Rumor

Lya

Tell a girl she’s your mate without telling her she’s your mate. That’s what this felt like.

Oliver was my mate and I was his. Of that, I was certain. Pretty much everyone in the packhouse knew, too. We still weren’t fessing up, though. We were the epitome of dysfunction. Too much depended on me keeping Oliver at arm’s length, but that was just getting more and more difficult by the moment.

A whole week had passed since the secret meeting with Thom, Trevor, and Cody. We had a plan, and it was a good one. The scouts out there were confident we could put things off another couple weeks, and we were going to fudge things as long as we could - more time for training, to perfect the plan, and ideally for Thom’s wife to have the baby. I had no idea how I was going to hold out for so long.

If Oliver had any suspicions, he wasn’t letting them show. That, or he was running me ragged to try and make it so I was too exhausted to scheme behind his back. He kept to his word - it was painfully obvious to everyone I was spoken for. A hickey here, teeth marks there, and he never let the love bite where his mark would someday be, fade. It was embarrassing. But you wouldn’t be hearing a single complaint from me. He had given up hiding - or started showing off, I couldn’t decide - his mark, too. It didn’t take long for people to start talking, easily connecting the dots.

I stumbled out of the bedroom to hunt down coffee. Oliver had disappeared a few minutes earlier to prepare for a meeting with the other gammas, and he was thankfully including me. Given how large this meeting would be, it was going to be held in the formal dining room - a room that we had been using more regularly recently with how busy the packhouse was.

At the moment, there were two functionally mated couples that were both expecting, two children, Oliver and I, and Trevor and Anna. Allyssa was constantly celebrating how full of life the packhouse was, but I personally was looking forward to it quieting down.

I weaved my way through the sea of people in the kitchen to get to the coffee maker, only to find it empty. My shoulders slumped as I began reaching around for things to make another pot. I’d be late at this point. A hand reached out and snagged mine. The tantalizing sensation of sparks that would never get old gave away the culprit that pulled me out of the fray. Oliver placed a kiss on my forehead and shoved a large mug into my hands.

“Don’t say I never did anything for you,” he chuckled as I reveled in the smell.

I had just seen Oliver a few minutes previously, but he came bringing gifts of coffee and salvation from crowds, making him a sight for sore eyes. “Your mark is showing,” I whispered to him. Oliver caught my hand as I ran my fingers over the portion that was visible.

“Yours isn’t.”

“I don’t have one,” I giggled. We had brushed on that conversation a few times, and it was getting more and more difficult to dodge it by the day. I wanted him to mark me, but I was also heeding Cody’s advice.

“We should change that.” Oliver’s voice was husky and low, and I could already tell his mind was far from the meeting at hand.

I grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the dining room - the opposite direction of our bedroom. “Come on, I don’t want to be the last one there.”

Everyone who didn’t live in the packhouse - all four gammas - were already seated around the table. Gregory was still seeing the kids off to school, Thom was spending a couple extra minutes with his wife, and Trevor was trying to talk Anna off of her most recent cliff that would undoubtedly devolve into an argument.

Cody and one of the gammas I had not met were caught up in a glaring contest. His foul mood over the past couple weeks had not resolved, and I was now absolutely certain it was just his personality. The only thing that seemed to pull him out of it was strategizing for the upcoming war. I thought he was really enjoying going behind his alpha’s back, too.

“What’s the girl doing here,” the gamma Cody was in a staring contest with grumbled.

I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny as his eyes shifted to me. Oliver had warned me the gamma from Wyoming would be the least receptive to this meeting, and I figured this was him.

“Hello, Derek,” Oliver sighed. He had dropped my hand before we walked in, but the comfort of his touch would have been nice right now. “Thom, Trevor, and Gregory are already apprised of the situation, so let’s just get started.”

I sat quietly while Oliver recounted for possibly the millionth time my relationship with my wolf, how I came to be at the pack, the hunter we believed to have been trailing me for years, and my connections to the Wulver pack. Cody filled them in on the surveillance that had been done, including the note that had been left. The three others had trickled in, providing an extra detail here and there.

“So why exactly are we here?” Derek asked. “The pack has ended up with a broken Wulver, and I’m going to go out on a limb and guessing it’s her that marked you, so we are obligated to protect her until you decide whether or not you’ll make her luna.”

Oliver’s growl reverberated through the room, shaking my bones, causing me to jump.

“I’d suggest you speak with a little more respect,” Trevor rumbled.

