Amira wakes up to see the sun high in the sky, realizing she has slept a lot longer than she planned. Feeling the bed next to her, the covers are empty which means Isaac is probably in the middle of his pack meeting at the moment and she has the time to herself before he can drive her home.
The memories of last night come flooding back to her and she wonders if Eris and her family are still here, realizing her father must at least be here for the pack meeting, but there is no reason for her and her mother to have stayed.
Only one way to find out, she thinks and tosses the covers off to get ready. Getting dressed in one of the outfits she has stashed in Isaac's dresser, having been together so long they have drawers at each other's place dedicated to their things, she makes her way to the kitchen in hopes that the staff there isn't going to treat her any differently. Not yet, at least.
On her way to the kitchen, she passes by the living room and sees the door open partway, the mutter of voices floating through. She pauses briefly to take a peek in, her heart sinking when she sees Isaac's mother speaking casually with Eris's mother over tea, giggling and hanging out like old friends.
Tearing her eyes away from the scene, she drops her shoulders and drags her feet the entire way until she reaches the swinging door of the large pack house kitchen. Even this late in the morning, the place is still bustling with commotion and delicious aromas filling the air. She meets the eyes of a few familiar faces and they all smile brightly at her as they pass through, no one avoiding eye contact or acting odd.
"Lady Altaha, what a pleasure this is!" Head Chef, Brutis, calls out in a loud voice over the clanking and hissing of the kitchen activity.
"Calling me 'lady' is a little much, Brutis."
He shakes his head. "Nonsense, you are the lady of the house, right after the Missus, of course." He teases, referring to Isaac's mother. "What do I owe this pleasure?"
"I was just wondering if you were still serving breakfast, or if there was still anything left over maybe."
"You, my dear, are welcome to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. No one appreciates my cooking like you do," he says and gestures to the kitchen like it is hers for the taking.
"Just a simple breakfast will do, Brutis. I'll allow you the honours of cooking me whatever you think is fitting," she giggles. It's a huge relief to see that the kitchen staff she has come to know, and love aren't treating her like a piranha in a place she thought she could call home.
It didn't take long for Isaac's parents to accept another girl in his life, they seemed to be preparing already for Eris and Isaac to become full-fledged mates as if Amira never existed, to begin with. She never felt she was truly accepted by the pack and that she has only been accepted so far because she was the girlfriend chosen by Isaac, their future Alpha. If he appears with another girl, there is nothing left for her there, she never even made any friends in the pack because regardless of how many parties she helped plan, no one ever approached her unless it was to speak with Isaac.
Brutis comes back with freshly cooked bacon with an omelet and home fries still steaming on the plate. "This looks amazing, thank you Brutis. Is anyone sitting in the dining room?" she asks.
"Not that I'm aware of, but it's such a beautiful day and you look like you could use a little boost. Why don't you have your breakfast in the garden?" Brutus suggests.
Since dating Isaac, she has only ever gone into the garden once when he first showed her around the pack house. There was never another opportunity for her to visit it, she usually spent time with Isaac or his mother when he was busy. But now that his mother is busy warming up to another, she has free time to herself.
"That's a great idea, thanks again."
"If you want, I can have someone get a food cart together with snacks and something to drink, they could meet you there, so you don't have to carry everything yourself," he offers and gestures to take her plate.
"It seems rather busy in here; I don't want to take away anyone's time."
"Not to worry, I'll take care of it, just head over to the garden." He starts to push her toward the door before she can argue. Having no other choice, she slowly makes her way down the hall toward the back entrance.
As she turns into the last hallway, she realizes she has to pass the meeting room where Isaac and the other Alpha's are. It is the only way to get to the backyard without going all the way around, but she knows the back gate is also locked from the inside and she won't be able to get there either.
She takes a deep breath and decides to walk quickly by the door in hopes that no one senses her enough to think she is eavesdropping, but enough that her scent might give courage to Isaac who most likely needs it right now.
Picking up her pace, Amira just about makes it past the door when she hears a commanding voice from inside.
"Everyone get out, now."
The icy tone of the voice is enough to freeze her on the spot as the meeting room doors burst open and people start to file out, one of them being Alpha Moring, then Isaac.
"Amira, what are you doing out here?" he asks her.
"I was just heading to the garden. Is the meeting over already?"
He shakes his head with an angered look. "It's Alpha Volkov, he told everyone to get out for some reason before Alpha Morin could finish speaking, he was addressing serious issues and he probably wanted to avoid them, so he ended everything early."
