3. Thirty- eight

~ Harper’s POV ~ 

A truce meeting is a meeting between the ranked wolves of the two opposing packs, or in this case, rogues. The meeting is supposed to be held on neutral grounds so that neither of the sides has any outright advantage over the other. The purpose of holding this meeting was to try to resolve the friction between the two sides by conversation and settlement rather than engaging in a battle in which innocents would die and perish. The motive of this meeting could also be to exchange hostages, even though it happened on very rare occasions because mutual agreement in such cases was very hard to achieve. Different sides demanded different things and thus, settlement rarely happened. 

The law of truce meetings stated that for the duration of the meeting, there would be no violence between the parties. Both parties were honor-bound by the laws of the werewolf community to restrain themselves from attacking each other. These laws have been enforced for so long that there hasn't been a single incidence where rules of propriety or nonviolence were broken. Sure, there was some exchange of harsh words and insults but no picking up of arms and claws to slash at the enemy. 

All the high-ranking wolves are present at the meeting, primarily for the protection of their alpha, but also to assert their dominance on the opposing side. An alpha attends a truce meeting with his Luna, his beta his mate, and his pack warriors. Punctuality and the agreement to respect each other's demands were other factors in this meeting. 

"Aiden's father will accompany you as your beta," Dad said and I scrunched the message in my hand. 

"No, he's not." Aiden interrupted. "He's not the beta anymore, I am. So, I will go to this truce meeting with Harper and stand by his side." 

"Are you sure?" I asked Aiden and subtly pointed to his thigh and then looked at Samantha who was standing behind him. I waited for either of them to say something. All of us knew that Aiden had just come out of a delicate situation and was still weak. I knew it was important for a beta to stand in his role but I would gladly excuse Aiden because if the situation got out of hand, I wouldn't want to put him in danger. 

I noticed how Samantha squeezed Aiden's shoulder subtly and then answered for both of them. "We would be proud to stand beside you if you will have us." 

I looked from Samantha to Aiden and I smiled as I realized how smoothly and quickly these two people grew into their role of mates, their role of the beta couple and they were now standing before me as a unit, asking me to let them serve the pack as is their right. "Of course, I'd be honored if you two would stand by me." They both nodded at me. 

"You would also need your Luna to be there with you." Mom reminded me and I refrained from groaning out loud. The fact that I would have to take Natalie to the meeting hadn't even crossed my mind. In addition to the fact that she hadn't yet recovered from her delivery a few days ago, taking my chosen Luna to rescue my true mate seemed like a cruel irony to me. 

"I don't know if she has recovered from her surgery," Samantha added. 

"The luna has to be present at the truce ceremony," Dad said and pointedly looked at me to signify that it was a necessity and I couldn't back out from it. 

I sighed and nodded. "Then she will be there." I got up from my seat, nodded to everyone present in the room, and planted a quick kiss on my sister's forehead. "We have five hours till the meeting. I want everyone ready when the time for the truce meeting comes." Aiden nodded in acknowledgment as it was his duty as the beta to make sure the pack warriors were made aware of the meeting. Roland bowed to me as I exited the room and I went towards the nurse's station to enquire about Natalie's room. 

I thought it would be best that she heard the news of the truce meeting from me. More than that, I had to tell her that she would have to attend the meeting with me. Pleased that her room hadn't changed, I went to meet her. 

I opened the door and was extremely pleased to find that my son Mason was with her too. My son, Mason. It still felt incredibly strange to acknowledge that I was a father now. I was barely a high school graduate and I now had a whole baby depending on me. The responsibility of the whole pack didn't sound as daunting as taking care of Mason. Maybe because I had grown up knowing I would take up the role of the alpha when I was eighteen but there was nothing that could prepare me for the unexpected begetting of a child. 

My eyes briefly met Natalie's and without a word, I picked up Mason from his crib and went to sit beside Natalie's bed. Mason cooed a little and curled against my chest. I gazed down at him and found it hard to believe that he was my son. I had a son. I gathered him into my arms and he cuddled into my warmth. 

I looked at Natalie to find she was already watching me. I gave her a hesitant smile. "You are a good father, Harper." 

I scoffed. "I haven't been able to see my son for almost a day now. How am I a good father?" I whispered and gazed down at my son. Amid all the drama with the rogues and the fact that Zara was kidnapped by the rogues, I couldn't make any time for my son. My only priority right now was to make sure Zara was back home and safe. Nothing else mattered right now. The desperate urge to see her and revel in the feeling that she was not in any kind of danger and was just sleeping in her bed safely was so overwhelming and primal that nothing else mattered to me and my wolf right now. 

