Amber’s POV“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Lydia shrieked, startling me. The cleaning basket I carried in one hand fell to the ground, and that gained me a cheek-numbing slap. Red flashed in my vision, and for a moment, I thought I saw blood. “You wench!” she spat. “Do you even realise what you’ve done?” I shook my head, trying to keep the tears at the back of my eyes from rolling down. It was not the worst I've been made to endure, but I was beginning to get tired of it. “I’m sorry, ma’am.” My voice came out a little lower than a whisper, but with her sharp wolf hearing, I was sure she heard me loud and clear. Her nose turned up in disgust, and her eyes immediately went to the table I had been cleaning before she marched in. “Do you know what it means that we are hosting the culling?” As she spoke, she drew a finger along the table andbrought it up to her face. Shaking her mass of brown curls, she glared at me. “I’m sure you don’t realise how big this is and how impor
Amber’s POVIt was as though electricity ran through my body. From my head, it shook me, running through my spine and going down my legs. I had to grip the washbasins sitting on the table before me for support. The feeling was gone as soon as it came. I turned around, casting a quick glance at the girls to see if they had felt it too, but they did not appear like they felt anything. Celia, the leader of the gang, had her hands folded across her chest and was walking slowly towards me. Her team formed a half circle in front of the door in case I tried to run. I ran through various scenarios in my head that could get me out of this, but there were none. Celia was just as vicious as her mother. If I managed to escape her here, she would just corner me elsewhere, and my punishment would be worse. Taking a deep breath in, I prepared myself for whatever hell she was about to unleash on me when she came to a stop in front of me. “Someone thinks she’s big enough to talk back at us now tha
Amber’s POVJumping to my feet, I whirled around, making sure I kept my eyeballs glued to my feet. Who was it that found me, and what punishment would I face this time for being caught out here? That was the thought that ran through my mind until I heard the most angelic voice that could ever exist. “What are you doing out here, Lady, when everyone else is celebrating a successful red moon? Or do you have no intention of finding your mate?” The man said, causing my heart to stir. If his voice had a taste, then it would be vanilla and cinnamon, which complemented his cedarwood scent perfectly. “I asked you a question, lady. Common courtesy demands that you answer.” His voice was too sweet for my weak heart; still, I could not bring myself to look at his face. I had never heard or smelled anyone so... so glorious in the pack. Was he an outsider? A peek would give me an answer to my questions, but I could not risk it.An involuntary whimper escaped my throat, my lower lip quivering pat
Amber’s POVWhat?What did he mean by forbidding Alpha Derrick from taking me as his mate? I had no idea what this was about or how to feel about it. And I guess Alpha Derrick felt the same way, because he immediately jumped to his feet. “What do you mean by I cannot mate Amber? She is a slave in my settlement, and as such, I have every right...”The words died in Alpha Derrick’s mouth when the Lycan King also stood to his feet. His power and aura dominating the room, even Alpha Derrick deflated under its weight. My chest tightened, and I could hardly breathe. I felt like a mouse trapped in the middle of two elephants. It was not a good feeling. “From what I recall, Alpha Derrick, you have a true mate. Do you not? What was her name again?” The Lycan King made an exaggerated gesture of scratching his stubble. “Celia, was it? If you mated Amber, what would she be? Will you break your bond with Celia?”For the first time in my life, I saw Alpha Derrick stumble with his words. “I...” h
Amber’s POV The pack members provide for her, of course, but she always emphasizes that she does not need much.” Lydia inputted in an attempt to salvage things, but there was not any need for that. Alpha Dale was already getting a clear picture of what they were painting. “Is everything okay?” I stiffened when I heard the voice. Focusing my attention on the people in the room, I had not noticed when Celia came in; neither had I noticed that it was time for Alpha Derrick’s morning tea.She balanced the tray in her hand on Alpha Derrick’s desk before turning to glare at me. “Why are you here, slave, when it is clear that the Lycan king is in a meeting with my MATE? Should you be here? Do you not know your place? ”My body tensed up, and I lowered my head even more. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Alpha Dale beat me to it.“You don’t speak to her like that!” he said with a glare. His voice was strong and confident, and it rang across the room, demanding everyone’s attention
Dale’s POV I snapped my head up. He was mentioning that word again, but for some reason, I could not bring myself to ask him anything about it. Like before, his finger went under my chin, and he pushed my face up till I was staring into his pool of blue eyes. “Tell me, are you okay? ”I nodded. “Yes,” I added almost immediately. “I am fine.”His arm around my waist tightened. It took every shred of strength within me to keep my face straight and a scream from escaping my throat. A knock sounded on the door, and an auburn-haired lady waltzed in.I breathed a sigh of relief when his arm around me relaxed and he stepped away. I lowered my head again, digging my nails into my skin to keep myself from feeling the biting pain in my side. “This is Gwen, the omega I told you about. She will help you with settling in. If there is anything you need and I am not available, let her know. She will make sure you get it.” He turned to the lady who had just arrived, nodding curtly at her. “Gwen.
