Noah POV

The smirk Sam gave me the moment I saw him hugging Tonya should have made me furious. But all I could recall was pure sadness. She looked fragile in his arms. I saw her that fragile for the first time since I knew her, and he comforted her.

I knew they hadn't done anything because I would've felt it, but she was happy in his arms. I got the feeling of security and support he was giving her. And honestly, I wanted to cry because no matter how hard she tries, I know when she is with me or Charlie, deep down inside, she is still on high alert. Her guard is still up.

She smiled at me the moment she saw me and quickly stepped away from him, and although he left the room very quickly, I felt defeated. At least I'm sure Sam is smitten with Tonya and intends to fight for her. And she seems oblivious to this; he is her Head Warrior, her friend, and she trusts him more than me.

I sigh heavily as I step into the gym in the packhouse. I'm almost healed, so I think working out a little is a good idea. To my utmost surprise and anger, I see there the devil himself.

"Noah," he smiles brightly," You've missed the training this morning, but we can make up for it now."

I'm not in the mood for this shit, but I can't step away. He is my opponent, and I have never stepped away from a challenge before. So I come closer and start sparring with him. I've barely healed, so I have to be careful, and for some time, he actually makes believe that he intends to fight fair. How naïve I am thinking that. Very quickly, he punches me into the places I was wounded, and very quickly, he starts using sneaky movements. I can keep up with it. I also know how to land a low blow and make him hiss in pain a couple of times.

"She will get rid of you soon. She will take you and then toss you away," he whispers when he is close enough to me and lands another punch. "A pathetic rogue like you would never be a Luna."

Linus stirs angrily in my mind as I feel my blood boiling. I want to make the fucking bastard shut up; I want to make him bleed. I charge at him more firmly, but he stands firm against me.

"You are a weak piece of meat and nothing more. And you saw it yourself: she feels an attachment towards me. She is an Alpha; she will always put this pack first, and I'm and always will be a better choice for the pack."

Anger manages to take over me, and I quickly make a mistake, and Sam uses an opportunity to pin me to the floor. I snarl, and yet I fail to push him off of me.

"I think I would even accept Charlie in our bed if it makes her happy. Only you will be chased away, and I will make both of them moan in ecstasy."

My control almost snaps... It's almost because I am an excellent tracker, so my nose is very keen. Sam stands up, smirking, and turns around, letting me go. I could attack him now, he allowed himself open, and I'm so pissed off that I want my claws red with his blood. But my keen nose got to smell the scent of somebody else in the gym standing unseen in the shadows. Sam wants to set me up; he would need a witness of me attacking him from behind.

"Tonya is my mate," I say loud and see him getting uneasy. "You may dream as much as you want, but she will never look at you the same way she looks at me."

I see fury in his eyes as the person watching us comes closer. One of the trio brothers, I'm not sure which one, and Kathy the Beta.

"Sam, James has reported of the rogues coming closer to the border of the main territory. Please take a squad and deal with it as soon as possible. Tyler and I will keep Noah company," she says calmly, but I still shiver a bit. I remember how sharp her canines and claws are and how deadly she can be.

Sam seems a bit embarrassed as he leaves the gym, and I sit, waiting for them to start the conversation.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have done it. I hope you can forgive me," she says, coming closer.

I'm surprised; I'm not used to apologies from someone who has made me bleed, especially someone with such a high rank. Unlike Tyler, who always sends me hostile glances, Kathy reaches her hand towards me and helps me stand up.

"I want to take my kids for a walk into the woods. Maybe you and Charlie want to come with me. Tonya is very busy today, and I'm sure she will spend the whole day in the Infirmary." She says.

"What is she doing?"

"Some blood tests"

I nod, agreeing with her. I want to ask more questions, but I'm sure she doesn't intend to answer any of them. The real reason hunters are on these lands is still a secret for most pack members, and I'm not even a pack member.

Tyler doesn't say anything, watching me walk with Kathy, her kids, and Charlie into the woods alongside Pearl, who seems very tired.

As soon as we are not seen from the packhouse hidden between the trees, I actually ask:

"You said that the rogues are coming. Isn't it dangerous to be here?"

"Our security is perfect; Sam will manage to stop them before they reach our lands. It's nothing to be worried about. They attacked today the second territory, and James managed to chase them away; Sam just has to ensure that those who weren't killed don't try to enter from that side of the border."

I don't comment; it's good that Black Moon is so well organized. Tonya rules very well, I must admit it. I glance at Charlie, who is talking with Sonya and Hank, and from time to time, also with Kathy, consequently avoiding looking in my direction. Pearl, on the other hand, is very quiet today, unlike her.

"Kathy, can Pearl ask questions?" she says as we stop at the clearing near the lake, and Charlie moves a bit away from us to play with the kids in the water.

"Was it painful when you rejected your mate?"

I look at her, surprised. I figured out that her mate was gone, but I had no idea he was rejected.

