The Spare: A Life of Secrets

-Lucas- “It’s looking good,” David tells me as we step back, taking in the packhouse. It’s taken years to finish, and more money than I realized at first. I wasn’t prepared enough to form my own pack when I was banished. It’s taken years, but I’ve made it work. “It does,” I sigh. “No more bunk houses for us. We get a room tonight.” He smirks at me. “We still have our dumpy beds we have to move in.” “Soon enough,” I tell him, though it’s an empty promise. “I don’t know when I’ll have money for new beds while we can barely feed our pack members. I’ll figure it out, though.” “You always do.” Truly, I always find a way to make it work. I was banished from home and started my own pack. I needed funds, so I started blackmailing alphas. I always make it work, even if it’s not the ideal way to handle things. The pack has cars now, and homes for each family, while those who are single are placed in a bunkhouse for now. We’ve even been bringing in shewolves to mate with our males to ensure our population will continue to grow. Soon enough, my pack will be impossible for my brother to ignore. David claps my shoulder. “I wasn’t sure how this was going to all work out, but it has. When are you going to make a move for the throne?” “I think I’m going to wait for my dear nephew to take it. He’ll be easier to topple while unmated.” “You are unmated, Lucas,” David reminds me with a slight chuckle. “True, but while my nephew has a team of selected guards, I have an entire pack, ready to get their revenge on the royals. They’re desperate for wrongs to be righted, and that makes them far more dangerous than any trained guards.” I walk out toward the stables to check in on our newest recruits. Dealing with rogues can be difficult. Depending on how long they’ve been left out in the rogue land and who they have had with them, they often need a bit of rehabilitation time. If they’re too unstable or, goddess forbid, stuck in their wolf form, we won’t take them. But a few weeks of being cared for in a stall have done wonders in helping to integrate many back into a pack. We have eight males that we’ve brought in over the past few days. Two of them are quite a bit rougher than the rest, but they seem far calmer this afternoon than they did yesterday. “That one wants to hunt,” Freddy tells me. He’s my pack member who watches over the rogues we bring back who aren’t quite ready to be around everyone else. I shake my head. “No. We need to break the habits now. We all know how to hunt, but we live here in human form. He must assimilate.” The man looks up at me, dark eyes shining. I’m sure that he’s spent a significant amount of time recently in his wolf form. He needs to get used to being in his human form if he wants to stay with us. “What if we do raw meat, but not fresh?” I suggest, feeling a pang of guilt. I don’t have to make everything absolutely terrible for the guy. “We can do that, Prince Lucas.” I sigh. I’ve told him numerous times to call me alpha, or even just Lucas. The authority of a title hasn’t interested me since I was banished. I left that life behind many years ago. I’m not a prince at all, though I intend to topple the king someday. But I must have the right person to place on the throne then. It is not as easy as one may think. “Excuse me, Alpha Lucas,” my top warrior says from the doorway. “I need to speak with you when you have a moment. I believe it is important.” I nod, glancing down at the man in the stall’s dark wolf eyes. I don’t know if I can bring this one back, but he wants to hunt. I believe he will be a fine warrior if we can get through this and allow his human side to lead him. I want his bloodthirsty wolf on a battlefield. “Yes, Jesse,” I say, stepping outside with him. “I was approached in the woods by a man,” he tells me, almost seeming nervous. “He was quite young and clearly has been rogue for quite some time. He said his father has passed, and he wishes to sell his sister to us.” I freeze, staring into the man. “Excuse me?” He shrugs, clearly not understanding the situation. “I don’t know. He said he’s heard you are in the market for shewolves, and he needs to send his sister elsewhere.” “And he expects to be paid?” I ask. “That business is not known throughout the rogues. I work with packs, or we take.” He nods slowly, growing nervous. “I know, sir. I do not know where they heard this.” “Well, I should meet them, then. I would hate to disappoint the young man. How old is the sister?” “He said of age. He did not elaborate.” Of age. She’s likely quite young, then. We have a few males approaching the age, though. It could be advantageous. And it’s much easier to take them from the rogue