The shower was one of the best 15 minutes of her life. While under it, she practiced how she would talk to the guests when they arrived. She was not a member of their pack and had come in as a reject from another, so she didn't want a situation whereby she spoke badly.She was worried that if there were any complaints, she would be banished completely from the pack, homeless again. She thought back to the abandoned house on the outskirts of town. She had lived there for months without being detected, and she hated how a small mistake like forgetting to put out her cooking fire had led to her discovery. She had made friends with a homeless dog, and she wondered how it was carrying on. She said a prayer to the moon goddess and thanked her for her kindness and her good luck so far. She rinsed out the shampoo suds from her hair and got to work taking a bath. She lathered the soap in her palms and then rubbed it onto her skin, watching the bubbles trail across her skin. After 10 mi
When they stepped out into the hallway, it was busy with activity. Lights had been strung all over the mansion's walls, and they gave the room a soft, orange glow, and Sam marveled at how beautiful the entire set-up looked. She knew she was supposed to be right behind Alpha Amal as he took his large strides, but she could not help it - she made a little twirl and looked down the banister at everyone down there. The mansion was the perfect picture of elegance. Wine glasses bubbled with the best wine, and the other members of staff stood by in their red dresses and suits, waiting for the party to fall into full swing.Of course by then, Alpha Amal had gone so far in the hallway that she had to run to meet up with him.She arrived just in time, and as she fell into stride with him, he turned to her and said, “before the party falls into full swing, I have to meet with my mother and father in my conference room. You are to come in as my secretary. ”Surprised, she turned to him to rem
Amal's POV.I had enjoyed the meeting between my parents, Paisley and I from earlier, and it was not because of the assets the union would be giving him. He had watched her diligently filing away tidbits from the conversation. She was so quiet as we talked about the unclaimed area of land that sat on the outskirts of our town.She had also taken notes on my schedule for the week and penciled down my meeting with the elders set to happen in the next two weeks. He had been focused on conversation, definitely, but he had also noticed that she had tied off her hair with itself and that many of its ringlets had fallen free. He may have been a powerful man, but he wouldn't deny that she was a beautiful woman, when her head was hunched over the paper like that. Of late his father had been getting on his nerves, questioning his decisions and actions and he could no longer bear it. He had carefully watched the conversation earlier, where his father insulted the slave girl and tried to take
Sam watched the wooden doors on the side of the hall open. The elders flocked out of the room, serious looks on their faces. Last came Alpha Amal and a man she understood to be the chief of security. They both looked around the hall and Sam wondered if there were cameras and a hidden security team watching the entire celebration. Soon enough, the chief of security left Amal, whose eyes swept over the halls searching for something. Or someone. She had done everything that the clipboard said to do, and had even seated some of the guests for a lack of anything better to do, and she wondered who he was searching for. She was hidden from plain sight, but she had a nagging suspicion that he was not looking for her.She turned to Charity who had quickly become a fast friend. During their conversation, she had learned that Charity was an orphan and an only child, taken in by the Alpha to protect her. She had also learnt that Charity had not yet found her mate and was on the lookout for him
When she got there, she bent over towards his mouth and thanked the gods that her hair did not fall into his mouth. When he spoke, Alpha Amal asked her to go and get the announcement bell and the town crier for his announcement, and she felt her heart shatter. Regardless, she did as she was told, careful not to rip her flowy dress on any of the sharp swords of the mansion's statues. Finding the announcement bell was easy, as she had been instructed to oil it and set it aside, but the town crier was another thing. Alpha Amal had warned her about the town crier's ability to disappear for long stretches of time, but she was not prepared for a long stressful search like this one. While she searched for the town crier, she passed the garden patch in the mansion and overheard a conversation. She was about to keep walking when she heard Alpha Amal's name. “Amal has no idea, ” said the first voice.“Why do you think that is, ” asked the second, walking towards the hallway she was in.
