Amber’s POV All I wanted was to breathe without the crushing weight of anger, regret, and guilt that was weighing heavily on my shoulders. I stormed through the hallways like a maniac, only pausing when I had to open doors. The footsteps behind me made me know that Fabian and Izzy were hot on my heels, their disapproving faces clear in my mind. Janine and Yeti were still far behind, and I was sure that once they caught up with me, they'd do everything within their powers to stop me. I turned a corner too quickly and stumbled on my feet, suddenly feeling dizzy. Finally, I was in the hallway where the meeting room was, and I was beginning to feel queasy, I wasn’t sure if it was because of how fast I was walking. Still, I took a moment to catch my breath before pressing on. “Amber, wait! ”I pressed harder as Janine’s voice filtered into my ears. Janine and Yeti were catching up, and from here, I could hear their panting breaths as it filled the spaces between us. “What the hell
Amber’s POV Their eyes followed us all the way to the table. Their tight expressions barely concealed their irritation and disgust at me. I should waver as I used to before when Alpha Derrick or Celia gave me that look, but for some reason, I felt different. Stronger. Like all their stares couldn’t get to me. Once we were seated, Janine leaned in and pointed to a man. “That’s Dale’s uncle.” She snorted. ‘Very bitter man. It’s best to avoid him.” She added. Alpha Dale’s uncle looked a lot like you would imagine a man who should have been Lycan King looked like. I had never seen him before, but he had almost the same eyes as Alpha Dale. Only his had more grey in them than blue. And right now, they were looking down at me with disdain, disapproval, and hostility. Maybe that was why Alpha Dale had insisted on wedging himself between us. One look at his uncle told me he would definitely use any weaknesses to remove me from Alpha Dale’s life, and I wasn’t about to show him any. “This
Amber’s POV I tried to catch Beta Trent’s attention as we filed out of the meeting room, but he stalked ahead of us, hurrying off to goddess knows where. He even seemed busier than the Lycan King himself. Alpha Dale’s uncle was going to be staying for a few days, though I’d rather not see anything related to him. I hoped our paths never crossed during his time here, but I knew how impossible that request was. Alpha Dale was with me, and that was enough. But I could see that he was in a bad mood after everything that happened in the meeting; still, he stayed by my side, putting up a smile when he needed to and growling at anyone that so much as looked at me. Janine and Yeti followed behind us slowly, ready to bundle me to the kitchen or the infirmary so we could finally have some quality girls time, but Alpha Dale waved them on. “I need to speak with my mate; you guys go on ahead.”It was such a firm, no-argument sort of command that neither of them bothered to question or comp
Amber’s POV There was a flutter of nervousness in my belly as I flung my clothes from my body. The heat in Alpha Dale’s eyes was almost physical, like a hunger that caused an itch on his skin he couldn’t stop scratching. He looked at me like I was dinner just served. The moment I shimmied out of my lingerie, Alpha Dale groaned, catching my bra mid-air as he started towards me. His hand caught me easily, holding onto my waist firmly as he spun me up into his arms with a casual ease. Ducking down, he caught my lips in a blisteringly hot kiss, his naked body—when did he get naked?—plastered against my own, and his hands clutched me in hot demand. I wrapped my legs around his waist, hitching myself more securely to him. His lips moved around mine in another scorching kiss that made my body burn with flames of desire and need. His mouth still taking mine hungrily, he directed us to the bed, tugging my legs open so he could crawl in between them. I moaned into his lips, moaning again
Dale’s POV We found one of them. That was why Trent woke me up so early when he knew I’d rather sleep in with my mate. Her heat period was quite close, and now that she had her wolf, it was going to be intense. I would rather have stayed in bed with Amber, savoring the warmth of her skin against mine. But this was just as important as that. Keeping Amber safe was a part of my duty and one that I took very seriously. Trent knew I shouldn’t be staying away from her too long at a time, but he had good reason for bringing me out of bed. He was convinced the woman they found was the same one we had seen in the CCTV recording several months ago—the one who lured Amber out of the mansion. Mallory, of course, was still MIA, but this woman was going to serve as a good scapegoat for those who thought they could double-cross me and harm my mate for any reason at all. Most importantly, she could lead us to Mallory’s hideout as an added bonus. When I arrived at the interrogatio
