Starfire Pack
Amber's voice cracked like a whip across the training grounds.
"And what do you think you are doing?"
The growl beneath the words was low and lethal, vibrating in every ribcage around her. Dozens of wolves stilled mid-motion, instinct warring with discipline. Some bowed their heads without realizing it, others stiffened, fighting the urge to prostrate themselves before their Alpha.
She didn't want obedience born of fear. She wanted strength, control, the kind of will that could stare down an Alpha and not flinch. That was the kind of pack she would forge.
Amber's eyes narrowed to slits, her wolf surging just beneath her skin. Her canines lengthened and a quiet rumble coiled out of her chest. She fixed her gaze on the offender—a lanky trainee frozen with fists half-curled. His body trembled, but not with cowardice. No, she could see it in the pulse at his neck and the stubborn set of his jaw. He was biting back words, swallowing them down until his throat clicked audibly in the silence.
That, she admired.
Still, she advanced, step by deliberate step, each question sharper than the last.
"Do you not have an answer? Do you not train with me every day? Do I not instruct you? Am I an inadequate teacher? Tell me, is this how you feel?"
By the time her words stopped, she was so close their breath mingled in the cold air. The boy's pupils dilated, his inner wolf pushed flat beneath hers.
"Fine," she hissed. "You have no opinion. Then you will train with me for the rest of the month, or until your form improves. Is that clear?"
He swallowed hard, knuckles whitening at his sides. "Yes, Alpha."
Amber straightened, satisfaction flickering briefly across her face before she swept her gaze over the assembled wolves. Dozens of eyes dropped under her scrutiny.
"Good. That's enough for today. Tomorrow, all of you—two hours earlier. We will break down every form until your bodies can fight in your sleep." Her gaze slid back to the trembling youth. "And you—I expect silence. No grumbling, no excuses. If whining is all you have, keep it buried. It does not belong in my training grounds."
A ripple of nervous energy spread through the trainees. Some trembled; others stiffened with resolve.
"Dismissed!"
She turned on her heel and strode away without a backward glance. Her authority trailed behind her like smoke, searing the ground she walked upon.
---
"Alpha," Adonis called, catching up as they neared the fortress steps. His smirk was both insolent and fond. "You could go a little easier on them. They're barely past their first transformations."
Amber's pace didn't falter. "And I'm not young? I ascended as Alpha at twenty-one, Adonis. Do you think Dark Howl will go easy on them because of their age?" Her voice sharpened, a blade unsheathed. "Do you want to see their bodies strewn across a battlefield, cut down because I coddled them?"
Her tone cut so deep even the walls seemed to hum with it. Amber halted abruptly. Three maids in the corridor froze like startled deer. One's knees buckled and she fainted, caught by the arms of a stern-looking maid whose expression betrayed nothing, only a rigid steadiness. The third clutched the wall, wide-eyed with terror, lips trembling as though she couldn't breathe.
Amber's stomach twisted. Her wolf pressed forward, restless, urging dominance, and it took her longer than she wanted to wrestle it back. Her breaths came too sharp, too heated, before she forced them steady. She crouched by the fainted girl, hands gentle now. "I am so sorry. Are you hurt?"
The stern maid shifted the fainted one more securely into her arms. "She only lost consciousness, Alpha. We will tend her."
The terrified girl squeaked, "We are fine, Alpha… truly," though her voice cracked.
Amber's jaw clenched at the sight of them. Her strength had made them afraid, when her duty was to protect. She turned toward her Theta, who had hurried over at the commotion. "See to them. All three. I want them safe and comfortable. Report back when you've made certain."
The man bowed low. "As you command, Alpha."
Amber's gaze lingered on the stern maid who held her sister-in-service so firmly. Despite the fainting and fear around her, that one stood strong, controlled, unflinching. Exactly the kind of composure Amber valued.
"You," Amber said. The maid's chin lifted instantly. "From now on, you'll serve as my personal maid. Your steadiness will not go unnoticed."
A flicker of surprise passed over the woman's face, but she bowed. "Yes, Alpha."
Only then did Amber turn away, striding down the corridor. Adonis still smirked, but now there was something softer in his eyes.
---
The heat gnawed at her.
It was growing harder to contain, harder to ignore. Every pulse of her heart was too loud, her skin prickled, her wolf restless beneath the surface. Sensing her soulmate so close—yet unknown, unseen—had thrown her equilibrium into chaos.
Amber made it to her private chambers, shoved the door closed, and stripped as though the clothes burned her. She threw herself under the shock of a cold shower, pressing her palms flat against the tile, forehead bent low. The icy water hit her skin and steam rose from her breath.
Her reflection in the dim light of the bathroom was monstrous—eyes flashing between molten gold and wolf-amber, her canines catching light as they elongated and retracted uncontrollably.
She inhaled sharply, held the air until her lungs ached, then released it in a steady stream. Her body trembled, but her will held. This too she would control. She had no choice.
Minutes passed before her heartbeat steadied enough. When she finally stepped out, dripping, she was calmer, wolf tucked behind steel bars once more. Alpha first. Woman second. Always.
---
Amber sat stiffly in her audience chamber, the weight of the Alpha's throne pressing heavy on her spine. Before her, two middle-aged wolves argued so loudly she thought her ears might bleed.
"…but the child must carry my father's name, it's tradition!"
"And what of my line? Am I to be erased from history?"
Amber pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are bickering over a child's name?"
"This is about legacy," one snapped.
"Tradition," the other hissed.
Amber's wolf surged dangerously close to the surface. She gritted her teeth, inhaled slowly. The chamber could feel her fury simmering, every wolf present holding their breath.
Her voice dropped, cold and sharp. "Neither of you is even the child's parent. Compromise. Share the naming, or give the child both names. Wolves in this city bear four, five names at times. It is not forbidden, only unusual. If you cannot agree, then leave the child nameless and expose your shame to the pack."
Silence fell. Then, sheepishly, the pair nodded.
Amber gestured impatiently. "Next."
The disputes blurred together—land arguments, petty insults, claims of stolen livestock. Each one chipped at her patience. By the time the final pair bowed and left, Amber slumped back, pinching her temple.
"You know," Adonis drawled, "if your soulmate intends to keep hiding, you may need to consider a mate. You're in heat, Amber. You'll have to have a child eventually."
Her head snapped up, golden light flashing in her eyes. She said nothing, but her killing intent rolled across the chamber like thunder. Even Adonis, her brother, her Beta, struggled to breathe.
There was a knock at the door. "Alpha, are you well?" Russ, her head Theta, stood outside.
Amber's lips curved into something dangerous. "Yes, Russ. My Beta just wants to die. Do you want his position?"
Russ chuckled. "Your will is my command, my Alpha."
"Russ!" Adonis barked, half choking, half laughing.
Amber smirked. "For the good of the pack, cub."
The chamber eased as she leaned back in her seat. "Fine. Plan your tournament, Adonis. Make it a grand one. Let them fight tooth and claw. But when no one proves worthy, you'll drop this nonsense."
Adonis bowed, mock-serious. "As you wish, Alpha."
She gave him a look sharp enough to cut steel. "Do not test me, brother. I've killed for less."
His smirk returned, softer this time. "But isn't my sarcasm enduring?"
"Barely."
Yet despite her words, Amber felt the corners of her mouth twitch. For all his teasing, Adonis was her anchor. Without him, she wasn't sure the weight of Alpha would feel bearable at all.