#9 The Lonely Rogue

Caspian

I smiled down at my mate as she slept in my arms, cuddled up against my side with my nose buried in her hair. I fell asleep instantly last night, after having finally mated and marked my mate. All was finally right in my world, my mate had accepted me and claimed me as hers. I sighed and rolled over carefully, looking at the clock on my nightstand. It was past 7 in the morning, soon the staff would be awake and tending to the household.

I sighed and stepped out of bed, leaving my mate undisturbed under the covers. I tiptoed across the floor and quietly shut the bathroom door, switching on the water and filling the room with steam. My eyes were closed as I stood under the hot waterfall, and my attention was anywhere but in the shower when I felt a pair of familiar hands snake up my back.

I grabbed her hands from my chest and held them close to me. She giggled as I pulled her around my body to stand in front of me.

“Good morning, my love. I didn’t want to wake you.” I said, caressing her face.

“Do you not like the intrusion?” She pouted and I laughed at her mock pouting,

“You know that I do.”

“Oh, that’s true.” She said with a sly smile as she noticed how excited I was for her. Her hands dipped below my stomach and I hissed as I took in a breath, her soft hands gliding against the tender skin of my member.

“You’re the devil in disguise, my dearest.” I purred and she laughed, trailing kisses down my chest until she was on her knees.

“Junie.” I let out a low growl and braced myself against the shower wall.

Thirty minutes later, Junie and I were stepping out of the shower just as we heard knocking coming from her bedroom. She giggled and blushed, looking caught in the act.

“I guess I should go.” She smirked. Before she could escape, I grabbed her face and planted a hot kiss on her mouth.

“I’ll be waiting for you, like always.” I promised, releasing her once she was breathless.

She ran out of the room and passed a very distraught looking Gretchen and a laughing Cat. She waved numbly at them before disappearing inside her bedroom. They turned around to see me standing in my room in just a towel. Gretchen shoved Cat forward, shaking her head.

An hour later, we were all gathered in the dining room having breakfast. Malcolm had returned to the realm earlier that morning and we took the time to fill in the rest of the family on what we learned from Junie’s father and brother. Ally seemed bored, Granny, as usual, stayed out of it, and my mother was uncharacteristically quiet.

“I’m sure you’ll handle it capably, Caspian.” She said absentmindedly.

“Yes, well, I’ll need Malcolm and Junie in my office after breakfast to decide on the next course of action.” I said, looking sideways at Junie who nodded in response.

“I think I’ll take my leave, actually.” Mother said, standing up abruptly and leaving the room.

“What’s up with her?” Ally asked, jabbing her fork towards our mother’s retreating back.

“Who knows?” Malcolm shrugged, “I scarcely understand women.”

Junie rolled her eyes at my brother and I snorted at his reaction,

“See what I mean.” Malcolm grumbled.

“Wait until you meet your mate, Malcolm, then you’ll really be confused.” Granny said from the other end of the table.

“I’ll be in your office.” Malcolm grumbled, scratching his chair across the floor and sulking off.

“I’m finished, Caspian.” Junie laughed at Malcolm’s reaction and pushed her plate away.

“You sure?” I asked and she nodded, standing from the table. We said goodbye to Granny and walked towards the office, hand in hand.

“Honestly, Caspian, I don’t care what you do with them. I told you that already.” Junie sighed from where she was perched on the armrest of my chair. We had been in a meeting for all of fifteen minutes and she was already irritated with me.

“I just want to make sure that you mean that. I can’t take back an execution.” I said sternly and she leveled me with a frown of her own,

“I’ve made up my mind.”

“I don’t think we should execute them, not yet anyway.” Malcolm said.

“What do you suggest?” I asked, leaning around my mate to look at him.

“I think we can still use them for information or to get in touch with Cohen. If they cooperate, maybe you can offer them a deal.” Malcolm said.

“My father won’t make any deals and he won’t betray Cohen. But, Reid is scared and he’s not as loyal to my father as one may think. He’s egotistical and thinks Cohen trusts him more than our father. If you offer him a deal and make him feel like he’s important, he’ll help you.” Junie explained, turning on her family with no remorse, not that she should have any in the first place.

“Thank you for the tip, Junie.” Malcolm nodded in appreciation. I looked between them and realized that they formed more of a bond than I thought yesterday.

