Page 25 of What's Rogue Got To Do With It

“Goddess, does no one teach you young people anything anymore? You were den, you should know that that’s not how any of this works!”

And before we could continue the conversation, the fire alarm started going off and the man jumped up. There was no fire, but there was a lot of smoke.

He’d left the burner on with the empty pot where the spaghetti was still on it and the results were not good.

Not good at all, but a whole lot better than doing what the old man suggested and putting my mate in harm’s way. I refused to let that happen, no matter the consequence to me. He was my mate and my job was to protect him, full stop. I’d already failed by marking him and I refused to fail again a second time.

15

LARKIN

“I’ll show you where you can bunk down.”

We were done talking about our situation for the night.

The cabin Auden led us to was larger than his trailer, with walls that had seen better decades and windows that rattled in their frames when the wind picked up. But it was mostly clean with a wood burning stove and a bed that might not collapse when we both climbed in.

"It's not much.” He placed sheets that had been mended many times on the mattress and opened a cupboard containing a quilt and pillows. I assured him we’d be fine for the night and I was pleased we’d saved our own quilt from the bonfire at our former home.

“This place used to house my beta and his mate, back when..." Auden’s voice trailed off and there was a faraway look in his eyes. Living alone in the middle of nowhere must have had a lasting impact, especially when he didn’t intend to live alone. Wolves needed to be surrounded by their kin.

“Thank you.” Creven had driven most of the way today and his voice carried the weariness of a man who needed sleep.

After spending hours in the truck, fearing every vehicle and the heads that swiveled toward us, this place would do. We were lucky to have a roof over us rather than sleeping in the truck, though these rickety walls would crumble if a pack was intent on finding us.

"We should only stay the night.”

We’d been back and forth between the truck and the cabin, bringing in our belongings and had made the bed. Clouds of dust spiraled into the air but we were too exhausted to take it outside and whack the heck out of it.

My mate’s hands shook as he unpacked. I suspected that wasn’t just from exhaustion and worry about who might be on our trail. The half-bond also had my wolf pacing and demanding I allow him to mark Creven.

We hadn’t discussed it, not really, but my mate was burdened with guilt at not stopping his fox from marking me. There was little I could say to convince him he wasn’t responsible.

"We're putting Auden at risk by being here." Creven sneezed thanks to the dust.

"And go where?" I tested the mattress. Not bad. "We've got limited funds, a truck that needs four new tires and every pack within a thousand miles has probably been alerted to look out for us."

I fell into his arms and mumbled against his shoulder, "We have to rest.” Tomorrow we’d have this conversation again but fornow I needed to close my eyes and block the reality that this could be our last night together.

Long after my mate fell asleep, I lay awake listening to his breathing and the creaking of the old cabin. The sounds of the forest drifted through the thin walls. Owls called, maybe looking for a mate, and I envied them their freedom. I scented deer but my wolf wasn’t interested in hunting. Instead, he was focused on our half bond with Creven, pestering me about when he could mark him.

Despite not sleeping until the wee small hours, I woke at my usual time. Not wanting to get up and face the morning, I tried going back to sleep until my belly grumbled. I opened the door to air out the cabin and squinted at the bright morning light.

Auden was on his trailer porch drinking coffee from a metal mug "Sleep well?" He beckoned me before grabbing a pot and two more mugs

The coffee was so bitter I was tempted to leave the rest but downed most of it, the taste distracting from my worries.

"Good. Because I've been thinking and I've got a proposition for you."

We were back to reality and couldn't avoid it.

My mate appeared in the cabin doorway. His expression told me he was ready to jump in the car and take off.

"We appreciate the hospitality, but we can't stay.” He flung his pack in the truck. “We're putting you in danger by being here."

"I've been in danger since the day my pack died and I chose to stay here instead of joining another one. A couple more rogues isn't going to make things worse."

"But I’m the rogue, Larkin is?—“

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