It was quiet. But when on border patrol, that was probably a good thing. Jagger stood nearby, leaning against a tree, as we looked out over the valley. He was on high alert for any signaling howls. Maybe my father's post on the other side of the valley was more exciting. I should have gone with him.
Picking at the grass, I let out a sigh. "So, this is patrol."
"If the alpha saw you sitting there, he'd beat your ass." Jagger gave me a smirk. "It's boring but it has to be done. Rogues are smart enough to keep away from our land. We rarely have one come close to the boundaries."
"Joy." I fell back and put my arms behind my head. "Do you have to sit up here all night?"
Jagger shrugged. "There are two shifts. So until the next one gets here, yes."
"Is it weird to know this will be yours one day." I motioned to the view.
"It won't be mine."
"You'll be the one ruling it. Alpha." I winked.
He rolled his eyes. "And I'll be stuck with you as my beta."
"You don't know that. It could be someone else."
"Doubt it." He took a deep breath as his ear twitched.
I didn't hear anything. I sat up to look slightly more serious about what we were doing. "So how's mated life?"
Jagger shifted as he tried not to smile. "Fine."
"God," I laughed, "my cousin has you worked over."
He glared at me. "Raven is my mate. It's natural to want to provide and protect him. You wouldn't understand."
"I can tell he's borderline obsessed with you."
"Don't make it weird."
I grinned. "You can tell by the way he runs to you. Oh Jagger, how was the hunt? Are you hungry? Let me give you a massage. How can I serve you, my strong, powerful mate?" I reached for his leg.
"Knock it off!" He kicked at me. "He's never said any of that in his life."
"He says it through his eyes." I pointed at mine and then Jagger's.
Shaking his head, the black werewolf stared straight forward. "It was a lot quieter around here when you were gone."
"Thanks. I missed you, too." With a groan, I stood and dusted off the dirt from my fur. "You're good for him, Raven." I glanced at the other dominant. "I know you've heard it plenty, but you are. Most dominants looked at my cousin as an object. You never have."
Jagger raised his chin and remained silent. Scratching my arm, I scanned the trees. I was ready for the next shift to come. It had been around two hours since we arrived but I was bored. I'd rather be sleeping. I didn't have to hunt tomorrow, which was one perk to being up all night.
"You're leaving for college around the same time as us?"
I nodded.
"A human ran school?"
"Yep. Darius thinks I'm crazy. How can you find a mate among humans?" I said in a deep voice. "You better not put me through what your parents did to Xavier." I chuckled. "He threatened to drag my ass back home and send me to Midfield University if I even think of taking a human mate without clearing it with him first."
"Was your dad in the room when he said that."
I nodded again. "Or it would have been no human mates period."
Jagger grinned. "That sounds more like Darius. The older he gets, the more he acts like Xavier. The alpha would never admit that he's turning into his dad." He turned to me. "Do you plan on finding a mate soon or are you going to wait?"
"Wait. Though my grandma isn't happy about it."
"You should at least date. It will keep Aunt Karen off your back."
"Very true."
"Are you interested in anyone in the pack? Because going to a human school, your werewolf options are going to be limited."
I shrugged. "I've been gone for so long I feel like I'm getting to know everyone again."
"There are plenty of girls who are interested in you."
Sucking in my cheek, I looked away. "Hmm..."
"So..." Jagger cleared his throat. "Since I'm in a gay relationship, I think it's okay to ask. Are you—"
I scratched my neck. "Either."
"My god, if we all end up in a homosexual mating, Darius is going to wonder if there's something in the water."
"True. Both his boys, and you"—I motioned to him—"I might as well join the club."
"Which would you prefer?"
I didn't feel comfortable to just outright say I was interested in Archer. Jagger might think it was strange that I would choose a dominant male over a female.
"A boy, maybe? I'm not too particular."
One long howl followed by two short sounded.
I frowned. "What does that one mean?"
