it is just him and his family as he claims, that would be asking for a quick death on their part. 

      "All right, I accept this offer. What time?" 

      Evander claps his hands with joy. "I'm very glad you agreed, I have already had a dinner with Alpha Lund of the Greybane Pack and his mate, Miss Morin, who I believe is the daughter of Alpha Morin of the Silverhowl Pack. You are the last Alpha that my family and I are to officially pay our respects to. How does this Saturday at 5 o'clock sound?" 

      Calix nods. 

      "Great, I'll see you then!" Evander runs off to his car. 

      "I'm surprised you actually agreed," Amira says, turning him around to look at her. "Did you have a change of heart while I was gone?" 

      "More the lack of one this past week," he mutters and clings to her once more. "Malachi tells me you've been skipping meals and fighting with your mother every night. Are you okay?" 

      She pulls back and gives him a playful glare, smacking his chest. 

      "You said you wouldn't have anyone spy on me?" 

      "He has never once looked through your window, he only knows what he can sense and hear. How else did you expect me to survive this entire time? I thought I might never see you again." He pulls her back in for a deep kiss that adds to the growing desperation and sorrow she has felt the moment he approached her. 

      "You can sit this one out, there is no need for you to push yourself just for some dinner," he adds. 

      He is surprised when she nods obediently, expecting her to have put up a fight. 

      "That's probably best, my parent's will be here soon to pick me up. They don't know that you're a teacher here, but they are still watching me pretty closely for the time being." She snuggles into his chest and squeezes him one more time before letting go. 

      "Hand me your phone," she says and holds out her phone. He takes it out and unlocks it before placing it on her palm for her to add a new contact, sending a text to herself. 

      "I'll call you tonight after my parent's go to bed. It will help me to sleep a little easier." She hands back the phone with a shy smile. 

      Calix grabs her hand and kisses the back of it before releasing her. 

      "Until next time, my love."