Amber’s POV I walked with Yeti to the Moon Priestess's home. It was quite far from the mansion and in a very quiet neighborhood. In fact, it was hard to see any other homes for miles, and many times, I had considered turning around, but Yeti was adamant she wanted to see her. I didn’t know what she thought the priestess could do for a witch like her, and it was only when we were quite close to the priestess’ house that I thought about the possibility that she wasn’t seeking out the priestess for her witch side. She was still a werewolf, even if it wasn’t fully. My mind strayed to Alpha Dale, and memories of the night we spent together came to the forefront of my mind. I didn’t want him to think I ran away, so I sent him an emotion of longing and warmth; hopefully, he was going to understand it. Our connection was still weird, but I wanted to understand it, and I wanted to take full advantage of it. Having a mate was something I always desired. I had always envisioned it with fr
Amber’s POV The canteen was crowded when we stepped inside, the hum of conversation filling the vast space. Izzy, Fabian, Yeti, Janine, and I managed to squeeze into a table near the back. Yeti looked worn out and so far was keeping to herself, only speaking when she needed to or when spoken to, and everyone sort of understood not to ask her about anything. Janine kept glancing at her, though, and it made a smile come to my face. I was sure she hated her before—hate was a strong word, but I was sure she couldn’t stand Yeti, and now, she was worrying for the girl the same way she worried for me. I still hadn’t gotten round to how their relationship changed so much in just three weeks of my absence. Izzy gave Janine a wry look, making a show of piling food onto her plate, completely ignoring her glares and scowls. “Eat more,” he said, like she wasn’t eating before. “You look like you just finished fighting a war.” “And obviously didn’t win.” Fabian inputted darkly whi
I was dreaming. There was no question about that, but I already know that something was off about this dream. The moment that awareness hits me, I feel her. It felt like there was something wrong, like there was something intruding in my mind space, because she was my other half. My wolf. A perfect right in this space as I was, but it still felt different having her in my mind, in my dream like this. I thought about the moon’s priestess words. Was this an opportunity to understand my wolf better? To learn about my past?She said I was wrong. What was I wrong about? “Where are we?” I asked, looking at the four-story structure that was sitting in front of us. The house was almost like the one back at Moonstone pack. Alpha Derrick’s pack house. But there was something different about this one. And it wasn’t just the color or that it was one more story larger than Alpha Derrick’s pack house. It felt homey and familiar, and it called to me in a way that I didn’t want to resist.
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
Amber’s POV It was settled. Derrick was insane and not only that, he was delusional as well. I clamped my mouth shut, biting the inside of my cheeks to keep me from laughing out loud. Was this his plan all along? To become our supreme Alpha? Was it just me or did he or his other followers not realize how ridiculous he sounded? I yanked my hand away from him and he growled, giving me the stink eye. “Do you not see it?” he asked. “The promise of a better life I am dangling in your face. Think of all the things we could accomplish together.” I gritted my teeth. “I’d rather die…” I spat out. “Than do anything with a killer such as yourself.” Shock and anger flickered across his features but he quickly masked with an amused expression. “Suit yourself then,” he laughed. “I gave you a choice, call it an olive branch but you’re slapping my hand away. Well, you no longer have a choice. You will do what I want else, they’ll be consequences.” I raised my brows. “Yes? Like what?” “Alpha D
Amber’s POV I couldn’t reach anyone through the mind link. I needed to reach Janine and Beta Trent to let them know the plan fell to pieces. We failed. No matter how hard it was for me to admit it. I wasn’t sure if I had been able to reach Alpha Dale, or even pull him out of that spell. I didn’t want to give up hope, but what else was there? I had seen what she did to Eric with my own eyes. His battered body as she dragged him in like a rag doll. His wolf was going to heal him, sure enough, but how long was that going to take? What were they even doing to him? Anger mingled with determination inside and a plan began to take shape in my head. I pressed my back on the cold stone, keeping my eyes trained on the cell bars that were keeping me in. Its been a while since Derrick dumped me in here. I heard nothing outside, I saw nothing past the darkness and had to rely on my sense of smell and hearing. Two things which had never failed me before. Maybe I was overestimating myself, b