Amber’s POV Ink smudged beneath my fingertips, bleeding into white paper. I inhaled sharply, dragging my sleeve over the mess, but it only made it worse. I thought I could practice my writing to get rid of the boredom I felt, but my crooked and jagged letters only mocked me. Sighing, I tore off the page, crumbling it into a ball, and tried to throw it into the wastebasket that sat way too far—not far enough—from my bed. But just like my fifty-something failed attempts, this one stopped short of the basket, rolling on the ground next to its friends. I sighed, shutting the book with a thud. Even from here, I could hear the commotion of activities going on outside. Everyone was busy doing something—except me, of course. If this was the Moonstone pack. I was sure no one would have cut me any slack, no matter how sick I was. I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as something stirred inside me. Hopefully, it wasn’t what I was thinking it was. The priestess had assured
Amber’s POV The room Janine brought us to was large. No matter how much I stretched my eyes, I couldn’t see the other end of the room. That could be because of the fact that the room was packed with people doing decorations and now, we were about to be one of them. Janine marched ahead of us, her arms filled with fabrics, lines and what nots which she threw unceremoniously on one of the table before turning to Yeti and me. “Alright, girls,” she said, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get to work. ”Yeti and I exchanged glances before glancing at the towering pile of fabric and garland we were supposed to be helping with. I sighed dramatically, shuffling forward lazily. “So…” I picked up a roll of ribbon and turned to Janine. “Is there a plan? I get we are supposed to finish putting all these up before morning? ”Janine scoffed. “There’s always a plan. I have a plan. And you both are only here to follow orders.” “Seems fair, although I feel like I’ve been tricked.” I glanced at
Amber’s POV By the time we were tying off the last banner, the smell of meat was thick in the air. Why the hell did someone decide it was okay for the event hall to be this close to the kitchen? My stomach rumbled, reminding me of how long it's been since breakfast. I clapped the dust off my hands, barely listening as Janine thanked the boys and motioned us to the door. We had worked all afternoon—skipping through lunch—busying ourselves with last-minute preparations. Tomorrow’s blood moon was going to be a blast, and I was kind of happy with the work I’d done. Back at Moonstone, I’d have been scurrying around, struggling to finish tasks that I’d never get a thank you for. Maybe a punishment or two. Events and celebrations were always things I dreaded. Maybe it was time that changed too. “Finally, we can eat.” Janine laughed. “Goddess, the food smells so good.”She closed her eyes, inhaling a lungful of the scented air before opening them again. I was so engrossed with watc
Dale’s POV I shouldn’t have kissed her. The last time I had realized that too late was when she was bleeding from injuries that were supposed to be healing. This time, I had almost made the same mistake again—or was it not a mistake? Maybe it was the fact that I could feel our bond growing stronger with each day that passed. That I felt it pulling me closer to her the harder I fought, even now, all I wanted to do was turn back and run into her arms, but it was too late for that. I had fled out of there like I was running from her, and it wasn’t the first time. I exhaled sharply, forcing the memory of her from my mind as I walked into my office, where Beta Trent was already waiting. His brow shot to his hairline as he watched me, pursing his lips in a comic attempt to hold back the words, which I could see dancing from the edge of his tongue. “You look like hell.” He said finally. “Are you doing alright?” “I’m fine,” I lied. “How are preparations going?” “Security is in place,
Dale’s POV Everything faded away. The voices, the music, the stares, and the murmurs. Nothing registered in my brain. All that existed was Amber and the thunderous pounding of my heartbeat. She was breathtaking. Literally. The red gown clung to her body like paint, swishing when she began to walk slowly towards me. My wolf growled, eager to sink our fangs into her neck and claim her. Mine. That was what everyone needed to know. She glowed like the sun, but it was her scent—the sweet smell of honey, moonflowers, and cinnamon—that shattered the last of my restraints. I reached for her without thinking, one hand gripping her waist and pulling her into my body and the other, tilting her chin up so I could look into those eyes. Amber. Beautiful, just like her name. Everything about her was so perfect it drove me crazy. The way her body was a perfect fit in mine, the way her lips parted slightly as if she was breathless, the way her eyes flickered between a glowing gold and warm
Dale’s POV ‘You should have marked her!’ My wolf was furious and had every right to be. I had regained control at the last minute, preventing what I supposed was going to be a disaster. I glanced at Amber sleeping peacefully beside me for a minute, and a part of me was thankful I had resisted the urge to sink my teeth into that succulent skin on her neck, placing my claim on her. Even now, after the whole intimacy was over, there was still that underlying fear that the worst moment was not here. I knew I should have held back—the last two times we had kissed, it always ended badly. And now, we even went as far as… I shook my head. Maybe I was overthinking things. It’s been hours, and nothing has happened—yet. Just as the thought slipped through my mind, Amber’s body tensed beside me. I felt the shift in the air before I saw her body move. I was up on my feet before I took my next breath. Her breathing became uneven, and her lips parted as if she was struggling to pull air into h
Trent’s POV (Bonus Chapter) Dale was losing his mind, and it was all the witch’s fault. And maybe Amber’s. But I couldn’t bring myself to fault her for anything given everything she’s been through. I never could have managed being apart from my wolf my entire life, thinking I never had one, and when I‘m finally told I have one, I have no access to it. She’s been through far worse than all of us in this room combined, and that was without counting all the memories she didn’t have. Besides, she wasn’t the one filling Dale’s head with ideas like sacrificing himself. That was all the witch, whom I still couldn’t bring myself to trust. Not after Gregg. The thought of him put a sour taste in my mouth. I glanced at the witch from the corner of my eye. From her aura and the way she carried herself—poised, confident, and stupidly proud for someone with her background—one could tell she was powerful. And with all that power, she still allowed herself to be used by Derrick? How was that
Dale’s POV Amber looked almost lifeless by the time I returned to the room. Where less than a few moments ago she had been burning hot, her body was now as cold as ice. A shiver reverberated down my spine as I lowered myself into the bed beside her. Her skin looked paler than before, almost translucent in the dim light. I glanced at Janine, who was still hunched over Amber, her hands working fervently to close wounds only for another one to reopen. She cursed under her breath, wiping her forehead with the back of her palm as if it was too hot in here. It wasn’t. I ground my teeth, squeezing Amber’s hand gently. “What is going on, Janine? Why is she so cold?”Janine shook her head, her fingers trembling as she tried not to meet my gaze. Probably because she did not want me to see the tears she was trying very hard to hold back. I thought I had gone past the point where I was blaming myself, but I couldn’t help it when the thought sneaked into my head. I did this! I lost cont
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