Chapter 215 Cyra

After Yorick leaves to get my phone, a nurse comes in with the food that the others left for us. I have her set it aside as I think through the realization that others now know about Yorick being my mate.

There was a reason I didn’t want others to know. If my father hears about it, he’ll do everything in his power to get me home. He won’t risk me breaking the alliance agreement by letting me stay here a year with Yorick.

The thought of having to leave here, of never seeing Yorick again, makes me want to vomit. I know I haven’t known him long, but he’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a mate. And honestly, I doubt he’d let me go without a fight, and that would mean war.

‘We’re not going home,’ Rina says quietly. I’m pretty sure her voice is only soft because she’s tired and working hard to heal me, not because she’s not feeling ferocious about this. She, unlike me, was thrilled that our mates protected us by killing that other student when he attacked us.

‘Rina, what are we going to do?’ I ask her. I know that there’s no way I’ll ever be able to go back home and be with Stellan after having a year with Yorick. It’s been less than a week and I already feel like he’s ruined me for any other man.

‘We’re going to use this time to find a legal way out of this alliance. We didn’t enter into this alliance and even though our father is the Alpha, he shouldn’t have the legal right to bind us in an agreement such as this,” she says more forcefully.

‘Have I mentioned that I love you more than anything in the world?’ I ask her, smiling.

‘I love you too, my human. We will figure this out and we are NOT going home. Not yet, anyway?’

I sigh, letting Rina’s words settle in my head just as Yorick walks in carrying my phone.

“Oh good, the food’s here. Did you eat anything yet?” he asks me, handing me my phone.

“No, not yet. I wanted to talk to my dad first, get that over with.”

He was turning to get the food, but he stops, putting his hands on my face and holding my gaze. “It’s going to be okay, Cyra. No matter what happens, it’s going to be okay. You don’t have to handle this alone. I’ll be by your side.”

He leans forward and gently presses his lips to mine. It’s impossible to resist the pull of the mate bond when I can feel the tingles everywhere his body touches mine. I cup his hand in mine, as I respond to his kiss. He doesn’t let it get out of hand before he pulls back, resting his forehead against mine.

“You’ll never be alone again, Cyra. I promise,” he says, and I can hear how heartfelt his words are. I want to believe him, I really do, but until I have a way out of this alliance bond, I can’t let myself get too hopeful.

“You call your father, and I’ll get our food ready,” he says, stepping back.

I sigh and pick up my phone, pressing the number to call my father.

“Cyra?” he says, picking up on the first ring.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How are you, Cyra? I knew you going to that Academy was a bad idea.”

“I’m fine, Dad. Rina is healing me. I’ll be released tomorrow and I’ll be back in Sparring class before the end of the week.”

“Stellan and I have been worried sick about you,” he says, and I glance at Yorick. His eyes meet mine for the briefest of moments before he continues getting our food spread out. “He was practically on his way to get you and bring you home.”

Now Yorick DOES stop to look at me.

“You did stop him, right Dad?” I ask.

“When the doctor said you’d be able to continue, I told him to hold off, but he’s waiting to hear from me tonight. Just say the word, Cyra. We’ll bring you home.”

“Really, Dad, I’m fine. I’ve already made some friends here and the guy who put me in the hospital has been… handled.” Best not to mention that he’s dead. I don’t want to open that can of worms.

Yorick finally turns back to the food, putting two trays together, one for me and one for him.

“Are you sure, Cyra?” he asks me.

“I wouldn’t have applied to the Academy if I didn’t intend to finish, Dad. If I’m capable, I’m going to finish what I started. Dr. Johnston says I’m capable, so I’m doing it,” I say firmly.

He huffs on the other end of the line. “How did I get such a stubborn daughter?”

“I guess I take after my father,” I say, sarcastically.

He’s quiet on the other end, probably not happy with my snarky tone.

“Get some rest. Call me tomorrow and let me know what the doctor says and if you’ve been released.”

“Will do. Bye, Dad.”

“Good night, Cyra.”

I hang up and Yorick slides the tray of food in front of me.

“You don’t tell your father that you love him?” he asks me.

I shrug. “Not really. Do you?”

“All the time. My family would stare at me like I had mortally offended them if I didn’t tell them I loved them every time I spoke to them,” he says, sitting down and tapping my tray of food, silently telling me to eat.

“That’s not weird for you?” I ask, realizing that he’s laid out the food to make it easy for me to try different things to see what I feel like eating. I look at his tray and see that he’s given me more than he’s taken for himself.

“It was weird for me NOT hearing you say it. Maybe it’s the relationship my parents have, or maybe it’s because I have four sisters, but I even say it to my brothers.”

“Well, my family has never been like that,” I say, keeping it vague.

‘Why are we keeping this a secret from our mate?’ Rina asks me.

I look at Yorick as he devours his food like he hasn’t eaten in years. He’s given me too much and there’s not enough left for him. Luckily, I’m not very hungry.

‘It would only make him want us more,’ I tell her.

‘And that’s a bad thing, why?’ she asks.

‘Are you really so anxious to start a war, Rina? You know that’s what it will come to unless we can find some legal way to break the alliance bond.’

‘Yorick and Thad would fight with us,’ she grumbles.

“They aren’t the ones I’m worried about, Rina. We have to think about our pack. I don’t know that they are strong enough to survive a war. Don’t you think that’s the entire reason that Dad entered into this agreement in the first place? Stellan’s pack is strong, stronger than ours. Our pack needs that backing!"

“What’s going on in that head of yours, beautiful?” Yorick asks, pulling me out of my conversation with Rina.

“Just… thinking about family.”

“You need to eat. Rina needs to get her strength up so you leave the hospital tomorrow,” he says.

“Well, I can’t eat all of this. You gave me too much and Dr. Johnston was right. My stomach can’t handle this much food so soon after surgery.”

“I’ll take whatever you don’t want.”

I eat as much as I can, but soon enough, I start to feel very tired.

“Do you think there’s any way you could fit in this bed with me?” I ask. “I know it’s small but…”

“I’ll make it work,” he says softly. He dims the lights in the room and I hear him taking off his shoes before carefully climbing into bed with me. He makes sure that I’m comfortable and none of the lines attached to me are pulling before he wraps his arms around me.

I snuggle against his chest, breathing in his scent and letting it lull me to sleep.

“Get some rest, my love. Your mates will watch over you,” he says, and I know he means it.

The last thing I remember is the sound of Thad’s purring before I drifted off to sleep.