Page 101 of Fated to the Rogue

After leaving the office, Ruben and Sanders followed me outside to where Amaya and Nisha had gathered their men. They made sure their warriors were well-adjusted before I accompanied them to the main square once again.

By sunset, everything had been taken care of, and I was more than thankful for their help. Ruben and Sanders said their goodbyes to the females that had once been part of their packs before climbing back into the limousine. When the car was about to leave, I was surprised to see the tall man with golden curls rolled down his window.

“I wish you all the luck in your battle, Alpha Zephyr. I’ll be praying for your victory.” Ruben looked me straight in the eye. “When you do win, Dune Drifters will be happy to have Wind Howlers as an official ally.”

All I could do was stand there, blinking, as I tried to absorb what he had just said. I was suddenly flooded by a feeling of utter conviction. If we managed to defeat the Fallen, there was a high chance our pack would be in bad shape afterwards; an alliance with such a large, powerful pack would definitely help us get back on our feet.

And even more so, it would be of great assistance to ensure our future growth.

Interlude VIII

Valentina

The morning following the visit of the two Alphas, I went to the gym for warrior training as usual; only today, I was a little more excited. It was the day the girls and I had agreed to hang out in the city. Although it was still Friday, and most wolves still had to work, the three of us had taken the day off. Well, technically. Despite holding the same power as our mates, females of the Elite - save for the Delta - weren’t required to perform any specific jobs.

Regardless of that, we liked helping our men out in any way we possibly could, especially considering how full their hands were at the moment. As Luna, I was happy to discuss major decisions with Zephyr, and I also enjoyed talking to pack members to ensure their concerns were heard. Nisha often used her Alpha knowledge to assist Zach with his tasks, while Amaya was always present at training.

“Good job, Tina! That was an impeccable strike!”

The Beta Female stood a few feet away from my sparring partner and I, occasionally encouraging or correcting us, as she did with the rest of the warriors. It seemed she had witnessed the blow I had landed right on Alex’s ribs after spotting an opening.

“You do learn quickly, don’t you?” A half smile lit up the Delta’s face as she lifted her head. She was still panting a little from our combat. “Nice move, Luna.”

As adamant as Zephyr was about me only sparring with him, he made an exception for Alex when she asked him to take me as her partner a few days ago. At first, I was a little nervous about training with her. I had heard too many stories about how fierce of a fighter she was. It truly was hard to keep up with her, but in the end, I noticed that I started improving a lot faster since we started sparring together.

“Thank you,” I replied at last. “I didn’t hurt you too bad, did I?”

“Nah.” She waved me off, playfulness shining in her eyes. “But you do hit harder than most men here.” A second later, I heard a few of the males scoff. Only then did I realize that was exactly what she wanted, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright, training is over. You’re dismissed.” At Malin’s announcement, the pairs immediately broke apart from each other. “You better come back with more energy on Monday! You were fighting like grandmas today!” It was funny how he played the “bad cop” role, while his mate was clearly the “good cop.”

I would usually wait for Zephyr before leaving the training grounds, but I was so entertained in a conversation with Amaya and Alex, it completely slipped my mind. The girls and I had already discussed the details for our day out, we didn’t mind going over them again as anticipation consumed us. Our plan was to go to Pines Amusement Park, then make a final stop at a renowned shifter restaurant downtown before heading back home.

“Hey girls! Ready for our date?” Nisha’s voice caught our attention as we made our way back to the pack house. She rushed over to us, an excited grin on her face.

“You bet! We were just talking about that,” I told her.

Amaya turned to Alex. “You sure you can’t come with us?”

“I’d love to, but there’s too much I have to do ‘round here.” The Delta smiled apologetically. “Fridays are always busy. There’s a bunch of reports I need to prepare following the end of the week.”

“Deltas work too hard,” I observed. “You don’t get enough recognition for everything you do.”

“True. I love the job, though.” Alex shrugged. We knew that she meant it; no one was more passionate about their position than she was.

“Maybe we can catch a movie tomorrow? We can use the cinema room,” Nisha suggested.

“That’d be cool!” the Delta agreed. “There’s this new Tom Cruise movie I’ve been dying to watch.”

“Did you know he’s a werewolf?” I whispered, as if it was a big secret. When the three women stopped, looking at me with wide eyes, I immediately knew the answer.

“What? No way!” Nisha yelled in disbelief.

“That actually explains why he’s still so hot even though he’s supposed to be in his sixties. He doesn’t age like humans do,” Amaya pointed out.

“Who’s hot?” An unexpected masculine voice sounded behind us.

I glanced over my shoulder to find a frowning Malin. Zephyr was right by his side. He looked like a greek god with his wet jet-black hair glistening blue underneath the sunrays, as beads of sweat dropped down the tips of his messy strands onto his exposed, muscular chest. I held my breath, unaware of how I was blatantly ogling his half-naked body. A smirk played on his lips when he realized it before I did.

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