Page 24 of What's Rogue Got To Do With It

“Yes, sir. They gave me your name and said if I ever was in need after they were with the goddess, to come here.” His voice was beginning to crack, his emotions close to the surface. I hated that my father was gone and how it happened, but with Larkin, you could feel the void from their deaths. He loved them so deeply and I wanted nothing more but to be able to take his hurt from him. “But I’m not really sure wherehereis.”

“This, my young friend, is my pack lands.” He swished his arm around in a huge circle. “All of this belongs to the Stoney River Pack.”

I tensed up. I was not supposed to be near a pack… any pack.

“I can go,” I whispered to my mate.

“Let me introduce you to my pack first,” the older man insisted.

He set down the wood he’d been working with and stood up. “I am Auden, Alpha of Stoney River Pack. Introductions are now over.”

I was so freaking confused.

“You’re a pack of one?” At least my mate had enough ability to form a question. I was still trying to figure out if we managed to cross timelines on our way here.

“Sadly, yes. I’m a pack of one. My pack died out a long time ago and instead of forming a new one or rebuilding this one, as is my right, I’ve been living like a lone wolf, avoiding other packs sothey don’t try to absorb me and steal my land. But I’m not rogue like you.”

Now he was talking directly to me. “You’re marked as other… as rogue.”

“I know, Alpha.” I bore my neck, unsure what else to do.

“Wait a second.” He walked over to my mate, inhaled deeply. “You’re kidding me. Please tell me you didn’t mark him.”

“I— I?—”

“Hold on. Let’s go inside and have something to eat. I've a feeling this is going to be a long conversation, and sitting down might be for the best.” He was shaking his head the entire time, his hands flailing in the air, but at no point did I feel he was a threat. “Come on. Let’s go into my trailer.”

He led us inside. It was remarkably nice compared to the outside. Everything was very dated, the furniture shouting the 1970s chic, but it was all well kept and in really good shape. I wasn’t sure if he was going for a retro kind of feel or if this furniture had been there that entire time, but in any case, It gave the trailer a more welcoming feel.

He had us sit at the table as he put on a pot of spaghetti noodles and a jar of store bought sauce.

“Humans have figured this out. How many centuries have we wolves been hunting and skinning and cooking our dinners, when now, for two dollars during a BOGO I could buy spaghetti and sauce?”

I wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question, one reserved for my mate since he mentioned wolves, or a conversation starter. I erred on the side of caution and didn’t say anything.

“If that doesn’t tell us humans have some things figured out better than us, I don’t know what does.” The old man was practically giddy over a human struggle meal. I kinda loved that about him despite said struggle meal was nothing I’d normally eat.

As dinner cooked, we told him the story of how we came to be there and why. He listened, nodded appropriately a couple times, asked a few clarifying questions, but didn’t really offer much advice or criticism or anything… mostly just listening and taking it all in..

Soon enough, the pasta was done, and he made all three of us a large plate full and plopped a pat of butter on each one.

“Don’t ask questions. Trust the process,” he’d said.

And who was I to argue? It was food made with kindness. It was more than I could ask for, despite nothing about it sounding good.

It was after we stirred everything together and began to eat the food that I finally saw what he meant. The spaghetti was good… very good. Go figure.

Auden finally shared some feedback on what we’d told him, and it wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

“I don’t mean to be harsh…” He was not starting off well. Little did I know it was about to get worse. “A half bond is the worst thing that can happen to a wolf.”

“No,” my mate snapped at him. “It’s not the worst thing. This way—he’s my mate and I’m marked. I can think of a million other things that would be worse for my beast starting with abear trap… although that turned out well too, if you think about it.”

“I don’t think you’re listening to me.” This time he sounded pissed. “Your wolf will lose his ability to reason. With this half mark, it will literally drive him insane.”

I put my hand on my mate’s and took over the argument from him. Auden needed to understand why the decisions we made were made.

“I’m marked as rogue, Auden. Marking my mate is against the law, we all know that. I will face death if the council discovers what I've done.” I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “But if he marks me back, he will face that fate too, and I refuse to allow that. This is the only way that I can keep him safe.”

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