Amber

by Sherry Foster

  Amber’s face wrinkled up as she thought. She shrugged, “Some of them.”

  “Exactly!”

  Amber waited and when Nadia didn’t say anything she shoved her over on the bed. “What does that have to do with anything. That’s your idea? It lacks something, like, I don’t know, maybe an explanation.”

  “How many people do we have who are into computers, books, graphic design, management and all the assorted jobs your Dylan might need? If we don’t know the strengths and weaknesses of the people of this pack how will we know who to approach about changing packs? We need to go around and meet with everyone and find out what they like and don’t like and what they would like to do if they had the chance.”

  Amber’s face lit up. “Awesome. Wait, we can’t do that.”

  “But why? It is a great idea.”

  “Yeah, it is, but who knows this pack better than anyone else in the world?”

  “Edward and Dennis.”

  “Exactly. And as the future Alpha’s mate, who should I talk to about the strengths and weaknesses of the members of this pack?”

  “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. You wouldn’t want to get anyone excited about something that may not happen.” Nadia got up and rummaged around her desk for a moment before holding up a notebook and pen triumphantly. “I have just the thing. Come on, let’s go see if we can talk to Dennis first then we will tackle Edward next.”

  “I thought you said you were grounded from going anywhere?”

  “Well, mum and dad sort of lifted the restrictions when we thought you were gone. Dad told mum nothing else in the world could have shocked me back to the realities of what could have happened to me than having it happen to my best friend. He thought I suffered a lifetime this morning when no one could find you and then it came out you had been tied up in the boot of Fletcher’s car.”

  “Well you didn’t say that! You said when they found out you left with us yesterday they grounded you.”

  “I didn’t say anything because you interrupted me to tell me about the book shelves in his loo.”

  “Oh. Nadia, can I ask you something and you be totally honest with me?”

  “Of course. You know you can ask me anything.”

  “Am I terrible about interrupting people to tell them stuff?”

  “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t say you are terrible about it. You don’t do it all the time. I don’t think you do it too much. Sometimes you get excited about something and you kind of steam-roll over the person you are talking to but it’s not horrible.”

  Amber sagged back on the bed with a defeated look, “I will make a terrible leader.”

  “No, you won’t. Come on, think about it. You said Dylan had seventeen years of training and he has been on his own for another eleven. We have never been on our own or had to make decisions about anyone else, not really. Other than stuff like changing Kimmy and feeding her and watching her while mum works I have never had a job being in charge of other people. You haven’t either. So we learn what we need to learn as we go. We aren’t going to instantly know how to do stuff. Here,” Nadia held out the crutches again, “Come on, we can get dad to drive us to Dennis’ house. You can talk to Trisah about how to go from being a nobody to being in control of others. Wait, maybe that isn’t the best example, she was a teacher at Edward’s brother’s before she came here. But still, she went from kind of a nobody to the second ranked female in the pack. And her sister had even less training so we can talk to both of them and Dennis about what you should do and the best way to start. I will go ask dad give Dennis a shout while you hobble your way to the door. We should be ready by the time you get there.”

  Amber waved her off, “Go. I will be there in a few minutes.”

  Nadia took off down the hall shouting for her Dad. When Edward had brought her home her parents and Nadia had been waiting. She hadn’t had a moment to herself since Edward carried her through the door of her house. Someone had arranged for her to have some crutches and her mother had checked her feet and re-bandaged them. Her dad noticed how much the two girls wanted time together after an hour or so and had driven them to Nadia’s when her mum wouldn’t give them space. Amber gave one last look around the room before she balanced herself on the crutches and started hobbling her way to the front of the house.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gammon looked at the phone and snarled. “He never bothers to look at the time.”

  Mia laughed, “It isn’t that late. Quit being so grumpy.”

  “Yeah, what do you want?”

  Nice to talk to you too brother.

  “My mate and I are in bed, again, what do you want?”

  Hope I’m not interrupting something important.

  “You are and I’m going to hang up now.”

  “Gammon! Don’t listen to him Edward. He is just sore about some stuff going on in the pack. Ignore him.” Mia spoke loudly enough she was sure Edward had no problems hearing her.

