Amber actually hated the fortress at White Haven. She preferred her home in Star Fire City, it was with the people and close to many small settlements. It allowed her to know her pack and the needs of the pack.
But it no longer mattered what she liked and disliked. She had to reside in the fortress because this was the tradition of the pack. And she was not ready to break that tradition, she saw no reason to.
She walked briskly but unhurried down the main corridor to the main conference room. To say that she was upset about Adonis essentially kidnapping Stefan was an understatement. She was furious and it was taking all of her strength and willpower not to snap her beloved brother's neck.
She had asked for Stefan to be brought to the conference room. She could clearly sense his state now that they were so close together and she knew that he was already back to peak condition just like she was.
With her walked Adonis, her Beta, Marg, her Delta, Cris, her head Epsilon, Russ, her head Theta, and Matthew and Samuel her best and most trusted Omicrons.
Her eyes focused as she sensed him coming from a hall perpendicular to her position. His Beta Pierce and his new Omicron Elbon were by his side. The two werewolves walked with him as if they had been by his side their entire lives. A smile bloomed in her chest that she refused to allow onto her face as she watched his stern gaze scrape across the faces of her people. When he reached her a subtle softness smoothed the corners of his mouth. This startled and elated her at the same time. Still she kept her eyes hard and cold.
He nodded respectfully to her. "Alpha Amber."
She did the same. "Alpha Stefan."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Alpha? I am merely an Omega." A wide smile quickly spread across his lips.
Amber narrowed her eyes. "For me a tie is a loss. You have won the position of Alpha within the Star Fire Pack."
He smiled and nodded to her. "Shall we enter the conference together?"
She stiffened slightly, again startled, but it was quick and very subtle. All the same both Stefan and Adonis noticed it. She nodded to him and they walked side by side into the conference.
Both Amber and Stefan looked as if their patience was being tested. The elders of the Star Fire Pack were being very meticulous about Stefan entering the pack. At first look this was not unusual but the tournament was not totally Amber's idea and it had been fully approved and sanctioned by the elders.
Had they been expecting no one to win or had they expected Amber to die and the tournament participant executed for killing the pack's Alpha?
Somehow these same two questions were going through both of their minds. Tiffany, Dale and Caleb sat in the observation area reserved for Stefan's auxiliary members. Tiffany smirked as she listened to their thoughts. Her eyes roamed about the room as she felt three minds trying to enter her mind and the minds of those she protected.
Tiffany was young but she was a survivor, a highly intelligent survivor. Meaning she learned to exploit her talents as much as possible and doing so she developed and learned new talents that had either been unheard of or had been unseen for centuries.
She could now protect and monitor the minds of one hundred and fifty people at a time. She could tell what they needed, if they were in trouble, she could speak to them telepathically, and she could tell if someone else was trying to invade their minds. She could also forcefully kick said individual from their minds and be as gentle or as aggressive as she wanted to be about it.
'The elders have people trying to enter all of our minds.'
Stefan sat up, his eyes roaming the room trying to determine who may be trying to invade his privacy. 'Are you sure?' Even as he asked he knew the answer and had found three of them.
'I am. There are four. Three in this room and one a level directly below where you are sitting.'
Stefan did not look down but his foot began tapping in agitation as he used Tiffany's abilities to "look" at the area below him.
'How do you know they are working for the elders?' He felt her roll her eyes and smiled internally.
'Of course I read their minds My Lord.' He nodded and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me elders. I had not been made aware that this vetting would include the invasion of my mind and of the minds of my people. If there is…"
"I beg your pardon…" Stefan was cut off by a stern looking elder at the end of the third row of elders. Both he and Amber frowned at the same time. "Are you, an Omega, accusing this esteemed group of something?"
'Esteemed group?' both Amber's and Stefan's frowns deepened and their eyes narrowed.
"Firstly do you truly feel you can interrupt your Alpha? Secondly the elders of the Star Fire Pack are no more than advisors. We are here out of politeness not necessity."
The more Amber spoke the more her rage and dominance filled the room. For Stefan it was like a warm affectionate hug, for everyone else it was oppressive.
"Calm yourself love. You are affecting everyone here not just these transgressors."
Amber nodded and pulled back and concealed her emotion. "You're right. I apologize everyone. Deltas please help the others if they need any assistance?"
All those with healing abilities nodded, even Stefan's people, and immediately went to work. Stefan smiled at the elders.
"It would seem that something very interesting is going on here my love. I am not up to speed on the inner workings of the Pack yet, (a lie – he had already studied everything there was to know this pack) but it feels like there is a disruptive faction within the elders."
Without looking at her Stefan spoke to Tiffany. "Tiffany reveal all four but do not hurt them." Stefan watched the elders and saw five of them smirk then he saw all five of their faces fall when one by one three pained moans rang out across the room with a final high pitched scream from below them.
Amber focused her senses below them and her eyes went wide. She looked from Stefan to Tiffany in awe. This little girl had exposed one of her cousins. One of the most powerful Psi she had ever known.
Amber could not help but stare at Tiffany. She was so young and she had done this without even breaking a sweat.
Once all four of them had been exposed three elders began explaining.
The two Alphas had their own places but they also had rooms that were theirs together. These rooms actually connected their private spaces so that they could easily move between each and not have to roam about the entire enormous fortress.
Both Amber and Stefan sat on opposite sofas within a large study with two large desks and several different seating areas. After the Elder debacle they had both come here to work and then talk.
So far all they had actually done was work and avoid talking. Finally Stefan looked up with a very serious and professional face.
"We will need to take care of your heat today. We do not need to wait for the official ceremony."
Amber looked at him incredulously. He frowned.
"What?"
"You talk about it like it is business."
He opened his mouth and closed it again, biting back his retort, then his eyes darted back and forth a bit. Amber pursed her lips, sighed, and shook her head.
"Fine but we first do our soul commitment. I am not just giving myself to you so that you can run off again as if nothing happened."
"Again?!" he frowned but then his face relaxed and slowly became a smile. "Oh. I see what you mean. That won't happen again."
Amber pursed her lips and side eyed him. He sounded too professional. Why would he hide emotions from her when talking about something like this. She shook away her thoughts and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and they both closed their eyes.
They both began to breathe deeply their minds focused on their soul tie and what it meant to them. They quickly felt the strength of the tie and the strength of the emotion behind it. They were both surprised by the strength of the other's emotion.
Of course Amber's was due to her being truly in love and Stefan's was due to his determination for revenge.
Their souls elongated into tubular shapes that spiraled around the tie itself. Stefan frowned at how strong their tie had already been. How was it possible for his soul to be so accepting of someone he hated so much?
As their souls wrapped the length of their soul tie their souls began to strengthen exponentially. Both their eyes widened and then they frowned as they felt their bodies sinking into a strange abyss.
The last thing Stefan heard was Tiffany's voice.
'Don't fight it My Lord. Allow it to guide you to the other side.
'Together My Lord. You must reach the other side together.'