Amber’s POV My heart raced. Blood pounded in my ears, and I couldn’t stop glancing around and waiting for Alpha Dale to announce that this was a prank and he was actually here to return me. Although he had reassured me countless times that he would let nothing harm me, I still couldn’t help the thoughts that slipped into my head. While Alpha Dale and Beta Trent had gone inside the study with Alpha Marcus, Janine and I had to wait impatiently in the lobby. After about ten minutes, a girl whom I recognized as one of Celia’s friends came scurrying out of the study. Had she been in there all this time? Her eyes scanned the lobby—which wasn’t very big—dramatically before landing on Janine and me. “The Lycan King requests to see you.”Janine’s eyes flickered to me. “Let’s go?” Taking a deep breath in, I nodded and stood to my feet at the same time that Janine did. The girl led us back to the study, which was even smaller than I recalled it to be, before disappearing from the room a
Amber’s POV Janine leaned into me, her shoulder grazing mine. I had no idea how she appeared at my side, and we all had no idea that there was another presence in the room with us. We had all been engrossed with getting answers out of the Alpha. “Who are you?” Alpha Dale growled, and the girl flinched. Her eyes shifted to my face before lowering to the floor in submission. “Isn’t that the girl who came to get us earlier?” Janine whispered into my ears. Her breath fanned my face, tickling me. “Do you know her?” “Yes.” I whispered back. “She’s one of Celia’s minions.” “Who’s Celia?” Before I could respond, the girl spoke up. “My— My name is Yeti. Yeti Albert.” “Why are you in here?” Alpha Marcus demanded, his eyes glowing with fury. If I were the one in her shoes, I would be anticipating my punishment. I’d have almost peed in my pants with fear of what would happen later, but I knew she did not have to fear that. At most, she would be admonished by the Alpha—verbally—and th
Amber’s POV I went straight to the room that was assigned after dinner. Although Moonstone pack house did not have lots of rooms—compared to the Lycan King’s mansion—they managed to assign each of us to a room. My room was sandwiched between Janine and Beta Trent, while Alpha Dale’s room was opposite ours, but I did not mind. I wasn’t going anywhere anyway, although I wanted with everything in me to be out of here. I lay on my bed, going over the events of the day in my head. Alpha Derrick had been sneaking into my home. Why? At first, it had been hard to believe—he always treated me like a plague, one he wouldn’t touch with a pole—and he was sneaking into my room? With the priestess nonetheless, was the deal with a witch?I had no idea what to make of it. What was he doing in my home without my knowledge? If Yeti was telling the truth, then I was usually home when he came, yet I still knew nothing. How clueless was I? How much of what was actually going on in this place was I
Dale’s POV I was exhausted. We all were after all the revelations. The answers did not really lead anywhere. I needed a drink to help calm my nerves, and thankfully, Moonstone Pack had a fully furnished bar. I could not recall how many bottles we had burned through, but I knew I needed to hit the bed. My wolf wanted to check on Amber one more time before we slept off, but I knew she would already be sleeping by now, and I was trying to keep my wolf away from her. Somehow, our bond was getting stronger even with her wolf bound, and it was affecting my senses. I did not want my wolf losing control one day while we were with her… “What are you thinking about?” My head snapped up to meet Beta Trent’s face, which was looking up at me in concern. With his eyes, he gestured to the hand, which was gripping the wine glass a little too tight. I shrugged., releasing my grip. “Do you believe him?” I asked. “The new Alpha, I mean. I don’t think he really knows anything, like he’s trying to
Dale’s POV The dungeon was dimly lit. During the day, I was sure light streamed in through the little cracks in the wall, but now, only a few hours after midnight, our night vision was all we had. And through it, I could see that one of the men was clinging to the iron bars of the cell, and his eyes were wide with concern. He regarded Alpha Marcus first before casting me a quick glance. Thankfully, Alpha Marcus had been decent enough to put them in clothes, covering up their nakedness.The other man stayed huddled in the shadows, preferring to stay out of sight. “Who are you and why did you attack a member of my pack?” Alpha Marcus, he asked, keeping his tone flat. “How is she?” the man clutching the bars asked. “I just want to be sure she is fine. ”My brows furrowed. “You attacked her, and now you are asking if she is fine?” My wolf growled. “Who sent you here? Why are they after Amber? Was it Derrick?” His head snapped up. “I don’t know any Derrick. I just want to make
Dale’s POV Amber was awake when I came to check up on her, but she was too dazed to notice that I was in the room with her or that I was now sitting beside her. It wasn’t until I held her hand that she startled back to reality. “What were you thinking?” I asked. The need to pull her to my body and close my lips around hers was becoming too intense for me to ignore, and my wolf was not helping matters. The fact that she was becoming even more beautiful as the days passed and her sleek curves were coming into focus also did not help. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I was so scared, I thought…” she trailed away, focusing on something behind my head. Suddenly, her eyes snapped up to my face. “Yeti? Is she alright? She came to warn me but the werewolf attacked out of nowhere. Is she okay? ”The words tumbled out of her mouth so quick that I had to squeeze her fingers to keep her from speaking more. “Yeti is fine.” I assured her, not feeling the need to add that she was in custo
