I take another deep sigh and down the rest of my sweet tea, watching as the sun sets behind the trees in Jaden's backyard. The smell of frying fish fills the air as Sticky Ricky and Vic debate over what is the best type of fish in the area to eat. Luke is chilling on his phone while his latest fling sits on his lap (I don't remember her name). Jaden is sitting next to me, downing her third plate of food.

It's a nice day of relaxation, but my mind keeps racing a million miles a minute with a ton of stressful shit. Between school, football, alpha duties, training, the rogue pack, and this confusing shit with Eli, I feel like I'm fucking drowning.

The good news is that football will end soon; playoffs are not looking good, and I haven't really been giving it my all. I also worked my ass off in my first three years, so that I can graduate early in December. So that's two things down. The Head Alpha responsibilities and training, I don't really mind, since they're making me a stronger leader. Which leaves the biggest problems: the rogue pack, and Eli. As much as I hate to admit it to myself, I think I'm gonna need some outside advice. Turning towards Jaden, whose finishing up her last few bites, I flick a piece of napkin at her face.

"Whaaaaat," she says, giving me a small growl as she takes her last bite.

"I need your opinion on something."

"No, I don't think a beard would look good on you right now. Give it twenty more years for when you have to cover up the wrinkles."

"No. What? No! This is serious Jaden."

"Uuuuugh, fine. I'll get into serious mode," she sighs, straightening up and giving me her full attention.

"Thank you," I say "Now, I already told you what happened a while ago with Eli-"

"You mean when you kissed Eli thinking that he was a hot chick? Or when you fell into a rut because you couldn't fuck him?"

"...Yes. Anyways, I don't want anymore weird events to happen between me and him. So, what should I do?"

"I'll tell you what you need to do," Luke intervenes, "You need to kick his ass to the curb! Break the bond and get this shit over with so that omega doesn't fuck up your life."

"Shut up Luke! Gray, you need to at least see if this will work out before you shoot down any chances. Have you even talked to him since that shit happened?" Jaden says looking at me.

"Not... really. To be fair, we've never really tried to talk to each other before, so I wouldn't even know where to find him."

"Bull shit. You both go to the same school. You both have after school activities and could talk before or after your practices. You even know where he lives! How have you not talked to him yet?"

"Well-"

"Well, what? Is the big, tough alpha too afraid of a little bit of conversation?"

"No-"

"The what's stopping you?"

"I don't know! Okay. Whenever I'm around him, it's like all formalities go out the window. He just frustrates me so much, and in the past we would just argue until one of us gets mad enough to leave. But now... now there's times where we... get along? It's like, when we're together, we're in our own little world and all I can look at is him! I don't know, it's all too confusing." I let out a deep sigh and run my hands through my hair.

"And let me guess. You can't make up your mind on what you two have. So, you want us to approve of the dangerous idea of breaking the bond, so you don't have to deal with these messy feelings," she's says crossing her arms.

"... Yes?"

SMACK

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?" I say, rubbing my now sore arm.

"I was hoping to smack some sense into you, since sarcasm doesn't seem to get through that thick skull of yours! Gray look, I know that things are weird now between you two. But rejecting him and breaking the bond is definitely not the easy answer. Imagine what that would do to your wolves, to both of your mental states?"

"...You might have a point."

"Fuck yeah I do. I promise that taking the time to have a genuine conversation with Eli will help, and maybe you guys might have some type of common ground."

"Okay, well, what if we some how become the best of friends but still don't want to be mates?" I ask.

"One bridge at a time dude. First, we have to get you guys on good terms," Jaden says, getting up to get another drink.

I sigh and look over to Vic who's now sitting on the other side of me. "What do you think dude?"

"I think you should listen to Jaden. As crazy as that sounds," he says with a shrug.

You stay out of this.

"Uuuuuugh, fine. I'll try to get along with him and be all buddy-buddy. If it will keep things stable until I find a replacement."

"Bet you five bucks that they end up together," Jaden says, holding out a hand to Rick.

"Oh, you're so on little lady," he says shaking her hand.

"Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" I protest. They both shake their heads and I just roll my eyes. "Anyways, on to more important matters. Rick could you and Luke's new friend please leave for a little bit?"

"Aw what, why?" Luke whines.

"Alright I get it. Official Head Alpha business, not meant for the common man's ears. Come on little lady, let's go grab more food before Jaden eats me out of house and home. Luke if you're that pressed about it, you're more than welcomed to join us," Rick says, heading for his car. Luke reluctantly let's her leave with him, assuring her that Rick is only into milfs, so she'll be okay.

Once they pull off, he lets out a huff and glares at me. "This better be life or death if you're making me give up my sweet piece of ass."

"It's about the rogues," I say, and Luke finally starts to look more serious. "Father has an idea in the works, and I'm sure you guys have heard of it by now: the high school ski trip."

"The ski trip? How is that going to help?" Jaden asks.

"Basically, we suspect for there to be an attack on new year's, or some time near it. So, father thinks that it will help to have the future Head Alpha and next generation further up north and in safer territory. Us being up north allows the younger members to party and not get in the way of possible disaster, or know what's going on. Especially after the fiasco at the Halloween party."

