Looking up into Alex’s big green eyes, I can feel my heart shatter. I’m ashamed of the woman I was. His tears stream down his face. The tears crash onto my face, mixing with my own. The plaid blanket wrapped around us can only shield us from so many eyes. I’m thankful Paige and Colin left already. Paige would have a field day seeing me hurt. It’s not like I don’t deserve it.
“Thank you for at least giving me tonight. I spoke to Alpha Stephen. I’m set to leave tomorrow.”
His tears fall faster, but I know they’re not for me. They are for him. Being saddled with a mate like me is a terrible thing.
“Okay,” he chokes out.
I wrap my arms around him, letting his scent calm me one last time. The sweet strawberry scent that will forever be tattooed on my brain.
I almost want to ask him for his forgiveness again. It didn’t work the last three hundred times, but maybe it will now. I shake my head clear of the urge. I can’t keep making this harder than it has to be. Alex wants to be free of me, so that’s what he will get. The pain it causes me doesn’t matter. I just want him to be happy.
Happy? Vera whines in my head. He can’t be happy without us. We can’t be happy without him.
I know we can’t, but we’ll figure it out.
We can’t let him do this to us, Amber. He needs us and we need him.
He’s made his choice, Vera. There’s nothing we can do.
Alex’s hand runs through my brown strands, and I’m reminded of our first night together. It had been nothing short of magical. He is and will probably always be the best I’ve ever had. That night ended in bliss. The days following it were bliss. Until he found out that I slept with his best friend’s dad who was trying to kill us all. Everything went to shit then.
The memory plays like a movie in my head. Catching him sloppy and drunk with another girl’s tongue in his mouth. That moment was the moment that I finally understood the pain I’ve been causing for the last three years. I decided then that I was no longer Amber the Homewrecker.
The words Alex spoke afterwards, though, those are the reason I’m leaving the only home I’ve ever known.
“Why am I here, Alex? Did you call me to meet just so that I would see this?” My trembling fingers point between the two of them. “I understand my past is too much for you, but please, just reject me. Let me go on with my life peacefully.”
“You don’t deserve peace. You are evil. You deserve a life of constant pain. The same pain you put those people through.” Alex’s drunk voice is entangled with hatred.
The movie in my head ends. Alex is right. All I deserve is pain. Goddess knows how much I’ve caused. All the homes I’ve wrecked, all the families I’ve ruined.
The fire is dwindling down, the pack members have cleared out. The celebration of Paige’s happily ever after is over. I could feel jealous. I’m sure the old me would. I would feel insecure and jump into bed with whoever would let me. But the new me feels sad. Sad that I’m leaving my home. Sad that I ruined my chance at a happily ever after. Sad that I hurt so many people. I scoot myself away from my mate, or my almost mate, and stand up. It’s time to say goodbye.
“Alex, let’s get this over with. I will leave early in the morning. Probably before you get up,” I whisper.
“Of course. This is for the best, Amber. We will go our separate ways and find happiness elsewhere.” Alex stands and faces me.
He might be happy elsewhere, but I won’t be. I lost my shot at happiness long ago.
I only nod.
“I, Alex Dunn, Gamma of Onyx Flame, reject you, Amber Tremaine, as my mate.”
An intense pain forces a scream from my throat. The mate bond is ripped from my body, shredding the last bits of my soul. My heart splinters into a thousand broken pieces. The loss is great. Every bit of me mourns Alex. Mourns what we could’ve been. I fall to my knees and try to catch my breath before uttering the only words I can say.
“I, Amber Tremaine, accept your rejection.”
Alex covers his heart with his hand and grunts loudly. A lone tear falls from his eye, the only evidence that this is just as painful for him. I can’t bear to see it. Watching it roll down his cheek is like dipping my wounded heart in salt. I take one last look into his evergreen eyes. The wind carries my whispered goodbye to him. The love I craved so badly is lost now. Forever.
I push myself off the grass and stagger to my nearly empty room. My whole life is packed into boxes. Those boxes have been stuffed into my car, awaiting our new life. I lay on my bare mattress and let the grief consume me. Exhaustion steals my body from the sadness and sends me into a dark abyss. An abyss that is colored with a dark-haired man. The man I’ll always love but never have.
A loud laugh jolts me awake; it sounds like some wolves are just getting in. I look at my phone, it’s 5am.
