I finish up the paperwork while Dominic was training the guards, seeing how well they were when it came to danger. He had told me that he was more focused on saving the children the day of the attack, unable to study my warriors. Now, with him downstairs training, I prop my head in my hands and look over to Daniel who was still standing stiff as a board.
"You can relax, you know," I tell him, smirking. "I won't tell him."
For the smallest second, he smiles. "I would, Alpha, however I have to remain ready for anything that happens."
"Come on. You can relax. Please? For me?" Reluctantly, he does so, leaning against the wall this time. I grin at him, turning back to my paperwork. "You're not much older than my dad, Daniel. You're going to send yourself into early retirement. You'll be bald before your next birthday."
He grabs his heart, dramatically pouting. "You wound me, Alpha."
"You're still so formal! I'm going to cry. I'll tell Dominic you made me cry."
His face pales until he sees my smile. "You're a mess."
"And you can call me Lia."
"You're unlike your father. You're becoming a great Alpha, Lia."
Smiling at the compliment, I finish the last touches on the paperwork and prop my head on my hand. "Tell me, Daniel. Are there anymore rumors going around about Dominic?"
"The only thing I've heard so far is someone telling the new girl, Jillian I believe, that she's sorry Dominic was taken. There were other colorful words, but I would rather not repeat that."
I hum. "What was her reply?"
"Nothing. She just walked away."
"Probably because my guards are with her." Sighing, I stand and walk to the door, him following behind me. "Thanks for letting me know. I promise your words are confidential, especially when it comes to the safety of the pack."
The two of us are quiet, only picking up conversation when pack members say hello to us. On the outside, I appear polite, smiling back at them, and yet my insides were burning with rage. Once we step outside, he looks over at me, yet all I give him is a smirk.
The annoyance I was feeling towards Jillian and her affection for my mate only grew the fire that my wolf and I were feeling, both of us ready to lunge when needed. I see her on the side, training with a few of the warriors to get stronger, and nearly growl when her eyes keep flickering over to Dominic. He was shirtless, sweat looking like little stars, and I make a direct line for him. A few of the warriors, seeing me enter, slow to a stop with their head bowed.
He finally fully looks over at me, frowning, and pushes his hair out of his face. "Lia?"
With a possessive growl, I pull him down to me, taking his lips with my own. He gives just as much back, arm wrapping around my waist, before smiling down at me. "I'm here to let out some frustration."
He smirks. "Because the new girl keeps looking over here at me?"
I growl. "Because if I don't let it out, I'm going to kill her."
He snickers, stretching his arm over his head, and I shamelessly stare at his chest and abs. "Who do you want to go against?"
"You."
That stops everyone that was outside. He looks at me, a disapproving frown on his face, yet doesn't tell me no. At least, not yet. "Why me?"
I pull off my shirt, stretching my arms for a basic warm up, and smile up at him cheekily. "Because you're the only one I know who won't go easy on me."
"Lia, I can't. I don't want to hurt you."
"Dominic Zane Frey, you will challenge me, and you will not go easy just because I'm a girl, do you understand me? You are the only one who will put in effort because everyone else will be too worried about hurting me. We fought as kids; we can fight now."
Rolling his eyes, he nods. "As you wish."
Everyone makes room, giving us space, and I can see a few members coming outside to watch. He smirks at that, leaning down to kiss me, and then pulls away. "Are you sure you don't want me to go easy on you, kitten?"
"Positive."
I stare at him as we move apart, knowing I had the advantage when it came to speed yet knowing his was strength. We circle one another, watching the way his lips curl in a smile, and then we start. I move out of the way quick enough when he goes to lunge, swiping my foot to drop him. He goes down, moving quicker than what I remember he could, and makes a complicated move to keep him upright.
He sees my scowl, laughing, and then pins my arm behind my back. "What? I learned a few things since we were kids."
I move quick and fluidly, getting out of his arms to face him once again. He lunges and I dodge him, grabbing his fist and hit hard on his forearm. I hear the snap, his eyes darkening with pain, yet he flexes his hand when we move away.
"Oops, did I hurt you?" I tease. "I'm sorry."
Shaking it off, we keep going long until we're both tired, my body sore from all the jabs and hits that he had managed to get in. I knew he was tired too, yet he refused to show it, knowing he needed to continue looking strong for the warriors he was supposed to be training. The moment he comes at me, we both hear a man make a small comment about my body, hoping neither of us heard it. I freeze, as does Dominic, and we both stare directly at him.
