"Tsk tsk," Zaine says, shaking his head. "Skipping school. You should be ashamed."

"Oh please, it's not the first time," Asher replies. "Pack work always wins over school work."

"Which is one of the reasons why I never enrolled in school before," Zaine says, shrugging and fiddling with the engagement ring on his finger. "Rogues before education."

I roll my eyes, heading back upstairs to grab the last of my suitcases. Stepping into my room, I look around and sigh softly. I'll miss this place. This was my home for nearly two years. Not too long but it was long enough to get attached. I have a lot of memories here, like healing Zaine, him and Killian getting engaged, where Raiden marked Clove last night. We've left for weeks at a time before but I always knew we'd come back. We're not coming back this time, at least not to live in permanently.

I hear soft footsteps as Asher comes up behind me, his arms snaking around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder. It's a habit I've found him doing a lot, using my shoulder as a head rest.

"You alright?" he asks softly.

"Yeah," I whisper. "I just... I'm gonna miss this place."

I can tell Asher's smiling softly. "Honestly, me too. I spent two days here but I can feel the homey sense this place gives. I can tell you had a lot of fun times here. It's not something you can find just anywhere. But now we can give that sense to a home we all share."

I smile and nod. "We can."

Asher tilts his head down, his breath gently fanning across my neck, breathing in my scent.

"You smell nice," he mumbles. "Like oranges. And fire. Not really surprising, for someone with pyrokinesis. It's like a wood fire... A campfire. It's nice, I like campfires, especially with family."

"Me too," I reply. "I remember one with the pack, you almost set yourself on fire."

Asher huffs and whines. "The fire was jealous. It's not my fault I'm hotter than it was."

I tilt my head to the side, lightly bumping his, which is still resting on my shoulder. While he whines again, I pull away and grab my last suitcase from beside the bed.

"Let's go," I say. "We still have to stop by the Healer's and pick up Stitch."

"Actually, I was thinking we could see if they would come to Moonblood," Asher says as we head downstairs. "The pack could help take care of the animals and just in case a war with the rogues does happen and King decides to go after our allies, they'll be better protected."

I nod. "True. The Healers are some of the most important rogues. The witches' powers, along with the boys' loyalty, kindness and humor, help a lot with healing the ones we rescue. And it'll be good to have them close if it comes down to battle."

When we step back into the living room, Zaine is still talking animatedly, sharing stories and memories we've made over the years he's been with us. Chase and Rhea add things in, telling details Zaine forgot to mention or things they were doing.

"Ready?" Raiden asks, seeing Asher and I.

I nod. "Let's go home."

➵

"I'm back, bitches!" Zaine sings, spinning around and collapsing on the couch.

"No one else is here," Scott says.

"So?" Zaine replies.

We're back at the house we stayed at during our earlier stay with the pack. Asher and Raiden will be moving in with us, as well as Scott and Dean. The house is like a mini, five-roomed pack house. Good thing the walls are soundproof because between Killian and Zaine and Scott and Dean (the only sex-having couples (so far)), the soundproof walls are vital to living happily.

"So, unpacking," I say, sarcasm dripping in my voice. "This'll be fun."

"I call unpacking the weapons!" Clove calls.

I nod. It'll be best if she organizes them. Both me and her have slight OCD, everything must be organized. Killian and Zaine don't really care how organized and neat something is as long as they can find something quickly when they need it.

I grab one of my suitcases, then head upstairs, stopping to scratch Stitch behind the ears as she sniffs around the house with Chase and Rhea watching her. Asher's follows behind me, carrying another one of my suitcases.

We asked and the Healers agreed to move here. They'll be safer and so will the animals. It might help for them to be around more people too. The Unity group is coming back too, the kids having been reluctant to leave the friends they'd made during their stay.

"Do you regret coming back?" Asher asks as I place my suitcase on the bed, his voice nervous.

I look at him. "I don't regret it, no. But I'm not sure if it was the right decision."

I can feel Asher's mood sadden, his head tilting in confusion.

"It's not you," I say, taking his hand in mine. "But if a war breaks out between us and King, it'll come at a high price. I don't want to force you or the pack to fight but me and my rogues don't have the best chances of coming out on top on our own."

"Of course we'll fight," Asher says immediately, determination now coming from him in waves. "You're the Luna of the pack, Rei, I know they'll help."

I sigh softly. "Asher, it won't just be a war with wolves. There'll be witches and warlocks and fighting techniques you haven't seen before. You'll be unprepared."

"So help us prepare," Asher insists. "Train us to fight them. I just found you, Rei, I am not going to lose you again."

I give him a small smile, kissing his cheek lightly. He grins and pulls me back to kiss me on the lips. The familiar sparks race through me as his lips move against mine, his tongue dancing with mine. When we pull apart, Asher rests his forehead on mine.

"I'm glad you came back," he whispers, eyes closed.

I hesitate for a few seconds before replying, "Me too."

➵

"This is amazing," I breathe, my eyes locked on the setting sun.

