ZACH.I handed Amber her letter from the Council as soon as she returned home. I let her read it in silence while she was seated on my lap. From the way she was smiling, it told me everything in there was going according to her plan. She folded the letter and clutched it to her chest. Her eyes welled up with tears as she smiled at me. “I hope they can make her admit that this was all connected to Alpha Grant and the blood contract. Then they can consider it void because he tried to manipulate it…”“I’m hoping for that too...”“Why was she not taken?” She asked.“There is no solid proof against her at the moment. It’s your word against hers. She needs to answer that summons order that was given to her by appearing at the Council Tribunal. There, she needs to plead guilty or not. They cannot take her without solid proof.”She nodded. “And the only reason Uncle Aeon pushed for her stay in the territory was to make sure that her current Alpha would not be able to command her to lie to t
ZACH.Miss Estelle, I don’t think there’s anywhere in the letter that stated wolfsbane was used. So I’m not sure where you get the idea that it was the main poison in question.”My hands clenched into fists. Uncle Aeon delivered it nicely, but it made me furious. I knew Amber would not raise this accusation if it weren’t true, and the fact that Estelle dropped wolfsbane without anyone telling her it was for wolfsbane poisoning was already a red flag. The color drained from her face before she shook her head. “Amber told me. So I knew she was poisoned that day. You need to believe me!”“Again, Miss Estelle, you will have your time to answer every question at the tribunal.”“Amber is lying!” She stood up, tears still rolling down her face. “She hates me so much. That’s why she’s doing this. And you’re all fools to believe this!”“Calm down. You will have your time to explain.” Uncle stood up from his seat and turned to me. “She is not allowed to leave your territory, Alpha Zach.”“I
AMBER. It had been a few minutes since Grace drove away, and I was still standing in the packhouse ground, looking at the driveway, wrapping my arms around myself. I had no idea what to feel. I wanted Grace to prove that a chosen mate could be enough, but I also wanted Drake to be happy. I was still lost in my own thoughts when I made my way to the training ground and was snapped back to the present when I heard Estelle’s voice.“Look, Luna Amber is here.” Of course, there was mockery in her voice. And how fitting she was with the females that Mindy was annoyed with. It seemed she knew them, which was possible since she had been in and out of this territory even as a pup. “What are you doing here? Your training is not until four.” I was speaking in a bored tone, ignoring the sarcasm in hers, as I had no intention of making a scene. “Well, I requested to be transferred to this schedule.” Of course, she would. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I didn’t. “And they agreed?” I asked as I
AMBER.“What if that happens to us? What if the bond is so strong that we can’t stop ourselves from falling in love with our mates?”“Their fate doesn’t mean it’ll be our fate. We choose the path we want to take, and I’m choosing the path where I can take you.” Zach tried to assure me. “I’m terrified, Zach. I was so sure I could face my fated mate and that you would choose me over yours, but standing between Drake and Grace, I could see how hard she was fighting against herself.”Zach pulled my head closer, resting our foreheads against each other. “You’re my mate—my chosen and my fated. I know that. I feel that.”“I pray for that…”“Stop overthinking about this. I will claim you, Amber. I will not let anyone dictate who I should be with. Not Grant, not Selene. They might have taken my ability to walk, but my heart is still working. And it chooses you.”I nodded, but it didn’t lessen the fear within me. “And if you’re the one who found your fated mate, I will only ask one thing. Don’
AMBER.‘Where are you?’ Zach’s voice came into my head. His voice sounded like he was panicking, and it made me worried. Instead of answering him, I opened the phone in my hand and checked the camera at his office.I was right! Estelle was there, and I couldn’t see anything because her back was blocking the full view of Zach’s office.‘I’m home…’ I told him as I ran my way to the packhouse. I had never run as fast as I did. I wondered what story she was telling Zach again, because last time she had apologized for being rude.As soon as I entered the packhouse, I dashed to his office, ignoring everyone I met along the way. I thought I would stop in front of his office and open the door calmly, not showing her that her being there in his office affected me. But my thoughts were different from my actions. Or, more so, my feet and hands had a mind of their own. As soon as I arrived there, I swung the door open. At the same time, I heard Zach say bellowed “stop” and felt his Alpha aura
AMBER.I just finished my session with Dr. Grace and was about to head out of her clinic when I remembered to invite her for dinner. So I turned around, leaving the door open as I would just be quick. “Grace…” I found her looking at an empty space, deep in her thoughts. She didn’t hear me. “Grace, are you okay?” I asked as I walked toward her. It was only then that she snapped back from the present.“Oh, did you forget something?” She asked me. “I just want to invite you for dinner tonight so you don’t have to eat alone.” The color was drained from her face, and it made me curious. “Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?” I asked as I sat down in front of her desk. “Oh, I’m okay. I’m just thinking of something.”“You can always tell me if there’s something bothering you.” I smiled at her. She was just staring at me, probably contemplating if she could trust me or not. “What will you do if you meet your mate? Will you leave Alpha Zach?” “No…” I shook my head. “I know w