Zion

“The Ring Leaders?” I ask, my question in a stutter as Zion tosses me something from a luggage. Of course right now I do not look the best to be in some important meeting. I look like the basic chick who just went clubbing and had too much to drink. “How? We haven’t even met with Author yet!”

Zion shrugs his shoulders, putting on the clean suit as he starts on his tie. “I don’t know, Nixon just said they showed up out of the blue and requested a meeting with the two of us.” I nod, looking at what the King tossed me. A simple dress, navy, and a little form fitting. “All I know is that they want to talk now and this is a window we cannot miss.” I agree with Zion there. This is an opportunity to not pass up.

Changing quickly, I fix my hair as we head to the door, ready for whatever awaits us. “You know how important this is, correct?” Zion asks, stopping me in the middle of the hall, his hands grabbing my arm.

“I do, I know that we need this, it’s something mandatory for the war ahead,” I inform, making sure he knows that I understand the importance.

Zion nods, letting go of my arm as he moves to the door, the Alpha King nervous.

As the door opens, I’m greeted by stern faces of five people, each badass looking in their own way.

“Sybil Black,” the one in front states, looking at me from head to toe. “I expected you to be a bit more intimidating.” With black hair going gray, green eyes, and dressed in an Italian suit, this first rogue looks nothing like what I expected. “And then we have the Wolf King.”

I can tell Zion is already irritated by this man, how his eyes harden and his jaw clenches. “We sha-

"We,” the man states pointing to his group of rogues and me, “have a meeting. I want to only negotiate with your rogue fiancé, nothing more or less.”

That’s what I expected, how these rogues would not make a deal with Zion, but with me.

“So, I would suggest you head on out,” the one female rogue comments as she pushes past Zion and into the hotel suite. With her pale blond hair cut sharply along her jaw line, her skin pale, and future tall and slim, she looks like who you would see on the issue of a magazine. Tattoos decorate her arms, one that wraps around her bicep the Latin translation of an Alpha declaring you rogue.

As the rest of the three Ring Leaders enter, each giving Zion stern glances of dislike, they acknowledge me with a small nod. Already you can tell who the favorites are.

Zion is practically kicked out of the hotel room, knowing that for this deal to happen, he’s basically going to give these rogues what they want. He has a Kingdom to protect. As he leaves the room, his eyes meet mine once more, the door shutting.

“Now, dear Sybil, we make our bargain.” One of the males states, throwing his leather jacket onto the coat rack. “Take a seat.”

I’m basically bossed around Zion’s hotel suite, led into the living room, the Ring Leaders taking their seats. The woman puts her feet up in the coffee table, pulling out a cigarette as one of the males with piercings all over tosses her a lighter. “I didn’t think you would come to us, I thought we would need to find you,” I comment, crossing my arms as the man in the suit rolls his eyes.

“No one expects to be made rogue but it happens,” the suited man replies. “Jax.” So the guy in the suit is Jax, already becoming a tad more open.

“Ginger,” the woman explains, nodding my way as she lights her cigarette. “And that’s Adam, he’s mute.”

I turn to the guy with all the piercings, looking as his eyes stare at me, judging me right away. Nodding, I wave to him, only to gain a rolling of the eyes. “Keith,” the one who tactically threw his leather jacket to the rack greets.

“And you?” I ask, turning to the last of the five, the one with golden hair and looks like the ‘golden boy.’

Already I find myself wishing Zion was here, to make me feel more confident, more safe. But then again, do I need him to give me the confidence and safety I need? I survived as a rogue in NYC for months, never letting a pickpocket get away or someone who cat called get to me. I’ve grown so accustomed to relying on the King that I’ve forgotten who I once was.

“I do not think we need to get to know one another, Miss Black, this is simply business and nothing more,” the male states, moving onto business as Ginger blows out a cloud of smoke. “Why should we aid you? What could we offer the Kingdom?”

“Influence,” I explain. “You show the rogues that respect you and stay loyal that you will join the King because he is not like all the Alphas. If you do this, the Kingdom will obtain a bigger arm-

“We know the basic facts,” Jax interrupts, “we want to know what is in it for us. We know your King basically gave an IOU to the elves, but we are not like those creatures.” Jax gets to his feet, walking to the massive windows of the hotel suite as I’m left to wonder what they want out of this.

“What do you want? I’m sure Zion is the one you should be-

“I thought you are to be Queen,” Keith points out. “That means you have the rights to negotiate as well, it’s not just limited to the Alpha King.”

“You need the rogues or else the Kingdom will fall, you know this is not some simple war,” Ginger translates as Adam signs her his words. Adam looks to me, his gray eyes meeting mine as I wounded what these people want.

