Chapter 9: Chapter 9

KYA

I call Dec as soon as I get home. I sit on the porch in the rocking chair. The air is cool and there is a slight breeze, making the forest smell even more potent. “Hey, beautiful.”

Two words and he already has me smiling. “Hey. What are you doing?”

He exhales contentedly. “I’m just sitting on our porch looking at the stars, waiting for you to call me. I installed a swing for you. It’s actually really comfortable. Mother says hello. She helped me make it.”

I smile even more. Our porch, a swing for me…

“What? You made it?” I say. “Tell her hello for me as well.”

He acts as if it’s no big deal. “I will do that. I was thinking a lot about you today and all the fun we used to have. It made me wonder why it never occurred to me that you could be my mate.

“You were always around. I think I took for granted that you would always be there. You know the saying you never know what you have until you lose it. I never knew how important you were to me, until you were gone.”

I understand where Dec's coming from. I never thought that he wouldn’t be in my life.

I feel the mating pull every time I hear his voice now. It was subtle at first, but the more I speak with him, the stronger the pull becomes. I wonder if it’s from seeing him last night.

“I’m sorry Ky, I gotta go. My guards need me.” He hangs up before I can reply. I close my eyes and sigh. Alphas are busy. It has to be an emergency; he wouldn’t hang up on me otherwise.

I bite my lip, worried about his safety.

DEC

I hang up and shift. I sprint to the western border where my guards are calling for action. I hear the growling and snarling before I even get there.

“~Chase, are you back yet?~” I growl my presence to let the rogues know just who they’re fucking with.

“~We just got in the territory. We haven't made it home yet~,” Chase replies.

Finn and Kevin are taking on five rogues. “~Get over here now and tell your dad to get ready, we may need him.~”

Just as I approach, another larger wolf steps into view. I rip a rogue off of Finn and toss him to a nearby tree. Kevin has one trying to get him from behind. I claw his flank, knocking him away.

“~Form up behind me. Stay focused and keep yourself guarded.~” I growl at the big guy. He almost has an alpha presence, but not quite. He is a rogue after all.

He steps forward to challenge me. The arrogant motherfucker. I growl my final warning. We both charge forward, my guards following my lead. The large wolf goes straight for my back. I claw his belly, making him yelp.

I take advantage of his state of distraction and spin on him; he moves just in time. I get hold of his scruff, instead of his neck. I use my grip to my advantage. I shake my head while he’s still in my jaws.

One of the scrawny rogues approaches my right flank. I spin the larger wolf into the tiny one, knocking them both down. The scrawny one is weak and pathetic. I get him with my jaws and snap his neck.

The big one swipes at me just as I drop the scrawny one. I spin on him, watching my back.

Chase bursts through the clearing. “~Chase, take your pick. Leave me the big one.~”

The big guy lunges for me, but I’m ready for him. I let him under me and grip his shoulder. I rip a chunk of his flesh. He snarls and rolls out from under me. My paw traps him on his back.

I claw at his abdomen, then grip his neck in my jaws. I bite down before he can get away. Chase and Finn have already killed the wolves that attacked them. Kevin’s attacker crouches away.

I shift. “STOP.” I use my alpha voice and the wolf cowers with his head on his paws. “SHIFT.”

The boy appears to be about fourteen. “What are you doing in my territory? SPEAK.”

The boy ducks his head. “We got paid to attack you. I just wanted to earn a little cash. They gave me a hundred bucks.” I cross my arms on my chest. “Who is paying you?”

The boy looks around. “That guy there, Roger. He said he could become the alpha and we would all be a part of his pack.” He points to the big wolf. I raise my brow for him to continue.

“I only met him yesterday. He said five of us would be enough to break through your line because you’re weak since your mate rejected you.” I impulsively growl and step forward.

The boy falls back to the ground. “Please don’t kill me. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. I just needed the cash. I wanted to be part of a pack. I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”

I growl. “Why are you a rogue?”

The boy swallows. “My parents were rogues. They’re both dead. I have no clue what pack they belonged to.”

