One more chapter coming up in a bit.
ZACH.I was not able to finish my words because Cyrus was already approaching, and the next thing I knew, hard knuckles hit my jaw. My chair rolled backward, and it slammed on the sofa, almost making me fall from it. “Alpha!” Arlo was about to come to me, but I pointed a finger at him, ordering him without words to stay where he was. “Are you fucking done?” I asked as I rubbed my chin. That fucking hurt. “I would have given you more if you weren’t stuck in this chair!” Cyrus bellowed as his foot kicked the wheels of my seat. He trapped me between him and the sofa, causing my body to jolt with each kick.Arlo restrained and pulled him away from me as my chest rumbled with growls. I gripped my armchair tightly, jaw tightening as my eyes dilated. “How much more pain will you put her through?” He shouted. “Until she stops with this madness!”“You brought her into this madness!” He pointed at me. “She brought herself into this mess,” I scoffed. “But I shouldn’t be surprised. Her twin
ZACH.Apollo surged forward and landed in front of Cyrus, saliva dripping as he growled at him.Cyrus put Amber behind him before he gave me a sarcastic grin. “Don’t think that my wolf will fold on you, Apollo.” He said as his eyes dilated. His fangs protruded, and his claws emerged, but Amber went in front of him before he could fully transform. “Slayer… listen. Listen, relax. I’m fine. I’m fine.” She kept murmuring, tapping her brother’s cheek. Slayer, Cyrus’ wolf, was unhinged. Crazier than his father, Zion. It was the reason Cyrus barely let him out around other shifters. He could create real havoc, but I didn’t give a fuck. I didn’t like the way he was holding Amber.“I’m going home with you. Calm down, please.” Amber said.Hearing her words, I couldn’t help the growl that reverberated from my chest. It snapped Amber from talking to her brother’s wolf, and she immediately turned to face me, her face wet with tears. She smiled before she bent and ruffled my fur. “Hey, it’s nice
AMBER. “Is it a bad sign?”“Purity has never given me a bad sign so far,” she replied.I nodded even if she couldn’t see me because I knew she was right. Purity had told her when she finally smelled Lexi’s wolf, and she shifted a few days after. Because of that, Cassidy and I immediately visited her to see if she could smell our wolves, too. Unfortunately, she couldn’t.Purity also gave her a vision to go to the Dark Forest Pack despite the danger, and when she did, they were able to meet Thorn before he died and were able to save another life.“What did you dream about?”“Zach doesn’t want you to leave. Don’t leave him.”“How do you know I’m leaving?”“I don’t. I’m just telling you not to leave. Are you?”“Yes. I’m packing my bags.”“Oh, Goddess.” “I shouldn’t, right?”“As your friend, I would tell you to leave and heal somewhere. But Purity wants you to stay.”“I should believe Purity, not you.” I softly chuckled as tears trickled down my face. I couldn’t find any justification for
AMBER.“Apollo!” I jerked from my seat as I blurted the last word, and my hands pressed against the window. I could see a black wolf running behind us through my side mirror, and I was sure it was him. “The fuck?” Cy grunted as he checked the rearview mirror. “Cy!”“No, Amber!” He snapped at me. “I don’t know what he’s playing at the moment. He wanted you away and… The fuck!” He growled at the last one as Apollo caught up with our car and ran alongside us. I had always known Zach could shift, but I hadn’t seen his wolf since the accident, and seeing him running beside us felt surreal. Despite the tears trickling down my face, I was smiling. “Stop the car!”“No. We’re done with this conversation.”“Please, Cyrus, it wouldn’t be safe for him if he ran outside his territory alone!”“Stop babying him! He has his wolf! He’s not useless!” “Why do you think he’s running after us?” I sniffed. “Do you think he just wants to make sure I will get off his land?”“Amber…” I could hear the pain
AMBER. My arms were strained from hugging his neck. He was too wide for me, and I didn’t want to loosen my grip as I might fall.Apollo was not running too fast or too slow—just enough to keep me steady and allow the night air to brush smoothly against my skin. At 20 years old, I still didn’t have my wolf. This was the closest I’d been to running on my paws, and even if they weren’t mine, I felt one with the Earth.The silence of the night was only marred by the sounds of rustling dried leaves and twigs snapping as Apollo ran through, his paws thudding against the moist ground of the forest. I had no idea where we were heading, but I honestly didn’t care. I was with Zach. We could end up at the end of the earth, and I wouldn’t feel any fear. Despite him showing animosity each time he encountered me, he was still my safest place.Pathetic, right? Yes, I am. I knew once he shifted, this wonderful moment could turn into another misery for me. But I would still take this. I wouldn’t re
