#9 The Lonely Rogue

Junie

Once breakfast was finished, Caspian and I said our goodbyes and I was left to Lydia and Ally in the foyer. Cole appeared behind me with a cheeky grin,

“At your service, my lady.” He bowed and I jabbed him in the gut with my elbow. A stranger showed up next to Lydia,

“Junie, this is my guard, Nickoli. He was my Gamma and he’s also Cole’s father.” Lydia said. I had to admit, I noticed no resemblance between Nickoli and Cole.

“Nice to meet you.” I said with a smile.

“You as well, Luna. I hope my son has been treating you properly.” He said, giving Cole a stern look. I laughed,

“I don’t know about properly but he’s been a good friend and guard.” Nickoli laughed loudly.

“You remember my guard, Lukey?” Ally said, pointing towards the man behind her. I nodded and waved hello. Luke shook his head at Ally and the nickname she had bestowed upon him.

“We have quite the army just to go on a tour.” I observed.

“You can never be too careful.” Lydia said seriously.

I thought back to the story Caspian told me about Sabrina’s death and how they went out without any guards. I knew he would never make that mistake ever again.

“Shall we?” Lydia motioned towards the door and we all agreed.

She started with a tour of the castle, showing me around the large first floor which included a dozen or more guest bedrooms for visiting pack members, the offices of the ranked members, and common areas like the parlor room, living room, kitchen, two dining areas, and a modernized game room and movie theater which were added at the start of Caspian’s reign. The entire floor, besides the game room and movie theater, matched the Victorian era vibe that the rest of the castle gave off.

The castle was quiet today, void of visitors with only the staff fluttering about. I learned that only the ranked members and royal family lived in the castle, the rest of the staff and pack members were provided cottages in the royal village. After the brief tour, Lydia led us outside to a large SUV that was waiting to take us to the village.

The village was only two miles from the castle and easily walkable, but the dreadful rain and bitter cold forced us into the car. The driver took us straight to the village as I clung to the window, observing the realm as we drove by.

Most of the kingdom was covered in lush trees that were all a part of the Golden Woods. The forest got its name from the yellow and auburn coloring of the leaves which lasted all year long, not just during the fall. Racing alongside the road was a babbling brook with sparkling rainbows shooting from one side to the other.

We reached the village in no time, Cole, Nickoli, and Luke all stepping out of the car first with large, black umbrellas. They followed after us with the umbrella shielding us from the fat rain droplets. Lydia pointed out the cottages that belonged to the staff members whose names I would recognize along with some original pack members dating back to the new origin of the realm.

“As more families with children came to live with us, the community formed a sort of homeschool. We built a large community center and library for them to utilize, and anyone with teaching experience was hired under the royal kingdom to teach.” Lydia explained as we stood in front of the community center, “The kids attend school five hours a day, four days a week. On Fridays, they train instead.”

“Caspian’s goal is to bring more businesses to the realm so we are more self-sustaining. Before he became king, we had to leave the realm for everything, from groceries to clothing. Now, we have a grocery store and a couple of boutiques; even a restaurant!” Ally said, sounding excited.

“He mentioned this to me, he wants me to say something to Vivian about moving the Lion’s Den here.” I mumbled thoughtfully.

“That’s such a great idea!” Ally said.

“The Lion’s Den?” Lydia cocked an eyebrow.

“Perhaps a name change, though.” Ally said and I laughed lightly.

“Vivian’s parents own a bar.” I told Lydia.

“And Vivian is Jett’s mate, correct?” Lydia asked.

“Yes, and my best friend.” I nodded, “I’ve worked and lived at the bar since I graduated high school.”

“I see. I’d imagine a bar would be well received in the realm.” Lydia nodded but there was some concern wrinkling her face.

“But, you’re not so sure about the future Queen Luna and Beta female working there?” I guessed her thoughts. Ally’s eyes shot towards her mother.

“It’s a changing world, Junie, and I am adjusting.” She smiled at me. Ally grinned,

“Mother is very hip.” She teased and Lydia smirked at her daughter,

“I try to keep up. My mother was the same way.”

“Caspian said the same thing to me. I guess I’m just worried about offending tradition.” I admitted.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Lydia scoffed, waving her hand dismissively, “Ally offends everyone enough for all of us.” Ally gasped in shock and we all started laughing.

Thankfully, the rain finally paused its viscous assault, allowing us to take a scenic walk around the village without the large umbrellas. Slowly, pack members started to come out of their homes to take care of their yards or collect the mail.

“What of the people who aren’t staff members?” I asked.

“Another reason Caspian wants to bring in more businesses, so our members don’t have to rely on the kingdom for money and support. Almost everyone here is somehow employed by the kingdom whether it be as trainors, warriors, guards, housekeepers, kitchen staff, shoppers, advisors, school teachers, grounds keepers, and so on. Since, as Ally said, we now have a few businesses, some of the members work there instead or in addition to.” Lydia explained.