"Caution." Jagger rolled his head from side to side. "A rogue must have gone near the border and they're picking up their scent."
"Do we have to go check it out?"
He slapped me on the back. "It's part of being a leader. Come on, pup. Let's go."
***
Stretching my arms overhead, I dragged my tired body to the hot pools. Even after sleeping in until noon, I was still tired. Pack life was harder than I remembered, but it was slowly starting to get easier. I eased into the water and laid my head back onto the ledge.
"Hey, look, sleeping beauty is awake."
I glanced to the side to see Archer with some of the other younger dominants.
"Well, your dad is the pack princess," he laughed.
"People have been killed for calling him that." I lifted a finger. "He may be small, but he can be deadly."
Archer left his group and sat on the ledge by my head. "So, how was patrol?"
"Easier than hunting. It's a lot of sitting around."
"It's so boring." He rested his head against his fist. "I'd rather hunt. I rarely have to do patrol because I'm one of the main chasers."
I relaxed and closed my eyes. "Maybe slow down a bit and Darius will change that for you."
Archer scoffed. "No way in hell. I like my job. It keeps my dad off my back, too."
"Sorry about the other day. I didn't think Rupert would get that mad."
He shrugged. "I knew and I still went. It's not your fault."
"So you set me up?"
"I needed an excuse." He flashed me a grin.
I opened my mouth but was interrupted by a group of girls.
"Hey, Archer." The golden werewolf sat beside him. "Hi, Saigon. I'm Willow, remember?"
"I remember."
She smiled. "Archer, we were going to go up Northern to some hot pools. Do you want to come?"
Archer swallowed hard. "Um... yeah. I'll go."
"Great." She leaned against this side.
"Where are these hot pools at?" I asked.
"Oh, they're super small," said Willow. "But the view is pretty. Archer can explain it to you." She stood. "We're heading out to the river. If you want, you can come and join us." Her eyes lingered on me.
"I'll be there in a minute," said Archer.
She waved and led the others outside.
I eyed the man beside me. "I know about most of the hot pools in the territory, and I don't know what the hell she's talking about."
Archer bowed his head. "Um... they've been wanting me to ask for a while—" He rubbed the back of his head.
"Archer?" I lifted a brow. "I'm getting a feel this has nothing to do with going swimming."
"Harper's Creek is off-limits so they go to the town west of here."
I sat up straight. "Are you planning on going?"
He shook his head. "My father would freak out. It's near the place where my dad used to live. Willow only asked me because they want you to go with them."
"Me?"
"Well yeah, future beta," he muttered. "They want to get to know you and since I'm the only one you talk to, they asked me to see if you wanted to go."
"Darius doesn't know, right?"
"Please don't tell," he groaned. "You get to leave in a month or so, but I don't. I have to live with these people."
Letting out a huff through my nose, I shook my head. "You're not going?"
Archer picked at the dirt under his claws. "No."
"Alright, then I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."
"Are you going to? I might go if you do."
"Nope." I pushed off the side. "Pissing off my uncle isn't something I'm looking to do. He assigns the jobs. I don't want to be doing double shifts for the rest of my life. Not to mention, Rupert isn't someone I want to mess with. He was in a panic because we went to the cliffs, so let's not push the man over a cliff by going to hang out with humans."
"True. It's why I've never gone." He slowly stood with a sigh. "I'll come up with an excuse for you."
I bobbed in the water. "Where are you going?"
He pointed outside. "To catch up with Willow."
"You could hang out with me."
"Or you could come to the river with the rest of us."
I sighed. "Socializing isn't my thing."
Archer rolled his eyes. "I'll never get you. If you change your mind, you know where we're at."
I watched him leave with my eyes just above the water. How many hints did I have to drop before he caught on that I wanted to hang out with him alone? No Willow or humans, just the two of us like how it was back when we were pups. Maybe Archer did take after Rupert because both of them were one track-minded, and Archer's was set on Willow.