Page 46 of Fastlander Fealty

A slow smile took her lips. “Bash can find anyone. I already have him on it. If you don’t go get Silver, I will.”

Chapter Ten

Rogue.

That term had always been used as a curse with Silver’s people. It was a shameful thing to live outside of the Pride for lion shifters. It meant a lion wasn’t good enough to be accepted into a Pride. It meant a lion didn’t have control. It meant that lion was expendable, and less-than.

She’d heard stories of rogue lions before. One named Beast, in particular, had been used to scare her, but here was the thing. As she’d grown older, she’d learned that Beast, a former King, had settled into one of the Crews connected with Damon’s Mountains, and he had paired up with a mate, and his life didn’t seem so terrible to her anymore. He probably found there what she had found with the Fastlanders.

So, okay. Her life wouldn’t be with this particular Pride. Perhaps there was a different destiny for her. Perhaps in the future, another lion Pride would pick her up, long after Rook had grown weary of hunting her. Or maybe someday she could even make her way back to Damon’s Mountains. If she hid long enough and well enough, perhaps someday her Fate would bring her to a new home. She had to believe that, because what she was doing now was terrifying.

She deserved to be a rogue right now. She was a weak lion. How? She’d had a job to spy on a Crew, and within a day, she’d admitted to them all why she was there, shared much too much about herself, and fallen for one of the members, and was now changing her entire life back to one on the run, just so she didn’t have to do what Rook had ordered her to do.

She really was a traitor.

Her phone rang again, and she stared at Rook’s name on the caller ID until it stopped ringing. She didn’t feel scared or nervous, like she thought she would. More like determined. She’d been free before and it had lasted months, and she’d learned lessons. She could do this. She could!

And in a way, she had Owen to thank for it. The news stations were still playing the footage from today, and she was watching it just for glimpses of Owen’s boar. For some reason, seeing him be so strong and not backing down made her feel stronger too. She still had questions. His animal had disappeared as soon as she’d sank her claws into him, and he hadn’t Changed back when Wreck had come throwing fire. Owen had dragged her down deeper into the water. He hadn’t needed to do that, but he did. He’d carried her out of that river when he was hurt worse than her, and he’d kissed her in that bedroom deep enough that it healed parts of both of them.

He. Felt. Important.

Maybe in some other life they had been meant to cross paths. Or perhaps he was meant to show her that there was something bigger in the world than just her bubble within the Pride. Selfishly, she wished she could stay and spend more time with him, but she knew what she was. She was a grenade, and Rook held the pin. She couldn’t be that to Damon’s Mountains. She’d only made it to the outer edge of the Blue Dragon’s territory, and for one day, but already she’d been touched by what Damon’s Mountains were.

It was sanctuary.

Fuck the Pride for aiming at it.

Busy, she texted Rook back. Can’t talk. With Fastlanders. Send.

Call me back right now.

“No thanks,” she said easily, and set the phone down. No thanks. There was no shake in her tone. Just the border of a growl and a confidence she hadn’t possessed in a while.

What Corey and Hallie had said sank deep inside of her, like a single flower seed in a tired, barren winter garden, and now she could feel it growing. She didn’t have to do this with Rook.

Sitting here, outside of his control, she couldn’t figure out how she’d become so scared of him and the Pride. Rook’s manipulation had become so big in her mind, that disappointing him felt bigger than death. That was insane. He wasn’t even a great leader. She wasn’t attracted to him. In fact, when she really thought about it, she had never liked him. After he’d cut her face, she had grown a hatred for him, so why then was she here doing his bidding? His sheer force of will, strong King-bond to her lioness, and manipulative tendencies had muddied her mind, and now, outside of his reach, her mind felt clear again.

She couldn’t go back to the murkiness, or numb herself down again. She couldn’t go back to that cage for a cheap, imitation-gold crown that she would share with many other Queens eventually. That life would kill the good parts of her.

Rook called again, but she ignored it, and then opened up the beginnings of an email she’d been thinking about for the last two hours.

She’d tracked down Mason Croy’s email address off of the registration website.

Silver looked around the cheap hotel room, searching for the right words to type out.

Dear Mason,

You probably don’t know this, but there is someone in the territory who looks up to you. You have inspired him for years. It is on his behalf that I write this email to you. I wanted to issue a warning to yourself, as well as the Blue Dragon, whom you are close with, so I’ve heard. I couldn’t find Mr. Daye’s email address, so I’m hoping this message finds its way to you.

The Holland Pride has their attention on your people. I was sent to spy on the Fastlanders, but our King won’t stop there. Rook, the King, has three Prides so far who have signed on as allies with the Holland Pride. I’ve seen a fraction of the power in your mountains, and I have faith that you would prevail against any attack with the Prides, but I also believe there would be loss of life.

I came here to betray the Fastlanders, but I find myself unable to share details of their life with my people. I don’t want them to have any ammo against them. Owen changed my heart. He’s the one who looks up to you, and so I know you don’t owe me, a stranger, anything, but if you could get this warning to Damon Daye, I would appreciate it. I can’t explain it, but Owen has to exist. I don’t want war, and I don’t want anything to happen to Owen or anyone he loves. Rook will target the Fastlanders first, because they harbor Ace, a shifter my Pride has focused vengeance on for years. Rook has only just recently been made aware of his whereabouts after he registered with the Fastlanders.

Owen will be at the mercy of that war, and I can’t leave knowing I could’ve helped.

The world needs more people like Owen. He’s a good one.

Can you please make sure your dragon is aware?

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