Children of Sun and Peace

Chapter 91. - The Smuggling Mission

"So how exactly are we supposed to smuggle a bunch of kids into the city completely unnoticed?" Connor voiced his reservations as they walked down the tunnel towards their pack house.

"Hey! They are all over twenty!" Liv spoke in their defense and Connor resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He loved his mate, but she really needed to stop defending that bunch every occasion she got.

"Aaron had Silverstar army members put on guard duty. They won't talk or question us," Nolan cut the conversation short before it could turn into an argument over the group of idiots in the camp.

"We'll need two cars. There are too many of us together to fit into one," Connor noted when they finally reached the house and Nolan went through their collection of keys. He held two sets of car keys in the air as a silent response. Liv in the meantime managed to change from the army gear they got for her for the ceremony to something more casual. It was agreed upon that it would be the wisest to keep her ties to them on the down low. There was no telling how that pathetic excuse of an alpha would react if he found out about what was going on and even if it killed Connor inside to watch that Shane guy look at his mate the way he did, he knew he had to hold back for now.

"I'm sorry if I annoyed you today," Liv spoke about half way towards the camp, causing Connor to sigh behind the steering wheel.

"Don't worry about it," he replied when he finally gathered his thoughts.

"I know it looks like I care more about them, than anything, but it's not like that. It's just that I'm the only one who can stand up for them and they can't exactly do it themselves," she practically whispered.

"Liv, my love, I'm not stupid. And I'm not gonna blame you for having friends outside of our circle, especially given the circumstance of how you ended up with us to begin with. Doesn't change the fact that I can't wait to get them off my back," he explained, his eyes firmly on the road.

The rest of their ride was quiet. There was nothing else left to say. Connor was aware this made Liv uncomfortable, but any further conversation simply seemed like a bad idea considering his mood and the task they were on. So he just focused on the road and getting this done so they could go back home and relax a little. If he was going to be on a ship away from home in less than a week, he wanted to savor the moment as much as he could. The thought of leaving the whole pack behind put him on edge too. Especially since Liv would be with him instead of the safety of the city. She still wasn't ready for the mission ahead.

Still, despite his doubts over her skills, she slipped into the role surprisingly easy once they reached the camp. She led him and Nolan both straight towards the shack where the remnants of her former pack lived, her face giving away nothing of the girl who mere minutes ago vigorously defended these people. Connor was always surprised seeing her interact with them. She'd die to save them, yet whenever they came face to face, she was distant and somewhat cold.

"Hey guys," she greeted them, her voice quiet but confident. The occupants of the house didn't really say much in return, most of them stood frozen in the spot upon seeing Connor and Nolan both enter the place.

"It's okay. The guys are here with me to help with your stuff. We're taking you out of here tonight," Liv explained.

"Why?" the guy, who was supposed to be the alpha of the group, asked, clearly suspicious. Connor couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. It was funny this guy thought they had a choice in the matter.

"Does it matter? Just shut up and go pack your shit. It's late and I'm too sober to listen to your bullshit," Nolan shot a response before Liv could say a word. It reminded Connor that this was the guy who broke Freya's heart and then sent her to die. And while they were all grateful to have her in their lives thanks to it, it hardly meant Nolan was okay with the existence of this man. None of them were okay with it in fact. But in the end, they also all understood he was not their fish to fry. He was Freya's. She deserved to decide his fate, whenever and however she chose to do it. All they could do in the meantime was to simply let him know just how much of a disdain they had for him.

"Colin, do as he says. I promised I'm getting you out of here, didn't I?" Liv hissed, stopping Colin from talking back to Nolan, which Connor was frankly quite curious to watch.

"Olivia..." Colin started to argue with her instead but she just raised her hand, silencing him instantly, much to his own surprise. He probably didn't fully grasp what just happened, but Connor realized very quickly that Liv pulled her rank on the guy. Subconsciously maybe, but it made Connor proud regardless. She gained her rank alongside them since they became the royal pack.

"Don't Olivia me. Have I ever done anything but help you out in here? Now I finally have a way to get you home. So, please, for Gods' sakes, pack up and let's go," she dismissed him.

"Okay," Colin's mate responded for him and started getting everyone to pack whatever little belongings they had in this place. Most of it was, as Connor observed, stuff Liv brought them when he took her up here a few times.

"Done? Let's go," Nolan ordered and watched as they all walked out into the snow.

They took them through the military entrance, down the stairs and towards the gates where the army had access in and out of the city as well as the camps. It allowed them to stay out of sight with only a few guards on the watch, all of whom belonged to the Silverstar clan. It was easy. All of it. And it made Connor realize just how untouchable Az now was as a King. How untouchable they all were. It was almost laughable. Them of all people should never possess this much power. But then again, who was he to complain?