Page 113 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

The reminder that Jackson was dead cleaved in half again. But the sounds of the fretting baby in the next room kept her from crumbling to the floor. Who would protect that helpless girl if both of them were dead? She wouldn’t survive in the pack alone.

“What do you want?” she asked.

Her voice was shaky because she knew this was ‘do or die’, but she didn’t know if she could fight her way out of this like she had fought when they had been attacked. She’d felt dead inside from the moment she’d stopped sensing Jackson, and even her wolf side had been in bits.

Never mind that she’d just had a baby and didn’t feel strong enough.

“What do you think we want?”

The sound of that voice had her turning to the open door with wide eyes. Amber strolled in as if she owned the place, and the group parted for her like she was a part of them.

She sucked in a breath when she looked at the smile on the brunette's face. Her sickly scent filled the room, unlike the day before. She was real this time.

So what the hell had happened before? What kind of magic was that? Jackson had been right; she knew nothing about their world. How had she had a conversation with someone who hadn’t even been there?

"I did warn you," Amber laughed when she stopped next to Zach, and then she put her arm around the older man and kissed his cheek. “I told you I would be the Luna.”

It all made sense after that.

The social climber had latched on to the man she thought would be the Alpha. They were already replacing Jackson before they knew if he was gone.

“Was this your plan all along?” she whispered. “Get rid of Jackson so you can what? Share this old man’s bed?”

Amber laughed again and released Zach to take a few steps closer to her.

“Your little human mind will never understand our world,” she said. “Only the strongest survive.”

The strongest?

She looked at Zach and remembered how he had hidden behind other people in the pack when they had attacked them in the garage. He was doing the same now. Jackson never hid behind anyone. He ran head-first into danger just to protect them. How could these people prefer the older man over Jackson?

“No, I will never understand,” she agreed. “How do you intend to keep your power?”

There were hundreds of strong warriors in Jackson’s pack. They could probably rip both Amber and Zach apart without trying. No one would agree to this other than the few they had come with. What made these two so sure that they would survive?

Were they going to use magic again? Amber had made everyone run around in circles; who knew what else she could do. That had to be what they were relying on because they were not the strongest of the pack.

“Being a leader isn’t about brute strength. Jackson was just a mere boy who still had so much to learn. But that doesn’t concern you. I’m fixing everything wrong in my pack, and you’re first,” Zach growled, gesturing to the men behind him.

The one who had attacked Jackson with a chain came forward with another man and grabbed her arms. Their fingers bit into her and made her wince as they shoved her down and made her land hard on her knees.

“Everyone was choosing to look the other way,” Zach continued as he walked across the room with his arms behind his back.

He looked at a painting on the wall and then moved on to the next one, and it was clear he was relishing the fact that he had everyone’s attention.

“You’re not an idiot; I’m sure you knew about us from the beginning. You didn’t bat an eyelid when you joined the fights. Did you think you could walk away after that?” Zach said, turning to face her again. “The knowledge you have is dangerous to all of us. You’ve thought yourself equal to us when you’re nothing but an inferior human. You’ve made fools out of our leaders and created chaos. Who are you to think you can escape the rules that bind everyone else?”

Zach walked towards her until he stopped a foot away.

“You’re nothing, and the stupid man who fought for you is dead. Who will save you now, human?”

Zach lifted his arm and struck her across the face with enough force to send her across the room. She saw stars, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. The pain was excruciating. When she put her palm to her cheek, she felt the wetness and smelt the metallic scent of her blood. Zach wasn’t as weak as he looked. Perhaps as an older wolf, he was stronger.

Amber laughed and came forward.

“Honey, please let me have my fun, too. You promised.”

Zach smiled at her as if he was indulging a child.

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