Amber’s POV Fire. Red. Hot. Everywhere. It slithered up the walls, eating through homes and people alike. Heat pulsed around me, mimicking my heartbeat. The air was thick and suffocating. Smoke wrapped around my throat like a noose. The screams were heart-wrenching. The hands appeared first, reaching for me. The screams became louder, more taunting. Someone was screaming someone’s name. My name? I glanced around, searching for the source of the screams and also for anything that was not fire. That was when I saw the little girl. I recognized her instantly. She had my golden eyes, and they were boring into me. Wisps of her hair—the same fiery red as mine—clung to her damp forehead. Why was she here? I needed to get her out of here. But before I could move, hands clamped down on my wrist. A jolt shot up my arm, and then I was falling—I woke with a scream, bolting upright in my bed. My breath came out in loud puffs, and despite the cold, frigid air, sweat clung to my skin. My
Amber’s POV The library was quiet when we entered. It was the second time I was here, but I couldn’t get over the heavy silence that seemed to settle up on everything like a blanket. Yeti, on the other hand, looked more at ease than I felt. She bounced confidently through the towering and imposing shelves, looking at home in the books. She hummed thoughtfully, scanning the shelves before turning to flash me a grin. “I’ll look around for something easy. Don’t stray too far. ”I nodded absently, my gaze flickering over the row of books around me. I watched her move fluidly, scanning the books and moving on. I followed her example, glancing through the row of books until one of them caught my attention. It was a dark, slightly crooked, ancient book with years of wear and tear. I reached for the book; it was heavier than expected, and I frowned at the words that I couldn’t read. Flipping open the book randomly, my eyes skimmed over words that made no meaning to me. I turned aroun
Dale’s POV Gregg was convinced the witch was hiding in the motel. We had been sitting for what felt like ages—only a few hours—and we saw no signs of life. The motel stank of cheap cigarettes, fear, and regrets. I wondered why she chose a place like this to hide—if she was even in there. From where i sat in the rental car Silas has gotten us after ditching our cars, I watched the windows. Checking for signs of life, of which ours seemed like the only ones out here. “She’s still in there,” Gregg murmured, hunching forward to peer over my shoulders. He glanced at me. “You know I’m right.” “Shut up.” Trent grumbled, eyes locked on the windows as well. I pressed my hands on my temple, heaving a sigh. “Have you been able to reach Janine?” I asked, glancing at Trent. He shook his head. “I think she blocked us out. All her numbers are taking me to voicemail. Have you tried Amber? ”My jaw tightened. “The same thing. The mate bond would have come in handy right now.
Amber’s POV Janine still wasn’t talking to me. Jonah, her assistant, insisted she was busy, but maybe that was just an excuse? It's been two days, and I’ve seen no sign of her anywhere. Every morning, I hoped I’d see her at the dining table, but every morning, I was disappointed. Mallory, on the other hand, made it a point to stay out of my way—which was a good thing. I was grateful for Yeti too. Although I still wasn’t quite sure I could fully trust her, the fact that she was growing on me still remained. I kept the card, coming up with different reasons each day why I should not call the number. Today—as I did every other day—I picked up the card, turning it over and over in my hand, trying to come up with good enough reasons why I shouldn’t pick up my phone and dial the good lady’s number. The same as every other day, I couldn’t find any good reason, but I still returned the card to my nightstand and left the room. I was supposed to be meeting Yeti for our daily sessions
Amber’s POV Calling Emily was not a mistake. That was what I kept on telling myself as I slipped into the dimly lit hallway. My pulse hammered in my ears, and I kept glancing around, checking to see if someone was coming. No one was—at least, not anyone that will recognize me. But I couldn’t be too careful. The mansion was always busy. There were always people everywhere, but this night, it seemed like they multiplied. I couldn’t turn any corner without bumping into one or two people, or even a group. I kept my hood low and my body as close to the wall as I could get without looking suspicious. Once I was out of here, I would be safe and maybe, I’d be able to breathe. But as long as I was still in the mansion, I ran the risk of running into either Janine, Yeti, or one of my designated guards. Forcing my shoulders to relax, I took a sharp turn. A group of people was huddled close to the kitchen, their conversations bleeding into the corridors, easy and careless. I envied
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 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