Author's POVKelly slammed her phone on the table in anger and clenched her teeth. It had taken less than five seconds to finish reading that text, and only two to inflame her anger to boiling point.She wanted to scream and rage at the unfairness of it all, but there were people watching...her servants had already arrived to help her get ready and the last thing she needed was for them to cause a scene with their pathetic whimpering and crying.What she wanted to know was how did it all go so wrong? They had planned everything meticulously, to the point that all eventualities were covered, yet, somehow, that fucking Alpha Ryan, the Alpha King’s favorite, had still managed to screw everything up.“Luna?” One of the servants called timidly, “Come and take a seat, and let us finish doing your hair. It’s almost time to go and meet with some of the other Luna’s.”“I know what time it is,” Kelly snapped as she stormed across the bedroom and threw herself in the chair.Even as the maid brus
Amber’s PoVPeter struggled and yelled loudly as he was led away, his protests loud and drowning out Ryan as he tried to speak with Andrew. I had to hold back my wolf from forcing a shift again as she snarled furiously in my head at the sheer audacity of his fury at being caught and punished for his crimes.Once the door to the throne room shut behind him and his objections faded into the distance, I breathed a quiet sigh of relief as my wolf settled back rumbling in irritation. Ryan turned to Andrew with a scowl and I listened attentively, hoping to find out the truth of what had happened rather than my father’s lies.“Thank you for taking this so seriously,” Ryan said gruffly as the King nodded seriously.“How can I not? Regardless of his connection to me, Ryan, he still broke the law and must be punished accordingly.” Andrew paused as his eyes flicked to me and then back to Ryan, “I should really be the one thanking you, though. You could have demanded the death penalty, and rightf
Amber’s PoVWhen we arrived back at the pack house, Lily was already waiting for me. Ryan got out of the car first, holding the door open for me and offering his hand to help me out, and as soon as I stepped out of the car, Lilly raced down the front steps and threw her arms around me.“Oh my Goddess, Amber! I’m so pleased you’re safe!” She exclaimed as she released me and stood back to check me over.“Things could have gone quite differently for me if you hadn’t insisted on the antidote and the wolfsbane, Lilly.” I said with a soft smile, clasping her hands in my own, “I’ll always be grateful for that.”“You did well, Lilly.” Ryan nodded gruffly, “You have good instincts…unlike my mate who appears to be entirely too trusting in my absence.”I chuckled nervously and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear as Tom wrapped his arm around Lilly and bent to kiss her gently.“Look, if it hadn’t been another of my father’s lies, then I had to do whatever I could to make sure you came hom
Luke’s PoVEver since I had found out about my true mate’s family history, I had been on edge.I had no idea that Amber’s mother, Erin, was descended from such a noble line and I was furious with her for not telling me because things could have been so different between us. All of this was her fault and I refused to accept any part of the blame for her condition..In fact, it was the only thing that worked in my favor. The fact that she was so gravely ill meant that she couldn’t inform her powerful family that I had mistreated her and her status meant that there was still some value to be found in keeping her around. Yet, if Amber ever found out about her lineage then I was done for.There was still time to make it up to her though, and Kelly had given me very specific instructions to bring her home. As the father of an heir to the throne, I was only too happy to oblige.I had prepared well for her marriage ceremony and the car I was traveling in was laden with expensive gifts for the
“Well that went about as well as I expected,” I snorted, kicking at the chair absent-mindedly after my father left us.“It could have been a lot worse,” Ryan shrugged as I raised an eyebrow at him.“True,” I said as a slow smirk spread across my face, “He could have tried to involve us in some underhanded scheme or…”“Or I could have ripped his throat out for daring to be so insolent to my love..my Luna,” He growled huskily as I felt myself melt under his attention.I relaxed into his arms as he chuckled and kissed the top of my head.“That would have been a bit messy though,” I said playfully, wrinkling my nose up at him, “It would also be quite unlucky to commit murder a day before the eve of our Wedding, don’t you think?”“I think that depends very much on who you ask,” Ryan snorted.I opened my mouth to reply but just then, there was a knock on the door and after Ryan called to enter, Tom strode in with a grim expression on his face.“Is everything okay?” Ryan asked, instantly on
Scarlet PackViola’s PoV“You should have seen her! She looked stunning! Honestly, who would've thought someone like her was hidden by your father, Viola!”“I heard that just her dress cost millions! Their wedding is sure to be the talk of the town for a long time to come. I highly doubt anyone will be able to top the extravagance, even the royal family themselves!”“I heard that they’re even planning to hand out memory bags at the end of the wedding day with a single flower from her bouquet encased in glass and gold filigree, and one of a kind jewelry selected especially for each guest from Cartier!”“Oh! Have you seen the pictures of the practice run? There was an exclusive deal with a high end Magazine to release official pictures, let me just get them up on their web page…it’s all just so exciting!”I could feel my eye twitching as I listened to the other socialites simper and praise that bitch of a half sister of mine, fawning over her as if she were more than just a simple littl
