Chapter 0006

EMBER

It was hard to believe that the most dangerous Alpha in the world was not only standing in front of me but was still holding my arms, keeping me only an inch from his body!

I couldn't imagine how many lives he had taken with the very hands he now had on me, and despite the warm feeling rushing through me from his touch, my body began to shake with what I could only guess was either adrenaline or fear.

I had heard stories about the Nightblood Pack since I was little. They were deadly…cursed.

Humans had thought that we were monsters, but they were wrong. The Nightblood Pack… they were the real monsters.

Rumor had it that they had done something horrible to offend the Moon Goddess, and in return, she had cursed them to be bloodthirsty beasts…savages that killed their own people without any remorse.

Anytime they claimed a mate outside of their pack, those mates were never heard from again. I was pretty positive they were dead.

Hell, anyone who had ever dared to cross their border had been slaughtered.

Alpha Emerson stared for a moment longer before forcing his eyes away and scanning the room.

Still, he didn't let me go.

I glanced over my shoulder, instinctively looking for Tristan, praying he would save me, but he just stared. The shock on his face almost mirrored Nia's, but while her eyes were wide, her jaw clenched with anger.

When they didn't make a move to save me or even say anything to the giant holding me against my will, I turned back to him, squirming in his hold.

Alpha Emerson glanced down at me again, his face hardening, and the lump in my throat grew more prominent.

This was how I would die.

I had been hours from freedom, and I was going to die at the hands of the most deadly Alpha there was.

I quickly pulled from his grip, stepping back, lowering my head, and turning it to the side to expose my neck in submission.

"Alpha," I stammered, my cheeks burning brightly in humiliation from what he and his pack had just witnessed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disrupt your visit!"

With my head down, I saw that he was standing in the mess I had made. A large shard of glass lay flat under his shoe, and I hoped he hadn't noticed.

My eyes squeezed tightly shut when I heard my own Alpha make a noise of anger from behind me. I knew I would be punished for once again speaking out of turn.

"Alpha?" Alpha Emerson repeated, sounding confused, and I peeked up at him.

Based on his aura and Tristan having just addressed him as such, it only made sense that he was the Alpha. So, why did it seem to amuse him that I had used his title?

"Our apologies, Alpha Emerson. It seems one of our Omega's needs to learn her place." Tristan hissed, moving beside me and grabbing my arm with an iron grip.

There were sparks where he touched, and I hated it. I hated that I couldn't turn off the way my body reacted to him without accepting his rejection.

Still, I couldn't do that without risking my life. Once I accepted his rejection, there would be nothing to stop them from killing me if they decided to, and I had the feeling they would.

From how Tristan tensed, I knew he had felt it, too, but he refused to acknowledge it.

"I will have her removed immediately," Tristan said, and I stumbled as he yanked on my arm roughly, pulling me backward. "Please enjoy the evening."

Tristan gestured around us as if to distract the Nightblood pack before trying to pull me back further. I moved with him reluctantly, but we both froze when Alpha Emerson's voice rang out harsh and cold.

"We aren't here for your pathetic excuse for a party. You have something that belongs to us, and it's time to collect." He growled, and I felt my heart jump when his eyes landed on Tristan's hand on my arm.

I knew he wasn't referring to me; I had never even seen the man before, let alone met him or any of his intimidatingly beautiful pack. Still, that fleeting glance made my whole body heat up, and my stomach twisted tightly with dread.

If he pissed off Tristan, then my punishment would only get worse. Tristan would probably take out all of his anger on me.

I prayed to the Goddess that this would be a civil meeting, but Alpha Emerson's tone confirmed that it would be anything but.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Alpha Cain said, stepping forward between the Alpha of the Nightblood pack and his son who still had a death grip on my arm.

Alpha Emerson didn't seem to like that action, and his eyes swirled black when they landed on Alpha Cain.

"Alpha Cain. Just the man I wanted to see," Alpha Emberson said, and his pack behind him shifted at his tone, like they were prepared to pounce at a moment's notice.

They probably were.

They were dressed casually and looked out of place among my pack, which made them seem all the more deadly. My pack was dressed in cocktail dresses and suits, while the Nightblood pack wore jeans and shirts. The leather jackets some wore looked well-worn, like they were a part of their daily outfit.

I knew our kind didn't get cold, and it made me wonder if they chose to wear them because it was easier to clean blood from leather than other fabrics.

"As soon as we heard of your visit, we prepared a delicious meal and a wonderful evening for you. I'm sure you'll be pleased. After we eat, we can go to my office to discuss business before the rest of the festivities begin." Alpha Cain turned his shoulders, gesturing toward the tables, and several members of my pack discretely moved out of the way as if not wanting to draw any of the Nightblood pack's attention to them.

"I assume then that if you can afford another lavish party only a few days after your last one, you have the money you owe me. So, let's cut the crap. Don't waste my time. We will be on our way once I have it in hand." Alpha Emerson said, not bothering to look at the feast that had been prepared.

Instead, his eyes met mine over Alpha Cain's shoulders, and that intrigued, almost contemplative look was back in his gaze.

It seemed like a reasonable request. I didn't know what business our pack had with the Nightblood pack or how much we allegedly owed them, but if they were willing just to take their money and leave, I saw nothing wrong with that. The sooner they left, the safer we would all be, and I would be able to focus on thinking of a new escape plan.

I doubted there was a single soul in our pack who would protest their exit and ask them to stay for dinner and dancing.