"What was that?" he growls.
The guy visibly gulps, his face pale, and quickly shakes his head.
"That's right. If I hear you talking about her in that way again, I'll be sure you remember the pain that comes with it."
Before he gives me attention again, I smirk, hitting him right where I knew it would bring him down. For a second, we both stare at one another, him on his back on the ground with me cheekily smiling at him. His eyes narrow in on me playfully, pushing himself up, and then tucks the stray hairs behind my ears.
"You'll regret that, Liana."
I giggle, waving him off as I make my way back to Daniel, and take the water bottle in thanks. "Do you feel better, Lia?"
I nod, seeing the way that Jillian refused to look at him now that I was out here, and smirk. "Go train with them. I'll stay out here."
Looking towards Dominic for acceptance, he nods his head at us, and I smile up at him when he obeys. Shedding his shirt and shoes, I cross my arms, my gaze lingering on Dominic's back. I smile to myself when I walk away, dropping my shorts when I get to the pool, and take my hair down.
You're making this very hard to concentrate, kitten.
I smirk at Dominic's voice, diving in. The water is cool on my skin, comforting me, and I come up slowly. Train your men and quit looking at me, you pervert.
I hear his laughter from here and then him groan, looking over to see one of the warriors who had managed to get a hit in. Smirking, I continue my swim while they train, knowing it shouldn't be but an hour more. I let my thoughts wander after I'm finished swimming and lounge on the chair, my eyes closed, listening to Dominic's commands as he tells them how to improve.
I could feel myself drifting off, the warmth of the sun teasing and helping me relax, until there was a scream. I'm out of the chair, running in the direction, when Dominic tells them to follow me. There was a growl, the smell of rogue filling my nose, and I shift to run faster. Her yells get louder, pleas for someone to help, and I break into the forest in a fast run. My members voices fill my head, panicked, asking what was going on. I close it down, eyesight red, and lunge at the rogue who was attacking a child.
We growl at one another, circling, and I pin him back down when he tries to go after her again. He whimpers under my hold, his blood dripping onto the ground, and I hear her cry behind me. Dominic's voice is soft, coaxing her, and then he's next to me.
"Lia, let go. I'll take care of this."
The wolf, seeing Dominic, goes limp. I drop him, only moving once he was in Dominic's hold, and I turn towards the girl who was injured. She sniffles, throwing herself on me, and I kneel so she can get on.
Hold on, I tell her.
She does, burying her face in my fur, and I take off running. Even hurt, she giggles, her mood completely different once I get her back to the pack house. I take the change of clothes thankfully when she slides off, shifting back to pull them on, and I kneel to look at her.
"Where did he hurt you?"
She lifts her shirt, showing me a bite mark that was healing. "He hurt me here."
"Come on, kiddo. Let's go get that cleaned up."
She takes my hand, rubbing the tears from her eyes, and I smile at her parents who wordlessly follow behind us. I distract her from the pain, chatting about things from one end of the spectrum to the other, and when I finally get her to the doctors she's giggling.
"Hello, Alpha. What do we have here?"
"Rogue," I explain. I help her onto the table, crossing my arms over my chest. "It seems even with the added protection they're getting in."
"Let me see, little one."
He lifts her shirt, her mother gasping before hiding her face in her mate's shoulder, and I watch her face as she winces each time he touches the wound. I take her hand in my own, smiling at the little bit of courage that she gets, and look at the doctor.
"I don't see any internal damage. Her wolf is healing it properly which is a good thing. I'm going to go ahead and give her a shot to ward off any infection and then properly clean it and wrap it up."
I ruffle her hair with my free hand, listening to her ramble on about her dream that included unicorns, and keep distracting her when he gives her the shot. Now fully wrapped and ready to go, I help her off the table, smiling when she runs over to her mother.
"Do you know what happened?" I ask them.
"He came out of nowhere," she whispers. "I was going to go until I saw you. I knew you'd save her."
"Do you mind telling me which direction he came from?"
"Eastern territory."
I kneel and smile at her, pinching her cheek. "Be safe. I'll see you later, Lily."
I wave goodbye to them, feeling someone wanting access to the link, and I let it down. Yes?