  I lost a female today but we managed to get her back within a few hours. I had to put the male down, one of mine.

  “Damn, man, sorry to hear that. Always tough to put down one of your own. Is the female alright?”

  Yes and no. She was hurt but nothing she won’t heal from. Her physical wounds will heal faster than the terror and betrayal she suffered. Another male found her before we did. The man is her true-mate.

  “Yeah? So what’s the problem?”

  He is an Alpha with no pack. He grew up in Trevor’s pack and Trevor turned him out when he was eighteen, eleven years ago. I don’t blame him. His power would rival most of the Alpha’s we know. You and I could take him, but I doubt Marcus could.

  “Shit. That kind of power that young is abnormal. So why are you calling me?”

  He has claimed his territory. He has the power to hold it. He now has a mate but he has no pack.

  “You want to know if I have pack members who would join his pack if I backed it. You are backing him? You will allow him to petition your pack for potential members and you want me to allow him into my territory to petition my pack?”

  Yes.

  “I have two worthless Betas he can have right now.”

  “Gammon! Don’t listen to him Edward. He would never part with his Betas. He is just pissed at them for what they did when he was on the mission to Mexico.”

  What did they do?

  “What didn’t they do?”

  “He is just upset they gave away my pregnancy to the pack while he was gone?”

  You are to have a child? Congratulations brother. I don’t see why this would upset you though.

  “That’s because you weren’t the one keeping it a secret so you can enjoy the news for awhile. I left for the mission and they told the entire pack. When I got back I found half the pack on my doorstep and the rest of the pack holding Mia prisoner in our home.” Gammon didn’t even try to contain his growls as he remembered the day he came home from the mission.

  “That is not what happened! Gammon!”

  “It is close enough.” He roared.

  “Don’t listen to him Edward! Gammon, now be reasonable. You didn’t tell them. They figured it out on their own and they just wanted to protect me and take care of me for you.”

  “I don’t know why you want to be so nice about it. You weren’t that happy when I got home that day to find my Betas guarding the front and back of the house and other males scattered around the perimeter. You had three females inside cooking and cleaning and not letting you so much as get up without helping you stand an walk like you were on your last legs.”

  “Well, I admit it was aggravating, but they wanted to keep me safe while you were gone. They did it because they love us.”

  “They could love us less. I can’t go outside without tripping over someone bringing you food or guarding the doors. I found Chico in the kitchen this morning cooking breakfast for us so you didn’t have to cook. It is too much!”

  So I take it you will allow the boy to petition you
r pack?

  “He can half the entire pack if he wants them.”

  “Gammon!”

  “Well, half the pack.”

  “Gammon!”

  “Fine, the boy can come when you come next week. You are coming to Marcus’ next week, yes?”

  Yeah. I will bring him.

  “Fine, after we will return here and he can petition the pack, if he has a plan. He does have a plan, yes?”

  He will have one. I have informed him of the requirements to petition my pack. He has property for cattle, he needs help. He has a publishing company, he needs employees. I will have more information tomorrow. Today was not a good day to explore his holdings. The pack mourns the loss of the young one. The pack rejoices in the return of the female. Tomorrow is soon enough to plan. You have to tell me later about what your pack did to upset you so. Until later brother.

  Gammon replace the phone on the nightstand and rolled over to hug Mia.

  “I can’t believe you won’t let it go.”

  “Mia, love, they won’t stop aggravating me. Every time I turn around someone is bringing over something to eat. I haven’t had your pot-roast in over a month. I like your cooking but they won’t stop bringing food. I can’t throw it out, they ask later if we ate it. If you go open the door right now you would trip over someone laying in front of the door. We have the most secure territory in the world and they guard the door of my home. I tried going to the bathroom earlier and Shirley was cleaning it so you wouldn’t have to bend over. Have they let you do anything since I left for Mexico?”

  “Well, no, but it is sweet. They love you, they love me. They are just showing us how much they love us.”

  “They could love us less and I would be fine with it.”

  “Gammon, stop. I told you, I am fine with it, for the most part. They let me go outside now without trying to carry me.”

  “Only because the last snow finally melted.”

