[Do you want me to come?] his deep voice replies instantly. I hesitate for a moment. Do I want him to come? It is his pup, after all.
[Yes. I want you to come, and then we can talk about what we will do.] Hope flickers in the mate bond, and I wonder if I did the right thing.
[I will be there no matter what,] he responds, his voice filled with happiness.
The link closes before I can reply, and with a shake of my head and a smile on my face, I sit down at my desk and get to work.
6
Kaylee
Consulting the list of thirty rogues looking to join the pack, I focus on the skills each wolf has listed. Some wolves have skills such as farming and manual labor. These are definitely omegas who had left their old pack for one reason or another. The others are a mix of hunters and warriors who could help increase the pack’s strength.
Moving through the applicant list, I note that ten of the thirty rogues came from packs I remember dealing with when I was in Oak Fur. These packs are ruled similarly to Oak Fur—a patriarchal rule where she-wolves are made to guard pups and elderly wolves or work as omegas doing menial work. Males are meant to be obeyed without any questions or doubt. I have a feeling that these wolves left for their own personal growth and safety. I’m surprised that there are no pups on the list, but also happy that none had to go through the difficulties of being rogues.
After making sure that no one on the list had committed a grave crime, I emailed Amelia, recommending that we welcome these wolves in. I smile to myself. The pack consisted of thirty wolves when we arrived here just over three months ago. Now, Ivory Fangs is just over seventy wolves strong, and with the thirty wolves on the list and the fifteen refugees who survived the attack on Harvest Willow, we will reach close to one hundred and fifteen wolves. The pack has nearly quadrupled in size under our leadership, and each day, our wolves grow stronger, proving that strong leaders make a pack thrive.
Closing my computer, my stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten much all day. Guilt creeps in as I think about how my pup relies on me to eat for it to grow inside me.
After checking the time and realizing that dinner should still be served downstairs, I leave my office and go down to the main floor towards the smell of food. The dining hall only has a few wolves remaining inside, looking haggard from a long day of work. I wave to a few of them before grabbing a plate and filling it at the buffet table.
“Kaylee?”
Turning at the sound of my name, I find Lucas standing behind me, with Simon beside him.
“Hey,” I greet him sheepishly, feeling the mate bond hum with Lucas being so close.
“I thought you were at your cottage,” Lucas says with confusion. I shrug, motioning for the two to follow me to the nearest table. The smell of food is causing my stomach to growl even more.
“I was, but something came up, and Amelia needed me in her office,” I explain as I sit down, quickly spearing some potato wedges on my fork and taking a bite. “Has Royce linked you yet, Simon?”
Turning my attention to my friend, he sighs and scratches his head as he looks towards the door.
“He did. Evette and I leave tomorrow for a hunt and should return the same day Kurt and the others do.”
I nod at his answer, fully focused on eating my meal. Lucas shakes his head, watching me, before leaving the table and heading towards the buffet.
“Are you excited for your first official mission?” I ask Simon, whose face transforms into a beaming smile.
“I am,” he answers immediately, making me chuckle. “As much as I liked beta training, I always liked hunting more,” he continues, his nose twitching.
He turns back to look at the dining hall entrance just in time for his mate to walk in. Evette spies us within seconds and quickly walks to where we sit, taking the empty chair between Simon and me.
“Hey. Simon told me what happened to cause Lucas to come barrelling in like a lunatic,” she greets, rolling her eyes.
“I can guarantee that if the mate bond calls out to Simon, he will do the same thing I did,” Lucas calls out as he joins us, frowning at Evette. He places two full plates on the table before sitting.After eyeing my almost empty plate, he chuckles and pushes one of the two plates he brought towards me.
“I figured one plate might not be enough for you,” he says to me, making me blush.
“Lucas is right. If the mate bond told me you were in danger, I would have done anything to make sure you were safe,” Simon agrees, reaching out to take Evette’s hand.
“Considering most of the wolves had to hold you back while Kaylee kicked my ass earlier, I don’t doubt it,” Evette retorts with a snort. It seems Evette has grown even more confident since our spar earlier this morning.
“Others had to hold you back?” Lucas turns his gaze of disbelief to Simon, who sheepishly looks away. After asking Evette if she’s hungry and avoiding Lucas’ question, Simon leaves the table to get food for Evette and himself. Lucas just scoffs and resumes eating while Evette and I shake our heads.
“How do you feel about leaving the pack for the first time?” I ask the she-wolf, watching her eyes light up.
“I’m really excited for it. I know I’m training to become a warrior, but being able to leave the pack to hunt sounds fun,” the she-wolf answers with a grin, her excitement spreading to me.
