168 New Home

Kirsch's POV

I got to Willa within twenty minutes.

Though I honestly wasn't sure whether I was there to save Willa from Derek or Derek from Willa, because he looked like he was gonna have a stroke if I had come any later.

"Alpha." I bared my neck at Cerberus as I walked past Derek when I got there. Cerberus grunted as a response, and Willa nodded at me slightly.

"Alpha Kirsch!" Derek shouted with a shred of gratitude in his tone because he could finally stop talking to Willa, "This is--"

"Invasion." I turned and cut him off coldly, "Since when did the Treaty start sending troops into a pack without even so much of a notification, let alone negotiation?"

"I'm sorry." Derek apologized with a crafty tone, "We were told that a mad rogue was luring around your pack, and we merely came for the concern of your safety."

They wouldn't hesitate on murdering Cerberus if they thought they had a chance to win. They would still be apologizing to me at that point when they purposely tricked me and even made a move at me as well.

"Are you saying that I cannot protect my people?" I rose an eyebrow, taunting Derek.

"Of course not." Derek said genuinely with a polite smile, "I'm just here with a command from above--"

"Bowell said he's totally unwitting of your entering, to the private property of our previous Alpha no less, what kind of a message are you trying to send, Derek?" I frowned. Blood drained from Derek's face when he realized that the Treaty had blamed this all on him.

I had a really hard time keeping a poker face when Willa and Cerberus burst into laughters in the mindlink.

"U-unwitting? P-private property?" Derek repeated with his lips shivering in fear. All his arrogance disappeared as he nearly fall to the ground.

"You see the house on that hill?" I tiled my head and Derek darted his eyes over, "That's our previous Alpha's house. This whole beach area is his private property. You are not only intruding on our territory, but you are also insulting our Alpha by--"

"I'm really sorry! I didn't know! This is such a huge misunderstanding! I'm truly sorry, Alpha! Please forgive me, please..." Derek shouted apologies like crazy, really genuine this time.

Willa burst into laughter behind us but Derek had no spare mind to even care.

It wasn't light to insult the Alpha of a pack. It means war. And abandoned by the Treaty was not the best time for Derek to get into a war with the most powerful pack.

"I guess I should have ordered more patrol, but I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to trespass our territory--"

"I'm just THAT stupid!" Derek nodded his head frantically, "It won't happen again! This is all just a silly mistake! I would leave now and--"

"Not so fast." I stopped Derek lazily, "I happened to have overheard your conversation with my Luna-to-be --"

"Luna-to-be?! She-she said--" I frowned and Derek changed his strategy of explaining fast, "I didn't know! I didn't mean anything I said! It was so stupid of me and I can only offer my ignorance at such an unfortunate mistake!"

Derek gulped with a scared look, eyes darting between me and Willa who was laughing her ass off.

Though my warriors had yet to reach us, Derek already saw that he and his seven men who were given up by the Treaty did not stand a chance against me and Cerberus. They took a "strategic retreat" -- which was basically an escape the moment I allowed them to leave.

In the end, I asked the Treaty's men to camp outside the pack, and it finally cleared all the noise in my head about having multiple rogues within the territory.

"Willa--" I turned to Willa and she turned her head away--

"Hmph."

"I know you are mad at me, you have every right to, but can you do that at home?" My heart leaped when Willa didn't turn and leave this time, "The beach is not too safe right now with the Treaty luring around--"

Willa nudged Cerberus without looking at me.

[Willa angry. No talking.] Cerberus translated her nudge for me.

"I know you hate me, you can! I have hurt you and--"

Willa turned to me with an angry frown and nudged Cerberus again.

[Leave.] Cerberus had only one word this time. Willa rolled her eyes -- she could hear Cerberus, she was still in the mindlink.

"I don't 'hate' you but you still don't get it!" Willa finally burst out, too frustrated at me and Cerberus's apparently wrongful translation to hold up her silence treatment longer, "I'm not mad because I believed your awkward lie! I'm mad because you are all trying to control MY life! With lies no less! Shouldn't I be the one who has the right to make decisions for myself?! I need your help, not your lies!"

I froze where I was, didn't know how to argue with that.

"I love you guys, you and granny AND Taran, but if you can only protect me by hurting yourselves, then I'll have to keep my distance!" Willa shook her head in disappointment before she turned and stormed out.

Did she just say that she loves me?!

Cerberus followed her with a smirk -- he was proud that Willa allowed only him to follow her around.