"Which I still don't think is my fault," Luke grumbles.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to have more members here, if these rogues are such a threat?" Vic asks.

"That's the thing, no one knows that there is a threat. At least not for sure. Most of our school mates aren't ready or trained for battle yet, and having to spare soldiers to do the training weakens our numbers. That's why, when we go there, they will send down trained soldiers to make up for the loss. If things go south then we get training there easier, since that pack won't be under attack at the moment like ours."

"I don't know dude. I'd rather be here to help then sent away to the mountains to basically be treated like war collateral," Jaden says.

"Trust me, I feel the same way. But this is the best course of action that we can think of for now. We only assume that the message they sent was a date right now, so we're making moves around that theory. There's always a chance that we're wrong and this just ends up being a regular ski trip for the high schools. I'm hoping that with the extra help, father can get this resolved and we come back to our pack safely," I say.

"This is so stupid. Let's just tell everyone what's happening and spend this time training, instead of twiddling our thumbs like idiots! What's wrong with being honest with our pack?" Jaden says, Vic nodding in agreement.

"I agree. Let's just grab a bunch of wolves, go to where this rogue pack is, and kill them. Easy," Luke says.

"Again, I've tried to suggest all of this to him but he won't listen. For some reason he's too prideful to admit to anyone that the reputation of our pack isn't enough to scare off any threats. I've literally argued with him for hours over this, but he won't budge until he 'has more information'. Whatever that means," I say, letting out a big sigh.

"Alright, fine. So, what can we do?" Vic asks.

"Help with the planning of the trip basically."

"I call assigning people to cabins!" Jaden says raising her hand.

"Um okay, sure," I say, to tired to think further into her ulterior motives. I'm sure this will be fine later. I divide the rest of the responsibilities between us all, and by the time that Rick and the girl get back we have a game plan. All I can do is hope that father and I can get the information that he's looking for later tonight.

*****

Descending into darkness, I make my way through the cold, damp labyrinth of tunnels. Walking through the memorized pattern of twists and turns until I arrive at the Pack Dungeon, where father is waiting for me. Apparently one of the rogues that we captured from the Halloween ambush has finally cracked. Bracing myself, I dive into the pungent scent of the dungeon. Passing through the already open entrance, past the other prisoners, and meeting with him and the group of guards in front one of the cells.

The prisoner inside looks a few years older than me and covered in bruises, old burn marks, and blacken cuts from silver blades. Two guards stand on either side of him as he looks up at me, one of his red eyes (a trait shared by all rogues) nearly swollen shut. Confusion passes over his face before his attention is drawn back to father as he speaks.

"So, beta. You said that you have useful information," father says.

"Yes. I do. But please, just don't hurt me anymore if I tell you," the rogue snivels out.

"You're in no position to be making demands rogue. If what you have to offer is completely truthful, then I shall consider lightening your punishments. Maybe even let you go. If it's useful." The rogue perks up at the sound of possible freedom, but I'm skeptical as to whether father will actually allow it or not.

"Okay. So. I was a solo rogue from a far-away area, when I heard that there was a new rogue pack forming. I knew that they usually don't last long, but if I could live in a place with maybe better food and sleeping conditions then it was worth a shot, right? So, I made my way to the coordinates of one of their smaller camps. Since apparently, they want to check out newbies and see what they can do before sending them to the main location," the rogue says.

Father and I share a glance before focusing back on the rogue. Since when did rogue packs become so organized? Usually, it's a bunch of rogues that don't want to kill each other, who get together and live-in unclaimed land for a little while. How did they form a whole entire process for recruiting others?

"Continue," I say.

"Right. So. When I went to the camp, they said that if I helped out the 'pack' with a little side mission, then I could join. But they didn't tell me that the mission was to attack your pack until that night at the set-up spot! I swear that I would have never been with them if I had known-"

"Enough. Tell us more about this rogue pack that you planned on joining," father says.

"Oh, um. They don't really have a name. Or at least no one told me what their name is. All I know is that it's a rogue pack that's been forming for a while now. It's supposed to be some sort of safe haven for rogues and those kicked out of their packs, but I wouldn't completely believe-"

"Your usefulness is running out," father says, making the rogue's face reverts back into terror.

"Do you know anything else? Like their leader, or some type of direction of where the main base might be?" I ask.

"U-um... Wait! I do know some stuff about their leader!-"

"Shut up runt! Don't tell them anything or you'll regret it!" a rogue from another cell yells. Father nods his head to where the voice came from and two guards go to the cell. A few minutes of punching sounds and grunts go by before the guards return. The prisoner probably passed out now.

"Continue," father says, cold eyes staring down at the rogue.

"U-um. R-right. So. The leader is apparently a ruthless killer that goes by the name Than. The soldiers from the main base said that he's so powerful that he could take down a Head Alpha-"

"Impossible. No Head Alpha has ever been taken down by a single rogue," father says, eyes darkening with anger.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just relaying what they said! It's most likely a rumor they came up with, to get more rogues to join. Other than that, they said that he's a delta with a black and gray wolf, that's covered in battle scars. Supposedly some people doubt that he's a delta because his wolf is as big as an alpha's."

