CHAPTER 19

"What are you doing here in my territory?" Max snarled at the rogue. He was pissed that the rogues were in his pack's territory, the strongest pack in America, along with the Blood Stone Pack.

"I didn't know that it was the Dark Knights pack," he said. He was hiding something, and Max was determined to know that.

"Bring me my tools. I hate liars," he growled and grabbed his least harmful tool, the whip without the spark.

"Alpha, do you want me to do it?" Huxley, the punisher, asked. Max shook his head. He wanted to unleash his anger on him.

The rogue started to weep. He sobbed as he shook his head frantically. He knew his punishments were brutal and could end up with him in a coma.

"Last chance," he threatened.

"Alright, I tell you everything!" he shouted as he started to piss himself.

"Disgusting smell." Giovanni cringed, and Max rolled his eyes at his brother's remarks.

"Tell me," he ordered.

"I-I'm only the messenger. The king wants his queen back," he stuttered fearfully.

"Who is your queen?" Max asked coldly.

"J-Jayla Jacobs,” he stammered.

"Kill him," he commanded to Huxley, who nodded.

"No, please, don't! I'm only a messenger!" he cried. Max left his gamma and beta to do the job and went from the pack prison to his warrior building.

The building was a safe place, similar to the FBI. They were warriors, each doing their own job (spies, hackers, assassins, protectors, etc.). It was how the Dark Knights were known to have their best warriors while the Blood Stone Pack were known to have the most organized pack with the most successful schemes.

"Alpha Max." The head warrior, Artaxerxes, saluted him.

"Artaxerxes, any clues?" Max asked him.

"We have some good news. One of our spies went to the rogue's territory, and he recorded a conversation between the man who is supposed to be their leader and their beta," he said, playing the video on the large screen.

They watched two men whispering. Max could hear their conversation. They were talking about sending the messenger to his pack as a sign of war. He growled loudly as he heard his mate's name coming out of one of their mouths.

"The girl is precious to us. That was Finn's wish."

"But do you think we can catch her?"

"Eglantine and Piper tried to catch her, but the Dark Knights were already here."

"Maybe we can put them together to catch our queen?"

"Good idea."

"And that's all," the head warrior said.

"I have a question, Alpha," he asked Max, who nodded.

"Why do they want our Luna?"

"I don't know. Do you have any idea?" he asked his trusted warrior.

"I think the Luna might be a descendant of the royal rogues. Finn and Jayla have both the same eyes," Artaxerxes said, making his Alpha think hard.

He was right. Both of them had the same hair and eyes.

Finn was the rogue's Alpha, and Blaze killed him in a war that the pack won. Blaze declared war with them because Finn's mate, Victoria, was threatening his mate, Mia.

"Thank you for your help, Artaxerxes," Max said.

"It's my pleasure to help you, Alpha Max." He bowed respectfully.

"Well, then, you can continue working," he said, patting his shoulder and leaving the building.

He went to the kitchen to see his mate and his mother hiding something from him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing, honey." Her mother smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to grab a milk bottle.

"I thought that you were going to show her the book," he said as he took the milk bottle and opened it.

"I lost the book," she said, making him smile in satisfaction.

"Fuck, that's good. I would've burned that book, to be honest," he grumbled.

"Well, that's sad. I wanted to see pics from when you were a kid." His mate pouted. He wanted to hug her tightly.

He walked over and went behind her.

"Trust me. It saves me from embarrassment," he said, pecking her cheek and drinking milk from the bottle.

"Normal parents usually show their kid's lovers some pics," his mother stated. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, you're not a normal mom," he retorted.

"Well, I could be." She smiled, and he shook his head in amusement.

"No, don't change. Please, if you find the book, give it to me so that I can burn it, or I will give it to Cole, who will burn it." He smirked and walked upstairs, throwing the bottle in the bin.

He went into his office and slumped in the chair before working for hours.

"Let's go, Max. Do this for your mate," he said to himself and slapped his cheeks.

For five hours, he worked non-stop, receiving reports from his other deltas, signing contracts that needed his signature, calling their deltas for meetings, and informing other Alphas about an urgent meeting about the rogues.

It was vital for him to inform them since everyone knew that the Alpha of the Dark Knights pack had found his mate.

News traveled fast. It must have been his mother who told everyone since she was very popular, just like Mia and Lydia.

He heard someone knocking on the door. He sighed as he put down his glasses and took a pack of cigarettes out of his drawer.

"Come in," he said in boredom. He felt the door open and sensed his mate coming. He smiled as he saw her walking toward him. He took out a cigarette and put one in between his lips.

He cocked his head toward his lap, motioning for her to sit down on his lap. She shook her head. He rolled his eyes and took out the cigarette in between his lips.

"Don't worry. No one is going to be here again without my permission," he said, putting a quick spell on the door and sighing in relief. She smiled and sat in front of him. He glared at her while she gave him a satisfactory smile.

"What are you playing, baby?" he asked with a glint of mischievousness as he lit his cigarette.

"It's bad to smoke," she said, licking her lips.

