I will never hurt Amber. It’s my job to make her smile, to give her everything that life has waiting.
I grew up expecting to stay stuck in the same slum, and I fought hard to get out—not always playing by the rules, but always keeping my end game in sight. I never expected to take a female alpha instead of an omega, but life is what happens when you least expect it. That’s what I’m learning more and more as the days go by.
I never expected the 5’2” dynamo who blew in like a storm to change my whole damn life. And I will never stop being grateful that she did.
Now as I shuffle from sister to sister, exchanging accounts of our past and plans for our future, I never take my eyes off Amber. Ever since her mother died, she’s truly come alive.
She’s still that strong, no-nonsense girl I fell for, but now she’s also hyper and effusive and goofy—that last one particularly appropriate given our current location.
I promised to love her forever and always, and now there’s so much more to love. It’s as if we defeated some special game level to unlock life-changing bonus content. But it’s all Amber, my beautiful girl.
I wonder what other sides of her we’ll discover over the years.
Well, one thing’s for sure: we have our whole lives together to find out.
twenty-nine
AMBER
“The job is yours if you want it. The board of trustees was impressed with your resume and your stellar recommendations, Mr. Hudson. We would be honored to have you aboard the staff on our new campus in San Francisco.” Dominic Hart smiles from beside my sister on the video chat. I’ve only met him a couple of times, but he’s always been kind and earnest. Scarlett introduced Theoden to her pack after the two got to know each other waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean again and again. She’s mated to a band of influential professors at Clearwater University, and now they want to offer my sexy academic omega a very good job.
Everything just seems to be falling into place for our fledgling pack now that we’re no longer fighting for our lives. Every day I’m torn between wishing things could have been different for Jade and thanking my lucky stars I ended up at Drakewood. It’s funny how the same event can be the worst thing that ever happened to me while also leading to the best.
The tragedy of losing Jade only highlighted just how awful our mother was. If I could go back, I wouldn’t let Jade get in the way of that bullet. I’m certain I’d have found a different path that led me to Theoden, Beau, and Gabe. We’re meant to be—I’m confident that whatever direction my feet followed, I’d always have found my way to this home. All I can do is continue healing and moving forward, trying to live my life to the fullest in honor of Jade. I know it’s what she’d want for me.
Theoden squeezes my hand, bringing me back to the present moment. “I’m honored, Dr. Hart. If I could please have some time, I’d like to discuss it with my alpha and pack,” he says to the man on the screen.
“Absolutely. All staff members get on-campus family dwellings and free tuition for their pack members, should they want to continue their education. Your salary will be triple of what Drakewood Academy paid you, and we offer extra benefits for those starting families. Clearwater thrives on bringing packs aboard and strengthening alliances across territories.” Dominic turns and smiles at Scarlett. “Plus, we’d love it if our packs could spend time together.”
“I’ve missed you so much, Amber,” Scarlett says, grinning at me. Paint speckles her cheeks, and her hair sticks up from her messy bun. “Please, please, please consider it. We’d also love to have you as a student at one of our campuses. We’d love to have more female alphas, but more than anything, I’d love to have you with me.”
I bite my lip between my teeth. “We’ll get back to you soon, okay?”
Scarlett wraps her arm around Dominic. “Love you, golden girly.”
The video chat clicks off, and I turn and throw my arms around Theoden, hugging him close to me. He chuckles as I climb on his lap, wanting nothing more than to start another celebration.
“What do you think?” Theoden asks, cupping my cheeks. “We could still stay close to Lace and be able to help out here by providing guidance to those who successfully complete the academy.”
“We’d get our own house. Did you look at the brochure? It’s a single-family dwelling. We would have more privacy,” I add, resting my hands on his shoulders.
“And space to grow our pack.” Gabe peeks in from the kitchen, carrying a plate with a triple stacked sandwich. “You know… in case.”
I pick up the stuffed bunny from the desk and toss it at his head. “What did I tell you guys?”
“That it’ll happen when it happens… which is probably tomorrow. Did you see the test?” Beau emerges from the bedroom where he’s been patiently waiting for our video chat with Scarlett to end.
“Still too early,” Theo quips, adjusting me on his lap.
Gabe sets the sandwich in front of me, only to pick it up and hold it to my lips. Ever since we became a mated pack he’s been extra affectionate, treating me like his perfect alpha and fiancée. “Still doesn’t help the anticipation.”
Because I very well could be pregnant from our incredible bonding moment, where I knotted and mated with each of my guys. Female alphas are rare, but we can get pregnant all the same. That’s the whole reason our society forms packs to make babies and keep our population from slowly dying out due to low fertility rates. Most women who can get pregnant do so some time after their twenty-first birthday. For omegas, this is usually pretty soon after their first heat. I’m only eighteen, but already I’ve found my pack, taken on that bond, and accepted whatever comes next. Biology definitely threw me a curve ball when I manifested as an alpha instead of an omega, but now that I see what life has planned for me, I’m incredibly grateful for what I am. “Hey, let’s distract ourselves. Show us everything Clearwater sent. They have PhD programs, right?” Gabe pulls up a chair, sitting on my right, and Beau plops down on another chair to the left, stealing bites of the sandwich as Theoden clicks through the screen.
“They do have doctoral programs, but you have to get a bachelor’s and master’s first, you know,” Theoden teases. “As for me, I’d be teaching more than Omega Studies. Alpha Psychology and Cohabitation as well. It could be a nice break.” He clicks through the pictures, showing Gabe and Beau the Clearwater University San Francisco Campus. “I hear there might be a veterinary program, too… perhaps a small animal focus.”
Beau’s face lights up, and I tip my head back and laugh. For being such a tough, growly alpha, he has the squishiest, softest side when it comes to bunnies. I can already see his mind whirling at the thought of loving on little fluffy critters.
“That sounds really fucking cool,” Gabe says, reaching over to whack Beau. “When can we visit the campus?”