Thank you for reading and for all the gems! Please keep them coming! 🧡
AMBER.I had no idea how many kisses Zach had placed on the top of my head as we lay down on the blanket. He was lying on his back with his arm as my pillow while I was on my side, facing and hugging him. But I wasn’t complaining. I was, in fact, happily drowning in it. We talked about the last two years. I told him I went back to school. I went to university and took up Occupational Therapy as my course. “I’ve heard about it but never dared to ask anyone. Was it because of me that you took this course?” He asked. Before our accident, I had already planned not to continue my studies. I would focus on helping him with his pack once I became his Luna. But without him, I had no future to look forward to. I nodded in response before adding, “I was hoping you’d get to walk soon, but if not, I wanted to be prepared to help you adjust to your condition. But it seems you are already adjusting well.”His hand on my arm rubbed my skin gently. “Every day is still a challenge. Physically, I’m
Continuation of Flashback from the previous chapter.ZACH's POV.“Step down as an Alpha so we don’t need to have further discussion. I’m sure your father will be willing to take back his pack. Or give it to your Beta.”“Can you hear yourself, Alpha Grant?” I scoffed. “It’s my pack. It is not a toy that I can simply hand to anyone because I can no longer play with it.” “Did you forget what’s on the list of what makes a shifter eligible to be an Alpha?”“Of course I do! And nothing states in there that any physical disability would prohibit anyone from being an Alpha!”“Section Three, line twenty-three. An Alpha must be physically capable of protecting his pack or any shifters in times of danger, through but not limited to physical combat, transporting, and eliminating the enemy, and I could go on and on in this section.”“I can protect my pack!”They laughed, and I was starting to think I would lose my pack by the time they dismissed me. I had already lost my ability to walk, and Amber
6 months after Amber turned 18Amber - 18 years oldZach - 21 years oldZACH.“Can you believe it? Amara and Jace ended up together? It only feels like yesterday we were picking up Amara in the middle of the forest after Jace threw her out, and now they’re waiting for their pup!” Amber kept blabbering, and her hands were everywhere in the air, like always, whenever she enjoyed the conversation.Amber was like a ray of sunshine. On my bad days, all I needed to do was look at or talk to her, and she would easily calm the chaos within me. She had always been my very own sunshine since we were pups.I chuckled and shook my head, but a smile was still playing on my lips. “Jace was an asshole,” I replied without looking at her, my eyes focusing on the busy motorway of the Neutral City.“He was! But she loves him.”“I think we know that since…” I paused and chuckled again. “...forever? But it doesn’t change anything. He was still an asshole. A very asshole move coming from someone like him.”
10 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. AMBER.My head was throbbing, so I remained lying down with my eyes closed. My head pain was getting manageable compared to how I felt when I woke up two days ago. I was told it had been a week since the accident, and before I woke up, I kept drifting in and out of consciousness after I had blood transfusions. I lost too much blood, and without a wolf, my body was as frail as a human.It had been a week, but it felt like it was just a moment ago when I was cramped up in the crashed car and Zach passed out in front of me. I was hysterical while talking to Dad on the phone. He tried to pacify me while getting information until he passed the phone to Cyrus, my twin brother. Cyrus then told me Dad was calling people to locate us. I heard Cyrus, and it made me cry more. I kept begging him to save Zach.I was terrified. There was blood everywhere. I could also smell smoke and gas—the idea of the car blowing up was terrifying, like waiting for death to happen.
