Chapter 47 Riley woke up the next morning with her face pressed into the side of Kent's chest. She took a deep breath, letting his scent fill her senses for a moment before she stretched out, her legs sliding against his. She lifted her head to see him staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. "Good morning," he said softly, looking at her. "How long have you been awake?" She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. "About half an hour. I didn't want to wake you." He rolled onto his side so he could look at her. "Can I ask you a question?" "I suppose." She looked at him warily. She couldn't decide if it was a good idea to tell him about Paul last night. She had been feeling small and weak and had let that information slip out, but now she was terrified of revisiting that conversation. "What was the name of your last pack?" "Still going to go there today?" She raised an eyebrow, trying to sound light. He gave her a small smile. "Still considering it." "Rolling Dune." He shook his head. "Never heard of it." "It's a fairly small pack out west." "Hmmm." He sighed, rubbing his face. "I need to get up. Pat mindlinked about fifteen minutes ago. He got a new scouting report and he wants to meet." A wrinkle appeared between his eyes. "Was it a bad report?" she asked, reaching out to smooth the wrinkle with her thumb. "I don't know. Pat seemed stressed by what he found out and he isn't one to overreact. So if he's worried it makes me worried." She nodded, moving her hand to cup his cheek. His stubble scratched at the palm of her hand. He bit his lip as he watched her and she used her thumb to tug his lip from between his teeth before tracing it gently. He pulled her hand down from his face, placing it on the bed between them. "I meant what I said yesterday." he said quietly. "You need to figure out what you want. I don't want you to ever say you felt pressured into a relationship with me. Especially after what you told me last night. We need some space so you can make your own decision." She felt her cheeks redden, her throat thick. She knew he wasn't rejecting her, but it certainly felt like a rejection as she rolled away from him. She looked at the ceiling for a moment before sighing. "How are we supposed to have space if I literally can't be away from you without getting sick?" she finally asked. "Yeah," he sighed, sitting up, "that is a complication. We'll figure it out. Let's get breakfast and hear the report. "With that he rolled out of bed and headed out the door towards his own room. I wish you would make up your mind, Rose muttered. 1/3 < Chapter 47 ** +8 Points Only Scott came this time to give the scouting report. Riley couldn't help but notice that he looked exhausted. He had dark bags under his eyes and a healing scratch that ran up his forearm. His cheeks were covered in the shadow of beard as he rubbed his cheek, waiting for everyone to get situated. Riley sat in an armchair close to the desk where Kent was sitting. Leo and Wesley were also in armchairs while Patrick and Max sat on the couch with Scott. "We're positive they are recruiting," Scott said once Kent motioned for him to speak. "We've noticed at least five new rogues arriving in the last two days. We also think they are trying to scout our area as well and count the extra warriors, but our patrols are scaring them back." Patrick nodded. "We should change up patrol schedules and routes again, just to keep them off." "That would be wise," Scott agreed, scratching the back of his neck. "We're pretty sure they're being led by a woman." "A woman?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," Scott said heavily. "She is a bit... deranged, for a lack of a better word. She's somewhat violent and we saw her attack a weaker rogue. I wouldn't be surprised to hear he died from her attack. It was pretty vicious." "Have you gotten any clues as to why they might be attacking the pack or what they're looking for?" Wesley asked, steepling his fingers in front of him. Scott shook his head. "No idea. The little bits that we hear are nonsensical. We're not close enough to pick up whole conversations." "You shouldn't get too close," Max murmured, staring at the floor. "Don't put yourselves at risk right now. We need to plan a strong defense." Once Scott was dismissed, a silence settled in the room while everyone thought over what had been said. Leo was the one to speak first. "Do you have any ideas what the rogues might be after?" He was looking at Kent. "No." Kent shook his head, lying. Riley watched Kent for a moment, biting her lip. He wasn't meeting her gaze and she debated calling him out. She looked over to see Max watching her intently. She raised an eyebrow and he looked away, his cheeks reddening as his jaw clenched. "It's been two weeks since the last attack," Leo said, unaware of Kent's discomfort. "That one was pretty brutal. I imagine the next one will be worse. We need to expect it any time." "I'll rotate the patrol schedules again," Patrick said, glancing at his watch. "The warriors will meet in twenty minutes. I need to get down to make the change this morning." "I'll go with you," Max muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Before we go," Patrick said, looking at Kent, "the elders have requested an update on the rogue attacks and our new alliance." Kent nodded. "Of course. I can meet with them this afternoon. I'll call to arrange the meeting." He looked at Riley. "You should come so they can be introduced to the new advisor from the Council." 2/3 < Chapter 47 "Or you could introduce her as your mate?" Max said. + Points Riley looked at Max, almost expecting his usual playful expression, but instead he was quite serious as he looked at Kent. "Don't push it," Kent muttered, his jaw clenching slightly. "You and Pat go meet with the warriors. I'll let you know the time for the meeting as soon as I have it set." Max didn't say anything else, only nodding before he and Patrick stood to go. "I'm helping with the civilian training today," Leo said, standing up as well. "I should head down." "I'll come," Wesley said. "With Riley here, my workload is cut in half." "Happy to help," Riley muttered as they left. She watched the door shut before turning to look at Kent. "Are you going to tell me what the rogues are after?" He frowned at her. "We've been over this." "We have, but that doesn't change that you are putting your whole pack at risk to protect your beta." "Please just trust me on this," he pleaded softly. "Once I tell you, you'll understand why this is so important." She looked at him for a long moment before standing up. "If Wes and Leo find out that you are lying, this could come back badly on me. They've already stuck their necks out for me by keeping this whole mate thing a secret from the council. If they realize you've been lying, they'll know I had to be aware of it." "They won't find out I've been lying." He sounded so sure that she almost believed him. She sighed, moving towards the door. "I have work to do. I need to finish some reports and email the commander.". "You could work here," Kent offered. "Is that wise?" She turned to look at him. "I thought you wanted space." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "I'm just suggesting you work here. Not have s*x. You'll get sick if you aren't near me." She sighed. He was right, even if she was kind of annoyed with him at the moment. "Fine. I'll get my stuff and be back in a few." Comments Get Bonus (Ad) >