New Tricks for Scammingen Alpha
+25 BONUS
New Tricks for Scamming an Alpha
(Amber’s POV)
I strutted out of Harrison’s office with five boxes balanced precariously in my arms, feeling like I’d just pulled off the heist of the century. The satisfaction of outmaneuvering my father warmed me from the inside, better than any moonlight wine could.
The pack secretary, Gwen Harper, stood frozen outside the office door. Her jaw literally dropped when she saw what I was carrying.
“Are those… the Moon Goddess Healing Crystal and the Jade Moonstone?” she stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
I shifted the boxes in my arms, letting her catch a glimpse of the ancient artifacts nestled inside. “Oh, these old things? Father insisted I take them. Family heirlooms and all that.”
Gwen’s face paled. “But I was instructed to hide all valuable artifacts before your arrival.”
“Oops,” I said with mock sympathy. “Guess you’ll be in trouble with the big bad Alpha, huh?”
She fidgeted nervously with her pen. “Mr. Chase will be furious.”
I leaned in conspiratorially. “Between us, I think his blood pressure might be running a bit high today. Maybe suggest some moonlight herb tea? It really helps calm an agitated wolf.”
Gwen nodded frantically, already reaching for the phone, no doubt to warn Harrison about his daughter’s latest plunder.
I couldn’t help but smile as I walked away. Father should know better than to mention ancient prayer beads to me – especially ones that were rumored to help control a werewolf’s transformation. Those were just begging to be “borrowed.”
(Henry’s POV)
I waited for my sister at the elevator, checking my watch impatiently. The territory meeting had already started, and my absence would be noted. Father’s obsession with controlling Amber was becoming increasingly disruptive to pack business.
see Amber juggling several large boxes. I recognized the ornate carvings on When the elevator doors opened, I was stunned to one of them – it contained the Celestial Clarity Inkstone, a priceless heirloom dating back centuries.
“What the hell, Amber?” I blurted out. “You’re like a robber raiding the den.”
My sister’s amber eyes gleamed with triumph. “Harrison insisted take these. Said they belonged to me by birthright.”
I snorted in disbelief. “Right. And I’m secretly an Omega.”
Amber shrugged, nearly toppling one of the boxes. “Believe what you want. But he practically begged me to take them.”
As we entered the elevator, I decided to change tactics. With Amber’s newly elevated status as Dominic Blackwood’s mate, she could be useful to me.
“I need your help,” I admitted, pressing the button for the lobby.
Amber raised an eyebrow. “That’s a first.”
“It’s about Niamh Walker,” I explained, lowering my voice though we were alone. “I don’t want to mate with her.”
“Then don’t,” Amber replied simply.
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “It’s not that easy. Father’s determined to secure the Walker territory.”
“And that’s my problem because…?”
“Because you could help,” I insisted. “At the next pack dinner, you could voice your dislike for Niamh as your future sister–in- law. With Dominic backing you, Father wouldn’t dare push back.”
1/3
New Tricks for Scammingren Alpha
+25 BONUS
Amber stared at me for a long moment, then burst out laughing, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You want me to save you from an arranged mating? After everything you’ve done?”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into the lobby. Several pack employees were milling about, pretending not to watch
- us.
“Please, Amber,” I whispered urgently. “I’m desperate.”
My sister’s response was swift and unexpected. She kicked me har in the backside, sending the stumbling forward with a yelp of pain and surprise.
The pack employees froze, shocked by the display of disrespect toward one of their leaders.
“That’s for asking me to fight your battles,” Amber said loudly, adjusting her grip on the boxes. “Next time, grow a spine and stand up to Father yourself.”
I rubbed my backside, feeling the eyes of every subordinate pack member on me. The humiliation burned hotter than the pain.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I growled, keeping my voice low despite my anger. “Why are you always so happy to see me humiliated?
Amber shifted the boxes in her arms, revealing the ancient prayer beads Harrison had apparently given her. She dangled them teasingly.
