The Rogue

XII

*Rian*

The sound of a car pulling up outside drew my attention. I rose from the seat behind my desk and moved to the window. Titus hopped out of the driver seat of my Jeep. A moment later, my sister slipped out of the passenger seat. Not two seconds after her sandals touched the pavement, Sarah's shriek split the air. I watched as she came running out of her cottage before pulling my sister into a big hug.

As they walked towards my home, they discussed her travels and how it felt to be home again. Thea was clearly not happy to be back. She was surprised I'd already moved into Alpha's house. For some reason, that made me angry.

Did she think it was too soon? Did it look like I wanted this position too early? I groaned and rubbed my face. What did her petty opinions matter anyway?

Their steps sounded down the hall until they reached my office. They hadn't spoken a word since stepping into my home. I waited for one of them to knock. Then I crossed to the door and opened it.

Thea and Sarah stood directly before me, the former wearing a surprised look and the latter looking sheepish. Behind them was Titus, who looked uncomfortable with the tension he sensed. He and I still needed to talk. We had business to settle that neither of us would like.

"Thea," I greeted calmly. "I'm glad you made it safely."

Nodding, she uttered a simple, "Thanks" and pushed past me into my office.

Her eyes devoured every inch of the dark pine and stone workings. Nothing had changed, but she absorbed everything like it had. When she faced me again, she folded her arms over her chest.

"So, you're the boss now?" she asked.

"Yes." I really wanted to say Unfortunately but didn't think it was appropriate. "I'm sorry I made you come here when your life is in Tidy Heights, but I can't risk anyone using you as leverage over me again."

Her right eyebrow shot up in an expression I was all too familiar with. "Now how do you figure on doing that? You can't keep me here forever, Rian. Your Alpha powers have no effect on me."

"It's just a temporary fix," I assured her, tucking my hands into my shorts so I wouldn't roll my eyes. "I can't keep you here, but you'll be safer the longer you stay."

"When are you planning on straightening that guy out? His men were not very nice, you know."

"He's off trying to negotiate with Maxen, I suspect."

"Maxen? What does that jerk have to do with anything?"

She didn't know. I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck and moved back to my desk. Once I'd found the words to say, I met her confused gaze again.

"Faye is with him," I explained. "We made a deal to save Titus and her life. The compensation was her."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't have a choice." My fingers angrily raked through my hair. "Faye willingly went. She wanted to save Titus."

A sharp intake of breath caught our attention. Titus was staring at me from the open office door, his jaw hanging open.

"That's why she's there?" he demanded. "Because of me?"

"She's there because she cares about you," Sarah said, rubbing his chest.

"But...she shouldn't have done that. I'm glad to be back, but Maxen is ruthless—"

"Enough." My command bounced violently off the walls. "Faye did what she thought was best."