I narrow my eyes as I decide what to do with him. “Are there more?” He shakes his head. “You’re going to work for me in exchange for your life. If you prove worthy, I’ll let you join my pack. Otherwise, you forfeit your life. Understood?”

The boy nods. “Finn, set him up at the pack house. Make sure he has a babysitter. What’s your name, boy?”

He timidly stands up. “I’m Virgil.” Finn tosses the kid some clothes. “What grade are you in?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t go to school.”

I raise my eyebrow. “You start tomorrow. Be ready to go by 7:00 a.m.” I look around at the smaller wolves after the boy has left with Finn. “They’re just pups. Fucking bastards using pups as a distraction to get to me.”

I kick the body of the fucker that led these pups to their deaths, just for good measure.

Chase shakes his head. “The ones that got Pauly were pups, too.”

Pauly has gone home from the hospital yesterday. He should be good to go by the end of the week. He was lucky Chase and I were there. He should have been able to take three pups, but Leon told us he was screwing around and got caught off guard.

I rub my hand through my hair. The pups were just trying to find a home. “~Alpha command to all guards: no killing rogue pups. Subdue them and notify me immediately. As for the cowards that pay them, show them no mercy.~”

I hear numerous replies of “~yes, sir~” through the pack mind-link.

I shower as soon as I get back home. I lie in my bed and sniff my shirt. It’s the one I wore to the club, the one that smells like my mate. My Kya.

Goddess, I miss her. She’s so beautiful, so sweet, so smart. She’s just perfect all around.

My phone rings. The she-wolf hasn’t stopped calling me, and I’ve had enough. I roll my eyes, then answer it. “What do you want, Sarah?”

She sniffles. “I miss you, Dec. We were good together. I know you’re lonely. I won’t tell her. We can keep it a secret.”

I let out a growl from my chest. “Damn it, Sarah. I already told you I’m not available. You come on to me one more time, and I swear, I will banish you from the pack for treason against the luna. I’ve had enough of your shit. Leave me the fuck alone. Is that understood?”

She whimpers. “But you don’t have a luna.”

I growl out. “Not yet, but you’re not going to get in the way of that. Everyone in the pack knows damn well Kya is the luna. No one will deny it. Don’t fuck with me, Sarah.”

She sniffles. “I just want you. I love you. We had a great thing going.”

I roll my eyes at the stupid girl. “Sarah, we had a one-night stand, and I was drunk. Get it in your thick skull. This conversation is over. My warning still stands.”

I hang up frustrated and annoyed. She’s been bugging me every day since I woke up with her in my bed. I don’t even know if we did have sex or not.

The crazy bitch. She’s always been boy crazy. She used to follow me and Chase around in high school. I shake my head and roll over.

Kya’s scent wafts to my nose from my shirt. Goddess, she smells so good, like vanilla and sugar. She looked so hot. Her green eyes had me hypnotized.

I laugh at myself; I can’t believe I got on my knees because she said so. I probably would have licked her boots if she said to. The little vixen. I would do anything she tells me to do, as long as she doesn’t tell me to stay away from her.

That I would never do. She’s everything to me. I close my eyes and hope she’s in my dreams.

My phone rings, waking me from a perfect dream. Damn it. I look at the caller ID and smile. “Good morning, beautiful. How was your night?”

She laughs. “Do you know that’s a country song?”

Of course I know; that’s all she ever listens to. I’ve heard it all for years. “I’m not surprised. What’s going on?” I roll over and sit up so I can talk to her.

“I just woke up early and I wanted to hear your voice.”

I can’t help the smirk that comes to my face. “No questions for me today?”

She only hesitates for a second. “Actually, I was calling to check on you. You had to go suddenly.”

I knew she would be worried. “We had some rogues causing trouble. No worries. None of us even got hurt.”

I hear her let out a breath in relief. “I have to go get ready for school. I have a test first hour.”

Damn. “All right, beautiful. Have a good day.” I throw off my covers and quickly get dressed. The pack house isn’t very far away and only takes me a few minutes to get to.

