Page 60 of Fated to the Rogue

“I’m sorry, who is this?”

“Oh, forgive my manners. It’s Alpha Ruben, from Dune Drifters.” My eyes immediately widened, and I held the phone closer to my ear. “I’ve heard you’ve defeated your first challenger. Congratulations.”

“Thank you…”I guess.Was he really calling just to congratulate me?

His words only made me more confused, but he soon went on. “This proves you’ve grown since our last meeting. I assume your she-wolf has finally made you see what you couldn’t fully believe then, which is why I’ve changed my mind.” He made a suspenseful pause, causing my anxiety to grow. “I’d like to propose a new deal. I’ll offer you a hundred of my best men.”

“That is… Wow. That’s more than I could ask for, Alpha Ruben,” I replied sincerely, still flabbergasted. “What would you like in return?”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Alpha Zephyr. Your debt to me will be paid once you defeat our common threat.” He was such a mysterious man, but I didn’t get bad vibes from him. At the moment, I could only feel ecstatic. “I’ll be over at Sapphire Pond tomorrow. It’s about a half-hour drive from your territory. Can you meet me there?”

A huge smile lit up my face before I remembered something. “Actually, I already have plans for tomorrow. Would it be a problem if I sent my men instead?”

“Not at all,” he reassured me in a calm tone. “I look forward to meeting your Gamma, and seeing your Beta again. Tell him to bring Amaya along.”

“Of course. Good night, Alpha Ruben.”

“Good night, Alpha Zephyr.”

As soon as I hung up, relief washed over me. At last, it seemed like the tides were turning for us.

21 | Date

Since it was late when I left the office after my brief call with Alpha Ruben, I decided to wait until the next morning to tell everyone the news. The first person I talked to was Valentina, obviously. A late-sleeper, she wasn’t too pleased when I woke her up before sunrise on a Sunday, but she put her irritation aside once I explained everything. She also insisted our trip to the shopping mall could wait if I thought it would be better for me to go in person; she said she understood that my duties should come first, and that she fully supported me as my Luna. I reassured her it was fine, as we needed to get her proper clothes before her ceremony anyway. Besides, we hadn’t had a day-off since we met, and I didn’t wish to postpone our first date.

After filling my mate in, I knocked on both my Beta’s and my Gamma’s door to wake them up. Like me, Malin was ecstatic when I told him about the opportunity we were being offered. He was also a little nervous about representing me for the first time, but excited at the same time. Zach, on the other hand, was less than thrilled when he learned that he would have to tag along.

It wasn’t uncommon for an Alpha to send his Beta in his place if he couldn’t make it to important meetings. Official negotiations and the establishment of treaties required the presence of at least two Elite members from each pack though, which meant my Gamma would have to act as second-in-command for this trip. Zach knew of his duties, and he usuallyfollowed them religiously. However, he had his boundaries. Ever since he connected with his wolf, Talon, he had refused to leave the pack grounds.

There was nothing in the world my introverted Gamma feared more than meeting his mate; he would avoid them like the plague for as long as he could. Initially, he was afraid of finding his fated partner in one of the she-wolves of our pack, but when that didn’t happen, he decided he wouldn’t leave the pack territory if it was on fire. Although I couldn’t begin to comprehend why he was so scared of the mate bond, I did feel bad for ordering him to go with Malin when he was clearly against it. In the end, I just shrugged it off; it wasn’t my fault he had been born a Gamma.

Once that issue was resolved, I linked my Delta to ask her to get everything ready for the boys’ trip. I wasn’t surprised to notice Alex was already up. She wasn’t the least worried about handling the pack all by herself for an entire day, and neither was I. Sundays were mostly calm, though I’m sure her mate and my parents would be glad to help her if she was facing any difficulties. I would also be less than an hour away if she needed me, so everything was under control.

As soon as I had made sure everyone was well-informed and ready to take on their last-minute responsibilities, I went back to the Alpha suite to grab Valentina so we could have breakfast before leaving for the mall. Imagine my surprise when I noticed she wasn’t alone in our room.

My mother was sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, right beside my mate. Laughing and giggling like teenagers, it took them a moment to notice my presence.

“Oh! Good morning, Zeze!” Mom smiled sweetly at me, rising to greet me. “I came here to suggest we have some family time today thinking you’d be free for once, but Tina told me that’s not quite the case. I’m glad you at least managed to getMalin and Zachari to cover for you so you can enjoy the day with your lovely Luna.”

“Yeah…” I muttered apologetically. “We can try doing something when I’m less busy. Maybe in my next life?” I joked.

My mother just rolled her eyes. “Make sure you find some time to be with your father too. He misses you, though you know he’d never admit it.” Her expression suddenly changed, and I knew it could only mean she’d had an idea. “Oh! Maybe I could take Luna Valentina to the mall, and you can spend the day with your father. You hate shopping anyway.”

“Nope. Not gonna happen!” I shut her down quickly. The way she chuckled let me know she never expected me to agree to her suggestion. “Thanks for keeping my Luna company while I was away though.” I glanced at Tina, almost melting when she graced me with one of her radiant smiles.

“Have fun, the two of you. Alpha Zephyr. Luna Valentina.” Mom bowed her head to us both as she turned to leave. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that, but it still felt weird to see her address me with such formality.

“Thank you, Luna Delilah,” my mate said politely.

“Oh, I’m not Luna anymore!” My mother waved her off, winking at her over her shoulder. “You are, my dear.” With those final words, she finally left us.

“Wanna go get something to eat?” I offered Valentina my hand, and she didn’t hesitate to take it.

“Yes, please! I’m starving.”

Together, we went downstairs to join the rest of my team at the Elite members’ table in the dining hall. I suspected Valentina and I would be spending the entire day out with the amount of shopping we had to do, while Malin and Zach should return the next morning. As soon as we were done eating, we bid each other farewell as the guys got into the limousine. My Luna and Iheaded to the garage, where my gold chrome Ferrari was waiting for us.

Once we got into the car, I let her pick the music for our one-hour drive to the city. On the way there, we finally had the chance to learn more about each other, chatting to pass the time. Before we noticed it, we arrived at our destination.

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