“What is your end of the bargain?” I ask, only gaining a chuckle from Jax.

“You must be so new to this whole meeting and negotiation, how you’d rather let us pick what we want than you putting limits and truly negotiating.” I know what he means, how I’m not truly making a deal but letting them control the whole meeting. “We are not bargaining for some silly toy or food item like children, but over something that will have an impact on so many lives.”

“What is your price?” I ask, watching as the Ring Leaders each smirk. “Money is out of the question when it exceeds a certain limit.”

“We are not mercenaries.”

“You make it out to be that way,” I comment, watching as many of their faces turn bitter. “The King and Kingdom both need your help, not just the Alphas-

“The Alphas that made us what we are,” Ginger points out.

“Why not show these Alphas that you are better, that you do not turn your back on them like they did to you!” I exclaim, remembering the sell point to the warehouse of rogues.

Ginger laughs. I’ve heard of her, how she loved a Beta so much, enough that should would do anything for him. He wanted to be the Alpha, so she killed the Alpha, and the night she was to become Luna and be by his side forever, he dumped her like yesterday’s trash and banished her.

“We are not some pathetic rogues that you think still have some good in them, Miss Black. We are rogues and we love being ones, we do not easily just forget who we are and what happened to us. Rogues and Alphas will always hate one another, it’s an unwritten rule.”

“The Alphas respect me,” I state, standing firm upon my ground as Ginger shakes her head.

Keith grabs one of the pillows from the couch, drawing attention and also loosening up the tension of the room. “The Alphas respect you because their King does. Do you really think that without Zion they would even speak to you?”

She’s got a point there, and I agree. I know that without Zion I would still be stuck in the city at a crappy job. “I know that they respect me enough to put me here in Florida to get your contacts and do a meeting as well.”

“We want liability.”

“What?” I ask, turning to the ‘golden boy’ whose name I still do not know.

“We want to back up the kingdom only if it will back us up.”

“Because you will have a war in the next ten years,” I say sarcastically, leaning back in my chair. They can’t be serious. No one messes with the rogues and vise versa. Sure, the rogues are intimidating, but no one attacks because they have nothing to offer; no land nor money. The only reason to attack rogues would be because the rogues insulted someone really.

“Because there is always the threat of a war about to begin for us, and never, for many years, has there been anyone to back us up.”

“But some other things may also be nice to have,” Ginger points out. “Maybe like some weapons.”

“Author is your contact for that, I’d rather stay out of that,” I reply, remembering what that sick man said only hours ago. He said that he transported weapons and even wolf babe to the European wolf packs.

“He over prices,” Jax states.

“For all I know you could use this on another pack,” I state, my jaw clenching as the ‘golden boy’ gets to his feet, walking behind me. As his hands land on my shoulders, I slightly jump, worried about what he will do. I’m now a figure to the Kingdom, someone to be looked up to and respected, and soon, I will also be calling many of the shots.

“For all you know we could use this against a coven of witches or even vampires who threaten our existence.”

“It’s a price you should be willing to pay,” Ginger comments.

I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing what I will give them and what I will nod. I already have the whole bargain done in my head, but I only wonder if they will accept the offer and aid us. I only wonder if my plan will work. But I keep on thinking back to Zion, if he will be proud of me for the arrangement, if he will be pleased. It’s crazy to know only minutes ago we were here, Zion proposing again, and tears streaming down my face.

“Here’s what I say,” I begin, watching as all eyes land on me. “You help aid the Kingdom in the oncoming war, getting us an army of rogues to fight alongside and we will provide protection. If anytime you need help in protecting your domain the King’s best warriors will be there to back you up. From rogue to rogue, this is a promise I will make sure gets fulfilled even if I am long dead when you need the Kingdom’s aid. Also, you will each get a fair pay of four million each and a supply of ammo, a limited amount. That is my bargain.”

They seem to pounder it for ten minutes, whispering among themselves as my Palma begin to sweat. I only pray that this will pull through.

As they finish their meeting, I am turned to, watching as they give me their answer.

In minutes they leave, giving me an empty hotel suite as I stand still. My nerves are still out of whack, my legs shaking as I wish Zion would just get in here already and help me calm down.

As arms wrap around my body and I’m pulling into a warm and hard chest, my wolf and I instantly relax. “What did they say?” Zion asks, resting his chin on my head as I take in a deep breath.

“Will they be fighting alongside the Kingdom?”

Pulling out of his hold, I look up to meet those beautiful golden eyes as my heart flutters.

“They will fight.”