"I'm perfectly capable of walking to the bus stop, I appreciate the offer but no thanks."
Amira tries to walk around the car, but Calix moves her away, startling her.
"Just get in the car, Amira, before I lose my temper," he growls. He parks the car and gets out to come around to her side and open the door. She half expects him to shove her inside the car like a poor kidnapping attempt, but instead, he stands there and impatiently gestures for her to get in the car.
Her legs decide to move on their own and she walks to the passenger door, too tired to argue any further with anyone at this point and just craves her bed the most right now.
"Why are you so angry?" she asks once he is back in the car.
He throws the car into drive and takes off down the driveway, the pack house quickly getting smaller in the rearview mirror.
"No man should ever have a woman walk home after the shit he's put you through," he grumbles. Amira feels her chest flutter with slight affection at his words, but she is also hit with a tinge of shame with so many people knowing all her details with Isaac and Eris.
"I told him I didn't want a drive from him. I'm angry at him, I don't really want to talk to him right now."
Calix scoffs. "I wouldn't care how angry you are with me, sit there in silence if you really want, I won't leave you to walk home. Where am I dropping you off?"
She is stunned into silence for a few seconds, unsure of what to say, before deciding that her father's office building downtown would be better than giving him her home address.
"This isn't a residential address," he says.
"No, it's not, it's my father's office building. I have something there I need to do before going home, and I can get a ride from there."
She expects him to get angry again but instead, he chuckles, and they fall into silence for the rest of the car ride. They arrive at her father's office building within minutes, making her realize how much longer this would have taken had she gone the walking and bus route. Though she was angry with him, a part of her was still hoping he would run after her or at least text her at this point to make sure she was getting home safe.
Instead, she is sitting in the car with the supposedly cold-hearted and insensitive rival Alpha as he is the one who makes sure she gets somewhere safe and doesn't fall apart along the way.
"Thank you for the drive, I appreciate cutting my journey in half and I'm sorry for my rude behaviour earlier, it has been a difficult weekend."
He chuckles. "It was a bit more than half, and no apology is owed. But if you really want to show me how sorry you are, answer me this one question; what are your plans after graduation?"
"That's all you want to know, why?"
He shrugs. "I want to know more about you. Will you tell me?"
She doesn't see the harm in sharing that information.
"I plan to attend the Business and Accounting course at Morrowfalls College, I'll be taking over for my parents one day and they have a rather large business combined."
He nods his head and thinks something over for a minute.
"Can I ask a favour from you? One I really think you will benefit from."
"Wasn't asking your question the favour I owe you?" Amira finds it easy to be playful around him, the awkward tension from earlier gone without a trace.
"This is more of a favour to you, I guarantee. Just look into the Business Ethics class, that's all I ask. It's one extra class that isn't mandatory to take in your course but it's an option, you'll thank me one day."
She frowns, their favour is a lot smaller than she is expecting.
"Is that really all? It doesn't seem like much of a favour."
"I told you, it's one that benefits you in the end, my favour is merely listening and accepting my advice despite the suspicion you carry for me." He grins.
This makes Amira feel a little guilty, but she can't help being stand-offish toward him.
"It isn't every day that a strange man comes to me and tries to claim me as their mate. I'm already in the middle of my own romantic drama, I'm not asking for any more."
"I'm sorry to say, sweetheart, but you've set yourself up for this heartbreak. It never ends well for any werewolf to date someone outside of their mate, and that is why the majority of us choose to stay single until we find them. We're well aware that for our kind, we are only given one companion in our entire lifetime, and there will never be anyone who can amount to them."
Amira chuckles sadly to herself. "So, you're saying I've wasted my time all these years and I'm just getting what I asked for." She scoffs and shakes her head, wondering how she could think for even a moment this man might be a smidge better than the rest.
"Thanks for the pep talk, and the ride home." She opens the door but is stopped when he grabs her wrist.
"I didn't mean any offence by that; I'm just doing what no one else seems to want to do; tell you the truth. Just think about what I said, about the Ethics class, it's the least you can do for yourself after everything." It is the last bit of advice he gives her before letting her climb out of the car and driving away.
Amira walks into her father's office building and waits in the foyer to make sure Calix really has driven off and won't be waiting around to see if she is actually visiting her father. She doesn't want him to catch her in her lie and see her walking home.