AMBER.“Take me to him!” I said as my chest heaved.“That’s my plan, but I need to find out how to attach this dextrose to the stand…” She was not able to finish her words, and her eyes grew bigger when I clutched the tube attached to me and peeled it off my skin. I felt a tinge of pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.I couldn’t understand anything. My head refused to think why Zach would not visit me or why I was not allowed to visit him.Was Dad or Mom upset with him? Are they blaming him for the accident? I have to tell them it was an accident and no one wanted it.“Are you sure you’ll be okay? I don’t have shoes for you…”“Just take me there,” I replied as Eva helped me get into the wheelchair.“We need to be careful, as you’re not allowed to leave the room,” Eva said, and I nodded in response. I was grateful she was the exact opposite of me.While I followed all the rules to a T, Eva was more adventurous. She broke curfews and rules but never complained when
A YEAR AFTER THE ACCIDENT.AMBER.That day never came. It had been exactly a year since the accident, and I had rarely encountered Zach. I tried visiting him multiple times, but I was not allowed to pass through their borders. I tried reaching out to his parents, and they let me in one time, only for me to leave feeling more heartbroken than I was.Zach was no longer the man I fell in love with. It was replaced with a monster who had no regard for anyone around him, even for me. I tried to understand him. He lost his capability to walk in that accident, while I was able to come out without any damage except for a small portion of my earlobe that was cut. And we both knew it was my fault. He made sure I remembered that. “If you weren’t a fucking whore and tried to get laid that night, I could have seen what was going on on the road.” He said those words to me many moons ago, but I still hear it as if he just said it earlier.I knew after that we could never have what we used to hav
AMBER.“You’ve been quiet,” Cassidy asked me as she handed me a cocktail drink. I didn’t even check what it was and just sipped the straw. The burn hit my throat at once, and I began coughing. “Hey! Are you trying to get drunk?” She chuckled and patted my back.“Amara said Zach is arriving with his family.”“Oh, I thought Nikka said…”“That’s what I thought, too.” I gave the glass to the server who passed by before taking a glass of water to soothe the burn in my throat. We were celebrating Catherine and Tyler’s union, and I wasn’t expecting him to attend. He had never attended any functions since the accident. He would rather stay in his territory and isolate himself. Most of his Alpha friends kept visiting him at the beginning until they all just gave up. But I knew they would still extend invitations to him, like this one, but no one expected him to show up. So I couldn’t believe he would show up here.“Excuse me, my ladies. But the music had started, and Cassidy promised me a
AMBER.“I didn’t say you were not capable of going to that room on your own, but this is not your party to ruin! So stop snapping at anyone, and let’s get you out of here!” I didn’t even give him time to object, and my eyes avoided everyone as I was not sure if I could get away with snapping at an Alpha in a crowded room. I moved toward his back, and Beta Arlo stepped aside immediately. As soon as I grabbed the handles of his chair, I rolled him away from the ballroom, and I was glad no one had stopped me. Zach didn’t say a thing. I was not sure if he was surprised or if he felt ashamed of his actions. Everyone tiptoed around him like they were not allowed to reprimand him for being an ass, but I was so done with all this crap. There’s a place for coddling him, but definitely not here, not when we’re supposed to be celebrating Catherine and Tyler’s union. He remained quiet while we were inside the elevator, but I could see him looking at me through our reflections on the elevator
Continuation of Flashback from the previous chapter.ZACH's POV.“Step down as an Alpha so we don’t need to have further discussion. I’m sure your father will be willing to take back his pack. Or give it to your Beta.”“Can you hear yourself, Alpha Grant?” I scoffed. “It’s my pack. It is not a toy that I can simply hand to anyone because I can no longer play with it.” “Did you forget what’s on the list of what makes a shifter eligible to be an Alpha?”“Of course I do! And nothing states in there that any physical disability would prohibit anyone from being an Alpha!”“Section Three, line twenty-three. An Alpha must be physically capable of protecting his pack or any shifters in times of danger, through but not limited to physical combat, transporting, and eliminating the enemy, and I could go on and on in this section.”“I can protect my pack!”They laughed, and I was starting to think I would lose my pack by the time they dismissed me. I had already lost my ability to walk, and Amber
AMBER.I had no idea how many kisses Zach had placed on the top of my head as we lay down on the blanket. He was lying on his back with his arm as my pillow while I was on my side, facing and hugging him. But I wasn’t complaining. I was, in fact, happily drowning in it. We talked about the last two years. I told him I went back to school. I went to university and took up Occupational Therapy as my course. “I’ve heard about it but never dared to ask anyone. Was it because of me that you took this course?” He asked. Before our accident, I had already planned not to continue my studies. I would focus on helping him with his pack once I became his Luna. But without him, I had no future to look forward to. I nodded in response before adding, “I was hoping you’d get to walk soon, but if not, I wanted to be prepared to help you adjust to your condition. But it seems you are already adjusting well.”His hand on my arm rubbed my skin gently. “Every day is still a challenge. Physically, I’m
