gaius

"They'll be arriving later today, so make sure the rooms are set up..." Gray's voice trails off.

I try to focus on what he's saying, but it's futile. My mind drifts off to Dad, North, and everything that happened last night.

North still refuses to leave the corner of the living room. He sits there, eyes watching anything and everything that moves, ears listening for any unusual sounds. He's more on guard than before I brought him here. It's like we took one step forward and five steps back.

Dad on the other hand, has been ignoring me. I saw him around the pack earlier and he acted as if I was invisible. It hurts to think that even after all these years, he's willing to throw everything away.

"Gaius? Are you listening?" Gray asks with a raised eyebrow.

I blink twice, "Of course."

"Yeah? Then what did I just say?"

"That they're coming today?" I reply but it comes out more as a question.

"Who's coming today?"

"The..." I try to remember who is coming, but nobody comes to mind.

"The council is coming," Gray snaps. "If you were listening you would've known that."

"Why are they coming again? I forgot," Foster asks with a sheepish smile.

Gray's blue eyes turn to him, "I just told you."

Foster shrugs but I know he didn't truly forget. He's asking for me to keep Gray's anger at bay and I hated it. I haven't been focused ad much these days and I needed to fix that.

"It's a meeting between the council along with the alphas and elders from the other packs around. Since we have the most land, they'll be staying here," he turns to me. "As I was saying, they will be arriving today. The rooms are supposed to be already set up but I want to double check before they arrive."

Foster and I both nod in agreement before standing up. I'm about to leave and start checking the rooms but Foster's hand on my shoulder stops me.

"Gai, are you okay?" Foster asks, concern lacing his voice.

I nod and offer him a smile. "I'm fine, Fos. I should be the one asking you that, three more months."

Foster smiles at the mention of his baby, but the concern doesn't leave his eyes.

"You sure?" He asks.

I start to dismiss his concerns again but stop. "My dad came over yesterday and saw North."

Foster frowns, he's met my Dad and knows how he feels about rogues. Hell, the whole pack knows how he feels about them but nobody knows why he hates them.

"How'd he react?" Foster questions.

I laugh dryly at the question. "He locked North in a cage for most of the day and didn't let him eat a thing. Then he went on a rant about how they couldn't be trusted, how I was confused and North wasn't actually my mate."

"At least one of you have some common sense left."

My brows furrow and I turn to Gray. What did he mean by that?

"What?" I ask.

Gray rolls his eyes. "Your Dad's right. You've been spending so much time with this beast- hell, you gave it a name. Feral's don't have mates, Gaius, maybe you're mixing it up. Not to mention he's dangerous."

My jaw clenches at his words. I knew how Gray felt about North- I mean, he hasn't exactly been keeping it a secret that he doesn't like him. After dealing with Dad yesterday, I really didn't want to have to deal with the same shit from him though.

"You would agree with him," I roll my eyes.

Gray turns and his icy blue eyes meet my angry brown. "What do you mean by that?"

I scoff, "You haven't liked him since the moment he came and I'm not saying your reasoning behind it is wrong, but you don't have to be such a asshole every time I mention him. Even Quinn is happy for me."

Gray's eyes flare at the mention of his mate. He quickly moved towards me until there was barely any space in between us.

"Don't you ever," he growled. "Ever mention my mate, your luna, when talking about that beast."

"He's not a beast! If anyone's been acting like one, it's you."

Gray's eyes darken as his wolf pushes forward. "Foster, leave."

Foster frowns and reaches towards him. "Gray-"

"Now!" Gray growls.

Foster backs away before shaking his head and leaving the room. I watch as Gray's eyes switch back and forth between blue and gold. His hand runs through his hair before he moves towards his desk and grips it looking downward.

"I should punish you for disrespect, I should've kicked you out the pack for lying and putting others in danger, I should have killed the rogue you claim is your mate the moment I saw his eyes. Do you know why I didn't?" Gray turns to me, his blue eyes back to their normal cold state. "I didn't because I normally have respect for you, but you're quickly losing it, Gaius."

"Would you not have done the same as I did if Quinn was a rogue? Would you kill her on the spot or expect me to do the same?" I ask. "Would you have considered yourself to be 'confused'?"

"What I would've done doesn't matter. At the end of the day, I'm still your alpha," Gray said. "You can go. Don't bother checking rooms with Foster since you can't even pay attention."

Through gritted teeth, I stiffly nod. "Yes, Alpha."

I turn to leave and it takes everything in me to not slam the door. Gray and I had never seen eye to eye, we never have but it still pissed me off when he said things like that. I had known Gray for years and while we were never overly close, we were still cordial with one another. Now I wasn't so sure.

I put my hands in my pocket and begin the walk home. Knowing Gray, he wouldn't bother talking to me until tomorrow or if he absolutely needed me. At least North wouldn't have to be alone.

Looking around the pack, I watch as the kids play. Smiles are on their faces as they run around and it reminds me of when Gray, Foster and I were younger. It was much easier for us to get along when we were younger.

The walk home goes by quickly and I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I see the front door open. Walking quicker, I make my way towards the house.

Why was it open? I'm sure I locked it earlier and nobody had a key, nobody except...

"Dad?"

He's sitting on the couch, when I walk inside. Looking around, I noticed that North is nowhere in sight.

"What are you doing here? Where is North? Did you hurt him?!"

Dad shrugs, his face giving away nothing.

"I didn't hurt him," he says. "He was alive when he left but, well, that probably won't be for long. Just wait until Gray finds him."

My heart drops at the thought. Turning around, I quickly bolt put the house and try to pick up North's scent. I have to find him before Gray does.