land instead of the kingdom. There’s far less chance of alerting my brother to what I’m doing. “They said they’d bring her to the same place they found me this evening,” Jesse continues. “I can take you there.” I nod. “That will do. I’ll bring David, just in case. We need to put an end to the rumors before someone runs to dear old King Peter.” “Agreed. We will handle it tonight.” I spend the rest of my afternoon moving items into my new alpha office. There’s no desk, but two sawhorses and some wood over top. There is not a plush leather chair behind it as you’d find for most alphas, but a small wooden one that David has repaired countless times. But it’s mine. I did this. I created an entire pack on my own. Well, I’ve had some help, but not much. I change into boots and a warmer jacket, ready to follow Jesse out to meet these guys. David joins me, dressed almost identically. He smirks but is wise enough not to say anything. The friendship between us has been one of the most surprising things in my life. I approached him after my father took his pack and cast him out as a rogue. He’s been in the land longer than I have, but not by too much. He’d found a witch to befriend, and had maintained much of his sanity when I ran into him. David had once been best friends with my brother. Peter didn’t fight for him when my father cast him out. He didn’t do anything to try and save his friend, because he’d met his mate and didn’t care about anyone else. He only cared about her and her feelings. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never taken a mate. Well, that and the fact I’ve not met my fated mate. But I’m content to run my pack on my own, because I won’t make the stupid choices Peter did. We reach a small clearing that is fairly far from the territory we’ve taken. I’m surprised to find three wolves there, though the two males are shifted into their human form. I don’t even have to get to them to smell it. Buried deep beneath the nearly overwhelming stench of rogue is my mate. It’s our mate, my wolf, Orion, tells me. I had long assumed Peter had found her and had her killed. But she’s here. “You have a shewolf for me?” I ask, not wanting to let on to the truth. Both men bow and turn their heads in submission, no doubt fearful of my aura. “Yes, Prince Lucas. Our sister.” Honestly, it’s disgusting that this is their plan to deal with their own sister. I only had a brother. He was a s**t, but I never would have sold him to someone like me. Something must be wrong with the girl. “Why?” I ask. “Why do you need to sell her?” “Our father died,” the younger of the two males tells me. I step closer to get a better look. She’s a pretty wolf, even if she is on the smaller side and filthy. Clearly, she’s underfed. Food isn’t always abundant out here with the number of wolves that have been cast out over the years. “We can’t deal with her. We know you buy shewolves.” I smirk at him. “And who told you that?” He shrugs. “A wolf. I don’t know his name.” “But a rogue?” I ask. I need to find who is telling the wolves this. I need the rumors shut down. He sighs. “No. I saw you kidnap some. But we need the money.” What a fool. I was planning to kill him to shut him up. I’ll do it anyway, though, because he’s planning to sell my mate. A mate I don’t even want, but she’s here and I… I don’t know. I feel this sudden urge to get her from them. I need to protect her. “I don’t buy shewolves,” I tell them flatly. “What’s wrong with her?” “Nothing,” the first one says quickly. Too quickly. I stare at them, releasing just a bit more of my aura, and he caves. “She’s stuck as a wolf.” David steps up beside me. “We don’t do that. They’re too dangerous.” “She’s fine,” I tell him, my eyes locking with hers. She doesn’t seem intimidated by my aura. Can she smell me? Does she know? “You and Jesse handle the boys. I’ll take care of her.” Her eyes suddenly turn fearful, and she cowers and backs away from me. I hold out my hand to her. She’s my mate. I was sure she’d come straight to me. She sniffs the air, but she’s still terrified. She has to have understood what they’ve said. “Let me take her away first,” I tell David. He grabs hold of the first brother, Jesse taking the second. “You’re safe,” I tell her, trying to keep my voice soft. I turn back to her brothers. “What’s her name?” “Allison,” one says, clearly fearful of what’s about to come. He should be. “Allison,” I say, her name like a prayer on my lips. I need to get her home. I need to get her somewhere safe. “I’m going to take you home, Allison. It’s safe there. Nothing will hurt you again.” Finally she nuzzles my hand, so I take my clothes off and shift, letting Orion lead her to her new pack.