AMBER POV   Oh no. He is going to kill me for sure this time. I made him so angry he has literal tears coming from his deep brown eyes. I didn't consciously choose to wake up because he mentioned Thatcher. It just jolted my brain. Now I'm going to die because of something else I couldn't control.   "Why him," Lucian whispers, and my eyebrows shoot up.  Shock takes over my mind at the vulnerability clearly written in Lucian's eyes. My fear disappears as I realize what is actually taking place. Lucian isn't angry. He is hurt. He is crying because he is hurt. But why?  I open my mouth to respond, but my throat is so dry nothing comes out. Lucian observes my discomfort and gets up. He walks across the small room and grabs a  white styrofoam cup from a counter against the wall. He walks back to me, looking different than I remember him. Al

LUCIAN POV     As I wheel Amber's wheelchair inside the packhouse, I scent to air to figure out where my Beta is. I need an update on the packs, and I need it immediately.   "Kohn," I yell since his scent is faint on the bottom level of the house.Amber flinches, and I instinctively place my hand on her shoulder.  "Shhh, little mouse. You are safe," I soothe, and her body relaxes under my touch as Kohn and Ruben come flying down the stairs.  Both males seem shocked to see Amber awake, but they both keep their comments to themselves. They know my patience is extra thin today, and I don't want Amber being subjected to my anger.  "Bad news, Alpha," Ruben says, and I nod to give him the go-ahead."A few packs weren't able to pull in their pup packs fast enough. Thirty-two lives have been lost so far

AMBER POV   It's been thirty minutes since Lucian left, and already I feel out of place in my father's new home.  After dad and I hugged at the door, Lucian left, but not before threatening Thatcher. He let him know that he had broken werewolf law by revealing them to the world, and as an Alpha, he would be hunting him to kill him, as are the other Alpha's.  Once Lucian disappeared, so did my dad and Thatcher. They locked themselves up in father's new office and told me to go watch something on TV...Like nothing they were talking about involved me, which is a lie. Anything they discuss involves me if it pertains to werewolves.   Ever since I learned that pups have died because of what dad and Thatcher did, I have felt guilty. I know they decided to out werewolves because of me, which makes me somewhat responsible for their deaths. I unders

AMBER POV    Blood drips down the sides of my neck as Thatcher's hands rub themselves all over my exposed body. From my butt cheeks to my thighs and breasts...nothing is off-limits to him in this position. I feel so vulnerable and alone.    My sobs choke me as realization sets in. I can't even beg for mercy as Thatcher gets closer and closer to my vagina. I can feel the heat rising from his genitals, hitting my sensitive skin, and my breathing spikes even higher. I am practically hyperventilating while sobbing.   But what else can I do? I can't fight. He is holding my neck! What do I do? What can I do? More tears pour down my face as utter despair consumes me. My brain is coming up with no solution on how to save myself.    I feel something hot and hard poke at my vagina, and I scream just as the door to my father's office explodes ap

  LUCIAN/BEAST POV     Solitude. Protection. Solitude and protection. I need the pack. I need my mate to be surrounded by security while I comfort her.   The pack is two hours away, and the quickest path involves humans and highways. But I can't lead humans to pack...must take a slower way.   My mental capacity falls lower as Amber's tears begin to make rivers through my dark fur. My arms squeeze her tighter as my body tries to communicate my protection wordlessly.   It's as if her mental breakdown is causing me to go complete animal. All of my basic instincts are returning from pup hood. The only cognitive thought I can think of is "get to pack."   I need to get to the pack. I need to have my comrades around me so I can adequately provide for Amber. So while my focus is on her protection, their focus can be on our protection. A doub