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It was clear that the bond The Fates spoke of was the mate bond with Liberty, but we had finalized that bond. Only death could end it now.
At the thought of decisions, my mind raced back to the rogues…to those who had been my family for as long as I can remember. We were a pack in all but name, and I still held loyalty to them. But were The Fates telling me that I would have to choose between them and my mate?
I roamed through the forest, considering the words. I didn’t notice the direction I went or how far I had wandered. I had no direction in mind, only the words of The Fates. It wasn’t until I heard children’s laughter that I snapped out of my head and looked around.
I had stumbled upon a clearing at the very center of the forest, a place I had never been to before. I noticed several children from the pack running around and laughing as they climbed on large rocks and made claims of being kings and queens of the mountain.
After a few moments of watching, I recognized a couple of the children. They didn’t come from the packhouse. They didn’t belong to the pack at all. They were children of rogues who had been born as rogues and never known any other life, yet they blended in with the pack children so well that I had almost not noticed that they didn’t belong at all.
“You won’t tell anyone about them, will you?” I turned to the sound of the voice and found Cheri sitting in a tree above me.
“How long has this been a thing?” I asked.
Cheri shrugged sadly and looked back at the children playing. “I found them playing together a year ago. I tried to keep them all from coming, but the kids begged me; when they didn’t beg me, they just snuck off anyway. So, I decided it was better to watch them and whisk the little ones to safety should the pack ever discover them.”
She looked around me before her eyes met mine again. “Where is your mate?”
“She’s back at the packhouse. There is something important that she and her father need to do.”
“Why aren’t you helping them with it, then? You’re supposed to be the next alpha with her, aren’t you?” Cheri’s voice held some bitterness to it as she spoke.
“I was out on patrol with Brady,” I explained, although I knew I didn’t need to.
We watched the kids continue their game in silence. Their innocence renewed my hope for the future as I watched them.
“They found one another all on their own?” I asked.
Cheri nodded. “Yeah, I’m not exactly sure how, but they did. They always meet right here in a no man’s land. Notrogue territory and not pack territory, either. How these kids discovered it, well, your guess is as good as mine.”
I smiled at that. “So, they met in the middle.”
Cheri didn’t respond. She didn’t say a word until the children all scampered away in different directions, with plans to meet again tomorrow.
“I have to make sure they get home safe,” Cheri said as she dropped from the tree.
I grabbed her wrist and stopped her before she could go too far. “I’m sorry, Cheri. I don’t know what I did to lead you on, but I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
She slowly looked back at me, a sad smile on her lips. “You didn’t. I lead myself on. I’ll be okay, though. I promise. Seeing you with her hurt, but I was also happy for you. I just hope that everyone else can be as happy as I am.”
“I’m going to bring you all to the pack,” I promised. “I’m not forgetting you all.”
Cheri turned and hugged me before she stepped down in the direction the children had run. “I know. And you have my support. Rory told me what you asked her. My answer is the same as hers. We trust you, Xander.”
She ran off before I could utter another word. As she went ahead, I heard her call out to the children. I followed suit and walked in the direction, where the pack pups had gone. I caught up to them before the forest’s edge and walked with them the rest of the way home.
They didn’t seem the least bit bothered that I had I seen them playing with the rogue children. They were far more concerned with telling me how they planned to win their game tomorrow, when they saw them next. They seemed completely unaware that anyone else finding them with those children might have scolded them, fearing for their safety.
For me, however, it only proved one thing: we belonged together as a pack. We were all still connected, despite the labels of rogues and pack.
Chapter Sixteen
Liberty
“Congratulations, Liberty. You are going to be a mother.”
I gawked at the old crone as she and the others finished their examination of me.
“Are you sure?” I asked, sitting up from the cot. I rested my hand over my stomach as I watched them go about the room, preparing a potion for me.