AMBER.“Once you’re ready to tell me, I’m just here.”“But I can tell you some things.” He raised his gaze and met my eyes again. I nodded.“Do you want to sit on my lap?” “Am I not pressing on your thighs?”“A bit, but I guess it’s better that I feel something than nothing.”“Maybe it’s not good…”“The bones on my thighs are fine. It’s my spine at the back that got hit.”I nodded.“So?” He tapped his thighs and smiled at me.“I would love to. And in case your cock wants some warmth, I’m a willing shelter.”“Amber!” A growl ripped from his throat, and it made me giggle while climbing back onto his lap. My emotions were all over the place. One moment I wanted to cry, and the next, I was giggling. But despite that, one thing was for sure: I had never been this happy. This was more than the happiness I felt when Zach confessed his feelings and kissed me for the first time. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave.”“You should, or we’ll end up fucking instead of catching up.”“Which is not a bad ide
AMBER. “Did I satisfy you?” He asked in a gentle tone. I was still seated on his lap, straddling him as we hugged each other. “I’m sorry. I know this is not how you expected our first time.”“What are you saying sorry for?” I tilted my head up and found him looking at me. “That was more than what I expected. It was so much more beautiful…”His hand cupped my cheek before brushing his thumb against my skin. “I can do better next time.”“Me, too.” I smiled at him. “I know every time will be just as perfect as it should be.”“Thank you for waiting for me…” His eyes watered, and my words got stuck in my throat. I was just staring at him. His vulnerability caught me off guard again, and I didn’t know how to react to the sincerity of his words.“I can’t move to the bed. Will you be okay sleeping on the floor?” His words snapped me back to my senses.I nodded, smiling before hugging him again. “I can tell you to sleep on the bed, and you’ll be more comfortable there, but I want to sleep b
AMBER.I just orgasmed, but the sight of him instantly fired me up again. I opened my legs wider, one hand anchored on the floor behind me, and I began rubbing my fingers against my clit. I was doing my best to keep staring at him. “Fuck, fuck!” He was growling, and I could see pre-cum on the slit of his cock. He is capable of cumming. I removed my hand from my pussy, and it made him growl. But I kept moving. I went on all fours and crawled to him, and without any warning, dove my mouth into his erection, my tongue licking the pre-cum oozing from it. I could feel his muscles clench and his breathing stop. “Amber!” He groaned, one hand grabbing a fistful of my hair.I pried his fingers from his dick. The moment he let go, I put it inside my mouth. He was big, and I was putting on a big show here, but I had no regrets. I wanted him in my mouth.I moaned as I sucked him hard, letting my tongue roll on him. Then I moved my head lower until the end of his cock touched the wall of my th
AMBER.“Zach…” I moaned as my grip on his hair tightened. My knees were trembling, but I kept standing straight, holding on to his hair for support as he continued to lap and suck my pussy.The overwhelming sensation of his tongue and lips on my wetness was making all my limbs weak, but I couldn’t fall. I wanted this. I’d been dreaming of this since Zach awakened the sensuality within me. His admission that there was no other female he was attracted to in the last two years boosted my confidence. I still had my hold on him. This—and the way his strong tongue was moving in and out of me while his fingers spread my pussy open—made me feel alive—more alive than I’d ever been. “Oh, Goddess…” I whimpered, my toes curling and my lashes fluttering as I threw my head back.“Do you like this?” He asked in a hoarse voice.I whimpered and nodded. “Eyes on me, Little Rose. I want to see you…”My mouth parted as I slowly lowered my head to meet his gaze. His lips were still on my pussy, but his
ZACH.I shouldn't take advantage. I still had many things I needed to figure out, but she was a temptation I couldn't resist. So, like a moth drawn to the flame, I kept pushing for more. My hands went up under her blouse, touching and caressing her back. And my little rose surely knew what she was doing to my body when she began grinding her hips, moving her core against my growing erection. My legs couldn't feel anything, but my cock surely did. "Amber..." I groaned, my hands gripping her hips, holding her in place so she wouldn't move away. Her hands on my shoulders moved, and she slowly pulled her off-shoulder top down, exposing her bra. Another groan ripped past my throat, but my hand had crawled to her back, unclasping her bra as if I had every right to do this. But she didn't stop me.Her breasts broke free from being restrained, and they were almost parallel to my face. The only logical thing I could think of was to put them in my mouth.And so I did.Amber moaned as my mout
ZACH.In the few minutes that I witnessed Cyrus shout and drag Amber, something in me snapped.This was the female I had protected all my life. From the moment I was allowed to travel back and forth from my pack to theirs, I had made it my goal to be always around whenever she needed me.I also spent more than twenty hours driving, week in and week out, to drop her off at the university and pick her up while making sure I was still attending to my pack. I never once complained. Knowing her whereabouts and that she was safe was enough.Seeing her cry and being forced into something by another person shook me back to my senses. I could not deny that I kept hurting her for the last two years, but I was too blind to see that until I saw it with my own eyes. That image would forever haunt me, and the possibility of her going through the same thing without me knowing was something I couldn't take. I had no idea how I would get myself out of my own mess, and taking Amber down with me was
AMBER.“Do you still feel anything for me?” I asked again. He didn’t answer.“Just say you don’t love me anymore, and I will walk away. I won’t look back, and you’ll never hear from me again.” I had no idea where I got the courage to say these things. I knew I would regret this, but my heart was already tired, and I could only take another rejection before losing my sanity. I waited, but there was no response. I closed my eyes and stopped the tears from falling before my hand slowly turned the door knob. It clicked, but before I could slide it open, he finally spoke.“What if I’m no longer an Alpha, will you still want me?” His voice was low—too low. And it sounded so defeated, unlike the confident Zach I knew and the cold man he became after the accident. I let go of the door and turned around, facing him. “I want you, not your title. Did you really think I stayed because of your title?”He shook his head, and tears fell from his eyes before he dropped his gaze, and his shoulders