“Malcolm, will you continue to handle this?” I asked, feeling confident in his handling of the situation.

“Of course.” Malcolm agreed.

“I’m going to put together a team to follow Cohen’s tracks.” I said, “I’ll join them when they have any concrete leads.” Junie tensed up next to me at that, but said nothing.

“And what shall I do? Sit here and look pretty?” She said sarcastically.

“Oh, but you’re so good at that, dearest.” I said, nuzzling her face. She glared at me and Malcolm laughed hysterically.

“I might need some help with getting your brother to help contact Cohen, and you were good at getting to him last time.” Malcolm said, looking at my mate and avoiding eye contact with me.

Junie glanced between Malcolm and I, cocking her eyebrow at me.

“As long as you take Cole and at least two guards with you at all times, I’m okay with it. Oh, and tell me when you’re going. And when you’ll be back.” She laughed as I continued to add things to my conditions.

“Yes, dear.” She mocked me then turned towards Malcolm, “Just say the word.”

“I’ll be in touch. “ He said before standing up and leaving the office.

“Thank you.” Junie said, awarding me with a kiss.

“Anything for you, dearest.” I replied, returning her kiss with more vigor.

“I should let you work.” She said, jumping down from the chair.

“You don’t have to leave.” I whined pathetically and she winked at me,

“Oh, but I have things to tend to.” She said in a mockingly formal voice.

“Like what?” I asked, but I knew she wasn’t going to tell me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take the entire royal guard with me and will tell you if I leave the castle.” She teased and I rolled my eyes at her,

“I love you.” I said as she opened the office door.

“I love you, too!” She called back, already out of sight.

I turned my attention to my work, opening my laptop to tend to emails, inquiries, and financial reports. After a while, I mindlinked Curtis.

“Yes, sire?” He appeared in my office quickly.

“I need a team assembled to go after the rogue leader, Cohen. We have more information to go on and I want fresh, talented wolves on the case.” I said.

“Would you like some of the wolves who helped with the rogue cases earlier? They were quite productive.” Curtis suggested and I nodded,

“Yes, that’s fine. Whoever you think. Have it done by the end of the day and let me know your results.” I said,

“Yes, sir.” He bowed before leaving.

An hour passed before I had another visitor to my office, my mother.

“What is it?” I asked, closing the lid to my computer and folding my hands on the desktop, “I know something’s been nagging at you.”

“It’s Junie’s heritage.” She said, sitting down on the chair across from my desk.

“What about it?” I asked, not expecting this topic to be bothering my mother at all.

“When she first came here, I noticed an uncanny likeness to Constance Oxford.” She said and I felt my eyes widen.

“Constance?” I didn’t notice the similarity.

“Yes, at Junie’s age.” She clarified.

Constance Oxford was the daughter of Nadia and Frankie Oxford, members of one of the packs of the four corners; brother and sister-in-law to the old Alpha Finn Oxford. Nadia was a princess from the siren realm, but Constance only showed signs of being a wolf, therefore she grew up in the werewolf realm and never left. Or so I was told.

“When Constance turned 18, she didn’t find her mate in the realm, so, as is tradition, she left to travel throughout the human realm and explored other packs. About two years later, I stopped hearing from her and I assumed she had met her mate. Nearly a decade later, she just showed up back in the realm. She looked terrified and traumatized, and would only say that she met, and left, her mate.” Mother explained.

“What does that have to do with Junie?” I asked skeptically.

“I don’t know, honestly, it’s probably nothing. It’s just, nothing seems like a coincidence when it comes to you and her. I mean, what are the chances that the man who killed your first mate also has close ties with your second mate’s family?” Mother said with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

“It’s strange, I’ll give you that, but I still don’t know what you’re trying to suggest.”

“That Constance was, is, Junie’s mother.” Mother’s words made my mouth drop open in shock.

“You can’t be serious?”

“Just allow me to bring Constance here and meet Junie, casually, of course. I won’t tell either of them my thoughts.” She said, leaning forward eagerly.

“I don’t see what good can come of it. There’s no way Constance is her mother. Junie’s mother was named Shelby.”

“It’s easy enough to change one’s name. If I’m wrong, then no harm done.” She said,

“I’m more afraid that you’ll be right.” I admitted.