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"The wolves ran south because of me," he blurts out, the words not making any sense.
"What are you talking about? What does that even mean?" I shrug out of his grasp, careful to still keep my eyes focused on the rogues though I spare him a couple glances as he struggles to get an explanation out.
"The rogues tried to hit my pack land first. There didn't seem to be that many, and I didn't see any reason to risk one of my wolves getting hurt. I told my wolves to turn them south and just run them off. I never expected…"
"That south would mean right into the path of someone else's pack?" I ask, my voice high-pitched and horrified. That kind of decision put other wolves in danger all for the sake of protecting his own pack, even though his pack is trained to handle exactly that sort of fight, whereas Callum's pack's training wasn't nearly as intensive.
I shake my head and take a deep breath. Neither of us can afford to be irrational right now. I'm not just someone’s assistant anymore. I'm the Anchorage Lake Pack Luna; I have a duty to protect our wolves, no matter how mad Dominic might make me.
And if I'm being honest… I have to admit that we probably both have a share of the blame when it comes to this. Because he might have sent the rogues south, but there were other packs they could have hit before reaching ours. Which means there's a good chance my scentdidplay a part. I can't just ignore the way the rogues stopped for a moment mid-fight when they caught a whiff of my scent.
No one will win if we start playing the blame game right now. But at least knowing Dominic's role in all of this—and after my sister's revelation about what happened to Jimmy—I can release more of the burden I've felt thinking it was entirely my fault.
I turn my attention back on the matter at hand.
"You know what? I can't just stand here and wait for them to do something," I blurt out, shuffling forward. "They want our attention? They have it."
"What? Tess, what the hell, stop." Dominic reaches for me, but he doesn't make contact. As I step off the garden path into the wide expanse of field separating us from the rogues, the ground splits, creating a runway ahead of me and putting a chasm between Dominic and I just wide enough that he can't reach me.
"Tess!" he shouts angrily, as if I've somehow done it on purpose. I keep moving, feeling compelled to keep going even though I realize this might be the stupidest thing I've ever done.
And I let a near stranger mark me two days ago.
The ground shudders under my feet, the cracks on either side of me widening. I hope like hell they'll somehow close after this because I'm horribly embarrassed by the possibility that I'm forever damaging sacred grounds.
The rogues ahead of me start to look uneasy, some of them only shift in place, but some step back, retreating slightly. One thing is clear in the moment—they aren't here to fight. These aren't warriors. In fact, as I move closer, I realize that a lot of these rogues look like they've barely had their first shift. They're only pups, really.
There isn’t a clear leader among them, but that's normal for rogues. I head for one of the older looking wolves near the center since someone needs to be my destination. The big, espresso-colored wolf steps forward hesitantly, almost as if he's not sure whether to greet me or tuck tail and run.
None of this is adding up. It feels like… a bad distraction.
Dominic, we need to get back to the pack right now,I tell him, already mid-shift as I turn and abandon my plan to talk to the rogues outright. I have a feeling they know nothing. They were sent here to be a distraction. A sacrifice. No one sends young rogues to win a war.
Tess, what the hell?Dominic grunts, but he shifts within seconds of me. I'm already passing him as he gets his paws going under him. I have to remind myself the pack won't be able to keep up—and I'll be no use to anyone if I run straight into danger alone.
I slow enough for him to catch up.I need you to trust me, I tell him.This is only a decoy meant to distract us. I can feel it in my gut this doesn't add up. I think our pack is in danger.
The mind link is strong enough between us as mates that I feel his surprise over how easily I claim his pack as my own. I know it hasn't been long, but everything in me screams that his wolves are mine too. That we're a family, and it's my duty to protect them as their Luna. There's no second-guessing my role in this pack—there's only instinct.
I do trust you, Dominic reassures me. And I know it must be true because he falls into place just behind my left flank, letting me take point as we run parallel to the road that leads back out of the Luna Sovereign's estate.
Our pack takes notice. The moment we reach the first wolves on guard, they leap to attention.What's going on?It's a question that echoes across every wolf within view.
I can't help but notice that one voice is still missing. The wolf who followed my sister. There's a horrible ache in my chest as I wonder where the hell she might have gone and whether he's keeping her safe, but right now I can't do her any good. I have to focus on the family I can look after. My new family.
We're heading home,Dominic answers.There's danger lurking and the pack might not be safe. Start reeling everyone in. We need to move as one until we know what we're contending with. Except Lewis. If anyone can reach him, tell him to stay with Tasha.
Several of the wolves howl, sounding off their agreement. No one questions Dominic's orders despite the fact that most of them surely saw the sheer number of rogues surrounding the Luna Sovereign's estate. They trust him in a way I could have never imagined prior to seeing it in action myself.
It's amazing the kind of loyalty my mate inspires in his pack. I glance wistfully at him even though it really isn't the time. If we survive whatever is coming, I plan on asking him to fuck me over every square inch of his family home.
His head jerks sharply toward me, catching my eye.I heard that.His mouth tilts up at one corner in the closest thing to a smirk a wolf can offer.
Good, my wolf thinks.He'll know what's at stake if we all die.
Reel in the morbid thoughts, I chastise her. Nobody is dying. Not on my watch. Not when I'm just starting to feel like I have any idea where I belong or what I might be capable of.
The wolves of our pack fall in with us, some of them running ahead while the others run behind or beside. At some point, we'll have to get back here for Dominic's car, but right now the best way to approach home is on foot alongside our pack. It's much safer than Dominic and I being alone in the SUV in human form.