AMBER. “I’m not okay, Amber.” His eyes watered, and he immediately dropped his gaze onto his hands on his lap, which were already coiling. “I didn’t like that someone was hurting you.”I pressed my back against the wooden wall, just staring at him. Is this all a dream? Can I not wake up anymore? I had no idea how to respond to his words. I was terrified that with one wrong word, he might snap back to his senses and be furious with me again.“It’s beautiful. This cabin is beautiful.” I blurted out.“It is,” he replied and tilted his head up, meeting my gaze. His face was devoid of emotion, but this time, it calmed my heart. “You have a wheelchair here. Do you often go here?”He nodded. “I do.”“Do you want me to help you sit in your chair?”He shook his head. “I’m fine sitting on the floor unless you don’t want to talk to me while I’m down here.”I forced a soft chuckle. I wanted to tell him that even if he were covered in dirt and shit, I would still talk to him, but I didn’t.“Whe
AMBER.“Do you still feel anything for me?” I asked again. He didn’t answer.“Just say you don’t love me anymore, and I will walk away. I won’t look back, and you’ll never hear from me again.” I had no idea where I got the courage to say these things. I knew I would regret this, but my heart was already tired, and I could only take another rejection before losing my sanity. I waited, but there was no response. I closed my eyes and stopped the tears from falling before my hand slowly turned the door knob. It clicked, but before I could slide it open, he finally spoke.“What if I’m no longer an Alpha, will you still want me?” His voice was low—too low. And it sounded so defeated, unlike the confident Zach I knew and the cold man he became after the accident. I let go of the door and turned around, facing him. “I want you, not your title. Did you really think I stayed because of your title?”He shook his head, and tears fell from his eyes before he dropped his gaze, and his shoulders
ZACH.In the few minutes that I witnessed Cyrus shout and drag Amber, something in me snapped.This was the female I had protected all my life. From the moment I was allowed to travel back and forth from my pack to theirs, I had made it my goal to be always around whenever she needed me.I also spent more than twenty hours driving, week in and week out, to drop her off at the university and pick her up while making sure I was still attending to my pack. I never once complained. Knowing her whereabouts and that she was safe was enough.Seeing her cry and being forced into something by another person shook me back to my senses. I could not deny that I kept hurting her for the last two years, but I was too blind to see that until I saw it with my own eyes. That image would forever haunt me, and the possibility of her going through the same thing without me knowing was something I couldn't take. I had no idea how I would get myself out of my own mess, and taking Amber down with me was
AMBER.“Hello, sexy Alpha…” I said as I kicked the door closed when I came to his office. Zach tilted his head up, and I eased into a more relaxed position, but the moment his eyes fell on my clothes, his forehead creased.“Did you walk back from the training ground to here just in your sports bra?”“I didn’t have time to shower, as I thought we would shower together,” I replied, placing my tea on his table as I stood beside it. He pushed his chair back, and I knew it was my signal that he wanted me on his lap. I didn’t waste time and sat on him, straddling his legs. “You can’t go around like that. It’s not immodest, but until my mark sits on you, I hate that someone might still think they have a chance with you.”“I love you…” I cut him and cupped his face. “I won’t do it again. Until your mark sits on my neck.”He chuckled and cupped my face. “Maybe by that time, I have to set another alibi… That until you carry our child, you can’t walk around in that.”I giggled, but my heart w
BETA FEMALE MINDY.“Until you wear that badge on your shoulders, you are considered like any of the females visiting this pack. If letting us do our work is an annoyance to you, feel free to leave. You can come back when you are already in your right frame of mind.” I motioned with my hand, laying it out toward the door. She was about to swat my raised hand, but Arlo caught hers and lowered it. She hissed and stepped back. I was sure Arlo’s grip on her pained her. “I don’t like you…” She mumbled, still looking at me. “The feeling is mutual, Estelle.” I dropped the Lady in her name. She didn’t deserve it. Her mouth hung open, but she didn’t say anything this time. Arlo then nodded at the two men, and they took her things and walked out of the packhouse. Arlo told her she could follow them and they would drive her back here once it was done, but she refused. She wanted to speak with Alpha Zach.“As I mentioned, the Alpha is busy. You can wait for your things in the receiving room, or
