Dale’s POV For the first time in what felt like eternity, I finally felt like I could breathe. The road was a stretch of endless darkness, broken only by the glow of headlights cutting through the night. Still, the fact that it was leading me to Amber was a sweet relief. My wolf was restless inside; something was off. I gripped my phone, thumb brushing over the screen. There was nothing from either Janine or Amber, and it worried me. Janine should have called me by now after seeing all the missed calls and messages I left her. I glanced at Trent in the driver's seat. “Have you heard from either of them?” I asked. “Nope. But we’ll be home in ten minutes. I’m sure we can check on them then. ”I nodded, exhaling slowly, trying to shake the bad feeling that was crawling up my spine. The witch had not said a word since we took her from her motel room, preferring to keep to herself, which was not a bother to me. I had too much to think of, even if we were a short distance from home.
Dale’s POV “Her wolf did what?” I growled, unable to contain my surprise. I looked from Yeti to Janine. “So, you’re saying that on top of everything else, Amber is at risk of dying if her wolf finally frees itself? ”Both Janine and Yeti said nothing. Of all the things they told me, I guess they doubted that was what I was going to pick up on. First, Amber had almost attacked Mallory, and then she’d been acting strange—Yeti’s account—before disappearing altogether. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to keep myself together as best as I could. It was just us in the office now; Trent had left to make our new prisoner comfortable and find out how the search was going, although I was sure I wasn’t going to get any good news. The free territory was large—the largest by landmass in the werewolf community—and there were so many werewolves here. All kinds of werewolves from every corner of the community. Even humans who were aware of our kind and curious came here; they w
Amber’s POV I woke with a pounding headache. A deep, grinding pain sat behind my eyes, pounding in rhythm with the beating of my heart. My throat was patched as if I’d been screaming for a long time, and my mouth was dry, with a sharp metallic taste. I swallowed, cringing when the motion sent a sharp stab of pain down my throat. I glanced around me, taking in the darkness, which my eyes were yet to adjust to. My body groaned with the pain of staying in one position for too long, but when I tried to move, I discovered I couldn’t. Something was keeping me from leaving the chair. I tried again, groaning loudly when the restraints pulled me back, biting into my flesh.“What the hell?” I glanced around the empty room, looking for any signs of life or anything that would give a clue to where I was and how I got here…The memory of Emily ramming something into the back of my head shot through my vision, causing my head to ache even more. My heart raced, kicking into a frantic rhyth
Amber’s POV A satisfied smile played on my lips as I registered the fear in Mallory’s eyes. It was gone in a second but it had been there and it made me feel… better. “What? Is that all a wolfless girl like you can do?” She asked, taking a step forward, maybe to prove something to herself. “Growl and bare your fangs? I can’t believe I had let myself be rattled by a toothless human like you. ”Her boots clicked against the stone floor as she moved. She circled me like a predator sizing up its prey, fingers grazing over the chains she used to restrain me as if it was the most fascinating thing she ever did. Knowing her, maybe it was. She stopped suddenly. “You’ll be dead soon. Any last words for Dale? ”I kept my expression blank, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. I had been through worse than this—if only she knew that something as small as restraints and torture was not enough to kill me. She grinned. “You must be in agony by now. ”My brow creased. Wha
Dale’s POV Trent was convinced he had found something. My heart raced; my wolf was ridden with anxiety, and he did not hesitate to snap at anyone for any reason at all. It's been two whole days, and there was no sign of Amber or her captor and no clue as to where we could find her. Silas had his men comb the entire city, turning the place upside down, while the rest of us searched the place where the cameras caught her last. I left no stone unturned, but there was no evidence that she was ever here. No scent, no leftover fear or emotions to hold on to. Except for the camera recording, which pinpointed her location as this area, everything else showed nothing, and it was frustrating. So when Trent announced he found something, I ran. I met him crouching low on the ground, fingers grazing the earth. “Boot tracks,” he said simply. One of the trackers said they caught a faint scent around here. It might be nothing, but— ”I turned around, not waiting for him to take back the ho
