Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Amber
"I've trained," I continued, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "In secret, when my warden wasn't looking. I can throw a punch or two."
That was only partially true. I'd never actually faced an alpha male in hand-to-hand combat before. Most of the warriors back home had been trainees themselves who went easy on me because they were terrified of my father finding out.
Plus dad attributed my rogue killing to sheer luck.
But Damian didn't need to know that.
And I was relieved he turned around but then he started walking toward me deliberately.
My pulse skittered as he closed the distance between us, and I fought the urge to step back.
I'd just claimed I could fight him so backing down now would make me look like a coward.
He stopped directly in front of me, so close I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact.
Those silver eyes bore into mine, and I felt my carefully constructed bravado start to crumble.
"The day I let you fight me," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "is the day you can look at me without wanting to run away."
My breath caught as I saw his eye dip lower to my mouth just for a second.
And in that second I felt the air between us change. Or maybe it was my imagination running wild.
My heart hammered against my ribs, and I wasn't sure if it was fear or something else entirely.
"You're still holding your breath," he observed.
I exhaled shakily. It would be easy to just lean in, to brush my lips over his
"See?" He stepped back, and the moment shattered. "You can't even breathe normally around me. And you think you could fight me?"
“I…” I fumbled, not having a reply smart enough to shut him down.
I stood there, my hands still raised like an idiot, trying to process what just happened.
He held my gaze for another beat, then turned and started walking again, trying to figure out why part of me had wanted him to stay close.
"Wait," I called after him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He didn't answer nor did he check to see if I was following.
He just kept walking with that same infuriating stride, his black shirt stretching across his shoulders.
I lowered my hands, glaring at his retreating back.
"That didn't answer my question!" I shouted. "You can't just say cryptic things and walk away! That's not how conversations work!"
Apparently he had reached his daily quota of words for the day already.
I let out a frustrated groan, checked one more time that we were still in view of the main buildings, and cursed under my breath.
Then I jogged after him, my stupid untied shoelace flapping the entire way.
We walked in silence for another minute before the forest opened up into a clearing I hadn't seen before.
And in the middle of that clearing stood a small stone building with reinforced doors and narrow windows.
It looked like a bunker or maybe it was a prison.
No wait, was this the entrance to the cursed dungeons they wanted to throw me in yesterday?
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I muttered.
Damian finally looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "Still think I'm going to kill you?"
"The jury's still out," I said, eyeing the ominous building.
And despite the fear and the absolute certainty that this man was going to make my life hell for the next week, I felt my traitorous heart do that stupid flip thing again.
I mentally scolded myself as we entered through the main gate, and I immediately spotted Principal Davison waiting near the entrance, hands clasped behind his back.
"Ah, Miss Amber. Mr. Blackwood. Right on time."
Damian didn't acknowledge him, and just kept walking but I nodded awkwardly and followed.
The principal led us inside, and the temperature spiked immediately.
The building was significantly darker than I'd expected, lit only by the orange glow of multiple forges scattered throughout the massive space.
Men in thick leather aprons worked over anvils, hammering metal into shapes I couldn't identify. Sparks flew with each strike, and the clang of metal on metal echoed off the stone walls.
In the far corner, someone poured molten iron from a crucible into waiting molds, the liquid metal glowing white-hot.
I'd never seen anything like it.
The heat pressed against my skin, and the acrid smell of burning coal filled my lungs.
I found myself inching closer to Damian without meaning to.
He didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care.
We were led through the maze of workstations, past men who barely glanced up from their work, and into a smaller room at the back of the forge.
This room was simpler and quieter. There was no furniture except for a single metal table positioned in the center.
And I noticed the four colored bands- red, green, blue and black, the color of the four alpha heirs' factions.
"Miss Amber," Principal Davison said, gesturing to the bands. "We've prepared several options for you to try."
That's when I noticed the glass wall.
It separated our room from an adjacent one, and through it, I could see all four alpha heirs standing in a line, staring directly at me.
My stomach twisted.
"The glass barrier," the principal explained, following my gaze, "is a precautionary measure. It allows the young alphas to observe without being directly affected by your scent. This way, we can conduct our experiments safely."
They had reduced me to some kind of a lab specimen.
"We'll start with the standard bands," the principal continued, picking up the red one. "Each has been infused with scent-dampening properties specific to its corresponding alpha. Let's see if any of them work individually."
I knew the four heirs didn’t give it out to just anyone and their discontent was visible on their faces.
I took the red band which belonged to Kade and fastened it around my neck.
It felt cold against my skin.
Through the glass, Kade straightened slightly, then nodded to the principal.
The door to their room opened, and Kade walked in.
His nostrils flared immediately and his jaw clenched. His blue eyes locked onto me with that same intense, unsettling focus from yesterday.
"No change," he said tersely, then turned and walked back out.
I tried the green band next, which was Soren's.
The moment he entered the room, his pupils dilated and that lazy smile turned sharp.
"Still delicious," he murmured before leaving.
Blue was of Ryker and Black of Caspian but they didn’t work either.
Amidst this confusion, my gaze kept drifting to Damian.
He stood against the far wall, arms crossed, looking thoroughly bored by the entire process.
How was it possible that my scent affected four powerful alpha heirs but not him?
What made him different?
Rather what made an ordinary girl from a small pack like me so different?