Mate:Reality vs Imagination

Amber’s POV

The pack members provide for her, of course, but she always emphasizes that she does not need much.” Lydia inputted in an attempt to salvage things, but there was not any need for that.

Alpha Dale was already getting a clear picture of what they were painting.

“Is everything okay?”

I stiffened when I heard the voice. Focusing my attention on the people in the room, I had not noticed when Celia came in; neither had I noticed that it was time for Alpha Derrick’s morning tea.She balanced the tray in her hand on Alpha Derrick’s desk before turning to glare at me.

“Why are you here, slave, when it is clear that the Lycan king is in a meeting with my MATE? Should you be here? Do you not know your place?

”My body tensed up, and I lowered my head even more. I opened my mouth to apologize, but Alpha Dale beat me to it.“You don’t speak to her like that!” he said with a glare. His voice was strong and confident, and it rang across the room, demanding everyone’s attention.

“Not anymore. Alpha Derrick, I advise you keep your MATE in check. Insulting my mate is one thing I will not tolerate, whoever you are.”Celia glanced from him to Alpha Derrick. When her eyes turned to me, I saw the burning hatred that she reserved for me alone. “Mate?” she screeched.

“The wolfish pig is your mate?”I could hardly believe my ears. The Lycan King just referred to me as his mate. Was this real, or was he doing this just because he pitied me? I peeked up from beneath my lashes, taking in the horrified faces in the room.

Their faces were different shades of shock as they all stared at Alpha Dale, and I was not an exception.“IMPOSSIBLE!” Celia barked just as my ass hit the ground. “Amber cannot be your mate. Not when she has no wolf.”Alpha Dale corked his head. “Is that so? Well, it seems this wolf-less girl is my mate, and I would like for her to be treated with respect.

My wolf is very possessive of what belongs to him, and I’m not sure you would want to test if he thinks of her as his or not.”All of us smelled the threat, especially Alpha Derrick, who looked like he was about to punch a hole through his office wall. No one moved an inch, though. If a pin fell in that moment, the sound would have echoed through the room.

In an instant, Alpha Dale appeared before me again. Holding out a hand for me, but I was not sure I should take it. The tension in the room was already overwhelming enough for me. I pushed myself up to my feet, wobbling a little before steadying myself.“You should go wait in the car,” he whispered. His hand came up to the small of my back, but thankfully, it did not touch me as he led me to Beta Trent. Hateful glares followed me the whole way, but it seemed Alpha Dale did not notice.

Thankfully,Once we were out of the room, I heaved a sigh of relief, tensing up again when I felt a pull on my suitcase.“Let me help you with this.”I opened my mouth to argue, but Beta Trent beat me to it. “No arguing, Amber. Let me have the suitcase.”Gently, he pulled the suitcase from my grasp, sliding his other hand into mine, and began leading us to the front door. Once at the front door, the sight I saw stayed my feet. My eyes widened as I took in our ride. I had no idea what model it was, but it screamed luxury, and it was one of the most beautiful things I had seen in a long time.

“Come,” he instructed, reminding me of where I was and what was happening.Only then did I notice that there were other people beside him, and they were both looking at me. Lowering my head, I took the hand Beta Trent held out for me allowing him to guide me into the car.Beta Trent got in the passenger seat, and the other two people I saw got in another car I had not noticed behind us. My thoughts were a mess. I still could not believe that this was happening. Finally, I was leaving my miserable existence, but what kind of life waited for me with the Lycan King, and was I really his mate?As though he could hear my thoughts, Alpha Dale showed up, settling into the seat beside me.“You alright?” he asked, leaning in a bit too close for my comfort. My lips parted a little as I struggled to breathe, and my hand tightened on the door handle.I nodded, unable to form coherent words.

“I’ve got you, Amber. I am not like your former pack, I promise.”Again, I nodded but moved away a little to put some distance between him and myself and tried to make myself as small as possible. Thankfully, Alpha Dale must have understood what I wanted because he leaned away, focusing his attention on his beta, but all through the ride, I could feel him casting me glances.“We are here,” he said when the car finally came to a stop in front of a mansion that was ten times the size of Alpha Derrick’s pack house. Beta Trent pulled my side of the door open, holding out a hand for me.I took the hand tentatively, glancing around as we shuffled into the mansion.“Once you are settled and well rested, I can give you a tour of the place.” Alpha Dale said from beside me.

“The place is huge, and I believe it would do good to know your way around, although I am going to assign an omega to help you with settling in.”I glanced at him. Was I not brought here to work? Was he really serious about me being his mate?We stopped at a door, and Beta Trent transferred my suitcase to Alpha Dale. They both exchanged a few words before he left us, and Alpha Dale took my hand. Leading us through the door into a living room that was twice as large as our meeting room back home.“Here, the omegas do most of the work, but they are being paid for it. We have no slaves here, so feel free, please.”We moved up a flight of stairs and through a hallway that was bright and quite entertaining with motifs and depictions of old wars and past Lycan Kings and Lunas.“History,” he commented as we walked through. “I think you will find them very educative. We have a library dedicated to it; if you ever want a book, let me know.”I nodded but said nothing.“This will be your quarters until we are more certain about some things. The omega will arrive within the hour. Please, let her go through your things so she can take notes of what you will be needing.”He pushed the door open, ushering me inside with a gentle push.

The room was large and well tidied. A far cry from the dilapidated structure I managed back at the Moonstone pack. The bed looked quite comfortable and big enough for three people to sleep in. Did he say this was going to be my room?“Do you like this room?” he asked, walking deeper into the space. “It has a view of the pool from here and the trees.” He stopped by a floor-to-ceiling window, looking out from it. Honestly, the view from here was beautiful, but it was still hard taking everything in.I could hardly believe that this was not a dream but my reality.Without warning, his hand came around my waist, pulling me to himself.

My breath hitched, not out of fear at first, but from the pain that shot through my ribs. His eyes roamed around my features before ending on my face.“Are you alright?” he asked, still gripping my waist.I winced slightly, then nodded, lowering my eyes to the ground.

“Here, you will have to use your words, Amber, and you don’t have to lower your eyes. You are not a slave here but my mate.”