Page 20 of Her Rogue Mates

“Gods know that’s the fucking truth.” Ivar grinned and a few of the captains around the room chuckled. If anyone understood the working of the female mind, it was Ivar. Perhaps that was another reason he was so skilled at luring unmated females into his bed. He had yet to find his mate. None of them in the room had.

“We will find the truth. Ivar, put men on it. Use the Everians if needed. I am willing to pay for a Hunter. Just find out what the fuck is going on.”

At his nod, the door slid open and there she was.

Every eye turned to watch as my mate was escorted into the room by Blade. The sight of her, golden hair falling in a gleaming wave past her shoulders, her green eyes, bright as gemstones, assessing everyone in the room.

She wore the black uniform of Rogue 5 and the tight material hugged every luscious curve. The silver band around her arm made me want to beat my chest and roar to the heavens that she was mine. Mine. Mine.

Head high, her gaze locked on me, and I held out my hand to her. Blade walked in behind her and took his seat next to Silver, a look of contentment on his face I’d rarely seen. The usual tension was gone, the wildness somewhat tamed. Apparently, caring for our mate agreed with him.

It agreed with her as well. She was no longer stained with dirt and blood, the fear and weariness in her eyes now gone. And she wore our uniform. Our colors.

Ivar devoured my mate with his eyes, and I pulled her behind me, blocking his view, and growled a warning, to which he dropped his gaze and glanced at Silver for help. But Silver was even more interested in my mate than the males in the room. About a third of my officers were female, and their curiosity about the Earthling who had accomplished what none of them could—gain my interest, my devotion—was palpable.

I led Harper to the only open seat at the table—mine—and held it out for her. Reluctant to give up the tactile pleasure of holding her hand, I kept it in my own once she was settled and took my place behind her. Protector and guardian. She sat at the head of Styx legion, and I stood behind her. It was an important moment. I may have said she was mine, that she was my mate, a dozen times. Two dozen. Actions spoke louder than words, and the sight of her before me didn’t need to be repeated.

It was as if my captains stopped breathing.

Only now did they understand how serious I was. How far I was willing to go. For her. My mate.

“Gods, Styx. You can’t be serious.” Ivar reeled in shock. I saw the confusion on his face. I’d never hinted at claiming a mate, honoring a female in such a way before. Giving her my seat at the table was the greatest honor I could give her, and she was completely unaware of the magnitude of my action. But my people were not.

Sensing the unrest in the room, Blade moved around the table to stand behind her opposite shoulder. “She is our mate. We will kill for her, die for her, and we ask you to do the same.”

“She’s Coalition,” Silver said again, repeating her earlier statement. “She’s a danger to us.”

I saw my mate raise one pale brow, cross her arms over her ample breasts.

“And the mercenaries that took my MedRec team? They weren’t Coalition. They were yours. They were Legion.” She lifted a hand and tapped her biceps where the silver stripe was. “Dressed like you,

but with red. Here.” She tilted her head to the side and glance up at me out of the corner of her eye. “Are you sure my staying here is the wisest course of action?”

Even though she hadn’t been in the room at the time, her words echoed Silver’s when she’d spoken of Harper. It was as if my mate thought we couldn’t keep her safe.

Everyone started talking then, arguing about the presence of my mate.

As if it were up for debate.

“Enough!” I shouted.

Silence fell, only ragged breathing filled the room, everyone riled not only because I was taking an Earth mate, a Coalition member as my own, but because they were unsettled about news of Cerberus. A tenuous balance had been broken and the future was unclear. We were used to chaos, but not within our ranks.

“She is mine,” I bit out through clenched teeth, daring anyone to argue further.

“What?” Harper protested, tried to rise, but I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently before moving to wrap it around her neck. I did not squeeze. The move was a caress, a display of intimacy, of trust between us. She leaned back, lifted her face toward me, not only accepting of my touch, but exposing her throat even more.

Silver’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but my other enforcers visibly relaxed, fully understanding, in that one small gesture between male and female, what was already between us. They witnessed her beautiful submission. And that was all it took to see the truth of it all. She wasn’t here for Coalition purposes. We weren’t claiming her because we wanted an ally. No, they could all see that she really did belong to us.

“Styx? Blade? What are you doing?” Harper blinked up at me, confusion in her gaze.

“Claiming you.”

She shook her head and looked back at the enforcers seated around the table before scanning the rest of the captains in the room. They all looked back at her without blinking, giving her their complete attention. Which, apparently, made my sweet mate uncomfortable because her back stiffened, her relaxed, calm attitude now slightly ruffled. “We need to talk about this, don’t you think?” She glanced from me to Blade to Silver. “In private.”

“No.” Silver spoke and held my mate’s gaze steady across the expanse of stone. “If you are his, I will fight for you, protect you, die for you, But, he must prove it beyond all doubt.”

A knock at the door sounded, and I signaled the closest captain to allow our visitor entry.

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