AMELIA’S P.O.V

Ian took me to a nice quaint restaurant that he swore had the best lamb chops that he had ever tasted in his life. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t like lamb and resigned to going with him. He seemed so excited and I didn’t have the heart to ruin that. I just sat silently in the car as he tried to explain everything I would love about the place.


When he got there, I was surprised because I did like the place. It was small and had a homey feel to it. People were whispering and laughing between themselves. No one seemed to care who we were, there were no eyes following us or people whispering about us which was the norm whenever I went out with Kaden. As we were taken to our table, I couldn’t help but wonder why I didn’t go out with friends more.

“You’re getting the lamb, right?” he asked and I gave him a sad smile.

“I don’t like lamb,” I admitted finally and his eyes widened. “I’m sure I can just get something else.”


“You should have said something,” he grabbed the menu and browsed through it. “Okay, my friend swears by the salmon but I’ve never had it. You can try that or their steak, both are amazing or so I’ve heard.”

I thought about it for a second before deciding on beef. The service was impeccable because they had our meals brought to us within fifteen minutes and as much as I hated to admit it, the food was amazing. It was just the right amount of perfect and I had to stop myself from letting out an involuntary moan as my eyes rolled into the back of my head.


“I take it that you liked it,” he teased and I nodded.

“How did you even find this place? I didn’t know it existed and now it just might be my absolutely favorite place ever.”

He laughed. “I stumbled on it by accident actually. I need to use the bathroom one evening and I just rushed into the first building I saw. I ordered something off the menu and made a dash for the bathroom. The food ended up being amazing and I just kept coming back.”

“That’s one way to find a good spot,” I teased and he laughed.

It felt good to be out with someone who wasn’t Kaden, someone who didn’t remind me of everything that was going wrong in my life. I never had much friends growing up and if this was what friendship felt like then I knew I had missed out on a lot. We spoke about anything and everything and by the time we were done, I offered to pay but he smacked my hand away.

“Don’t be ridiculous, this was on me,” he said immediately. “I can’t take someone out for dinner and have them paying. That is just rude.”

“It just seems unfair,” I mumbled trying to hand the waitress my card but he was faster than me. He swiped it immediately and winked at me as if to gloat. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Thank you for dinner, it felt amazing. I am stuffed.”

“This place will do that to you. I can drop you off at home if you’d like. I wouldn’t want to leave you here to catch a cab.”

My cheeks heated as I realized just how much he had done for me today. He got me coffee, took me training and got me dinner, having him take me home would be too much. I shook my head and tried to refuse but he was already prepared for that. He lightly wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me towards his car despite my protests.

I didn’t put in as much effort into refusing as I should have because the truth was that I wanted company before returning to an empty house. After a few seconds of back and forth, I finally relented and allowed him lead me to the car. I was about to get into the passenger seat when I heard a familiar voice curse. I turned just in time to see Kaden getting out of his car. He stormed over to us and I could clearly see just how angry he was.

“Is this some kind of fucking joke?” he spat as he got closer to us. I didn’t know why he was pissed but I knew the situation was about to explode so I met him halfway.

“We are in public, do not make a scene,” I warned and his nostrils flared. It was clear that he didn’t like my choice of words. “What are you doing here and why are you yelling?”

“I have been waiting at home for you and you are here with some guy, you even smell like him. Is this what you’ve been doing when I’m not around, frolicking with men?”

I had never been so insulted in my life. I felt the physical effect of his words like a blow to the chest. He either didn’t notice my reaction or didn’t care, he just had his hands crossed over his chest and a deep frown on his face. I turned to Ian who had been watching the entire scene carefully.

“Thank you for dinner, I think I’ll take a cab home,” I made my way towards the direction of the cabs when Kaden grabbed a hold of my arm.

“There is no way in hell I am letting you do that. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Let go of me or I swear,” I wasn’t sure if it was the threat or the deathly calmness with which I said it that had me releasing me. Once I was free, I shot him one last death glare before storming over to the cabs.

