ROWAN
I watch as the body is efficiently cleared away before looking back at Dominic.
He is pale, and his eyes trail after the wolves lugging the corpse.
Since he was killed in a trial, he won’t be afforded the right of a proper burial. His body would be cremated and his ashes tossed in a trash can.
A final disgrace.
“And that brings us to the end of this trial,” Maxwell calls out with a sigh. “We can all return now.”
As if waiting for those words, everyone sort of unwinds and begins moving towards the mansion.
Everyone except Dominic
He doesn’t even bother to say anything as he turns away and heads towards the gates.
The thought crosses my mind to trail after him but I am not ready to be alone in the same place as him.
He is sure to try to attack him and I am not certain I would be able to hold myself back.
I and the coalition might be accepted but we still have a long way to go.
And killing an alpha, even a disgraced one, will not do us any favors.
“Rowan?” Viktor calls and I hurry over to him. “Don’t worry about him,” he tells me. “I already have wolves watching him to make sure he leaves the territory.”
I give him a warm smile before we all head to the mansion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel bad for the cooks.
They had just finished handling the meals of one council meeting and now they had to make an impromptu lunch for almost thirty wolves: the alphas and the wolves they came with.
I wonder if Dominic pays them.
If not, then he should start now.
If so, then they deserve a raise.
While Viktor mingles with the other alphas, I, with a full glass of wine and the bottle as well, head to the balcony overlooking the side of the pack, showing the wide expanse of the woods and a glimpse of the gardens I had seen during my earlier days.
This place is beautiful.
I could actually get used to living here.
As a Luna.
The thought still never fails to amaze me.
The only problem now is how do we break this news to the others without any backlash
That is going to need some serious thought.
“Hi,” a voice calls and I look over to see Kaylee joining me with an empty wine cup. “Do you mind pouring me a drink?” She asks as she extends the cup to me.
“Sure. Why not?” I reply as I tip the bottle over her glass. “Why aren’t you with your mate?”
“He is asleep,” she replies before tipping the glass into her mouth. “I guess he hasn’t fully recovered and the trial took a lot from him.”
“Ah, I see.”
“It is fine you know,” she says as she leans on the railing. “I know he is not what is expected of an alpha. But he has other redeeming qualities.”
“I am sure he does,” I tell her. “He has to if someone like you still defends him so fiercely like that.”
“Hm, I wanted to apologize,” she says. “For… for what he tried to do to you and your people. I know it was wrong.”
“Then why didn’t you try and stop him?” I retort
“Like most men, sometimes his ego gets the better of him. He knows what is said about him, and it affects him. So, when a bunch of psychotic manipulating bastards tell him that ambushing non suspecting people is a sure way to get glory, he falls for it.”
“Hmm.”
“I am also grateful that you didn’t hold it against him and kill him for it. You and your mate are truly honorable people.”
“Wait- what? My mate?! What… what are you talking about?”
“You and Viktor?” She responds. “It is quite obvious that you two are mates. Well, obvious to women at least. It is the way you two look at each other. Men, and forgive me for saying this, men can be quite daft sometimes.”
“Oh.”
“You have nothing to fear from me,” she says. “I will not say a word about it to anyone. If there is anything I would gossip about, it is the fact that I shared a drink with the woman who controls an army of rogues and how young she is. I mean, you can’t be more than twenty five, right?”
“Twenty three, to be exact,” I tell her. “I will add another year by next month.”
“Like I said, impressive. So, please allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Kaylee Barnes. Luna of the Herring pack,” she says as she extends a hand.
“Rowan Blaze,” I reply. “Leader of the Winter Wolf Coalition.”
“The Winter Wol,” she repeats. “Let me guess, you are the winter wolf?”
“You got it on the first try,” I reply.
“That is impressive. How did you manage to do that? Gather the rogues in one place.”
“I guess you can say that my being a rogue gave me some understanding of what the others felt. And I knew that not all rogues wanted to be so. We wanted a place to live without fear or threat. And in order to do that, we had to come together. We are not structured like the packs, the wolves can come and go at their own will. It… it is complicated.”
“I will bet.”
“But one thing I should mention is that it wasn’t just me. I had my sisters and a few other wolves who together helped in bringing this to a reality.”
“Naturally. Rogues working together is so amazing, it makes you wonder why we packs can’t get along for once,” she snarks before taking another gulp of wine
“I think it is an ego thing,” I remark.
“You know what, you are probably right. One more question, please?”
“Shoot.”
“Why do you hate Dominic Valor so much?”
“What? Why would you say that?”
“I saw the look in your eyes. I recognized it. In mine. So, why?”
“Why do you hate him?”