Chapter 46: 45

Chapter 45

Salt proceeded with his plan to get Amber.

His father only discouraged him from doing so, but he didn't really antagonize the idea.

Salt used that to listen to his instincts, and leave the pack house.

Besides, he had nothing to worry about because hosting the party was Pepper's role alone. He doesn't have personal visitors, so he's free to go as he pleases.

Their birthday celebration wasn't that grand.

There was no such thing as 'giveaways' or anything.

Pepper's creativity is limited to what her real purpose is, and he has noted that she seems to be investigating their friend.

Lukas.

For the record, that's just a conjecture.

She probably finds him suspicious as of late.

Truly, Lukas has been acting strange around Amber. He did look displeased that day—when he heard that she was getting along well with her club members.

He and Pepper wouldn't have given any meaning to that if only Lukas had tried to be more conscious of his actions.

Well, as siblings, they did reveal their observation to each other, and Salt still remembered telling her that she shouldn't dig deeper, and get too involved.

Lukas' business isn't their business.

'She probably agreed to Lukas' request to invite some of his friends because she was up to something,' Salt thought.

"Huh?"

Salt was too preoccupied that he didn't notice that person's presence at all.

"Salt? What are you doing here?"

Yes, it was Amber.

"It appears to me that you're done with your training," he commented as he gave her body a quick once over.

Amber had already changed into a plain white t-shirt, and in her hand was a paper bag which probably contained the training gears she had used earlier.

And there was still a hint of droplets of water on her face—she freshened up herself in the river, didn't she?

Salt crunched his nose in disapproval. 'Don't tell me she'll go to the party in that state? Has she lost her mind?' She strongly reeked of sweat and organic matter. She'd definitely become the center of attention there.

Amber nodded at him with a small smile playing on her lips. "That's exactly right. I didn't really want to assume things, but… did you come here to pick me up?"

Her previously injured arm wasn't bandaged this time.

He couldn't help but stare at the hyperpigmented scarring. "Are you sure it's a good idea to take off the bandages while you're out here? The wounds could get infected."

To put it bluntly, that was reckless of her.

Amber wasn't the type who would make careless decisions like this.

What kind of training does she have to undergo while she's all alone anyway?

Amber looked down at her arm, and gently tapped the scars with her palm. "That's not a problem. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"It could get infected," he insisted.

"It heals faster when I lick it." Her eyes widened at how ridiculous it might have sounded, and so to clarify things, she added, "in my wolf form, okay?"

"That wasn't necessary. I wouldn't mistake that you'd do it in your current appearance anyway."

Amber shrugged her shoulders lightly. "It's better to make it clear. It's hard to be misunderstood."

Salt looked at calm features intently. "I've got a question for you, but you're in no obligation to answer me. Would you like to hear it?"

Her demeanor toward him didn't change one bit though.

Usually, people would grow wary of the person they were talking to if they were in the same situation, yet Amber didn't even look surprised.

That's one of her defining characteristics when confronted. That's why Salt knows that she's no ordinary girl.

She doesn't react the way other people would react.

"Is your question something we can discuss…" Amber gestured to the forest, "here?"

"It's something that we can only discuss here."

Her mouth formed an 'O'. "A private talk… perhaps, a secret? If it's confidential, then it would be safer to use the mindlink," she suggested.

"No, I want to personally hear it."

Amber stared at him, her gaze devoid of any hint. "Okay, ask away."

"Is there a person who you think is making advances on you?" If she will say yes, the question ends there. There's no need for him to confirm who that person is.

Amber felt her eye twitch, though it was so faint that even Salt didn't get the chance to notice it. The question itself weighed nothing to her. It wasn't his intent that caught her off-guard.

It's just that, a specific person came to mind.

Does Salt know that person?

The guy who introduced himself as 'Jay'.

Amber decided to temporarily stop investigating that person for the time being to lie low. After all, that guy was the very reason why she attended the pack training in the first place.

