“Zara? Hey! What are you doing here?” Sam comes up to me with a warm smile. “Hi, Sam. I’m waiting for the property manager. You know, looking for an apartment,” I shrug and give him an awkward smile. Sam’s eyebrows pull together, and he takes a piece of paper out of a folder. “Oh.” “Oh?” I look at him, confused. He holds the paper up to me. “Is this you? Is this your email address?” The paper has the email I sent requesting to see the apartment with my email address at the top. “Yes? Why do you have it?” I feel a pit forming in my stomach. “Uh, well, I’m the property manager. It came from a university email address, but you forgot to sign your name in the email, so I didn’t know it was… you,” he rubs the back of his neck with his hand, “Still want to see the apartment?” S. Campbell? Sam Campbell. Crap. I’m so dumb. For as sweet as Sam is, he’s not very good at keeping a secret. I look into his cheerful brown eye

Keller’s POV “Zara, can you hear me?” I pat her cheeks, but she is out like a light. “She’s barely strong enough to feel her own emotions, Keller. She can’t handle yours, too,” Rocky scolds me. “Why are you being so mean to our mate?” “I wasn’t trying to be mean. She wouldn’t believe me, so I thought I could show her,” I sniff back the tears as I pick her up and take her to her room, “I know I screwed up, Rocky. I thought I could fix things if I told her she could leave. I didn’t realize it would make it worse.” I lay Zara down on her bed and sit on the edge, watching her sleep. What the Hell is wrong with me? How do I make this right? Why can’t I just make a stupid decision? She thinks I’m messing with her; toying with her emotions. That’s the last thing I want. I want what’s best for her. Obviously, this isn’t it.  As much as I don’t want to lose her, I need to be realistic. I can’t keep stringing her along. Even if I accept her, I don’

I stay out of Zara’s way while she goes through notes and website searches. I hear her talking to herself, but it seems harmless. She spreads her papers out over the sofa and coffee table, going back and forth, examining them carefully. She scribbles furiously in her notebook and puts the papers in distinct orders around the room. I bring her a glass of apple juice and dinner while she works.  I go into her room and clean things up to help her out. As I pick up her clothes, I find a man’s blue pinstripe dress shirt. I hold it up and examine it. I’m pretty sure it’s mine. How did she get it? Rocky flashes an image of me using it to cover Zara in a pink bra to remind me of how she got it. I feel sheepish about the way I acted, but I can’t help but smirk at the memory.  After a couple of loads of laundry, vacuuming, and fresh linens on the bed, Zara’s room looks a lot more like she usually keeps it. I look around and find a perfect spot on the dresser to put t

Mom is already up in the morning, sitting at the breakfast bar with an espresso and half a bagel. “How were things last night?” I sit next to her and lean my head on her shoulder. “Well, there’s a lot going on in that sweet head of hers.” Mom sets her cup down and pats my head. “I think you’re right, though. Not accepting her is taking a toll.” “So what should I do? I want to accept her, but not just because she’s in a bad spot. I want her to know I mean it. It seems like accepting her is the last thing either of us needs.” I steal a bite of her bagel and set it back on her plate. “I don’t know. No matter what I do, I end up hurting her. “ “We should have a date for the hearing today. Our legal team has explained to the Alpha Regent’s people that things are escalating and we need their help more urgently than originally thought.” I don’t know how she can sound so calm right now. “After the hearing, Zara her down and explain. Hopefully she’ll understan

Amy takes me to a large department store where several pleasant saleswomen help me find clothes. I try to look at the tags to see how much everything costs, but they won’t let me. I try on outfit after outfit, coming out of the dressing room each time. Amy gives a yes or no to each one. The sales woman pick out a navy blue dress for my trial and a white sweater with a light blue skirt to wear for Keller’s. Amy looks more somber when she sees them but approves of both. They find blush colored ballet flats that don’t look like they’re from the children’s department, which Amy agrees will have to do for now. After a couple hours of shopping, I have more than enough clothing to last me for the next six months. Amy picks up a new winter coat for Keller. When we finish shopping, we go to a small cafe for lunch. I order a cup of tomato soup. Amy nudges my arm and adds a grilled cheese for me. I scrunch up my nose, but my mom would have done the same thing. When the food act