Chapter 8


    AMARA.


    "Okay, youngdy. Tell me what happened?" Mom stepped inside my room as soon as I let her in and


    sat on the foot of my bed. I was inside my nket with no ns of getting up.


    "What do you mean what happened?" I asked as if I had no idea what she wanted to know. I was just


    buying time because, up until now, I didn’t know what to tell her.


    It was just five o’clock in the morning, and I was supposed to be on my way back to the ck Shadow


    Pack so I would not miss my first ss at nine o''clock.


    "You told me yesterday that you would drive early today, so I let Gamma Edward drive Alonso alone


    "We don’t have sses today."


    "That’s not what you told mest night."


    "Can I skip school?" I asked almost immediately, biting my bottom lip as I waited for her response.


    "Only if you tell me why."


    "Mom…"


    "Am I failing you as a mother? I’m not even going to ask for details, just any vague idea that you can


    give me will be enough."


    I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest before I hugged them.


    "You know I never got a moment like this with my mother. I wish I had, then I could tell her even those


    little things that made me cry."


    "Mom…" I didn’t want her to feel bad, but I also didn’t want her to know what happened to me. A part of


    me was embarrassed by the rejection. I didn’t want them to see me as weak.


    "Or those people who make my life a living hell. So don’t take this moment for granted. Because not


    everyone has a mother, or even if they do, some mothers don’t even care. I will be thest person to


    judge you, Amara."


    "I’m okay, it’s just that… I had a bad week."


    "I want to believe you, but you didn’t sound like you were having a bad week when I talked with youst


    Friday. Something happened between that time and when you came home."


    I let out a deep sigh.


    "Fine. Catherine and I had a fight." I blurted out.


    I hope Catherine will forgive me. Because I had no idea why I kept protecting Jace, the asshole.


    "This is not the first time, so I’m sure it will be fixed. Right, you want to fix this?"


    I nodded my head and felt guilty for lying. "Please don’t ask why."


    "I hope it’s not over a guy because no guy is worth ruining your friendship with Catherine." She let out a


    deep breath and looked me straight in the eye.


    I smiled at her and shook my head. "Yup. Nothing worth losing the friendship. I just want a breather. I’m


    sure when I’m ready I will approach her again."


    "Or she will approach you first."


    I smiled and nodded my head.


    "Does it hurt?" She asked, and I knew she meant about Catherine and me falling out, but the words


    struck directly into my heart and reminded me of Jace.


    My eyes watered as I nodded my head. "I don’t even know what’s wrong with me. Or what I did do


    wrong?"


    "People have different ways of approaching things. Different ways of thinking and different ways of


    handling situations, but at the end of the day, what matters is whether you’re willing topromise to


    save a rtionship that is worth saving."


    "I feel like you’re talking about you and Dad." I let out a soft chuckle.


    "It’s applicable for everything."


    "You stayed andpromised even if he was hurting you." I pointed out.


    "I stayed because I loved him, and there was no one in the world I could trust but him. So I took all the


    pain because I was hoping he would be worth it in the end. And guess what? Dad is worth it."


    "I wish I could find someone who thinks I’m worth it, or that I’m worth taking the risk."


    "You’re still young, not even eighteen. No need to rush into falling in love or finding a man to love you. It


    wille in its own time. For now, let me and your dad be the only people who can love you the most."


    "I’m not rushing. I’m going to be an Alpha, and he can wait until I’m ready for him." I meant that.


    If I couldn’t have Jace, at least I would have time to focus on preparing myself to be an Alpha. I knew


    Dad would not hand it to me anytime soon, as he took the Alpha post when he was already almost


    twenty-four.


    "Well, I’m sure you can’t tell your heart to wait if it’s already there in front of you." Mom softly chuckled


    before she stood up, went to the side of my bed, and leaned in to kiss the crown of my head. "But


    enough of that, because I like the idea of you waiting longer so I can have you all to myself for a longer


    time."


    I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head on her stomach, inhaling her calming scent.


    "Thanks, Mom. Save me from Dad."


    "Your dad will neverin about you staying home longer than you should. He just wants to check if


    you’re okay."


    "Then tell him his princess Alpha is okay." I untangled my arms around her and tilted my head to look at


    her, smiling warmly at the female I loved the most in the world.


    "I will. And maybeter, we can start discussing your big party. You’re turning eighteen soon."


    I feigned a scowl and dropped my body onto the mattress. "You know I hate balls and big parties."


    "This one is non-negotiable, sweetheart. It is a Mikaelson family tradition to have aing-of-age party


    for every firstborn. And we are not breaking that tradition."


    "What if I meet my mate there?"


    "It will break my heart, but only because I want you to stay with me longer. But I know that whoever the


    Goddess blessed you with, he’ll be perfect."


    "But what if I don’t want him?"


    "Come back and ask me that again, after you meet him and decide you don’t want him." She smiled


    warmly at me before walking toward the door. "Because I’m sure whoever he is, you’ll like him right


    away."


