I took the long way home, just in case the Prince was following me. I shifted and dressed before walking into the house I shared with Bennie and Dex. Bennie’s small body hit me as soon as I walked through the door, “Where have you been, Toot-Toot?”
“I went to the pond to clear my head.”
“Because of the Prince?” He asked.
I shook my head, “Do you remember Zara Butler?” He shook his head, “She was my best friend growing up. She came to Mystic River after Nightshade attacked. She claimed they had the freedom to go wherever they wanted, but that doesn’t sound right.”
“Why?” Dex asked from where he was sitting in the living room.
I shrugged, “It’s just a gut feeling I have, but I don’t know if that feeling is right or if I’m just being paranoid.”
“Dad always says to follow your gut, and that you have a better instinct than most.”
I snorted, “Funny. I was just called ‘incredibly idealistic bordering on naive.’”
Dex let out a laugh, “By the Prince?” I nodded, “Over what?”
I sighed as I sat down on the couch next to him, “Bennie was attacked at the northern border because he spotted a rabbit on the other side of the border and went after it before I could stop him. I tore into the warriors and had them bring the Prince to the border so I could lay into him for his warriors’ conduct, but then I found out the royal pack knows what’s going on with Nightshade and Mystic River was attacked,” I let out a breath, “So we were at the pond and I was telling him that there was no reason for his warriors to attack Bennie. He argued that they have to keep a tight border especially with us rogues, plus they didn’t hurt Bennie so he didn’t see what the big deal was.”
“Are you fucking serious? These fucking people think just because we’re rogues we’re more dangerous or more likely to try to steal territory while a pack is actively doing just that. Un-fucking-believable. So wait what made you so idealistic bordering on naive?”
“I told him his warriors could’ve just talked to Bennie instead of attacking him regardless of the fact they didn’t hurt him because he clearly wasn’t a threat and just made a mistake.”
Dex rolled his eyes, “We do that for them. Every time one of the packs steps foot in our territory, we shift to tell them to get out instead of attacking, unless it’s Nightshade.”
“Exactly. It’s common fucking courtesy,” I said, getting up as a knock sounded at the door.
“So your mate is the Prince?” Jonathan said as a greeting, pushing past me.
“No, please, come right in,” I said sarcastically, giving Harriet a hug as she walked through the door. “Did his lackies say something about it? He’s not subtle so I’m not asking how you know. I just want to know if they said something.”
Jonathan snorted, “He really isn’t, but no they didn’t say anything. Nathan tried to press Sam, the one we spoke to, but he said he was asked not to speak about it.”
“He called her idealistic, bordering on naive,” Dex said from the couch.
Jon and Harriet looked from Dex to me, “Seriously?” I ran through the whole conversation again. Jon looked incredibly annoyed by the end, “He does realize our numbers are growing because of Nightshade right?”
I looked down at Bennie, “I’m worried that there is going to be some kind of retaliation from the Royal pack because of our numbers. They had no idea how many of us there were, but the Prince and his warriors saw a fraction of our numbers and our organization.”
“You’re an incredibly powerful alpha. If anyone was going to organize rogues, it was going to be you,” Jon regarded me, “It makes sense that your mate is the Prince. Your wolf is one of the most powerful I’ve ever encountered for sure. Do you know what you’re going to do?”
I shook my head, “I doubt his parents will let him mate with me anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.”
“But if they did?” Harriet asked.
I rubbed my forehead, “I don’t know. He’s incredibly disconnected, plus, I don’t want to live in a pack that knows and acknowledges what Nightshade is doing but refuses to do anything about it. Not to mention I don’t want to leave here.”
Harriet wrapped me in a warm hug, “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you.”
I gave her a tight squeeze, “I know. Would you guys join the pack if I pushed them to let you in?”
They shared a look, “I don’t know. It would be weird to be part of a pack again, and not in the beta role. Typically, there aren’t multiple betas in one pack because it can cause issues.”
“I almost wish I could just declare No Man’s Land as my own territory, and call us a new pack.” I shrugged, “I mean we have mind link set up, are organized, and have a beta pair. We’re a pack, and a pretty big one at that.”
“Why is this a thought now?” Jon asked as he assessed me. “Is it a way to gain favor with your mate’s parents?”
My brow furrowed, “Absolutely not. No one here deserves to be a rogue. We deserve to have a pack. Our packs were taken away from us by a greedy bastard. I don’t want to give anyone up either. If I decide to mate with the Prince, I don’t want to give anyone up. I want to still have dinner with Owen and Sara on Thursdays or have movie night with Dex, Mya, Bennie, and Logan on Fridays. I want to still be able to train with everyone, and help stop Nightshade’s expansion. If I have a pack that doesn’t have an alpha to take it over right away, I can make the argument I’m still needed and can still do those things.”
Jon sighed, “Okay. I’ll make some calls and read the treaties to see if there’s a loophole somewhere in it all. In the meantime, you can reach out to a few people, like Owen and Sara, to see if they would even be interested in being officially considered part of a pack again. Not everyone will like the idea, but if we can make a claim, it might be better to know ahead of time if people were on board. Don’t ask everyone, just a few people.”
I nodded, “Are you guys free to chat in a little bit?” I linked Owen and Sara.
“Sure. Is this about the Prince because he made it back to his territory just fine,” Owen linked back right away.
“Nope. I just have something I’d like to run by you guys.”
“I’m almost back to the house, if you want to meet up there,” he linked.
“I’ll put on the kettle,” Sara linked.
Author: Kailan Counahan 