Chapter 62: A Rogue Scrimmage

Dominic's Storm's POV:

"What seems to be the issue?" I asked my Beta, since we were out of earshot of my mate, as we continued walking back down the different core door in the direction he needed us to go.

"There is a carriage waiting out front, My King," Beta Orion spoke this time. "It's a short carriage ride to where we are going."

"Very well, it had better not take all that long. My mate is waiting for me," I told him as we made our way through my pack's castle toward the front entrance. "Besides, why didn't you bother reaching out earlier?"

When we managed to reach the front doors of my pack's castle, Beta Orion stopped there as two other Warriors were waiting there by the entrance at their posts. We slowly walked up to them, and they opened the doors for us to head outside now. Only when the doors were closed back did he speak.

"My King, I knew the trouble she experienced yesterday, so I tried to give you two as much time together as possible," Beta Orion said as he stopped and turned to face me. "My King, please forgive me for keeping this news from you. However, I thought it better to tell you in person. I know how, I know how your Wolf feels about such things."

He had now piqued my interest. The fact that he had mentioned my wolf makes me wonder what sort of trouble he was recently made aware of that required my keen attention. "Very well, I understand the reason for your delay," I told him as I pondered my thoughts a bit more, wondering exactly what it could have been.

Then, in the back of my mind, it made me wonder if The Rivers Pack was involved in this. I knew my wolf had read our mate's thoughts. We found her in that questionable situation the night before. However, did that compare to what was going on now?

"My King, right this way," someone from the carriage called out to me as we proceeded down the stairs towards it.

As we were about halfway down the stairs, Beta Orion spoke up again when he finally answered. I knew keeping something from me was not something he did with ease. He had to have had a decent reason to do so. Any other time, he would've just come out and contacted me.

"My King," Beta Orion said, still trying to compose his thoughts before he spoke next. "There is a rogue scrimmage at the border."

I thought about his words as I continued walking down the stairs, and the carriage door was opened up, and I climbed in first, as Beta Orion climbed in behind me. I sat there, pondering, wondering what this could mean. Just then, I heard the whip of the reins as the horses began to pull the carriage in the direction we needed to go.

"Why did you wait so long to bring this to my attention?" I asked him, and then, suddenly, I raised my hand to him, causing him to stop as he had just opened his mouth to respond, when my hand made sure he didn't speak just yet.

In that moment, I could hear my mate's words in my head. I was pleased to see the Mating Bond reaching such a distance. I knew it was a powerful and unparalleled connection, and by this trip, I could put it to the test to see how far out of my reach she was to her. It was different for werewolves, as I knew they had a limited range to their mates. However, I was no mere werewolf. I was the Lycan King, and my abilities surpassed all others.

I could hear her words as she asked herself, 'What do I do?'

'Eat,' I told her in my response. She should have been served something by now, and what she needed to do was eat.

'Eat?' She asked me as she seemed to question my intention for her. 'Don't you want me to wait on you? I don't want to be rude.'

I knew she came to me in such a mysterious manner. However, I had no idea as to the experiences she had up to this point. My wolf may have been able to read her thoughts that led up to her being taken the other evening. Although there was so much more I needed to learn about her. She was quite mysterious and of rare quality. I could feel the pull in the center of my chest as I knew I was beginning to fall for her. I would do everything within my power to make sure she stayed safe and healthy, and by that, she had to eat first, even if I wasn't there by her side.

'I'll be back as soon as I can,' I told her this time as I looked over at Beta Orion, still waiting for me to let him continue when I added my next statement, conversating with my mate 'For now, I want you to enjoy yourself, my little mate.'

"Continue,... I am waiting," I told Beta Orion, this time as I turned my focus back to him. I needed to figure out what he knew and the cause of his delay.

"Several rogues were found testing our borders," Beta Orion stated, this time, and he seemed to be a bit more sure of himself as he spoke up.

"Are you not able to take care of a simple scrimmage?" I asked him as I leaned over to the side to look out the window, as we were at a steady pace in the direction down the path. "Is this not something you could have handled on your own?"

"It's not just that, My King," he said, and I could still tell he had a certain unease in his demeanor.

Despite the fact that I knew he was trying to hide it from me. I was his King, and I could tell when others were trying to hide something from me. If not hiding it, it was that he didn't seem to tell me the main part just yet, and I didn't want to wait till we got there before I found out exactly what that part was.

"Out with it," I told him, not intending to snap using my Alpha's commanding tone, which made itself present in my voice. "You have caused enough delay already. You are leading up to the point, but have yet to tell me what you have yet to get at. Just get to the point already."

"Yes, My King," he finally said as he pressed his fingertips together in his lap with his knees separated as he leaned forward and placed his forearms on his legs above his knees. "We do believe this may have something to do with The Rivers Pack."

"Ramona is their Luna, correct?" I asked as I tried to ponder the connection a bit more. "Wait, I know that name. Isn't she the mate of the alpha who waits in our dungeon? The mate of Kyle, alpha of The Rivers Pack?"