Outsider

RORY

The second we step out of the car, Lucius rushes up to Everett.

“Alpha, the council has called an emergency meeting,” he says in a hushed tone.

“Is there a problem?” Everett asks.

Lucius glances at me and then at Freya. She’s standing beside me, clinging to my hand. I squeeze back.

“They just need to speak with you right away,” Lucius says.

It’s probably nothing. Maybe it’s some secret pack business he doesn’t want to discuss in front of ~another~ human.

I can’t expect everyone to be in a sharing mood right away.

“Will you two be okay?” Everett asks, turning to me.

“We’ll be great,” I say. “We have a lot to do.”

Everett and Lucius leave us and I turn to Freya, feeling a little guilty that she hasn’t received a warmer welcome.

“Everything is so…big,” she says, casting her eyes across the buildings and the surrounding area.

“Just wait till you see my bedroom,” I say, taking her hand and leading her inside. “And the library!”

***

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many books,” Freya says, twirling between two shelves. She’s been impressed with everything I’ve shown her.

“Your bed looks fit for a princess,” she said when I showed her my room.

“Think of the amazing balls you could have in here,” she said when I walked her through the dining hall.

“How old is that painting?!” she said, gawking at a portrait of one of Everett’s ancestors.

But the thing that’s impressed her the most so far is the library.

“Where do all these books even come from?” she says, marveling at Everett’s impressive collection. “What are they all about?”

“There’s a lot about the pack’s history and wolf customs. You have no idea how many ceremonies and rituals there are when you’re a wolf.”

“I feel like I could spend weeks in here. You must have read lots of them by now.”

I blush a little and turn my feet inward. “Actually, I haven’t had that much time.”

Part of becoming luna means embracing the pack’s traditions and customs. They’re all here in these books, but I haven’t had a chance to dive in just yet.

I’ve had math finals and prom dresses to think about.

I promised Everett I’d get stuck in once school was over.

“Gosh, if I were you I would have dropped out of school and spent all my time reading these books instead of boring old Gatsby!”

“Yeah, I’m going to get to it,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “Soon.”

“So how long have werewolves existed? And how come humans don’t know anything about them?”

~She has a lot of questions.~

“Is the whole silver bullet thing true? If that thing on your neck is a mating mark does that mean you’re ~not~ having kinky sex?”

“Freya!” Heat rises in my cheeks.

“Sorry, it’s all just so fascinating. You said their wolves have personalities of their own. So is that like split personalities, or like, is one of them in charge and the other like a parasite?”

“I think Chaos might be offended if you call him a parasite.”

“Riiiiiight…” She chews on her fingernail. “How come they can shift anytime they like and not just on the full moon?”

“Freya! I don’t know!”

Freya is starting to annoy me with all her questions, but the truth is I should know.

~Shouldn’t I?~

Standing here surrounded by all these books—all this knowledge about the people and the pack I’m supposed to lead—I’m beginning to realize how little I know about all this.

I rest my forehead in my hand.

~Have I been a bad luna for not trying hard enough to learn this stuff?~

There are still so many books I haven’t even touched.

“Rory, are you okay?” Freya asks timidly.

“I’m fine,” I say, lifting my head.

Then, wanting desperately to change the subject, I ask, “My mom is probably over at the orphanage. She’s been teaching the kids how to grow their own vegetables. You wanna go visit?”

“Sure!”

***

“Hi, Mama!” I say, wrapping my arms around the amazing woman who raised me.

“My darling,” she replies, squeezing me tightly.

“Mom, I’d like to introduce you to Freya.”

Mama turns to my friend with tears in her eyes and pulls her in for the biggest, most embarrassing hug ever.

“Mama, don’t choke her!”

“I’m so pleased to finally meet you,” Mama says, not letting Freya go. “I’ve heard so much about you and all the wonderful things you’ve done for Rory.”

“It’s lovely to meet you too,” Freya chokes out.

Finally, Mama releases Freya and she’s able to breathe once more.

“You’ve been such an amazing friend to Rory all these years,” Mama is a mess, she’s blubbering everywhere. “You’re such a blessing.”

It’s clear Freya doesn’t know what to say. She keeps opening her mouth as if she’s about to speak and then closing it again.

“Mama, you’re being embarrassing,” I say. Mom slaps me with a pair of gardening gloves.

“Oh stop it, I’m allowed to be a big sook.”

We all laugh and I can’t believe how good it feels to be standing here with the two most important women in my life.

I honestly never thought they’d be in the same room!

“Rory!” Orion calls, running out of the orphanage and into my waiting arms.

“Hey little man,” I say, kneeling and messing up his hair. “How are the tomatoes coming?”

“They’re nearly ripe.” He beams. “I’ve been watering them every day.”

“Good work! Hey Orion, this is my friend, Freya.”

