Page 25 of Fated to the Rogue

“You’re trying really hard to destroy my self-esteem lately, aren’t you?” I massaged my face with both hands in a subconscious attempt to rub the tired look off of it. When I opened my eyes again, a question instantly popped in my head. “Where’s Amaya?”

“She’s with Dune Drifters’ Elite Team and Elder.” Just the mention of his mate’s name made his eyes glisten. Was he aware of the fact that he looked like a lovesick puppy? “They’re cutting all her ties to the pack so she will have no trouble joining Wind Howlers once she heads back with us.”

I instinctively glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Fuck! We have to be at the airport soon. Let me just shower and-” When I jumped out of bed, he stood in front of me, stretching out his arm to block my path. In return, he earned a quizzical look from me.

“Don’t worry. There’s no need for us to head there.”

“Please don’t tell me our flight got canceled.” With the amount of stuff I had to take care of at home, I really didn’t need any more setbacks.

“You are such a pessimist. You know that?” He smirked. “The reason why we don’t have to go to the airport is because Alpha Ruben has agreed to let us fly on his private jet.”

“His what?!” Shit, I knew the dude was rich, but I never expected him to have his own, personal plane.

“Sick, right?” Malin didn’t even bother hiding his excitement. “Thank Amaya later. He insisted we take it because she’ll be flying back with us.”

“She was already on my good list, but this might just turn her into my favorite person,” I joked.

“Okay, slow down.” He glared at me, but it didn’t take long for another bright smile to light up his face. Was he swooning? “Now that I’ve delivered yet another piece of good news, I’ll go find my shining star. Don’t take too long getting ready! She’s excited to see her new home and I don’t wanna keep her waiting!” As soon as he finished his sentence, he rushed out, closing the door with a loud bang.

Did he just call his mate ashining star? Yuck. Hopefully, I won’t be like that when I find my destined partner. I don’t think I’d be able to stand myself.

“How much worse can you get though? It’s already hard enough to stand you as it is.” There was my bratty she-wolf again with her snark, doing what she did best - annoy me.

“Good morning to you too, Dawn. Did you sleep well? You sound even more irritating today.”I showed her a sarcastic smile.

“Why, thank you, Zephyr! I’m flattered.” She batted her eyelashes at me before diving back into the depths of my mind. I shook my head at her silliness, but the smile never left my face as I got ready to return home.

The second I finished packing my only suitcase, I got a text from Malin saying he and Amaya were waiting for me and the former Elite members downstairs. I was about to knock on my father’s door when he opened it up, so we headed to the first floor together. Aside from my best friend and his mate, who was saying her final goodbyes to her Gamma brother, Alpha Ruben and his Beta were also there.

“Thank you for coming, Alpha Zephyr.” The other leader took a step in my direction to shake my hand. “I hope you enjoyed your stay, as short as it was.”

“We did. Thank you for having us, Alpha Ruben.”

“It was my pleasure. I truly hope we meet again in the future.” He gave me a curt nod before turning to Amaya. “This will always be your home. Please come visit us every once in a while, okay?”

“I will.” The blonde girl smiled, soon returning to her mate’s side.

“The car will take you to our private airstrip.” Ruben waved his hand towards the limousine parked only a few feet away from us. “Have a safe trip.”

As if it was a command, the driver opened the door for us. We all hopped into the car, and as we drove off, I was once again amazed by how large Dune Drifters’ territory was. Amidst all my troubles, I briefly wondered if I would ever be able to make Wind Howlers grow as much under my leadership.

Despite how everything had to be done on short notice, the flight crew was ready to receive us at the runway. They promptly helped us carry our baggage into the private jet, which was a lot smaller than a commercial plane. Surprisingly, its interior was quite spacious, as well as very well decorated, with shiny white plastic tables, cream-colored leather couches and comfortable seats, and golden pillows.

“Dude, we need to get one of these,” Malin whispered to me as soon as we took our seats.

“Way ahead of you,” I replied with the same excitement.

“I trust the two of you will make better use of the pack’s savings.” My father poked his head over my seat, almost giving me a heart attack.

“We were just joking, Dad!” I rolled my eyes at him.

“No, you weren’t,” Dawn chimed in.

Just then, the plane started moving, and we all went silent to listen to the flight attendant’s instructions. As we departed, I noticed how weird it felt not having my best friend by my side. He was seated in front of me with his mate instead, which was only logical. Since we had a couple hours until we landed in Genoro, I decided to try and get to know Amaya better. She would become Beta Female of Wind Howlers after all, and I wanted her to feel welcomed in her new home.

“So, Amaya,” I called, startling her. “We haven’t been properly introduced yet. I’m Zephyr.” I offered her my hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Zephyr.” She lowered her head in respect as we shook hands.

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