Alpha Dame

Amber’s POV

What?

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...” he began, but the Lycan King did not let him finish.

“No, you will not. Amber is not your mate and, from today onwards, no longer a slave in your pack.” He turned to me. “Have everything you owned packed. We leave very early tomorrow. It is not a bargain.”

He turned and left immediately, and Alpha Derricks's scorn fell on me. “What did you say to him?”

I shook my head vigorously. “Nothing,” my voice shook.“Nothing. I swear, I said nothing to him.”

Alpha Derrick growled, banging his fisted hand angrily on the desk. The books, files, pen, and everything on it rattled andjostled my teeth. I swallowed.

The Lycan King wants me? Me? Why would he want Amber, the wolfless outcast?

“If I find out by any means that you spoke to the Lycan King, mark my words, Slave. The dungeons will be a place too good for you. And don’t think the Lycan King can save you. I will resolve whatever this madness is, and by full moon tomorrow, we will be bonded. You are never leaving the Moonstone pack.”

He glanced at Lydia, who, for some reason, had said nothing this entire time. “Get her out of here. She will spend the night at the well today as punishment for her crimes. By tomorrow, she would have learned never to do anything behind my back.”

Lydia’s hands locked into my mess of curls, pulling it hard. Pain shot through my skull, and a whimper escaped my throat. She pulled me by the hair to the door and down the hallway till we were close enough to the well, and she stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into her.

When I glanced up, I saw why she stopped. A man was standing just beside the well, and he did not look like he was from this pack. He had his back to us, but from the way he was posed, one could tell that he was very much aware that we were here.

Lydia’s hand fell from my hair, and even if I was paying no attention, I could notice the slight tremble in her hands as they fell to her side.

“Beta Trent,” she whispered.

“I will pretend I saw nothing. Let’s start this afresh, shall we?”The man whom she addressed as beta Brent said without acknowledging my presence. “What is this well for?”

“It—it dried up many years ago.”

Beta Brent’s mouth lifted drily in an unkind way. “The LycanKing would find this interesting then.” He glanced my way this time for a split second before returning his attention to her. “Is this the mate?”

Lydia's head bounced vigorously. I almost thought it would roll off her neck.

“And this well is her home, I assume?”

“No, it's...”

“Actually, I don’t care. The Lycan King will handle that himself. He sent me here to make sure no one lays a hand on her till he returns tomorrow. Now, miss...”

“Amber,” I imputed.

“Good, lead us to your real home. I will assist you in packing up your things. The Lycan King is not a very patient man.”

Without glancing at Lydia, whom I knew would be steaming, I hurried away, grateful that I was able to escape my punishment this time. Beta Trent walked a safe distance behind me, not voicing a word till we stopped in front of my home.

“This is where you live?” He asked. His voice carried with it a note of disgust as his eyes took the run-down house in. Well, it was more than run down. The right word to describe where I lived was dilapidated, but what use was that?

The door hung off on a hinge, and part of the building had collapsed a few months ago—I haven't had the time to do any repairs yet since we had been preparing for the Culling.

“Why is it so far from the rest of the pack?”

I kept my eyes low when I answered. “Am I obligated to answer that?”

I heard him draw a sharp intake of breath. “If you cannot answer it, then I guess I could just ask your Alpha.”

My blood froze, and my head hammered. “I’m a slave here. Not a member of the pack. That's why I was given a place to stay away from the rest of the pack.” The real truth was I was an outcast, and they could not stand me living amongst them.

Beta Trent nodded. “We better start packing up your things then.”

By morning, I had barely slept a wink. After packing up what little clothes I had—no thanks to Beta Trent, who was more interested in interrogating me than helping out—I spent the night asking myself questions I had no answers to.

What did the Lycan King want with me? What did Beta Trent mean by the mate? That was what he had referred to me as when he met me with Lydia. Whose mate was I?

Beta Trent woke us up early, and after a hearty breakfast, which he provided, we returned to Alpha Derrick’s pack house. From the first glance, I could tell he was not in a good mood. He had his sour face on, so I could only assume Lydia told him what happened at the well yesterday.

Alpha Derrick was slowly losing control, and one thing he hated was to be out of control. Luckily, the man we were dealing with was the most powerful Lycan and not one to be messed with.

I spotted Alpha Dale quite quickly. Although he was sitting across from Alpha Derrick, one couldn’t miss his massive frame and those unruly curls of black hair. He turned when we entered the room, his eyes roaming on my figure.

“Ready?” he called out.

I nodded, clutching my barely full briefcase tighter than I should. Lowering my head, I wet my bottom lip with my tongue and supplied a coarse, “Yes.”

His eyes fell to the briefcase in my hand. “Are these all your things?”

“That is all she has.” Beta Trent said before I could answer. I could feel Lydia's glare burning into my neck, and why was it so hot?

Alpha Dale’s head snapped up to meet his beta’s eyes. “That is it? Her twenty-something years of existence are all in there?”

“She did not really need much.” Alpha Derrick intervened. “She is a slave. She is not allowed to own any property.”