Chris
"This is a mistake," Barron warns, leaning over the table covered in files. We've been trapped in his office for hours trying to nail down the last details for the coronation and housing all of the guests.
"That's your perspective," I reply with a shrug. He's been trying to change my mind since I named my regent but I fully expected this from him.
The day he stops second guessing my decision, hell must have frozen over.
"With all due respect, reconsider. This one perhaps, Alpha Eric of Crimson Dawn?" Barron says, sliding the file with Eric's name over to me.
"No."
"It's asking for problems appointing him," Barron complains gesturing to the Crescent Falls folder. The red cover stands out amongst the sea of brown along with one other... Still Waters.
"You'll have to trust me on this, the last thing that man wants is to be King," I laugh, picturing Kane dealing with this bullshit and bureaucracy.
'Forget Mira burning it down, he would have locked everyone inside and struck the match himself,' Cyrus snickers.
All morning we've been combing through the guest list and arrangements, not to mention the security protocols.
Mitch will be here with added council guards to supplement the Palace guards and Guardians. Aiden assures me that his warriors are up to the task and Mitch's warriors aren't needed but surprisingly Barron agrees that more security is better.
Soft knocks sound at the door, followed by Jess walking in at Barron's request. The mere sight of her makes me sigh in relief.
"I trust your preparations went better than ours?" Barron asks, raising a brow at her. Jess gracefully tucks against my side, her contact soothing Cyrus in a way I could never manage.
"Very, we're all done. Rebecca is quite the planner," Jess replies, diplomatically about Barron's mate.
'Is that your story?' I chide through our link as I place a soft kiss on her temple.
'Well, it was that or power-hungry mean girl and I didn't think he'd appreciate that,' she links back with a laugh.
"What's all this?" she asks, gesturing to the table.
"Pack information and intel for guest lists and the like," I murmur. Jess slips away, her fingers lightly brushing across the various piles before settling on Crescent Falls' red cover.
"They're all brown but these?" she lifts her golden-brown gaze to mine.
"Those are... umm," I stumble, struggling to come up with an answer that won't upset her.
"High risk," Barron offers, saying the exact wrong thing. "Yellow are medium threats, mostly rogues."
"But this is Kane and Willow's pack," she contests, furrowing her brows as she picks up the other folder and reads Still Waters. "This is our pack!" Her eyes light up as her temper rises at his assessment.
"Don't worry baby, I've already set the record straight," I assure her. But already her hackles are up as she quickly leafs through the file.
"You've been spying on us?!" she hisses, eyes locked on Barron. The air shifts as Ember claws her way to the surface, clearly considering him a threat.
"Baby, calm down," I whisper, wrapping my arms around her waist. "It's their job to keep an eye on all of the packs and watch for threats to the throne."
"You're no threat!" She scoffs, bruising my ego.
"Gee thanks," I grumble, rolling my eyes.
"You know what I mean, you never wanted this. Hell, Kane... Good God, that's the last thing he'd want!" she blurts out, her face twisted in disbelief.
"See?" I tease Barron with a triumphant smirk. "Even Jess knows he doesn't want the crown."
"Then why name him regent? Pick anyone else," Barron groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Because there's no one I trust more and the last thing he wants is to be king so he will do everything in his power to avoid it," I say with a laugh.
"And what deems us dangerous?" Jess growls, not giving up. "Where's Dimitri's file? He should be at the top of the pile!"
"It's over there, in the box because it no longer exists," Barron says, nodding to the side table. His voice gets quiet as he adds the afterthought, "It's yellow..."
Jess' temper flares and she slowly turns to face him glaring daggers at the man. "Are. You. Kidding. Me?!"
"Our intel... Threats are measured... There's a lot that comes into consideration when determining..." Barron flounders, trying to come up with a good way to justify their system. I can't hold back my smirk watching my mate's temper unleashed on someone else.
"Your system needs an overhaul." Her matter-of-fact tone leaves him without a retort and frozen in place. "Fucking kidding me when we're considered a bigger threat than that psychopath!"
I chuckle at the wrong moment, catching her attention and her skeptical glare.
"You're okay with this?!" She gasps.
"Threat management is a necessary evil," I say, scratching the back of my neck. "Knowing as much as you can about possible opponents before a conflict can mean life or death."
The truth is that back at Still Waters I had similar files on the surrounding packs. Allies and neutral alike, we kept tabs to know what we'd be up against.
Jess lets out an audible sigh but doesn't push it further. She's still learning how our world works but she's smart with flawless logic. She no doubt understands the advantage behind it.
"In Crescent Falls and Still Waters cases, their sheer sizes were what made them threats," Barron adds. "Kane and Chris have far surpassed their fathers, both have made notable strides in their time as Alpha, setting off warning bells."
Cyrus puffs up in the back of my mind proud of his pack. That someone as powerful as the royal pack views us as a threat is the highest of compliments.
"Still," she grumbles. "Desire should factor in and neither pack craves power."
"Noted, I will see to the adjustments," Barron replies. There is no hubris in his tone, only sincerity.
'Clearly, we've been handling this the wrong way... Should have sicked Jess on him from the beginning,' Cyrus snickers.
"There's still time to consider-"
"No!" I growl slamming my fist on the table. "Kane will be my regent and that is final!"
"As you command, Sire," Barron replies with a curt nod. "They should be here later today."
"They?" Jess asks, turning her attention back to me.
'So much for the surprise,' Cyrus sighs.
"Kane and Willow will be here early-"
Jess squeals and wraps both arms around my neck and buries her face in my chest. When she pulls back, the excitement swirling in her eyes is contagious.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she says with a pout.
