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Devon

Watching as David, Kurt, and Lucas leave the guest house, I wonder how I got lucky enough to find all of the people Alpha Ramos is hunting for in one pack. As far as we knew, Lucas and Kaylee had been spotted leaving Shadow Moon after the now Alpha Titus had killed Alpha Jordan. From there, our men informed us that Kaylee and Lucas had taken refuge in Ivory Fangs, the closest pack to Shadow Moon.

Imagine my shock when I climbed off the bus to find Amelia, David, Kurt, Kaylee, Lucas, and Simon standing in the crowd as they welcomed the newcomers and the Council wolves. It wasn’t until the welcome dinner that I was told that Amelia is the mysterious Alpha Rose, and her beta—Beta Lilac—is Kaylee herself. There seems to be more to why these two ladies kept their identities hidden, though, and I have a feeling it has something to do with Alpha Ramos.

“Devon?”

Jumping back from the curtain, I turn to find Carolyn waiting by the door, her hair combed back into a braid and her bright eyes staring at me with hope. Wondering why she’s here, I leave the window and walk towards the girl who keeps clinging to me despite my obvious irritation towards her.

“Do you need anything?” I ask Carolyn, and her face lights up with a smile.

“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to explore the pack with me. Maya says she’ll show us around,” Carolyn answers, reaching out and taking my hand.

I glare at her, taking my hand from her grasp none too gently before looking over my shoulder and back at the window. I have the feeling that David and Lucas recognize me, but I can’t be sure. I need to call Alpha Ramos and update him on the situation before I can walk around Ivory Fangs freely.

“I have a bit of a headache and was just about to rest,” I lie to the she-wolf, turning back to see her smile fall. “How about we go to the packhouse later tonight for dinner? We can tell Beta Kaylee the roles we’d like when it’s our turn to join the pack.”

This seems to be the right move—Carolyn lights up once more.

“Okay, sounds good. Get some rest, and I’ll come get you when I’m back.”

With that, Carolyn turns on her heels and rushes away. She’s a nice girl with a nice body, one I wouldn’t have minded fucking senseless. But she’s too clingy for my liking, and I have a feeling that if I gave in and fucked her, she’d become increasingly clingier until I either marked her as mine or she found her Goddess-given mate.

Closing my door and slinking towards my bed, I grab the phone from underneath the mattress and dial the only number programmed into it. While I wait for the other person to pick up, I reminisce about how lucky I was to have run into Carolyn when I did.

Meeting her was both a blessing and a curse for me. On the one hand, people trusted me due to Carolyn’s bubbly nature, which gave me the opportunities I needed to spy for Alpha Ramos. On the other hand, it became hard to report my findings to him and finish the mission I was forced into. Sometimes, I would slip away to the bathroom just to send a quick text to Ramos before returning to Carolyn’s side and pretending to be a rogue, scared and wary of the world.

“Devon, where the hell have you been?” Alpha Ramos shouts as soon as the call connects. I wince, holding the phone away from my ear for a moment while I suppress my anger.

“I’m sorry for my delay in relaying information, Alpha,” I manage to reply as calmly as possible. I can’t anger this man, considering I’m still under the Blood Pact, and any slight towards him would cause me to suffer. “I was stuck on a bus full of wolves and then was busy settling into Ivory Fangs, so my report has been delayed until now,” I continue, getting a huff of annoyance in return from Ramos.

“I guess I can let it slide,” he grumbles, his anger clear as day, even over a call. “Do you have any news for me?” he demands a second later. I take a deep breath before replying, knowing that the Blood Pact will punish me if I withhold anything.

“I do,” I confirm, looking towards the door. I know war will come with my words—that Alpha Ramos and Marilyn will begin marching down here as soon as possible to kill Amelia, Kaylee, and Lucas. As guilty as I feel about this, I must consider my freedom.

“As you suspected, Lucas and Kaylee are here, and it seems like they’ve mended their bond,” I continue, getting a dark chuckle from the man on the other line—a chuckle that sends shivers down my spine and fear rocketing through me.

“But there’s more,” I add before the pain of the Blood Pact can affect me. “Your sister, Amelia Cross, is the alpha, and Kaylee is her beta.”

A sudden sense of weightlessness fills me with the words, and the shackles of the Blood Pact are gone. I take a deep breath, shocked and elated. I’m free.

“I see,” Alpha Ramos states. “Come back here immediately so we can discuss the next steps of the plan,” he orders, his voice filled with the power of an alpha command—a command that slides right off me. I find myself laughing.

“What’s so funny, Devon?” Alpha Ramos asks, anger growing with each word he spits.

“The Blood Pact has been fulfilled. You no longer own me,” I respond with glee. “You can go fuck yourself, Ramos. I’m a rogue, free to choose what I do now.”

“Devon, you bas—” I hang up on Ramos’ curse, my smile growing wider.

I’m a free man now—a man who can leave Ivory Fangs and find a life for himself.