“Remember when you used to give me piggyback rides around the mansion?” she asked, her voice softer now. “You’d how like a wolf, and I’d laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe.”
The unexpected memory caught me off guard. “That was a long time ago.”
“Before Victoria,” Amber said, her amber eyes suddenly vulnerable. “Everyone changed after she came. Mother, Father, you… even the pack staff treated me differently.”
She fidgeted with the prayer beads, her fingers tracing the smooth surfaces. “Was I such a terrible sister? Did I deserve to be cast aside when she arrived?”
The raw hurt in her voice made my chest tighten uncomfortably. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came.
“That’s what I thought,” Amber whispered, turning away. “You can’t even deny it.”
As she walked toward the exit, the boxes clutched protectively against her chest, I felt a wave of shame wash over me. My wolf whimpered inside me, recognizing the pain we’d caused.
(Harrison’s POV)
I summoned Henry back to my office immediately after Gwen informed me about Amber’s departure with our treasured artifacts. My blood pressure was indeed elevated, though not for the reasons my daughter had suggested.
“I hear your sister gave you quite the send–off,” I remarked as Henry slunk into my office, still looking embarrassed.
He glared at me. “This is your fault. Why would you mention the prayer beads to her? You know their significance to our pack’s history.”
Tleaned back in my chair, recalling the conversation with Amber. She had skillfully listed my past wrongdoings, making me feel a guilt I rarely acknowledged. Before I knew it, I was offering her gifts from our treasured collection, desperate to ease the weight of her accusations.
“She played me,” I admitted, a growl of frustration escaping my throat. “Again.”
Henry dropped into the chair across from my desk. “She’s getting better at
“It’s Dominic’s influence,” I said, drumming my fingers on the desk. “S
- it. More strategic.‘
learning from him.”
The realization that my daughter was adopting her mate’s tactics was both concerning and oddly pride–inducing. The Alpha in
2/3
New Tricks for scammingen Alpha
me recognized the strength of her adaptation.
+25 BONUS
“I lost more than just artifacts today,” I confessed. “I lost the opportunity to discuss the amusement park territory project with the future Luna of the Blackwood Pack.”
Henry’s eyes widened. “You were going to ask for her help with that?”
I nodded grimly. “The project is stalled without Blackwood support. Dominic listens to Amber, whether he admits it or not.”
“So you’ve been scammed twice,” Henry observed. “Once out of the artifacts, and once out of the business opportunity.”
I couldn’t argue with his assessment. My daughter was becoming a formidable opponent, using my own guilt against me like a
weapon.
Henry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “She said something else, Father. Something that’s been bothering me.”
I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
“She asked why everyone changed after Victoria arrived,” he said quietly. “Why we pushed her aside in her own pack. She seemed genuinely confused and hurt.”
I felt a twinge of discomfort at his words. It was true that our family dynamics had shifted dramatically after Victoria’s adoption, but I’d never considered how it might have appeared from Amber’s perspective.
“She was always difficult,” I said defensively. “Victoria was easier to manage.”
“That’s the point,” Henry insisted, rising from his chair and pacing restlessly. “We chose the easier path. We favored Victoria because she didn’t challenge us.”
His admission hung heavy in the air between us. My wolf stirred uneasily within me, sensing the truth in his words.
“I feel terrible,” Henry confessed, his restlessness betraying his remorse. “I think I contributed to her unhappiness within our own family pack.”
I stood, placing a hand on my son’s shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it. Focus on your upcoming mating ceremony with Niamh Walker. The territorial advantages will benefit the entire Chase Pack.”
Henry’s distress only seemed to increase at the mention of Niamh “That’s another problem entirely. Her wolf is completely incompatible with mine.”
“Compatibility is less important than pack strength,” I insisted, repeating the mantra I’d lived by for decades.
But watching my son pace anxiously at the thought of being forced into a mate bond with a she–wolf whose wolf was incompatible with his own, I wondered if I truly believed that anymore.