And she'd admit that until now, she was still confused as to why he'd lie about his identity.

"There's one."

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Salt countered her response right away. "I'm not talking about that fellow."

"Excuse me?"

"Aside from the weirdo that hit on you at school. You had already mentioned him to us. If I were talking about him, I wouldn't be asking this question anymore."

Then, Amber shook her head without hesitation. "I guess my final answer is no."

'She's telling the truth. That's what she really thinks.'

Poor Lukas.

The girl that he's pining over doesn't even have the slightest idea that he's into her.

Oh, well.

"Come on. Let's hurry. My sister is waiting for you."

"I knew something like this would happen, so I cut my training short," she said, chuckling lightly.

"Yes, cut her some slack. You know it's her birthday today. She's unnerved by the thought that you won't go at all."

The two of them walked back together, side by side. No one attempted to start another conversation. Amber enjoyed the peace and silence, while Salt was lost in deep thought.

Lukas is treading on thin ice here.

He hasn't reached the age of eighteen yet, so there's no way for him to recognize who his mate is.

Does that mean he has made his choice to like her even though he knows the consequences of having a heart filled with uncertainties?

It's a good thing that Amber doesn't seem to be aware of his inconspicuous advances for now.

Salt should have asked her a different question—like her opinion of dating a person who isn't her mate as she waits for the day she comes of age.

He glanced at her briefly. Amber was whistling to herself while looking around their surroundings.

She's that comfortable.

It appears to him that she has already buried their conversation earlier deep in the back of her mind.

Opposites do attract, huh?

She and Pepper are the exact opposites, that's why they complement each other just fine.

"I'll use the backdoor. Please let Pepper know that I'll come down soon."

Salt shrugged, and motioned his head for her to go. "Or you can just mindlink her."

Amber ignored his comment, and simply left without another word.

'She sure is carefree.'

Salt inhaled sharply when he found a man standing next to him—shortly after Amber disappeared from his sight.

He didn't feel him approaching at all.

"I was looking for you, and I accidentally found you here." Lukas turned to him, smirking. "Don't get the wrong idea."

He let out a small sigh, and shook his head. "It's you who shouldn't get the wrong idea."

"Tell me, Salt. Did you find out something?"

That question…

"I'll be honest with you. Your reactions couldn't be any more obvious lately. I thought you were just trying to protect her from the impure minds of others, but it turned out you were doing it for your own sake all along." Salt lifted a brow at him. "Or was I wrong about that?"

"You've been observing a lot, haven't you?"

"It wasn't intentional," he retorted back. Even Pepper noticed his behavior, too.

But mentioning that to Lukas might give him the idea that she was getting involved, so he shut his mouth before he could say anything else.

"Are you going to tattle on me?" Lukas asked, his tone challenging.

"To whom?"

"Dad."

"Is there a point in doing that?"

"You're against that practice, aren't you? Liking someone else besides your mate."

"I'm in no position to dictate what's right or wrong. Shouldn't you know the ropes already for being older than me?"

"Why am I getting a sense that you're being condescending right now?"

"You'll succeed Alpha Severus soon. It's not condescension, but expectation." Salt looked him in the eye. "Expectation that you won't commit a preventable mistake before that."

Alpha Severus will castigate him if he finds out.

As a good friend, Salt can only wish for Lukas to avoid that fate.

Still, it doesn't necessarily mean that he won't talk when it comes down to it. If the Alpha comes up to him, and ask, there's no doubt that he'll tell him everything that he knows.

Lying is never an option.

He will only get the short end of the stick if he tells a lie, and Alpha Severus uses his commanding power—his coercion skill, to make him confess.

Hence, Lukas should consider this as a fair warning.

"Are you saying that having feelings for her is a mistake?" Lukas didn't appreciate his comment. He knows what he's doing. He doesn't need anyone pointing out to him the error in his way of thinking.

"No." Salt kicked some rubbles under his feet.. "I'm saying that your feelings for her shouldn't exist in the first place."

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