Page 72 of Fated to the Rogue

“Don’t be afraid!” I told her over the noise of the fast-blowing wind. My hair was all over the place, and I was sure I would look like a gremlin once we arrived at our destination.

“I’m not!” She scoffed, but her lie was evident in the way she gripped the steering wheel as if her life depended on it. She slowed the car to a stop. Because of how early it was, there was no one else on the highway with us, which probably helped her feel more relaxed.

“Don’t think too much about it. Just enjoy the moment, Wind Howlers’ style!”

Valentina looked at me like I was insane, but for some reason, she decided to trust me. I watched as she took a deep breath, allowing herself to close her eyes. Little by little, she loosened her grip on the steering wheel. When she opened her eyes again, she sucked in another deep breath before sinking her foot deeper into the gas pedal, flooring it down the highway. A huge smile spread over her lips, and I swear it was brighter than the sun.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I chanted, lifting my head up to the sky to release an enthusiastic howl. Again, she flashed me a look of disapproval. “Come on, sunrise. You’re one of us!”

“You’re crazy!” she yelled, yet the smile never left her face. “And I fucking love you!” The next second, she joined me in my broken melody.

“Well, that’s another item I can add to the list of things I can do better than you,” Dawn joked.

“Too bad you can’t drive a car, nor fit inside of one!” I teased back.

My mate and I continued to enjoy the feeling of freedom until we made it to the city. I was ready to drive the car back home, thinking Tina must’ve had enough adventure for aday, but to my surprise, she asked to do it herself. When we arrived, she skillfully parked my Ferrari right next to my father’s Porsche. Once we hopped out, I ran upstairs to leave the stuff I had bought in my office before heading into my room to change.

I was putting on my shorts when my mate’s voice caught my attention. “Since I’m already up, can I join you and the guys in training?”

“What?” I immediately turned around to find her standing behind me in her own workout clothes. “Why?”

“I just…I’ve been thinking lately.” She sighed, running her fingers up her arm. “With the destruction of Nightwalkers Pack and the whole Fallen issue, I…I wanna be able to defend our pack. To fight beside you.”

A couple of days after the two sisters snuck into our territory, the I. N. Elder Council made an official announcement, deeming Nightwalkers Pack officially extinct. All of the bodies, including those of Agatha and Sam, had been identified, confirming that there had been no survivors. They also declared the attack as work of the Fallen. I could understand her worry, but…

“I can’t have you sparring with the men,” I determined without thinking. “I understand that you’re worried, we all are. But you’re the heart of this pack, Tina. You’re the Luna.” Taking a step forward, I closed the distance between us. “You don’t belong on a battlefield.” I wanted to wrap my arms around her, bring her closer to me, but she backed away before I could.

“You said it yourself. I’m the Luna.” She held her head up, glaring at me with a braveness no other wolf ever had. I had seen that look on Dawn’s face a million times, and I knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Zephyr. It’s my duty to protect this pack as much as it is yours.”

She had a good argument, but my heart still throbbed at the idea of her getting hurt. It wasn’t common for Lunas to fight beside their Alphas; their job was to keep the pack togethershould their mate perish in combat. They weren’t supposed to fight.

“Have you learned nothing in the past month?” Dawn chimed in, clearly frustrated. “First, you refused to let me fight because you thought being a female made me weak. Are you gonna repeat the same mistake with your mate?”

“That’s not it,”I dismissed her.

“Yes, that’s exactly it.” She put her foot down.“The witch said Tina and I are the same. If that’s true, she should be more than capable of defending herself, don’t you think?”

The frowns of my she-wolf and my mate combined were too much to take. In the end, all I could do was acknowledge defeat.

“Fine.”

Her stern expression immediately melted into a smile. “Thank you, my moonlight.” She gave me a quick peck on the cheek before walking past me to lead the way. “And thank you, Dawn.”

“How did you-” I began, but soon shook my head. “You know what? Nevermind.”

These two she-wolves would be the death of me.

By the time we made it to the gym, training had just started. My Luna had a confident posture as she walked past the warriors, who stared at her in utter confusion. I went straight to Malin to tell him about Valentina’s desire to join us, and he had no problem with it. Amaya, who had been helping my Beta conduct training for a while now, even flashed her an encouraging smile.

Since I obviously wouldn’t allow my mate to spar with anyone else, I took her as my partner. That was actually good; it meant Malin would be able to focus solely on training the others, as he wouldn’t have to spar with me. We were all ready to start, but just as my best friend was done explaining his plan for today’s session, someone broke the silence.

“Excuse me, Alpha.” I turned around to find it was one of our older warriors. His gaze was low in a sign of submission. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to spar with the Luna? I mean, you’re the Alpha, and she has no fighting experience.”

I was ready to handle the situation on my own when my mate took a step forward. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

“I’m Zeta Alfred, my Luna.” The man bowed his head politely at her.

When Tina’s voice sounded again, she took us all by surprise. “Do you take your Luna for a weakling, Zeta Alfred?”

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