Dale’s POV “The Yuletide pack did burn down nineteen years ago, and there was recorded to be no survivors.” Trent said as we both walked back to Alpha Morgan’s office. “Well, that means we just found two survivors—if Gregg is telling the truth. If that’s the bad news, what’s the good news?” “I called Whitestone’s pack Alpha, and he corroborated Gregg’s story. According to him, Gregg arrived there about nineteen years ago but would not say what pack he was from. They later came to an understanding; Gregg could live in his pack if he provided them his services.”My brows shot up. “His services? And what was that?” “Here’s where it gets interesting, Alpha. From what he said, Gregg was one of the best trackers he ever met and thought his skills were going to be useful since they had quite hostile enemies and a high rate of abduction cases.”Trent was right. How was it that a tracker who was said to be one of the best took so much time to find someone he claimed to be his nie
Amber’s POV All through the ride back to Alpha Dale’s mansion, none of us said a word to each other. The only time I heard his voice was when he had something to say to beta Trent or our driver, and it was few and far between. The tension between us was suffocating, and although he said nothing to me, I could feel his stares burning my neck from time to time. I sat rigid, keeping my gaze on the window, pretending to be fascinated by the world outside, when in reality I wanted to lock myself in a room and cry. Was he upset with me?I could not help but feel that way. The way he had stormed out of the infirmary room a few hours ago spoke volumes. Janine said not to mind him, but she was not the one who had to sit in the same car with him for almost twelve hours. I tried to think back to what had gotten him upset. Was it my question about the marking? Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. I should have kept quiet. Did he regret bringing me back with him now? Does he regret eve
Amber’s POV Days and nights blurred together and before I knew it, a week went by. Beta Trent and Eric spent the one week before the Culling training me even harder than Alpha Dale used to train me. and not just physically, my abilities were tested as well – as best as they could which wasn’t even scratch the surface deep, but at least I got to know that my abilities had something to do with manipulating emotions and elements. While Beta Trent and Eric spent the day sharpening my senses and helping me be more in tune with my wolf, I spent the night trying to suppress the growing ache in my chest whenever I thought of Alpha Dale – which was always. I found little consolation in talking to Athena – who I was getting to know more and more – and talking to the life forming inside me. On the seventh day, I didn’t feel the least ready but I still dressed in a black hoodie – Eric was sure would hide my face and Janine had gotten me a cream which would mask my scent – I pulled my long,
Amber’s POV My heart pounded in my chest and my lungs constricted as I waited for Eric’s answer. There was a frown on his face as he pondered the question, then the frown deepened, and his lips pursed. “Who is Derrick?” he asked. “Am I supposed to know him?” I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. But then, I realized if Yeti’s mother was now actively working with Donn, then it only meant Alpha Derrick was somewhere in the picture. Perhaps, behind the scenes, pulling the string and my airways constricted once more. “Derrick is the former Alpha of Moonstone pack and the man who raised Amber,” Beta Trent explained. “He’s Alpha Dale’s number one enemy.” Eric looked lost but he didn’t ask any further questions. Meanwhile, my mind was going through a lot of scenarios. What if Derrick had been working with Donn from the very beginning? What if he was the reason Donn came to Free City and brought the council with him? It was plausible and fit right into the puzzle. I
Amber’s POV For the next three days, it was as though we were in denial. None of us wanted to talk about what had happened, nor even think about it, although it was my waking thought and the last thing I thought about before sleeping. We all wanted to forget about it. But I couldn’t forget Alpha Dale’s expressionless face as he stood beside Mallory with her hand in his. I couldn’t forget him chasing me through the woods and I sure as hell couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs. What would have happened if he had caught me? Janine couldn’t forget about what role Yeti’s mother played in all of this, and although, I saw her trying to act indifferent, I knew how hard it was for her, seeing as Yeti was once a friend. Yeti… I had no idea what Yeti was thinking. She was quiet and closed off and never left her room except when it was time to eat. Beta Trent couldn’t forget about the fact that Alpha Dale’s uncle was now in control of Free city. Although, we didn’t say it out loud, o