“~Chase, I need you to take me and the boy with you when you take Alana to school.~” There is a bus that comes for the students, but I have to get him registered and tell him his job.

“~Yeah, no problem. I’ll be up there in like ten minutes.~”

I open the door to the pack house. We have a few teens and younger pups, who were orphaned, living here with my parents.

I give my mother a kiss on the top of her head as she cooks breakfast for the little monsters. They all call her Miss Regina. “Declan. What brings you here?”

I pour a cup of coffee. “The new boy from last night. I have to get him set up at school.”

She raises her brow. “You do? Or are you going to see a certain luna?” I can’t help the grin that crosses my face. Mother kisses my cheek. “Go to it then.”

I finish my coffee then go up the stairs. I sniff out the new kid and knock on his door. I hear shuffling before the door opens. His eyes go wide when he looks up at me.

“Are you ready for school?” I look him over. He looks like he just got out of bed and he’s still dirty from last night’s skirmish. He swallows. I growl in my chest.

“You have ten minutes. Shower, clean clothes and socks, deodorant, and comb your hair and brush your teeth. Miss Regina will prepare your school supplies and a breakfast you can eat on the way. TEN minutes, understood?”

The boy nods. “Yes, sir.”

Chase and Alana are sitting at the end of the table when I come back downstairs. Most of the pups are eating breakfast and shuffling around, trying to finish getting ready for school.

“Mother. The new boy needs school supplies.” Mother smiles as she gets up to get them. “Alana.” I nod a greeting. She has a sweet smile. She’s a sweet girl. She’s a good match for Chase.

“The boy was asleep when I went up there. I told him ten minutes. Alana, would you mind throwing something together for him to eat on the way, please.” She nods and gets to work.

The bus pulls up to the pack house and the pups line up to get on. I go to the stairs, ready to light a fire under the kid’s ass. He gets to the top of the stairs right at the ten-minute mark, backpack in hand and smelling clean, with his hair combed.

I nod in satisfaction. “The bus already left. You’re riding with Me, Beta Chase, and his mate today. Be ready on time from now on.”

He nods like a bobblehead doll. Alana hands the boy a bag and we load into Chase’s truck. I sit in the back, next to the boy.

I smell her before we even pull in to the high school. My Kya is standing with that lanky blond guy, I think his name is Simon or Sampson…something with an S. She looks hot in her cowboy boots, skinny jeans, and George Strait T-shirt.

She turns to greet Alana. She stiffens and suddenly turns to me with a beautiful smile on her gorgeous face. “What are you doing here?”

I lift her up and kiss her mouth. I don’t want to be too abrupt with her, so I only give her a nice soft kiss.

Chase growls beside me. “~Do you want me to rip your nuts off and feed them to you?~” I growl at him through the link.

I stand her back up and take her waist. “I have business to take care of. You’re a bonus.”

She smiles. I lean in and sniff her neck. My teeth salivate to mark her. I pull back. “Good luck on your test, not that you need it.” I wink at her.

The bell rings for the students to get to class. I give her a quick peck then check out her glorious ass as she walks away. I look to the boy. “Let’s go.”

Chase and I flank the kid as we walk into the office. I talk to the principal to get him a schedule and tell him which bus to ride back on. “Behave. Do what the teachers tell you to do, and don’t get into any trouble. Understood?”

The boy, shit, I already forgot his name. ~“Chase, what's the pup’s name?~”

He rolls his eyes at me. “~Virgil. I swear you would forget your name if it wasn't written in your underwear.~”

Whatever that means. “~I don't wear underwear.~”

Chase rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“Virgil. Get used to the school today. Try to make some friends in MY pack. Tomorrow, your job of looking after the luna begins.”

He squeaks out, “Yes, sir.”

Chase and I turn and leave. We walk by Kya's classroom on the way out. She looks up just as I peek in. I give her a wink. Her face colors red and she bites her lip.

“~Focus on your test, baby.~”

She flinches then looks back down at her paper. “~Then don't distract me.~” I chuckle, then head out of the school.