"How did they get so deep into our lands?" John asked, sounding guarded.
We were still standing in the same spot. Jace was holding my hand in a reassuring way. I was sure all three of them could hear how fast my heart was beating.
"Everyone must be distracted with the barbecue. Hold on-" Jace said, before going still.
I knew he was probably communicating with Dylan through his mind link. Jace's hand tightened around mine, and I didn't know whether to take it as a good sign or not.
"Dylan's coming over here. He said not to make a move," Jace informed us. I didn't know how many Rogues there was, or what they wanted- but I knew nothing good would come out of this.
'Leila, are you okay? Did anything happen to you?' Dylan asked me through our mind link.
'I'm okay. Jace, Eric, and John are here with me,' I told him, hoping my jumbled up mind didn't let Dylan see just how worried I felt.
Something told me the Rogues were here because of me, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. Once again I was putting everybody in danger.
Suddenly Jace stiffened, making his tall figure seem even more intimidating. I couldn't see his face, but just from his back I could feel the Beta power emanating from him. I tried to imitate his posture. I was Luna of this pack. After mating with Dylan his strength followed me, but I wasn't used to confrontations such as these.
"They're approaching us," John stated, not losing focus as four guys stepped out from the trees that surrounded the side of the supermarket.
Anyone who saw them wouldn't think twice about something being wrong with the group. They were tall, and muscular. Their faces were stern, no doubt ready for anything that was thrown their way.
But they were dressed casually. I wondered if they had been running at all. I almost expected them to be dressed in raggedy clothes. They were coming out of the woods. At some point, they had to have been on the run. They were Rogues, after all.
We didn't move from where we were standing as the group of Rogues approached us. While I was busy inspecting their appearance, a single thought crossed my mind. It was a thought that worried me, and caused a fear to grow in the pit of my stomach.
If I hadn't stopped by Midnight Moon territory after I ran away from my pack- I could have landed with people like the ones approaching us. I could've ended up in the hands of Rogues, and who knows what my fate would have been.
I saw myself as a strong She-Wolf. But I couldn't compare against a male- let alone a group of four or five Wolves.
"You are trespassing," Jace informed the men standing in front of us. His tone was harsh, but cautious. One look at the guys, said they just now noticed Jace wasn't a regular Wolf, but one with power.
They looked young, surely no more than 25. Something in their eyes told me they knew what they were up against by crossing the lines to our land.
"We noticed," the Rogue who stood in the middle replied.
His eyes remained on Jace, who was completely blocking me from view. Any part of me that wasn't covered by Jace- was covered by John and Eric. The Rogues had probably already sensed that someone was behind Jace, but they didn't really pay attention.
"The Alpha is on his way, but I can have someone escort you four out of our territory and we can avoid confrontation," Jace offered, without leaving room for argument.
"It's your Alpha who I want to speak with," the same guy replied. The other three that accompanied him nodded their heads- agreeing with the guy who spoke.
I started sensing the presence of more Wolves. As I swept my eyes around the parking lot, I noticed that men from our pack were watching the interaction between Jace and the Rogues. The concentrated look on their faces told me they were ready to fight if need be.
Seeing all of them there was comforting.
"What do you need?" Jace asked, while crossing his arms.
"You're the Beta of the pack. Although I sense the authority, I still need the Alpha," the Rogue replied. It surprised me how proper he spoke. I didn't think badly of Rogues, but they usually gave themselves a reputation of being- less educated and more ready to break out into a fight.
"I am the Luna of the pack," I announced, trying to sidestep Jace, in order to look at the Rogues.
Jace wasn't letting me get in front of him, but after pushing Eric away, I was able to come forward.
The guy who had been speaking looked at me, raising an eyebrow. He looked either surprised or amused by what I had said.
'What are you doing? Dylan isn't going to like this,' Jace said in my mind. I waved him off, knowing that now that Rogues appeared- Dylan wasn't going to be happy with me either way.
"So you're the one?" The main guy- who seemed to be the leader of the group- asked.
"Which one?" I asked him, putting emphasis on the word 'one'.
"The one Staten and Raven Pack want," he explained.
"So Rogues are asking about problems that deal with a pack? Since when did you all start worrying about what happens in packs?" I asked, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.
"Last I heard, you have already gone Rogue two times yourself," he replied.
I chuckled at his words, even though something told me I should be worried by how much he knew about me.
"What did you need? Jace is right, you are trespassing," I informed them.
'You are handling it well,' Jace said to me in our mind link.
I smiled, because his words reassured me. This was the first time I was actually doing something that might be considered a Luna duty.
"It's because of you that we're here today. Can we go somewhere to talk?" The guy asked.
I didn't have time to answer back, or even think about his request, because Dylan started walking toward us in that moment.
Five men from the pack were walking behind him, and he looked furious.
Once he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around me, nestling his head in my neck and inhaling my scent.
The guys distracted their gaze, while the Rogues stared at us. I knew Dylan was trying to calm his Wolf. He probably thought I was in danger.
"Grab them. Take them underground. I will deal with them later," Dylan ordered to the five men that had come with him.
John and Eric joined the other pack members, as they attempted to restrain the Rogues.
They were putting up a fight, which was creating a scene in the parking lot of the supermarket. Already people had tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but now they were stopping to watch.
"Dylan, they want to talk," I told him, hoping he would listen to me.
Dylan turned to face me, but he didn't add anything else.
'Not now,' he said to me through our mind link.
'What is that supposed to mean?' I asked him right back.
"Let's go back home, and at least listen to what they have to say," I proposed.
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