Chapter 16 my life my decision

Chapter 16 my life my decision
Amber’s P.O.V. (Continued)

I took a slow, steady breath; now my mind is calm enough to think clearly, to decide clearly.
My fingers were still trembling slightly, but I clasped them together to hide it.
The weight in my chest hadn’t disappeared, but it had become light because now I knew what I wanted to do.
Without any confusion or pain, just realization with a hope.
A hope of building a life for myself on my own accord.
“I’m going to the royal pack,” I said in a quiet and firm tone.
They all went still once again, but I knew that they would hear me completely before saying anything to me.
Daniel’s jaw tightened; he was still waiting for me to finish.
Same with David.
His gaze sharpened, studying me carefully as if trying to read every hidden emotion behind my decision.
Laila didn’t speak, but her arm was still wrapped around me, her thumb was gently brushing my shoulder to give me the comfort that I needed to speak properly.
“And I know what it looks like… like I’m just following his orders, like I’m letting him decide everything for me, but that’s not it,” I let out a soft, humorless breath in the end.
“Then what is it?” Daniel asked; his voice was rough but calm.
“I am treating this as an opportunity, not leaving this pack, which was never my home, bro.” I replied to him while holding my gaze with him.
He needed to feel my honesty, and keeping eye contact is the best way to convince the person in front of you.
He frowned immediately.
I turned slightly so I could face all of them.
“I stayed in this pack because of you guys. You guys are my family, and your love is the only thing that gave me the strength to endure every hardship till now, but I can’t let anyone, let alone an alpha, trample over my dignity. Not now, not ever.” I was determined and very clear on my thoughts.
They all shared a glance with each other, but it only made me smile.
“And I won’t let anyone hurt you only to make me bow in front of his demands,” I added it in a firm voice.
“You…. You mean…. You think that Adrian can hurt us or force you with our lives to …. To bend to his demand?” Daniel asked me aggressively, and I nodded in agreement.
He growled aloud, but David raised his hand to stop him.
“King Lucifer demanded that I join the royal pack. I didn’t ask for that. So, Adrian can’t hurt you guys if you stay here.” I added it further in a calm tone.
“You don’t need to worry about us, kiddo. Adrian doesn’t have guts to come after us, let alone threaten you with our lives.” David spoke confidently.
He was speaking the truth, but I am still their sister, and my worry about their safety is something that I must keep in mind.
“Yes, Amber. You don’t need to accept this position if it's because of us," Daniel spoke next.
“I am going there, not because of Lucifer or because I am afraid of Adrian, but I am going there because of me.” I clarified to them, but they all frown darkly.
“I’ll go to the royal pack, will work under Ethan, and will learn from him. I will build something for myself there, and once, I will settle everything with….. with…..,” I said, my tone steadier in the process, but it shook a bit in the end. That’s why I trailed off in the end.
They didn’t ask anything again but silently gave me the time to steady my breath again.
“Once I figure things out with him, I will let time decide the course of my future, then.” I finished in a steady tone after a short pause of a few seconds.
No one needed me to say his name.
“You…. You mean to say th… that you will wait for him to decide if he wants to reject you or accept you?” Laila asked me, a bit disappointed but more curious.
“No, Laila. As you said earlier, I don’t need a man to rely on. So, I don’t need to wait for his decision. If I find my life better there, I will stay and continue learning from others. We all know how capable Ethan is.” I replied to her firmly.
She nodded in understanding, and I took a deep breath.
“I’m not going there as his mate,” I added quietly, forcing the words out before my emotions could choke me again.
“I’m going there as a strategist. That’s it.” I ended with finality.
But Daniel scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes in the process.
“Do you really think it’s going to be that easy?” he asked me sarcastically.
I shook my head negatively.
“I know it won’t,” I admitted honestly.
“The bond… won’t let it stay that simple.”
My fingers tightened unconsciously, but now I was calmer than ever.
“I will do my job, give him the time that he asked me for, but not for long. Say two months?” I looked at them for agreement.
“It’s too long,” Laila grumbled, and Daniel immediately bobbed his head in agreement.
“No, it’s not. Because he needs to find out the culprit behind his first mate’s death in two months, which he couldn’t do in the past three years.” David remarked, and I scoffed.
“This is his business, brother.” I pointed out flatly.
“I mean, yeah, that was unfortunate, and I totally understand his pain, but I am not going to waste my life by waiting for him to sort things out on his end before he can decide if he wants to accept me or not. Two months are more than enough to sort his feelings out.” I clarified in a firm voice.
“That’s my girl.” Laila exclaimed happily, pride evident on her face.
“Within two months, if he accepts me, then let's leave things to fate. But.” I trailed off; my voice shook a bit again.
It’s not that easy to say "rejection," but I am not that weak.
I know I am not.
“But if he doesn’t?” Daniel asked quietly this time. I met his gaze with a calm gaze.
“Then I leave.” The words were simple. Calm.
But they carried everything.
“I walk away,” I continued firmly.
“On my terms. Not broken. Not rejected. Just… done.”
A deep silence followed that.
David was the first to react.
“But this path….. this won’t be easy, Amber,” he spoke in a very serious tone.
I waited for him to continue instead of making any remark.
“You’ll be in the royal pack,” he added while knitting his brows tightly.
“Politics, power struggles, enemies you won’t even see coming, and on top of that, your mate bond with the most powerful alpha of the world."
“I know,” I whispered firmly with more strength in my voice.
"Then go." David spoke calmly but firmly.
I widened my eyes in surprise, but Daniel protested.
"But Bro." David cut him off, though.
"She is not a child anymore, Daniel."