Amber is Drunk
(Dominic’s POV)
+25 BONUS
The Moonlight Club hummed with quiet conversations and the clink of glasses. I sat across from Alpha Reed, watching his expression carefully as he nursed his drink.
“James Ward,” Reed said, his voice low and tinged with unease. “hat’s a name I haven’t heard in years.”
“I need to know what happened to him,” I replied, keeping my toe neutral despite Leo’s growing irapatience beneath my skin.
Reed’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why the sudden interest in ancient history?”
“It concerns someone close to me.” I didn’t elaborate further, maintaining my steady gaze.
Reed sighed heavily, setting down his glass with a soft thud. “James and his mistress died during a territorial dispute at Chase Pack’s Northern Boundary. It was… messy.”
“How so?” I pressed, leaning forward slightly.
“They were cornered in an abandoned den. Rescue was impossible,” Reed’s scent shifted, indicating discomfort with the
memory.
His fingers tightened around his glass. “The official pack record called it a rogue wolf attack.”
“You don’t believe that?” I asked, catching the subtle doubt in his tone.
Reed leaned forward, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. “The timing was suspicious. That territory had been secure for decades.”
His eyes darted around the room before continuing. “Suddenly, rogue wolves appear exactly when James and his lover are there? Too convenient.”
I absorbed this information silently, my wolf growling softly in agreement. “And Harrison Chase adopted Victoria shortly after?
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“Yes. Harrison and James were classmates at Werewolf Academy.” Reed shrugged, but his scent betrayed his unease. “The adoption seemed reasonable–taking in his dead friend’s daughter Nobody questioned it.”
“I need two favors,” I said, sliding a business card across the table with deliberate slowness. “Investigate that territorial dispute further. And look into Victoria’s life before she joined the Chase family.”
Reed pocketed the card, his movements cautious. “This could stir up serious trouble with Harrison. He doesn’t like people digging into pack history.”
“You’ll have Blackwood Pack protection,” I assured him, my voice carrying the weight of my Alpha authority. “And generous compensation.”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Reed stood to leave, then hesitated, his expression grave. “Whatever you’re looking for… be careful. The Chase family buries its secrets deep.”
I nodded once, watching him disappear into the crowd.
My phone vibrated with a message from Felix just as I was leaving the club.
“Ms. Chase appears severely intoxicated at her studio. Her friend Paige Sullivan is attempting to get her home safely.”
My heart rate spiked immediately. I called my driver, my voice sharp with urgency. “Take me to Moonlight Photography. Now.”
Leo paced restlessly beneath my skin as we drove, sending waves of anxiety through my body. Something was wrong. Amber rarely drank to excess.
When we arrived, I saw Paige struggling to support Amber down the studio steps. Amber’s normally graceful movements were
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clumsy and uncoordinated, her face flushed bright red.
“Dominic!” Paige called out, relief washing over her face. “Thank goodness you’re here. I can’t get her into the car alone.”
I rushed forward as Amber stumbled on the last step. Catching her before she fell, I lifted her effortlessly into my arms, cradling her against my chest.
“What happened?” I demanded, feeling Leo’s protective instincts surge violently beneath my skin.
Paige ran a hand through her disheveled hair, frustration evident in her movements. “Henry called. He wants to give Victoria Amber’s heirloom moonstone bracelet–a gift from their father.”
I felt Amber tremble against my chest, her small hands clutching weakly at my shirt.
“That doesn’t explain this state,” I said, my voice hardening as Lec pushed against my control.
“There’s more,” Paige continued, her voice tight with barely contained anger. “Henry asked Amber to pretend to be emotionally unstable in public. He’s trying to avoid a mate relationship with a female wolf from a neighboring pack.”
Amber made a small, wounded sound against my shoulder, burying her face against my neck.
“He’s using her as a shield,” Paige said, her eyes flashing with indignation. “After everything she’s been through with Ethan and Victoria.”
I tightened my hold on Amber, fury building in my chest like a gathering storm. “I’ll take her home.”
“I tried to stop her from drinking the moonshine wine,” Paige explained, following us to the car. “But she was so upset. She drank nearly half a bottle before I could intervene.”
“You did what you could,” I assured her, carefully placing Amber in the backseat of my car.
Paige leaned in, squeezing Amber’s hand tightly. “Call me tomorrow, okay? I’ll handle the studio.”
Amber nodded weakly as I slid in beside her, pulling her close against my side.
“I’m thirsty,” Amber mumbled as the car pulled away from the curb. “And hot. So hot.”
She tugged frantically at her collar, her movements uncoordinated “Everything’s burning.”
I reached for the water bottle in the door compartment. “Here, drink this slowly.”
She took several desperate gulps, water dribbling down her chin and onto her blouse. I gently wiped it away with my thumb, concerned by the heat radiating from her skin.
“My jacket,” she whimpered, tugging frantically at the sleeves. “It’s too tight. My wolf doesn’t like it.”
“We’ll be home soon,” I promised, helping her remove the constricting garment. “I’ll make you comfortable. Just breathe.”
Amber’s amber eyes were glazed but focused intently on my face with surprising clarity. “Will you stay with me tonight? Please don’t leave.”
“Of course I’ll stay,” I assured her, brushing damp hair from her flushed face.
She leaned desperately into my touch, vulnerability radiating from her in waves. “Everyone leaves eventually. They always do.”
“I won’t,” I said firmly, cupping her face in my hands.
Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.” Ethan said the same thing. He said I was his destined mate and would always wait for me to come back. But by the time I came back, the original him was gone, like he never existed.”
My heart clenched painfully at her words. Leo rumbled protectively beneath my skin, pushing against my control, wanting to
comfort our mate.
“You’ll get tired of me,” she continued, her voice breaking as sobs shook her small frame. “Everyone does. My mother, Victoria,
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Ethan… even Henry only wants me when it’s convenient.”
Her tears were like pearls, one after the other falling on my hands as if they were silver burns, my hands felt on fire. My heart was breaking.
“Maybe I’m just naturally unlikable, everyone says I have a bad temper, they all slowly get tired of me and then nothing I do can undo it, they just want to manipulate me and get what they want from me.
I pulled her closer, wiping away her tears with gentle strokes of my thumbs. “I am not Ethan. Our bond is different.”
“How can you be sure?” she whispered brokenly, her fingers clutching my shirt with desperate strength. “How do I know you won’t change your mind?”
Instead of answering with words, I captured her lips with mine. The kiss was deep and passionate, pouring all my feelings into the connection. Our wolves reached for each other beneath our skin, Leo purring with satisfaction as Amber melted against me.
We remained locked in the embrace until the car stopped at her riverside apartment. I lifted her into my arms again, feeling her nestle trustingly against my chest.
“Henry,” I growled under my breath as I carried her inside, my Alpha anger barely contained at how the Chase pack continues to hurt my mate.