"Isaac," the same commanding voice calls out from inside the room, the half-open door obstructing Amira's view. "Who are you speaking with?"
Isaac stiffens and immediately turns around to hide Amira and push her to the side as he peers into the room. "No one, sir. Just another guest in the house, they were just passing by."
Amira wants to lash out at him for calling her just a random person rather than at least saying she is his girlfriend or a family member at the very least, despite smelling like a human.
"Bring them inside."
Now it's her turn to stiffen, wild thoughts running through her mind.
Did they think I was eavesdropping or trying to get information from their meeting? Does he take me for some sort of human spy?
"I assure you, Calix, she isn't anyone of importance–"
"I didn't ask of her importance, I said bring her inside." A chill runs down her spine.
Isaac throws her an apologetic look and grabs her hand to drag her inside the room. Her legs freeze up when she sees the towering man sitting at the end of the table, one leg crossed over the other as he leans his elbow against his raised knee. Smouldering dark brown eyes covered with razored black hair bore into hers, melting her insides like chocolate.
Once more she feels as if the floor disappears from underneath her, but her body isn't careening to the floor, her hearing escaping her and the world falling apart, leaving just the two of them standing there alone in that room.
The deep, honey-smooth voice breaks her trance like a splash of cold water.
"Isaac, you can leave."
"Calix, please understand. She's just a human friend, she didn't mean any harm by being here and was just passing by, I swear! –"
"Isaac, leave," Alpha Calix commands, even Amira flinching at his voice.
She looks at Isaac and nods her head, knowing things will just escalate if he continues to fight back. Whoever this man might think he is, he can't just harm anyone he wants based on pure suspicion and the territory of another pack, she understands that much at least.
"I'll be right outside the door," he says to her before leaving, tossing one last warning glare to Alpha Calix. Once he leaves, the room becomes suffocating as the distance between them appears much smaller than before.
Alpha Calix stands and walks slowly around the table, his eyes locked on hers.
"Do you know who I am?" he asks.
She shakes her head, not wanting to admit that she knows anything he hasn't told her directly, at worst him thinking she really was eavesdropping and labelling her a traitor of some sort.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to go somewhere I shouldn't have. I really was just trying to pass by and get to the back door, it leads to the garden if you didn't know, and I was told by the head chef…" she continues rambling on as Alpha Calix grows closer, Amira not daring to move from where she stands.
She realizes he isn't listening to a single thing she is saying when he gets so close, his breath starts to fan her face and she hears how quickly his breathing is.
"What's your name?" he asks, picking up a piece of her strawberry blonde hair to caress the strands gently between his fingers. Up close she can see every speck of his eyes, right down to the dark green swirls in the middle of his deep brown irises. She can make out how soft the strands of his black hair are without needing to touch them and how sweet the slight trail of sweat on his neck smells without needing to taste it.
Where in the hell is my mind going? She stops her sexual thoughts to pull her mind out of the gutter, wondering how she could ever fantasize about another man like that while her boyfriend is standing right outside the door.
But his presence is so overwhelming, that she can barely whisper her own name than comprehend a single thought. Her heart is racing, and her knees feel as if they might give out from under her any second longer with this gorgeous man invading her space.
"Your name, sweetheart." He speaks in a low, deep rumble that has her quivering.
"A-Amira," she whispers, her tongue as heavy as lead.
His fingers slide down the strands of her hair, then wander to touch her cheek, his fingertips rough but his hands somehow soft.
"Are you aware of the term 'mate', Amira?" He whispers her name with such a deep, gruff tone that sends her heart fluttering and puts the thought of what might sound like a growl through her perverted mind.
She is so lost in a daze, that she almost misses his initial question, and the mention of the word 'mate', before quickly snapping out of it.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I am. Do you?"
She nods her head, her chest swelling when she can't help thinking of Isaac, and how fate has played the cruellest trick on them by giving him someone else as a mate. Calix seems to sense this shift in her mood and hooks a finger under her chin to lift her gaze.
"Even sad you appear beautiful."
Amira blinks in shock, hearing him clear as day but tricking herself into thinking she has misheard him.
"What is your relationship with that boy?" he asks.
"Are you referring to Isaac?"
He simply nods.
"Why is that of any interest to you?"
His eyes narrow and she instantly regrets her slight outburst.
"I'm rather interested in the men who hang around my mate."