Chapter 0006

AMBER

“But what if I want you to stay close to me?” His words caught me off guard while his proximity electrified the air between us. He must be joking with me.

But then, why did his gaze hold no hint of mockery?

“I–I do not understand,” I muttered, my voice a little shaky and breathless.

Why would the Alpha want a bad omen like me close to him? Was it a trick? Was he testing me?

For all I knew, it could be a facade. I couldn’t trust him, since he could be playing tricks on me to make a fool out of me. Or perhaps it was an infatuation. When I would not interest him, he would throw me aside. Just like Cooper.

I wouldn’t let anyone hurt me twice.

“It was a bet.” Cooper’s words echoed in my mind and my chest felt tight. Did my feelings mean nothing to people?

My shoulders jerked when I felt the Alpha’s hand brush my hair away from my face. Heat traveled up my neck and I pressed my thighs together. Why did I feel such powerful emotions whenever he was so close? It differed from when I was with Cooper. It was like I had no control over my body.

The Alpha smiled before his eyes fell on my wrist and his brows furrowed. He gently held my hand and stared at the dark spot on my wrist that was caused by Uncle Crux. His touch made me feel the sparks again, but I was more concerned about what he would think of my injuries.

Normal shifters healed fast, but I haven’t healed yet. It indicated my lack of a wolf. What if he caught that?

I was sure that if he learned about my lack, he would throw me out of his car, abandon me in the middle of the road and drive away. Who would want a Luna who had no wolf?

My imagination ran wild, and it was causing my head to throb. It was one of the earliest symptoms when I spiraled into depression. My thoughts felt like they had a mind of their own and I could not control my thoughts anymore.

Sometimes I wished I could just step out of my mind and breathe a little.

Suddenly, I felt a gush of anger that was not mine hit my chest. I looked up and realized it was coming from the Alpha. My face turned pale.

He caught up with what was wrong with me.

Would he throw me out?

“Stop the car,” he ordered, and the car halted. My heart beat wildly in my chest. He was going to do it.

I squinted my eyes closed, waiting for him to lash out at me and tell me he didn’t want a wife who had no wolf. Instead, I felt the pad of his gloved thumb brush over my wrist.

He spoke to his beta, who was sitting in the passenger seat, “Find the nearest pharmacy and get me a healing cream.”

The beta looked confused at first as he turned behind to look at us with furrowed brows, but he didn’t say a word and stepped out of the car.

Healing cream was created to speed up the process of healing in wolves. The formula was miraculous and the person who formulated it was a sure-shot genius.

Once the beta bought the tube, the Alpha held my hand and started to apply the cream on my wrist. I winced in pain and his movements became more gentle. He was being considerate of how I felt.

Something tugged at my heart while he gently rubbed the cream on my wrist. He had only known me for a few hours and he was acting kind. Except for Angela, no one in the South cared to tend to my wounds. Rather, they thought that I deserved it.

I didn’t know how to process this. It was like the discovery of a new medicine formula.

“It should work. If you feel any discomfort, let me know.” He said, not letting go of my wrist. Why was he so caring?

“Thank you for your kindness, Alpha.”

“How long have you been enduring this?” He asked with a serious face and my back stiffened.

I couldn’t tell him. He would think the same of me once he knew why people hated me. It wouldn’t be long until my bad luck and my lack of a wolf would start to show its colors in the North. When that day would come, he would hate me just like everyone else.

I stayed silent and stared down at my shoes.

The Alpha made a tsk sound with his mouth, a look of frustration adorning his handsome face. “I should have come sooner.”

I shook my head, “It-it’s my fault. My family doesn’t like me very much because of certain…reasons. I wished you hadn’t gone against them because of me. You would have to face the Council now…” My jaw clenched as I looked down again, feeling the weight of the problem I had created. “It’s all because of my bad luck. Nothing good comes from staying around me,” I whispered. “I believe it’s better if I stay away from you.”

My heart jumped in my throat when I felt my hand being tugged by him. He placed my hand close to his mouth and his lips brushed my knuckles. “I think my instruction wasn’t clear.” He said in his deep, sultry voice that caused my face to heat up like the oven, “You belong to me from now on, and I want you to stay close to me. I’d rather be displeased if you try to maintain a distance from me.”

A delicious, tingling shiver sailed down my spine at his words. There was such a deep, burning look swirling in his moon-like eyes that caused me to question my judgment.

I was…his?

People chose to maintain distance from me after learning about my bad luck. I made sure to emphasize my bad luck, yet he wanted me to stay close?