Rone

Chapter Three

I took a shot of vodka and then brushed my teeth.

I packed up all of my things, haphazardly tidying my motel room as I went. It was almost noon and I was late. The night before Daniel and I had agreed to meet at the café in town for half past ten. I hoped he was a patient guy.

My eyes stung as I left the room, the sunlight too intense after a night—and morning—of drinking. I slipped my shades over my eyes as hiked my duffel bag higher on my shoulder, swaying slightly on my heels.

Daniel had two empty mugs in front of him along with a plate of crumbs. "You're late," he said disapprovingly. I watched him take in my appearance from the beat-up leather jacket, the ripped black jeans, to the high heels. I could tell he wasn't impressed.

I slid into the booth, kicking my things under the table and hailing down the waitress. "Coffee," I ordered, "and whatever special is on for breakfast." The waitress looked at her watch and then back at me, debating whether or not to give me a hard time for ordering the special at lunch. She didn't.

"You smell like alcohol," Daniel commented, narrow eyes tightening.

I waved him off. "Coffee will fix that."

"Spencer is going to be wondering where I am," Daniel mumbled, agitated.

"No one likes someone who is passive aggressive," I snapped, irritated more so that I was out of aspirin. I rubbed my temples. "You're pissed at me for being late—just say it."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, "I am pissed. You were supposed to be here almost two hours ago." I held my tongue as the waitress appeared with my coffee.

I shrugged. "What does it matter? Rone doesn't want me around at all, an hour isn't going to change that."

The beta sighed.

I raised an eyebrow. "What did I say about being passive aggressive?" I downed half of my coffee in one go, not bothered as it scalded my tongue. I looked Daniel up and down. "Are you mated?"

"No," he answered stiffly.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked, catching the tight line of his shoulders.

"No," he answered, "I don't." Daniel's expression became guarded, a glare taking over his face. He didn't want me to ask my next question.

I leaned back in my seat, sliding my sunglasses off of my face and tucking them onto the front of my shirt. "So, tell me about Rone. What do I need to know about your Alpha?"

Daniel sunk into the booth, thankful I laid off. "Spencer is a really smart guy. He's really focused and committed to the pack. He's really—"

"So where has he been?" I asked, finishing my coffee and lifting my finger to wave down the waitress. I needed at least three more if I was going to deal with this Alpha. Daniel frowned and I interjected before he could speak. "The useless assholes I was talking to," I closed one eye, "Garrett and company—they called Rone a newbie."

"Spencer is from our pack," Daniel said, "he just left for a while."

"Here you go, hun," the waitress chirped, setting down a pile of mashed eggs over soggy toast. I grimaced and she left, hurrying to get the coffee pot.

I poked at the food with a fork. "Goddess," I murmured, "what a mess." I sighed and shoveled the food into my mouth. Hangovers didn't make you picky. "Okay so he left. To do what?"

Daniel squirmed and I knew I hit a sensitive spot. "I'd rather not—"

I reached out and touched his arm, smiling sweetly. "Look, Daniel—you and me? We're partners. I'm trying to help you but you have to help me."

The beta's eyes fluttered. "It's not for me to say—"

I growled and kept eating.

The café was bustling, almost every table was full. The chimes over the door were constantly jingling as people entered and left. It was grinding on my nerves and amplifying my headache.

"Okay so a smart Alpha," I snorted, "that's rare."

Daniel shrugged. "Spencer reads constantly. He graduated high school at the top of his class. He went to college—graduated with honors."

I was genuinely surprised. "Most Alphas don't bother with that. Why wasn't he here learning from Morley?"

Daniel raised a brow. "Murphy?"

I shrugged.

Daniel sighed. "Spencer and Murphy—" The door chime jangled again and I choked on a mouthful of egg. Daniel frowned, turning around just as the tall bouncer from the other night looked over.

I ducked my head, lifting up a menu as I tried to clear scrambled egg out of my throat. I heard his voice a moment later and felt a wave of nausea as I remembered his heavy hands and the way his mouth constantly tried to find mine no matter how many times I avoided it.

"Vivian?" Daniel asked, peering over the menu.

"Get down," I hissed, "act nor—"

"I didn't think I'd see you again," the bouncer greeted, his friends hovering at a table a few paces away. They were all watching. I set down my menu and grimaced, taking in the bouncer who wasn't as handsome in the daylight.

"How are you?" I asked. I was suddenly reminded of why I enjoyed rogue life—the ability to skip town after a hookup. The man was grinning until he looked from me to Daniel.

