A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Thirty-Three

Sandalwood and citrus mixed with the scent of hope and desire. The mate asterisk was still attached heavily as Amanda's brain processed the smell. The only difference between his and Chase's was the feeling of warmth she felt when she inhaled in Chase's presence. Amanda had been confused at the sight of Devon, but his scent had placed her emotions on the roller-coaster from hell. She tried to keep a polite smile plastered on her face, but struggled to keep the corners turned up. When he raised his eyebrows at her, she realized that she had been staring at him blankly for too long.

"Hi, Devon. I didn't expect to see you here," she pushed out.

"I was in the area and thought I'd come say hi," he replied, smirk back in place.

"Really?" That was not what Cassie had said on the phone.

"No, not really. I'm actually here to see you. Last summer, I messed up and I know time's past, but I would like to make it up to you," he said.

Amanda appreciated his honesty, especially since she wasn't quite sure how to call him out on it. His appearance in her student center coffee shop unnerved her still. She was not a creature of habit and tended to go to the coffee shop nearest her first class of the day. On those days she didn't have a morning class, she would either drink extra at the house, or pick a place to study and get coffee near there. If this had been anything other than a coincidence, Devon would have had to been keeping tabs on her for a while.

Her silence at his confession was interrupted by a load of coffee orders arriving on the counter. Devon and Amanda both grabbed their own while dodging the other people reaching for theirs. Amanda took a deep slog of her chai latte. Devon's appearance had caused her to treat herself.

With a little bit of caffeine courage, Amanda asked, "How did you find me?"

Devon's smirk dipped. "I figured I would just wander around campus and ask a few people if they knew you. Your school's not that big, I was bound to get lucky. I actually got here yesterday and looked around. The buildings are pretty well labelled, so I figured I would try the student center first. Logic does increase luck."

Amanda remained skeptical, but had no choice but to believe him. She found herself falling into his hazel eyes as she searched his face for verification.

Stepping back, she pulled herself together. "I have a class right now."

Not missing a beat, Devon replied, "Okay, I'll wait here for you."

"No, no. Don't do that. I have a meeting with a professor afterwards and then I have to go to the library to work on a group project. Where are you staying?" Amanda said hurriedly.

The smile finally faded from Devon's face. "At the Georgetown Inn. I wasn't sure if I would be welcomed at the pack house and I left Ohio without any contact information. That was a misjudgment on my part..."

Amanda glanced at her phone for the time. "Okay, I have to go. I'll call you when I'm done and we'll figure it out. The pack house...will have to work out. I can't let you pay for the Georgetown Inn. That's ridiculous."

She shoved her phone at him. "Here. I'm pretty sure I don't have your number."

He took the phone from her, typed in his number, and called his phone. She snatched back her phone and started walking away from him with a quick wave. Her escape was not successful though. With his long legs, Devon caught up to her as she exited the student center.

Holding the door for her, he asked, "How far away is your class? Let me walk you there."

She groaned inwardly. "It's just the next one over. It's fine."

In the midst of him insisting and her declining, they reached the classroom building.

"See, we're here. I'll call you later," Amanda said and then she slid into the building before Devon could respond.

Fortunately, the class was an elective because Amanda could not pay attention at all. Thoughts of Devon roamed her brain distracting her from the lecture. She pondered the true impetus for him traveling all the way to DC alone. Her parents' behavior could have not been the only trigger. While she would love to stick her head in the clouds, Amanda knew that Devon was unlikely to have a random change of heart and decide to accept her as his mate. If he had come to DC to win her back, something must have happened in Ohio that no one was telling her about.

As the professor droned on, her thoughts turned to Chase. She knew the best thing to do would be to tell him that Devon was here and ask if he was okay with Devon staying at the pack house. Chase would say yes out of duty to her father and for her happiness, but Amanda wasn't sure what his true reaction would be.

Amanda had never talked to a man as much as she talked to Chase, not even her father or brother. Opening up to him about what had happened on her birthday had been difficult, but she had gotten to the point in their relationship where she needed him to understand her reservations. Conversation typically flowed easily with him and that time was no different. Chase knew she had issues with the 'mate' concept, but he listened patiently to her story and reacted with sympathy. She was pleased as well that he backed off mentioning that they were 'mates' after that and, rather, worked on strengthening their relationship naturally.

The concept of Devon and Devon in the flesh were two very different issues. Chickening out, Amanda chose to text Nina that a pack member had arrived in DC and was staying at a pricey hotel. As class ended, her phone buzzed showing Nina's reply that she was already preparing a guest room.

Just in case Devon was still lurking around, Amanda beelined to her professor's office for their meeting. She made it safely, but surprised her professor when she accidently slammed the door behind her. They finished faster than she predicted due to her professor having very few notes to give her regarding edits to her thesis. Although Amanda was pleased that her thesis was turning out well, she wasn't sure where to hide until she was expected in the library.

She could have gone early, but Gavin was in her group and she wasn't sure if she would rather be stuck alone chatting with him or running into Devon again. Neither were especially appealing options.

Her phone buzzed and Amanda pulled it out to see a text from Chase. Nina texted me to say you asked her if one of your pack members could stay with us. Who is it? Your dad didn't mention anything...

Amanda sighed. She had hoped for a little more time before Chase found out. Peering at the last line, she became concerned that Chase was talking to her father behind her back as well.

As she stared at her phone trying to decide how to respond, she heard someone call out her name. Alarmed, her body snapped towards the sound to identify the voice.

Author's Note:

So Devon has now inserted himself back into the picture. What do you think about his arrival?

Amanda is questioning his motivations. What do you think the reason is for trying to "fix" things with her?

How do you think Chase will react to Devon's arrival?

Please remember to vote and comment if you are enjoying the story.