#31 Was that your doing?

After climbing up the precarious cliff, Nate and Frank rest at the top.

"Feeling better?" Frank says.

The labor of climbing up, sweat and now the gentle cool wind have managed to calm down Nate.

"No one tells you about this," Nate says.

"What do you mean?"

"Having a mate... Thought it was the happily ever after."

"It is. But that's only if you two end up together."

Nate picks up a few soft stones among the grass and crushes them. "I don't know what I'm scared of the most now — that she would want to leave me or I won't let her at any cost. Seeing how everyone treated my single mom, I promised myself I would never ever hurt a girl in my life in anyway. Even with Veronica, the reason I broke up was because I couldn't fall in love with her, and I didn't want to mislead and break her heart in the future. But today... my own mate said I'm a monster."

Frank places his hand on Nate's shoulder. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'Love alone is not enough'? You were right about not being told everything about having a mate. We thought we would meet our mate and spend our entire life with them without worry about anything..."

"I remember the time when Tim was rejected by his mate; When Lily was devastated for her brother. I couldn't help them. I felt useless. The day I found out Lily was my mate I thought I would never let her get hurt. That she'll never have to cry. But, life does't work that way. Just because we love each other doesn't mean we don't have our own baggages to carry. That's why we have to share it with them. But when our baggages are too heavy we can't lift it off of us to even show it to our mates. You need to let go of your past, Nate. Don't become an Alpha just because you want to prove something to your father or this pack. Instead, do it because that's what you want. Then, perhaps, you'll be able to see Daisy better — what she really wants."

After a brief silence, Nate looks at Frank. "Safe," Nate says. "She wants to feel safe."

Frank smiles.

They both hear twigs snapping in the distant and growls. They quickly get up and face the forest.

"Our men?" Frank says.

"No," Nate says. "Rogues."

Just as a group of about ten rogue wolves emerge from the forest, Frank and Nate transform.

Frank's wolf howls to warn the pack.

The rogue wolves converge on Nate. The instruction was clear. Kill him.

However, soon they start to realize they have taken a job they can't do. Nate ends up tackling them to the ground one after another all by himself, while Frank makes sure none of the rogues ran deep into the pack land trying to escape.

Nate's wolf pins down the last guy remaining, and growls his order. "Who are you guys? Why are you here?"

The wolf, though, knows better than to speak. He bites down the teeth at the back which releases wolfsbane into his system.

When the rogue starts to convulse, Nate takes his leg off the rogue's neck.

Drey and the rest of the backup arrives.

Nate says, "They might have gone for good, but, still, take a look around and see if you can capture any of them. And take this one to the infirmary. Frank and I will let our Alpha know."

WHEN NATE AND FRANK enter the Alpha's office, Castino, Ross, and Patrick are already here. Nate had informed the Alpha through the phone before coming.

"Found any of the escaped ones?" Castino asks.

"No," Frank says.

"Tell the guys to come back. It's best to have all our men here if there's going to be a rogue invasion," Alpha says. 

"I don't think it was an invasion," Nate says.

"What do you think it was?" Ross says.

Nate and Frank look at each other before Frank says, "They seemed to be after Nate. They barely even looked at me. Their focus entirely was on Nate, not on getting further into the packland."

"Is that right?" Castino asks Nate.

Nate nods.

Immediately Castino looks at Patrick. "Was that your doing?"

Patrick starts to panic inside, but acts as offended.

"Castino," Alpha Christopher says to his brother, "Don't make ridiculous accusations like that!"

"Who do you think it'll benefit the most if Nate gets hurt, or worse killed?"

"If I want to kill him," Patrick says, "I can do that in the match against him. Why would I hire those mutts to do that for me?"

"That's only if you believe you could win."

"That's enough!" Alpha says.

Ross grabs Castino's hand to not let his friend take this far.

"Alpha," Ross says. "Let's just focus on amping up our security at the moment. We still have that injured rogue in the hospital. Once he's awake, we'll know everything we need to know. Castino and I will take care of the North border. Nate and Frank will be with us."

Alpha murmurs an agreement and Ross drags away an angry Castino who's glaring at Patrick. Nate and Frank follow them out.

"You and I both know that must be an inside job, or at least there's a traitor among us. How else those rogues could've entered our land?" Castino says to Ross.

Ross says. "We can't know anything for sure now. All I know is Nate and the boys are safe. Let's not put Nate in trouble by butting heads with your brother. If anything, that attack is a good sign. A sign that we are soon going to choose the right Alpha for us."

Ross then turns to Nate. "Now listen carefully. Do not bother fighting me on this and do exactly as I say. Tonight, you two and Drey stay at Nate's house. The rest of us will take care of it. Besides, I don't believe anyone is going to even try to come into our pack land at the moment. Before going home, though, stop by the hospital and see if that rogue has woken up." 


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