Who was I kidding? Nothing mattered besides Zara. 

I looked up from Mason and looked at Natalie. "The rogues have requested a truce meeting." 

"Because they have Zara." Natalie wondered out loud. I wasn't a bit surprised that Natalie knew that the rogues had captured Zara. I knew the minute I had told Aiden and Samantha; she would have told Natalie. "You want me to be there as the Luna." 

"Well, you are the Luna." I pointed out and she flushed as I said that. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that she was the Luna. In a perfect world, Zara would be sitting in front of me and I would be holding our son but my life was far from perfect and it was a bitter pill to accept the truth. It would be easier if I accepted it anyway. No use in fighting what had already transpired. The best way to handle and live one's life would be to make sure your future is pleasant and filled with the people you love and care about. That's exactly what I was trying to do. Making sure Zara was safe and back home was how I planned to make sure my future was pleasant and worth waiting for. 

"The meeting is at 6 p.m. Can you attend it?" I asked, worried about her condition after the surgery. That was a horrible time I wouldn't care to repeat ever again. 

"I'm done now. The doctor is going to discharge me in an hour. There's some paperwork to be done." 

"Are you sure you'll be okay, though?" 

"I will be. My wolf has helped me heal but I am not supposed to do any heavy lifting or any active work. I'm not supposed to shift either." I nodded because I expected that. "So, I'll be there." 

"You know you can't stay at your house anymore, right? All your belongings have been shifted into the pack house." I reminded her. Because Natalie was both the mother of my child and the Luna, however temporary that may be, she would have to stay in the pack house. Propriety dictated that as the Luna, she resided in the alpha quarters of the pack house, where I stayed, but the thought churned unpleasantly in my gut. It helped that neither of us cared much for propriety. 

"I know. I expected it." She shrugged. 

"Well, I need to look over some things and get everyone ready for the meeting." I got up and handed Mason over to her. She smiled at me and I walked towards the door of the hospital room. 

"Harper!" I turned around to look at her. "You are a good father!" I gently shook my head at her smile and walked out of the room. 

***

Aaron was tied up in the back of the transport wagon with five-pack warriors guarding over him. We were riding towards the south border of the pack, where the truce meeting was supposed to happen. 

The closer I got to the border, the itchier I felt in my scalp. The knowledge that I would see Zara again and that I would rescue her, without any bloodshed was a miracle in itself. Bloodshed or not, I would have rescued her by any means. 

Ethan was driving the transport van. I had called him as soon as I had walked out of Natalie's hospital room and was immensely pleased that he was carrying his phone, just like I had asked. I had told him about the truce meeting and without me asking, he had volunteered to come with me. I knew little about the bond between batair and the people they were supposed to protect but I knew that Ethan's wolf was antsy too. He wanted to see Zara safe too, by any means necessary. 

I was driving the pack's SUV. Aiden was sitting beside me in the passenger seat, while Natalie and Samantha sat in the backseat. 

I turned off the ignition ten five minutes after I crossed the southern border. I got out and the others in the car followed. Natalie stood beside me and we waited for a few minutes and everyone tensed when we heard the distinct sound of cars coming towards us. This was it. 

Natalie stood beside me and Aiden and Samantha took their position slightly behind me, clearly signifying their position in the pack. Ethan got out of the car and stood on my other side, providing a united front against the rogues. Zara would appreciate it; the thought brought an involuntary smile to my lips. 

The cars parked ten feet ahead of us, leaving plenty of ground between us so that we don't launch at each other. Natalie shifted nervously in front of me but my eyes were riveted to the people getting out of the cars, willing them to get Zara out of the car. 

My temper flared when the huge man who had manhandled Zara and who was most likely the leader of the rogues, got out of the car. He was followed by the small and demure girl who had followed Zara into the car. Several other rogues got out of the cars and stood in a semicircle facing us. 

The both of us regarded each other across the expanse of land between us. No words were exchanged between us for several seconds. 

Natalie held my hand suddenly and my gaze swiveled to look at her. What was happening to her? As the Luna of the pack, she was supposed to display control and calm. I didn't understand why she was so nervous right now. I could even feel her heart rate spike up. 

Mate, the single word Natalie's mind linked me caught me by surprise. I understood why she had been feeling so nervous and put out all this while. Her wolf was telling her that her mate was nearby. My eyes landed on the ten rogues standing in front of me. I took each of them in and looked back at Natalie. 

For once in my life, I had no idea what to do!