The Stillwater Lycan

Chapter 9

Rune's office was the size of a matchbox.

Her mate had failed to mention the size of the room when he demanded that they all go to the packhouse. The heat and tension that radiated off the others were starting to feel suffocating. Lena pressed herself against the wall and tried to clear her thoughts.

Someone knew her secret.

She shook her head. She needed a clear mind to deal with the worsening panic that had taken root in her stomach. Breathe you idiot. Lena focused on slowing her breathing. She had to regain control of the narrative.

Lena's gaze travelled across the room and landed on Iris. The she-wolf was leaning against the wall and was openly glaring at her. Lena glared right back.

Rune had regrettably invited Iris and her two henchmen to his office. Lena ground her teeth. She failed to see why they were needed to be here. Iris had seemed equally displeased with the arrangements. She had coolly complained about "rouges bringing instability to the pack" as they had been walking to the packhouse. Lena had been about to tackle her when Rune had grabbed her shoulder and told her to not to cause any trouble.

If Iris started to run her mouth again, Lena was going to do worse than cause "trouble".

Lena looked around the room with distaste. It appeared that her mate had chosen the smallest room in the entire packhouse for his office. The simple and impersonal decor made the room feel cold and unused. A large oak desk and matching chair were the only furniture pieces present.

Rune's sat stiffly behind the desk. His jaw was clenched tight as he quietly listened to Iris give her report. His gaze would sometimes flit to Lena. Each time that he looked her way, her stomach would do all kinds of flips. Like an angsty teenager.

Goddess. Rune looked good sitting behind that desk.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Iris' contemptuous sneer, "Sir, I see no reason why the Rouge should be here. With your permission, I can have my men escort her to one of the rooms in the basement".

Lena suspected that "rooms in the basement" was code for a dungeon cell. She gritted her teeth. She had no interest in playing the role of the good rouge if it meant she was going to be put behind bars.

Lena glared at the she-wolf and growled "It seems like you have forgotten that the note was found in my apartment".

A nasty smirk began to form on Iris' face and she bared her teeth. When she spoke next her voice held an edge of animal ferocity that had not been there before, "And why was that letter in your apartment? You are an inconsequential rouge. Does it not strike you as odd that a threat directed at our Beta was found in your apartment? I personally find it extremely odd"

Oh.

They believed that threat was directed at Rune. She fought the urge not to throw her arms around Iris and thank her for being so naïve. Her internal celebration was cut short by Rune's husky voice "Enough Iris. We have all had a long night. Let's try to keep the few allies that we have".

Lena would not classify herself as an ally but she kept her mouth closed. She did not need to anger Rune further.

Iris stayed silent and Rune raised his eyebrows expectantly. An uncomfortable silence ensued and Lena eyed the two with open curiosity. She was begrudgingly impressed with Iris' backbone. Even Elijah had started to squirm the last time Rune had thrown a fit.

Her mate finally broke the silence by saying "Come to my office tomorrow. We will speak then"

Iris' only response was a curt nod. She then spun on her heel and promptly left the room without another word. Her two henchmen quickly gave Rune a respectful nod and silently fell into place behind the she-wolf.

What a freaky little trio.

An uncomfortable silence settled into the room and Lena fought the urge to start fiddling. Thankfully, Rune also seemed uncomfortable with the silence as soon said "Don't judge Iris too harshly. She is the Gamma of this pack and can be quite... protective"

Iris was the Gamma of the Stillwater pack. Werewolves were archaic creatures so it was admirable when any woman achieved a position of real power. Lena would have been more impressed if Iris was not such a little ass-munch.

Instead of acknowledging what her mate had said, Lena decided to test her luck, "Who do you think put the note in my apartment"

She needed to learn exactly what her mate suspected. If Rune looked deep enough into her past, he could figure out exactly who and what she was. Lena shuddered at the thought.

Rune eyed her wearily. Slowly, he walked around his desk until he was only a foot away from her. His gaze burned into her skin like a brand. Lena's cheeks warmed and her breath hitched as his addictive scent engulfed her. She tried to take a step backwards but her legs refused to move.

In an effort to maintain some of her dignity, Lena threw up her hands to ward off his advances and said "Personal space buddy".

Rune blinked and stared at her with open curiosity. Wordlessly, he took a step backwards and raised his eyebrow expectantly. He then smirked and said, "You really do have a lot of demands for someone who needs our protection".

"I don't recall ever asking for your protection" replied Lena.

"And yet here we are"

Lena seethed. Her patience for his smugness was beginning to wear very thin. She opened her mouth make her annoyance clear when Rune cut her off, "Have you ever heard about the night all the Lycans were slaughtered?".

Lena stilled.

She was unfortunately very familiar with that piece of history.

Rune seemed to interpret her silence as an affirmative and he continued, "Executing such a well-coordinated attack would take unprecedented leadership from the wolves. It was the first and last time we ever saw the werewolves unite behind a common cause".

Hearing her mate speak about that night was nearly unbearable.

There had once been a lycan pack that had been so powerful that no other pack had ever dared challenge them.

Until that night. That night everything had changed.

Thousands of wolves had invaded the territory of the lycan pack without provocation or warning. Within a few hours, the men, women and children of the Lycan pack had all been reduced to nothing but ashes and flame. Even though the lycan were faster and stronger than their attackers, the wolves had outnumbered them ten to one.

By the end of the night the Lycan race was near extinction.

Lena's skin began to itch. Her train of thought was making her feel restless and uneasy. She bit her lip and wearily eyed her mate hoping that he would break the silence.

Rune seemed to recognize he silent plea and said, "While most wolves don't still hold that same hatred against my species, there is a small faction that continue to work towards exterminating the remaining Lycan"

Rune's voice held such pain and anger that Lena could not help but wince. Unfortunately, his voice was even icier when he continued, "It is my guess that someone from that group knew that you are a legal visiting rouge and is attempting to recruit you to their cause".

If this anti-lycan group honestly thought that a single rouge could take down Rune, they were obviously not the most intelligent opponent. Lena could not help but chuckle at the idea.

This night had been too much.

"Rune, I promise you I don't plan on trying to smother you in your sleep anytime soon"

"Thanks Lena. That really warms my heart", said her mate as he gave her a smile that failed to reach his eyes.

Lena's knees almost buckled in relief. She was exhausted and the thought of being able to rest almost made her weep. She flashed Rune a smile and said "Lead the Beta Stillwater".