Chapter 46 – Amber
“You are enough to drive a saint to madness or a king to his knees.“– Grace Willows
Kiya
“Long ago, when the Zircon Moon pack was at its infancy, my mother, Zahra, was a member. A purebred werewolf with the heart of gold; she considered that pack to be her family. Benevolent to a default, my mother was the epitome of kindness; she helped anyone and everyone whenever she could. Unlike those who adhere to their beastly instincts, she put her humanity first. Because of her purity, unmated wolves coveted her. Little did they know she would be the mate of a vampire. My father.”
“Interspecies mating was forbidden; something about “tainting bloodlines. Today, there is leniency with human and werewolf relations, but other than that, it’s taboo. Titan Prince was a man with conservative beliefs about mating; wolves belong to other wolves, humans with humans, and so on. But traditional views held no power over the mate bond. It’s too strong to resist. My mother knew what she was doing was unlawful. She risked her reputation for love. She deserved love. Why should old rules get between your heart’s desire?”
Thoughts buzzed in my mind as I listen to the vampire’s story. Unlike me, Zahra couldn’t resist the bond with her mate. Like a natural wolf, she sought for her destined partner like a fish to a lure. Destiny wanted those two together, why?
Osiris sighs, stuffing his hands into his pockets as Pepi coiled and uncoiled around his arm. “But the wolves discovered her crime after she fell pregnant with me and my twin brother.”
“You have a brother?!”
“Had, and I’ll explain why shortly. My mother became an outcast, abandoned by her family and friends. My brother and I became abominations born behind prison bars. However, Titan kept us.”
Chills swam down my spine at the memory of Jonathan keeping me alive after my alleged crimes. “Logically, he should’ve killed us. We stained the reputation of our community. According to him, hybrids were useful as servants than corpses. My mother couldn’t do anything to stop her Alpha. After my brother and I were born, Titan banished her, never to be seen again.”
“What about your father? He could’ve saved you both.”
“They killed vampires on sight if they enter wolf territory. Tensions between both species were high, and it wasn’t worth the risk of a potential war. When Mother was banished, I held onto the hope that she was with
my father, even if they couldn’t rescue us. I’m not mad at her, just at the circumstances.”
I wanted to believe that Osiris is lying, but something tells me he isn’t. The pain and rage burning behind his crimson eyes reflected my emotions toward Zircon. He was born into enslavement because his birth was a crime against wolfkind. “What else happened?”
“Life was hell on Earth.” He continued. “My older brother, Asim, and I were tortured. We were beaten and scarred for the mistakes we made, even if we accidently spoke out of turn. It was always ‘Yes, Sir.‘ Or ‘No Ma’am‘. Our servitude was repentance to the Alpha for allowing us to live. Starvation became a routine occurrence, and we had to ration food sometimes. This went on for years. Asim did his best to protect me, as an older brother should. But, one night, one guard snatched him from our bed and took him away. That was the last time I saw him, and I’m sure they killed him. For what reason? I’ll never know.”
1/4
“I’m sorry, Osiris…” I whispered, holding back my emotions. Osiris grunted in response, not wanting my pity. The last thing I wanted to feel was sympathy for him, but I couldn’t ignore the similarities between our pasts. Is the Prince family truly this immoral? “How long ago did this happen? You said you were around the early days of Zircon.”
“I’m inmortal, Kiya.” He chuckled. “I lived through two centuries, so I’m almost one hundred and ten years old; you can do the math.”
Osiris doesn’t look a day over twenty–five-
“After Asim’s disappearance, there was no one left to protect me. I became the perfect target to everyone’s aggression. The beatings got worse, and I contemplated ending my life many times. My wolf, Set, hadn’t awakened yet, so I sought comfort in the isolation. But, when I was sixteen, she came into my life.”
“Who?”
“Your predecessor, the last avatar of Selene. The girl who that necklace belonged to. She gave it to me to keep it safe the first night she was in my cell.”
I gasped sharply. The last white wolf? Artemis is listening with me and she bristled. If Osiris knew her and this necklace was hers…
“You mean…”
“Amber was her name, just like that beautiful gemstone.” Osiris revealed, suddenly gazing at me with adoration. “Your resemblance to her is incredible. Adoration burned to ash when his anger roared to life anew. “Amber was stolen from her pack by Alpha Titan because of her powers. I’ve heard rumblings during my servitude about Selene’s avatar, but thought it was a fantastical proclamation from a power–hungry, abusive Alpha. However, when I spoke with Amber, it wasn’t a fantasy.”
“She had awakened as an avatar, and it made her the target of the Alpha’s lust and greed for power. Without a Luna at his side to guide him to the light, he fell further into his darkness. Just as he hurt me, he began hurting Amber soon after; beating her into submission.”
“However, despite the conditions of our imprisonment, we grew closer. We became friends, and I fell in love with her. I wanted to keep that beautiful wolf safe from harm, even though I was as weak as a newborn infant. When I wanted to die, Amber gave me the will to continue living. She became my purpose; my reason to breathe. She was the treasure I wanted to keep close because she treated me with humility and respect! That girl saw me as a person, not a monster!”
His voice breaks with his hurt. Every word he spoke struck the chords of my heart. I don’t know if there was anything I could do to mend his pain, if I wanted to. It was too much for my heart to bear, especially when I’m tearing up at his story. Traitorous tears fell down my face one by one.
