My Professor Is My Alpha Mate (Lila) novel Chapter 26

Lila’s POV

“Lila?” Ethan said, staring at me in surprise as I stood outside the Calypso packhouse.

I felt my face grow warm as he stared at me.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain why I was here.

Do I tell him I was worried about Enzo?

No. I couldn’t say that.

“What are you doing here?” He finally asked after it was clear that I wasn’t going to speak.

“Professor Enzo wasn’t in class today and I wanted to make sure he was okay,” I answered.

My voice sounded distant and small when I spoke. I hated that I was feeling weak right now.

Ethan raised his brows as he stared around my face.

“You traveled this far to check on him?” He asked. I wasn’t sure how to answer that, but thankfully, he didn’t wait for me to do so. “He has some family problems,” he explained. “He’s been at the hospital all morning with his mother.”

Now it was my turn to raise my brows; I rose my gaze to meet his and saw the serious expression on his face.

“His mother?” I asked.

Enzo hasn’t really spoken about his mother. I didn’t think she was even in the picture.

What could have happened to her?

Ethan stepped aside so I could enter the packhouse; though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to at that point. I felt foolish for being there right now. I shouldn’t be prying into Enzo’s family affairs. From the look on Ethan’s face, I could tell that it was a very serious matter, and it wasn’t my business.

But he motioned with his head for me to enter. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and stepped inside.

“There’s been a terrible attack the other night and he had to rush to the hospital,” Ethan continued to explain.

The other night? It must have been the night of the feast. That’s why he left as quickly as he did and without a word.

“Is his mother okay?”

“She should be fine,” Ethan answered. “Just a lot of bruises. I think he’s planning on coming back this afternoon if you want to stick around and wait for him.”

“That would be nice,” I say in return.

Before Ethan had the chance of saying anything more, the door of the kitchen opened, and Dee stood at the entryway. She had flour and chocolate all over her clothing and skin, including her face. She looked incredibly panicked and winded.

Her eyes fell on mine and she looked almost relieved for a moment.

“Oh, good, I thought I heard your voice. How are you at baking?” She asked.

I rose my brows.

“Decent I suppose,” I shrugged.

“Perfect, grab an apron and help me in the kitchen,” she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with her.

I turned back to Ethan who just shook his head with dismay written all over his face.

As I went into the kitchen, I paused when I saw that the counters were a complete mess. I frowned as I stared around all the pots and pans that Dee had scattered across her usually flawlessly clean stainless-steel counters.

There was flour smeared upon surfaces, including the ground, and dirty utensils in the sink.

Despite the mess though, the kitchen smelled amazing. It smelled like a bunch of baked goods at once. Like a bakery.

“The bake sale for the grade school is this afternoon and I promised I would make the food for the sale. I’m way behind on the deadline though,” Dee said with a worried look on her face.

“It’s okay, Dee,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t mind helping.”

I grabbed an apron off the hook on the far side of the kitchen and we got to work.

We baked brownies, cookies, cupcakes, and muffins.

As we continued to bake, Dee started playing some music on the speaker. She shuffled through some songs before landing on an upbeat tune.

She started to sing it in a low voice, not thinking I could hear her. She had a nice voice. I watched as she began swaying her hips from side to side, making me smile.

I mimicked her movements, also swaying my hips as we traveled around the kitchen, cleaning up the mess while the baked goods were in the oven.

She noticed me dancing along with her and she started to laugh, which made me laugh as well. Together, we danced and sang. Twirling around the kitchen without a care in the world.

I only stopped when I realized Enzo was standing at the door.