Chapter 5

Kelvin's pov

  The Blowing horn pack fit Amelia like a glove, at least most times it did.

 When she thought no one was looking, she'd stare into the distance like something–someone–was calling for her.

  It only lasted for a second then she was all smiles again and my chest would cave in. What could I do to truly make her want to stay? I needed her to stay…the moon goddess had led me to her, she was my only hope to finally be free of…

 “Alpha Kelvin,” Elara’s youthful and motherly voice sliced through my incoming headache as she walked in with a plate holding three scrumptious sandwiches.

 I'd been holed up in my office all day and hadn't gotten the chance to even think about food.

 “Thanks, Elara…” one bite was enough to tell me that she didn't make the sandwich. It wasn't bad–just different. She noticed my curiosity before I even voiced it.

 “Amelia made the sandwiches,”

 “She did?” I said taking a bigger bite, suddenly they tasted even better than before.

 “She did,” Elara affirmed, “She's a lot of help, especially around the kitchen. She's been here for two weeks and I don't what she looks like sitting down,”

 I tapped my fingers anxiously on my mahogany desk, “How do you think she's getting by? Like does it look like she's settling in?”

 I wanted somebody to deny what I'd already confirmed with my own eyes to at least grant me the escape of delusion.

 Elara mulled on this question for a while, “All I can say is that she's doing her best to look like she's settling in,”

  I stifled a growl, she couldn't leave. I needed her.

“I have to find a way to make her stay,” I said more to myself than Elara, but I didn't miss the amused smile on her face.

 “Hmmm, they do say the way to a man’s stomach is food,”

 I nearly choked, “No, it's…it's not like that,” I said, waving my hand in denial.

 “I've never seen you pay so much attention to a new pack member, but you're always asking me about Amelia even when you personally go to check up on her yourself. It's telling.”

 I dropped my half eaten sandwich, “It's not like that,”

  I had long given up pretending that she wasn't my type, a feisty woman with a nice body and sweet as cinnamon roll.

 But somebody like me didn't have the liberty to fall in love. Maybe if the circumstances were a little different, if things were not far more complicated than they seemed on the surface. 

We might have worked out.

 Sadly, this was our reality.

 “Where is she? I want to thank her for the sandwiches,”

 “She's in the packhouse garden,” Elara was hardly finished talking before I was out the door, mixing up with my anxiety was something else inside of me slowly reaching out like roots implanting themselves throughout my body.

   It's getting closer, I wouldn't be able to hold it back for long.

  The rays of the afternoon sun washing over my face was a welcome change from the stuffy artificial light in my office, my eyes scrolled through the garden and spotted Amelia in moments. She stared down almost lovingly at a flowerbed with no sprouts like it had already brought out the most beautiful flowers.

 “Amelia!” I called out as I came closer, she didn't notice me, didn't hear me loudly calling out for her. She squatted and what came after froze my steps.

 I could hear light whimpers as they came from, her whole body shook as it was wrecked by sobs.

 I rushed towards her. She was surprised and embarrassed that I had seen her crying and desperately tried to wipe any residue of tears but I grabbed her hand. Holding half firmly before she could. She stared abashed like I'd caught her naked, maybe I did–just emotionally not physically.

 With her mask stripped off I looked right at her, and I realized how wrong it was for me to think she could forget about the past.

 “Amelia, if I helped you find out about your lost memories, would you stay?”

 Her lips fell open, then shut in a prolonged wobble before she managed to say.

 “I don't deserve to ask for that much, you've already done so much…”

 “And I'm willing to do so much more, just let me. Please,”

 She didn't know how much I desperately needed her, if she did, she wouldn't question anything I did.

 But I couldn't tell her—not yet.

 She nodded, and I hugged her then backed away before the invisible roots spread.

 “We'll discuss it tomorrow, for tonight, I don't want to be disturbed,”

 “Will you be busy?” She asked and I forced a smile.

 “Yes, very busy.” We stood by the flower bed and talked, time was ticking and I was constantly making mental checks while also looking as relaxed as I could be.

  When it was almost dusk I had to leave.

 “I need to go now,” I told her, “Try not to miss me too much,” She chuckled at my cockiness.

 “I'll do my best,” She smiled back and I wanted to stay right there and keep talking to her, well staring at her lips for that long made me feel like doing something more than just looking but this wasn't the time.

  With haste I left and thirty minutes later, I was in the secret underground cell I prepared for every full moon such as tonight, Kael had put on my chains as usual, and then left as I slowly waited for the full moon to rise and for my body to feel the effects.

 I'd done this so many times, this was a secret very few knew of in the pack and I planned to keep it that way. The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed everything again were those eyes of hers.