A Luna's Flame

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"I want to come with you guys," Diona whined as she sat on my bed.

I pushed my head through her sister's oversized sweatshirt as Diona bickered with her brother.

"Not this time, Dio. You have to watch Nox while we are gone," he reiterated as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"But he's stable," she huffed as I pulled on an old pair of her sister's jeans.

I pulled my hair back into a low bun before pulling the hood over my head.

"What about if the Alpha or Beta comes?" she asked as she fidgeted with her fingers.

I looked over to Orion, wondering the same as well.

"They are both off to a distant part of the territory. So, I'm not expecting them until the evening," he explained.

"Diona, it's best you rest now. Who knows when it could be your time to train," I said with a raised brow.

She hastily looked over at me before submitting begrudgingly. Orion looked over at me in question, but I brushed him off.

"Come on, we have to go while we have an opening," he said, gesturing to the door.

He looked me over before nodding in approval. He exited first, looking around before I followed behind him. The Alpha wing was completely clear, his stale scent lingering in the air. I picked up another scent smelling of lavender and honey. Enyo growled as the old aroma filled our nostrils.

"Not now," I reprimanded Enyo as I felt her anger course through our body.

She huffed before retreating. An unspoken promise lingered behind her. I stood in Orion's bulky shadow as he checked the landing for guards. Again, this area was clear. We carefully raced down the first flight of stairs before Orion led me down an unknown hallway. I sniffed the air and listened closely as we walked, looking for others. Before he could turn the corner, I pulled him back by his shirt, narrowly avoiding being spotted. He pulled me into a nearby room as the sounds of conversation grew closer. The room was dark and dusty, clearly having been unoccupied for some time. We hastily exited the room once the coast was clear and rounded the corner. He led me down two more connected hallways before stopping in front of a blank space in the stone wall. I looked at him in boredom as he pushed roughly against the stone façade. The wall gave way, and the hidden door opened to a rusted metal staircase. I entered behind Orion and closed the heavy wall behind us.

"This will give us the cover we need to get out of the house. The pack is all over the lower levels," he explained as we hastily descended the stairs.

"Why are these here? It's apparent that they've been out of use for some time," I asked as my hand glided over the rough metal.

"The hidden staircases have been here since the packhouse was built. Because our pack house is massive, with most of the pack residing here, we need multiple routes of escape for our members in the event of an attack. I am the only one that uses them currently. A lot of the young pack members don't even know they exist," he explained.

We exited on the far-right wing of the house, directly into the nearby trees. We ventured to the East for about fifteen minutes before a clearing came into view. I took a deep breath, helping to ease Enyo's anxiety and rage. I closed my eyes and listened to my surroundings as Orion did a quick sweep of the area.

"There are two people to the right," I whispered to Orion as he sniffed the air.

He nodded before disappearing into the thickets of the trees. I took the opportunity to stretch, and the crackling sounds of my bones traveled down my spine. As I walked to the nearest sugar maple tree, I looked around at the patches of dirt and grass, obviously the Delta's favorite training spot. The leggy tree filled my heart with joy as I climbed its branches. Enyo relaxed further as I perched on its thickest branch out of direct eyesight. I heard a few bushes rustle as a boot crunched on the uneven terrain.

"Where is she?" a woman asked in a hushed tone.

"What do you mean? She should be right here," Orion whispered with slight alarm.

"I'm not picking up on any scents nearby outside of ours and your sisters' stale ones," a man said as he audibly inhaled.

"She doesn't have a scent," Orion said as he walked out into the clearing, looking around.

"Impossible," a man with curly black hair said beside him.

The man had a slender muscular build, starkly contrasting with the man next to him. He was a few inches shorter than Orion and gave off a softer aura.

"All Rogues have a scent," the woman said casually as she examined the area.

She was built like a seasoned warrior with rugged muscles and battle scars. The half of her chocolate hair that was not shaved was braided almost identically to Orion's. I jumped down from the tree with a thud, purposefully. They all turned in an instant.

"Who are your friends?" I asked as I leaned against the tree's trunk.

"She really doesn't have a scent," the woman stated in surprise.

I shrugged with a smirk.

"This is Nikias and Kass. They are both a part of the pack's excursion warriors," Orion said with a sigh.

They both nodded a greeting as they inspected me closely.

"So, this is the infamous resident Rogue," Nikias said with intrigue.

I looked over at Orion with a raised brow.

"They were only supposed to make sure that no one disturbed us," Orion answered as he pinched his nose in frustration.

"As if I wasn't going to meet the killer of countless innocent men," the woman said with a grimace.

I looked over at her, sensing her hostility. Her soft green eyes blazed with disgust and animosity.

"Let me guess...a cousin?" I asked with venom.

Before she could charge at me, Orion grabbed her roughly by the shoulder.

"Nyx!" Orion reprimanded.

I raised my hands in surrender as she tried to fight out of his grasp.

"If you want a real fight, you should challenge me, Rogue. I'll give you a fight for your life," she threatened.

"As much as I believe you'll put up the effort, I think I'll pass...this time. I'm simply not interested," I said with a yawn.

She struggled against Orion before he forced her to submit, his aura saturating the area. Nikias watched me curiously as he showed his neck to his Delta.

"His aura didn't bother you at all?" Nikias asked as he circled around me, recovering as Orion pulled back his aura.

"Not even a little," I responded, bored.

He hummed, full of interest.

"Now, if you are done with...introductions, I would really like to train now," I said as I pulled the hood from over my head.

Orion nodded, and with one last look at Kass, he led me into the center of the clearing.