Dale’s POV Amber’s body was a map of wounds, bruises, and scars. The horrified expression on Janine’s face confirmed just how bad I thought it was. The scars did not look like they had been treated by a professional, and so they did not heal correctly. I glanced at Janine, whose eyes were settled on me. She knew I was struggling to hold my wolf together, and I could see her readying herself to hold me back if it came to it. “Who did this to you?” I growled, unable to keep the pain my wolf felt out of my voice. “Tell me who did this to you!”‘And let me tear them apart, limb by limb.’ my wolf added. Amber fumbled with her dress, pulling it tightly against her lean frame. She was looking everywhere but at me and Janine. Even Janine looked short of words, and I did not blame her. Neither of us had seen something so terrible before. “Amber!” I demanded. “Speak, or I will pry the words from you myself. Was it Derrick? Lydia? Who exactly did this to you?My fist came down hard, st
Amber’s POV Although he said we now shared a room, Alpha Dale did not return to the room that night, nor did I see him at the dining area the next day after that. For three long days—unlike me—I was left to wonder where he was and what he might be doing. If he was okay or if he needed something. Janine checked on me from time to time, and we were becoming fast friends. I don’t know if that was the word to use, but she did seem to me like a decent and genuinely honest person that I was beginning to take a liking to. “Do you believe him?” I started slowly watching Janine for a reaction. We were in her office at the infirmary, and as always, Janine was busy sorting out her stuff. She glanced up at me, her brows knotting as she tried to make sense of my question. “What do you mean? Believe who?” “Alpha Dale.” I answered, careful to keep my eyes lowered and avoid eye contact now that she was looking directly at me. “He thinks I have a wolf.” Janine smiled. “He doesn’t ‘think’ you hav
Amber’s POV I was tired and sleepy as hell. While Alpha Dale had been busy walking from one councilmember to the other and interrogating Yeti’s mother, I had been busy with tracing who the actual spy was so we could finally clear Yeti’s name. If the charge weren’t dropped. We had worked till the early hours of the morning and just when I had begun dozing off, the computer geek guy announced that there was a lead! And he didn’t just pinpoint where we could find our spy, but where Derrick and Donn could be as well. It was a vacation lake house just outside of Free city. One of Alpha Dale’s properties which he didn’t use often. We left for the Lake house the next morning and I only got an hour of sleep. Our computer guy had enough intel to find the whereabouts of the security cameras and surveillance around the house Donn, Derrick and our spy was holed up in, so we already knew how far we had to travel to remain undetected. There was a long hike ahead of us, but with a deep brea
Dale’s POV Once I knew for sure that Amber was safely in Janine’s office, I let my beta know that I was heading out for the day. I wasn’t one to check-in and report where I was going to be but, thanks to the current circumstances, we were all at high alert. The fact that a witch had been able to infiltrate our minds, helping our enemy get what they want with us what something I was very much ashamed of. Finding my uncle and Derrick was not just a necessity now, it was what had to be done to prove to my subjects that I wasn’t weak and I could protect them. And now with the council hounding Yeti. It wasn’t just disrespecting me. it was a threat to my title and one that I wasn’t going to let go that easily. “Do you think going to see Graves is really a good idea?” Silas said, keeping his eyes glued to the phone in his hand as he questioned me as if he was nonchalant about the answer. But I knew that was far from the truth. As chief security officer, he shouldered plenty of responsi
Amber’s POV Yeti was the person who kept me going when everyone hated me even in Moonstone pack. I realized that a long time ago even though I hadn’t known her identity then. Although she had been going through a lot herself, she still tried to help me with medical supplies not caring about what would happen to her if she had been caught. If I lost her, I won’t be okay. The panicked flutter in my chest started up again, stealing my breath. It only took a minute for everything to fall apart and the little bit of peace I found gone with one swipe from the council. They were always the problem. Yeti was my goddamn best friend, and if she’d been a spy this whole time, I would have known. Besides, no spy would give their life to save the person they were spying on. All I wanted was hot shower and a bed to hide in for the rest of the day after the way I dealt with that councilman. After I put my powers under control – the best I could – we fell into an uncomfortable silence, but it’s
Amber’s POV My chest was on fire. My lungs screamed for air and my heart thumped inside my ribcage at a frenzied pace, but I couldn’t force myself to be calm as I stared across the room at Janine. I couldn’t bring myself to look Yeti in the eye, not with the sight of her being slammed and strangled by Derrick still fresh in my head. Janine’s eyes bored into mine, her own anger at Donn’s betrayal simmering just below the surface. I didn’t think things could escalate so freaking quickly. One minute I was happy my friend was out of danger and was no longer under the threat of losing her wolf and in the other, I was finding out her fated mate was one of the men who could have killed us had the order been given some nights ago. “It’s true…” Janine said, ducking her head to concentrate on the scrapes and bruises she was healing over Yeti’s skin. “Fabian is her Fated mate. I saw his wolf choose her during the Culling,” Although Fabian was highly trained with more skills than me, Yeti
