Page 34 of Fated to the Rogue

After digesting his words for a moment, I realized the best response I could give him was a sincere smile. “Thank you, Dad.”

“I believe I owe Dawn an apology too.”

“Hell yeah, you do! You can start by apologizing for raising a dickhead!” my she-wolf chided, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Believe me, Dad, it’s cool. She’s more forgiving than I am,” I reassured him.

“And smarter, too. Not to mention prettier.” She raised her head proudly.

“Good to know.” My father smiled. A moment later, he cleared his throat, raising his arms awkwardly. “Can I…?”

I rolled my eyes at him, but tossed my arms around him nevertheless. At first, he stiffened, but it didn’t take him long to tighten his grasp around me. I couldn’t recall hugging him since I was ten or so. It used to make me feel safe, but now…it felt different. It was evident he wasn’t trying to protect me, but rather he was showing me something - respect. And it was all I could ever want.

After our father-son moment, we left the hospital and parted ways. He insisted I talked to my mother too, and I agreed to come see her later after I found out what the boys wanted. Malin texted me to meet with him, Amaya, Zach, and Alex by the cliff once I was released, probably to drink some beer and celebratemy victory. Everything turned out alright in the end, but it had still been a stressful day and I could use a moment to unwind.

As I was crossing the main square, I noticed pack members frequently stopping to look at me. Hearing them whisper caused the hairs on the back of my neck to bristle as I was instantly reminded of the shit they used to say behind my back. As I listened closely though, I was baffled. I was still their topic of discussion, but they weren’t theorizing about me being cursed or weak. Quite the opposite, actually.

“I can’t believe you didn’t see Alpha Zephyr in action today,” a girl told one of her friends.

“I know! Everyone says it was awesome!”

“It was more than awesome! First, he started by facing Ryder in human form, and he was actually winning! I mean, how fucking brave was that?”

“And hot!” a third girl added.

“Then, his wolf came out, and she made that little pup piss himself! She’s so powerful!”

“You mean, like, Luna-powerful?”

Girl number one shook her head. “More. She’s powerful like a true Alpha.”

They must have noticed I was staring, because they soon stopped talking to turn to me. A second later, they didn’t giggle and wave in an attempt to flatter me. They blushed and lowered their heads before me.

“It took them a while to learn to show their Alpha some respect,” Dawn observed. “But like I told you, wolves recognize strength when they see it. You should have let me do that sooner.”

“I didn’t think it would matter. There haven’t been female Alphas in a long time because our society believes males are stronger.”

“That’s only a human thing, you know?” I cocked my head to the side, not fully understanding what she meant. “In regular wolf packs, both the strongest male and female are Alphas; there’s no Luna. They both hold the same respect, and they both rule, side by side.”

As simple as it was, her observation blew my mind. I shook my head, smiling as I continued on my way. “Maybe you can make our society see that.”

She returned the gesture. “Will you help me, Zephyr?”

“After what you did today, Dawn, you have my full support.”

14 | Claim

Although I was forced to take some time out from my duties to recover, the morning following my victory was extremely busy.

I now had to deal with the consequences of the challenge, which were very urgent - as if my hands weren’t already full before. Our Elder had reported the results of the match to the National Council. In turn, they issued a notice giving me three days to absorb Silent Rivers into Wind Howlers, taking its territory and resources, or else a new leader would be appointed among the current members. It was a huge responsibility to take care of in such a short time, but I knew why it couldn’t wait. Wolves need an Alpha to guide them; without one, their feral instincts will come forth. They’ll start in-fighting to decide who should take the crown, unleashing chaos.

Despite how stressful the whole situation was, my mood was surprisingly lighter. Whether it was the pride I felt after my first win, or the inner peace that flooded me upon strengthening my bond with my wolf, I wasn’t overwhelmed by it all. It also helped to have supportive friends who were more than willing to work their hardest. Before sunrise, my men and I gathered in my office to discuss our best course of action. Three hours into our meeting, we managed to orchestrate a solid plan.

“Okay, let’s review.” I cleared my throat, standing up from my seat for the first time since I entered the room. “We will headout to Silent Rivers at 1:00 p.m. sharp. If the pack members don’t resist the merge, we can start moving them to our territory this evening, where we can keep a closer eye on them and make sure they get familiar with our rules and traditions. We will use their lands for farming until we can study a more suitable function for all that space,” I concluded, turning to my best friend. “Malin?”

“I will update Alexandra on what we discussed here, let her know to prepare the pack for the arrival of the new members. I’ll also be conducting a second sparring session to teach the Silent Rivers wolves our secret technique and fighting style, as well as get them used to our training schedule,” he reported promptly.

“Zach?” I glanced at my third-in-command.

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