Richard’s POV:I could see the way that Leon’s expression changed from a certain smirk to a frustrated and distressed look at me.As our eyes met, it was like the atmosphere became charged. All around us, there was buzzing. My warriors were already in position, and even though the Rogues were obviously shocked by our arrival, it was clear that they were not going to back down without a fight.‘Richard,’ I heard Arielle call my name through the mind link, and I turned my head slightly to glance at her. She looked beautiful, but also tense. She was standing right in front of Leon, right between the Rogue and I. I didn’t want her there.She needed to be protected.‘To the side, angel,’ I told her, and I gestured to where my warriors were standing, waiting for my orders. ‘You shouldn’t be in the middle of this.’Her blue eyes widened and I saw how she wanted to speak, but instead nodded, moving to where I had gestured for her to go.“Well, well,” Leon’s snarl was dangerous, but I shrugged

Arielle’s POV:It was not like a hero’s welcome.All of us were silent as we made our way back into the pack compound.The mission had been swiftly completed, and now, we were all to return quietly. Richard had made it clear to myself and to Darren yesterday that he did not want anyone in the pack to find out about the upcoming battle with the Rogues, citing that he did not want to cause panic among our pack members.Therefore, even now, though we were worn and feeling bedraggled, all of us kept a stoic expression as we walked down to Richard’s home.Unlike the expression outwardly that was placed on my face, there were no words to describe the tempest of emotions inside of me. In my mind I was still replaying the moments of the battle. I had been pulled away from the clearing by the warrior who apparently had been tasked with keeping me safe and away from the place that was to become the battle arena.Hidden behind a tree trunk, I could hear growls and screams of pain. It was enough

Richard’s POV:I sighed, feeling a headache coming on as I tried my very best to tune out the background noise of the respected and revered, wise Pack Elders squabbling to get their own words out.This was the part of being Alpha that most people didn’t know or understand in the way that I did. Even Darren, who was rarely here without my presence to accompany him - or rather, he being the one accompanying me - couldn’t understand the way that these Elders loved to operate. Sometimes hey we’re in agreement, and sometimes they each had their own strong opinions that one needed to wade through in order to find a compromise.Finally, I grew tired of the way that the noise levels kept increasing, and my headache as well did the same, so I raised a hand as well as my voice.“Elders,” my tone was nothing short of the steely, strong Alpha that everyone in the Pack knew and respected. They all stopped and looked at me. I continued, “I came here to answer your queries about the Rogues. They hav

Richard’s POV:It went silent quickly after Elise left, and I could practically see the curiosity seeping off of Arielle in waves. Esme shot me a look that said ‘you better tell Arielle’ before she turned to my mate in question.“Sorry about that, dear. I heard the commotion from my room and came to check,” she gave Arielle a bright, reassuring smile, which Arielle only returned with a confused, wan smile.There was unease roiling in my gut at the look on her face. I knew for sure that once Aunt Esme left, I would be facing the questions from her.Damn it, I thought, clenching my hands into fists at the memory of seeing that girl once again returned to the pack. I hadn’t remembered about Elise, truly.In all the commotion of having to deal with the Rogue, trying my best to build my relationship with Arielle, and also appeasing the Elders among other things, I had pushed the thought of Elise Evans returning to the pack. I had, after all, done what I could to send her out of the pack -

Richard’s POV:‘You were right,’ came Arielle’s voice through the mind link that we shared.I paused in my writing, alone in my study and now pushed out of the work flow I had found myself in.What did she mean about that?‘Angel? What was I right about again? Other than everything else as usual, that is,’ I replied back to her.I felt a tinge of mirth and teasing through our mate bond. So it couldn’t have been something extremely serious, right?‘Your ex-lover just came into my office to warn me off you. Says she’s the future Luna and all that,’ she sounded like she was about to burst into laughter by her tone. ‘Say,’ she began to wonder, ‘Does that mean that you share a mate bond with her as well? Could you perhaps tell her to stop harassing me right now?’I snorted out loud, shaking my head ruefully.Damn Elise, at it again.That was why I had sent her off and out of the pack for the diplomatic mission. Now I was remembering exactly why I didn’t even want her back anytime soon. Unf