Amber’s POV I shifted back to my human form without even realizing it. “Janine?” I gasped, tears pouring from my eyes. Yeti and Beta Trent stood at a safe distance behind her and both heaved a sigh of relief. “How are you guys here? Beta Trent?” Taking off her jacket, Janine stepped forward and draped it on my naked form. Although the day was dark, I could still make out her pale face, hollow cheeks and bandaged hand. Yeti didn’t look any better. She had cuts and bruises everywhere, but her eyes were still filled with concern as she stared at me. “What the hell happened?” I whispered. “I saw the video. I thought you were –” Janine touched my arm lightly, as if trying to remind me that they were here and they were fine. “We’ll explain everything later,” she said, gently pushing me forward. ‘For now, let’s get out of here.” My eyes darted between all three of them and I felt as if a weight has been lifted off my chest. But my mind went back to Alpha Dale or the man I saw who was
Amber’s POV When I snapped back to reality, it wasn’t slow or gentle. My lungs ached with a burning sensation and my throat was raw. My limbs trembled with exertion and I was no longer on my knees. Instead, I was standing in the middle of what looked like a fucking war zone. Blood and carnage were everywhere – splattered across the concrete walls, soaking the ground, even dripping from a dangling broken light overhead that swung on its last thread. Coppery scent of blood filled the air, nearly suffocating. I staggered back, clutching my stomach as bile rose up in my throat. My entire body felt like it was on fire and my skin crawled. Did – did I do this? I glanced around the bloodied room, gasping when my eyes landed on Alpha Dale’s uncle. He laid a few feet away from me, crumpled and bleeding from… everywhere. His chest rose and fell in slow, shallow breaths. One arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and a deep gash marred the side of his face. I looked down at my own hands
Amber POV The hum of the car vibrated through my bones as we sped through the woods. I stopped counting the trees or time a long time ago. I was sure we were out of Free City and maybe in another Alpha’s territory, but we were still going. I did not said any words. Not even given the driver directions to where we could find Mallory, but he was still driving. I stopped thinking about everything as well. As long as this man was far from Janine and Yeti, it was enough for me. Alpha Dale’s uncle sat beside me and I could feel his unblinking gaze burning in the side of my face but I had made myself numb to that as well. “You’ve not spoken a word since,” he said suddenly. “Offering to lead me to a place which might not exist is very brave of you.” I raised a brow at him. There was something chilling about the way he observed me. it wasn’t like the look predators gave their preys, but like I was a puzzle he already solved. My heart hammered in my chest. Did he finally figure out my bl
Amber’s POV Alpha Dale’s uncle smirked at the stunned silence that followed his words. “Runaways.” He repeated with a mocking jest, rolling the word around on his tongue. “That’s the story. Alpha Dale’s precious mate ran away because she couldn’t stand her dangerous power. She couldn’t stand being a danger to him or anyone else. Of course, her friends went with her.” Janine lunged forward, but the guards held her back. “You sick, lying piece of—!” “Careful now,” he warned, his voice dangerously calm. “You don’t want to make your last hours more painful.” “Are you really going to kill us?” Yeti’s voice broke as she spoke. “You’ll kill Anber? Alpha Dale won’t let you get away with that. You should know— ”He glanced at Yeti impatiently. “Did I not mention Alpha Dale will never know? To him, you all ran away. But don’t worry, Amber here won’t be executed, if that’s what you’re worried about. ”He waved a dismissive hand, and the guards shoved us forward towards a black transport t
Amber’s POV It’s been three days since we were thrown in this cell. Three long, crawling, stinking days. None of us were saying it out loud, but today was the day. The day of the execution. On the first day of our imprisonment, Janine had nearly bitten the bars off. She had banged, screamed, cursed, clawed, threatened, and kicked until her voice was hoarse and her knuckles bled. I stopped her when she started yanking at the meat with her teeth. Usually, she was the most controlled of all of us, but the more the days went by, the more she lost a little of that control. Yeti looked like she was faring better than the rest of us. She said nothing and ate very little when they finally brought our rations, giving up her food for Janine, who only knocked her plates away. After hearing the things Yeti kept from us about her mother, she had decided she couldn’t trust the girl. As for me, I had no idea what to do or think. I had tried several times to reach Alpha Dale through our bond, b
Amber’s POV Izzy and Fabian threw me unceremoniously into the damp cell. I was fast enough to catch myself as I stumbled onto the stone floors, but I couldn’t say the same for Janine, whose sharp cry echoed through the cell as her knees scraped the ground. She muttered under her breath, cursing at the guards and whoever may have offended her. Yeti rushed to her side, trying to help her up, but she brushed Yeti away, breezing to the bars only to catch the guards back as they left. “A bunch of ungrateful fools.” She cussed out. “I can’t believe they’ll betray Alpha Dale like this. What did that old man promise them? What could be more expensive than their loyalty to their Alpha? ”I glanced at Yeti, who had settled herself in the corner with her back pressed to the wall. It was obvious that this was not her first time experiencing something like this. I bit my bottom lip, wondering just what this girl went through in that godforsaken pack. Janine paced like a caged animal; each sto