That night, she slept fitfully, with nightmares centered in her time in her former pack. She had this recurring nightmare every few days, with only a few details changed. In all those dreams, Derrick would go out, ready for a night out with his friends. He would urge her to sleep before he got back - because it could take some time - and he would bring her back something he ate and thought she would like too. He would come back and say he had drunk some honeycomb elixir made by someone at the bar, and she would urge him to eat to prevent a worse hangover. “Derrick, baby, please try to eat something, ” she would hear her voice say, over and over in these dreams, begging her dead lover to eat. And over and over again, he would brush away her small arms with his rough, heavy ones, saying, “please Sam. I'll eat tomorrow. ”He would place his heavy arms onto her shoulder and kiss her goodnight, and she would taste the sweetness from his honeycomb elixir. Always, they would go to bed
Alpha Amal's POV.He had not slept through the night beside a woman before, but the death grip that Sam had on his arm told him that he would not have any other choice. She had grabbed his left hand, so his long frame had to place the other hand above both their heads so he could sleep. She looked radiant while she slept, and he pondered what he had overheard when she was talking to Charity and the things she had overheard on his behalf earlier that night. From what he had heard, she had been falsely accused of killing her husband, and she had nothing to do with it. He had wondered why anyone would be cruel to Sam because as far as he could see, she was a gentle, easy going person, very easy to please. He had climbed the stairs holding her slender frame, but he could barely believe that that small, lithe body was the one that gripped his arm so solidly. Besides, she looked very sad, and he had always been a sucker for sad, beautiful women. Pertaining what she had heard, he though
Sam trudged to her room, and ignored the heavy footfalls that told her Alpha Amal was already on his way back to his own quarters. She could not believe how close they were! If she moved her feet backwards instead of forward and turned at the knob on his side of the divide, she would be in his room, the woodsy, vivid colors staring back at her. So much thought and consideration had gone into her room, she couldn't help but wonder if he had an interest in her. Nobody went to that much trouble for just anyone, right? Yet, the longer she pondered on it, the more she realized that it was possible; all everyone in the castle did was sing praises of him and speak well of him. It was confusing, being treated superbly one moment and treated like lint at the bottom of his shoe the next. He must have been bipolar or very moody, she thought, her chest heaving. She shut the door that separated them and gushed over her room once again. The moonlight shone off the shiny wooden headboard as soon a
P.S; Readers please don't forget to vote and leave a comment in the app. And I'm glad we could reach the ending of this book. We'll meet up soon on the next intriguing book, and it will be my humble pleasure to see you all there once again. Please, do me the most wonderful thing by leaving a rating on the app for this book and don't forget to comment and vote as well. As you do may God bless you all. Amen. ******Of one of the days, as she was training the warriors, she heard a commotion outside. She quickly went to investigate and saw that a group of rogues had attacked the pack. The warriors were already in battle, fighting off the rogues. Sam knew she had to help. She quickly joined the fight, using the skills she had taught the warriors. She fought fiercely, taking down rogue after rogue. After what seemed like hours, the battle was won. The pack had emerged victorious, thanks to the warriors and Sam. As she walked back to her office, she was met with cheers and applause from
From where he was in the hall, her father's hand shot up in a little wave, and applause and a few laughs followed it. “I would also like to thank some very special women, and I'll need your help. I need them to stand up, all the girls from the mansion, could you please rise up?” When nobody moved, she gestured at the table to call them herself. “Elan, Charity, Nora, Sam! Get up here!” When all four of them got up from their chairs and moved towards the podium, the hall erupted in applause, causing blotches of color to form in the cheeks of all four women. “These are the women who made today so wonderful. From the food options to the flowers and the dresses and your comfort, these are the women who made things happen. They were the ones who made me comfortable, and helped me relax throughout this very stressful process, and I think they deserve their flowers. Charity was the one who heralded the dresses and my comfort, going with me to get the best dress possible, for my comfort an
Zack had been standing at the Altar, and Sam thought she had seen a year drop from his eyes, and Alpha Amal's too. The two men had developed an understanding that Sam knew nothing about, and her husband was part of his party. A photographer ran forward and captured a picture of the moment, and Sam felt her cheeks begin to throb from how wide her smile was. The officiant walked forward - a man from town - and began to join the couple in matrimony. Everyone gushed over how adorable the couple was as the wedding went on, and a collective breath was held when he asked if there were any objections to the wedding. There were none, and Sam was glad. Soon, the ceremony was over, and the newly wedded couple walked out of the chapel, getting pelted by rice and flower petals. Sam wondered if they would be left to walk all the way to the reception area, but then decided against it. She got into one of the cars that she and Alpha Amal had brought from the mansion along with Charity and the gi
