ZACH.My heart thudded loudly as sweat formed on my palms and everywhere on my body. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like that at all. I kept myself from growling as I turned my chair around and rolled myself inside the house. I shut off everyone from my hearing because hearing my mother talk to Amber would make this harder for me. She had always liked her. She was the first to celebrate when I told them I wanted Amber as my Luna and would claim her at the Claiming. My mother surely knew how to play her game—either her or Amber. A tough choice because I wanted both of them out of this house.I slammed my office door closed and went to the biggest window overlooking our massive garden. I stared at nothing except the flowers and bushes. Everything on the other side was colorful and bright, unlike what I felt inside—dull, dark, and gray.I didn’t need a babysitter, and certainly not a female who thought she could tie up her life with me just because I saved her. Of course, she would. Amber
AMBER. Dinner was pleasant and welcoming, only because Zach didn’t join us. I didn’t mind at all. I didn’t want my first night to be ruined. Even if he didn’t want me here, the rest of his household did. It was enough to bring my confidence up. It was also the last dinner before Uncle Riley and Aunt Nadia would drive to the Council Territory. They would take Winter with them, which the latter didn’t like. She would rather stay here, but her parents were not bending on that despite the tears she shed. But all ended well.Mindy, on the other hand, was so timid that she would rarely raise her head to look at us. This bothered me because I had already heard from Hanna some things about her and what she went through from her previous Alpha. I was concerned that she was forced to be here. Only when I really looked into her and her interaction with Arlo did everything make sense.She was uncomfortable with this new place and everyone around her, but her face lit up whenever Arlo attended
BETA ARLO. It was Mindy’s first night here, so I wanted to retire to bed early. I left Gamma Drake at the training building before rushing home to where my mate was. She was in the kitchen, so I headed there directly, only to find Lady Amber with her. It was not an unusual sight because, before the accident, Amber was comfortable in every part of this house. She also had a good relationship with the Omegas, so she was often there with them if Zach was busy doing pack-related things or in a meeting. But what I heard caught me off guard. Zach met his fated mate, and he didn’t say anything to me. After Lady Amber arrived and it was decided she would stay, I went to his office and asked if he was okay. I found him deep in his thoughts. I thought it was a natural thing, as his ex-fiancée was here. He said he was fine and told me we should proceed with having Mindy join the pack as planned. So we did that. He swore Mindy in, but after that, we were dismissed immediately. Before I left
AMBER.I was with Mindy at the library on the second floor. I was teaching her about the geography of the pack—all the borders and what the neighboring packs around them are.Aunt Jenny initially offered to give her an overview, but since I had nothing to do in my free time, I asked if I could help. She let me handle this, but she told me that in exchange, she expected me to join Mindy during her training so I could have my wolf out soon. I was grateful for that. I almost forgot how much Aunt Jenny helped my mother when they were younger and how she helped her push her wolf out.Her wolf, Sapphire, was, in fact, the first wolf that Meadow connected with when Mom shifted. So I know how much this meant for both of us if she could also help me with my wolf. “Lady Amber,” Arlo’s voice startled me. I didn’t notice he had entered the library. “Are they here?” That was all I could come up with as my heart began thudding loudly.He nodded. “They’re ten minutes away from the packhouse.”I be
AMBER. I knew I was not invited to show up and meet her, but the stupid side of my head got the best of me. I was already here, so I better make my presence known, too. I ran to my bedroom and rushed to choose a dress. I usually wore modest and conservative dresses, as only Zach knew about that naughty part of me. My minis—shorts, skirts, and dresses—were reserved for times I was with him alone. But it wouldn’t hurt to put on a sexy but still cute dress, especially since his mate was wearing just regular jeans and a sleeveless tank top. Her breasts might be bigger, but mine weren’t small either. Zach said they were more than enough for his hands and mouth.Ugh. I should stop thinking about Zach.In the end, I chose a beige ribbed square-neck mini dress with long sleeves that hugged my body and breasts perfectly. The low neckline was beautiful and complimented my skin. I loved it!The dress ended way above my mid-thighs. In short—it was too short—something I would never wear wheneve
