The ride back to the house was silent. Lou had watched through the window curiously as Ryland berated Cain about something, likely her. They'd been talking too quietly for even her sensitive ears to catch, which had greatly frustrated the curious side of her. What had Ryland said to make Cain look so sad? She shouldn't care, she really shouldn't, but as she had established, she couldn't stay away from the big, bad, Alpha.
She truly was a glutton for punishment.
Lou's hand was trapped firmly in Joey's and she leaned her head against his shoulder. She still couldn't believe he was here with her, but it wasn't the two of the them against the world anymore. Now she also had the Crimson Moon pack, for now anyway. But she'd never had so many people on her side, so she would embrace it for as long as she could.
She knew that Joey wanted an explanation about what happened between her and Cain, but she hardly wanted to talk with her brother about how the handsome Alpha had the ability to make her melt with just a look. She also didn't want to tell him about what a jackass Cain had been after their kiss. Joey would try to kick his ass for sure, and Lou had a feeling she'd have to wipe Joey off the floor.
They stopped in front of the house to find the twins and Henry playing outside, Will's white wolf bouncing around them gleefully. As the truck pulled to a stop and Ryland cut the engine, the wolf's nose twitched and his gazed homed in on the bed of the truck where the rogue lay. His ears flattened angrily and Lou watched as his lips lifted in a small snarl, but he perked up again as they all climbed out. The wolf trotted over and wagged his tail in greeting, sniffing Joey curiously and cocking his head to the side.
"Beta?" Joey asked no one in particular.
"Yeah, that's Will," Lou confirmed.
"Lou!" Henry cried happily, running over to her on his little legs. She grinned and bent down to scoop up the hefty little boy and nuzzle his face.
"Hi, buddy," she said, kissing his cheek.
Henry reached out to Cain, who still radiated tension. "Hi, Baldy."
Cain's face immediately softened and he gave the pup a small smile. "Hey, Henry." The Alpha ruffled his hair playful and Henry grinned, adoring the attention from his Alpha.
"Who's that, Baldy?" Henry asked, pointing at Joey who grinned at the pup. It was hard not to be completely enthralled by the small child when the youngest in their father's pack were well into their teen years now. There were a few half-bloods, but because the pure-blooded wolves were so cruel to them, they stayed away.
"This is Joey," Cain said, plucking Henry from Lou's arm and hanging him upside down from his shoulder so that he was falling down Cain's chest, face up. "Lou's big brother."
Henry squealed in delight at Cain's sudden playfulness, but he didn't forget his manners. "Hi, Joey. I'm Henry."
"Good to meet you, Henry," Lou's brother chuckled, staring at Cain curiously as the large man tickled the little boy, a smile breaking across his face at Henry's glee. The Alpha cleared his throat at Joey's sudden attention and swung Henry back down, placing him on his feet next to his father.
"Lou, can you bring Henry inside while we take care of our cargo?" Cain asked her, one of the first civil sentences he'd said to her in weeks.
Too bad she wasn't in the mood for that. "I want to be there when you deal with him."
"No."
She scoffed. "No? You don't get to just say 'no' with no reasoning."
"The reason is that I don't want you anywhere near him," Cain growled low. "He came here for you, which means that it's not safe for you to be around him."
"Exactly. He came here for me. I'd like to know why," she snarled back.
"Lou," Ryland said quietly, glancing between the two angry Alphas, "he kind of has a point."
She turned on him, her eyes flashing. "No, he does not have a point. That rogue is detained. So unless the two of you are trying to say that you won't stop him from attacking me, I'm going to be there when you interrogate him."
Cain let out an explosive sigh, frowning at her. "Why can't you just do as I ask?"
"You've hardly given me a reason to do you any favors, Cain," she snapped at him, feeling incredibly satisfied as he flinched. "Now, I'll bring Henry inside but I'll be back out. Don't start without me."
Lou took Henry's hand gently, looking down at his sweet little face. The pup didn't understand what was going on, but he certainly felt the tension between the adults and didn't like it one bit. His lower lip was pouting slightly and his eyes were welling up.