Amber’s POV My eyes blinked open painfully. My head was heavy and unclear, and the light burned through my eyes. I shut my eyes again, waiting a second before blinking them open. I was in a room… Was this a dream? I was sure I was dead before. The room looked and smelled familiar and made me want to forget everything and sleep forever. Wait… what was it I wanted to forget? I had the gnawing feeling that there was something I was supposed to remember. A figure moved on the bed beside me, and I turned towards it. A man. An angel? He certainly looked like one. My guardian angel? I raised my hand to touch his face… my hand wouldn’t move. Everything felt so heavy…I closed my eyes, forgetting the world I just saw and allowing the darkness to swallow me up again. Rest. I needed to rest for as long as it took my body to recover… What was I recovering from? My eyes fluttered open, the world around me swimming in a haze of blinding light and aching exhaustion. My chest tightened, and
Dale’s POV “It was Mallory.” What?! I could hardly react, hardly breathe as the words slammed into me. Unconsciously, I turned to my brother Eric, reading the horror and disbelief that appeared on his face as the words sank in. It couldn’t really be…“Are you sure about… Amber? You may have—” Amber shook her head. “I’m sure, Alpha Dale. It was her. She…” Her eyes darted to where Eric stood, and she hesitated. “She did what, Amber?” I prompted. “She planned this whole thing with Emily.” Her body trembled, probably as she relived the memories of that place. I clenched my fist—for a second, I felt everything at once. I wanted to scream and, at the same time, break something—preferably, Mallory’s nose. “Who the hell is Emily?” Trent asked, beating me to it. “The woman who lured me from here.” Amber answered, lowering her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone…” Janine shuffled closer to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to comfort her. I turned around to give orders to
Dale’s POV “It has to be a willing sacrifice.” One that the witch did not look willing to make. I mean, who in their right senses would give their life up for another? Even I could not ask her to do that. Amber’s life was important, and so was the life of others. I was beginning to understand why Derrick held onto Yeti even though she was useless to him—he intended to use her to threaten her mother when it came to this. ‘You can make her as well,’ my wolf pressed. ‘You’re Lycan King, and this is Amber we are talking about. Our mate. ’I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe through the haze of emotions that pressed down on me. ‘I can’t make her give up her life for Amber if she’s not willing to do it. Did you not hear the part where she said, ‘a willing sacrifice?’ I shot back. ‘You have her daughter. You can use that to make her… more willing.’I tried not to roll my eyes. ‘I’m not Derrick.’ I answered simply, pushing him deeper so he could keep his thoughts to hims
Amber’s POV I stared at her. For too long than was considered appropriate. Celia. Saying her name in my head stroked chords of fear and anger. I still dreamt of her, and I hated to admit that a part of me still felt that tremor of fear. I dreamt of all the punishments she made me endure. The strikes of whip that tore my flesh. For a minute, I forgot to breathe. My lungs were frozen and no matter how much I tried, my nose just wouldn’t take in any air. She was here. In front of me and I was the weak, vulnerable and frightened girl that was left for dead in a well. Once again, I was trapped in that suffocating cell and starving because they refused to feed a prisoner like me. I heard her laugh and it felt as though a knife was scraping down the inside of my skull. Rage bubbled through me. My hands began to tremble and my vision became blurry. Athena surged to the surface and her fury seeped into my bones. I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to regain control and push the memorie
Amber’s POV As Yeti predicted, her glamour was sloppy but the bad work wasn’t that noticeable. Except someone was standing too close and then they’d definitely see the glitches. So, including rule number one which Yeti had spent at least fifteen minutes drumming into me, I now had to add a second rule. Don’t go too close to anyone. We left the hotel an hour later. The anxiety that I was feeling kept me from noticing how beautiful Free City had become with all the decorations for the Culling. Although, I didn’t fail to notice that the city was packed with people three times the usual. “Free City is hosting the Culling this year,” Eric supplied. “It’s been almost seven years since we hosted the Culling. Too bad it had to be this way.” I glanced out the window, thinking about Derrick and the fact that he might be here. Alpha Dale and I were supposed to be enjoying this day, instead, we were being forced to fight to be together. “The pack house is only a mile away,” Eric said, glan
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