“Why?” he scoffed. “Clearly, she isn’t marked. That’s either because she hasn’t accepted him, or he doesn’t think she’s good enough. Why would the pack want a luna raised like that? How would that be good for the pack? And if it’s taking the alpha so long to decide whether or not she’s worth marking, she probably isn’t. My vote is just let the hunters have her.”

Oliver was across the table in a heartbeat, Derek pinned to the wall by his throat. Cody and Brandon were quick to follow, taking the both of them to pull Oliver off. I remained where I was, studying the reactions of everyone in the room.

“Don’t forget, Gamma, you’re the one who came to us for sanctuary. I can take it away as quickly as my father gave it,” Oliver spat.

“Maybe you should go see my daughter and wife in the kitchen, Derek,” Gregory said quietly. “This is a strategizing meeting, not a luna selection approval.”

“He should stay, actually,” I cut in, stopping Derek in his beeline for the door. “He should stay, or he should be dismissed from his Gamma duties, I would think.” All eyes fell on me, the silence consuming the room. “Well, Derek? Are you here to help us determine how to neutralize the most hunters possible, or scrutinize the alpha’s assessment of my suitability to sit in this room?”

“Here to help, Luna,” Derek said sullenly. He returned to the table, eyes downcast.

It was easy enough to steer the plan the way we needed everyone to think it was going. There had been a couple hunters lingering around the town the entire time, meaning the wolves we already had there could easily make their presence known, which would undoubtedly bring more hunters in. Once enough were there, the pack would strike.

They were after me, though, so the scene? Well, obviously, my friends were planning a surprise early birthday party for me - just in time for when I’d be getting back from an extended vacation. Throw in the scouts and warriors stationed over there having a pack run, and the werewolf presence would be obvious to anyone who knew what they were looking for.

I had very little faith that they would fall for it, but it was the best idea we had.

Derek had stayed silent for the rest of the meeting, and was the first one to leave, too. It didn’t take long until it was just Oliver, Cody, Brandon, Trevor, and I. The four of them were old friends. Brandon was a year younger than his cousin Trevor, and Cody had joined the group when he came to the pack to take advantage of the training program ten years ago. They meant the world to each other, and I knew for a fact Oliver wouldn’t have gotten through everything that happened eight years ago without them. I wondered how torn apart their group would be when this was all said and done.

“I want Derek monitored,” Oliver grumbled. “He’s causing too many problems.”

“What’s his deal, anyway?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

Oliver let out a sigh, scrubbing his hand across his face. “How much have you been told about the rogue that killed my father?”

“Not much,” I said, shaking my head. It seemed like a rather taboo subject around here. His parents were rarely talked about at all, let alone the intricacies of why they were no longer with us. “Just that there was a battle.”

He nodded slowly, taking a sip of his coffee before starting in. “Ten or so years ago a rogue came on the radar, targeting and attacking smaller packs. Recent information has come to light that his wolf side completely took him over, probably because he tried to shut the wolf out completely.” Oliver didn’t look at me, but I could feel the turmoil wreaking havoc in him. I gulped, understanding dawning on me why it was so imperative to him I integrated with my wolf. “He attacked a smaller pack in Wyoming, killing the alpha and beta. The alpha had no heir, and Derek was only the adopted son of the beta. He had no hope of taking over the pack. But he came to us, asking for protection. Dad let them in with open arms, and instated him as a gamma to oversee the pack - tried to let them keep their individuality. Once uh - once Dad died, Derek got fussy about the transition of power.”

“He didn’t just get fussy,” Cody scoffed. “He tried to challenge you. I told you then, and I’m telling you now, your idea to keep him close to keep an eye on him was faulty.”

“Yeah, probably,” Oliver huffed. “I should have at least moved which town he was based in. But anyway, now there are a lot of mixed messages coming out of that town. Derek is saying they are getting inundated with violent rogues, but scouts I have sent up there are saying he’s just killing first, asking questions later.”

“I thought this pack tried to maintain good relations with rogues?” That had been something everyone talked about - something that set this pack apart. Rogues were not considered guilty until proven innocent.

“We are,” he confirmed, “but the pack they were before was not. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the events that caused the demise of his pack solidified his views.”

I nodded. I understood - I really did. And it made Derek’s feelings toward me even more reasonable. You can’t just be told your entire ideology has flip flopped. I had to say, I felt like I had come a long way with only being part of a pack for three or so weeks, but I struggled plenty with trying to change my mindset. Right now, the thing that was getting me through, was focusing wholeheartedly on keeping my problems away from this pack.