Page 79 of Fated to the Rogue

“Yeah. Since I started helping Malin conduct training to take some of the load off his shoulders, that’s basically the only time we get to be together,” Amaya revealed sadly. “I know they have a lot on their plates with everything that’s been going on, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss him.”

“The worst part is that they’re stressing a lot because of this situation. I mean, they should be worried for sure, but it’s killing me to see Zach so tense. Well, more than he usually is, anyway,” the Gamma Female confessed.

“True. Zephyr has barely been able to relax, which concerns me, since he’s usually pretty easygoing,” I joined their melancholic conversation, feeling the need to vent. The three of us remained silent for a few seconds, until an idea suddenly hit me. “You know what I’m thinking?” They both lifted their gazes to look at me. “Maybe we can throw them a little surprise party.”

“Tonight?” Amaya asked, and I nodded.

“Like a triple date!” Nisha smiled. “Oh, I’m in!”

“Girl, you’re a genius!” The Beta Female soon mimicked her reaction. “They’ll be out for the whole day today, which will give us enough time to prepare. They won’t suspect a thing.”

“It’s settled then.” A huge grin lit up my face. “Do you have any ideas on how we should do it?”

“Maybe I can help with that…” The moment I saw the smirk on the Gamma Female’s face, I knew she already had it all figured out.

After Nisha explained her idea to us, we divided the tasks equally among us. We decided it would be best if I took care of our dinner, since the two of them were high-ranking females in their previous packs, and therefore never learned how to cook. Amaya volunteered to take Malin’s car and drive to the nearestcity to buy us some bottles of werewine. Lastly, Nisha would be in charge of picking the perfect spot for our dinner party and preparing the decorations. She said she used to be the one who organized events back at her old pack, so she had the most experience in that department.

Once we had everything carefully planned, we set out to get our daily duties done so we could get into the party preparations. Amaya would be leaving for the city as soon as she was done helping Malin with the extra afternoon training session. Since Nisha had promised to instruct the new sentinels while Zach was away at the border, she could only start organizing the details for our little event afterwards. Meanwhile, I had agreed to meet a single mother who had moved into the main part of the territory after the merge; she was having trouble adjusting to her new home. It wouldn’t take long, which meant I would be free to prepare our menu all afternoon. Perfect!

???

To get a better understanding of the pack member’s problem, I arranged to meet her at her house. It was only a five-minute walk from the town square, heading towards the east border. Once I arrived there, I found her sitting on a wooden bench outside, rocking her two-year-old boy in her arms. The moment she saw me, she stood up abruptly, causing the pup to whine a little.

“Good morning, Luna Valentina.” The young woman immediately lowered her head in respect. “I’m so sorry for troubling you.”

“It’s no problem…Jennette, right?” She blinked twice, clearly surprised that I knew her name, before nodding. “And who’s this handsome boy?” I slowly leaned forward to take a closer look atthe pup, who had turned his head to study me. When I smiled at him, he soon returned the gesture.

“I Mileo!” the little kid giggled.

“It’s Elio, my Luna,” his mother corrected, flashing an apologetic smile at me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two,” I chuckled. “Well, Jennette, what’s bothering you about your new home?”

“The house is perfect, my Luna. We are grateful for your hospitality and the Alpha’s. It’s just… Elio has been having trouble sleeping since we moved.” The fatigue evident in her expression let me know she wasn’t getting much sleep either.

“I see. Do you miss your old home, little guy?” I asked, and the pup nodded. “It’s alright. I’ll make sure your momma and I can make you comfortable here, okay?”

“I’ve tried everything,” Jennette went on. “I’ve moved all of his toys, decorated the new room exactly like his old one. I’ve also kept the old blankets so they smell familiar to him. I’ve even taken him to the doctors, but he had allergies from the sleeping pills they prescribed.”

“There are natural products that can help wolves sleep,” Dusk pointed out. “They are less likely to trigger allergic reactions. I’m surprised the doctors haven’t tried them first.”

“Shamans are the ones who study naturopathy, but they’re hard to find these days. Pack doctors have started going to university over the past decades in order to occupy the position. That’s likely why they opted for medication,”I clarified. “But why do you say that? Do you have any ideas?”

“I think so. Ask her if she tried giving him passionflower and lemon balm tea.”

“What?” His unexpected suggestion left me confused. “Where did that even come from?”

“I…I don’t know. But I have a feeling it might work.”

At first, I hesitated, but since my wolf usually gave me great advice, I decided to give it a shot.

“Have you tried calming tea blends?” My attention fell on the young mom again.

She cocked her head to the side. “No. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I’ll be back in a moment.” Showing her one last smile, I turned on my heel to leave.

Trusting my wolf’s idea, I rushed back into the packhouse and headed towards the kitchen. Two cooks immediately stopped what they were doing to greet me. Worried that I might be hungry, they tried offering me a variety of snacks. When I managed to tell them what I needed, they exchanged looks of confusion, but didn’t question me. In five minutes, they were done preparing my order. I thanked them before making my way back to Jennette’s house.

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