“None of us here know Sam as well as I do. And I want to tell you all that she has been through quite a lot. A lot more than anyone should have to go through, and we should celebrate her because of how strong she is. How beautiful and kind she is. How patient and loving. We should all be thankful that we know her!”Everyone laughed, but glasses were clinked again, with Sam beaming over at her drunken best friend. That night, they stayed talking about everything and nothing till the wee hours of the morning, the women setting themselves apart from the men.Paisley's wedding was in a week, and preparations were in place.She had been questioning if reception should be held in the town hall, and Sam agreed that it needed a lot of thought, especially if she wanted to invite everyone in town.“I don't know, I think my estate is bigger than the town hall, and it can hold more people. And since the food is being made in my home, if anything runs out, it can quickly be replenished, you kno
No more was said of Alpha Amal's father, calls had stopped coming in, and Sam's nightmares had ended almost as soon as they had begun. Vivian, Dave and Dan were now permanent fixtures around them, and every few minutes, they could be seen following Sam and Alpha Amal. She had finally moved all her things into Alpha Amal's room permanently, allotting that room to the guards to rotate in, so they could watch them. The central door was kept permanently locked, so no one would barge in or walk in on anyone dressing. It worked for everyone, mostly because the guards were permanently aware of whatever actions were being taken.Sam had - surprisingly - gotten used to their presence, and no longer resented that she couldn't go anywhere without a shadow. She had befriended Vivian and gotten to know her, so it felt more like she was hanging out with a friend than she was being watched. Alpha Amal on the other end had gotten flustered with every single visit of his guards. Dave and Dan would e
The day is going fine, and I am actually reconsidering my decision on birthdays, until he comes in.”Alpha Amal looked in between his wife and his grandmother, wondering if he had missed something. “Am I missing something, guys? Who comes in?”“Elder Mark. He is angry, and as a wolf, in the dream, he cha he's at the party and barrels straight for me, ripping me apart. In the dream, I die before I can see anything, but this time around I actually saw you die first, Amal. He mangled you beyond recognition, and killed me, so he could use my head as a warning to other people. I think we should be worried about him, Amal.”Alpha Amal put his hand on his chin to think about it, and then immediately he had processed what she had just said, he held out his hand to Sam. “How long has this been happening? And why didn't you tell me? I would have listened.”“I just didn't want to worry you. Things have been going so well and now I'm having stupid dreams about stupid men and things that are prob
“Oh, of course,” responded Zack. “He's on our way, and it really doesn't cost anything. Will he be much longer though? We really want to leave because we have an appointment at the bakery to taste cakes for 11:00AM.”“I think he and Alpha Amal will be done with their conversation Inna few minutes. Surely, if it were anything too important, they would have had it sooner?”“I guess.”Just then, Paisley came back in to fetch Zack, and without any previous discussion, she turned to Alpha Amal and his father and yelled. “Look, gentlemen. I would like to drop YOU off, but until you wrap up your little conversation, I cannot in good conscience do that, so could you hurry up?”She slid into a chair with that and I quickly ran to the kitchen to get them both bottles of cold water and some fruit. “Thank you so much for coming,” I said, handing her the bag. With my eyes, I finished the rest of the thank you, thanking her profusely for dropping off Alpha Amal's father. Soon their conversation ro
After their breakfast together, they both went down the stairs to check in on the guests who didn't live in the mansion. They were matching again, and she thought it was intentional on Alpha Amal's part. She nudged him gently as they took the first steps down. “Matching with me, aren't you?”“Yes, I am. I'm cute like that, aren't I?”Teasingly, she scrunched up her nose and muttered, “umm.” “Hey!” he yelled, earning a glance from the maids who were in earshot and heard him. Together they walked over into the kitchen, saying hi to the chef before heading on over to the dining area, where they could hear the chatter between Paisley and her partner, and Sam peeped in head first, wanting to see if Alpha Amal's father was also at the table. He was, at a corner, quietly nibbling on some toast. She felt for him, knowing that his wife was near him but for whatever reason he could not have access to him. Alpha Amal peered after her and followed her line of sight. When he realized that s
When he finally came out of the bathroom, Sam rushed him into his closet, pointing out the clothing she had set out for him. Confused, he looked up at her. “Sam, these are not my clothes, where did they come from?”“They are my gift to you.”He found that questionable, but he slipped on the shirt, noting with alarm that it worked perfectly well for his figure. “How come-”“I know my way around measuring.” At his raised eyebrow, she completed her statement. “And I stole one of your shirts to measure it with.”“What a woman,” he laughed, turning to give her a forehead kiss. Completely dressed, she pulled him onto the chair in front of his dresser, oiling his scalp for a quick massage before she brushes his hair through. Finished and satisfied with how they were both looking, she set out for the door, holding it open for him. He stepped out ahead of her and walked down the stairs, noting in awe that the entire mansion had been decorated. “Sam! How? I walked last here this morning, and