A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Fourteen

The Monday after the party, Amanda found herself struggling to focus in her classes. Catherine had strangely stayed in for the weekend, making it impossible for Amanda to discuss her encounter with Farah. By Tuesday, Amanda felt like she was going to die if she didn't talk to someone and ended up skipping her afternoon class.

She sat in her bedroom staring at the wall both grateful for and hating the silence of the apartment. Catherine was in class and Farah was at her internship downtown. Neither would be back until dinnertime. She debated calling her mother, but she was afraid of the reaction her mother would give if she divulged the identity of her new mate. She wasn't sure how her parents truly felt about Chase and the DC pack, plus she didn't want Chase as her mate and she believed that by telling her parents she would have to acknowledge the bond.

Amanda decided to try her brother since she knew he wouldn't tattle to their parents (or at least she hoped) and Aaron had actually met Chase before, so she could trust his opinion. She hit his name and clutched the phone tightly as it rang. When his voicemail picked up, she ended the call and typed out a quick text to call her back when he could. Aaron didn't often pick up right away, but Amanda was still disappointed.

She paced back and forth across the small room, every few steps looking at the phone laying on her bed. With each glance she willed it to ring, but silence continued to permeate the air. With time passing, Amanda knew that she would soon be interrupted by her roommates returning. She picked up her phone again and perched on the side of the bed, body tense as she listened to the rings. Finally, a click sounded and voice spoke from the other end.

"Hey, girl! You miss me?"

"Oh my god, Cassie, yes!" Amanda started to cry at the sound of her friend's voice.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on? Amanda?" Cassie's joyful tone turned at the sound of her friend's tears. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Everything," wailed Amanda. She rubbed her face with her sleeve and tried to contain her sobs.

"You're going to have to be more specific," said Cassie. The sarcasm was not completely wiped from her words.

"Devon was supposed to be my mate, but then now this Chase guy says he's my mate, but I don't want a mate, and I'm confused," whined Amanda.

"Wow, okay. That's not what I thought you were going to say," said Cassie. She paused for a moment.

Amanda took the opportunity to settle herself down from her sudden hysterics. "Cassie, I went to a party at the pack house here, the one my dad wanted me to meet up with. Everyone there seemed nice, but then the alpha showed up and said we were mates."

The wheels in Cassie's head were turning so hard, the clicking of the gears could be heard through the phone. Finally, Cassie spoke, "The alpha of the DC pack said you were his mate? But how is it possible that you have two mates?"

"According to my parents, mates are more of a suggestion anyway. Wolves just really, really like their traditions so we take the mate thing very seriously. My mother explained that what we sense is our compatibility with that person. Depending on choices we make, that compatibility can change. My parents believe that Devon may have made some poor life choices which is why we weren't as compatible and he didn't feel the same bond I did."

"I think I get it. Actually, that makes a lot of sense and it explains why Devon's parents left the pack last month. I understand being embarrassed at your birthday, but it didn't seem like a huge deal at the time. If Devon's actions changed his trajectory for leading the pack, they must have been upsetting enough that his parents don't want to be around anymore," said Cassie.

"Devon's parents left the pack? What about Devon?" asked Amanda.

"Yeah, last month they moved out to the wolf pack in Yellowstone, the one that stays more in wolf form than human. They tried to convince Devon to come with them, but he couldn't make up his mind," answered Cassie.

"Wow, that's big news," said Amanda.

"Enough with the pack gossip. Tell me more about your alpha boy," demanded Cassie.

"He's not my anything," said Amanda. "Fine, his name is Chase and he recently became the alpha after challenging the old one to the death. Aaron was gone all summer checking him out, actually."

"Is he hot?" said Cassie.

"Super," answered Amanda. "Wait, no, that's not what I meant."

Cassie laughed so hard Amanda had to move the phone away from her ear until she finished.

"Gotcha," said Cassie. "But seriously, you are being skimpy with the details. Spill."

Amanda sighed as heavily and dramatically as she could muster. She took a minute to organize her thoughts and then started with the night at the club going all the way through to her stomping out of the pack's Embassy Row mansion. Cassie stayed silent throughout, other than small murmurs of encouragement to continue.

Upon reaching the end of her story, Amanda took a deep breath. "Oh Cass, I don't know what to do. On one hand, I would love to just avoid him, but on the other, my dad would be furious if he found out that I wasn't utilizing the pack for protection. I have to say though, after the faerie encounter, I think I can take care of myself."

"Amanda, I understand you want to avoid him, but you need protection. Not every attacker is going to be a drunk faerie. You were lucky. Next time, a quick judo throw or well-placed muay thai knee strike is not going to cut it," said Cassie. "I vote you make some kind of truce with the alpha for now. He has to respect that you're in college and need to focus on your studies. Hopefully, you can convince him to lay off the mate stuff until you graduate. Who knows, maybe both of your feelings will change in the meantime."

"Fine. You're right. The truce is a good idea, too. I just hope he listens. Thanks for the advice." Amanda went to hang up when she heard Cassie yell.

"Wait. There is another piece of pack gossip. I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but if your parents haven't yet... you deserve to know. Aaron ran away."

Amanda fell back against the bed, not sure how to process the information. "Aaron left home?"

"It was sudden, too. A little after Devon's parents. He left a note saying he was going to be a lone wolf and that pack life wasn't for him," explained Cassie.

"Wow, just wow. I guess... I guess I'm not too surprised, just maybe...," Amanda fumbled through her words as she tried to decided how she felt. "He was always doing errands for my father while taking classes for a degree to please my mother. I would leave home, too."

"I'm sorry to be the one who told you," said Cassie.

"No, thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate everything," said Amanda.

"Talk to you later?" asked Cassie

"Yep," said Amanda and the two girls ended their call.

Amanda tossed the phone down on the bed and sat with her head in her hands. Just as she had been feeling better about the Chase situation, Cassie had hit her with another twist.

She picked her phone back up and typed out a quick text to her brother.

I know what happened. When you can, call me.

Author's Note:

Wow, so Aaron took off! What do you think this will mean to Amanda?

Do you think Amanda will take Cassie's advice?

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your votes and comments!