"Oh, Henry, it's okay," she told him, kneeling in front of him and wiping the wetness from beneath his eyes.
"I don't like when you and Cain fight," he whispered, glancing up at the man in question.
"Well, I don't like it either, but it just happens sometimes," she assured him and stroking a hand over his baby-soft hair. "But it's okay. We're done fighting."
"You sure?"
"Positive, so you don't have to worry anymore, okay?"
He nodded slowly, looking up at the Alpha again. Cain must have smiled reassuringly because Henry perked up and allowed Lou to take him into the house, Joey and the twins at her heels. The boys were completely enthralled with Joey. He was a new wolf after all, and therefore incredibly interesting. Her newness had worn off around the fourth day of her stay.
"You were here a few weeks ago. When Xander was looking for Lou?" Blake confirmed with Joey.
Her brother nodded at the pup. "Yep, that was me."
Bryce looked at him suspiciously. "How come you were working with Xander?"
"He needed a tracker," Joey explained. "Unfortunately for him, I'm on Lou's side."
"Good. We're on her side, too. Are you also going to join the pack?"
Lou winced internally. She knew it was misleading, her staying around for so long. Why wouldn't the pups assume that she was joining the pack on a permanent basis? She would love to do that, she really would, but she couldn't keep doing this painful dance with Cain. She was already exhausted by it, so she knew she wouldn't last much longer.
Joey, thankfully, had the grace to shrug nonchalantly. "Maybe. We'll have to see how Cain feels about me, right?"
"Well, as long as we like you, you should be okay," Bryce said in a confident voice. "Cain doesn't seem to like Lou much, but he lets her stay around."
Lou's wolf whined sadly, and Lou had to agree. She wanted Cain to like her. Not even in a romantic way, just in general.
Blake's voice was hesitant, but that didn't stop him. "Cain can be kind of... difficult sometimes. At least that's what Mom says to Dad."
Joey snorted. "Most Alphas I know are difficult."
"You're an Alpha, aren't you? I can sense it." Blake was obviously proud of this fact, and Lou knew he had the right to be. Sensing the rank of the wolves around him was evidence that his wolf instincts were gaining strength. He would likely shift any day now, she could feel it.
"Lou's and my father was the Alpha of our pack, now our older brother is the Alpha, so yes, technically I was born an Alpha. But, I've never had much interest in actually having the title. I'm not dominant enough. Not even as dominant as my sister, who was born to lead a pack," Joey said teasingly. Lou shot him a look over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. He used to joke that Lou could walk all over any Alpha she chose. That was before the first time a man had overpowered her, a situation she wouldn't have gotten out of without his help. That was the day she'd stopped believing those words, although it was nice to hear them again.
Blake was inquisitive as he trotted up beside her. "Would you lead this pack? With Cain?" She knew the question was completely natural and innocent. He was in a pack without an Alpha female, without a Luna, so why wouldn't he assume that the only Alpha female he knew would take the position?
He probably didn't realize that to be the Luna of a pack, she needed to be mated to its Alpha.
"Probably not. Cain will find his Alpha female in his time," she said softly.
"Oh," he nodded slowly. "But, how will you be the Alpha female if there's another Alpha female?"
"Well, I wouldn't," she told him patiently, although the though hurt. "A pack can only have one Alpha female, and that female is the one who's mated to the Alpha."
"But-"
Fortunately, they had reached the house and this point and Ellen stepped outside with a thunderous look in her eye. "Boys! Why is the playroom still a mess?"
The older pups paled. "Henry wanted to go outside," Blake said.
"And that means you don't clean up after yourselves? Get in there now."
Henry giggled at the looks on the boys' faces. That brought him to Ellen's attention.
"Ah, ah, ah, that includes you too, Mister. Go help Blake and Bryce clean up the mess I know you helped to make," she pointed them down the hallway. All three boys sighed but did as they were told. Lou smirked as they trudged out of the kitchen. Ellen shook her head after them but smiled at Lou and Joey.
"Hello again, Joseph. I'm Ellen. We weren't able to be properly introduced last time you were here." She held out a hand to him, which Joey shook in a friendly manner.
