Page 9 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“Did you leave early?” I asked her.

“No. I sat in the conference room and calmed down and went back into the dining room.”

“Then, that’s still huge progress Vi. You’re making an effort. Try again and again until you feel better about doing it,” I encouraged her.

My sister was stronger than she thought she was. She just needed to realize it.

“How’s Adam?”

“He’s great. He’s always so happy,” I said, my heart warming that she’d asked about him.

“I could really learn from him,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, me too. Instead, I’m buried in paperwork that I can’t seem to get ahead of, and trying to help out in the fields wherever I can. My brain is so fried at the end of the day.”

“I wish I could help you. I was always good with paperwork,” she answered.

“Yeah, it was always surprising the way a graphic design artist like you could be so good at paperwork,” I replied, giggling a little.

For someone as artsy as my sister was, she was meticulous and OCD when it came to paperwork.

“It’s fun.”

“Only a geek like you would say it.”

“Okay, so maybe it’s not a lot of fun, but there’s a satisfaction to be found in it. When it’s all complete and sorted and the desk is clean,” she giggled.

“Well, I’ll take your word for it. I’ve yet to see that happen.”

We talked for a little while longer before she had to go. Afterward, I went online to the recruitment board to check the announcement I placed, but sighed when I noticed the comments below the notice about the rogue attack last year.

There were no new applications, and I doubted I’d get any before the council removed the warning for our pack. I went to the job recruitment site and while I was thankful for the few applications there, it was nowhere near enough.

I didn’t want to have to depend on Cory for help again, but I might become desperate enough to do it. I hadn’t told him or Dad yet, but I’d already dipped into my own funds a few times to make ends meet a few months ago. I was too stubborn to admit defeat just yet. If I told them, they’d have some opinions on it.

I walked over to daycare and grabbed Adam. We swung our arms back and forth together as I listened to his day. He was quite chatty today, going on and on about how jealous everyone else was to get lunch with me. I let him run the rest of the way toward the other kids when we started getting close to the fields. I was waving at the other women when I felt the mind-link coming through.

‘Luna, there are two rogues crossing the southern borders,’Alice let me know.

‘Don’t engage. I’m on my way.’

“Carolina, look after Adam, please,” I said with a pointed look. She instantly understood and I saw a moment of worry flash through her features.

“Of course, Luna,” she answered, and I nodded at her.

I shifted, leaving the tear-away clothes where they fell and ran. Despite the year of training, some of the patrollers were not meant to be fighters. They were mothers and daughters. Wolves who didn’t have the stomach for violence, yet they stepped up to help regardless, because it was needed.

I’d trained since I was sixteen and still trained on the weekends to make sure I kept up my skills. I only practiced sparring with a select few, but it was enough to make me one of the best fighters in our group right now.

I arrived to see Alice and Jordan snarling, but keeping to our side of our border. After everything settled last year, I set up an earth wall outside the borders to deter intruders, but an earth wall wasn’t good material for a border and over the year, with the snow and the rain, the walls were slowly crumbling along some parts. I jumped over the girls and Coyo snarled at the rogues, daring them to come closer.

Before the attack last year, I never once considered rogues the enemy. Too many of them had come to Guardian Moon and ended up being amazing people who were dealt a bad hand, but ever since that night, I had to keep myself and Coyo from attacking first and asking questions later. Only the knowledge of the people who were part of my uncle’s pack kept me from doing it.

When the rogues only stood there, I shifted and grabbed a long shirt we kept by trees around the borders.

“You’re trespassing. Either shift and communicate or leave,” I called out.

The rogues remained in place, unsure of what to do. Minutes passed before one turned and ran, the other one snarling over at me before it turned around and ran after the other.

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