"I'm a werewolf. Our lungs can support the nicotine because I'm immortal," he said.

"Immortal?" she said slowly.

"Yeah, we are. Mia and Blaze don't look like 37 and 40." He inhaled the nicotine.

"Oh, that's cool," she said with nothing else to add. She was happy for him because he could do whatever he wanted. Once she died, he would find a second chance mate.

"Jayla, no, baby, when I said that you are mine, I mean it." He chuckled.

"When I mark you here," he said, pointing his collarbones, "you will be immortal, and we will live and die together."

"Are you serious?" She gasped.

"Yeah, baby." He grinned.

"But then I will watch my friends die before me," she said with sadness in her eyes.

"Most of your friends are werewolves," he said.

"I'm talking about Nolan and Tanner."

"Oh, them." He rolled his eyes. He was damn happy that those two weren't werewolves. It meant that he would watch Nolan die.

"But then you found your friends, Giovanni, Eleanor, and Peyton," he continued.

"Oh, right, Peyton. I forgot about him," she said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to see Peyton. I haven't seen him since the music festival. See you later," she said, running out of his office before he could tell her to stay.

He sighed deeply and put out the cigarette by stepping on it.

"Max, are you smoking?" his mother yelled, making him hide his secret stash in a hurry.

"No, Mom!" he yelled back in panic.

"Then what is that smell?" she shouted.

"Maybe it's the warriors barbecuing?" Max mind linked his mother.

"If I see you smoking, you are dead," she threatened.

"Mother, I'm an angel," he said happily and cut off his mind link with his mother.

"I'm an angel, bruh, not you." Cole mocked him in a private mind link with him.

"Shut the fuck up!" he growled.

He regretted mind linking his mother in public.

***

"And this is how the story finished." Micah was explaining what he did when he was in Africa helping people.

Jayla nodded and laughed. She was interested in the old man's story.

"You seriously found that interesting?" Eleanor asked in shock.

"Well, yeah." She shrugged.

"Baby, I'm proud of you," Max said truthfully, pecking her forehead.

It was dinner time, time for them to eat again as a family. Everyone was here eating the dish that Aphelia made.

Micah had met his grandson's mate, and he loved her once he heard that she found his story interesting enough.

"Do you have other stories to tell us?" she asked Micah, which earned several groans from everyone.

"Please, Jayla, I love you, but don't kill us!" Cole begged. "Baby, honey, shut up," Max said, choking her lightly.

"You guys are only jealous! Don't worry, Jayla, I will tell you another story after." He winked at her.

"No, Grandpa. I need some quality time with my mate," he argued.

"I need to know your mate!" Micah stubbornly said.

"I need her next to me," Max growled.

"Dad, you know that Max is a selfish bitch." Aphelia rolled her eyes.

"And that's your fault since you taught him to be like this," Micah said, slapping her forehead.

"Why are you blaming me? It's his fault that those two ended up like this," she said, pointing at Matte, who glared at her.

"I'm the good kid. It's Max's fault since he's older than me." Giovanni mocked.

"I'm an angel." He sighed dramatically, and Cole snorted.

"Then I'm Mother Theresa. Bitch, you are a manipulative asshole," Eleanor sassed.

"I'm not a manipulator. At least I'm not the horniest man here." Max sent a snarky glance to Marco, who was eating peacefully.

"Why the fuck am I getting involved in this weird conversation? I'm not horny. It's the hormones!" he explained.

"I'm sure that guy skipped a biology lesson." Huxley scoffed.

"Fuck you!" he growled.

"No swear words!" Aphelia warned.

"You didn't say that to Eleanor, Luna!" Marco groaned.

"Because I'm her favorite, bitch." She flipped her hair.

"Yeah, and also the ugliest," Giovanni muttered. Eleanor glared at Gio, who had an innocent face.

"I'm sorry, Jayla," Matte said in front of her. She smiled.

"It's alright. It's fun," she said, making them scoff.

"It's annoying!" Micah yelled.

"I agree with Dad for the first time." Aphelia nodded.

"First time that old man makes an intelligent remark! We need to clap!" Cole said, clapping, but when he felt Aphelia's hands slap the back of his neck, he immediately stopped.

"Show some respect," she said.

"It's alright; he's jealous of my amazing personality," Micah smirked.

"You don't have a personality, Grandpa. You are fake like Kylie Jenner's boobs," Giovanni retorted.

"Why are you guys attacking Grandfather? He's nice," Jayla said, making the whole table silent. They laughed, and even some of them cried from laughter.

"You are so naive, baby," Max said, wiping his eyes.

"It's true; he's a hypocrite." Giovanni chuckled.

"Still jealous, I see," Micah responded bitterly.

"Anyway, let's just stop and eat in peace, please?" the only sane one, Peyton, said.

"Yeah, I would like to hurry," Max said as he finished his plate quickly.

"Calm down. Don't eat too fast, or you will choke." Jayla chuckled.

"Finished. You have to finish yours, Jayla," Max said in amusement as he stared at her.

"Don't worry, I will," she sighed in content.