“Close enough,” I whisper to myself.
I yank myself from the cold bed, sweeping my long, raven-colored strands up in a ponytail. My body is heavy. Weighed down by the shattered pieces of my soul. I grab my bag and head straight for the door. This is it. I’m leaving. This nightmarish chapter of my life will be closed forever. The dark sky gives me the cover I need to get out of the packhouse without being seen. I almost feel guilty for leaving without saying goodbye to anyone besides my father, but I know it’s better this way. It’s not like anyone besides him would be sad. Everyone will just be happy to get rid of the pack skank.
“Are you sure you want to leave?” my father asks, leaning against my car.
“It’s for the best,” I choke out.
He wraps me in a hug. “I’m going to beat the shit out of that Gamma when I find him.”
My body tenses, still wanting to protect its mate, well, ex-mate. “Please, just leave him alone. He’s only doing what he feels is right.”
“I can’t promise you anything, pearl but I’ll try to behave.”
“I never understood why you call me that. It drove mom crazy.”
“So crazy that she left us,” he sighs. “One day. One day, you’ll understand everything. Okay?”
I nod against his shirt. “I love you.”
“I love you too, my pearl.”
He steps back and lets me climb into my overfilled car. I can barely see the mirrors in this mess. Not that it matters. Nothing is waiting for me in that rear view, anyway. The tears flow steadily the entire 7 hours to Moonbeam Hills. The pack that will become my new home. A new home where I can have a fresh start. A place where I can be anything, and I plan to be a better person.
“Well, well, well if it isn’t Amber Tremaine,” the pimple faced wolf calls as he steps onto the training mat.“Mack. How unfortunate to run into you.”Mack’s face turns red. A sign his temper is on the rise. I smirk. He’s too easy.“Remember the move I showed you?” Jake whispers.I nod to him.“Good. Use it when he lunges. Finish this quickly and I’ll buy you dinner,” Jake replies.Mack lunges at me, grabbing hold of my waist. I bring up my elbow and slam it down on his spine. His arms loosen, giving me enough space to arch back and knee him in the chest. His hands grab at his chest, trying to help him breathe. He’s distracted and I use that to my advantage. Stepping away from him completely and lunging before he can catch his breath. I pin him easily; his growls fill the training grounds. His body thrashes around, testing my hold. My hands firmly keep his wrists down, my knee pushes further into his chest until he concedes.Jake whistles. “Good job, A!”He claps as I take a bow and h
Jake grumbles and sips his dark coffee. Once we arrive at the training grounds, the place is overfilled with she-wolves. It looks like every young she-wolf capable of shifting is here. I give Jake a look and he shakes his head. We hang towards the back, waiting for Alpha Stephen to make his announcement. The she-wolves seem excited while the warriors seem worried. Jake is overly quiet, and I wonder if he knows more than he’s saying. Maybe his attitude this morning was less about the early rise and more about whatever is going on. Alpha finally walks onto a training mat. It’s easy to get a good look at him while he’s standing in front of us. His gray hair is oily and messy, like he’s been yanking on it all night.Or Luna Monica was yanking on it all night. Vera snickers.Grow up. Alpha Stephen’s face has seen better days. The circles under his eyes are several shades darker than normal. His forehead is creased with worry.“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come rig
The sour beer coats my mouth. I hate beer, but I have to pretend to celebrate with the rest of the guys. The Aurora Flame packhouse has officially been demolished. That means that I get to go home to my new territory. The cold bottle soothes my blistered hands. Blisters that are evidence of the home I just destroyed. My home. Though it didn’t feel like home anymore. Nothing has felt like home lately.Rita pulls out a barstool, sitting next to me. “How are you feeling, Gamma?”“Amazing.” “You shouldn’t lie to a witch who can see the future.”I look at her with suspicion. She has hardly spoken to me over the last year. Why is she talking to me now?“Did you see something that includes me, Rita?”“I did.”“Well? Are you going to tell me?”“You know I can’t. Things change far too quickly. I’m only here with a warning.”I nod, so she knows I’m listening. “Stop defying the Moon Goddess.”What? By the time I look up, Rita is gone. Her barstool sits empty, as if she was never there. What d
