Dale’s POV Amber’s face wrinkles up into a mixture of surprise and confusion. Her eyes darted from Gregg’s face to mine, and I imagined she was trying to make sense of what was happening. I gestured to Trent to take the prisoner away, and he did so without question. Amber was not supposed to see him. At least not yet. She was not supposed to be here. “Amber?” I prompted. “Why did you come down here? You know you shouldn’t be here. ”Her eyes widened with terror. “ I – I… I’m so sorry. I just thought—” Her eyes strayed to the chair where Gregg had been sitting before darting back to my face and lowering to the ground. “Will I be punished?” Her lips trembled as she spoke, making my wolf whine. My jaw tightened, and I had the overwhelming need to reach out and pull her closer, but I knew I had to fight it. I swallowed, taking a step back in order to control my yearning wolf. “Did Janine tell you about our prisoner? Her eyes snapped up to my face, but she lowered it imme
Amber’s POV I had no idea where I got the courage from but it was gone as soon as Alpha Dale rejected my proposal and stormed out of the room. The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the room, ringing in my ears like a warning bell. I sank into the edge of the bed as my legs removed under my weight. What had I been thinking? What had given me the guts to make demands of the Lycan King? A nobody like me. I buried my face in my hands, my cheek burning with shame as I replayed the events of only a few minutes ago in my head. If I had thought my proposal was reasonable before, now I was totally rethinking it, especially with the look he had given me just before he stormed out. He had looked at me like I had given him a knife and asked him to stab himself in the heart with it. Was the idea of us mating that bad? Or was it the idea of me giving him a child that repulsed him that much? In the end I was an unattractive, naïve werewolf with no wolf and lots of scars. I wa
Amber’s POV I couldn’t get what Yeti had said out of my head; worst of all, I couldn’t stop thinking about Alpha Dale and the way things had gone south with us yesterday. The fact that he was yet to say anything to me today made my feelings even more complicated. Sweat dripped down my temples, and my knuckles burned beneath the boxing gloves I was wearing. It was just the second half of my training for the day, but I knew I was working myself up too much. I was beginning to feel a bit of pain around my injuries, and I had a feeling that if I checked, I would see blood. Alpha Dale may have noticed also—all werewolves could smell even the tiniest changes—but he said nothing. Maybe he was past the point of caring. Maybe this was his answer to my proposal. As if him storming out on me was not enough answer. I had no idea how far I was going or that I had begun crying until I felt his body press into mine from behind. His arms circled my waist, pulling me against his hard fra
Amber’s POV He knew I was lying when I said no. He knew I knew that he knows I was lying, yet he said nothing about it. He simply led me back to our room—I wasn’t sure it was still his room since he didn’t sleep here anymore. My heart would not stop thudding in my chest on the way there. Was he going to punish me as soon as we were alone? The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I was sure I was already dead. My hands trembled. My whole body trembled, and my feet began backing away. My eyes scoured the room for an escape route, refusing to believe that I was trapped here. “Calm down, Amber.” Alpha Dale, said finally, turning to face me. “I’m not going to punish you or whatever it is you are thinking. I can hear your heartbeat from here. ”This reminded me of Alpha Derrick and the days he would come to my house to punish me for nothing at all. He always started with two words: calm down, and it never ended well. A voice inside me was trying to tell me Alpha Dale was dif
Amber’s POV I didn’t sleep well at all. All through the night, I tossed and turned on the bed—the same one I was supposed to be sharing with Alpha Dale—unable to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. Or maybe it wasn’t the bed. Maybe it was the raging thoughts in my mind. There was what happened with Mallory only a few hours ago. The way she had barged in here and slipped away with Alpha Dale as though she owned him was quite unsettling. Although I told myself that I shouldn’t be affected by it, I couldn’t keep my kind of it, and I couldn’t stop getting upset over it. The fact that Alpha Dale had not even tried to fight or tell her off. Then there was Yeti being held prisoner in the basement. Every fiber of my being longed to set her free, although we had not been friends before and she still wants a friend now; I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. And there was also the man claiming to be related to me. His bruised face and eyes haunted me night and day. Wh
Amber’s POV We were attacked. The words hung in the air above me, along with all the others I couldn’t force down my lungs. I couldn’t breathe; neither could I move. Although I could hardly recall the attack at Moonstone pack, the thought of being attacked again shook something inside me. For a brief minute, I understood why Alpha Dale was drilling me so hard with training and exercises, but when I thought of him and Mallory, my understanding disappeared. “Alpha Dale asked me to assign guards to you, Amber.” Beta Trent continued. Of course, I was the weakest among them. I had no wolf and no strength. My training was going well but not fast enough. I was still making mistakes and getting killed so many times. “You can’t leave the pack house without the guards. And in whatever situation, either Alpha Dale or I will be with you at all times. We have no idea where the attack came from, but we have an idea who it was for. The prisoner was just a casualty. ”I rushed forward befo
