AMELIA’S P.O.V

He dropped me off at the office but I didn’t stay there long. All it took was fifteen minutes of people staring at me with pitying glances for me to decide that I had enough. I wasn’t going to stand for it and I wasn’t going to endure it. They didn’t know what Kaden and I’s relationship was like, they didn’t get to judge me for it and I wasn’t going to sit around and pretend like they weren’t all whispering about us when they were.


A part of me was pissed off at Kaden. It was his fault we were in this situation, it was his fault that they had something to talk about in the first place. I wanted to be angry, I wanted to be furious but I couldn’t bring myself to conjure up the emotion. I was too tired, too worn out, too fed up of everything. I just wanted to live a life where my every move wasn’t governed and watched by everyone but that was impossible considering the fact that I was mated to the Alpha.

“I’m leaving,” I announced to Kaden’s secretary. She looked empathetic but not surprised. “If he comes back can you let him know that I went home? I have some work that I need to attend to urgently.”

She gave me a small smile. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, I know firsthand just how cruel the rumors and the people can be. Take all the time you need, the office will still be here waiting when all is said and gone.”


I let out a sigh of relief and tried to communicate with my eyes just how grateful I was. I gathered all my stuff and prepared myself to call a taxi. Kaden had taken the car and I didn’t quite feel like walking the entire way home. My head was buried into my phone and I was trying to type in my destination when the honking of a horn scared me. I tripped over my own feet and nearly fell on my ass but thankfully there was a guard behind me who caught me.

It was embarrassing considering that everyone saw it. I tried to hide my face but there was no need so I did the complete opposite. I stood with my head high and thanked the guard as if it was no big deal. I turned to the road trying to find who was responsible for the honking and saw Clara sitting in her car looking a little sheepish. I felt the annoyance bleed away once I realized it was her and not some stranger.


I wasted no time in getting into her passenger seat and once I was there, she immediately started speaking. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just driving past when I saw you and I wanted to catch your attention. Did you get hurt?”

I shook my head. “My ego is a little bruised but I am otherwise fine, I can assure you of that. You came at just the right time because I was just heading home. Do you think you could drop me off?”

“Of course, where is Kaden?” I went quiet and understanding immediately filled her gaze. “I am so sorry, Amelia. I thought he was back home for good, we all did. I cannot believe that he would just return after-”

“He didn’t return, we made a deal,” I cut her off and her brows furrowed in confusion.

“I am afraid that I am not following.”

“He gets to spend his afternoons at the office or the hospital as he wishes. My only request is that he comes home to me and we spend the night together. It works better than him spending all his days at the hospital. This way, he gets the best of both worlds.”

She frowned and I could tell that she disagreed. She peered into me with those ever watchful eyes of hers and I had to look away because it felt like she was looking into my soul. I didn’t want her to see the deep secrets I fought so hard to keep and the truth I tried my best to bury. I had done well so far and if she pushed the right buttons, I was going to break. That was the last thing that either of us needed.

This exchange worked, I got my mate and he got to be at the hospital. I couldn’t demand that he stayed with me and I couldn’t ban him from the hospital. I was simply doing what I could to make sure that my home didn’t fall apart. I was trying my best and the last thing I needed was any judgment from anyone.

“Amelia,” Clara’s voice was soft, almost as if she were talking to an injured animal. “It isn’t your job to try and keep him, I hope you know that.”

“Isn’t it?” I asked in the same tone. “I couldn’t keep Blake, he picked my sister. I might as well try to keep Kaden, right? Maybe if I just made things easier for him then he would be more willing to stay.”

She glanced over at me incredulously and once she realized how serious I was, she parked the car at the side of the road. She turned to stare at me and I wasn’t sure if she wanted to smack me or hug me. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it almost immediately and settled for crossing her arms over her chest.

“You are one of the smartest people I know but that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” she said finally. “I want you to listen to me and listen to me well.”

“Clara-”

“No,” she cut me off. “You are an amazing woman, you are a great friend and any man will be lucky to have you as his mate. Kaden needs to see that and if you keep coddling him then he is never going to. You cannot make a man stay, you cannot make a person love you, all you are going to do is make yourself sick and sad. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a relationship that you hate?”

“No,” I mumbled not liking where she was going with this.

“Blake left you because he was a fool. He left you because he didn’t think you were worth fighting for. That isn’t the kind of man you should want for yourself. You should want a man who fights for you, a man who picks you over and over again. I love Kaden like a brother but I love you like a sister and you need to stand up for yourself. You can’t just sit at home waiting for him like the perfect little wife.”

“That isn’t what I was doing,” I muttered under my breath although I knew that was exactly what I was doing. Her words were a little harsh but they were hard truths that I needed to hear.

I had never had a sister in action before. Brittany would have rather died than give me advice, it felt weirdly good and slightly embarrassing to have someone I could go to for advice. I didn’t realize how much I was missing in life until I came to this pack. I didn’t realize how messed up my family was until I got a new one.

“Thank you, Clara,” I said finally and she nodded.

“You don’t have to thank me. Now, do you really want to go home or do you want me to drop you off somewhere you can have a good time? Go to a café or a restaurant, eat out, watch a movie, go ice skating or something. Hell, you can even go for a walk or a run in the woods. Just find something to occupy your time.”

“It’s okay, you can drop me off here. I think I’ll take a walk until I find something worthwhile.”

Her brows furrowed. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Of course, I promise to call you if I need any help.”

After one last rant, Clara let me out of the car. I waved her off as she drove away and once she was gone, I started the walk. I had no idea what I wanted to do but I knew the road I was on led into the town. If there was any place I could find something fun, it was inside town. Besides, it was a warm and windy day, it was perfect for a walk.

I hummed to myself as I walked alone. The roads were practically empty just the way I liked it. I caught a few stares from the occasional passer-by but no one approached me. They knew I wasn’t crazy, they just didn’t know what to make of me.

I walked alone for fifteen minutes before I finally came to the town. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, there were people yelling, cars honking, it was the busiest place in the entire pack. It was so easy to blend in because no one paid attention to you. Everyone had their own thing and no one cared about the person next to them.

I stopped by a café to get some iced coffee and I nursed my cup as I kept walking and thinking of what I wanted to do. There was a skating rink to my left and I contemplated going in but I saw a few people from school and I didn’t feel like answering any questions about where Kaden was. I was taking Clara’s advice and making it about me. It was my day off.

I was lost in thought and didn’t notice someone walking up to me until they had bumped into me and spilled my coffee all over the ground. I was so lucky it didn’t spill on my clothes but the other person wasn’t so lucky. I saw the wet patch on their shirt and panicked.

“I am so sorry,” I said immediately looking around for a napkin. When I didn’t find one, I reached into my bag for the face towel I always kept and immediately started dabbing at his shirt. “I wasn’t looking where I was going. Although I’m certain you weren’t either. I hope we can get this out.”

I expected some yelling but to my shock, the person just laughed. The sound was familiar and I looked up to find Ian looking down at me with an amused expression on his face. Mortification filled my cheeks as I realized what I had done and who I had embarrassed myself in front of.

“I guess we both weren’t looking,” he mused. “I would say that is a joint problem, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess so,” I laughed. “I truly am sorry about your shirt. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“There is actually,” he said and I waited anxiously for his next words. “Let me buy you another iced coffee to replace this one and then we can talk. What do you think?”