Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Kent slept terribly. He blamed Riley as he tossed and turned throughout the night. Part of it was her subtle rejections of him. It was clear that she didn't want him around. From the moment she had seen him watching her spar, he could sense how much she wanted to get away from him. It was part of the reason he had been so short tempered that day. Then she had avoided him the day before. She barely tolerated being in his presence for twenty minutes while she ate and she jumped like he had hit when he had reached out to touch her. As if that wasn't enough to keep him awake, she clearly did not feel better like she pretended. Even though she had seemed much better while eating dinner, he had awoken in the middle of the night sensing her discomfort through the bond. He had done his best to block her out, but it was still difficult. Pax didn't help either. He spent the night lamenting their mate and worrying obsessively about her. He had begged and pleaded with Kent to go check on her, Kent remained resolute. She clearly did not want him around. He wasn't going to push it and he certainly wasn't pushing it at 2am. Now he had forced himself through a hot shower, hoping it would be enough to keep him awake until he could find coffee. He stepped into the hall, grimacing as her scent of vanilla and cloves filled his nostrils. Of course the whole floor had to smell like her now. He ignored his desire to go see if she was in her room and took the elevator downstairs. He walked into the dining room and saw her right away. She was sitting at a table by herself, staring listlessly at the dry toast on her plate. He watched her for a moment and felt himself soften. She clearly didn't feel well. He wondered what it would take to get her to see a doctor. He filled his plate at the buffet table and grabbed a cup of hot coffee before turning around. Riley was staring openly at him. When he met her gaze her cheeks flushed at being caught and she turned away quickly. "Did you sleep well?" Kent asked as he approached her table, sliding into the seat beside her. "Yep," she replied, "like a log." It was a lie and judging by the look on her face, she was challenging him to call her on it. Lily used to do that to him all the time. The memory of it almost made him smile. He took a sip of his coffee, watching her turn back to her food. "I've arranged for everyone to meet in my office this morning," he said after a moment. "I want to discuss sending some scouts out to get a better look at that encampment. Then I figured you could decide what else you want to see while Penny finishes the reports. She said they should be ready by this afternoon at the latest." "That sounds good." Riley pushed her plate away from her and stood suddenly, taking him by surprise. "I'll meet you upstairs." Kent reached out, lightly catching her wrist. "You don't have to rush off." She jerked her arm away the same way she had the night before, as though his touch hurt. He clenched his teeth, pulling his arm away into his lap. He looked at her face and found her gaze tense, her expression bordering on pained. "Fine," he muttered, turning away from her. "I'll see you upstairs." 1/3 Riley felt like a total b***h. And Rose kept telling Riley she had acted like a total b***h, which didn't help anything. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings by leaving so abruptly, but being around him was proving to be difficult. It wasn't as easy as she expected to control her emotions around him. One touch and she felt like she was swooning. She would not get swept up in a mate bond again, not knowing the risks. She waited in the sitting room until she heard the others arriving. When she walked into the office, she took a seat in the armchair farthest from Kent's desk, something he clearly noticed. He watched her with dark eyes, his mouth a thin line and his nostrils flaring. "The encampment on the northwestern border appears to be growing," Patrick said once everyone was there. "I think we really need to send scouts out to look at numbers and determine the threat they pose to us." "We know they pose a threat," Max said from his spot on the couch. "Why do we need to send wolves out just to verify what we already know?" "We need to verify numbers," Wesley replied. "We know there's a camp there, but how many of those wolves are fighters? What if it's a camp of old women and children?" All three ranked members of the pack winced. A resounding silence filled the room. Riley could feel an emotion surge through the mate bond, but she couldn't place it right away. She looked at Kent who was staring at his desk, his forehead creased. "What?" Wesley said, raising his eyebrows. "What just happened? If we think the rogues are gathering there, we need intel to prepare." "No one is arguing that," Patrick finally said. "You just unknowingly hit a nerve." He rubbed his forehead, blowing out a sigh. "The last time we went after a camp in that area was right after my sister was killed." Riley felt a surge of sympathy as she looked at Kent again. She remembered how they had admitted to killing those who were defenseless. "Do you think there is a reason the rogues have chosen to gather in that particular area? Do you think there is a connection?" she asked. "We don't really know," Max answered, looking at his hands, "but we have wondered that." She felt a weird uneasiness as she looked between the three ranked members. None of them met her gaze. "I think you should send the scouts out," she said finally, leaning back in her chair. "I agree with Wesley. We need the intel to prepare. You say the attacks are getting worse so we need to have the upperhand. No one is suggesting attacking this encampment. We just need to determine the level of threat they pose." "Send the scouts out," Kent said, looking at Max. "They're right. We need the intel. Max, you take care of selecting the scouts and sending them out." "Yes, Alpha," Max said, giving him a mock salute. Kent ignored his beta and turned to Riley. "What do you need for today?" "I'd like to run the border of the pack," Riley said. "I'd like to get a feel for the terrain and look at your defenses. "I can take you," Patrick said, 2/3 < Chapter 18 "That sounds good," Riley replied, nodding. "I'll go too," Kent said quickly. Riley looked at Kent for a long moment. "I'd prefer to just go with the gamma." "No," Kent replied tersely, "I'll go too." +15 Points > "Alpha," Patrick interrupted, drawing attention to himself, "is there anything else you need to discuss with the rest of us today?" Kent blinked at him for a moment. "No, I don't think so." "Then I need to go look at some training schedules." He stood up. "Riley, I'll meet you on the training grounds in half an hour." She nodded. He turned to the other three men. "I'm sure you all have better things to do. Leave them to their argument."