"Call me Joey," he grinned. "Is there somewhere I can put my bag?" He shrugged the shoulder holding his backpack and duffle bag.
"Of course! We'll put you downstairs with the kids and Lou. I'll take you down there now," she gestured for him to follow her. Joey nodded and moved to trail the older woman to the stairs. He hesitated when Lou didn't immediately follow, looking back at her while raising a brow.
"I'm going to head back outside, Joey," Lou told him with a heavy sigh and glare toward the back door. "You know they won't wait for me."
"I'll be right out," he told her as he followed Ellen. Lou turned and walked back outside, growling softly when everyone was missing and the door to the garage was firmly closed. As if that was going to stop her from participating on the interrogation. She stormed over to the garage and, without knocking, threw the door open.
Naturally, this revealed a half-naked Will as he pulled a pair sweatpants over his lean hips.
The Beta yelped in surprise, nearly tripping over the pants as he struggled to get them on. "Jesus! Wasn't expecting you to burst in here Lou."
Lou blushed deeply, looking anywhere but at the handsome Beta, who she had just seen far too much of. Hopefully, Kristine wouldn't be too mad at her for getting an eyeful of her husband. Ryland and Vince both chuckled at her embarrassment. Well, just because they were used to male nudity didn't mean that she was!
"Sorry, Will. I just assumed you would start without me," she mumbled, just now noticing Cain crouched next to a folding chair that held the rogue wolf. The Alpha was tying the other wolf's hands behind his back and securing him to the chair.
Ryland snorted and laid an arm across her shoulders. "Lou, I think we're all too afraid of what you'd do to our Alpha if he started without you."
She glanced at Cain again to find him looking over his shoulder at her, and her stomach did a flip at his intense blue gaze. His eyes held hers for a moment before he rose from the crouch and stood in front of the wolf. What she saw on his face surprised her slightly. It wasn't anger or resentment... it almost looked like sadness? Perhaps longing? The expression looked out of place on his stoic face, so it was hard to tell, but she was certain it wasn't his normal anger.
"Why are you here?" Cain barked, pouring his Alpha aura onto the rogue. The wiry wolf cringed back, wincing against the force of Cain's dominance. Ryland and Vince both shifted uncomfortably as they were affected by Cain's aura as well. Only Lou didn't feel like squirming, a testament to her equal rank.
The rogue looked like he was in pain, but said nothing.
Cain wasted no time in escalating. He slammed his hands down on the arms of the chair, causing the rogue to jump and glare up at Cain. He appeared a little too confident for someone who was in the face of an angry and likely-violent Alpha.
"I'm not a patient man, so I don't suggest testing me," Cain spat, getting right up into the rogue's face. "Why are you here?"
"I already told you," the rogue growled, leaning as far away from Cain's imposing form as he possibly could. "I was told that if I found her, I could be a part of a pack again."
"Who told you that?" Cain asked in a low voice. Lou turned as the side door of the garage opened and Joey stepped through, taking his place next to her. He gave her a grim smile but then focused on the terrified wolf before them.
When the wolf just shook his head, Cain squeezed the arms of the chair and Lou's wolf went insane. While Lou was trying to focus on the interaction happening in front of her, her wolf was focused entirely on Cain's impressive display of male dominance. His arms flexed and bulged, the strength in them entirely evident. Her wolf also loved just how powerful this Alpha male was. He would be a good match for them, he certainly would. An Alpha male to match their own dominance. Lou was disgusted at the way her wolf wanted to prance around the male to get his attention, to make him want her. When had her wolf lost all self-respect? Never before had she had any interest in attracting a male, and now she was ready to roll over for this one. Even after he kept hurting them, pushing them away, she wanted him.
Her one-track mind was distracting Lou from the confrontation before them, and she also found herself accidentally focusing on Cain's impressive physique rather than his words.
"Was it the High Council? Did they promise you a place in a pack if you located her?"
The rogue just shook his blond head again, but it looked more like he didn't want to answer rather than a definite "no". Who could possibly have a hold over this rogue that he was more afraid of them than the massive, incredibly angry Alpha that was in his face?