"I still can't take my eyes off you," he purred, repulsing me further. His hands drifted to my arm, grazing lustfully. "Why don't you come and sit with me and my boys? I'll get you another coffee and we can get to know each other better." He looked to Daniel and sneered. "If that's possible."

I couldn't explain the constant compulsion for grown men to refer to their friends as their boys. "No thank you," I said coolly, retracting my arm from his hold. "I'm catching up with my friend."

He clicked his tongue. "We're friends too," he said, adding a wink, "good friends."

Daniel was rigid in his seat across from me, his nostrils flaring slightly. He was staring up at the bouncer with distaste and distress. If I didn't get rid of him soon my new Beta was going to blow.

I stood and the bouncer grinned, his eyes slipping to my chest where my sunglasses were weighing on my shirt, pulling the material down enough that he got a view of my breasts. His hands went to my waist immediately, ready to whisk me away to his table.

I put a hand on his shoulder and pushed lightly. "My friend and I have somewhere to be," I said, offering a pout as I popped my chest slightly. He released me and I smiled. "We'll catch up soon though, I promise."

The bouncer grumbled something and then sauntered off to his table, watching begrudgingly as Daniel threw a few bills onto our table and we left. Daniel and I didn't speak until we had cleared the street.

"A friend of yours?" he asked tightly.

I rolled my eyes. "He's a one night only friend," I clarified, watching his face as his brows drew together. "You know the kind right."

"You're mated," he said.

"I was rejected," I reminded him, "and I met this particular friend before I met your Alpha." I could see Daniel wasn't going to drop it so I hit low. "You've never had a one night only friend, have you?"

It worked. A blush seeped across his face, darkening his complexion. "I—"

I mock gasped. "You've never had a friend at all!"

Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his shoulders inwards. "I'm—"

"A virgin!" I cried.

"Waiting," he snapped, "for my mate."

I elbowed his arm. "That must be hard for you," I mused, eyes dropping with a teasing grin. Daniel's expression changed from embarrassed to mortified. I let a peel of laughter leave my lips. "I can help you find a girl if that is the problem," I said to him, "I can provide protection too—"

"Enough!" Daniel hissed, glaring. "Let's just focus on you right now and how you're going to win over Spencer."

"Right," I agreed, not ready to let it go just yet. "Let's hope that Rone is a virgin too," I mused, "virgins are so easy to fluster and I'm sure I can rattle him. He'll be so impressed by my expertise that he'll be putty in my hands."

"Can you stop?" Daniel asked, eyes closed with embarrassment.

"Oh," I sighed dramatically, "how I hoped he's saved his innocence for me."

"It's not funny," Daniel snapped, "I'm committed to my mate—whoever they are. Maybe you should've been too."

I didn't miss a step. "I committed myself to other things, Chastity." He grimaced at the nickname. "I committed to pleasure and satisfaction and mastering the mind-blowing org—"

Daniel cringed. "I get it."

I bumped his shoulder with mine. "Seriously though, let me know when you need the talk."
"Noted," Daniel growled.

"So, Mother Mary," I continued, "why doesn't Rone live in the Alpha House?"

Daniel seemed relieved we'd moved on. "Rone lives in a small house on the outskirts of the territory. He does a lot of the patrolling himself since our lookouts—well—"

"Spend their days drinking and burping," I clarified.

Daniel grimaced. "The Alpha House needs to be fixed up and right now Spencer doesn't have the time and there aren't enough wolves loyal enough to take up the task." He held back a tree branch for me as we started the hike towards the pack's territory. "It doesn't bother him though—he'd rather focus on other tasks."

I growled as my heels sunk directly into the muddy ground. I hated this climate.

"There isn't an easier way to get to the territory?" I asked, my duffel bag already digging into my shoulder.

"Driving takes a while since you have to go all the way around the National Park." Daniel scratched the back of his head. "We could shift and I could come back for your bags later."

I felt a beat of paralyzing fear. "No," I said hastily, "no shifting. I'll walk."

Daniel frowned. "But—"

"No," I repeated, my tone biting. I was fully aware that I was giving up a weakness but I was sure Daniel was too nice to exploit it.

"Okay," Daniel said, proving my theory right as he threw up his hands. "We'll walk." I watched his eyes drop down to my footwear in question. "Heels?"

"Fashion first," I growled, irritated. As we walked I started planning. Step one was definitely find the pack funds and buy some goddess-damned hiking boots. Maybe some new clothes too—I had been slumming it in the same two pairs of jeans for a year. Alcohol as well—that was a must.

"So why are you a rogue?" Daniel asked after a while of walking.

"Because I don't have a pack," I answered.

"Why don't you have a pack?"