"I was going to tell you at lunch," I reply, giving Barron a pointed look. The veteran nods apologetically, realizing his mistake. "Speaking of which, I could eat, what about you guys?"
"I could eat," Barron agrees, tossing another file down. "If I look at any more guest lists I may go cross-eyed."
"Trade you for place settings," Jess teases, earning a small chuckle from Barron.
'Jace is right, she is magic,' Cyrus muses, watching Barron's demeanour change on our way to lunch.
The moment I open the door to the private dining room, raised voices spill out. Jess looks up at me and sighs before walking in and sizing up the problem.
Sara and Jude are arguing with Henry, Evan, and Leah while Jenna and Chloe stand off to the side and out of the crossfire. From their balled fists and scowling faces, this is not a new argument.
"It's reckless," Leah scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you want your friends to die?! Because letting the riff-raff in is exactly how to do it!"
"You judgemental uppity bi-"
"Watch your mouth or I'll-"
"What?" Jess cuts in, her voice calm and even with an edge of danger. She steps closer and eyes both sides before turning her full attention to Evans. "You'll what? Don't stop on my account."
Evan pauses, clenching his jaw and earning a bitter glare from Leah. "Your head warrior insulted my mate," he growls.
"She has that habit," Jess grumbles, side-eyeing Sara. "Though she's gotten better and isn't usually the first one to throw insults, so what are you fighting about?"
"Rogues," Jude offers, his blue eyes considerably harder than normal. "They were making their opinions known... about how reckless and foolish we are for allowing Caimen and the others to attend the ceremony."
"Is that so?" I ask, looking them over then glancing at Barron.
"Nothing is without risk," he mumbles, diplomatically. "We have added security and everyone will be on full duty... If you are so concerned, you could station some of your veterans around to assist Aiden."
"Maybe I will," Henry grumbles.
"But do not harass the rogues," he adds, looking back at me. "They will show their true colours soon enough. That is their nature."
"Is that so?" Jess asks in a tone that should warn him not to answer.
"Their track record is proven... There's a reason rogues are rogues, any respectable wolf will find its way into a pack," Evan replies when Barron wisely didn't.
Jess takes a deep breath and rubs her forehead before letting it hiss through her clenched teeth. "You do know that both myself and my Gamma Jude were rogues 'till just recently and Sara was born one, right?" she asks the ignorant man.
Evan realizes his missed step, his eyes wide as he tries to recover. "Well, but that's different!"
"Why? Because we're part of a pack now?" Jess challenges, not letting the man off the hook easily. "All three of us had drastically different circumstances, yet you'd paint all rogues as evil?"
"You're twisting my words!" he huffs, refusing to relent even after he realized he's lost. "Just because some aren't bad doesn't mean they're all good."
'This is pathetic,' Cyrus chuckles darkly, watching the man go under.
"True," Jess admits with a nod. "Just like not all pack wolves are good. Look at Dimitri... He held a position of power and respect and was as evil as they come... Or Silas? The former head of the council. We can sit here and debate till the end of time, but the problem is, I can give you good and bad examples on both sides."
"I have yet to meet a good rogue," Henry adds. "Present company excluded of course... but you guys aren't really rogues."
Jezus...
"I'll feel easier once they're gone," Evan grumbles, finally relenting.
"If you give them a chance you might even like them," Jess groans, rolling her eyes.
"Well your rogues have started to show up already," Barron says with a frown. He has the far away look of link communication, as his lips pull into a frown.
"Caimen?" I ask, surprised he's here this early.
"No males," Barron replies hesitantly. "Two lone shewolves with two children... There's another lone shewolf being brought in by patrol."
"What is it?" I ask, noticing his stiffening posture. The veteran Beta rarely shows much emotion but something is bothering him.
"The mother is disoriented and unresponsive... She was found wandering around the town, which means she and her pups slipped past our patrols." His assessment is unnerving.
A lone shewolf has a chance of slipping past but two and pups?
"Great," Barron growls. "The Crescent Falls Alpha and Luna are here too now. Everyone is at the Guard post at the edge of town before the palace."
Jess lights up with excitement, completely forgetting about lunch. "Let's go!" She laces her fingers with mine and tugs me towards the door. Her enthusiasm to see her friend makes me chuckle and I let her pull me towards the door. She only stops long enough to slip on a thick hoodie before marching down to the checkpoint.
'Relax,' I laugh, falling behind. 'It's not queenly to run around like a feral pup.' My words have no bearing on her as she pumps her short legs to race down to the crowd gathered below.
Several palace guards stand around two bubbles of people. I recognize Ryker and Aiden and notice Derek, Mack, and Shoen are already talking with Damon and Kane. Willow watches the second group with interest, cocking her head to the side and walking towards them, her blonde hair fluttering in the winter breeze.
My eyes follow hers, trying to see what has caught her interest completely. Her attention is utterly focused on the children and rogue shewolves that the guards found in town, more specifically the little girl. Both children are in dirty, ratty clothes, their dark hair hanging in their face as they focus on the ground instead of the warriors around them.
In an instant, the very air changes as the hair on the back of my neck stands up, urging me to get to Jess. Time slows down and Willow reaches for the little girl as Jess' voice cuts through the eerily quiet air.
"Derek!" she screams, pointing at the child, posture rigid as her free hand snakes around to her lower back where she keeps her blades. My heart hammers in my chest, knowing something is incredibly wrong but not what.
Shrill screams and cries rip through the air, joined by others all around us, snapping everyone to attention and making my blood run cold. The little girl looks up, her hair no longer covering her face, locking her black, soulless eyes on mine.