AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Xander seemed to sense me immediately. His head jerked from my brother to me; his eyes softened as he took me in. I could feel my anger melting away as they came closer. His gaze filled with apology and tenderness.
“Hey, babydoll, sorry I slipped out. I didn’t want to disturb you since you had been up so late.” He pressed a quick kiss to my temple before he continued, “When Brady said you would be up early, I felt so bad that I didn’t wait for you to wake up and just tell you I had to run an errand.”
“What errand was that?” I asked, doing my best to keep my eyes narrowed but finding my resolve to stay mad melting away.
“Well, I had a few more things I needed to move in. I didn’t want to overwhelm you before with over taking your space, but given the change, I was hoping it wouldn’t be an issue.”
I felt a tinge of deceit in his story, but I forced myself to dismiss it. Everyone kept telling me to trust him, and I was going to do just that.
“That’s all right. You should bring all your things here. This is your home now, after all.” I said with a small smile.
Xander seemed taken aback by my response, while Brady just gave a knowing smile before tactfully stepping away.
“Thanks,” Xander said. “I appreciate you saying that.”
“We’re mates, right? We have to share our spaces and all that jazz.” I flinched at my word choice, but kept my composure as he smiled back at me.
“Yeah, we are.”
I looked around the sidewalk outside the packhouse, noticing some human girls walking back. Their eyes devoured every inch of Xander as he stood in front of me. Lust burned deep in their gazes before they turned away in a fit of giggles.
Their attention to Xander made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like the way they looked at him, as if he was free game.
“Hey, would you be willing to go out with me sometime?” Xander asked. His question pulled me away from my desire to go after the human woman.
“What do you mean?” I asked, startled by the sudden change in conversation.
“I’d like to take you out. Outside of the pack territory or inside, though I don’t know a lot of places inside the city. But I do know a place to go dancing tomorrow night, if you’d be interested.”
“The rogue bar?” I asked.
Xander laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess it’s not a well-kept secret like we all thought it was, but yeah, Feral Tides. They do a sort of Latin night on Tuesday nights. Tacos and margaritas. Hardly any of the old rogues attend. Especially not Dad. But the younger crowd loves it. I thought maybe I could take you.”
“You don’t think they would be a little put off by me being there? Don’t the rogues all hate my family? That’s why they refuse to accept us as alphas and choose to remain rogues.”
Xander sighed. “For the older rogues, yeah, that is how most of them feel. But the ones closer to our age were just kids when their parents left. Some weren’t even born yet. They don’t have a care about the reasons our families had left the pack. They know nothing but the rogue life. However,” he said and took my hand, “we could always hide your scent. They would never even know you’re there. I promise.”
I thought about it for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of going to the rogue’s known headquarters. It could be beneficial for me to get inside. I might even locate the witch they are working with and gain a better understanding of what the rogues were doing – what their plans truly were.
I looked up at Xander as I thought it over. I saw the spark of hope in his eyes of true, innocent hope. It made me feel bad for looking at this little date from a pack business perspective. He clearly wanted to spend some time with me as a couple. He was taking my declaration that we needed to start over and get to know one another. He was really trying his best to make it happen.
Nothing wrong with shooting two birds with one stone, I thought to myself.
“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”
Xander’s face lit up quickly at my answer. He pulled me into a tight hug with his free arm as he thanked me for giving him thechance and promising me that I would have the time of my life with him there. I was hoping he was right. I really wanted to have as good of a time as he was promising, and I had a feeling it would be…with or without any good information for the pack.
~
Xander and I left the pack house the next night, just before sunset. Brady made me the potion we needed to hide my scent. He had insisted on it, reminding me that while I might fool wolves with my potions, the risk of the witch being there and sensing the magic was too great. I dressed in a cocktail dress with a flowing skirt, attempting to match the theme night Xander had mentioned. He, on the other hand, wore plain jeans with a button-up black shirt.
He admired me at the edge of the forest as I approached. A smile spread across his lips. “You look amazing, babydoll.”
“You look like I over dressed,” I commented as I gestured to his outfit.
Xander laughed as he took my hand and pulled me into the trees. “Not at all. I just don’t own anything that nice. Never saw a point to it till tonight. But you will fit right in with the other girls. They always go all out for Latin night.”
By the time we made it to the other side of the forest, the sun had set, and the sounds of music vibrated in my chest as the barcame into view ahead of us. Xander looked down at me as he held my hand over the last of the fallen trees and bushes. Then he gave a flourishing gesture to the enormous structure before us.