BETA FEMALE MINDY. Lately, I haven’t been able to get enough of my mate and the kisses he has given me. I wanted more of them until we remembered we had things to do. We were laughing as we ran down the stairs to meet our new guest.‘She’s here, Lady Amber.’ I mindlinked my future Luna when we were already by the stairs and almost on the ground floor. ‘Don’t worry, I will be with her until she’s in her room. I also made Arlo promise not to leave the Alpha alone until you’re back to accompany him.’I was glad to do this for her. We both trusted our males but not the females around them, and since Lady Amber had been building my confidence to face those females who flirted with Arlo, I wanted to do the same thing for her. I would keep an eye on the Alpha with Arlo’s help when she couldn’t. ‘Thank you. I appreciate this.’ I replied. ‘I’ll be there soon.’ After we ended our conversation, I prepared myself to face the half-sibling of the man who had done me wrong. I only had a few hour
AMBER. “Marry me, Amber.” He said out of nowhere, and my mouth hung open. My eyes welled with tears, and so did his as we stared at each other. “Whatever happens after the 48 days, marry me.”I nodded my head as my tears fell. I felt his chair move forward, and his hand reached behind me, opening his desk drawer. I clung closer to him and turned my head to look at what he was doing. He pulled out a small box, and I already knew what it was—our engagement ring. I sent it back to him months after the accident in the hope it would stir emotion in him and that he would call me. He didn’t, and I regretted that move as I lost the last precious gift he gave me. “You kept it,” I mumbled as he slowly opened the box, and we both looked at the amber ring that I was only able to wear for a month. “I did, like all the other things that remind me of you.” He said as he tilted his head to meet my gaze. “I always looked at it when I was alone. Some days, I wanted to call you and get back with you
AMBER.“I will convince Zach to let Estelle live with us inside this packhouse,” I said straight to the point.“Are you sure about this, Lady Amber?” Arlo asked me. I nodded. “I would rather keep an eye on her than for us to be surprised by whatever her next plan is.”“This will be hard with both of you here,” Drake said. “I’m not asking you to choose.” I smiled at them. “I’m not asking you to choose me. But I want you to respect whatever Zach’s decisions are. Right now, he is choosing me. I will remain here as long as that’s the case. If ever there comes a time that he decides to turn his back on me and choose… choose someone else. I will respect his decision this time.”I saw how Drake’s and Arlo’s shoulders dropped at my words while Mindy bit her bottom lip as she crossed her arms across her chest. Their reaction made me teary-eyed. These three had shown me nothing but support. “But until then… I will do my best to help Zach get out of this mess. I don’t want your Alpha to step
AMBER. Zach was still asleep when I rose from the bed and left the bedroom. There were many things to prepare and do before that cunning snake appeared today. We were not able to sleep early. We talked. A lot.We poured out all our emotions—our disappointment and fears. Despite the uncertainties, I was more confident that Zach was mine. He was more determined not to let Anna or Estelle get between us. He told me he had never been attracted to anyone except me, so he knew that the chaos she brought would not affect his feelings for me, only his future. And I believed him because I felt the same way. There was no one I had ever been attracted to aside from him. For some people, the attraction wanes as they grow older, but for me, it only grows stronger. I loved Zach when we were younger, loved him at his peak when he was my strength and protector, and loved him still at his lowest and most vulnerable state. My love for him keeps growing more in every stage of his life—of our lives.
ZACH.In my rush to confront her and take Amber away from there, I didn’t consider that she might turn out to be my fated mate, but I was lucky that she wasn’t. Or this would be a bigger mess than it already was. Estelle left with a threat that she would come back. I was left baffled by the contract she showed me. I was sure I didn’t sign anything, but was it because, in my hurry to get out of that room, I signed it without noticing and thought it was part of the original contract?Did I fucking sign another blood contract without my knowing?A sudden movement snapped me back to the present. I found Amber bent over the bushes at the side of the steps, retching uncontrollably, but nothing was coming out. I slammed my coiled fist on the armrest of my chair. Moments like this were when I wished I could fucking walk. I could do nothing but watch her while Mindy rushed out of the packhouse and went to her.“Amber…” My voice came out so low as I rolled toward the edge, nearer. I pulled o
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