Rouge's Trail

XXXII

Stars were bright later on. Sophia was still worried about Isabella but that didn't stop Christian from convincing her to have a few "goons".

But the good news is that some of the people in the Haven aren't Australian and we can understand them.

Unfortunately, they all wanted to know everything about all of us.

Many were disappointed to find that I had a mate and that Thomas was an Alpha. Even though his pack was small and thousands of miles away they were all cautious around him. I mentally thanked him for not mentioning that my mate is a Beta of a much, much larger pack.

Or that he was trying to get me to join him and his pack.

"Have you heard anything," I asked Thomad when we had a moment alone," about Lucas?"

He stared at me a long moment but shook his head sadly.

"Mike hasn't contacted me at all since we got here. I think they might have a sort of a barrier up."

I cursed under my breath and ran a hand through my hair. If we don't get Ajax and Lucas back then we can't get Isabella.

And I may want them back for personal reasons as well.

Lucas risked his life to find me, his pack status, his family's safety. I would be heartless to not worry.

Ajax was a lart of our group for years. I've been with him through countries and trials most people only read about.

Watching Sophia and Christian dancing and having a good time reminds me of when Isabella and Ajax forget that they aren't supposed to be together and just be. Not a couple. Not friends with benefits. Not mates. They are just together when they want to and they aren't when they don't. 

And when all of the rest of us were terrified of getting swallowed up in the stereotype of being horrible, scary rouges that destroy villages just for fun and murder any wolf that looks at us wrong they were there being carefree and alive.

I wonder who started that. Did Ajax get Isabella to forget the careful ways of her twin? Did Isabella shake the stern and stiff wolf out of Ajax?

Watching our stay-safe Sophia dancing with her hair swinging around her shoulders and her arms waving gently near her face next to the fire light, sun setting behind her and Christian staring at her with adoration while he holds her hips and encourages them to sway to the beat of their battery powered CD player I couldn't help but thank the Goddess for this moment.

She deserves it.

"I think I'll call it a night," I told Thomas while he took another drink of the beer we had found," It's been a long day."

"Alright. Night."

"Night."

I started the walk back to the hospital-like area we had woken up in. I guessed that Sophia would either come back to their later or go home with Christian. Maybe she'll stay out all night, who knows.

The rest of the mountains was visible from where the Haven stood, tall skies crowned with rolling spikes of hill. The perfect sunset shone behind it and it seemed like a perfect night. 

I could almost imagine Lucas jogging up behind me and trying to give me some line about how the sunset back in Alaska was more beautiful and that I would love it there if only I would go with him...

__

Waking up in the Haven was oddly calming the next day. Maybe it was the lack of having a place to be or a person to scam or a new clue to follow but not having to get up right away and run was the most peaceful feeling in the world.

Thomas was on the bed next to me like he was just 24 hours earlier but Sophia was no where to be found. I stood up from the bed and went out into the brisk mountain air to find her.

Unless she was still preoccupied, that is.

Some children smaller than those brats from yesterday smiled at me from their game. The sun was just barely up in the sky, however, and I couldn't see a good reason for them to be awake already.

"What is your name," one boy with shaggy black curls and deep chocolate skin asked. 

"I'm November."

"I'm Aaron," he continued, pointing to a little girl with near identical features to his and another boy with blue eyes," this is Savannah and this is Monty."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Will you play with us? Our moms sent us out of the house for a few hours because we were being too loud."

I smiled at them and looked at the ground for any sign of toys but there were none.

"What are you playing?"

He smiled a little devil smile before stepping forward. He used his hand to usher that I needed to lean down so he could whisper it to me. I did, pulling my hair back so he had access to my ear. Putting his hand up to his mouth so he could talk quietly without the fear of someone reading his lips, I listened carefully.

"Tag," he exclaimed very loudly next to my ear  while hitting me on the shoulder. When he was running away and Savannah and Monty had also started running he shouted again," You're it!"

I laughed loudly before running after Savannah's little black curls bouncing behind her in colorful pigtails.