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Time flies when you’re happy, when things are going right. And it’s been going so well that I can’t help but flinch at how utterly wrong things are about to start getting. Now that the twins have begun school, it’s time for us to do the job we traded all the scary stuff for.
Rogue Nation is a series of underground tunnels bombed by the KNAVE, an organization that Knight and his circle were all members of, and then destroyed when its weight became too much to bear. Over twenty–five thousand wolves lost the only home they ever knew when they were forced to kill one of their own–the former Rogue King.
Eight years later, the person who destroyed this humble home wants to rebuild it. The more I look at it, the less I think it’s a good idea. It would be a reminder of his part in all of this, and as someone who constantly questions what the hell they’re doing, I feel it’s not a good foundation to start on. Especially, because Knight tends to be very dramatic about the fucked up shit he does.
All I have to do is tell him.
“This is a terrible idea.” Mr. Knightly tosses Knight’s plan on the table, and I feel like an idiot for trying to say something without hurting my mate’s feelings.
“Give me one good reason why it’s not?” Knight challenges. I look at my father–in–law to see that he’s about to say something off the cuff.
“You blew up the last one,” I say, immediately regretting.
“You’re siding with him. That doesn’t shock me,” he huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s wearing a t–shirt and it’s doing a great job at showcasing his physique.
“Hon. It’s not that I’m on his side. I was going to say something before he blurted it out like an asshole, but he’s right. Looking at this from a business perspective. You’re going to spend a shit ton of money trying to piece this place together and I’m telling you now that it’ll all go to waste.”
“Exactly.” his father nods.
“Look, something terrible happened here. A lot of people died, and a lot of people Have suffered. Why do you think asking them back to the scene of the crime is a good idea?”
It was their home,” he shrugs.
“And it’s gone. They’ve moved on.” I mimic his shrug. “You said that you guys have so many safehouses that we have many options to choose from when we must move on. Yes?”
“Yeah.”
“Rogues like to stay under the radar. They like to work for themselves and do their own thing. You can use that to your advantage. Not every nomad out there is as well off as you are. I know when I ran away from home, I didn’t have shit–just two bands in my pocket and a backpack with like four outfits in it.
“I slept in a couple of different gyms and homeless shelters before I could get into the dorm rooms at SD. These houses are sitting there gathering dust. Like this place.” I motion Perry’s house. “They can be useful and I’m one hundred percent sure that there are some really fucking clever kids out there that would appreciate a roof over their heads.”
“Have I ever told you that your mate is brilliant?” Mr. Knightly asks. “I have a great deal of properties that can also be utilized to house little delinquents who can be useful to us.”
“To the King.” I roll my eyes. “To him. They are his people. You are his people.” I turn to Knight and laugh. “We should give him a job. One that requires him not to be whispering evil shit in our ears whenever Maria gets bored with him.”
“I take offense to that, Little Mortal,” he huffs.
“I sure hope so,” I stick my tongue out at him.
“You’re right. She’s brilliant.” Knight laughs. “Arnold, would you like to be in charge of opening the safehouses for rogues with nowhere to go?”
Mr. Knightly looks over at me with a glare. A smile at him and then tap the folder with Knight’s plan to remodel Rogue Nation. He sighs and pushes it away from him.
“I was hoping to help you with the agen-”
“No.” I shake my head.
“No?” he asks, his nostrils flaring.
“No,” I confirm.
His eyes darken, and he has to look away. He straightens himself up to process that I might be the first person ever to tell him that. Knight tries to hide his delight but fails, as he looks between the two of us with a huge grin on his face.
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“No?” he repeats once more.
“Fuck. No.” I shrug.
He takes a deep breath.“Why?”
“Because this is my thing. We make a great team, but you’re not a team player. Now that you know where we stand, you’re going to make demands, and I can’t have you Arnold–ing my vision because that’s what it is. Mine. We don’t agree on everything, and if I were to need your help with something, it wouldn’t be my work. I appreciate the offer, but the answer is
no.”
He stands up abruptly and goes to leave. I put my hand up when Knight tries to stop him.
“Angel-”
“Let him sit on that. He’s upset, and the last thing I want is for him to start breaking my sister’s things. This is the last monument of her true mate, and we should value it for what it is. This isn’t going to be the first time we tell him to fuck off Everyone has to get used to it. Especially, him,”
“I just don’t want him to do something stupid. Not a lot of people tell him no.”
“I know.” I nod. “Trust him. He’s just trying to latch on to a something to do now that he doesn’t have a big ass pack to run. I don’t think setting up housing will be enough for him. He said something about the council denying him illegal goods? “He did say that, yeah. Do you remember everything in detail?” he asks suddenly.
“Sometimes. If I think something is funny and I thought it was funny when he said it, as if it wasn’t something uncommon I shrug. He smiles and gives me a little nod. “Maybe hook him up with whoever Perry got those illegal orchids in the back yard from.”
“Why would orchids be illegal?”
“They’re afrodesiacs or whatever. Some of them are poisonous to wolves. Perry did a whole intro on them in her videos after I mentioned Lillies were my favorite. She told me which were a no–no.”
“Plants aren’t my thing,” he says almost as if he were embarrassed.
“You’re a guy. It makes sense,” I laugh.
“How long before City of Phoebs is up?” he smirks.
“It’s been a couple of months. The plumbing was trash, and Vy told me that Magique has a lot of rogues who don’t have a place to stay. I considered using the subbasement for rooms and the basement for storage. So, I’m having it all replaced so we don’t have any trouble if people do end up staying down there.” I reach for my bag, but he takes it out of my hand when he comes around to lean against the table beside me. “Did I do something to upset you?”
“Quite the opposite,” he says, setting the bag down. He tips my chin up so I don’t look away. ‘I would like to ask you to work with me until your shop is ready for business. There are a lot of girls who aren’t very good around men. I’d Eke for you to-*
“Okay.” I jump up. “Question,”
“All right,” he smiles, pulling me into him.
“How are we going to talk to these people? Do we call an assembly? Like, how do we all communicate?”
“Rogue Nation,” he answers. I groan, making him reach out to pinch my chin. “It’s online, a sort of dark web area only we know how to access.”
“Rogues?”
“Correct.”
“That sounds weird. Why wouldn’t a pack wolf know how to get in?”
“Because one thing that pack wolves lack the most is imagination. Pack mentality, while powerful, is very limiting. It’s why most artists are rogues or vampires. A couple of them are sirens. We also have a few incubi.*
“Have you ever met a gargoyle?” I ask.
“Yeah, how do you know about those?”
“Perry rants.”
“Yeah, let’s not get into gargoyles. They freak me out.”
