A chilled breeze drifted through the window, so I moved to close it. I needed something to do other than sit around awkwardly.
With each new suitor, my anxiety grew.
There were only so many male werewolves who lost their mate in one way or another, and survived. Rose refused to even meet someone who hadn't met their true mate yet, she didn't think it was fair to the future the true mates could have with each other. It was a choice that earned the Elders Council's respect. Even the always sour, Elder Riley.
I returned to my seat. It was warmer by the fire, yet I left Rose some space with the newest male to seek her approval. I had to fight from rolling my eyes when he handed her a single white rose during their introductions. It had become cliche. They all brought roses in one form or another.
Sigh.
Phalen and I agreed that any male who wanted to meet with Rose had to speak to the king first, then, their first meeting would be chaperoned by Phalen or I.
The plan was agreed upon, but I hated it.
I still hadn't fully shaken the headache that came with her third heat cycle. It broke two days prior, but the migraine had yet to follow suit. Not that listening to Rick drone on wouldn't give anyone a headache had they walked in perfectly healthy to start with.
That wasn't fair. Maverick was the beta and future alpha for the Timber Fall's pack. He was a good man with some impressive qualifications. When he was fresh out of school, he wanted to broaden his experiences, to provide more than just tradition to his pack. So, he left and joined the human army. He saw the world, learned about human military strategies and technologies, and gained a deeper respect for the risks of war, the price of leadership. When he returned, he was already a stronger leader in the pack and ready to take on the alpha title from his father.
The only holdup was his father's insistence that he be mated. Unfortunately, he found his true mate before he had even left for the military. She was older and had given up waiting for her true mate. She had mated someone else and already had pups with him. Rick didn't care that she was older, he simply wouldn't break up the family. So, they rejected each other.
I had to admit, if he wasn't set to become the Timber Falls alpha, I would have recruited the guy a long time ago as a royal guard.
He was a good possible choice for Rose. Of course, so were a few of the others she had met. Not matter how much it bothered me to admit.
Zachary had no romantic feelings for her, however, seemed to genuinely care for the girl he once knew. Rose, on the other hand, was less interested in returning to Midnight Meadows. It held too many memories.
The alpha surprised everywhen when he stood to leave at the end of their breakfast. He had stated that he didn't want to see Rose hurt any further. So, he offered something that shocked them all. If, at the end of her year, she hadn't found a male she could trust, he was more than willing to become her mate with no expectations from her. She could remain living in Fenris Grove or return to Midnight Meadows with him. It was an offer to save her life with no pressure of a relationship or expectations of taking on the role of a Luna.
The Moon Goddess knew that Zachary would be a better choice than the moron who met with her a few weeks after the Mating Ball. Why in the hell Alpha Beckham thought he could kiss her the first time they met, I would never understand. Phalen damn near killed him. Of course, that was only after Rose' almost clawed his face off. Her inner she-wolf was having none of that shit.
It took us another month before we could get her to meet anyone else. Goddess, it made me want to go back and find Beckham just so I could finish what she started.
"Hey boss." Liam interrupted my wandering mind.
"What?"
"You know that scent you've had us watch for?"
I instantly sat up straighter, gaining a raised brow from Rose. "Yes."
"We have all sorts of new scents coming in for the Fall Meeting of the Alphas. However, one of the patrols is sure that scent has crossed our borders."
I couldn't stop the growl that rumbled in my chest. Phalen was already in the meeting with all of the alphas. Jax and several of my men are also there. So, if the scent belonged to an alpha, they would have pinpointed him already.
The meeting was only for the alphas and a few guards to keep arguments down. Jax was only permitted in the room for the legal document side of everything, keeping notes of the agenda and making sure agreements made were drafted into law for Phalen to sign later. Hell, even I wasn't allowed in that meeting.
I quickly mind linked to Jax. "Are you missing any alphas?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are there any alphas that should be there, who haven't shown up yet?"
"A couple. Why?"
"Text me a list. Rose's stalker may have returned."
"It's been seven months. Why now?"
There was no point in answering. It would only be speculation. "Beta Maverick, may I have a word with you?" I had to work to keep my voice calm, not show any emotion. Mostly to not scare Rose.
The wolf stood and followed me into the hall. Once we stopped, he dropped his head a little to show respect. Then he stood straight and ran his fingers through his straight brown hair. Dark eyes, tinged with gold looked back at me. "I sense something's wrong, Your Highness." It wasn't a question. His wolf was anxious from my own changes.
"You are going to be chaperoned by more guards today." I kept it to the point. "Please take no offense, as it is not about you, in the slightest."
He nodded. "Whatever's going on, her safety comes before my pride."
"Thank you for understanding." As I spoke, Richard and Fernando returned with four more guards.
"What's going on?" Rose startled me with the mind link. In all the time she had been there, she hadn't linked with me.
My eyes found her worried ones. "We have intruders within the border. I don't know all of the details, so I'm making sure you're safe until we have it handled. Try to relax and enjoy your lunch with Maverick." I offered her a soft smile before I left to join in the search for the wolf I almost hated more than Donovan. He didn't just rape a child, he did it in wolf form. More painful, more aggressive, more terrifying, more damaging. I held her through the emotional damage he caused after his note. The fear, the nightmares, the screams.
Watching Rose through the ten months she had been in Fenris Grove had been like playing a children's game. Each day was a roll of the dice. Sometimes, she would creep along, moving forward only one space at a time. Yet, it was steadily getting stronger. Other days, she would push through and roll high numbers several days in a row or even jumped ahead altogether, impressing everyone. But then, something would happen, she would land on the wrong box. A simple thing really, however she would slide backwards on the board.
And it was this mysterious wolf who triggered her to slide back faster than even Donovan himself.
I would find him. And I would kill him. One way or another. He was dead.