I nodded in response as I watched the pack members scurry about. When they noticed our presence they paused and bowed politely until we were out of sight. I saw the confusion in their expressions as their eyes skipped over Lydia and Ally to land on me. We waved and smiled, but said nothing.

We strolled past a small house with pink shutters and tan siding, a pastel blue door and detailings to match. The door swung open and a brunette she-wolf I vaguely recognized stepped out. Ally and Lydia tensed up beside me, but I wasn’t sure why. Not until the she-wolf walked down her sidewalk, towards the mailbox.

She froze when she saw us, bowing her head immediately towards Lydia and Ally. She cocked her head to the side when she saw me and she grimaced.

“Your highness.” The woman said, looking at Lydia.

“Ruth.” This was the first person Lydia greeted.

Ally glared at the girl and I felt my own hostility bubbling up inside me. This was the woman who was hanging all over Caspian at the yacht club. Another one of his mistresses, I assumed. I was comforted slightly by the fact that Lydia and Ally seemed to detest her as much as I did.

“Forgive me, you look familiar.” Ruth looked at me.

“This is your future Queen Luna.” Ally snapped and Ruth’s eyes narrowed.

“Ah.” She replied shortly and I got the impression that the mistresses were talking about me amongst themselves after my encounter with the blonde one.

“Ruth.” Lydia frowned at her and the brunette snapped out of it, rigidly bowing towards me,

“Your grace.” She said between her clenched teeth. I simply inclined my head in response.

“Let’s walk on, ladies.” Cole said, taking my arm and steering me away from the cottage.

“What Cassie saw in her is beyond me.” Ally muttered.

“Alice!” Lydia scolds. Ally just shrugged,

“It’s true.” She huffed. Lydia shook her head at her daughter before looking towards me,

“Junie, dear, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Caspian and I have already talked about this.” I attempted to relax, but I got the sense that Lydia saw straight through me.

“It looks like the rain will be starting back up any minute, perhaps we should head back home?” Nickoli suggested and we all nodded in agreement.

Once back at the castle, I excused myself from Lydia and Ally. After my run in with another one of his mistresses, I had the strong desire to find Caspian. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kill him or kiss him, but I would decide that when I saw him. I recalled the tour from earlier and maneuvered the halls to find his office. I only got lost twice.

I stood in front of his office and sighed, my fist hovering in front of the door as I gathered up the nerve to knock. Before I had the chance, it was flung open.

“Junie, what are you doing just standing out here?” Caspian asked with his eyes pinched together in confusion, “I sensed you out here waiting.” He added.

“I was trying to decide if I should knock or not.” I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. Caspian chuckled at me and grabbed my hand, pulling me against his chest.

“You don’t need to knock, dearest, you’re welcome here anytime.” He said, walking backwards and kicking the door shut.

“Has Malcolm gone to Cypress?” I asked, although that wasn’t what I really came here to say.

“Yes, he left just after you all did. I’ve been communicating with other packs, trying to find more evidence of Cohen’s involvement.” He said, pulling me back from his chest and fixing my ruffled curls.

“How was your tour?” He asked after a moment.

“It was good.” I lied.

“Something happened?” His eyes were hot on my face as he asked, although it didn’t sound much like a question.

“It rained, a lot.” I shrugged and Caspian sighed at me.

“Okay, I’ll confess first. Ally already told me what happened.” Caspian said and I glared at him, “She mindlinked me just before I sensed you out there.”

“It’s fine.” I grumbled, sounding definitely not fine. Caspian led me towards the small couch in his office and we sat down side by side.

“It’s not.” Caspian disagreed, stroking my hair softly.

“She just didn’t look like someone who was going to let you go so easily.” I shrugged.

“She will if she knows what’s good for her.” Caspian said, narrowing his eyes.

“What will you do if she doesn’t?” I asked.

“She’ll be banished.” Caspian replied without blinking.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Caspian replied, leaning forward to gently brush his lips against mine.

“She was at the yacht club with you that day.” I stated and Caspian nodded slowly,

“She was. She was my escort to that event.”

“Not a fan.” I clicked my tongue disapprovingly and Caspian chuckled, pressing his lips to the back of my hand.

“But, I’m your biggest fan.” He said, enlisting an eye roll from me,

“You know how I feel about your cheesy lines.” I muttered. Caspian threw his head back and laughed.

“Are you hungry for lunch?” He asked, once he regained control of himself.

“Sure, if you’re not too busy.” I shrugged. Caspian grinned and pulled me towards the door,

“I’m never too busy for you, dearest. I could use a break anyway.” We walked hand in hand towards the kitchen and joined some of the other pack members for lunch.