She sits down on one of the couches in the waiting room and looks at her phone. Still not a single text message from Isaac, she should have made it to the bus stop by now at least but he hasn't messaged or called her to find out if she made it there safe, or to even try and apologize again.
The last bit of hope she is holding onto continues to dwindle.
~*~
It has been weeks now since Amira last had a full conversation with Isaac, having dodged him every moment she could at school, throwing excuses at him that she needed to focus on her studies and exams before graduation. She also has to set up for college, even though she will remain at home while attending her studies, she still needs to set up her parking pass, get her schedule and tour the school.
She has done her best to graduate with the highest marks she can achieve and a few honours in some classes to boast her college entrance application a little more. Isaac is nowhere to be found now, he was able to take his exams earlier than some due to his Alpha training and preparations, which has given her the breather she needs to get herself in order.
Today is the day she attends Morrowfalls for the student coronation day, where those attending for their first year can tour the school and other events they have set up to help introduce newcomers to the campus. She assumes today is no different than any other day and Isaac will be too busy with his Alpha training to show up.
Getting the tour information at the front desk, she joins the line of awaiting students as they set off around the campus, the guide stopping every so often to point out the different buildings and what they are, showing students where they can spend leisure time and hangout between classes, and where they can grab food.
At the end of the tour, Amira makes her way back to the parking lot to grab some food in her car when she sees Isaac leaning against it as if waiting for her. He runs up to her before she has the chance to pretend she didn't see him and grabs her arm so she can't take off.
"Why have you been avoiding me for weeks? You didn't even tell me you were still coming today," he asks.
"I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to talk to you unless it was to speak about what is going on with Eris. I can already suspect that even after all this time of me ignoring you, you still haven't rejected her, have you?"
He throws his hands up in frustration. "Here we go again, that is the first thing out of your mouth after not speaking to me for weeks, of course. You don't even care to ask how I've been or how my training has been going."
"Because it isn't always about you and what you're going through. What about me? I've been a wreck since your party, and you couldn't even text me after I left your house to make sure I got home safe," she cries. All the rage and hurt she has kept down since they last spoke is now bubbling to the surface.
"You told me not to speak to you, but you're angry that I didn't check on you after you stormed out of my house? Which is it, Amira? I can't handle this constant bickering, you don't know what you want."
She scoffs, feeling the delirium hitting her.
"I don't know what I want. Coming from my boyfriend of five years, who can't decide between the girl he promised to marry, and a random girl who came along, who only shares a forced mate bond. You made me a promise, and you broke it the first opportunity you could. Am I supposed to just sit around and wait for you, or watch as you marry another girl publicly and keep me holed up in the dark? What the fuck is wrong with you?" she screams, at this point drawing the attention of a few people on the grass passing by.
"You're acting crazy, Amira, calm down." Isaac tries to whisper to her, but she yanks her arm out of his grasp and backs away from him.
"I'm acting crazy because you made me this way, Isaac. I knew what I was getting into when we got together, but it was you who made the promise of a supposed man that you would never abandon me. All I'm asking is you keep that promise, one I never asked you to make, and do the one thing you have to do – but you can't."
His face drops. "What do you mean?"
"It's clear as day, it should have been the day of your party when you kept feeding me every excuse you could come up with. You aren't going to reject Eris, not just because she is your mate, but because it will sever that opportunity with her family, just like breaking up with me will sever your connection with mine. I'm done being a tool of conventional use for you and your parents, so I'll decide for you. This is over, good-bye Isaac."
She gives him one final shove out of the way and goes to her car, remembering that she checked her bag into the front desk and still needs to retrieve it. She turns her back to Isaac ignores his plea and runs off into what she hopes is the main building and doesn't stop until she is far down the hall, hearing the gentle clacking of someone's shoes.
"Amira?" Calix calls out.
Her head shoots up in surprise. Why does he always appear when I'm like this?
He sees her face and walks quickly toward her to grasp her face in his hands.
"Why are you crying? Who did this?" he asks, looking over her face and wiping her rapidly gathering tears from her eyes.
"W-what…why are you here?" she sniffles.
He chuckles and caresses her cheek. "I didn't tell you earlier? I'm a teacher here, sweetheart."