Dale’s POV She was gone before I had any chance to explain. I had no idea what she was thinking but I could feel her anxiety even from miles away. I closed my eyes shut, combing my fingers through my hair which had grown at least an inch since the last time I had a haircut. I needed a haircut, I needed a shave and I needed a fucking good sleep. “Well, wasn’t that dramatic?” Mallory said, leaning against the edge of my desk with a sly and annoying smirk playing across her face. I gritted my teeth, clenching my hands into fists on the desk. Did she not have the decency and common knowledge to read the room? I was not someone who liked to blame people for things that happened, but all of this was her fault. I heard her draw a sharp intake of breath before she stumbled backward, her hands gripping her chest. I was barely using it, but I knew what my dominance did to lesser werewolves like herself. A low grumble escaped my throat, and a whine escaped hers. Satisfied with her r
Amber’s POV By the time I returned to the bedroom, I was exhausted. Mentally and emotionally. My emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave. I was feeling everything in ways I hadn’t felt before, and why was I feeling so bad about Alpha Dale with another woman? I blamed it on the mate bond. “Stupid!” I exclaimed, smacking myself in the face as if that was going to help me come to my senses. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”He did not want me; it was obvious, yet why did I still feel so betrayed? I shouldn’t be expecting anything from him, yet I still did. He was the fucking Lycan King, and I was what? A wolf-less werewolf? A burden. Someone whom he pitied. I should leave, but this place was likely the only place to give me the answers I was searching for. Who the hell was I? A knock on the door silenced my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. “Dinner is served, Miss Amber. Janine wanted me to inform you.” A voice said from outside the door. I breathed a sigh. More like heartbreak
Amber’s POV All I wanted was to breathe without the crushing weight of anger, regret, and guilt that was weighing heavily on my shoulders. I stormed through the hallways like a maniac, only pausing when I had to open doors. The footsteps behind me made me know that Fabian and Izzy were hot on my heels, their disapproving faces clear in my mind. Janine and Yeti were still far behind, and I was sure that once they caught up with me, they'd do everything within their powers to stop me. I turned a corner too quickly and stumbled on my feet, suddenly feeling dizzy. Finally, I was in the hallway where the meeting room was, and I was beginning to feel queasy, I wasn’t sure if it was because of how fast I was walking. Still, I took a moment to catch my breath before pressing on. “Amber, wait! ”I pressed harder as Janine’s voice filtered into my ears. Janine and Yeti were catching up, and from here, I could hear their panting breaths as it filled the spaces between us. “What the hell
Amber’s POV I was nothing but a monster. A monster who had brought the end of an entire pack, including her own parents. Tears poured from my eyes as memories from my most recent dream flashed in my vision. My father, holding up burning wood so my mother could save me. Save the monster. My mother,going back for my father. She never came back. I should have stopped her, kept her with me, but… ‘You didn’t kill them.’ Athena said. Her voice was cold and detached, and it made my heart boil with anger. “No,” I growled. “You did! ”Why did I have a wolf at such a young age? Why did I allow her to cause so much destruction? This thing inside me… I would rather have no wolf than live with something like this… With my nails, I tore at my chest as if somehow I could dig enough to reach the wolf and pull her out. “You killed my parents!” I cried. “You slaughtered the entire pack. And now you’ve struggled your way out, again. Why?”I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. The injuries
Ambers POV He freed her? What did he mean by he freed her? I frowned, trying to grasp at any fragments of memory that would help me understand what he was saying, but nothing. ‘Hello, Amber?’ A soft voice slithered into the back of my mind, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. I glanced at Alpha Dale with wide eyes, trying to steady my trembling hands. There was no way that sweet, feminine voice belonged to him. But then there was no one else present in the room with us. What in all of nine hells was that?A shudder rolled down my spine, and I gripped the sheets under me. I JUST HEARD A VOICE IN MY HEAD! Was that my wolf? That thought was even more disturbing than the idea that the voice could belong to another personality inside me. I took a deep breath in, arming myself with a response when something slammed into me. It was a weight of emotions, and it was crushing against the walls of my chest and sank deep into my bones. For a minute, I simply froze, my body
