Calix wakes up to someone lightly rubbing his arm with something warm and damp, the smell of sanitizer and alcohol coating the air. Slowly coming to his senses, he suddenly jerks his hand toward the person next to him and grabs their hand, hearing a familiar shriek. He opens his eyes to see Amira crouching on the floor with gauze and bandages all around her. “You must have been really out of it, you didn’t even sense me walking in.” She grins. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you resting?” He panics and stands up, but everything in the room begins spinning and he sits right back down. “You overdid it during your fight and now that you’ve given yourself the proper time to relax, your body is going to feel all of that damage. I already asked one of the pack doctors to come by after you wake up, it’s almost morning anyway.” She finishes dressing one of the bandages on his arm. “Take off your shirt,” she says.
Amira Altaha has lived her entire 18 years living in a world where the natural and supernatural coexist with each other. Some areas accept the unknown creatures living next to them, and some banish their existence. Growing up in Morrow Falls, it has always been regarded as an off-charter city despite being rather large and prosperous, it is also surrounded by a thick and foggy swamp that many find off-putting. Beyond that lies Morrow Falls, a peaceful city of coexistence between creatures of all kinds, most of its quiet dullness due to the guarding bog surrounding it. Amira and the others have learned to live life alongside these mysterious and off beings, having them attend schools and run businesses to form a rather rich land. Some can’t imagine working alongside a supposed person sprouting wings from their back or someone who can turn into a wolf or a bear whenever they want but appears as a perfectly normal human otherwise. Amira, can’t imagine life without any of that, especial
When Amira finally comes to, she awakes to see she has been placed in Isaac’s room to rest, cuddled up in the very bed she has spent countless nights in before. The memories of the party just before she fainted come rushing back to her, and she suddenly feels sick to her stomach. She runs to the ensuite bathroom and pukes up the little contents of the drinks she has had so far tonight. Once her stomach is empty, she slumps to the ground and begins to sob, replaying Isaac’s words in her head. “I think I’ve found my mate.” This has always been a possibility she has known about, but that doesn’t make it sting any less finding out she isn’t Isaac’s mate, and it is another girl, one much prettier than her and of his kind rather than a useless human. Not only that, but she is also the daughter of an Alpha, the perfect Luna to rule alongside her own Alpha mate. What can a human-like Amira do for someone like Isaac if they were to get married? She isn’t his true mate, and she isn’t ev
Not being able to take the constant stares and whispers from those around her, Isaac disappearing shortly after to speak with his father in private, Amira retreats to his bedroom for the night, having no other way home and no cabs coming to this area of the city due to pack territory. Though she knows the city of Morrowfalls like the back of her hand, she isn’t an idiot to know bad people exist everywhere, and it’s never safe to wander around in the middle of the night in a city full of all sorts of creatures. She is also hoping this is where Isaac will return once the party is over, with the small shred of hope she still has. A short while after the door of his room opens and he thankfully walks in alone, looking frustrated after the talk with his father but also shocked to see her there. “Why did you leave the party so early?” he asks. She scoffs. “What did you expect me to do? Another girl told me straight to my face that you’re going to leave me for her and I need to be unders
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 m
Amira struggles to swallow her spit and chokes herself up, Calix having to back up to give her some space while she gasps for air. “I’m so sorry, but there has to be a mistake. That can’t be right,” she says through choked breaths, still struggling to take a full deep breath. In one fell swoop, Calix grabs her arm and helps her to stand up properly, then grabs the side of her face and presses his lips to hers in a sudden kiss. She manages to take a sharp but deep breath from the shock, to which Calix pulls away and stares at her with what looks like genuine concern. Her lungs feel as if they have expanded slightly, and she can breathe a lot easier. “What the hell was that?” she cries, wiping her mouth. “You couldn’t breathe, so I gave you oxygen. What else was I to do?” She pats her chest and realizes what his intentions were, her face flushing a deep red when she also realizes her blunder. He wasn’t trying to kiss her, and the reason her lungs felt larger was because of the
“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 in 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 gr
Amira lays flat on her bed, going over yet another eventful day in her life while she tries to ignore the buzzing of her phone from the endless calls and texts, the same name popping up on her screen. Isaac hasn’t stopped trying to speak with her since she ran off, she wonders why he didn’t just run after her then. That just further proves that deep down, he never truly cared about her the way she does for him and was more interested in the business and financial opportunities Amira’s parents provided him, giving them a vast majority of the production projects that have helped their pack flourish recently. Although they are a pack of werewolves and govern as such, they are also members of society and make their wealth through traditional business with others. The Lund family has made most of their wealth working in the manufacturing business, creating buildings and constructing equipment and supplies for different businesses. Amira’s family, with her parents