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Rider

I stayed in my office for most of the day. I figured if I avoided Sophia, maybe this stupid fascination I seemed to have developed for her would go away. I had just gotten off the phone with one of the neighboring alphas when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I announced before the door opened.

I let out a relieved sigh when I realized it was just my soon-to-be gamma, Matty. He must have just gotten back from The Dark Shadow Pack. I sent him there yesterday to get more details about the attack on their territory.

“What’s up with you?” He asked curiously as he took a seat across from my desk. He was always good at reading my mood.

“Nothing, just on edge because of these attacks,” I replied, but I knew he could read right through my lie. After all, He was my best friend and could always tell when something was bothering me.

“Hmmm... OK. Now that we have that lie out of the way, why so tense? I mean, you’re always tense, but today you seem extra edgy.” He asked tilting his head to the side as he watched me carefully. I let out a frustrated sigh; there was no point in hiding it from him since he would find out on his own soon enough.

“Sophia and her warriors arrived earlier today,” I blurted out.

“No way! Where are they? I can’t wait to see…” Matty started to reply, but trailed off when he noticed my irritated expression.

“I meant to say, that bitch! She had better stay out of our way.” He shook his fist sarcastically and had a slight smirk on his face.

Matty was well aware that Sophia and I didn’t get along, but he had always liked her. I knew he was loyal to me, but it pissed me off how he thought she was so awesome. Why didn’t anyone else see how annoying she was like I do?

“Shut up. I know you’re dying to see her,” I said, and he let out a chuckle.

“Dude, I still don’t understand how you dislike her so much. She’s funny, cute, strong, and a ball of energy. I would kill for a mate like her.” I couldn’t stop the growl that left my chest following his admission. What the hell was that?

“Jeez... What’s your problem? I know you don’t like her, but I’m just speaking the truth. You know my allegiance will always be to you.” He had his hands up in mock surrender.

“Sorry, she got me all worked up already. I don’t care if you like her; just remember she’s here for work, not pleasure.” I felt the need to add the last part because I knew my gamma all too well; he’d likely try to get in her pants, and, for some reason, the thought angered me.

“Come on, you can’t expect her to work the entire time she’s here,” he said with a frown.

“Why not? I work all the time,” I countered.

“Yeah, but you’re a robot. A normal person needs a balance between work and play.” His words irritated me. He would never understand the responsibilities that came with being alpha. There was no downtime for me, even if I wanted some.

“What did you find out at The Dark Shadow Pack?” I decided it was time to change the subject before I snapped.

“Well, a dozen rogues attacked them. They lost five warriors but killed eight of the rogues. Three got away, and they captured one,” he started explaining, and I simply nodded for him to continue.

“The rogues were both male and female and ranged in age. Some were only teenagers.” His concerned frown deepened with each word.

“Did the one they capture say anything?” I asked curiously.

“He was the oldest of the rogues and seemed to be the one calling the shots. They tortured him but he didn’t give up much. He did slip at one point and said that his alpha has powerful allies and that we don’t stand a chance against the bloodsuckers. His dying words were that a war was coming,” he replied, and I immediately frowned. Are the rogues working with vampires now? What would the vampires gain by working with rogues?

Werewolves and vampires were at war centuries ago. This was before the royal werewolf kingdom was decimated. At the time, the alpha king and the vampire king came to an agreement, and they signed a peace treaty between the two species. Since then, we haven’t had any problems with vampires. They didn’t bother us, and we didn’t bother them. What could have possibly changed? Maybe they thought they could take over both species now that we didn’t have an alpha king? This was not good.

My parents had told me the story about Sophia’s grandmother. She was the royal princess and escaped the massacre. No one knew she had survived until after Sophia’s mother, Isabella, and her uncle, Declan, were born. After Sophia’s grandmother passed away, her mother and uncle were the only ones left of the royal bloodline. The elders tried to rebuild the kingdom when they discovered Isabella and Declan’s existence, but the other alphas voted against it. They didn’t want a supreme alpha to rule over everyone. I was starting to wonder if this was the right decision. These recent attacks have shown how each pack was working alone instead of everyone working together as a whole to protect our kind. There were too many leaders trying to call the shots.

“That’s not all,” Matty said, drawing me from my thoughts.

“There’s evidence that witches are working with them too,” he added. This is worse than I thought. What could they possibly be planning?

“Shit. This is not good. Was there anything else?” I asked.

“No, but Alpha Samuel was practically pleading for some help to protect his border and pack,” Matty stated.

“I’m going to set up an alpha meeting. We can get some of the bigger packs to help the smaller ones.” I replied, and he nodded.

“Do you need me to do anything for you?” Matty asked.

“Nah, you just got back. Go unpack and rest up. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Sweet. So... do you happen to know where Sophia is so I can avoid her?” he asked with a cheeky grin, and I glared at him. I really disliked the guy sometimes, and I knew he was intentionally pushing my buttons.

“Never mind, if I see her, I’ll run away screaming, stranger danger.” He chuckled as he stood from his chair and headed for the door.