  “Well, it is a bit much but you can’t give them away because they are trying to show me they love us too much.”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “Stop being a baby about it. I love you. And we had more time together this last month because everyone is helping so much.”

  “Too much.” Gammon grumbled.

  “Well, I did think they would let up on it eventually. Maybe you should put your foot down.”

  “And tell them what? Stop helping so much? You tell them.”

  “I did. They didn’t listen.”

  “I tried too. They didn’t listen to me either and I can’t use my power to make them stop caring so much.”

  “You can’t give them away either so stop trying. I heard you last week trying to give them to Marcus.”

  “Marcus didn’t want them either!”

  “That’s because Marcus is a smart man. He knows how much you love your pack and he knows you would do anything to keep them safe.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn’t have to laugh at me. He could have been slightly sympathetic. One day his mate will give him a child and I hope I am around to guide them on the best way to take care of her for him.”

  “Gammon, that’s mean.”

  “So what, he deserves it.”

  “Come here. Put your hand under mine. Can you feel her?”

  Gammon carefully placed his hand under his mate’s but the movement she felt was too faint to be felt outside the womb. He gathered her closer and kissed her. Maybe in another few weeks he would be able to feel his child move.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You led him on. It is your fault he is dead. Your fault. I heard about you telling him you loved him. Word is all over the pack. You’re the reason my best friend is in the ground.” Amber was the only person who heard Cody’s low snarl. She tensed her shoulders before she turned her head to find him inches away from her back. Turning, she faced him and tried to defend herself from his accusations.

  “I did love him, as a brother.”

  “How would you know how to love a brother, you don’t have one. Don’t try to shift the blame to Fletcher. He would never have done anything to hurt you. He loved you more than life. Whatever happened yesterday is your fault and you know it. He was excited when you said you would spend the night with him. Don’t play innocent with me. You don’t tell a man you love him and then tell him no.”

  Amber stared at Cody in shock. “That’s not what happened.”

  “So you say. But we will never know will we? You get to live the rest of your life and have your own pack and live it up as some rich man’s toy. Don’t pretend you love the guy, you only met him yesterday. You loved Fletcher for years and when you found a new guy, who could give you the things you wanted, you threw him over like he was trash. You are nothing but a gold-digging tramp.”

  “That isn’t what happened.” Amber whispered as she shook her head. “That isn’t how it works.”

  “Looks like that is how it worked out for you. You destroyed my best friend for what? The new guy owns a company that publishes books and you want to be an author. Seems mighty suspicious that you get him the same day you have Fletcher killed.”

  Amber tried backing away but she couldn’t maneuver the crutches very well. She looked around for someone to help her out but most people had left the graveside and the ones who hadn’t weren’t paying any attention to her and Cody. She wanted to call out for help but she wasn’t sure his words warranted taking attention away from the grief of burying Fletcher. She had requested to go but she didn’t want to be too close so as a result Cody had been able to corner her far enough away no one paid them much attention.

  “You think you have it made now, but I promise you, it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I will find a way to make you pay. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but if it takes the rest of my life I will make you pay for killing my best friend.” Cody spit on her before turning and walking away.

  Amber leaned against the car as she stared at her foot in horror. The spittle didn’t stand out on the white bandages but she knew it was there. His words haunted her and she wondered if it really was her fault Fletcher was dead. Could she have stopped it if she had realized how he felt? Nadia had told her but she hadn’t felt the same and didn’t see how Fletcher could mistake their friendship love for each other as anything serious. Dazed she opened the car and got in, still thinking about the accusations. She didn’t notice when her parents got in the car and they, seeing her face, didn’t bother her.

