Kade’s POV
There has to be another option for us to choose from ! Melissa yells at her mate as she stands up from the couch that we were sitting on to stare at the people who had just made the official rogue decision. We had been sitting in the living room for hours with the elders and Joey’s parents to try and figure out what the right next step was.
After a while, Joey and Cody just gave up and said that the only way to permanently fix the problem, we needed to raid their camp and fight. I agreed that that would definitely fix the problem, but I wish that there was something else we could do. Melissa had been keeping quiet since she was so angry at the whole situation that she didn’t have anything to say until Joey said that we had made a final decision.
There is no other option and you know that, I’m so sorry, Cody says, holding his hands out to hold her, but she turns away from him. I watch as she closes her eyes as her lip quivers as she tries her best not to cry. All of a sudden, she lifts up her head before whipping around to stare at her mate.
We shouldn’t even be in this situation, she whispers, fiercely, stabbing at Cody since he basically caused all this when he pulled the trigger on Reece’s brother. I watch as Cody drops his head to stare at his hands as they rub together as he lets the guilt start to consume him.
I know, okay ? I know it’s my fault, you don’t need to remind me, he whispers, looking up at his mate with tears in his eyes. Melissa turns away, pacing up-and-down the floor as she keeps her arms crossed to show her frustration and anger.
Yeah, you’re right. It is your fault, Melissa says and I almost shoot up to tell her to stop pushing him further away from her because that’s what she’s doing. She’s hurting him by blaming him about this whole thing when it’s not just his fault. It’s everyone that was in that situation and didn’t do anything faster than Cody did because he was just protecting his alpha.
This isn’t helping anything, Elder Collins says, standing up to usher Melissa back to her seat. I look over at Cody to see how emotional he really was and when I saw the wetness traveling down his face, I immediately feel terrible for him because his own mate did that to him and that was 100% not okay. He knows he fucked up, but being reminded about it isn’t something he needs.
I’m sorry, Cody whispers, mainly talking to his girlfriend, but also saying it to the whole room because we all had to deal with it. I looked over at Melissa who was still sitting on the couch next to me and she still looked super pissed.
You should be, she whispers and I’m completely shocked because I have never seen Melissa act this way, especially towards Cody. She’s always calm or quiet, but maybe the stress just got the better of her that’s making her act out, which still isn’t right. We’re all stressed right now, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to turn around and hurt our partner.
Lila stands up, coming over to the couch to grab Melissa’s hand and pull her up. She looks at all of us as she starts to walk her out the back door. We’re gonna take a walk.
I think about going with them, but I know that if I leave Joey right now, I’ll break down and that’s not something anyone can handle at the moment. I look up at Cody to see him wiping his eyes with his shirt before clearing his throat and looking up at everyone. Alright, so how many people do you think we need ?
Joey looks at his best friend with a sympathetic face as we all try to see if there’s anything we could do to help him, but there’s nothing except distract him. I would say we need all of our guards and anyone else willing to fight with us. Luna’s pack is willing to fight, she told me when I asked two night ago. The Spirit Mountain pack also are willing since some of their members were killed when the rogues invaded them.
So we have enough people ? Conner asks as he writes something down on his notepad.
I definitely think we have enough. I think we need to be worried about weapons and what our plan is to raid them because that’ll make the biggest difference in the world, Joey says.
We have been tracking their movement ever since we found where they’re hiding and they haven’t seemed to be doing anything. Barely anyone has moved from where they are, for good reason, so it should be easy to plan ahead, Elder Gee says.
Cody stands up, wiping his hands against his jeans. I’ll be back.
We all watch as he leaves the room to go upstairs. I notice everyone looks guilty and sad about everything’s that just happened. Conner starts talking to the elders, but I don’t listen as I just think about Melissa and Cody. I don’t know if something happened between them to spark this fight or if all the stress just really got to her. It’s none of my business, but I still want to make sure that my friends are alright or will be alright.
…hope that nothing too bad happens to anyone in the pack. I know how tough the rogues are and how willing they are to hurt anyone they come in contact with. I’m just worried that they’ll be prepared to see us coming, which they most likely will be, and be able to push us out, Conner says to the elders.
I stand up, needing to know that, at least for right now, my fiance’s okay and he’s here with me. I walk over to his couch as he watches me, holding his arms out for me to lay in. I sit on his lap, placing my head against his chest. Joey places a kiss to my head, letting out a soft sigh as he holds me close to his body. I’m okay, I’ll make sure everything will be okay in the end. Once all this is over, we’ll get dressed and get married for everyone to see.
I smile, looking up at his beautiful face. Okay.
After about an hour of just sitting in my man’s lap while they all talk about what’s going to happen, the elders decide that we’ve discussed enough for the day. Once they leave, everyone else comes back, including Melissa who looks a lot calmer now that not so many people were in the room. Cody keeps looking up at his mate, hoping that she’s okay from the concern etched on his face.
How about tonight, we take a break ? We’ve had a long day of talking about stressful things and we all deserve some relaxation. Let’s go out, do something and get some dinner, Joey says and I’ve realized that these past few days that he’s been a real big supporter of taking a break and relaxing during this hard time.
I know he’s just trying to keep everyone calm, but I can tell that he’s also trying to get the best out of the time we have in case something bad happens during the rogue raid. I look around to see everyone nodding, agreeing with what he was saying. Lila stands up, pulling her shirt down. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Let’s leave in two hours, so everyone go get ready, maybe talk through some things if you need, and then we’ll get going.
We all get up to go to our own rooms and I just hope that Cody and Melissa work through their problems because I can tell how much stress all of this is putting on their relationship. When Joey and I’s bedroom door closes, he turns to me, grabbing the collar of my shirt to pull me into a passionate kiss. I take a step backward as he pushes me against the wall and I can feel the need in his actions as he grips my waist. I place my hands on his chest, lightly pushing him away.
As soon as I look at his face, I see the tears falling down his face and my heart drops to my stomach. When he was in front of everyone, he was strong. He was the strong alpha that he’s expected to be, but behind closed doors, he needed to break and the only thing I knew was that I would be there for him. I set my hands on his neck, placing our foreheads against one another’s. It’s okay, we’ll make it okay.
He shook his head, letting out a small sob before he fell onto his knees. He gripped my shirt in his hands, pulling me to the ground with him. I straddle his lap before putting his head on my chest as he started to cry even harder. I hold myself together because I need to be strong for him just like he always is for me. I run my fingertips over his scalp as he shakes with sobs against my body.
I’m here, I’m always here. I’m right next to your side, okay ? We’ll get through this and get to live the life we’ve been waiting for, I whisper to him. He nods against my chest, balling my shirt up in his hands as he desperately tries to calm down. I know it’s hard for him to feel vulnerable to other people and the fact that he’s even letting me see it like this shows how bad all of this has gotten.
I-I-I know, he lets out. I cup his face with my hands, picking his head up to see it. I use the pads of my thumbs to wipe away the salty tears as his lip continues to quiver. I run my thumb over his bottom lip, making him look up at me to nod my head, letting him know that everything was okay.