Nine

Finally, Amira has a day off in her school schedule at the end of the week, where she doesn't have any classes and thanks to it being the first week, she hasn't received any homework or assignments. Meaning, she has all the time in the world to work at her father's office to earn some spending money and get a footing in the place before she gets her official position. 

      Her father still has yet to tell her what that position is, but for now she works as his personal assistant, similar to the assistant he already has but this gives Helena an extra day off while still being paid, so she can tend to her 6-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son and have a surprise day off with them. Amira's father pays her very well for her job, giving her the ability to afford a full-time nanny, but no mother wants their child to be raised by a stranger. 

      Amira does get paid for the day, but not nearly as much as Helena does, which prevents her father from having to expend too much extra for her working without taking away from Helena's paid vacation day. It was an agreement Amira made with her father if she were agreeing to work with him on her days off while she was in school. At the same time, he wanted to micro-teach her and see everything she is learning in school. 

      These few days away from Isaac and Calix have given her a nice peace of mind, with her phone also being eerily silent, not a single message or call. It should be a good sign for her, but for some reason she doesn't have a good feeling. 

      Trying to shake it, she turns off her computer and grabs her bag to head down to the cafeteria for lunch. Getting off the elevator, she realizes that she has gotten off at the wrong floor and is back at the lobby, stepping back in. 

      "Amira, wait up." She hears Isaac call out to her and looks up to see him running toward her, getting to the elevator door just as it's about to close. "Do you mind if we talk?" 

      She takes a look around the lobby floor and sees there are a few people looking at them already. Not wanting to cause a scene at her father's office building, she nods her head and takes him over to one of the couches in the far corner of the waiting room. 

      "What are you doing showing up here randomly like this, and how did you even know I was here?" she asks. 

      "I called your house, and your mother told me you were working here for the day. Have you not told them what has happened with us recently? She didn't seem to know anything is wrong," he asks, and she can't help but notice his hopeful tone. 

      Amira rolls her eyes. "Of course, I haven't told them anything yet. I've had more important things to focus on lately, as someone once said to me." She narrows her eyes at him, hoping his thick head gets the point. 

      "I didn't come here to fight with you, okay? There's something I really need to tell you." 

      She freezes at his words, only imagining what it is he has come all the way here to confess, wondering if her heart is able to take yet more heartache. 

      "The truth is, I've been hiding from you that although my parents were always accepting of me dating you, they were never going to accept us getting married. Unless you were my mate, they didn't respect the idea of having a human Luna, especially if she isn't my mate. That's why it was my idea to marry Eris as my Luna, but only have an intimate relationship with you, or my parents would have us separated either way." 

      Amira is trying to hear everything he is saying but her focus is waning in and out, her pulse racing at his words and the confession she never knew she has been waiting so long for, knowing the truth herself deep down but needing this confirmation. 

      "Your parents…they never actually liked me, did they? They just like my parents." 

      Isaac shakes his head. "That isn't true, my parents do in fact love we. Amira, I genuinely fell in love with you, I never had intentions other than that –" 

      She holds her hand up in front of his face. "Save it, I've honestly heard enough. You've made it clear how unwelcomed I would've been in your family if we continued our relationship, I get that. I just wish you would have told me this sooner, it never would have damaged the business between our family, but it would have saved me all of this." 

      "Amira, I'm so sorry–" 

      "Please leave, Isaac. I think it's best we just pretend none of this ever happened." She turns her head and gestures to the security guard standing against the wall and gets up to meet him. 

      "Escort that man out of the building, please. He is no longer welcome here ever again." 

      The guard nods and moves toward Isaac immediately. 

      "Hey, there is no need for this. Amira, wait, please! Let me finish explaining, I beg of you!" Isaac continues to call out, but she refuses to turn her head and allow him to see the tears pouring down her face. She refuses to let him see how much he has hurt her yet again. 

~*~ 

      The following week at school, Amira can barely muster the strength to give the bare minimum in her Monday classes, knowing she will once again have to face another demon. She was rushing this morning after sleeping in too late and didn't give herself enough time before class to stop at the head office and ask to remove her Ethics class. 

      She tries to go during her lunch break at 1 o'clock, only to discover that the front desk closes early on Mondays and Wednesdays, just missing the cut off time by an hour. She has no choice but to attend the class or suffer a negative report on her attendance, even if she plans to drop the class, it will still count. 

      There is one thing Calix was dead on about her, she is headstrong and refuses to fail. Having even one negative report on something as small as her attendance will be enough to bother her for a while, more than it might to just attend one more class. 

      She has no doubt that he is still hanging around the Greybane Pack house, which means he has probably heard about what happened between her and Isaac on Friday. She hopes that he won't try and make some sort of remark about it again this time. 

      Her thoughts are confirmed when she walks into her Ethics class and her eyes meet with Calix's concerned face, telling her he has in fact heard what happened and probably thinks she is dying inside. She might be, but she won't let anyone else see that. 

      Once again she doesn't pay attention to a word he says the entire class, but this time for different reasons as she continues to zone out and replays the conversation between her and Isaac, the same thing she has done all weekend. Having it confirmed that she was just being used by him and his family hurts a lot more than convincing yourself that's the truth to make it hurt less. 

      After class Amira tries to pack up her things and leave quickly, but as suspected, Calix asks her to hang back after everyone else leaves and gestures for her to stand by his desk. 

      "Why are you sad today?" he asks in a gentle tone. 

      She isn't sure whether it's the pity in his voice or the question of her sanity that causes her to snap. 

      "Why the hell are you asking a question you already know the answer to? Does it bring you joy to hear me talk about my pain? Are you satisfied knowing Isaac and I are officially done now; he spilled the beans and broke my heart for good?" she cries. 

      Realizing her outburst too late, she waits for him to get angry. 

      Calix leans against his desk casually, giving her the same gentle look, he has since she walked into class and waits patiently for her to finish raging. Once it seems she has finished, he calmly reaches out and touches her cheek. 

      "I am satisfied. I'm rather thrilled he came to his senses and finally admitted the truth, putting an end to this ridiculous child's play he has put you through, so I can claim from him what is rightfully mine," he says softly.