Izzy POV
Izzy didn't think she actually needed to be present for this discussion, but after having managed to successfully evade the storm of Rowan's volatile emotions once, she decided not to press her luck, and stayed quiet.
"Rowan I want to apologize about today, you know we take security seriously, we have never had problems with Rogues like that before. I've ordered the borders all continue to be doubled, and we've beefed up patrols inside the territory as well."
Izzy felt her curiosity spike, she had heard the word a few times now, but still didn't know exactly what they were talking about. "What's a rogue?"
Rowan hadn't shifted his focus from her, his arm draped across the back of the couch an ankle crossed over his knee, he looked the picture of ease and relaxation. Izzy didn't buy it for a second. It was a tactic she noticed a number of Rowan's group employ, downplaying their size, minimizing their impressions, or downright faking disinterest – she wasn't fooled anymore. They were ALWAYS alert, ALWAYS ready, and ALWAYS capable.
She let out a small breath of relief, when he didn't look annoyed or upset at her interruption. "Rogues are werewolves that are not bound by Oaths and Bonds to the packs and Alphas. Without that stabilizing force to maintain balance between their two sides, they lose touch with their humanity. Our animal side, by virtue of what it is, is more dominant and more often than not it is stronger. Without the bonds of pack and the hierarchy to enforce balance and strengthen our humanity, the animal nature wins out and erodes it – though not all of it. Hate, anger, rage, and often times other stronger emotions remain, mixing with the animal nature into a toxic mix - an unnatural mix. Rogues are loners by nature, they shun humanity, as well as Pack life, and very often are; violent, uncontrollable, and feral."
"But not all of them are bad?" Izzy asked, piecing together his explanation.
His lips twitched, eyes softening. "No, not all of them. Some are able to give into their animal side without turning dangerous, they live more as true wolves then werewolves, choosing to remain in their furs and occasionally rejoining wild wolf packs. But those cases are extremely rare, most can't accept the loss of the bonds, their human side goes mad, allowing the stronger more violent emotions to thrive alongside the dominant nature of our wolf's. The worst are those who do not choose it. The break is much more violent and damaging in those cases."
"Some would choose that?" Horror coated her voice. She couldn't imagine anyone choosing to go through that, to become what Rowan was describing.
"There are always misguided people. Those who think there are easy paths to power and glory, people who believe they are the exception to the rule. Those who imagine themselves bigger than what life would have them be, and there will always be those who thirst for violence and blood, in that sense, we are no different than your humans."
Rowan fell quiet as she thought, when she didn't question him further he offered another miniscule smile. "Maleco," His voice shifted back, she returned the small smile, with a tiny one of her own. "The Rogues weren't your fault, in hindsight, I should have warned you - but we had been monitoring them, and had believed they hadn't managed to discern where and when I was to be travelling."
Izzy jumped in surprise, her eyebrows pulling together.
"What do you mean?" Maleco voiced the question on nearly half the rooms tongues.
"You're going to need to explain at least some of it Row, your mom will understand." Austin suggested from his place near the door.
At his words, Rowan's lips tightened ever so slightly.
"What's going on Rowan?" Izzy asked, watching as hatred settled in his eyes.
"Robert Doyle."
The name meant nothing to Izzy, but apparently it meant something to Maleco because he let out a string of curses.
"Who is that?" She asked looking at the others in confusion. Austin and Olivia were tense, their faces hard and angry, Maleco looked offended and disgusted, Hayden was watching Rowan cautiously, sensing her gaze, his eyes flicked to her. He offered her a quick smile of reassurance before shifting back to watching Rowan's still frame.
"A piece of garbage that should have been dealt with years ago." Austin muttered under his breath, loathing and fury in his voice.
"You know it wasn't that easy Aus. Aislinn did what she could, she dealt with the biggest problem at the time, did you want to be at war forever?" Olivia said gently. Her face softening as she looked between him and where Rowan sat.
"We wouldn't be where we are today if she had just sent us after him." Aus argued back.
"You know why she didn't." Olivia said.
"Yeah and look what happened!" Austin roared. It was one of the first times Izzy had ever seen Austin fully lose his temper, she flinched from its rawness, it's depth.
