"Hey man, something we can help you with?" Evander breaks the tension. He is grinning at Calix despite the deep glare aimed back at him.
"Nothing you can help me with," Calix mutters and turns to Amira. "We have a study session. You're late." He grabs her arm and drags her out of her seat toward the front doors, ignoring her protests and attempts to pull away.
She checks the hallway when they get out and sees no one is around before she starts to slap the side of Calix's arm until he finally let's go halfway down the hallway. In a flash, he presses her against the wall and leans down to her ear, his hands trembling as they grip hers.
"Are you aware of who you were sitting with?"
She shakes her head. "He was just returning a photocopy of the school map I lent him this morning, that's all. He's just a new student."
"He is a werewolf, Amira. One with the scent of an Alpha."
The scent of an Alpha? She knows enough of their kind that only those with the Alpha gene is a werewolf worthy of challenging or ruling as such.
"What does that matter? There are werewolves all over the city, there are at least three packs of you all," she says.
"Three. There are only three known packs in Morrowfalls, all of us in acknowledgement and alliance with each other because we strive to keep the peace in the city. It is law within both the city and our alliance that any new pack or kin that moves into the city is to make themselves known to us."
"Do you not recognize him?"
Calix shakes his head, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the hallway is still empty. "If he really is an Alpha as I suspect, that could very well mean the rest of his pack is here as well, and that means more than a dozen unknown werewolves have entered the city and we aren't sure what for."
Amira can understand his suspicions and thinks this might also be the reason she's felt such an odd sense from Evander from the moment they met, but he hasn't done anything that suspicious yet for him to be reacting so defensively.
"It might just be him and his family, looking to start a new life in a city that is accepting of their kind to live freely," she suggests.
This just makes him chuckle. "Out of everyone in this entire school, how did he happen to run into you on his first day?"
"What are you implying? Us meeting was a complete accident, he bumped into the back of my car with his when trying to park this morning, and I can vouch for that parking lot, it's a war zone half the time." She frowns at him.
"Then how did he manage to find you today in the cafeteria?"
She rolls her eyes. "I assume the same way you do. If he is a werewolf like you said, he probably sniffed me out. We aren't buddies now if that's why you're worried. I don't think we're even in the same classes or course at all."
"I'm concerned about a stray pup hanging around my mate. Coincidence or not, I don't get a good feeling about him, he is an unknown Alpha that shows to interest in paying respects to the other packs who have already laid claim to the territory here. That tells me he doesn't have good intentions by being here."
Amira pushes him back. "Or maybe he is trying to start over in a new town. Maybe he's running from something and seeking refuge. We have no idea and jumping to the worst ones isn't going to give us the answers, so I'm not going to be rude and avoid him just because of suspicion."
Calix growls, pushing her back against the wall to lean into her face.
"For all we know you're right, and he is a rogue wolf running or banished from his former pack. It is a possibility but not a large one, we are a collective, Amira. Once joined into a pack, it is nearly impossible to completely leave, body and mind. It takes a lot to be kicked out of a pack, and most are killed instead in fear that they take their pack secrets and weaknesses with them. If he is running, what is he running from?"
She feels this conversation is going nowhere and they can argue their points all day, lowering her guard. "Look, I don't get the greatest feeling from him either, but that's no reason to jump to conclusions and treat him badly. Besides, I have my own personal guard dog who tails me everywhere I go." She tries to tease, but his face remains unchanging and leans forward to press his forehead against hers.
"All I ask is that you avoid him as best you can, to give me some peace of mind when I cannot be around. Please, sweetheart," he whispers. Amira melts at the soft and tender tone of his voice, picturing a small child begging their crush not to speak to other boys in fear she will like them more.
"I'll try my best to avoid him, but I won't go out of my way to be rude if he approaches me like today."
He nuzzles his face into her neck. "If he is smart, he will think twice about trying to captivate what is mine."
~*~
She is able to make it through to the end of her school day without anymore dramatic incidents to add to her life, never imagining that getting into a slight fender-bender this morning would lead to her being on high alert every second of the day.
Walking to the parking lot, she peaks out the corners of her eyes to see if she can spot Evander, but he beats her too it and pops up in front of her as if he is made out of thin air.
"There you are." He grins at her. "Sorry to stop you right before you get in the car, I just wanted to make sure you were all right after what happened in the cafeteria today. Is that guy your boyfriend or something?"
Calix's words from earlier ring in her ears, but she also said she isn't going to be rude to Evander for no reason if he seeks her out. She just has rotten ass luck.
"He has made his interest for me known, but I'm still dealing with a relationship that just ended so I'm not looking to rush into anything. There is enough drama at this school to keep me entertained, it seems." She jokes to lighten her mood, but the dark aura remains around them.
"That's a relief, I was afraid I might have offended him," he says with his usual goofy grin.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she asks.
"Not at all."
"Are you intentionally not telling me what you are?"
A shadow passes over his face and she sees his grin falter just the slightest. As brief as it is, she catches it clear as day and fears her curiosity has gotten the best of her.
"It isn't something I'm trying to hide, but I wasn't sure if people here really are accepting of the supernatural as this place claims it is. I didn't mean to hide it from you either, but I had a feeling you were going to find out after you were snatched away from me earlier."
This is a reasonable response, but the last part doesn't sit well with her, causing her smile to come out awkward. "I'm sorry for the way our conversation ended earlier."
"Don't worry about it, I understand. I'm just glad I didn't offend anyone or step on any toes. I think it's smart to give yourself a break and focus on your studies for the time being."
She is surprised when he picks up his bag and waves at her.
"I'll see you later, Amira!" he cuts their conversation short and rushes off to his car. She was expecting him to stay and pester her with more questions like he did at lunch, but he gets in his car and drives away, leaving her standing there stunned long enough for Isaac to spot her.
"Hey, you all right?" He runs over to her, following her line of sight to Evander's retreating car. "Who was that guy? I got a funny smell off of him, he's a werewolf."
Amira is so shaken up she doesn't realize that she is responding to Isaac, something she didn't think she would be ready to do right now.
"I'm not sure, he's a new student that showed up this week and Calix says he already senses the Alpha gene in him, but he isn't making himself known to the other packs."
"Why is that?" Isaac mutters under his breath, seeming to be asking himself. "So, does this mean you and Calix are dating now?"
This snaps Amira out of her daze and the atmosphere crashes. It was nice while it lasted, she thinks and turns back toward her car.
"Still, none of your business, Isaac," she mutters. "While we're on the topic of things that are none of our business, have you mated with Eris yet?"
"W-what?"
She chuckles. "You've been waiting so many years, to the point where you refused to sleep with me for five years until you met your mate. Now that you have, what could you be waiting for?"
Isaac's eyes widen when the underlying message of her words hit him, but she is already walking to her car, keys in hand and gets in without a look back.
~*~
Calix arrives back at the Highmoon Packhouse, feeling like it has been years since he was last here, but he has some things he needs to find out before he can return to Amira's side. He needs to find out who Evander is, starting with asking the members of his pack if they recognize the Braith family name.
The anxiety of being away from Amira with enough distance between them that he cannot sense her is what is driving him to complete his task so quickly, but knowing he has left Malachi behind to watch over her helps keep him calm enough after going through most of the pack members and not getting a single recognition from any of them.
This leaves him no choice but to check the pack archives to see if he has records of any past Alpha family names or something of value. It has only been mere hours since he has arrived back at the pack house, yet an earthshattering call comes through the mind link faintly, Malachi's voice trying to ring through.
"Calix, we have trouble!"