How are we so alike?
“How could someone smile through that pain, Kiya?” He asked surprisingly. I shook my head, unable to answer the touchy question. I can’t smile through my pain, so how can I know how Amber did it? “That wretched Alpha wanted power so bad that he planted his disastrous seed inside of her by force; to produce a powerful heir and to gain Amber’s power for himself. However, an Alpha can only bear pubs with either his true mate or if he marks another female.”
I think I’m going to be sick. Nausea settled in the pit of my stomach. “Alpha Titan raped her. And he marked Amber as lils by force.”
Osiris nodded grimly. “One night, when he came to take Amber away to warm his bed, he caught us cuddling. The fury on his face was enough to kill us both. Amber was a possession to him, and I was a threat to his ownership. So, to teach us both a lesson, he marked her in front of me. I couldn’t stop him I was a weak hybrid going up against a tyrannical Alpha. I had no chance,”
My hand shakily went to my neck, where the mark of my mate should be. A phantom pain throbbed there, as If I’m feeling Amber’s pain while listening to Osiris story, More tears fell, the emotion from Osiris punching me in the gut. She wasn’t in her womanhood and this grown man stole her autonomy, just how Tristan stole mine,
“Did Amber…” I whisper fearfully.
“Titan’s evil sank deep, Kiya. It became a part of him, and it sank further when Amber fell pregnant.”
Osiris gripped the windowsill, black mist perfusing from his form in response to his fury. “I don’t know how, but one night, we escaped. The idiot guards forgot to lock our cell, so we took that chance and ran. It was us against the world, and it was my sole chance to show that I was capable enough to care for her. Unbound to Zircon, we ran as Zircon, we ran as far as we could from the lands. After we settled some distance away, I noticed the light in
Amber’s eyes disappeared. Her gold lost its luster, and there was nothing I could do about it. She couldn’t stand the idea of carrying the alpha’s heir. That parasite was killing her from the inside out.”
I mentally prepared myself for another tragedy, holding my breath and clutching Amber’s necklace as tight as I could.
“On the second night of our escape, I went to find us some wild berries to eat. I was gone for hardly ten minutes. Ten minutes, Kiyat When I arrived to check in on her, Amber was dead. Before we left pack grounds, she stole a silver knife so we can use it to hunt for food until we found proper shelter. She used that same knife to stab herself in the heart.”
“Oh, my Goddess…” I uttered, pressing the necklace to my heart. Amber suffered so much. My suffering couldn’t measure to hers–the Alpha kidnapped, maltreated, and got her pregnant. The strength she held on for Osiris was admirable, but it wasn’t enough for herself. Because Alpha Titan marked her, he’d find them again.
To stop her dismal future, she killed herself. The curse ended with her. She’s with our Moon Goddess with her wolf, surely living in the happiness she rightfully deserved.
When I peered back at Osiris, he no longer stood at the window. He was in front of me. His large hands gently caressed my face, cradling my cheeks in his palms, Large thumbs gently brush under my eyes, tickling the bottom lashes, wiping my tears away. The vampire’s compelling gaze enraptured me, holding me hostage with the red showing a film reel detailing his torment and rage.
I can
curse his name to the heavens and hope for his soul to suffer in the pits of hellfire, but I cannot deny that Osiris is a man who has seen the worst wolfkind offered.
It hurts to see how much we are kindred spirits.
“I can still hear the angry roar of that Alpha once he caught on that his prize possession has died. Do you think he was punished for what he’d done? Of course not, because Alphas get away with everything because of
their damn title. Titan was never prosecuted for taking Amber because tyrants do what they do best; invade, destroy, and plunder. He shattered her pack.”
“However, Amber’s death became the catalyst for the today’s events. It’s because of her death I awakened as an avatar. I got the power I needed from my god, Apophis, to exact revenge.”
Anger
drastically changed to amusement when Osiris released my face, backing up a few feet away from the bed. “The hilarity in this is that, in the end, the lowly hybrid ended up with the power. The power of a god. Apophis granted me a chance I never thought possible–to eradicate the world from the likes of Zircon Moon and the Prince Family. Amber is gone, but Selene insulted her memory by having you born into that pack AND be bound to the next Alpha!”
“You miss Amber, I understand.” I retorted, rising from the bed with the necklace at hand. I realize the pendant jewel is amber, matching the owner’s name. “But you inserted yourself into my life without my consent! I hat
Zircon Moon too, but I will not be your tool for revenge. And there is much you have to answer
for!”
Osiris laughed, offering me a lopsided grin. “You will not be my tool for revenge, Kiya. I want you to be my partner.”
“Excuse me?”
“Help me destroy Zircon Moon for good.” His gaze held mine once more, now chained under his dark power. I whimpered from his cold touches to my hand. “I saw the gears in your mind turning as you listened to me, Little Moon. We’re not so different from one another! The only difference between our pain is the era and the Alpha who caused it. Don’t you see? The evil of the Prince Family has lived for too long and it must end.”
“But…”
He leans into my ear, his hot breath sending shivers through me. “You already killed a man. What’s a few dozen more? You understand my hatred and rage, and I understand yours. Together, we can be the karma that eluded them for decades. We will make them bleed as they made us bleed and watch their lives fade from their
corpses.
“Join me, my Little Moon. And you’ll never feel that pain again.”
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