Father and I share another look as we try to process this. The more I hear about this rogue pack, the more questions I have. While most of this does seem like false info, it is good to have at least a name that we can fact check. Just in case this is remotely true. I start to feel the buzz of father starting a mind link and listen in.

G:This seems like nothing but rumors to me.

HA:I agree, but we can try to fact check the name.

G:Or question the other rogues on this information.

HA:They will most likely lie along with this one or not give up anything. Considering they most likely came from the main base and have more loyalty to it. Assuming that this multiple camp network set up is real. If it is than this might be a bigger problem than I thought.

G:So, what's the plan?

HA:We will be meeting with one of my associates tonight that may be able to tell us more. She usually surrounds herself with... unsavory company, but this does lead to knowing more about things outside of packs' knowledge.

G:What about this rogue?

HA:He will most likely rot here with his allies, or be put down.

G: ... Well as amazing as those options sound, I have another idea.

HA:Which is?

G:We can place a tracker on him and see where he goes, or tell him to try and join the rogue pack again. At best, this could give us some coordinates to look into. At worst, they kill him and we have to keep searching ourselves.

HA:Hmm. It is worth a shot. And that does leave one more cell vacant just in case. Fine, we can try out your plan and see what happens.

Satisfied with this proposal, we turn our attention back to the rogue. "While we don't completely believe your story, you have given us some leads to look into. So, for now, your life is spared," father says. The rogue relaxes, letting out a huge sigh.

"However, in order to receive freedom, you need to carry out a task for us. We will implant a special tracker into you, and your job is to try and infiltrate the rogue pack. Or at the very least map out the smaller camps. More instructions on how to do that will be given only if you agree to this. And trust me, you'll want to say yes," I say.

The rogue stares at the ground for a minute, most likely debating his choices, before looking back up at us and nodding. Father tells him that he'll come back for him at a later as the two guards leave his cell. Locking it behind them, we begin our journey back to the surface.

*****

Father and I enter the Head Alpha office, only to be surprised by a woman waiting for us, sitting on his desk. Her long black hair drapes over her bare shoulders, while her navy evening gown hugs her hour glass figure. She looks stunning, but something tells me that she's closer to father in age than me. As we enter the room the woman's face brightens up instantly, and she rushes over hugging father. Not gonna lie, this is definitely awkward on so many levels. I'm hoping that this is the contact that we're supposed to meet, or else mother will have another person to add to her hit list.

"Alexander! Darling, it's been so long. How have you been?" she says in voice that's as smooth as wine.

"Sandra. I see that you still don't respect personal space," father says, maneuvering out of her grasp.

"Oh, don't be so uptight, darling. All men love my hugs. Now you," Sandra says pointing to me. "You, must be the handsome young heir to the Farrell throne. I swear if I was five years younger, we would be having a grand time together," she says, while basically groping my bicep. Great, just when I thought that things couldn't get any more awkward.

"More like fifty," father mumbles.

"Hey! I heard that," she says, pouting as she takes seat in one of the guest chairs. I choose to sit in the furthest one from her, as father settles at his desk.

"So, what do you know about the rouge pack southeast of us," he says.

"I know a lot of things. Though I think this will go smoother if you tell me what you know. So there are no repeats of information," she says, leaning back and crossing her legs.

Father glares at her for a bit before letting out a sigh. "All we know is that: they seem to be located southeast of us, they have been running this operation for three years, they have a system for recruitment with smaller camps, they have only attacked us, and they might attack again on New Year's."

"There's also rumors about them having a strong leader running the place. Some dude named Than," I chime in.

"Hmm, well unfortunately you seem to know most of what I know. However, I can clarify some details. First off, they're leader is in fact a man named Than. Most of my clients, say that he's not someone to mess around with, and many people have been killed by his hand. And yes, even alphas. I would advise that neither of you take him on alone. Doesn't matter that you're Head Alphas, I don't want to risk any severe injuries. Secondly you're not the only pack to be targeted by these guys."

That's news to me. I look over to father, who has his jaw clenched tightly, nodding for her to continue as he thinks.

"I've heard from my guard clients a while back that rogue groups would attack and steal supplies from the nearby east, south, and west packs. I suspect that the northern packs didn't get hit because their mountain terrain is hard to traverse unless you know how. At the time, this didn't seem too important. However, since you said that they've been doing this for years, I'm guessing that this was during one of their growth periods. Anyways, that's all I have for now, but I'll try my best to gather more information before your deadline. There's always plenty of people who need some warming up during the cold seasons," she says, winking at me. *Sigh* Why must I be cursed with good looks?

I wasn't going to! She may be attractive, but she's not my type. And probably twice my age.

Why must you always doubt me.

"If that is all you have, then we will continue this meeting at a later date," father says, gesturing to the door. "You know your way out."

"Oh, how I adore your warm goodbyes," Sandra says rolling her eyes. Blowing a kiss at both of us, she saunters out of the office, hopefully not waiting around to kidnap me when I leave.

"Grayson, that will be all for tonight. I'm sure you have some school work to catch up on, or something similar," father says.