Her Promise

Her Promise | Chapter Nine

MISSY

“I’m sure he’s just enjoying his run,” Liam said from across from me at the breakfast table. “He won’t miss the ceremony. That boy couldn’t let you down. It’s not in his DNA.”

“This is true,” Langston laughed. “I’m not sure I have ever seen a kid so enamored with his mate. He talks about you plenty during our time together every day.”

“He does?” I laughed.

“Yea,” Ronin said. “I think I know more about you than I do him.” Everyone started laughing at that.

“Missy, I am going to need a favor,” Maddox finally linked me back.

“Favor, what’s going on?” I asked him. He should have been back already. I didn’t think he was up to anything, but now I was questioning my judgment.

“I need you to find some clean clothes. Like sweats pants and a shirt. And maybe see if the kitchen can make an extra plate of food, like a big one. Or maybe something left over. Shouldn’t matter what it is,” he went on.

“Maddox, your clothes are by the back door. Why do you need more? Just shift back when you get here,” I said.

“They aren’t for me,” he admitted.

“Then who are they for?” I questioned.

“I sort of found a rogue. Well, I think she is a rogue, although she doesn’t smell particularly bad. She for sure isn’t part of Serenity Waters, but she was down by the lake. Tom basically attacked her, and I didn’t mean to let him. She’s not aggressive, though. I think she was just camping near the lake-” he rambled.

“Maddox!” I stopped him.

“Sorry,” he said.

“So, are you bringing a rogue back here hours before your Alpha Ceremony?” I sighed.

“Yea, I guess I am,” he answered.

“I guess life as your Luna isn’t going to be boring,” I concluded.

-

I waited out back for Maddox. Lily and Damien would be arriving at any time with all the kids, so I wanted to get whatever this was sorted out quickly. Finally, I saw him coming toward the packhouse. I stood as I saw who he was bringing with him. Immediately, I saw the hesitance on her face.

“What’s your plan?” I asked as I walked toward him. I brought his clothes with me so he could shift and cover himself. He was very comfortable walking around naked, but I preferred that he covered up in front of unmated she-wolves.

“I don’t know. Put her in a room and feed her?” he suggested. I rolled my eyes.

“Ronin, can you find us a warrior who isn’t otherwise busy today? We have a guest,” I linked him.

“Today? Really?” he groaned.

“We’ll handle everything else, but someone will need to keep an eye on her until after the ceremony,” I said.

“Alright, give me an hour,” he said.

I met Maddox in the grass, with the girl slowly following. He shifted, and I saw her blush and cover her eyes. I pushed his clothes at him, and he gave me a quick peck on the cheek before pulling them on. Then he turned to the girl he had brought. “Uh, Sloan, this is my mate, Missy.”

“Hi,” she said, looking at me and then back at the packhouse. I nodded at her. “Did I accidentally get found by the Alpha’s kid or something? I told you, I’m not looking for trouble.”

“Not exactly,” I said. “In a few hours, he will be the Alpha.”

“But that makes you the Luna. And this is your house, like your packhouse, house. Oh s**t,” she gasped.

“Hey! Everything is fine!” Maddox said quickly. “I told you, I am in a unique position right now. I just want to help.”

“We can offer you a place to stay tonight. You can wash up and change into something clean while we have your clothes washed, and we can feed you. Anything you need,” I offered. The girl looked a little skinny under her bulky clothes. Her backpack was almost in tatters, but I could see she strapped everything inside.

“Why?” she asked. “Why help me? Why not chase me out or lock me up like every other pack out there?”

“Cause I know something about being a rogue,” Maddox said quietly. His voice was low and pained.

“And no one can go it all on their own. We aren’t built that way. If you want to leave after a shower and some food, we’ll let you go. We’ll help you however we can,” I told her. Maddox nodded next to me.

Sloan pursed her lips, appraising us. “Don’t really have much of a choice, I guess. Maybe the Goddess hasn’t forgotten about me, landing me on the land of a baby Alpha and Luna.”

I looked at Maddox, a little surprised. I thought she would be softer and apologetic, trying to get away from us. She just called us naive and weak. Maddox raised his eyebrows, letting me take the lead. “I guess she hasn’t.”

I turned on my heel and headed back inside the packhouse. The setup would begin for the Alpha Ceremony soon, and it was best we got her inside and out of sight for now. Maddox was only a few steps behind me, and I could hear the clomp of Sloan’s boots as she followed us. “You’re sure about her?” I asked him. In any other circumstances, I would probably be less skeptical, but we were a few hours away from being officially Alpha and Luna and deciding to house a rogue in the packhouse.

“Yea,” he replied. He had a soft smile on his face as he looked back over his shoulder at her.