Insomnia has infected me lately, so it’s no surprise that I beat the Alpha to his own office. My eyes wander around the room. The office that was once a lemon tribute is now navy. The tired wooden furniture has been replaced by white modern pieces. My fingers brush over his bookcases, landing on a picture.The picture brings tears to my eyes. Her face is there, smiling at me, the way she used to. It was taken the night of Paige and Colin’s ceremony. The night I forced her to reject me. I pay little attention to the other three couples in the photo. I just stare at her.“Nice to see you, Alex.” Colin’s voice startles me, forcing me to pry my eyes from the picture.“Did you miss me?”“Duh. I missed our nights together.”“Really? He’s been back for a few hours and you’re already hitting on him!” Paige smiles at me, giving me a small hug before taking her place on Colin’s lap.“So, I heard the demo went well,” Colin starts.“Yeah. Our old packhouse is no longer standing. What are the plan
“I missed you,” Alex coos. I jump at the sound of his voice. My blue dress flows, tickling my bare toes as I walk to my mate. “I missed you,” I murmur as I wrap my arms around him. Alex squeezes me tightly, like he’s scared to lose me again. My muscles contract as I try to match the strength of his squeeze. A soft melody plays, seemingly from nowhere. Alex sways with me, twirling me around. My back hits a wall. I turn to see Cory standing there. I squeeze Alex’s hand tighter, silently begging for him to pull me back. When he doesn’t, I turn to search his face, but he’s been replaced by a faceless man. I yank my hand away from the stranger. My eyes scan the room. It’s suddenly filled with men from my past. I push myself through the sea of bodies, desperately searching for Alex. The only person I want right now is him. Each man is screaming at me, blaming me for ruining his family. My heartbeat thunders against my chest. When my eyes finally land on my mate, my heart all but stops co
“Did you use the calming technique I taught you?”I nod.The keyboard clacks under her red nails. I watch her, remembering the first time I set foot in her office. Alpha Stephen had told me she could help me, but I hadn’t known he was setting me up with a therapist. I almost left once I realized her title, but something compelled me to stay and I’m glad I did. Dr. Laurel has helped me in so many ways. The keyboard falls silent, urging me to continue.“At first, the pain was so intense, I went for a run. I didn’t stop running until the sun came up. That’s when I felt like I was drowning. I used your technique, and it calmed me enough to get home.”“Why did you feel you were drowning? Was it because of the pain the dream brought or something more?” She asks.“I was drowning in Alex. The memories of our short few days together. The look in his eyes when he rejected me. All of it. I was drowning in love for a man who has nothing but hate for me.”“Amber, you will probably always love him.
I run my fingers on the scars over my ribs. The large pink marks serve as a reminder of one of the worst nights of my life. A loud knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I open it to find a sleepy Colin standing there. “Alpha Stephen called; a she-wolf went missing.” My face must look terrified because the sleep falls from Colin’s eyes. “It’s not Amber. I asked to make sure she’s safe. He said she’s with his lead warrior.” My fear turns to jealousy. Who the hell is this warrior? Why is he with her? What are they doing? Why do you care what Amber is doing? Zeke scoffs. Because I do, I’m her mate. You were her mate. You rejected her, remember? You have no right to be jealous. Not after what you did. I know he’s right, but I can’t help it. The thought of Amber being with another is enough to make my blood boil. I wonder how she feels when she thinks of me with someone else. Probably nothing. If she’s anything like me, she hates you. “Alex, pay attention,” Colin says. I l
Zeke’s howls scare birds out of the quiet trees. He runs, trying to outrun the pain of losing her. When I rejected Amber, I really thought I’d be better off. I thought we both would. What a stupid thought that was. I never imagined that my life would be even worse. But it is.Zeke’s energy depletes after his third hour in the forest. His fur sinks back into my skin. I pull my shorts on, slinking against a tree. My mind is as scrambled as the eggs served in the dining hall. Nothing makes sense anymore. I lay my head in my hands and try to figure out just how I’m going to move on. Or if I even can. I have to find a way, or Colin will never trust me again.The sound of leaves crunching snaps my head up. I squint my eyes in the sound's direction. A bitter scent wafts around me. My blood pumps loudly in my veins. I’m on edge. The threat of vampires will do that to a wolf. The sound hits my ears again. I jump up as a figure moves into my sight line. A breath of air escapes me as I recognize