Olivia didn't flinch, instead her spine straightened, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits as she swung her eyes back onto the Beta. "I'm sorry, are you implying that any of what has happened is Aislinn's fault?" Her words were steel edged knives, daggers that sunk to the hilt, drawing blood and promising pain.
Austin didn't back down. "She should have killed him Liv. Should have let me kill him."
"She made a mistake, but this isn't her fault! Don't you dare! And it wasn't that simple."
"It was that simple. He killed her family! Betrayed her! Tried to murder her!" Austin roared, pushing off the wall, advancing on her.
"He was the only family she had left!" Olivia fought back, meeting Austin's anger head on, refusing to retreat.
"We were her family! She had us!" Austin screamed.
The words were enough to prick Olivia's own emotions, her face softening as she took in Austin's heaving chest and flushed face, his fists clenched at his sides. "Aus, you know that isn't what she meant. She wanted peace. Wanted to move on. She wanted the death and fighting to end."
At her gentle tone, Aus began to deflate. His shoulders sagging, he ran a hand over his face letting out a shuddering breath. "Yeah I know Liv, I just wish-" His words trailed off as he glanced at Rowan, who was once more an unmoving statue.
Olivia also shifted to look at Rowan, her words even softer, regret and sadness laced within them. "I know Aus, we all do. Aislinn more than any of us."
"Yeah I know." Aus said on a breath, his anger gone, leaving despair and sorrow.
"Umm, could anyone fill in the clueless human?" Izzy's voice was tentative and cautious in the aftermath of the emotions that held the room captive. Risking a glance at Rowan she found him still frozen, his eyes on her. Meeting them she wasn't surprised to see silver staring out. She felt her lips turn up at the corners.
"Robert Doyle was a very close friend of my mother's grandfather, he was his Beta to be exact, my own grandfather grew up with him. Without any of his own siblings, he saw Robert as a big brother of sorts, my mother grew up thinking of him as an uncle, of course all of that was until he betrayed her family and their pack. Helped others to infiltrate their defenses, and aided in killing my grandparents, my great-grandfather, and lastly kidnapping my mother." Rowan's words caused shivers to race over her skin, her mouth sagging as she stared at him.
"Ohmygod." Tears pricked her eyes as she held his silver ones.
"She eventually escaped, went into hiding, until she found my dad."
"More like crashed into his life and threw our whole world, and all our asses, into the frying pan." Austin interjected, despite his harsh words his voice spoke of her fondly, his eyes lighting up with adoration.
"Now he's after you?" Izzy asked.
"Now he's after power." Rowan answered. "He set himself up as 'Alpha of the Rogues'- "
"I thought they didn't have Alpha's, that they don't like packs?" Izzy interrupted confused.
"They don't. Didn't stop him from doing it, or enforcing his decision violently and absolutely. He is strong, and powerful, and lethal."
"And psychotic." Austin muttered.
"I thought he was gone." Maleco spoke up, he looked unhappy and concerned at the news he was hearing.
"He was." Rowan answered without turning. "Until he wasn't."
"Five years ago, he came back out to play." Austin supplied when Rowan didn't elaborate.
"Why so long?" Izzy asked looking at Austin in question.
"Because as much as he would hate to admit it, and despite what he's done in the past, he doesn't want to hurt my Aunt." Hayden offered reluctantly, glaring at Austin when the Beta snorted. "You know it's true. No one wants to say it, hell - we don't want to think it – but we all know neither of them wanted to be the first to move against the other, they didn't actually want to kill each other."
"Maybe that was before, but now?" Austin challenged.
"Yes well, I wasn't talking about now. Now she'd gut that mangy disgusting mutt with her bare hands and dine on his innards, I was just trying to explain why, for almost twenty years they vehemently ignored each other, even while they both knew exactly where the other was."
"We don't know Ais knew where he was." Olivia defended, to which Hayden, and even Austin, rolled their eyes.
"She knew exactly where he was. And I would bet my hide that they didn't 'ignore' each other as much as they'd like us to believe." Austin said.
"We're getting sidetracked." Isaac spoke up, nodding subtly to the Tenebris pack members who were present and soaking up their words zealously.
"Okay so now what then? They're gunning for each other again? Why haven't the Alpha's been alerted to this? We deserve to know if another war is breaking out!" Maleco said his voice turning hard, and demanding.
"There is no war, not yet. So far there have just been skirmishes - each side feeling the other out." Rowan said re-entering the conversation.