Lia, where are you? Dominic asks, voice worried.
Meet me on the Eastern side of the territory.
I'm quiet as I walk, telling the warriors that were not busy to meet me where I told Dominic, and keep a clear eye on my surroundings. The woods were peaceful at this time, the sun steadily dropping, and I wait for them as I sniff out the location that the rogue came from. There were scents everywhere, some that belong to my pack and more so others that don't. Multiple prints are pressed into the ground, all human, and I growl.
"Lia."
Turning around, Dominic gives me a frown. "Hi. Glad you could make it."
Kissing my head, he looks me over, seeing if there were wounds. "Why are we out here?"
I let him lift my shirt and walk around me, humming to himself. "Her parents said he came in through here. I hunted down the smells until I found his, which is right in this location. Yet there's human footprints, and even then, the scent smells like humans."
"So, what do you propose?"
Seeing the warriors all step up, I cross my arms, making sure they knew that I was serious. "I don't understand how, but it seems he managed to get in here undetected. If you smell and focus, there are multiple scents. Some ours, some rogue, and some human. In the majority, there are human smells and human footprints. Have any of you seen humans here?"
"I have," one says, "but they were just walking. They didn't come close to the pack house and didn't pose as a threat. When I stopped and talked to them, they said they're just hunters looking for deer."
I hum. "It is hunting season soon, which means we need to be careful. I want more guards posted. The only thing I can think of as to why the rogue got in so easily is by the help of a pack member."
Dominic, full Alpha mode, growls. "This is an order. If you let someone in, tell us now."
Everyone is silent, looking around, waiting. Once satisfied, I nod. "Good. As guards, you are ordered to report back to us if anything looks suspicious. I don't care if they're your best friend or your mate. If they are putting the pack at risk, you will tell me. Keep an extra eye on Jillian as well, but don't make it known."
Dominic, on the side, smirks at me. My guards bow their head, understanding, and he clears his throat. "Do you have any questions?"
"No, sir."
"One last question, if I may. Has anyone else commented on Dominic now being in this pack? Are there any threats involving him, or me?"
All of them shake their heads simultaneously. "Good," Dominic starts. "Please talk among yourselves about shifts involving the perimeter and who will be on watch with Jillian. You may go."
I lock my fingers behind my head, watching them leave, and sigh. "There's someone in the pack who's letting rogues in."
"I figured as much."
His fingers wrap around my wrists, tugging them down. "What do I do?"
"Don't you mean, what do we do? I am a part of this pack, Lia. I'm right by your side."
"As an Alpha no less."
He chuckles, surprising me by lifting me bridal style, and starts walking back to the pack house. "Why were you jealous earlier?"
I frown. "I'm sure you know why."
"I like to hear it."
"She likes you a lot. A pack member told her that she's sorry you're now taken, and then called me very colorful names."
"She is definitely jealous."
"What was your first clue?"
He laughs at my sarcasm, setting me back on my feet once we reach the front yard. "There's some things that you and I need to work on in the office you don't mind. Jamie will be included along with Cole."
"Sure. Just lead the way."
He holds my hand the entire time we're walking upstairs, smiling at our pack members, and even having small conversations with them. My anxiety was beginning to shoot through the roof, my grip on Dominic's hand tightening, and I take a shaky breath. I had yet to see Jamie since I was marked, and I was suddenly scared as to how this conversation was going to go once he noticed.
"Don't worry, kitten. Cole will be here first before we call Jamie in."
I nod. "Did Cole ever find himself a Beta?"
He grins, holding the door open for me. "Yeah. He's really excited about how she's going to work out."
"Ooh," I tease. Smirking, I claim my chair before he could, sticking my tongue out as I spin. "Is she mated?"
Raising an eyebrow, he shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. Why?"
"I'm overly jealous and you know that."
"Is that so?"
He closes the distance, staring me down, and smirks. I watch his eyes when he takes his thumb over my bottom lip, the way they light up in amusement, before his fingers rest on the collar of my shirt. I blush, not looking away, knowing he was enjoying the challenge. Dipping his head, his teeth skim over his mark, creating an instant moan, and he puts his hand over my mouth.
"Quiet."
Weakly nodding, he nibbles, tugging my shirt down enough to teasingly graze the top of my breasts. I lean into him, needing, and frown when he pulls away. "Why'd you stop?"
"Cole's here."