Amber’s PoVI smoothed the fabric of the dress down with my hands as I stared at my reflection in shock.I almost didn’t recognise the woman staring back at me in the mirror. If someone had told me a few months ago that I would be standing here now, on the morning of my wedding looking like a completely different woman, I would have never believed them.I tried to ignore the butterflies that plagued my stomach and the anxiety that gnawed on my insides, but it was hard. Was I really going to be able to get through the wedding feeling like this? I hadn’t been this nervous yesterday so why now?“Amber, is everything okay? You’ve gone really pale.” Lilly said gently, “do you need something to eat? Or even drink?”I bit at the inside of my cheek as I shook my head.“No, I don’t think so. It’s just nerves.”“Nerves?” Lily repeated with a little wrinkle of her nose as a shocked expression suddenly appeared on her face, “Wait! You aren’t having second thoughts are you?!”I laughed suddenly an
“Amber, it’s almost time.” Lilly’s voice came from the doorway, pulling me out of my thoughts, “Come on, let’s go!”It had only been a few minutes since my mother left, but I was still reeling with what she had told me.“Amber? Is everything okay?” Lily asked, her brows furrowed in concern as she noticed my hesitation.I looked up at her and shook my head.“I don’t think it is, but there’s nothing I can do to change any of it,” I answered in a flat voice as the clock chimed the hour, signaling that I really should be getting a move on.“Amber..if you need to talk…”“No, it’s fine,” I said, shaking myself out of my emotions, “Let’s go. I’ll discuss this all with Ryan afterward.”“That serious huh?” Lily said, wrinkling her nose.“It’ll be fine. Nothing we can’t fix, I'm sure.” I answered, forcing a smile which seemed to do the trick and Lily seemed to relax a little.But as we walked I couldn’t help but worry about my mother's warning. I didn’t know about any curse, and Ryan hadn’t men
Amber’s PoVWe sat through each and every trial, and I know initially I felt pity towards Kelly for her death sentence, after learning just how deep her depravity was during the trial of her lover and true mate, I found that little spark extinguished quickly.She deserved everything she had coming to her.Peter and her true mate Rick knew everything and ultimately faced the same fate as she did. The death sentence was rarely given among our kind but no amount of time they were forced to serve would ever atone for what they had tried to do to our kingdom.My stepmother Ann was sentenced alongside my father, both of their sentences determining that they would spend life in prison alongside some of the most terrifying criminals that existed in our world. My father was also charged with the illegal killing of Ryans parent’s, with Ryan standing as a witness and finally, he received the justice that he had sought for most of his life.And Viola?She too had played a part and for the crime o
Amber’s PoVRyan received word from Tom first that Kelly and her lover had been successfully apprehended and by all accounts, things went off without a hitch for them.The team that went after Peter and Viola, however, had a tougher time once they had found him as his personal guard had never been far away from him. The absence of my sister was noted though and when pressed for information, he reluctantly admitted that Viola had been moved to the cells as punishment for setting Ryan and me free, as well as her inability to provide concrete evidence that we were no longer a threat.She was currently being attended to in the cells by the doctor here at the safe house.As for my father, he hadn’t even put up a fight. Surprisingly, my stepmother had injured more of the mercenaries than he had, furious that her hard work was going to come to nothing.I smiled to myself as Ryan draped his arm around me lazily as we took a short walk in the grounds of the house. It was the first time we had
Tom’s PoVBy the time our party arrived at the packhouse, the sun was already casting long shadows through the leaves of the forest. It was these shadows that we moved through to the entrance I had escaped through with Lily in what seemed like an eternity ago.After a brief discussion with the mercenary leader, they agreed that I should lead the raid on our former pack house. As Ryan’s Beta, this was personal to me and I felt as though I had a score to settle as he couldn’t be here himself. This thought only made me more determined to succeed.The mercenary leader had taken a few of his men to lead a smaller raid on Alpha Luke’s territory with the intent of snatching him without too much issue. He had never invested in defensive infrastructure as much as he should have, so getting in and out for them would be easy.The air inside the tunnel that I led my band of misfits down seemed to be thick with tension as we made our way silently through the darkness, stopping only when we reached