"How do you explain today then! We deserve to know what's going on!" Maleco roared.
"You will know what we decide to tell you Maleco." Rowan said firmly, finally shifting his stare from her, finding the enraged Alpha, his eyes shining pure silver. "Don't forget your place Maleco, you are a valued ally, and friend, but do not mistake that for an allowance to make demands."
Maleco's' head bowed under Rowan's gaze, his neck baring.
"Today was a test."
"A test?" Liesel asked from behind Maleco. Making sure to keep her eyes down and off of Rowan.
"He must have found out somehow. We'll have to move with more caution from now on." Austin said looking at Rowan.
"We should head back." Isaac offered.
"I'm not running." Rowan answered, scoffing.
"I didn't say run, I said head." Isaac retorted.
Izzy attempted to stifle her laugh, when Rowan's eyes flicked to her she knew he had caught it.
"I'm not 'heading' either." Rowan muttered. "We knew this was a possibility. So we deal with it. I'll let my parents know. You fill Maleco in on the necessary steps to boost the patrols, I doubt they'll try anything against a whole pack, he doesn't want war."
"No, he just wants leverage." Austin murmured throwing a pointed look in her direction.
Izzy's eyebrows shot up.
"Shut it Aus!" Rowan snapped.
A knock on the door broke them out of their bickering, swinging open it revealed a small woman holding a tray, a tentative smile on her face. Making her way, Izzy heard her stomach give a rumble salvia filling her mouth. Taking the tray the woman offered her, she grinned in thanks, the turmoil of the day fading to the background as she focused on the covered offerings.
"Thank you Lily." Maleco said gently to the petite women, his eyes softening lovingly as he watched her departure.
"What did you get from the Rogue?" Austin asked, as she lifted the cover from a steaming bowl of soup.
"Conformation of what we suspected." Rowan said absently. "He blithered on about Doyle, haloed him the rightful – Alpha."
Izzy looked up, her attention pulled from the rich warm vegetable goodness to stare at Rowan. He had been about to say something else, but had caught himself, not fast enough however for her not to notice. She narrowed her eyes when he looked at her innocently. I'll figure it out, whether you want me to or not!
As if hearing her vow, Rowan winked at her, a grin spreading across his face. Izzy's stomach flipped, butterflies erupting, she hoped she wasn't drooling.
"Went on about avenging him. But he did admit that they know I'm visiting the packs, but he didn't know how they had gotten the information, or if anyone gave us away. He was a pawn - nothing more."
"Did he say the same thing as the others about-" A look from Rowan cut off Austin's words, it was quick but again, Izzy caught it.
She was becoming concerned how in-tune and aware of him she was. She noticed his smallest movements, the tiny tilt of his head when he was interested or intrigued, the briefest tightening of his lips, the small flinch of his shoulder when someone mentioned something that cut him. He has a soulmate; someone he's destined to be with by whatever it is that arranges these things. You shouldn't be noticing that Austin's words upset him, or that there's something he's hiding. You're only concern should be staying alive. Her words rang hollow though, her heart clenching at the reminder. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore and let her spoon fall noisily against the edge of the bowl.
She didn't miss Rowan's raised eyebrow or the concern in his eyes. She hated herself for that. He's a monster! Even in her own head she heard the lie in her words.
"Kaiden is going to be pissed to hear about this." Austin said to no one in particular.
"I'm more worried about Richard." Olivia added, her brow furrowing in concentration. "He isn't going to be happy knowing how reckless Robert is becoming. He's going to put Ais on lockdown."
Austin shuddered at her words. "She's going to be a terror - been there, done that. I'm with Rowan there's no need to head back just yet."
"Look at the big bad Beta afraid of the little she-wolf!" Olivia sang. Laughing loudly when Austin stuck his tongue out at her, their earlier animosity easily forgotten and forgiven.
"Should we let the other Alpha's know about this attack?" Maleco asked.
"No not yet." Rowan said standing, his hand reaching for her. "You know of the threat now, Austin and Olivia will help coordinate the increased patrols. That's enough for now."
"Row." Rowan glanced at Austin. "Are you good?" Austin's eyes flicked from his outstretched hand to her.
Rowan looked back at her, silver eyes meeting hers. "All good."
Placing her hand in his, Izzy let him pull her to her feet.