Chapter 7 –– Is She A Rogue?

Daemon's Point of View

"Hey, birthday boy!" I said to Tyler, who was with his sister Stephanie.

"Hey, Daemon," he replied, "Thanks!"

"Did you make reservations?" my sister, Christine, asked.

"I let them know. Our table, remember?" I answered. "Adam is coming with us, so it will be the five of us tonight."

"Wait 'til you see the pianist," Tyler started. "She's a babe. Um. Yeah. I mean, she is a very talented musician. What am I saying? She is hot! Her name is Adriana, and she is tall and slim with an arse that begs to be smacked. I might have to stay in the city tonight to ensure she gets home safely. Just sayin'."

"So you've said," I intoned. "Multiple times, even."

Adam arrived, and Tyler continued to describe the main physical attributes of the cute pianist working there. It was a female, so of course, he was interested. Thanks to Theo, it was no use even bothering to look at other females. However, that was not why I was interested. Apart from being very talented and exceptionally easy on the eyes, Tyler said she was also a Wolf-Shifter. That rang bells, and I had to check the register earlier today.

I thought it strange that the pianist wasn't registered in our books as working or living off-site, so I would have to investigate whether we didn't have a rogue close to our pack lands. Tyler was sure she didn't smell like a rogue; in fact, he reckoned she smelled like a pack member but hadn't spoken to him when he mind-linked her. However, regardless of whether she was a pack member or not, I would still be investigating.

As for Tyler..? Yeah, no surprises there—he was definitely thinking with his dick, as usual. The guy couldn't keep his head straight around attractive women, so I couldn't rely on him for an objective assessment. If she was trying to pull one over on us, Tyler wasn't going to be the one to notice. I pity whoever his fated mate turns out to be. There was a long line of women in the pack who had sampled what he had to offer.

That left me to do the work myself, as always. I gave her another once-over, this time with less leniency. Either she was a rogue, which would explain the lack of pack scent clinging to her, or she was unregistered. Neither option boded well for her. Rogues were unpredictable at best and dangerous at worst, and unregistered wolves? That was a whole different problem, especially in my territory.

As for whether the pianist was a rogue or not… it wasn't looking promising for her right now, not with the odds stacked against her. And if she thought flashing a pretty smile and batting her lashes would get her out of this, she was in for a rude awakening. Tyler might fall for that kind of thing, but I wouldn't.

Rogues are an issue with all packs, and our pack was no different. They were the enemy. They lived without rules, hierarchy or structure and were dangerous. Any rogue found was caught, interrogated and dealt swift justice. The only time I could remember rogues joining our pack was when I was a young child. They weren't really rogues, but they were packless. It was a pregnant woman who knew my parents. Apparently, her own pack had been slaughtered by rogues, and she'd managed to escape losing her mate in the process. She was the only one to survive.

When she arrived, she spoke privately with my father, who was the Alpha at the time. Shortly afterwards, he announced our new pack member. She was moved into a house in the Omega's area and lived a quiet life. There had been talk amongst the pack that she wasn't an ordinary Omega, but my father neither confirmed nor denied it. She and her daughter didn't create any problems and didn't come to our attention. This was not the usual case with rogues, so I was going to investigate carefully. After all, it was not like James to hire a rogue.

Rogues smell different from pack wolves.

The scent of a wolf is as distinct as their allegiance. Pack wolves carried a trace of their Alpha's scent, a subtle but unmistakable signature that marked them as belonging to a specific pack. It wasn't just pheromonal—it was deeper, almost spiritual. The bond between Alpha and pack was encoded in their very essence, a scent that no outsider could replicate.

I could tell at a glance, or rather, with a single inhale, which pack a Wolf-Shifter hailed from. Each Alpha's scent was unique, like a fingerprint, and it lingered faintly on every member of their pack. For those of us who ruled, it was instinctual to recognise it. The moment another wolf crossed my path, I knew exactly who they answered to and what territory they called home.

But Rogues? They were different. Rogues had no Alpha, no bond, and no allegiance. Their scent lacked the unity, the cohesion, that came from being part of a pack. Instead, they smelled… fragmented. Wild. It wasn't just a lack of belonging—it was a warning. That disjointed scent signalled danger, chaos, and unpredictability.

To me, there was no mistaking it. The smell of a Rogue hit like a warning bell, sharp and acrid. Unlike the steady hum of a pack wolf's scent, Rogues reeked of isolation and rebellion. It was why they would never truly fit in anywhere; their lack of pack connection betrayed them at every turn.

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We arrived at the restaurant just before 7:00 pm and gave the car keys to the valet. Tyler came with me, and our sisters came with Adam. We were all around the same age and had grown up together. Each had a younger sister born around the same time. We were a pretty tight group and spent a lot of time together. Tyler's father had been Beta to my father, as Adam's father had been Gamma. It was natural that both Tyler and Adam took those positions when I became Alpha.

No doubt the restaurant would be packed full of people. James kept a VIP table that was pack members only. Even with that area set aside, it was still hard to get a booking. Although I kept a register of those pack members living and working off of pack lands, I didn't stop individuals from coming and going. Pack members smelled differently from other shifters, so it wasn't a problem.

The moment I stepped inside the building, my senses were awakened by a subtle yet enticing aroma. It was a delicate hint of oranges that seemed to permeate the air around me. I looked around, trying to identify the source of the scent, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. The place appeared quiet, with few people around, but the smell lingered, drawing me in and making me curious about its source.

"Our mate is here," said Theo, my wolf.

"Can you detect her?" I asked him.

"No. Our mate was here but isn't close by," he answered.

"Welcome to Luna," interrupted the maître d'. "Do you have a booking?"

"Nevermind. I will serve them," called a voice from behind us. I turned around to see that it was my old friend, James. I was delighted to see him, and we hugged immediately.

I lifted my eyebrows, indicating the Wolf-Shifter that didn't recognise me straight away.

"Lone wolf," he linked me, "but also a good worker."

"Evening, James," I said with a smile as if we hadn't just had a conversation.

"Evening, Alpha," he replied with a polite nod. "Allow me to show you to your table." We followed James to our designated seats, where we would have a good view of the stage. Tyler was no doubt happy, so he could ogle the pianist. I was just here to investigate her, or at least, I told myself.

I was correct in that it was relatively busy tonight, and there were humans everywhere. Luckily, I had booked a table for six. All the staff were Wolf-Shifters, though. James was very strict on that. It made things easier to control, and there wasn't a chance that humans would overhear anything they shouldn't from the back-of-house talk. I knew all of his staff except his pianist, but soon I would learn more. I would learn why this young Wolf-Shifter had broken pack rules and had not sought permission to work outside of the pack lands.

"I hear you have a new pianist," I said to James.

"Has it been that long since your last visit?" he asked. "Her name is Adriana, and she has been here for about six months. She is an accomplished pianist and has a beautiful voice. She is quite stunning, and we are lucky to have her."

"She isn't on our books as having permission to be working out of the pack lands or here," I said somewhat pointedly. James looked at me in shock.