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 A sharp knock on the bedroom door jolted me awake. I groaned, blinking against the bright light that streamed in from the open window. I glanced at the side of the bed where Alpha Dale should have been, but there was no one there or any evidence that someone had slept in it. Since he announced that we were going to be sleeping in the same room, I could count how many times he slept here. Does he even sleep? Memories of last night seeped into my mind, and color stained my cheek. My finger traced my lips as if I could touch the outline of his lips on mine. He had invaded my dreams the same way his lips had invaded me, and I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not. The second knock made me jump. Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled towards the door, cracking it open wide enough to see Alpha Dale’s massive frame standing in front of my door. My heart kept to my chest, and my eyes widened before I could realize it myself. “A-Alpha Dale.” I stuttered, cringing as his
Amber’s POV I sighed in relief as hot water cascaded down my skin, soothing my aching joints and burning through injuries, which was taking forever to heal. I leaned against the tiled wall, letting the steam envelop me as I tried to clear my head. Every bone in my body screamed for me to go to the gallows, although Janine had advised me against it. I needed to know what was going on. If I had family, I needed to meet them. They were the only ones who could tell me about my life.Tell me about my parents. Besides, I had nothing to do here. My life at the Moonstone pack, although unbearable, had been fairly predictable. I knew what I was supposed to be doing and when I was supposed to do it. I knew where I was supposed to be and at what time. And I knew people were going to hit me when I made certain mistakes. Turning off the shower, I stepped out and wrapped a towel round my chest. My reflection in the fogged-up mirror stared back at me, wide-eyed and uncertain. But I was beginni
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 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