"Because my last one was just as annoying as you are," I retorted.

We lapsed into silence.

A few miles later I started to hear water and the canopy above us grew thicker, blocking out the afternoon sun. Daniel took the lead then, offering help which I accepted begrudgingly. My heels were ruined and my calves were pulsating along with my head.

I was ready for a drink.

"Get ready," Daniel said, his head tilting. I listened too, hearing approaching footfalls. To my surprise, my stomach clenched with nerves. "Like I said, Spencer does most of the patrolling—"

Two wolves broke through the trees. I recognized the one out front as the massive man from the day before, likely the only enforcer motivated enough to actually work for his Alpha. The hulking wolf offered me only a snarl as his hackles raised. He had obviously caught the memo that I was unwelcome.

Rone pushed his way forward, shifting from one step to the next. My heart seized slightly, my lungs tightening until I wasn't sure if I was breathing anymore. Apparently, these were the side effects of mating—pathetic.

Rone's indigo eyes skipped right over me to Daniel. "Explain," he demanded.

"I thought—" Daniel tried.

Rone jumped back in. "You thought you would go behind my back and bring her here. For whatever reason—you ignored everything I said to you yesterday and decided that she somehow has something of value to offer the pack. You decided to reach out to her, against my orders, and bring her back to my territory in the hopes of convincing me she possess the thing you think will be beneficial to me and the pack. Am I correct?"

"Well—yeah," Daniel relented.

Rone sneered. "Well let me save you the trouble of thinking on my behalf. I don't want her here. I don't need her here. I don't want you to make decisions for me. I don't need you to make decisions for me. Take her back to her motel room and give her a map of all the highways and roads that lead far away from here."

I was starting to understand Rone's infamous rambling.

Daniel looked defeated. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I just thought—"

"That I was acting irrationally," Rone interjected, shaking his head. "You'll find that is something I never do." I snorted, stomach seizing as Rone turned his indigo eyes to me. "Is something funny Ms. McAllister?"

I rolled my eyes, deflecting my nervous energy. "You are acting irrationally as we speak," I told him, crossing my arms.

Rone raised his split eyebrow. "Enlighten me."

I tossed my copper hair over my shoulder, curling my lips into my characteristic smirk. "You're the Alpha to an unsteady pack. Your pack members do not respect you, nor do they follow your orders. You do most of the patrolling and I assume most of the other positions in this pack just to keep it functioning because your members don't even bother setting down their beers when you walk into a room."

Rone growled. "I do not—"

I held up a finger. "Listen," I ordered.

He rumbled something and crossed his arms, lips tight.

I grinned. "Did I assault and threaten your lookout? Yes. Did we share a laugh over beers the next day? Also yes." I held my hands out wide. "I'm likeable," I said, eyeing him I amended myself, "to most people."

"Likeability has little to do with—"

I tugged at my ear and he quieted. "Likeability has everything to do with running a pack. As you must know, packs run smoother if the members like their Alpha. Unfortunately, you have almost no likeability. I can help you there. And the fact that you're letting my reputation stop you from taking up what I can offer is irrational."

Rone's lip twitched as he was finally able to retort. "Is it rational of me to allow a woman like you into my pack? Is it rational of me to give a woman like you power?"

I backpedaled. "A woman like what?"

Rone's eyes held mine directly. Conflict was not something he shied from. "A woman who whores herself out to serve a man like Alpha Dane of Cerberus. A woman who openly manipulates men with her sexuality—who thrives off of it. A woman who intended to use her sexuality to manipulate me into giving you this pack."

My cheeks didn't burn, my stomach didn't tighten, my eyes didn't sting. I was used to this judgement, this slander. I was used to the label of whore, of slut, of succubus. I was used to the shame, the ostracizing, the cruelty. I was used to this treatment.

A coy laugh spilt from my lips, lifting the hairs on my own neck. "I love a man who does his homework," I purred, "intelligence is definitely sexy."

Rone snarled as I proved him right, offered him vindication. "I don't want you in my pack."

"Right," I snipped, "you need me in it."

"I don't—"

"I have experience," I interrupted, taking a step closer until we were face to face. With my natural height and heels, I was pretty close to looking him in the eye. "I helped Dane lead a pack for years. I know what it takes."

Rone pressed closer too, his indigo eyes rippling over my face. "I don't trust you."

"You don't have to," I snapped, "trust the results I'll bring."

We stood in a silent standoff.

Rone's face was calculating. I could tell that his mind was running a thousand miles a minute, trying to weight the pros and cons before he decided anything. He was an analytical man, an intelligent one—this helped as much as it hindered him.