  For the remainder of the day she stayed in a daze and everyone thought it was because the events of the previous day, combined with the burial had been too much for her. She hardly said a word when Nadia came over to help her start packing her things. When Dylan finally showed up that afternoon she was still subdued. She didn’t want to ask him what he thought about the situation. She didn’t want to ask anyone for fear the rest of the pack felt the same way. Edward had talked to Dylan before he was allowed to visit Amber’s house and meet her parents. Even though he thought her mood was too somber he chalked it up to the events going on around them. Edward told him of Amber’s quest for knowledge of being the mate to an Alpha. He knew she was accepting a huge responsibility and he wished he could reassure her in a way she would accept. All he could do was try, and he did for the rest of the evening as he laughed and joked with her parents and with her best friend and eventually with Nadia’s family who came over to eat with them that evening. As he kissed her goodbye that night, under the watchful eye of her parents he whispered, “Everything will work out, you will see.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The mating ceremony took place in Edward’s territory in front of the entire pack. Edward had agreed to assign guards to the pair so they could have a honeymoon for a week while builders were working on transforming some of the outbuilding on his cattle property to temporary housing. Before the ceremony Edward had a pack meeting where he explained, in detail, what Dylan was and what he planned to do. He went over how things worked in the
old days and told the pack there was no shame in leaving a pack to build a new pack to increase the shifter community. Then he gave the meeting over to Dylan.

  Amber stood by his side as he went over his land holdings, his company and his plans for the future. He explained to the pack how many people he could comfortable house at the current time and the location of his properties. Then he told them what positions he needed filled and his goals, both short term and long term for his future pack. When he was done he had one last thing to say.

  “I don’t know any of you and you don’t know me. But you do know Amber. I don’t know your feelings for her and I am sure many of you will believe her too young to fill the position of mate to an Alpha. Maybe she is, but the magic shows she is my true-mate and for me that is all I need to know she will be the only person who can do this job. When a pack member takes a mate they don’t worry so much about how everyone in the pack will interact with their mate. They need one other person to accept the mating and that is their Alpha. I don’t have the luxury of turning my back on someone if they don’t like my mate. I don’t want anyone who doesn’t believe in Amber to petition for a position in my pack. I spent yesterday evening with her parents and I saw the love in that family. We don’t always turn out to be the person our families raise us to be and there is no shame on the parents when that happens. But Amber is everything to me and if you don’t think you can give your loyalty to her along with me then I ask you to stay here. I have ambitious plans for the future. I am aware they are ambitious, but I also have a time-line for those plans. If I can gather enough of the right people to push those plans along then I will stay on the time-line. But I also have plans in place if the time-line doesn’t work. I have lived alone for the last decade and in that decade I had plenty of time to plan. I didn’t plan on a mate, but I did plan for a future with a mate. I have held my territory against six rogues to date and I will hold it against six more or six hundred more because it is mine and I hold what is mine. I have given you the plans, but I am not petitioning the pack for any members today. I know Edward thought I would and he called you together so I could make the offer. But I am not doing that. Not because I don’t want to but because you only found out a few minutes ago. You don’t know me and you won’t get the chance to know me until we return from our honeymoon next week. In that week you will have time to look at what you have here and compare it to what I have told you about my plans. You will have time to determine if you want to move to a new pack and start over with new people. I will be making the same offer to Trevor’s pack and to Edward’s brother’s pack. So you have to understand that if you agree to change packs you may have to learn how to be a pack with new people all over again. You will have to learn to identify new voices in your head and how to work with people who will be strangers for a while. This isn’t something I want people to make a snap decision about but something I want you to think on. Edward tells me in times past splintering off the pack was normal, even desired. You may wonder why no one from the pack I was raised in offered to go with me when I left. I had nothing when I left buy vague plans and the start of two businesses. I had no way to house a pack and nothing to offer them. Some who may have chosen to go with me wisely decided to give me time to prove myself worthy of being an Alpha. It is hard to prove yourself when you have no one in your pack. I took what I had and I planned for a future. I just didn’t think it would be this soon or this sudden. I don’t think you can plan for life with a true-mate so I am still shell-shocked on that aspect. If you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you want more information, I have left detailed plans with Edward and he can give you quite a bit of information while I am gone. He has the directions to my Western property, where I am having construction work done if you want to get a group together to look at it before you make your decision. And you should, look at it that is. I have two properties, I prefer the Eastern one but the Western one is larger and this may be a factor I have to consider, depending on how many agree to join me. But this is something the pack would discuss at a future date. Discuss it with your family, with Edward and with each other because you must be happy with your choice. Now, if no one minds, my wolf is shredding my guts to have his mate.” Dylan winked at the pack before he backed away and turned to Edward, “If you would perform the ceremony by insides would appreciate it.”