Tom’s PoVI rose early the next morning, making sure that I didn’t disturb Lilly as she slept. Delores wanted the mercenaries ready to move out at a moment's notice and Ryan was counting on my support so I did the only thing I could think of and began making sure that my own preparations were in order.By the time I had everything organized and moved to wake the mercenary leader, Delores was already hovering in the corridor, watching me with interest.“What do you want?” I grunted as I went from door to door rousing the men as the leader got himself ready.“I’m just watching you work Tom. You’ve grown into quite a capable Beta, just as I knew you would. It makes my heart full with joy and pride to know that I was right.”I snorted and rolled my eyes as her gaze burned into me.“You didn’t know for sure back then, but you were still willing to leave two teenagers high and dry without the slightest idea what they were doing. I’d say that was pretty heartless.”“Really?” She mused, “I wo
Amber’s PoVThe Elder’s were true to their word and wasted no time in getting down to business.Once they had eaten their fill and reviewed the evidence, requesting copies to be taken into their closed-door meeting, they disappeared off to one of the more secluded rooms on the second floor with Delores leading the way.Lily made sure they had a tray of drinks and snacks to take in with them, more as a show of goodwill and hospitality on our part more than wanting to sway their decision. They had been good enough to travel all this way, the least we could do was to make sure that they were well cared for while they were here.“So what do we do now?” I asked Ryan, biting at my nails nervously.“I guess now we wait,” He said, letting loose a long breath.“Do you think they’ll take long to reach a decision?” Lily asked as she pulled her chair closer to mine.“I doubt it,” My mother answered gloomily, “They have everything they need and more to make a well-informed decision. The longest pa
Amber’s PoVThe Elder’s arrived as inconspicuously as they possibly could so as to not draw attention to the safe house location.As they were ushered into the hall and heads bowed in respect as they passed, I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect them to be more…imposing.The eight members of the council filed quietly through the crowd with benign smiles on their faces as they approached the head table. Both Ryan and I stood to greet them and bowed our heads in respect as we greeted them warmly.“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all,” Ryan said seriously as their smiles remained in place.“Well, we come when called, and in the event of serious issues…I would say that the alleged events qualify as serious issues…wouldn’t you?” The man at the front answered with a sigh.“Delores said that the Alpha King is still alive?” another Elder asked curiously, “Would it be possible to see him?”“Come now Cecil, can it not wait until after we’ve eaten?” Delores grinned as she appeared behin
Amber’s PoVI still hadn’t made my peace with the fact that my mother hadn’t been able to somehow let me know that she was okay sooner than my wedding night, and I was still reeling from the fact that Ryan had planned to completely destroy me in every way possible in order to get revenge on my father.I know that I had managed to win him over by being the exact opposite of Viola, but it still didn’t sit right with me because he seemed to be quite happy to spit in the face of the Goddess and our mate bond just to get his own back for the death of his parents.I had no part in their demise yet he would have happily thrown me to the proverbial wolves. What happened to the benevolent Alpha that took care of his pack and helped even the Omega’s feel safe under his care? Was it all just an act?“Amber?” Ryan’s voice came from outside the locked door that I refused to open for him, or anyone else for that matter while I tried to get my thoughts in order.“What do you want? I told you I wante
Tom’s PoVIt wasn’t difficult to track down Alpha Luke’s head of finance. When we found that he wasn’t anywhere near his workplace, we headed to the only other location that he was known to frequent.The smell of stale sweat that assaulted our senses as we entered the bar made me want to gag, but I did my best to hold back the urge.“I don’t see him here.” The mercenary leader murmured as we scanned the faces of the patrons here.I grunted in response and pushed my way past the bouncers who looked at each other hesitantly. This was a private club and only members were allowed, but with the mercenary leader at my side, engaging us was more of a risk for these men on the door.“He won’t be in plain sight.” I replied, “He has specific tastes that aren’t fit for public knowledge.”The mercenary leader’s face darkened as soon as he understood what I meant and he lifted his lip in disgust.“The back rooms then.” He snorted as he turned and headed straight for the door where an increasingly
Amber’s PoV“I see you still enjoy turning people’s lives upside down with your prophecies, Delores.” My mother said with a soft chuckle as she stepped forward to hug her tightly before turning her attention back to me, “I know none of this is what you wanted to hear Amber, but this curse…it feeds on secrets and lies and only draws strength from it. You must..”“No! I don’t have to do anything. “ I hissed, “All of this talk about curses, secrets, prophecies, and lies…I never asked for any of this. All I have ever worked for was to free myself and my mother from my fucking deadbeat father's grip and now, I find out that not only my father, not only my mate, but it’s looking like my mother had a hand in all of this?! What the fuck is going on?!”“Amber I promise you, I had no idea what your father was capable of when I accepted the mate bond.” She said as she stepped towards me.I felt trapped being surrounded by so many people that I felt had betrayed me in the worst way.“We met entir