Amber’s POV There was fire everywhere. The flames were eating the roof away; it was like liquid, flowing with a ferocious force that wanted to swallow everything. I knew where I was. I was seeing another memory, but this time, I was inside a building, and the little girl was with two people. A man and a woman. Her parents? The woman had flaming red hair, the same color as mine and the smaller version of me. The man is coughing through the smoke, trying to hold the building up to give the woman enough time to scoop the girl up and dash to where the door used to be. Their voices were lost in the roaring flames, but I could see their mouths moving. The man was speaking frantically, shouting something at them. Then the woman left, running through fire with a smaller version of me in her arms. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could tell the girl did not want to leave. She was crying out, reaching for her father. Then it was as if time stopped. I heard a deafening growl,
Dale’s POV Amber looked almost lifeless by the time I returned to the room. Where less than a few moments ago she had been burning hot, her body was now as cold as ice. A shiver reverberated down my spine as I lowered myself into the bed beside her. Her skin looked paler than before, almost translucent in the dim light. I glanced at Janine, who was still hunched over Amber, her hands working fervently to close wounds only for another one to reopen. She cursed under her breath, wiping her forehead with the back of her palm as if it was too hot in here. It wasn’t. I ground my teeth, squeezing Amber’s hand gently. “What is going on, Janine? Why is she so cold?”Janine shook her head, her fingers trembling as she tried not to meet my gaze. Probably because she did not want me to see the tears she was trying very hard to hold back. I thought I had gone past the point where I was blaming myself, but I couldn’t help it when the thought sneaked into my head. I did this! I lost cont
Trent’s POV (Bonus Chapter) Dale was losing his mind, and it was all the witch’s fault. And maybe Amber’s. But I couldn’t bring myself to fault her for anything given everything she’s been through. I never could have managed being apart from my wolf my entire life, thinking I never had one, and when I‘m finally told I have one, I have no access to it. She’s been through far worse than all of us in this room combined, and that was without counting all the memories she didn’t have. Besides, she wasn’t the one filling Dale’s head with ideas like sacrificing himself. That was all the witch, whom I still couldn’t bring myself to trust. Not after Gregg. The thought of him put a sour taste in my mouth. I glanced at the witch from the corner of my eye. From her aura and the way she carried herself—poised, confident, and stupidly proud for someone with her background—one could tell she was powerful. And with all that power, she still allowed herself to be used by Derrick? How was that
Dale’s POV ‘You should have marked her!’ My wolf was furious and had every right to be. I had regained control at the last minute, preventing what I supposed was going to be a disaster. I glanced at Amber sleeping peacefully beside me for a minute, and a part of me was thankful I had resisted the urge to sink my teeth into that succulent skin on her neck, placing my claim on her. Even now, after the whole intimacy was over, there was still that underlying fear that the worst moment was not here. I knew I should have held back—the last two times we had kissed, it always ended badly. And now, we even went as far as… I shook my head. Maybe I was overthinking things. It’s been hours, and nothing has happened—yet. Just as the thought slipped through my mind, Amber’s body tensed beside me. I felt the shift in the air before I saw her body move. I was up on my feet before I took my next breath. Her breathing became uneven, and her lips parted as if she was struggling to pull air into h
Dale’s POV Everything faded away. The voices, the music, the stares, and the murmurs. Nothing registered in my brain. All that existed was Amber and the thunderous pounding of my heartbeat. She was breathtaking. Literally. The red gown clung to her body like paint, swishing when she began to walk slowly towards me. My wolf growled, eager to sink our fangs into her neck and claim her. Mine. That was what everyone needed to know. She glowed like the sun, but it was her scent—the sweet smell of honey, moonflowers, and cinnamon—that shattered the last of my restraints. I reached for her without thinking, one hand gripping her waist and pulling her into my body and the other, tilting her chin up so I could look into those eyes. Amber. Beautiful, just like her name. Everything about her was so perfect it drove me crazy. The way her body was a perfect fit in mine, the way her lips parted slightly as if she was breathless, the way her eyes flickered between a glowing gold and warm
Dale’s POV I shouldn’t have kissed her. The last time I had realized that too late was when she was bleeding from injuries that were supposed to be healing. This time, I had almost made the same mistake again—or was it not a mistake? Maybe it was the fact that I could feel our bond growing stronger with each day that passed. That I felt it pulling me closer to her the harder I fought, even now, all I wanted to do was turn back and run into her arms, but it was too late for that. I had fled out of there like I was running from her, and it wasn’t the first time. I exhaled sharply, forcing the memory of her from my mind as I walked into my office, where Beta Trent was already waiting. His brow shot to his hairline as he watched me, pursing his lips in a comic attempt to hold back the words, which I could see dancing from the edge of his tongue. “You look like hell.” He said finally. “Are you doing alright?” “I’m fine,” I lied. “How are preparations going?” “Security is in place,