“If she’s a rogue, why doesn’t she smell like them? She just smells like she’s been rolling around in the garbage; while not pleasant, it isn’t as putrid as rogue stench,” I asked him.

“I don’t know. Did we smell bad when we showed up?” he asked.

“I guess not,” I said, trying to remember. I remember him and the others not smelling like they belonged to the pack but also not off-putting.

We led Sloan inside and headed straight toward the guest rooms. Lemon and Axel were in the hall. I could see it in Axel’s posture as soon as her scent hit his nose. I stopped and stepped between Maddox and Sloan while Axel pushed Lemon behind him. “Maddox, Missy, why do you have a rogue in your packhouse?” he growled.

“Axel, it’s not what you think,” Maddox said, putting his hands up.

“What’s a rogue?” Lemon called. Sloan tried to hold back her laugh, but it was pointless. We all couldn’t help but chuckle. Lemon knew a lot about us, but she didn’t know everything; it was a little taboo, but she wasn’t supposed to until it was time to mark her. Her silly question eased the harsh tension.

“You guys really are a strange Alpha couple. A human in your packhouse too?” Sloan laughed.

“I suggest you don’t try to mess with this particular human,” Maddox said over his shoulder.

“Axel, stop trying to push me back into our room!” Lemon snapped at him. I heard her smack his back; he let out a controlled breath.

“What is going on?” he asked us.

“I found her by the lake. She’s a rogue but really smell her,” Maddox said. He stepped aside to give Axel a clearer view of Sloan. I parted as well but stayed ready in case he decided to attack her. I trusted Axel not to, but it wouldn’t be good for us for a rogue to die at the hands of another pack’s warrior in front of a human before we were even Alpha and Luna. Today just kept getting messier.

“She smells like you all did,” Axel said, confused. Maddox nodded.

“I thought so,” he said. “We’re just going to house her in this wing until we can get through the ceremony and figure out what to do.”

“How about what I want?” Sloan piped in.

“She’s feisty,” Lemon commented, finally getting around Axel. He put his arm around her waist protectively. It would be instinct to protect his mate, chosen or fated, when anything dangerous was around.

“Ronin, how long do we have until someone is coming to the packhouse?” I linked him. I could get the girl clothes and set her up with some food, but I couldn’t stay in this hall all day.

“Uh, maybe longer than I thought,” he said.

“Maddox,” I hissed.

“You guys are noisy today,” Azalea said, coming out of the room next to Lemon and Axel’s. I hung my head. Now my parents were getting involved.

“Maddox, why do I smell… is that a rogue?” Liam said, following Lea out.

“What’s going on?” Lea asked. I sighed and quickly explained what was going on again. Lea frowned as I finished.

“The poor thing definitely needs a long bath,” she said.

“Standing right here,” Sloan snapped. Liam growled.

“Hey!’ Axel shouted. “That is my Luna. Show some respect!”

“Wait, I thought you were Luna,” Sloan said, pointing at me.

“Well, I will be later today. That is my mom, technically,” I told her.

Sloan pointed at Maddox, then Liam, then Lea, and lastly me. “I’m really confused,” she said.

“This isn’t our pack,” Liam clarified. Sloan just nodded.

“Maddox, big problem. Ronin said he couldn’t get a warrior here for babysitter duty,” I hissed at him. His face fell, and he brought his fingers to his temple.

“Goddess, so much is about to change,” he groaned.

“Are you saying no one can watch your rogue?” Axel asked.

“Yea,” I said. “ I can talk with the staff and have some stuff sent over here, but we all know we can’t just leave her unattended.”

“Do I really look threatening?” Sloan said sarcastically. I chose to ignore her.

“I’ll stay outside the room until other arrangements can be made,” Axel offered.

“Really?” Maddox asked.

“Are you sure?” Lemon asked. Axel turned to her.

“You and Luna are going to help Missy get ready, right? I don’t have a ton to do. I can help them out for now,” he smiled at her. She smiled back, and for a moment, I was really happy for Lemon. She might not be Axel’s fated, but it was clear how much they cared for each other. Where ever his mate was, she missed out on a good wolf.

“I’ll go speak with Langston to see what we can do about finding Axel a replacement,” Liam said. He started to move away, then stopped and looked back at Lea. I could tell they were linking each other. After a moment, his shoulders slumped. As he passed me, he stopped to pretend to kiss me on the cheek. “I may have promised her she won’t have a bodyguard anymore, but keep an eye on her for me,” he whispered.

“Promise,” I said, trying not to laugh. Felix was always still around, but Lea didn’t have a bodyguard every waking moment anymore. I had a feeling that Liam liked to push his luck still, though.

“So this is cute and all, but can I shower now?” Sloan said.