    —------------


    I spent the whole day lounging in my bedroom and only went out to eat meals because Mom insisted


    that I show up at the dining table or Dad might think there was something big going on. So I did.


    I also spent some time with Mom discussing my eighteenth birthday party, which was happening in less


    than two months. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was excited about turning eighteen or not, especially


    with what happened between me and Jace.


    I knew I had promised myself I would move on from him, and I desperately wanted to do so, but a part


    of me kept looking back. After what happened, why do I still want him? And the idea of him not being


    my fated mate was still crushing my heart. It was the only thing I was banking on, but what if not?


    I needed to get away from him so it wouldn’t hurt so bad, right? But how would I do that when the


    academy was in his territory and my best friend was his sister?


    ‘Are you decent?’ Mom’s voice dug into my head just as I came out of the bathroom.


    ‘I’m in my pajamas. What’s wrong?’ My heart thudded loudly. I hope this was not a pack attack where


    we needed to hide in a bunker. I had experienced it twice when I was younger but not since I hit


    puberty.


    ‘Jace is heading to your room. He wanted a word with you and to drive you back to your dormitory.’


    ‘What?’ I yelled at her.


    ‘Calm down. It’s just Jace.’


    ‘But what is he doing here?’ I ran to the vanity chair where I hang my robe and slipped onto it, tying the


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    rope tightly. I was in my pajamas, but they were satin tops and shorts, so my nipples were visible


    against the cloth.


    ‘They were concerned you missed school, and he said Catherine asked him to pick you up. So I’m


    guessing Catherine felt guilty about your fight.’


    I closed my eyes as I leaned my back against the wall. ‘Mom, you don’t send a man to your daughter’s


    room. Why didn’t you tell him to wait for me downstairs instead?’


    ‘It’s Jace. I trust him. He will never take advantage of you. That man has the patience and control of a


    saint.’


    I rolled my eyes at her words.


    ‘But you’re right. I’m sorry. I got used to you allowing him in your room, so I didn’t ask this time. Take


    him downstairs so you can talk.’


    ‘Okay.’


    Mom cut off the mindlink just as knocks came in from my bedroom door. I really wanted to ignore him,


    but if I did, my parents would be suspicious, and thest thing I wanted was for them to find out what


    happened between us.


    I stormed to the door and opened it. My eyes squinted as I looked at Jace, who was leaning against the


    doorframe. He was looking at me with a face void of any emotions.


    He looked like a god with those chiseled jawlines and sapphire blue eyes. But then I remembered that


    he broke my heart.


    "Did you tell them anything?" I asked in a hushed tone.


    He shook his head, his arm still leaning on the upper part of the door frame, which made him tower


    over me. I opened the door wide, and he stepped in without saying anything.


    "What do you want?" I asked as soon as I closed and locked the door behind us.


    He turned around, hands inside his jeans pocket before he locked eyes with mine. "Picking you up to


    make sure you go to your ss tomorrow."


    "What are you now? Attendance police?"


    "If you’re fucking mad at me, then just be mad at me. No need to throw away your studies just because


    of me."


    "Aren’t you a conceited jerk? So you think, this is all about you? What if I got toozy to drive back


    today?"


    "Sounds like ame excuse after you told your parents that you and Catherine had a falling out while


    my sister was ringing my ear off, concerned about what the fuck happened to you."


    "Go home! I don’t need you here!"


    "I’m sure you don’t, but I’m not leaving your territory without you. So go pack your things! The earlier


    we start driving, the earlier we can reach the packhouse." His voice was slightly raised now.


    "So you think you can just boss me around?"


    "I know where this is heading. Stop with the I’m an Alpha crap because I don’t fucking care. If you don’t


    "That’s a ckmail!" My finger pressed hard against his chest as I cut him off from talking. "Don’t you


    dare include my parents in this! And let me tell you this, Jackson Galhart, you have no right to interfere


    with my life and my decisions, especially after you rejected me. So fuck off, and let me handle this!"


    He let out a deep sigh before his hands brushed against his face. "Can you calm down?" His voice was


    back to normal.


    "If you want me to calm down, then go home."


    "Fine. I’ll go home, but can we talk first?"


    "Aren’t we talking already?"


    "Can we talk like adults? Calmly. Without you snapping at me."


    "I’m not sure that’s even possible."


    "Come here…" His hand coiled around my wrist before pulling me closer to him.


    His action caught me off-guard. I was not able to do anything when my body mmed against his and


    find myself wrapped up in his arms as he hugged me, with his chin resting at the top of my head.


    "What happened to us? Aren’t we supposed to be looking out for each other’s backs? Are you just


    going to throw away almost fifteen years of friendship because of all this?"


    His voice sounded like he was in pain, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes as my hands on his chest


    coiled into tight fists but I remained quiet.


    "I don’t want to lose you, Amara."