"Isn't it?" Asher replies, leaning back.

He brought me to this beautiful lake, surrounded by a wide open meadow. The water is frozen and flat, the slowly fading sunlight reflecting off the ice.

Standing in the grass, I'm transfixed by the way the dying sun paints the sky with warm colors and the way the light makes the ice sparkle.

Asher's arm rests around my shoulders, my head leaning on his shoulder.

We've grown closer, a lot closer. I can tell he loves me but doesn't want to say it yet. I can see the love in his eyes whenever he looks at me in glances he thinks I don't notice. I want to show him that I do care about him, I care a lot, and that I'm sure about wanting to make a relationship between us work. I'm not very good at romance, so I'm not exactly sure what to do.

"Mark me," I blurt out, the words spilling out past my lips before can consider the idea.

Asher looks at me, tilting his head, his eyes hopeful. "Really? Are you sure?"

I bite my lip, quickly thinking over what would happen. It would strengthen our bond, make it permanent, 100% unbreakable. That's fine, I know I want to be with him. It would be harder for us to be apart for long, which might not be the best with the near certainty of a war facing us. But I do want Asher to know I won't have second thoughts on my decision to give him another chance.

I nod, my voice holding a tone of finality, "Yeah. I'm sure, Asher. Mark me."

Asher's expression lights up, happiness glittering in his eyes. He kisses me softly, then gently starts trailing kisses down my neck. My hand comes up to lightly tangle in his hair as he finds my sweet spot, a small moan escaping past my lips and causing my face to heat up in embarrassment.

Asher chuckles softly, his breath tickling my skin. "Ready?"

"Ready," I whisper.

He kisses my sweet spot again softly before sinking his canines into my skin. I hiss softly at the pain before it starts to lessen. I can feel our bond growing, more of Asher's thoughts and emotions flowing through to me. I can feel his happiness, his devotion and his love.

He pulls away, his tongue gently wiping away the few drops of blood that escaped when he marked me.

"I love you, Rei," he whispers, head resting on my shoulder.

I hesitate for a few seconds, then whisper, "I love you too, Asher... Forever."

Asher's eyes widen at that, hearing the word my family always says. "Really?"

"Yes, Asher," I reply with a light laugh. "Forever."

He gives me a bright smile, one that melts my heart. "Forever."

"She's gone back," the rogue says.

"I already know she's gone back," I say coolly. "Do you know exactly when?"

"Earlier today," she replies and I can tell she knows that's not as precise as I'm looking for.

"And why didn't you tell me then?"

"I wanted to have more info for you," she says, eyes downcast.

"You didn't need to wait," I reply, keeping my voice calm though anger is bubbling within me. "You already know you aren't alone in spying on her, so you should've come to report as soon as she left that house just as my other spy reported as soon as he knew she stepped foot on that territory."

"How am I to know if he's reported? We don't exactly talk to each other," the rogue mumbles.

"No," I muse. I see her visible tense as she realizes she was heard. "You don't..." I walk closer to her, tilting her head up to look at me. "I got an exact time from him when she returned and if she's staying there... Then I don't need you."

I watch as her face pales. That fear-filled expression quickly becomes a grimace as my claws sink into her stomach.

"King," she whimpers, her eyes wide with a begging desire for this to be nothing but a joke or a dream.

I smile and gently lower her body to the floor, laying her down on the already bloodstained wood. Blood bubbles out past her lips, her eyes wide, pain etched across her face. I pull my claws out of her abdomen, making sure to twist my hand to make it more painful. I bring my hand up to my lips, licking off the blood. The taste is a familiar one, one that never fails to remind me of the years of work it took me to get to where I am today.

A soft growl escapes me at the memory. Being born rogue was never easy, especially after Daring was born. Living in the forest like an animal for the first twelve years of my life made me realize I wanted more. To prove that rogues aren't just pack rejects who lost their humanity. We can be so much more. More intelligent, more cunning, more dangerous.

Everyone thinks I just want to cause chaos. They're wrong. Chaos is just a fun, necessary step in the path to my goal of taking over the most powerful packs. Carefully planning out the best attacks to draw the alphas out isn't easy, you know. As for why... well, world domination sounds fun, doesn't it? Gives me something to do anyway.

I growl again, shaking myself out of my thoughts.

The rogue's eyes gaze at me, terrified and begging for mercy. I love that feeling, the feeling of having something's life resting in my hands and the feeling of tearing it apart, of being the one with the control. I'm not on the bottom and I never will be.

Not again.

The wounds from my claws have slowly begun to clot, the blood flow being stoppered. But I want to see more...

I tear my claws through her skin, smiling at the sight of the beautiful crimson pouring from the wounds as the woman screams in pain. The wounds aren't shallow but they're not enough that she'll bleed out. I don't want her to die just yet. I'm going to make her death a long and painful one.

She whimpers softly, her breathing heavy and her jaw clenched.

"Hush, dear," I whisper, brushing some of her hair from her face and smearing her blood on her cheek in the process. "It won't be over soon."