AMBER.“I can drive you there.” Drake volunteered.“No, you’re not,” Zach said without taking his eyes off me, his forehead creasing. I kept my face smiling even if my heart was clenching. I motioned with my hands, letting Drake know I was okay. “I’ll be fine.”“I have no schedule or anything unless you want something from me, Alpha.” Drake turned his attention to him. “I promised Sidney I would have her see the surroundings so she can familiarize herself, at least around the packhouse. But I’m worn out already.”“Arlo can do that,” Drake replied almost immediately. “Aren’t the Betas supposed to…”“I’m telling you to do it. Arlo has Mindy to attend to, so while he’s at it, I expect your presence to be with Sidney if she needs to be somewhere.”“Got it, Alpha.” Drake bowed his head in submission. I slowly stepped backward, not wanting to draw more attention because my eyes were watering. I felt discarded and unimportant compared to her. It was a wrong idea to make my presence known
BETA ARLO. Over the years, I’d seen how Zach fell in love with Amber without the pull of the mate bond. I saw how he looked at her, especially when she wasn’t aware—there was love and desire. But not with Sidney. Not with his own mate. She might be human, but she was not the first human mated to a werewolf. We ran in circles with these kinds of couples—the nearest one was Zach’s own grandfather, who was mated to Grandma Laura.Grandma Laura was human, but despite not feeling the spark or smelling a mate bond scent, I could tell she was smitten with Grandpa Theo. And there was also Alpha Darvin and Luna Celeste of the Moonstone Pack, Zach’s godparents. I didn’t see anything like that, not just with Zach but also with Sidney. If I have to say so, Sidney was more interested in talking to Amber. I could only deduce she was also in this game, and Zach specifically told her to be nice to her. Knowing Amber, she would feel guilty and might give up on her own if Sidney continued to befri
BETA ARLO. “Didn’t you hear me? I said we’ll discuss it some other time! Go rest!” Zach’s voice was slightly higher.Amber’s breathing hitched, and I was sure her eyes squinted as her nose flared. “Such a sour mood, Alpha! Keep that up, and Sidney will surely run off here, and you’ll be all alone again!”She didn’t wait for any response and walked out on us.I think she overdid it. The table fell silent, and I could hear if a pin dropped. My heart clenched at the look on Zach’s face before he lowered his eyes to look at his plate. Amber’s words pained him. But, like always, the pain was gone in seconds.He began eating and told Sidney to eat, too. “Did you give Amber those flowers?” I heard Ara ask Drake in almost a whisper, but I was sure everyone at the table heard it.“No. She said Edmond gave it to her.”“Who’s Edmond?” Sidney asked before she clamped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.”Ara giggled softly and shook her head. “No worries. It’s not
AMBER. ‘Are you fated mates?’ I asked Zach in our heads.‘No.’ He replied. I looked at her extended hand and shook my head as I stepped back. I knew I would stumble soon. It was taking too much of me to hold myself up, and then I felt hands grabbing my arms, supporting me. Arlo came, and he was standing behind me. He let go of me once I was able to gather myself.‘Don’t believe her. I never said I would claim her,’ Zach reached my head. It was all I needed to hear to bring my confidence back. I tilted my head up and scoffed at her. “This pack only has one Luna. And you’re standing in front of her.”“Really now? From what I can see, Zach is still not able to stand.” She spoke confidently. Too far from the meek female who needed me to help her with everything. Did she know who I was from the beginning? Was she lying the whole time? Was the friendship she showed me part of their show?“I’m only claiming Amber,” Zach said, and I smirked at her before I mirrored her stance, crossing m
AMBER.I showered in the locker room of the training building after my session. I could have easily showered at the packhouse, but I knew that if Zach saw me, he would never let me out of his sight. He had been asking, or should I say demanding, for my attention since lunch. Not that I didn’t want to spend time with him, but I had things to do that needed to be out of his earshot, or I would have to answer questions I didn’t have answers to yet.I was already in a hurry to meet him, but I was held up twice by some people who wanted to speak with me. Since I really wanted this pack, especially the females, to be comfortable around me, I entertained them.When I was finally able to get away, I rushed toward the packhouse, hoping Zach was still working, as I hated keeping him waiting.The streets were empty, but it was nothing extraordinary, as it was just a regular day. Usually, more vehicles would be on the road on Fridays, as people would get off work and go out to chill afterward.The
*FREE CHAPTER*ZACH.‘It’s already almost eight in the morning, Alpha. John called and said he couldn’t make it today because of an emergency.’ Arlo said. My eyes snapped fully open as my forehead creased. ‘Did he say if he could come to the next session?’‘Nothing about that. And he sounded in a hurry, so I let him go right away.’This was not good. It meant I had to wait a few more days before I got an answer from him. But what if he had no plans to return? What if he discovered that we had already caught him?‘Thanks. Is everything okay?’‘Yes, Alpha. You were supposed to call Alpha Jace at seven today, but I called him earlier and told him you were not to be disturbed.’ I could sense teasing in his voice.‘I didn’t say that.’‘I decided on that,’ he chuckled. ‘Is everything okay between you and the Luna?’I smiled at the title he used for Amber. ‘Yes, we’re good.’‘Do you want me to send someone with breakfast?’‘No. We’ll make do with what we have here.’ I replied. ‘How is Mindy?