Me, I was just hoping like hell I'd said enough.

"Fine," Rone snarled after a minute, pulling away from me and taking my breath with him. He started walking away, putting his broad back to me. "She can stay."

Daniel sprinted after his Alpha immediately, clapping Rone on the back. Their heads dipped together and I caught Daniel whispering, "—she's not as bad as you think—" My stomach sank as I picked up my stuff. I took a moment as I kneeled, letting my eyes closed as I wondered if I was ready for this. For another façade.

I straightened my body and my resolve, forcing my feet forward as I followed my future. Not for the first time, I struggling to keep my chin up and my shoulders even. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the judgement weighed heavily on me.

Somehow, Rone's judgement weighed more than everyone else's.

"Where can she stay?" Rone was wondering aloud, his eyes darting to me and then whipping away. "There are no outstanding houses," he continued. I caught a flash of a frown. He had an extremely expressive face.

"The Sawyer's old house?" Daniel proposed.

Rone shook his head. "I put Bryan and Chelsea there."

Daniel shrugged. "What about—"

"The Alpha House will do," I said, catching up to them. My teeth grinded together when Rone's shoulder brushed mine, the chemistry sparking between us. Rone took an obvious step away. "I don't mind a little DIY."

"No," Rone rumbled, "that will give the wrong impression."

Daniel nodded. "Plus, it is a literal shithole. The upstairs is missing floorboards and the main level is missing drywall. There is no way you could live there."

"I've been homeless before," I remarked, "it will be grand compared to a cardboard box."

Both men fell silent.

I didn't care for the way Rone was watching me, as if he added the fact that I had lived without a home and were trying to see if this new variable changed the equation he'd compiled enough to treat me decently. His glare told me it didn't.

"The Alpha House is for the Alpha couple," he said sternly, "no one will live there but me."

"And your Luna," I said sharply.

Rone met my eyes. "I don't have a Luna."

I stopped walking and so did Rone. "You don't have to respect me—"

"I don't respect you."

I gritted my teeth. "But you have to trust me—"

"I don't."

I felt the knife at my thigh and yearned for it. "Fine, don't trust me. Trust my interested in self-preservation. I want this pack to improve because I intend to settle down here and I have little interest in running double shifts because you can't get the wolves here to get off their asses. Trust that I will do everything I can to make them respect you so that I don't have to listen to you bitch and moan like a fucking—" I drew in a long breath to control myself. "If you continue like this, rogues will start sniffing around—they'll see your territory as easy and they will try to take it from you. Weak packs get picked off first."

Rone eye's narrowed. "Your self-preservation is exactly why I don't trust you," Rone explained tightly, "I have to wonder why the Queen of the Bounty Hunters left her comfortable throne. I have to wonder what Dane's scheming Queen is doing here. I have to wonder if Dane is interested in this territory and he sent his whore to—"

Before I knew what I was doing I had my knife clutched in my hand, the blade pressed against Rone's throat. I backed him up until his back was pushed up against a tree. I snarled lowly, bringing my face close to the Alpha's.

"You speak about Dane again and I will cut out the tongue you value so much," I threatened.

Daniel snarled.

Rone's shock passed and a smile breezed onto his face. "Loyal still?"

My blood ran cold. "I am loyal only to myself."

"Exactly," Rone breathed.

I gripped the knife tighter as I struggled for breath. My heartbeat was erratic, uncontrollable. I was starting to feel the edges of a panic attack, starting to imagine that the space between every tree was occupied by Dane's wolves.

"I am not loyal to him," I forced out, struggling to replace the air in my lungs. "I'll never go back. I'll never—" I choked off.

Rone's face changed, a rare look of confusion crossing his features. Gently, his hand covered mine and moved the knife away from his throat. I was sweating, my head spinning as I tried to get a handle on myself. I needed a damn cigarette and a shot of vodka.

"Okay," Rone said cautiously, "alright."

He directed Daniel to pick up my stuff and raised his hands slowly, backing away from me. I growled lightly and slipped my knife into the waistband of my jeans. I forced myself to scan the area, to convince my racing heart that there was nothing between the trees. No wolves were pursuing me. He wasn't chasing me anymore.

"She'll have to stay with me," Rone decided, "is that alright?"

"Whatever," I spit out, acting like the petulant sixteen-year-old that ran away from home. I breezed past both men, using Rone' scent from early to trace the way back to the territory. I took a cigarette out of the package and rolled it between my lips, my heart slowing with every pass.

Rone watched carefully, storing more information about me.

Fuck him.

I would get this pack to trust him but I'd get them to trust me more.

That Alpha house was mine.