Chapter Thirty Three

Tatiana’s POV

Both Luca and Duncan left before Tatiana woke up the next day. Sadie was in the kitchen when she went to grab a coffee. Sadie eyed her when she entered the room, but remained silent.

“If you are going to lecture me, Luna please wait until I have had my coffee.” Tia grumbled.

Sadie rolled her eyes. “I have no intention of lecturing you. It is between you and your brother, but you guys better work it out. I will not let you guys tear this pack apart.”

Tia went back upstairs to the office. She kneeled on the floor and started picking up paperwork. Duncan trashed it completely. She felt terrible pushing him to that point, but she couldn’t abandon the rogues in the Village. They were a part of her. Duncan was also a big part of her. He wouldn’t force her to choose, would he?

Tatiana was so busy working, and she did not hear Duncan return until she felt his eyes on her from the doorway. He leaned against the door, watching her.

She stood up and placed the paperwork on his desk. “I am sorry about yesterday,” she said.

“Did you clean this up?”

She brushed the hair out of her face. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

“I am sorry too. I know how important it is to you to help the rogues. However, I want you safe, and the safest place for you is with Luca. We will work out a system. I will bring on a Beta.”

“Any idea who?”

“Sadie’s younger brother, Ryder. He’s twelve, but once fully grown, that kid is going to be a beast,” he snickers.

“I love you, and I am proud of you. You are already an amazing Alpha,” she said as she hugged Duncan.

Luca’s POV

Luca walked into the office and almost ran over Tatiana as she was exiting, “Is Duncan in there? The movers are looking for him.”

She nodded, “He is. Can I talk to you when you get a minute?”

“Of course, I will let him know. Then I am all yours.”

Much to Luca’s relief, Tatiana and Duncan were in a better mood. As he returned from the office, she took his hand and led him towards her room.

“I apologize for yesterday. I was tired, and I felt attacked.”

“I wasn’t attacking you, I was worried you were going to push him too far.”

“I know. Are you coming with me to the Village today?”

“Yes, Duncan gave his blessing and he will put the new Beta in charge of pup training.” Luca said as he tilted her face up towards him and gently kissed her lips.

“You are too good to me,” she moaned.

“I know. I am sure you will repay my kindness.”

She laughed, “Oh I can think of a few ways.”

Ryder’s POV

Ryder was in his room, stuffing some clothes into a backpack, when his brother, Cory, walked in. “Hey little dude, are you ready?”

“Would you not call me little dude? I am going to be a Beta.”

Cory laughed, “Well you are not Beta yet, and I will always call you little dude.”

Ryder scoffs, “Yes, I can see them cowering now. Little dude has your ass in a vice.”

Cory throws his head back and snorts. “You are my little brother. I will always kick your ass, but I know you will make a good Beta. Take care of Sadie.”

Ryder asks, “Any tips on how to be a badass Beta?”

Cory grabs his brother in a headlock and rubs his knuckles into his scalp. “Never let you guard down?”

Ryder hissed, “You are an asshole.”

Gaby’s POV

Gaby sat at the fire with Agnes and Evie. Dorthea had been sick for the last two days with stomach problems. Gaby was making her soup as Evie prattled on about Village gossip until, eventually, the conversation turned to the murder in Port Angeles.

“The young thing didn’t stand a chance against that beast,” Evie scowled.

“What beast?” Gaby asked.

“The enormous beast that killed those Mora warriors,” she stated.

Gaby shook her head, “Mora warriors killed the young wolf.”

Evie looked at her, shocked, “Why?”

“I don’t know why anyone would kill. Some speculate it was retaliation for the death of those warriors, but I don’t believe it. Why was I attacked? They hate rogues.”

Agnes spoke, “Werewolves don’t need a reason to regress to their basest nature. They are hunters.”

Gaby interrupted, “I don’t believe that. I love my wolf's nature—the feel of the earth against my paws and submitting to my instinct and intuition. My ability to hunt is not who I am.”

Agnes continued, “No, that is where you are wrong. Originally, we had to hunt humans to expand our species. We have since grown past that need, but it is still a part of who we are. I am not saying what happened is right. I am saying if you ignore our nature, it will be at your peril. Having been around many moons, I have seen our kind develop throughout history,”

“Yes, but we have evolved.”

“There are many in the tribe who believe we are on the brink of a 100-year war. The presence of a Zeta and now the sighting of a Gamma are in line with that theory. The fight will turn werewolf against werewolf, and our blood will stain the shore. Your Alpha princess will be an essential part of shaping our future.”

“Tatiana?”

Duncan’s POV

The movers finished unpacking in the master suite with Sadie’s guidance, so Duncan checked in with Mike. They had returned from Port Angeles with no new information. Sadie was ecstatic that her younger brother would arrive late in the morning tomorrow. She had already spent the morning setting up his room in the pack house. He hoped he was not making a mistake taking on a twelve-year-old Beta. He would give Ryder a few days to settle in before calling an Alpha meeting to discuss the rogue attacks.

Luca popped into his head, “Tia and I are heading out to the Village. Is there anything you need before we go?”

“No, Sadie has everything under control at the house. When you get back, we can discuss the Beta duties and you can transfer some files over.”

The new office decor was modern, industrial. White walls with charcoal leather couches. New video monitors and a new surveillance system replaced the old file cabinets. The bills were coming in for the renovation, and so far, they were on budget. They would sort the additional expense of the Beta allowance with the accountant by the end of the week. Duncan turned the conference room turned into a shared office space for the pack leadership. The gatehouse complex was expanding to include meeting spaces. Duncan’s least favorite part of the job was the finances. Gareth was managing the construction projects, but it still left a lot for Duncan to sort out. The upgraded security systems were long overdue. If it protected his pack, then the money spent was well worth it.