As she hesitated, the door opened in front of her as if by magic. Startled, Amanda crouched backwards. Chase appeared in the doorway with a grimace, gesturing impatiently for her to come inside. She hunched her shoulders and followed him down the hallway and up the stairs.
Once in his office, Chase gestured for her to have a seat and closed the door to give them some privacy. Rather than sitting at his desk, Chase chose the chair next to Amanda's and tilted his body to face her. Neither spoke for a couple minutes, but the discomfort was evident on both of their faces.
Finally, Chase said, "I don't really know what to say. Can you just explain the situation as best you can? I haven't called your father yet, but I need to at some point." He pursed his lips. "I feel very uncomfortable on so many different levels right now."
Amanda nodded, keeping her eyes on his shoes. "I understand. I do as well. As for an explanation...I'm not sure where to start. Can I just tell you what happened today?" She lifted her head to make eye contact with Chase.
He gave her what should have been an encouraging smile, but she could see the turmoil behind his eyes. She took a deep breath to organize her thoughts.
"How about I tell you what happened today and we'll go from there?" Amanda suggested.
"I'll hold my questions until the end," Chase said with a very meager attempt at a joke.
Amanda recounted her day to Chase starting with her noticing Devon at the coffee shop. She included her phone call with Cassie, trying to relay as much information as possible without adding in her own feelings. When she reached the part where she actually spoke to Devon, she froze. Chase had been nodding along during Cassie's phone call, but when she mentioned that then Devon came up to her, his face had hardened and he leaned back into the chair.
Making a snap decision, Amanda finished her story quickly with the exchanging of phone numbers and her running off to class. Chase was already appearing upset by the situation and she didn't want to tell him that Devon still smelled like her mate. As far as she knew, having two mates was unheard of. Her mother explained why she could have a new mate after being rejected, but apparently Devon wasn't as completely out of the running as she thought.
Amanda's thoughts were disrupted as Chase stood up quickly. He paced around the room, rubbing his chin and shaking his head.
"Does he think he's going to get you back somehow?" he finally asked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Amanda had heard him, but was surprised by the question.
"Do you think that Devon is here to somehow reclaim you as his mate? Because I know that you don't recognize me as your mate, but I will still fight for you." Chase looked determined now.
Amanda was taken aback at Chase's forthright declaration. "Um, please don't. I mean, Devon's not worth fighting, so just, um don't."
He searched her face for a moment and then laughed. "I understand. I know you can fight your own battles, too. With the hunter and with this. I just want you to let me take care of you sometimes, okay?"
"Yeah, okay." She smiled, pleased that the mood was lightening. "Do you want to call my dad, or should I?"
"I'll call him. This is more of an alpha to alpha discussion, I think. Honestly, when Nina talked to me first, I thought that your father was disrespecting me. I possibly might have been being a little extra sensitive since he's your dad as well," said Chase.
"Ha, don't be. My dad loves you. So does my mom. You made a great impression on them when they were here, even Cassie mentioned how well they talk about you," said Amanda, a twinkle in her eye.
"Hey, I feel bad for putting on my stern alpha face to you earlier. Let me make it up to you with some dinner. We can ditch out on the pack and have some nice alone time." Amanda was relieved to see Chase's easy smile back on his face.
"It's been a minute between my parents and school and your job, hasn't it?" She returned his smile and grabbed his hand. "Let me unpack my bag and change my clothes and we'll be off."
He leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Sounds like a plan. I think I'll clean up myself while I'm waiting."
She smiled and squeezed his hand tightly for a moment before letting his hand go. As she exited the office, she stopped and grabbed the door frame. "Wait, Chase. What should I tell Devon?"
"Text him the address and tell him we have a room for him. I'll let Nina and Brooke know that he'll be here for dinner. But Amanda, don't text him too fast. That way we don't have to be here when he arrives." When she turned her head to look at him, Chase winked.
She giggled and proceeded out the door towards her own room. Anticipating an extended night out, Amanda took a moment to organize her school work and fire off a few emails before showering and changing her clothes. As she waited for Chase to meet her in the foyer, she sent a text to Devon telling him to come to the pack house and including the address. Rather than wait for a response, she turned off the sound on her phone and tucked it deep into her purse.
Their date that night was perfect. Chase took Amanda to a small Italian restaurant a little way off the circle that he knew about through a work colleague. They took their time walking there, ordered drinks, appetizers, and desserts, then meandered home. Conversation ebbed and flowed naturally. Although they hadn't been together for very long, Amanda was pleased to find that they always could find something to talk about. Even better was their ability to enjoy their food without needing to talk the whole time. The date was so relaxing and comfortable, Amanda was able to forget about her troubles for the time. It was only when they turned onto their street that her steps felt heavy and her heart began to sink.
As if he read her mind, Chase squeezed her hand and tugged her closer to comfort her. Amanda steeled herself as they approached the driveway. She had faced down a hunter twice and was still alive. Devon wasn't planning on attacking her, as far as she knew, so how bad could it be?
As Chase reached for the door knob, he turned to look at Amanda and, in sync, they took a deep breath. He then turned the knob and opened the door, holding it out for Amanda to precede him. The hall light was still on, but farther down was dark. Chase slipped in behind her and held a finger to his lips. He slowly closed the front door trying to decrease the sound as much as possible. Although they had not stayed out too late, since it was the middle of the week, the pack appeared to have all turned in early.
Amanda and Chase took the opportunity, turned off the hall light, and slipped up the stairs. At Amanda's door, Chase risked a quick good night kiss before sneaking down to his own room. Once she had changed into her pajamas and tucked herself into bed, Amanda pulled out her phone.
A few texts were from classmates regarding various projects and assignments. Most of them could be ignored until later, but she responded to a couple easy requests. Catherine had texted in their group chat asking if Amanda was okay which Farah had added her concern when Amanda hadn't responded. She fired off a quick text to them explaining her date and that she would buy them coffee as an apology for ghosting. Lastly, Devon had texted her about twenty times, first responding to her original text, then asking where she was and when she was coming back. Amanda wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond so she set her phone on the dresser and turned over on her side. She knew she would have to deal with him in the morning anyway and she would much rather fall asleep thinking about her lovely dinner.
Author's Note:
Chase and Devon are about to meet! I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that right now.
Also, Amanda's keeping a little secret from Chase at this point. How do you think that will turn out? Do you think she should have told him?
How do you think Amanda will deal with Devon in the morning? How do you think Chase will handle Devon in the morning? Who do you think should be making the decision about what to do with Devon?
Thank you for continuing to read! Please vote and comment!