ZACH.“Oh, Goddess! This is so good…” Amber whimpered seductively as she gripped my thighs tightly while bouncing on top of me. She was riding me in a reverse cowgirl style, her body bent slightly forward so that I had the arousing view of her round ass, as well as the full sight of my cock as it plunged in and out of her tight pussy. She was so wet that I could see her juices leaking out of her at every stroke. My upper body was half elevated, resting on the reclined bed of the cabin. Yes, we finally made it to the bed of this house. Although we didn’t have any plans to have sex, we couldn’t get our hands off each other. Especially me. Once I got my first taste of her, I couldn’t control my cravings for her anymore. Amber was an addiction that I didn’t want to stop. I removed my hand from her hips and smacked her already red ass, eliciting a gasp from her. She bent more forward and held my legs before grinding her hips against mine and clenching her pussy around my cock. Sweat form
AMBER.“I don’t know how to distinguish beautiful from not since I laid eyes on you. You are the most beautiful, Amber, and everyone else pales in comparison.” Zach said, and I was left speechless.I pouted my lips as my eyes welled up. I could totally understand what he was telling me, as that was exactly how I felt. Ever since I admitted to myself that I was in love with him, no one has come in comparison with him. “If you also want to ask if I am or was attracted to her, I’m not, and I wasn’t. But I will admit that when we were still both in a bad place, and I knew I was running out of time, I did entertain the idea of claiming her.”My jaw tightened as my heart clenched in pain, but I remained quiet, listening to him. “That was the reason Sidney came into the picture. I thought that if I hurt you back then, and if Sidney could push you away from me, by the time Estelle entered my life, you would have long forgotten about me.” He then cupped my jaw again, his thumb brushing my che
AMBER.“I should get going. Zach is still in the car, and I told him I was only here to convince you he didn’t want to claim Estelle.” Dad pressed a kiss on the top of my head as we walked toward the front door, our arms still around each other. “Don’t give him a hard time. I could tell he never wanted to.”“I know, Dad. That’s why I ran here instead of elsewhere. I want to speak with him first.”“This cabin is beautiful.”“He built this house for me,” I said proudly as we stood at the front door. I met his eyes while a broad smile was plastered on my face.“Did he?”I nodded, still smiling. “He said this was supposed to be his gift for me for our union, but the accident happened. But he kept it well maintained. I love it.”“He’s full of surprise, isn’t he?”I nodded, my eyes beaming with happiness.“I’m glad even with everything happening around you, Zach can still make you smile beautifully.”“He’s the only thing that keeps me going,” I told him until I realized my words. “I mean, of
AMBER.“What’s another way out?”“You, with your wolf out,” Dad said, and the color drained from my face as I stared at him with my mouth open.“We checked the copy of Zach’s blood contract, and this part was not included in his but was on Grant’s or the Council’s copy. Zach also signed it, but maybe he didn’t notice this extra page. We assumed Grant also forgot this page.”“I don’t understand how Alpha Grant forgot this page.”“We could only assume he wanted to do this blood contract to power trip, and you were the first condition. Zach could not claim anyone except you, only if your wolf surfaced. Grant had always looked down upon females with no wolf. Same reason he never helped his own sister, Lexi’s mother, because she was wolfless. I was sure he thought of you as the way out to mock you and Zach. But eventually he remembered that he had a daughter whom he could put in a better place. So he scrapped you and changed it to her. But he forgot to change his contract to delete you. He
AMBER. I had no idea where to go. The cabin was the only place I could think of, but going there would take too much time, as I didn’t have a wolf, and I was already worn out from training. And with the pain in my chest, I didn’t think I could run any further. So I asked someone to drive me to the brook.I entered the cabin and stayed in the living room, sitting on the couch and watching as the fireplace began warming up the whole house. I had no idea how long I’d been there when I heard a car approaching, and I could only guess the warrior told Zach where I went, which was what I really wanted. I wanted to speak with him.I still had no idea what his plans were, but I wanted to believe he loved me and was choosing me. That was the reason he was giving up, the reason he wanted to step down as an Alpha and not push for it anymore. I didn’t know if I could live with him choosing me over his title. I never wanted to be the reason he stepped down as an Alpha, the same way I hated mysel
ZACH. After my conversation with Dad, Arlo told me Amber had asked someone to drive her to the brook where my cabin was. And it calmed my heart.I was worried she had run off somewhere or tried to leave the territory, but going to the cabin meant she wanted refuge in our own world. I had no idea what she heard, but I hoped this was a sign she was giving me a chance to explain.They were still eating dinner when I told them I would see Amber first, and Uncle Caspian volunteered to drive me there. He said he wanted a word with his daughter. And I knew I could not refuse it. While driving, he asked me if it would be okay if he asked Amber what she heard. He promised he would try to explain the best way he could, so she wouldn’t be upset with me once she faced me. I was grateful for that, as I didn’t want to argue with Amber, either. I knew I was wrong to hide it from her, but I did it because I didn’t want her to think about it. Although it was revealed now, at least I had her father