She kneels beside me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Orion,” Freya says, offering her hand for him to shake. He stares at it for a moment, creasing his little forehead before returning the gesture.

“I used to hate humans,” he says, shaking hands a little too enthusiastically. “But then I met Rory and now I think they’re cool.”

“Good to know,” Freya responds, lifting a brow in my direction.

“Orion here is very progressive,” Mama says jokingly. “Unlike some people around here.”

EVERETT

“I can’t believe we’re having this discussion again!” I say, slamming my fists on the conference table.

“Alpha, we’re only concerned about the pack’s safety,” Samuels, one of my advisers, says. “Bringing another human here is dangerous, and…”

“What?” I demand. “Spit it out.”

“And it’s beginning to look like a pattern.”

I glance around at the faces of my council. Every one of them is a wolf I trust. They have served me greatly over the years—fighting by my side, helping me to lead.

They’ve stood with me even when we’ve disagreed.

But something feels different about this meeting.

“Do you all feel this way?”

I look from one to the next, trying to gauge how they’re feeling.

Lucius glares at me before sighing and turning his attention to the table.

Ace is actively avoiding eye contact.

Samuels is resting on his elbows, calmly nodding.

Jasper, my oldest adviser, who was a friend of my father’s, is scratching his bearded chin.

“Jasper, my father believed in coexistence. Isn’t that right?” I ask him.

“Your father valued the sanctity of all life,” the old man says. “But he believed in the safety of his pack above all else.”

“I thought we agreed this pack was going to be more open-minded when it came to humans.”

“One human, yes!” Samuels says, sitting up straight. “But now her friends are coming here on tours. What’s next? A gift shop?”

“Rory trusts Freya,” I say. “She is your luna.”

“I’d like to vouch for Aurora,” Ace says, finding a backbone. “She is a clever woman. If she trusts Freya I do as well.”

“How did she come to know about us?” Lucius asks calmly.

“What?”

“You say you trust Rory, but if she let the secret of our existence slip, how trustworthy is she really?”

“Lucius…” I stare at my beta in disbelief. He’s never been Rory’s biggest fan, but to doubt her like this is unthinkable.

“I revealed myself to her,” I state plainly.

The council erupts into an outcry of voices, each trying to press a different point. None of them are happy.

“Let me explain,” I say, my voice rising over all the others. “Freya was going to die, I needed to shift to save her.”

The council goes quiet.

“So that’s it then,” Samuels says. “We all just let it slide.”

“It was life or death,” I say.

“It’s always life or death, Everett,” he shoots back. “But if we go around saving every dying human, they’ll all know about us. Our secret will be destroyed. They’ll come for us.”

“She’s a teenage girl,” I say, locking eyes with Samuels. “If our society can’t hold itself up with one person knowing we exist then we aren’t the wolves we think we are.”

His eyes stay locked on mine and for a moment neither of us blink.

Then Jasper speaks. “Well said, my boy. We do not need to worry about one human girl.”

I turn to Jasper and give him a nod of thanks.

“But we must be discerning in the future,” he continues. “No one else can learn about our society.”

“I give you my word as alpha.” I scan the room once more, making eye contact with each of my subjects. “I would never do anything to endanger this pack.”

RORY

As Freya and I wander back toward the packhouse, I can’t stop thinking about our day together.

Ever since Freya found out the truth, she’s not stopped asking questions.

She’s been so curious about wolves and how they live—and about me and my powers: where they come from, who my real parents could be.

Even though I’ve had the most amazing day, there’s a strange knot in my stomach. A tight guilty feeling that I can’t shake.

“Rory, your life here is so amazing,” she says, swinging her arms lazily at her sides. “I can’t believe all of this stuff has been happening to you and we all had no clue.”

“It’s pretty wild.”

“I wish I could have been there for you.”

“I know,” I say, shooting her a smile. An idea pops into my head and I stop, clutching Freya’s wrist.

“What?” she asks. “Have you spotted a…a…what did you call them? Rogues?”

“No, I’ve had an idea,” I say. “I need to learn more about wolf culture and you’re so good at studying. Would you help me?”

“You mean we get to read all the amazing books in your library? Hell yeah!”

Giddy with my newfound curiosity, I take Freya’s hand and we enter through the main doors of the packhouse.

“Oh hi, Rory,” Ace says, running down the stairs just as we step inside. “I was just in a meeting with Everett.”

He takes a step toward us and reaches out a hand to Freya. “You must be Rory’s fri—”

He stops talking. His mouth drops open as he takes Freya in.

“Ace, stop ogling my—”

I turn and find Freya is doing the same thing.

Her face is turning rose-petal pink and she can’t seem to look away from the wolf standing before her.

“Guys? Guys, what’s going on?”

“Whoa,” Ace says and suddenly I realize what’s happening.

~Are they mates?!~