CHAPTER THREE

Amber didn’t listen. That was her first mistake.

Raymond had told her to stay. But Amber Chris had spent too many years being controlled, silenced, and pushed aside. She wasn’t about to start obeying now. The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. Amber moved quickly, following the direction the guard had come from. Her bare feet made no sound against the polished floor, but her heartbeat was loud enough to betray her. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Her wolf stirred uneasily beneath her skin. Voices echoed faintly ahead.

Tense. Controlled. Amber slowed as she approached a large metal door slightly ajar. Holding wing. So this was where Raymond kept his secrets.

⸻

She slipped inside. The air changed instantly. Colder. HeavierL like pain had been trapped here and never allowed to leave. Cells lined the walls.

Some empty. Some… not. Amber’s eyes moved quickly. Then— She froze.

A man sat chained in the center of the room. Bloodied. Bruised. But smiling. Not a normal smile. Something twisted. Something knowing. And then he looked up. Straight at her. Like he had been waiting… Amber’s breath caught. Her body reacted before her mind did. Her wolf surged violently. Not in fear. Not in defense. In memory.

“No…” she whispered. It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t. Because the last time she saw that face—

He was dying.

⸻

“Amber Chris,” the man said hoarsely. Her name sounded wrong in his mouth. Familiar. But poisoned.

“You’ve grown.” Her chest tightened. “You’re dead.”

He chuckled, then coughed—blood staining his lips.

“Clearly… not.” Amber stepped back instinctively. Her pulse racing now.

“You were there,” she said, her voice shaking despite her effort to control it. “The night my mother died.” His smile widened slightly. “Yes.” The word hit like a blade.

Flash.

Blood. Screams. Her mother’s hand pushing her away. “Run, Amber!” Amber clenched her fists. “You killed her.” The man tilted his head. “No.”

A pause.

“I watched.” That was worse. Much worse. Anger surged through her. Hot. Sharp. Unforgiving. “Why are you here?” she demanded. “Why now?” His eyes gleamed. “Because your husband invited me.”

Amber stilled. “What?”

“Oh…” he leaned back slightly against his chains. “You didn’t know?” Her heart dropped. “No.” A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.

“Then this is going to be fun.” The door behind her opened. Heavy. Controlled. Amber didn’t need to turn. She already knew. Raymond.

His presence filled the room instantly. Dark. Dominant. Unshaken. “I told you to stay upstairs.”Amber spun around. Fury burning now. “You brought him here?” Raymond’s gaze flicked briefly to the man—then back to her. “Yes.”

The calm answer snapped something inside her “Are you insane?! He was there when my mother died!” “I know.” “You know?!”

The man laughed weakly behind them. “Oh, this is better than I imagined.” Raymond didn’t even look at him. “Silence.” The single word dropped like a command. And somehow— The man obeyed.

Amber stared at Raymond. Breathing hard. “You’re playing games with my life.” “No,” he said. “I’m ending one.” Her brows furrowed. “What does that mean?” Raymond stepped closer. Not aggressive.

But deliberate. “Everything you think you know about that night is incomplete.” Amber shook her head. “I saw enough.” “No,” he said quietly. “You survived enough.” That stopped her.

⸻

Silence stretched. Thick. Uncomfortable. Dangerous.

Amber’s voice dropped.

“You think I’m going to trust you?” “I think you don’t have a choice.” Her jaw tightened. “I always have a choice.” Raymond’s eyes darkened. “Then choose.”

A beat.

“Truth… or pride?.”

Amber hesitated. Just for a second. But it was enough. Raymond saw it.

He turned slightly toward the chained man. “Tell her,” he said. The man smirked. “Tell her what?”

Raymond’s voice lowered. Lethal. “What you saw.”

The man studied Amber. Long. Carefully.

Then— “She didn’t die the way you think.” Amber’s heart skipped. “No—” “She wasn’t the target. Everything inside her went still.

⸻

“What are you saying?” she whispered. The man leaned forward as much as the chains allowed. “You were.” The world tilted. Amber shook her head. “No. That’s not true.” “It is.” “My mother—” “—took your place.”

Dead silence.

Amber’s breathing became uneven. “That’s a lie. But her voice didn’t carry conviction anymore. Not fully.

The man watched her carefully. “She knew they were coming,” he said. “She planned for it.” Amber’s chest tightened painfully. “No… she didn’t—she told me to run—” “Yes,” he said softly. “Because you were the one they wanted.”

⸻

Her knees almost gave out. The memory twisted now. Changed. Her mother’s fear. Her urgency. It wasn’t random. It was deliberate.⸻ Amber turned slowly to Raymond. “You knew this.” It wasn’t a question.

Raymond held her gaze. “Yes.” Pain flashed across her face. “Since when?” “A long time.”

The betrayal cut deep. Too deep. “And you didn’t tell me?” “You weren’t ready.” Her laugh came out broken. “And now I am?!” His voice didn’t rise. But it hardened. “Yes.”

Amber stepped back from him. Like distance could protect her from the truth. From him. “You’re using this,” she said. “All of this—to force me into this marriage.” Raymond didn’t deny it. Because he couldn’t.

“I’m using what’s real,” he said. “That’s not the same thing.” “It is when it keeps you alive.”

Amber turned away. Her mind racing. Her heart breaking. Her world shifting. Behind her, the man spoke again. Soft. Deadly. “There’s more.” Amber closed her eyes. Of course there was.

She turned back slowly. “What?” The man smiled. And this time— It wasn’t cruel. It was worse. It was knowing. “The one who ordered your death…” A pause. Then— “…is still alive.” Amber’s blood ran cold. “Who?”The man’s eyes flicked—past her.

To Raymond. And then he said— “Ask your husband.”

Silence exploded.

Amber turned sharply to Raymond. Her heart pounding violently now. “Raymond…” Her voice shook. Just slightly. But enough. “Who wants me dead?” Raymond didn’t answer. Not immediately.

And that—

That was the most terrifying answer of all.