I thought I was protecting her by taking the responsibility so she wouldn't lose Scarlett, but I didn't think how huge a shock Willa took when she found out that her whole life had been a huge lie, and everyone she cared about in her life had been lying to her.

I hesitated about following her but Willa suddenly turned back and came to me, holding her palm out.

"W-what can I give you?" I was more than thrilled and I stammered, trying to figure out what my little mate wanted.

Willa tilted her head at Cerberus.

[Whip!] Cerberus grinned, getting excited.

Willa sighed.

[Tell him that he still has MY gift.] Willa fixed her eyes on Cerberus, putting in a huge effort to not look at me even though that was nearly impossible in a mindlink.

"Here!" I grinned pulled out the key she threw at me the other day and handed it over. Though still mad, Willa was forgiving me and my heart leaped at that.

Willa and Cerberus headed to the house on the hill.

I chose that meadow to build the new house around the time I realized that Taran fell for Willa. They both loved the sea, and that hill had THE best view. I expanded the pool on the roof and had it on the sea's side so they could enjoy a view of the sea in the pool. I didn't change too much on the rest of the design --

I even kept their rooms exactly as how it was.

[Follow them!] Rudy nudged me. He had been groveling sullenly ever since I lied to Willa. Talking to Willa today helped a lot.

[She's still mad at us...maybe we should let them settle down first? I don't want to upset her more--]

[You! She's mad at you!] Rudy sat on his hind legs with a grumpy look, [You told that stupid lie!]

[Fine! She's not mad at you and is only mad at me, okay?! Me being there would still upset her!] I rolled my eyes at my stupid wolf.

We were one!

[Didn't you hear her?! She's mad because you lied. She needs your trust in her decision, and they need us!] Rudy stomped his paws. He was picking up a lot of bad habits from Cerberus!

[So?!] I sighed, [Maybe I should just--]

I stopped and stared at Rudy.

[No! I don't want to go back to the empty house! I want to see Willa's reaction when she sees our gift! I want my mate!] Rudy started rolling around, throwing a tantrum like a kid.

[Sure.] I curved my lips.

[Really?!] Rudy stopped right away, staring at me with excitement.

[Really.] I nodded and shifted, [She's not mad at you, so you are the one who is going with her!]

[You can't hide forever--]

[I'm not hiding! Willa likes you!] I fought with Rudy to make him take control, [You will miss her reaction if you hide here--]

Rudy lifted his paws and started running right away.

We caught up with Willa and Cerberus when they were already on the front lawn of the house. Cerberus noticed us first when Willa was staring at the house.

Struggling whether to go in?

Rudy stopped when we were a few steps away from them, waiting for her to notice us nervously. Willa sighed and turned, suddenly freezing where she was when she noticed us. I held my breath, and Rudy did as well.

Willa made a weird face between frowning and laughing, then she burst into laughter and shook her head before she went and opened the door.

[She laughed! Should we follow her?] I asked Rudy. He was much better at dealing with Willa than I was.

[I'm not worried. She's not mad at me!] Rudy was hell-bent on cutting his connections with me. We, were, one!

Willa rose her eyebrows at us, standing by the door. I got closer in hesitation and asked her in mindlink: [Can we come in?]

[You can't.] Willa accepted the mindlink request, [Only Rudy is allowed to come in.]

I: [...]

[I'm going in!] Rudy woohoo-ed, cheering as he trod around in my mind. I didn't get to say more before Willa cut the mindlink and headed in, leaving us on the front lawn.

[Did you miss the part where I'm not allowed to?!]

It didn't sound like the worst idea to cut all connection with this stupid wolf at that moment.

[So, we go in with me in control, big deal?] Rudy rolled his eyes, [You can go into deep sleep if that helps.]

[I...] I hesitated. I had never been into deep sleep, but it sounded horrible when Taran told me about it.

"Cerberus!" Willa shouted from the rooftop. I looked up, only to have her top dropped on my face before I heard the splash of water as she dived into the pool.

[The sea!] Rudy sniffed happily with Willa's top hanging on our face. Our little mate smelled like a sea breeze, unlike Cerberus who smelled like a thunderstorm. I loved it! I was so jealous that Willa called Cerberus, meaning he got to follow her when I--

Cerberus nudged me on the shoulder before he entered.

You can't start a fight with your Alpha over your Luna. I told myself repeatedly. As if heard my thoughts, Cerberus stopped at the door and turned around, locking his eyes on me. I gulped nervously --

Taran "the liar" said he couldn't hear my thoughts through the mate mark... right?!

[Come.] Cerberus came back to me and nudged me again with a smirk, [Stupid.]