It didn’t miss my attention that everyone had been watching us but I didn’t care. I got into the first car and rattled off the address. He didn’t waste any time before starting the car. From the mirror, I could see Kaden following us as if trying to ensure that we didn’t go the wrong way or go anywhere else but home. I wanted to spite him by asking the cab driver to take a wrong turn but I was exhausted and I wanted to be in the comfort of my room.

I paid the driver more than I probably should have and headed straight for the door. Kaden arrived a few minutes later and I could hear him calling out to me but I ignored him. I was about to lock the front door behind me when he caught up to me. He pushed the door open with more force than was necessary.

“What the hell, Amelia?”

He was barely done speaking when I reared my hand back and slapped him across the face. The sound echoed through the entire house and I could see the shock and confusion on his face. I rarely lifted my voice to Kaden not to talk of actually hitting him and on a normal day, I would have felt guilty but he deserved it today.

“Don’t you ever speak to me like that again,” I warned. “How dare you even insinuate that I was with another man? Are you insane? What the hell were you thinking?”

“You weren’t home,” he yelled back. “I fucking came back home for you only to find an empty house. I waited for so long, do you know how many minutes I stayed here before leaving? I went to the office and they told me you left sometime in the afternoon. What did you expect me to think?”

“What did you expect me to think all those nights you never came home?” I shot back. “What did you expect me to imagine all those nights I waited for you and I was told you weren’t at the office? You aren’t known for keeping your word when it comes to her, I didn’t expect you to return. You cannot blame me for finding something else to do.”

“Those aren’t the same, Amelia and you know it. We are way past Nadine, don’t bring her back up whenever it is convenient for you.”

I let out a frustrated growl. “Don’t you see, we are never going to be past her? You still go to see her, you still care about her. You were alone in a hospital room with a strange girl for the entire day and I didn’t bat an eyelash but you found me with my trainer and you automatically assumed that I was cheating on you. Aren’t I allowed to have friends outside of you?”

“That isn’t-” he began but I cut him off with one hand.

“You have spoken enough, now you are going to listen to me,” to say that he was stunned would be an understatement. “I don’t know what the hell happened to you out there or why you were upset but if you ever disrespect me like that again then I will walk. I swear it to you.”

His mouth fell open in shock. All the anger that he previously displayed seeped out of him in a rush as my words settled. They hung in the air between us and a part of me that I recognized as the mate bond tugged at me to take them back but I couldn’t- I wouldn’t. I needed him to know how serious I was. I had spent my entire life getting pushed around and disrespected by people but not anymore. If he was going to be my mate then he was going to act like a fucking decent person.

“You don’t mean that,” he whispered and although I didn’t respond, I held his gaze and raised a brow daring him to try me. He ran his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. “I was just upset, Amelia, fuck, I was worried that you were going to leave me. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“But you did,” I said simply, “and right now, your apologies aren’t going to cut it. We need to have some changes around here. I’m done trying to make the peace. You also have to compromise sometimes.”

“I did compromise, I’m not there the entire day. I only go for a few hours.”

“Fine, I’ll go spend a few hours of my day with Ian as well,” I shrugged and he growled.

“Don’t you dare say his name. I’ll have him sent out of the pack, you know I will.”

“Try that and I’ll make sure Nadine’s body is sent so far away that you will never find it,” I threatened. I didn’t know where the bravery was coming from but I meant each word. “You’re not going to hold me to rules that you don’t abide by. Unlike your situation, Ian and I are just friends.”

He snorted. “The man was staring at you like he wanted to fuck you. That isn’t how friends look at each other.”

“You are paranoid and jealous so you saw whatever you wanted to see,” I shrugged. “My point stands, Kaden, we have a lot to discuss so right now, you will go to bed in another room and you will think about everything I said. Tomorrow, we can come together and think about new rules. Until then, goodnight.”

Without another word, I turned on my heels and made my way up the stairs leaving him standing there in shock.