Amber’s POV I woke up as early as 3:30am the next morning to take another shower and get ready for the day. I had a lot to do and one of them was seeing Yeti and finding a way to clear her name even if the issue hadn’t been raised yet. I didn’t want it to be raised at all. I was done dressing by the time Alpha Dale’s alarm sounded at four. He groaned like he was being murdered, shoved a pillow over his head and grumbled under his breath like he was plotting a murder for whoever it was that woke him up early. He reached out with one arm to find me once he was done grumbling and when he came up empty, he threw the pillow over his head away, sitting up with a scowl. I tried not to laugh because he looked like a child missing his mother. I smirked and waved at him because it was good seeing him off-kilter for once and not the usual composed and straight man that he was. “Stop that,” he growled. “Stop looking smug and get over here. Trent will be here any minute and I need another
Amber’s POV When I woke up, it was long after dark. Alpha Dale was right beside me and instead of distracting himself by getting busy with something, he was watching me sleep. Seeing him beside me, looking at me like I meant everything in the world to him was deliciously tempting. I sat up slowly. There was a nervous energy surrounding me now that I knew I was going to be a mother. I wasn’t worried about my wolf anymore; she had proven herself many times in the last few weeks that I was sure it was time to spare her the benefit of doubt. “You’re awake,” Alpha Dale said drowsily. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on my lips. “You looked really peaceful, I didn’t have the mind to wake you up.” I smiled, thanking him silently for allowing me sleep. My body needed all the sleep it could get. Glancing around, I saw that I was still in Janine’s office where I had fallen asleep earlier and suddenly recalled why I was here. Yeti. “How is she?” I asked. “But first, how did the council m
Amber’s POV I paced the length of Janine’s small office space for what felt like the hundredth time and my arms wrapped tightly around myself. I shouldn’t be here. Alpha Dale was going to be furious – maybe – when he returned and didn’t find me. But I didn’t just want to seat and wait, like everyone was telling me. I wanted to see my friends. I needed to see for myself that Yeti was alive and well. But even after several hours of waiting in here, Janine still won’t let me see her. I tried not to think that she was punishing me for not looking after her well. Maybe she was punishing herself for ever doubting her… I ran a hand through my long hair which was now a scattered mess the same way Alpha Dale always did when he was frustrated with something that wasn’t going his way, and heaved a long sigh. Speaking of Alpha Dale, I felt him like a second person under my skin. Ever since the incident at the red moon when I tried to save him – I wasn’t even sure if that worked – I could fe
Dale’s POV The conference hall was colder and quieter than a grave. As soon as I stepped foot inside, their murmurings ceased and they lowered their heads to the ground like disobedient kids caught by their parents. The thoughts of kids made me think about Amber and the children we were expecting. With everything in me, I wanted to run back to her and never leave her side. But with everything that had happened, there was a lot I needed to do and the first thing was confronting a bunch of old men and women. Beta Trent was speaking to them, as was tradition. A formality that I had heard thousands of times. “This is the nine hundred and fifty-fifth meeting since…” it was almost the same, every time. The only things that changed, were the numbers and reasons for gathering, This time, I wanted to let them know they had no power above me. the council could be manipulated. We all knew that now. Donn had managed and succeeded to get in all of our heads – “Alpha…” my head snapped up as
Amber’s POV My eyes snapped open, blinking as light flooded my vision. My heart rate soared and panic welled up fast inside me. For a minute, all I saw was blurry shapes and figures. I groaned, trying and failing to push myself off the bed… I was in a bed? Why was I in a bed? Where was I? what – “Amber?” A voice called, halting my racing thoughts. There was an edge of desperation and familiarity in his voice that I recognized, but my brain was still booting and taking al the time in the world to respond. Through my blurry vision, a shape moved and warm skin touched my hand. “You’re awake.” His voice carried excitement and a hint of something I knew but I couldn’t place. I closed my eyes tight, waited for three seconds then snapped them open again. This times, I saw more than shapes. The silhouette of a person sat beside me and in a minute, my vision cleared enough for me to recognize the silhouette as Alpha Dale. “Alpha Dale,” I rasped, coughing to clear my dry throat. He shov