“Remember, she’s here for work, not pleasure,” I said sternly before he left the room.

“Yes, Sir!” He offered a fake salute before leaving my office. I was really starting to second-guess my choices for beta and gamma. They were both traitors when it came to the she-devil.

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Sophia

Since Rider so graciously allowed my men and me to take the day off to settle in, I spent the afternoon with Emma, Conrad, and Rory. We had dinner with Trish and Erik, and to my pleasant surprise, Rider never showed up.

After dinner, we hit up the games room and played a couple of rounds of pool to unwind before the madness started tomorrow. “Seven a.m. sharp.” As Rider so kindly reminded me in his office. Goddess, his domineering ways were so irritating.

“It’s your turn,” Rory stated, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I was about to take a shot when the door to the game room opened.

“There she is.” I heard Matty’s cheerful voice exclaim.

I looked over to see him walking toward us with a big smile on his face.

“Oh, my Goddess, Matty!” In my excitement, I dropped my pool cue and ran over to meet him halfway.

“I missed you, firecracker.” He chuckled as I launched myself into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist.

Matty and I always got along growing up, even though he was Rider’s best friend. He was a lot like Rory, easy-going and fun. Two traits that were foreign to Rider.

Matty was six-foot-two with a muscular build. He had shaggy black hair and dimples on his cheeks. He was handsome, but unlike Conrad, he knew it. Matty was a bit of a playboy, but I didn’t mind. He was a big boy and was allowed to sleep with whomever he wanted. Our relationship was strictly in the friend zone.

“Where have you been? We got here hours ago,” I asked as I finally climbed down from him.

“Rider sent me on a mission. I just got back,” he replied as he gave Emma a hug and shook Conrad’s hand.

“What kind of mission?” I asked curiously.

Matty told us everything he learned from The Dark Shadow pack. What he said was extremely worrisome. Vampires and witches? What would they have to gain from all this? I noticed that Emma, Conrad, and Rory were also quiet after hearing what Matty had said.

“Come on, guys, let’s not stress about it too much today. Enjoy the little bit of freedom we have left before the ballbuster puts us all to work tomorrow,” Matty joked, and I knew right away he was referring to Rider. Everyone burst out laughing at his words.

“Where is he anyway? He didn’t make it to dinner,” Rory asked curiously.

“I think he’s hiding from a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed babe,” Matty said, giving me a playful wink. I responded with a chuckle and a light punch to his shoulder. He was always such a flirt.

“Well, they’ve beaten their record so far,” Rory stated.

“Oh yeah? Which one?” Matty asked, curiously.

“No blood has been shed, and they’ve been under the same roof for half a day,” Rory replied, causing Matty to chuckle.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not even here and focus on the game so I can kick your ass,” I said to Rory, as I smacked him on the back of his head.

“Ow... so violent,” he stated as he rubbed the sore spot.

We played pool for a few hours, and catching up with old friends was really nice, but what Matty told us was weighing heavy on my mind. I was anxious for tomorrow so we could get working and hopefully end the rogues once and for all.

I was about to call it a night when the games room door opened. I looked over to see Rider standing in the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

“Hey brother, you wanna join us for a round?” Rory asked casually while motioning to the pool table.

“Some of us don’t have time for games. I expect all of you in my office by seven a.m. sharp, not a minute later.” Rider stared us all down.

“Goddess, can someone please fix the broken record? I’ve heard that same line at least three times today,” I replied with an eye roll. Everyone except for Rider looked at me with wide eyes. Rider, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to combust. A large vein in his neck was pulsing, and his face turned bright red.

“Seven a.m.,” Rider growled, before turning around to leave.

“Shit. What time did he say to be in his office tomorrow morning?” I asked sarcastically, knowing he could hear me. He paused in the doorway with his back to us, but instead of replying to my sarcasm, I watched him shake his head in disapproval before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

“Why Sophia, why?” Rory chuckled, and I shrugged my shoulders.

“You realize we have to deal with the bad mood you put him in, right?” Matty added with a chuckle while motioning to Rory and himself.

“I seriously don’t know how you guys put up with him. He’s such a grump.” I huffed.

“He’s not that bad, Sophia. You really should cut him some slack. He has a lot on his plate, and he doesn’t want to disappoint the pack. His heart’s in the right place; he just takes himself too seriously sometimes,” Rory replied in a more serious tone.

“It’s true. The guy never stops working. Sometimes I wish he would take a night off and act like a normal nineteen-year-old,” Matty added with a sigh.

“I’ll give him some slack, but if he pulls his usual bullshit, I’m not going to let him walk all over me,” I replied.

“That’s all that we ask,” Rory said.

We played one more round of pool before I decided to call it a night. I was tired, but more importantly, there was a lot on my mind that I needed time to process.

I left the games room and headed upstairs to my bedroom. Once inside, I stripped out of my clothes and threw on an oversized T-shirt. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I climbed into bed.

I spent a good hour pondering the day’s events. Between my odd attraction to Rider and the possibility that vampires and witches were helping the rogues, I had a lot to think about. Sleep didn’t come easily, but I eventually dozed off.