Cain snarled low. "Let me remind you of something. You trespassed on my territory with the intent of bringing one of my females harm. No matter what happens, you die. You don't get out of this alive, do you understand? No one who threatens my pack gets away with it with their life. So, you can either tell me what I want to know and die quickly, or we can draw this out. Your choice."
"You don't understand," the rogue snarled in frustration, still shaking his head. Quick as a flash, Cain drew his fist back and drove it directly into the rogue's face. Lou winced at the ugly cracking sound that followed. Blood gushed down the wolf's face as he groaned and cursed. When he spoke again, it was thick and nasally due to the blood and his crushed nose. "I can't tell you."
"I'll bet that you can," Cain whispered. "Did you think you'd actually manage to get close enough to my pack to kidnap a pack member? You had to realize that this was the most likely outcome of the scenario."
"I'm a wolf without a pack," the rogue snapped. "You don't think I'm desperate? I'm going crazy being a lone wolf. I was willing to risk anything to be part of a pack again."
"So the High Council tasked you with kidnapping her?"
The wolf sighed heavily and lowered his head. "Not them."
Cain froze, as did the rest of the wolves in the room, and took a step back from the rogue. Lou stared in shock at the rogue. Who other than the Council had the power to remove his rogue status? A strong Alpha perhaps, but no Alpha in his right mind would just allow a rogue to join his pack. Then again, if he brought Lou back that could be enough to convince the Alpha to let him join... But no Alpha could drive so much fear into the rogue that not even Cain's aura could get him to talk.
Cain looked over at Will who shrugged a shoulder. Ryland and Vince both did the same when Cain looked at them. Their Alpha even resorted to sending questioned glances and Joey and Lou, who were both also at a loss.
"Who, then?" Lou asked, stepping forward. Cain growled at her in warning, but she snarled back and moved around him to face the rogue. "Who told you to bring me to them?"
The rogue looked up at her with plain brown eyes, which filled with lust at the sight of her. Chills ran up her spine and she was incredibly grateful that the rogue was contained. She knew she wasn't nearly as imposing as Cain, but the rogue didn't seem at all afraid of her. In fact, he had the audacity to look down at her, which was bold based on the position he was in. His gaze raked up and down her body, sneering as he did so. "So you're the last of them, the last pure-blooded female. Not much to look at, but I suppose you don't have to be pretty to bear pups." Lou couldn't stop herself from flinching away at his nasty words.
Cain exploded, inserting himself between Lou and the rogue. His large hands wrapped around the rogue's neck and squeezed. His blue eyes began to glow dangerously as his wolf edged closer to the surface, snarling in fury. "You don't talk to her. You don't fucking look at her. You don't deserve to even think about her."
The rogue gasped and nodded, but Cain still didn't release him. The rogue's face began to turn a dark purple as the Alpha's hands remained locked around his neck. It wouldn't be long before Cain choked him to death. Lou glanced at Ryland, Vince, and Will but no one seemed like they were about to step forward to stop their Alpha from killing the man before they got answers from him. Ryland chewed his lip nervously and shook his head when she made eye contact with him. So, they weren't going to step in. Looked like she would have to do it herself.
"Cain," Lou said quietly, putting her hand on his arm. Tingles ran up her arm from where her fingers made contact with his warm skin. He turned to her and his eyes immediately ceased glowing. "He hasn't told us anything. Let him go for now. I'm fine; his words didn't mean anything."
Cain swallowed heavily, his eyes locked on hers. She couldn't look away from him, but she felt the muscles in his arm relax beneath her fingers as he relinquished his hold.
She sensed his anger still boiling beneath the surface, but he seemed to be keeping it in check for the moment. Now she just needed to remove her hand from his arm. Easier said than done.
Cain gained control of his senses faster than Lou, looking back at the rogue and growling in a low voice. "Tell me what I want to know."
The rogue was still gasping for air, but he seemed to sense that his time was running short. Whatever patience Cain had possessed was long gone after the blond wolf dared to talk to Lou the way he had.
"Fine, fine," the rogue wheezed, squeezing his eyes closed. "The people that want her, the people that sent me, are the-"
And then the rogue's head literally exploded, covering Lou and Cain from head to toe.