"It was excruciating because we had already been mated. Thanks, Goddess, not marked. But nothing was more painful than what he had done. After all, he helped to murder my father."

I inhale sharply as she gives me a stern but sad look and sits on the grass. Pearl and I do the same. But Pearl usually seeks physical contact and puts her head on Kathy's shoulder.

"Curtis is a son of Nelson, currently the Gamma of fourth territory. We met eight years ago when he came here to sign a treaty alongside his Alpha. We mated very quickly, because I totally lost my sense of reason with him, but very soon he cheated on me with my best friend, but not Tonya, don't worry. I've just given birth to my daughter, so I... forgive him, very silly of me. But I couldn't force myself to mark him, thanks Goddess. And four years ago, he and his Alpha schemed to take over the Black Moon Pack. His Alpha plan was to kill Alpha Mikkeli and force mark Tonya so he would take over our land through the marriage."

"And what happened?" I ask quietly.

"He used my father as a hostage to make Tonya not fight him. He was sure he had won, so he broke his neck, and Tonya watched this. Silver took over, and Silver can be extremely dangerous, and she killed him. And that's how we got the fourth territory. Curtis was banished, not killed, because everybody was sure his death would kill my wolf, too. Brianna took it harder than me because, honestly, I think I've never loved him, at least not as much as mates should love each other. But still rejecting him sent me into a coma for three months."

"Pearl question made you sad, sorry," Pearl whispers, hugging Kathy

"Why did you ask?" I ask myself.

"Everybody says Pearl has to reject Chandler, and Pearl is scared it's painful."

"Actually, I'm sorry, but the reason we and Tonya are a bit reluctant towards you, Noah, is because of what happened four years ago. Mates are Goddess blessings, but they often become our worst nightmare. And you must understand that Tonya is a young Alpha, a girl in charge of the largest pack in the country. Many, very many, have tried to approach her because of that. She is used to being seen as her title, her land, not herself."

"And because I am a rogue, I could want this mating because that would give me a good life," I say, and Kathy smiles at me. Frankly, I'm not offended; I'm pragmatic enough to understand their reasoning.

Charlie brings the kids closer, and they both jump on their mother, giggling like crazy. I glance at him; he looks relaxed, too. Good, I feel wrong about our last conversation, and I also heard what he had said to Tonya about his father. Actually, I was surprised. I was sure this case was closed, but now I'm unsure. Charlie's father was Shane's first Beta and friend. It was actually shocking for everybody that he so suddenly had decided to betray his pack.

"Can we have a run, please can we have a run?" little Hank starts pleading, and his sister eagerly supports him.

"We can," I say. "Charlie can ride on me. And don't look like that. You have done this before with me, and you do it with Tonya occasionally."

He is a bit reluctant, but he doesn't protest, as usual. As Kathy, I, and Pearl shift, the fun starts. As a child, I liked running in the woods with other orphans from my foster family. It was the only entertainment we had because everything else cost money, and none of my foster parents was eager to spend it on the bunch of strays which was just dropped on their shoulders.

Kathy's wolf is bigger than mine. After all, she is the Beta, and it's her land, so she leads the way as I and Pearl follow. Sonya and Hank laugh a lot, and even the way Charlie, from time to time, giggles. Linus is on cloud nine because our ex-mate is happy. Ex-mate, I'm not even sure if that can be said anymore. I stop feeling sparks when I touch him, but Linus still wants him. Nothing changed even if our bond has shattered, which I'm not so sure for my wolf. He may wish for Tonya more, but he still wants Charlie. He is just less pushy about it.

And yet now, when I run among the trees, assaulted by all the summer forest's scents, I'm incredibly relaxed. This place is so peaceful, so different from Shadow Pack. Suddenly, I stop because something reaches my nostrils. Kathy seems confused, but both she and Pearl also stop. Since I have no pack link with her, I shift to say:

"There are traces of blood over there." I point in the direction I managed to identify.

Beta goes there and starts sniffing, and the following shifts, too.

"That's a very faint trace. Will you be able to follow it?" she asks, and I nod." Sam reported that he had an encounter with rogues, but far away from here; I don't want to waste time and wait for backup. There is a good hiding spot ten minutes from here. Pearl, Charlie, and the kids can stay there. I've already mindlinked the Trio, so they will come here soon."

Soon after, Beta and I are alone in the forest as I lead the way. Kathy is correct; the trace isn't strong, but I manage to keep finding it. Whoever has left it knew precisely how to move without being noticed; that's why I don't believe they are the rogues who have recently attacked the second territory. Their run would be more chaotic, and they would bleed more. I recognize this part of the Black Moon. We are very close to the fourth territory, and suddenly, both of us stop because more scent reaches our nostrils. Kathy starts moving more cautiously as we come closer and closer.

At least ten of them are barely a couple of miles ahead of us. I'm sure I followed the scent of one, and suddenly, there are so many of them, and they must be rogues; I know the stench of their fur. I'm also sure that together with Beta, we are strong enough to take them down, and I'm not mistaken.