Mask | ✓

2

"Are you going to let him stay?"

That was the question I'd been asking myself. It'd been three days since I found the rogue, Nixon, outside of pack lands, and he'd still yet to wake up.

"I don't know yet," I told Maia as I stared at a picture of the man.

If I said that the idea of kicking him out hadn't crossed my mind, then that would be a lie. Now that I knew who he was, the higher stakes were raised.

There were a lot of rumors surrounding the Hart family as a whole, but there were just as many—if not more—that was only about Nixon. Between the crime he'd allegedly committed and his violent, impulsive personality, paired with the fact that he was an alpha wolf, it was a recipe for disaster.

It made the most sense to kick him out now. The Howling Night didn't need to get involved in any more drama after Alpha Demos. We were barely scraping by as is — I didn't need Nixon or any of the other Hart family members to come and kick us while we were already down.

But my mind kept thinking back to the night I'd found him. It was clear, based on the severity of his injuries, that he'd been attacked, but by a rogue or by his pack was the question. Sure, rogues could be deadly and cause injuries, but I found it unlikely in this case. The Hart's pack, the Silver Night, was a warrior pack. It only made sense that their son, who had alpha blood, would be highly trained. Knowing this, it seemed more likely that he was attacked by others who had some training done.

But if it was an attack from his family, this could get messy in the blink of an eye.

"Doing so could cause this to blow up in our faces. The elders and other members won't be thrilled if this happens."

"I know," I told her with a sigh. "Still, it'd be pretty fucked up just to throw him out."

"We can call his pack and arrange a transfer to their hospital."

"What if they're the reason he's like this now? What if by doing that, we'd be sending him to an early grave."

Maia didn't answer immediately, so I returned to the photo. Just based on appearances, it wasn't hard to see where Nixon got his reputation from. In the picture, his dark hair was a wild, untamed mess, his dark brown eyes glared at the camera and were filled with annoyance, and his body showed that he worked out, which only added to my belief that this wasn't a random attack.

In the picture, beside him stood his twin brother, Nolan Hart. The two looked as if they were complete opposites of one another and not just in personality but also in appearance. Nolan was smaller and skinnier than his brother. He had long, blond hair contrasting to Nixon's short dark brown, lighter brown eyes and a big smile.

The only reason I'd been looking at photos was to try and find out if anyone had reported him missing. Seeing as some time had passed and he was a high-ranking wolf, it made sense that someone — anyone — would, but there were no reports. Nobody had reported that Nixon Hart was missing. Still, there was a chance that he wasn't said since many packs don't check the missing wolf reports, but it seemed unlikely. If someone lost their child or brother, would it not make sense to make sure as many people knew as possible? Even if the reports weren't the most 'popular' option, they were sent out to every pack in the area. If someone found the missing wolf, they had a better chance of identifying them.

"I think we'll wait until he wakes up," I told Maia. "I don't want to put him in harm's way potentially."

Maia nodded. "What are you going to tell the elders? It's only a matter of time before they catch on."

She wasn't wrong about that. It was another issue that had been crossing my mind. The pack elders lived up to their name. They were older, highly regarded pack members, and they were meant to help the pack prosper and decide crucial decisions, but in many cases, they were more out of touch with reality. Many didn't realize that society wasn't complacent but was constantly evolving. If I told them now, they would contact the Silver Night without a doubt, and I didn't want that.

"Let's try to keep this quiet until he wakes up. Then we can talk to them."

Eventually, I would have to face them. I knew that, but hopefully, by the time that came around, Nixon would be up, and the issue would be already solved.

"We also have a new applicant for the head warrior position," Maia said, changing the subject and handing me a paper.

I took it from her and briefly looked down before placing it beside me on the desk. I could feel Maia stare at me and sigh before turning to her.

"Yes?"

"Are you not even going to look at the paper?" She asked me with a raised brow.

"I'll look at it when I get the time."

"You said that last time, too, and it took you almost a month only to end with a rejection."

Maia's eyes narrowed slightly, and I knew exactly where this conversation was headed. She'd start by telling me how she 'understood' that it was hard, but we couldn't keep putting this off forever. The pack needed a new head warrior, which would ease the minds of those who feared that we were falling apart. Then the conversation would turn to the beta, or rather, the lack of one. She would lightly try to bring up the possibility of opening new beta applications, too, which wasn't a possibility I was willing to entertain.

Reo was, is, and will always be my beta. He told me he was coming back.

Maia's mouth opened again, but she was cut off by the voice of one of the hospital's doctors.

"Alpha, Gamma," the voice linked. "The patient that was brought in three days ago is awake."