"I'm afraid that's not something we can do at this time," Alpha Cain said, sounding confident and strong. However, his back visibly stiffened, and my eyes narrowed at him.

Saying no to the Nightblood Pack was as bold as it was stupid.

"Why is that?"

"I… uh…." Alpha Cain stammered, and my eyes widened. Never before had I seen him show weakness, but he was tonight, and that was a huge deal.

"Was I not clear on your deadline?" Alpha Amerson growled, and a shiver went down my spine.

What was wrong with me? I wasn't even within his arm's reach, yet I was still terrified that his control would snap and the monster inside him would attack.

Would he be bold enough to attack Alpha Cain when he was outnumbered?

As soon as the question crossed my mind, I realized the answer was yes. If any of the rumors I had heard were true, being outnumbered wouldn't be an issue when Alpha Emerson and the handful of people he brought from his pack were stronger and probably had more training than my pack.

"You were! We just don't have it!" Alpha Cain said, shaking his head, and I gasped when Alpha Emerson stepped forward threateningly, not happy with the answer he had just been given.

Tristan yanked at my arm, and Alpha Emerson turned to us at my sudden movement, his anger appearing to have escalated by the way his eyes narrowed and his jaw ticked.

Had Tristan just…

Goddess!

I looked over my shoulder at Tristan, astounded.

The little weasel had pulled me in front of him to shield him from the cursed Alpha. Was he serious right now? He may have rejected me, but I was still his Goddess-given soulmate, and he had just hidden behind me like I was a shield!

"Did you really think spending my money on this shit excuse for a party would impress me?" Alpha Emerson said to Alpha Cain, but when I turned back to see what was happening, I found that the cursed Alpha's gaze was still on me. He had an almost contemplative look in his eye but mixed with the anger there; it made me feel sick.

He was up to no good, and I was scared.

"I don't like it when people can't stay true to their word." Alpha Emerson said, sounding calmer than before as he forced his eyes from me to face my Alpha. "I don't normally make deals, Cain, but this once, I will. I'll write off half of your debt right now and give you one more month in exchange for the beautiful lady behind you."

Alpha Cain's jaw dropped, but he recovered from his shock and quickly turned to look over his shoulder at the few of us standing directly behind him. His face went pale, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't do that. That's my son's mate."

My heart jumped to my throat at the declaration before I felt it burst into flames when he said, "Nia isn't for sale."

Nia.

Fucking Nia??

I didn't want to be sold to the Nightblood Pack and was thankful that wasn't the case, but how dare he stand there and introduce Nia as his son's fated mate!

"Not Barbie," Alpha Emerson said, and my back stiffened at the dark look in his eyes. It was full of heat. "I want her...the redhead."

“What?” I said breathlessly, and the room erupted in loud conversation, shocked by his request.

“Her?” Nia exclaimed at the same time, sounding furious that she wasn’t the one the cursed Alpha had wanted.

“Wait just a minute!” Tristan said, staying hidden behind me. He laughed coldly, but I could feel panic radiating from him. “You want Ember? Why?”

I pressed my lips together and turned to glare at my mate, who was still cowering behind me.

After everything he had put me through over the past forty-eight hours, I had no interest in dying for him.

Tristan growled in warning as I met his glare, and I turned back around quickly. Alpha Emerson tilted his head to the side as he looked me over, and I felt my chest and neck heat as a blush rushed up to my cheeks.

“Like I said, she’s a beautiful woman, and I want her.”

He couldn’t be my mate, and I had no chance of finding a second chance mate when I hadn’t even accepted Tristan’s rejection. It made no sense that he would want me.

“I can’t let you have her,” Tristan said, cutting Alpha Emerson off before he could answer and pulling me back against his chest. If I hadn’t already known that Tristan hated me, it would have been sweet that he wanted to save me.

Yet, as his grip on my arm tightened enough that my knees buckled from the pain, I knew staying with Tristan would lead to a lifetime of pain. Until I accepted the rejection, he would just continue to hurt me.

“Why? Isn’t she just one of your servants?” The Alpha scoffed, looking amused by the situation, yet he never took his eyes off me.

I liked having his attention, and that bothered me as much as it scared me. He was terrifying and exciting at the same time.

“Yes, she is. But she is also a thief.” Tristan said, and my jaw dropped at the nerve of him. “She has been stealing food from our pack for years and owes us a great debt.”

My hands curled into fists at my side, but I released them quickly when the Alpha of the Nightblood pack noticed and smirked at my show of anger.

My pack hadn’t fed me in years, and the only food I ate that I didn’t hunt for myself had been the scraps they had left on their plates that would just be thrown away before I had to wash the dishes.

“The debt you owe me is far larger than any debt she could possibly owe you for a few meals. So, is that the only reason, or has she been claimed by a member of your pack?” He asked Tristan before holding my gaze and speaking directly to me instead of waiting for Tristan to come up with another excuse. “Are you taken?”

With my hair up, he could see that I was without a mark, and Tristan let out a pained noise in his throat that I was positive was involuntary.

I pulled away from Tristan, and he reluctantly released me this time. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide, flickering from brown to black as his wolf fought to come forward. It was too late for him, though.

Alpha Emerson nodded as he watched me, and I licked my lips nervously when I turned back to him. “No, I’m not.”

He smirked as he turned to face Alpha Cain. “Then it’s a deal. She belongs to me now.”