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71 - Smarter Than
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2025-10-08 20:23:26
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The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 76 - Missing
SELENA_____The first real crack in our new order came on a Tuesday, though I didn't know it was Tuesday until Austin mentioned it offhandedly..one of those human world measurements of time that meant nothing in the caverns where the sun never reached. A patrol had gone missing. Not dead. Just..gone. Four wolves, including a seasoned Beta named Corvin who'd been with the pack for over a decade. They'd been assigned to the eastern tunnels, the ones that bordered the rogue territories, and they simply hadn't returned for the evening roll call.Austin found out during his morning briefing. I was in the corner of the main cavern, watching the Omegas work the granary counts, still trying to uncover where the rest of Roric's stolen grain had gone. Lisa had mentioned something about Marcus needing to report on the missing patrol, so I'd stayed close, pretending to be absorbed in inventory lists.Marcus looked physically ill as he told Austin. His face had gone the color of old ash, and hi
The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 75 - Sunrise
I stopped, leaning against the rock wall just inside the tunnel entrance, content to watch her, unseen. This was her time. Her ritual. One she’d discovered in the human world, a small piece of peace she’d carved out for herself. As the sun crested the mountains, flooding the valley below with brilliant, blinding light, she lifted her face to it, eyes closed, as if soaking in its warmth. The sight of her, silhouetted against the dawn, so still, so peaceful, hit me with a force I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t lust though.. It was something else entirely. Something quieter. Something that made my chest feel too tight. She must have sensed me. Her posture didn’t change, but she spoke, her voice soft, carried by the wind. “I wondered if you’d come find me.” “I woke up and my property was missing,” I said, pushing off the wall and walking towards her. My tone was light, a deflection. “I was concerned.” She smiled, her eyes still closed. “Liar. You were curious.” I came to stand bes
The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 74 - Disarming
She was silent for a long moment, looking out at the dark valleys. “I’d make it safe,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm. “Not just safe from outside threats. Safe for the Omegas. Safe for the pups. A place where a kid can sneak out to look at the stars without being afraid of being beaten for skipping a chore. A place where what you are isn’t more important than who you are.” She shook her head, a faint, selfdeprecating twist to her lips. “It sounds naive.”“It sounds like a competent administrative goal,” I said, my tone pragmatic. “A secure, content population is a productive population. Less likely to rebel. It’s just good policy.”She laughed, a soft, genuine sound that was carried away by the roar of the falls. “Always the strategist.”“It’s who I am,” I said. But her words had sparked something. A glimmer of an idea. A way to give her a piece of what she wanted, to channel that quiet idealism into something tangible. Something that would also serve my purposes. “This
The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 73 - Question
The water had gone lukewarm, the steam thinning to a faint haze. We’d stayed in the pool until our fingers pruned, until the immediate, frantic need for connection had been sated, replaced by a deeper, more settled calm. I’d washed the sweat and the lingering scent of the den from her skin, my hands moving over her with a possessiveness that was now more ritual than conquest. She’d done the same for me, her touch firm and sure, scrubbing away the grime of the day, the metaphorical blood of a dozen petty decisions.We dressed in silence, the simple act feeling more intimate than what had happened in the water. The clean clothes ..a fresh tunic and trousers for me, another simple wool dress for her, felt like a new skin. A small reclaiming of order.Back in the Alpha’s den, the pile of ledgers and scrolls still waited, a silent accusation of work unfinished. I looked at them, and for the first time, the sight didn’t coil a knot of pure annoyance in my gut. It was just work. A problem
The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 72 - Need for Connection
“Leave us.” I told Lisa. She bowed her head and left quickly. I turned to Selena. “Get in.” She didn’t hesitate. She untied the simple gown and let it fall to the stone floor. Her body, pale and strong in the steamy light, was a map of our journey together, old scars from her training, fading bruises from the fight, the subtle shift of muscle under smooth skin. She slipped into the water with a soft sigh, sinking down until it lapped at her shoulders. I shucked off my trousers and followed her in. The water was blissfully hot, soaking into my aching muscles. I leaned back against the smooth rock edge, closing my eyes for a moment, just feeling the heat work its magic. I felt her move through the water towards me. Then her hands were on me again, on my chest, her fingers tracing the lines of old scars I’d collected long before I ever met her. “You’re tense,” she murmured, her voice echoing softly in the cavern. “It’s been a long day,” I said, my eyes still closed. “Governing is a
The Rogue's Reluctant Mate 71 - Smarter Than
The silence returned, deeper, more profound. This they understood. The cold, clinical threat was far more terrifying than Roric’s red-faced rages. “Your lives are about to improve” I continued. “But your freedom to be stupid, treacherous, or lazy is over. This pack will become strong again. It will become feared by our enemies, not ourselves. You will work. You will obey. And in return, you will eat. You will be safe. You will have a future.” I stopped pacing and turned to face them fully. “That is my bargain. Take it, and thrive. Reject it…” I let the threat hang in the air, cold and absolute. I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked away, Selena falling into step beside me. We left them standing there, stunned, trying to process this new, terrifying, pragmatic kind of leadership. The rest of the day was a grind. Endless meetings. Marcus brought me lists. Lists of supplies. Lists of personnel. Lists of grievances. A Beta named Kael, who’d been in charge of the granaries
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