Had Amara been avoiding Maddox for the last week? Yes, yes she had. In fact, she has been avoiding pretty much everyone by secluding herself in the library, working her way through their fiction section. Is it the most mature way of handling her emotions? Not necessarily but that doesn’t matter when you are knee-deep in a Robert Jordan epic. Sometimes, you simply have to reject reality and ignore the fact that avoidance can not last forever.

She just got done with when and wanted a change of pace. Perusing through the back shelves, she fixes the ribbon with little wolf print stitching that is wrapped around the scrunchie holding her hair back and climbs one of the giant library ladders. A good twenty feet off of the ground, she discovers a section where there are books so worn and old that you can hardly read the lettering on the cover.

It is precisely one of those books she is holding while on the ladder, poised against one of the many bookshelves covering the massive walls. Distractedly, she moves her left foot to the edge of the rung causing the balance to shift.

The next thing she knows, she is falling. For some inexplicably dumb reason, her instinct is to protect the book. Amara hugs it to her chest and ignores something important like PERHAPS protecting her head! She is anticipating the impact against the floor, her body tensing in response.

Instead of the floor, she lands in someone's arms, the wind getting knocked out of her but it is far better than the hard ground. Amara has no idea if it's the shock or the adrenaline but she starts to laugh out loud. The old tattered book still clutched in her hands. When she finally gets herself under control, she looks up, realizing she doesn’t even know who caught her. This somehow makes her aware that she is still very much in their arms. Her eyes meet furious blue pools that can only belong to the packs Beta, Carter.

"Who the fuck falls without trying to cover their head? What good is that book if you smash your skull open to keep it safe? are you stupid?!" Behind the anger in his voice there is worry. Carter was worried. That's when she notices that his breathing is harsh and his eyes are wider than she had ever seen them. He must have been coming in for something and had to run to catch her in time.

For some reason, tears threaten to fall and she doesn't trust her voice to work without cracking. Carter, who she barely knows cares enough about her to have panicked at the possibility of her getting seriously hurt. That hits her particularly hard after she had been going out of her way to avoid everyone just because her head is messed up and she can’t handle a little crush.

More than having saved her from injury, it is the genuine concern behind his eyes that touches Amara’s heart. Without a word, she just hug him. After a second, she feels Carter hug her back. He doesn't let go and it takes Amara a minute to notice she is still shaking from the shock. Indeed, it is not until the shaking ceases that he lets go.

"Are you alright?" Carter inquires quietly. Amara nods her head gingerly "Yeah, just a little shaken I guess. Thank you, Carter" she puts as much sincerity into her words as she can. He grabs the book from her hands and sets it aside then tilts her head up to look back at him.

"Books and things can be replaced. A book does not feel pain nor will the loss of the book bring any real pain to anyone. You, on the other hand, can not be replaced and there are people around here who would give anything to make sure you are safe".

Amara gives the Beta a weak but sincere smile. She had never truly had anyone care for her except for her parents. She is not used to this, to having people outside of her family to look out for her and vice versa. A warmth blooms in her chest and she decides the moping can not continue. She is a part of Onyx Moon now and she should not let anything get in the way of getting to know and love this pack. Somehow this small moment makes her feel closer to Carter now. He is not as aloof as his persona puts off at first and she hopes they can become friends.

Carter stands and offers a hand to help her up which she takes. Amara is dusting herself off when she notices a strange look on Carter's face. She follows his line of sight to see what caught his attention. At some point, her necklace must have slipped out of her shirt. The words from so long ago echo in her head, No one is ever to see this min blomst. Keep it close and keep it hidden.

"Where did you get that?" Carter asks although his voice sounds distant. Quickly, Amara tucks it back into her shirt. "Sorry, I'm feeling tired now. I'm gonna go rest" she dodges the question and just like that, makes a hasty retreat.

She knows instinctively that Carter isn't bad, that much is obvious. But, Amara can't help it. For as long as she can remember, the necklace she wears with a dangling pendant had been kept hidden. Honestly, she was never given a reason as to why she had to keep it a secret, just that it is important.

Part of Amara wants to go back and see if Carter knows something about it. Anything would be more than what she knows now. She resists the temptation, admonishing herself for even considering it. Hopefully, he forgets he ever saw it and it can continue to be her secret. One thing is for sure, she is definitely not telling her parents about this.

Thinking of her parents, besides the occasional pack dinner and training with her mom, Amara hasn’t spent much time with them since arriving at Onyx Moon. She resolutely makes up her mind to see them today and perhaps go into town with mom. It's been a slightly bizarre day and a trip out would help her feel normal again.