Page 24 of Fated to the Rogue

“She was totally worth the wait.” He sighed dreamily. “Dude, she’s perfect! Like seriously. She’s smart and sweet and kind…”

“You’ve only known her for a couple of hours.” I laughed.

“Yet it feels like I’ve known her for a lifetime,” he cooed as he started carelessly stuffing his belongings back into his suitcase.

“Wait, where are you going?” I arched an eyebrow at him.

“I’m sleeping in Amaya’s room. She needs help packing and preparing to go back to Wind Howlers with us tomorrow.”

“Oh.” I blinked a few times before forcing a smile. “Of course.”

It was common for females to move packs once they found their mates, especially if they were of lower rank than their male partner. A bit misogynistic if you ask me, but that’s how our society works; our feral side values power, so the strongest make the rules. That being said, Amaya would be flying back to Genoro with us tomorrow, so it was only natural for Malin to support her as she said her goodbyes to everyone. It was definitely a big change in her life, and I sometimes caught myself wondering how she-wolves did it.

“See you in the morning, man.” He disappeared out the door as quickly as he had come, allowing me no time to reply.

And as soon as he was gone, I realized I would be alone for the rest of the night, and I immediately regretted not bringing a book or something to keep myself busy. I thought it would be a boys trip; just my best friend and I tearing Galensoles down.

“Are you jealous, Zephyr?” Dawn teased.“That’s cute. Afraid to lose your boy?”

“No, I’m happy for him,” I replied honestly. “I just…” I made a brief pause. My thoughts made me feel pathetic, but considering my she-wolf could hear them either way, I knew there was no point in trying to hide them. “I just wonder if I’ll ever find my mate, like he did. Maybe if I do, the emptiness I feel will finally go away.”

She lowered her ears, looking away.“I don’t think that’s quite the reason why you feel that way. I’m sorry, I know how terrible it feels.” Of course she did; we shared the same feelings after all. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to feel whole though. And for what it’s worth, until then, you’ve still got me.” Her sweetsmile warmed my heart. “In the meantime, I know what could keep us busy. Let’s go for a run in the desert!”

I was hesitant at first. I was feeling more comfortable setting her free at home, but this was different. The wolves here didn’t know about my secret… Or at least I hoped they didn’t. On second thought, the territory was fairly large, and most wolves should be getting ready for bed. Besides, I could really use a run to blow off some steam.

“Yeah!”Dawn cheered as I hopped out of bed before I could change my mind.

As expected, the hallways were mostly empty. There were still a few members enjoying the early night outside, but the further away we ventured from the main square, the less people we came across. When I reached an area where there was nothing aside from the endless dunes, I allowed Dawn to take control. As she set off running, my troubles momentarily disappeared.

“The wind here feels so different than it does back home,” she observed, howling into the night.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you ever stop and just appreciate the world around you? Humans are so weird,” she scoffed.

At last, I decided to follow her suggestion, and it didn’t take me long to realize she was right. The sand underneath our paws was warm, yet the wind caressing our face was cold. It was also rough due to the sand particles it carried, not in an unpleasant way though. After a while, she climbed up one of the dunes, bathing in the moonlight as she took in the view before her. I got distracted doing the same, but I was soon reminded of why I shouldn’t let my guard down when a familiar voice took me by surprise.

“She’s beautiful.” When Dawn turned around to find Alpha Ruben standing at the foot of the Dune, I froze.

“Is this dude flirting with me?”She cocked her head to the side, but I could barely hear her words as fear took over me. No one outside of my pack had ever seen my she-wolf.

“Don’t worry. I don’t think you’re a freak. Quite the contrary,” the leader continued, taking a few steps towards us. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of your counterpart, Alpha Zephyr.”

“Damn. He’s good at reading auras.”

“What do you mean?”

“He sensed your insecurities earlier, even though you were hiding your emotions perfectly,”she clarified.“You’re scared now because he found us, but all he sees is me, and I’m not showing any kind of apprehension. He can read your feelings even when you’re in animal form.”

Before I had time to process the information, the man’s voice sounded again. “You came here seeking my help. I can’t offer you any of my warriors, but I can give you a piece of advice.” He stopped moving only a few steps away from my she-wolf, his eyes piercing through me. “Don’t let rumors determine who you are. If anything, let them become fuel for you to prove them wrong. Oh, and remember - if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.” He showed me his characteristic smile before turning his back to me. “Have a good night, Zephyr.”

All I could do was watch as he walked away, completely stunned by his words.

10 | New

My bonding time with Dawn was great to relieve some stress, but it caused me to lose precious sleep hours. It also didn’t help that my weird encounter with Alpha Ruben kept me awake all night, his words playing on repeat inside my head. In the end, I had probably gotten around four hours of rest before the alarm went off. I thought I would have gotten used to the lack of sleep as it seemed to have become a habit, but as soon as my best friend burst through the door of the guest suite, I was sure my looks said otherwise.

“Good morning, sunshine! Time to rise and-” Malin’s voice made me shoot up in bed. His eyes widened in horror the second they landed on me. “Holy Goddess! You look like utter crap! What have you been doing all night? Cause you sure as hell weren’t sleeping!”

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