Twenty Six.

Dylan

 Falling back into the same routine was much too easy. It has been about three weeks since I took the trip to the city with Alpha Rogan. 

So much happened that day, and yet it felt like I was right back where I had always been.

 Lecia and her brothers were probably the only thing that I looked forward to lately. They had invited me to come over to meet their parents for dinner, but I still wasn't fully ready for that.

 The three of them didn't push too hard since they were much too excited to spend all their extra time at my house. Lecia said her brothers liked it because no one there told them what to do.

 Regardless of why they liked being here didn't matter to me so much as the fact that they were here at all. It felt nice to have friends here and it made everything else bearable. 

 School had resumed and even though no one talked to me still, neither did they bother me. It seemed that seeing Lecia and her brothers around me made me seem somewhat normal.

 Work continued with little to no changes and I hadn't heard from Mr. Winters once. I did, however, get a new manager who felt the need to check in with me, often.

 Today was the first day that I didn't have school or work and I was already scheduled to hang out with the Silveras. Rae, however, wanted me to ask for a rain check instead because she insisted I let her out for a run.

 From the moment I had woken up today she was filling my head with anything she could think of to persuade me. Unfortunately, she was forgetting Alpha Rogan's words from the night we returned. 

 Vit had accompanied me home that day and had insisted to search the area before he even let me get out of the car. When we were on the porch, he made me wait again while he searched the house.

 At first Vit locked me in and I could hear him outside on the front porch and walking around the outside of the house every twenty to thirty minutes. 

 I had invited him to come sit inside with me, but he refused, as kindly as he could. For the first few hours, I let it go and went out to offer him water every so often.

 Using my current confinement to my advantage, I decided to do a deep cleaning in the house. Sweeping, moping, dusting, and even going through my closet only took up a few hours.

 When day turned into night, I decided to make something for the both of us to eat. There had been no word from the Alpha, at least not to me, and cooking helped me clear my mind.

 As soon as the food was done, I tried again to see if Vit would join me inside to eat, but he continued to refuse me. I was already resolved to bringing him out a plate, but I felt sad about his adamant refusal.

 I had only taken a few steps away from him, when I started speaking. Vit didn't seem like he would be moved by my words, but for some strange reason I felt the urge to tell him.

 "I don't know what you may know about me, but I don't have many friends. Most people avoid me, or make fun of me, or just hate me for no reason. Since you are showing me kindness, I wanted to show my appreciation the only way I know how."

 The crunch of his foot steps had ceased, but after I said my peace, I went ahead and walked inside. When I made it to the kitchen I heard a sharp knock on the door before the knob turned.

 Vit opened it slowly, "it would be my pleasure to share a meal with you Ms. Solamier, if the offer still stands."

 I couldn't hold back the smile that spread across my face. Even though Vit was no where near as kind to me as Noel had been, I was still glad that my words had made him reconsider my offer.

 We made it through a very quick and quiet meal. There was no small talk and when he was done he thanked me for the food before heading back outside.

 It wasn't until I had finished cleaning up the meal, showered, and was about to start reading in the living room that Alpha Rogan finally showed up.

 His voice outside my door was loud and angry and I really didn't want him coming in. The incident from that morning was still fresh in my mind and my jaw ached suddenly.

 Rae was cursing him in my head, but it didn't halt the fear in my heart. I was trying to force myself to go out and confront him, but the fear gripped me and kept me locked in place.

 Alpha Rogan was kind, but only when he wanted to be. He was strong and could be brutal from one moment to the next and I wasn't sure what mood he was in right now, and that made me pause.

 I knew that he was speaking aloud because he wanted me to hear what he was saying to Vit. Standing by the door, I listened to him, but couldn't force myself to open up and go outside.

 "Our borders are secure, and all gates have double the guard and patrol coverage. There was nothing left but the message. Meet up with Noel and Marq at the Northern watch tower and inform me once things are set up."

Marq? That name both piqued my interest and sounded unfamiliar.

 So there had been an attack on the pack lands and someone had left a message. I wondered what the message may have said and where someone may have left it.

 There was no comment from Vit, at least not one that I heard before the second knock of the night sounded. Knowing who it was made me afraid to reach out and open it, but I knew that even if I didn't he would just come in.

 Before he knocked again, I lurched for the door before I ended up pissing him off. "Good evening Alpha," I greeted him meekly.

 He brushed past me and quickly walked inside, but turned to a figure that I had not seen there a moment before.

 "Stay within linking distance," he ordered to the unidentifiable person before closing the door behind him.

 The moment we were both inside, I headed straight to the kitchen to offer him something, "would you like something to eat or drink?"

 I grabbed myself some water, but he immediately declined. "No, I will not be staying long, I just needed to come and explain some things to you before I head back out," he said.

 He walked over to the the table, but did not sit so when I walked over to him I stayed near the opposite end. 

 "There was someone here while we were away today, however they did not do anything but let us know of their presence. The mere fact that they were able to get on my lands is inconceivable," he growled.

 I held my breath for a moment while I waited for him to continue knowing that if I asked what the message said he could possible fly into another rage like this morning.

 Alpha Rogan ran his hands through his mussed hair and took a few deep breaths, but then finally continued.

 "Until we figure out who this is, you are not to go anywhere other than school, the pack house, or the grocery shops. And, under no circumstances are you to shift and let Rae out," he demanded.

 "Yes Alpha, I understand," I bowed to him in acknowledgement as Rae simultaneously ranted wildly about his words.

 The look that he was giving me was intense and I knew that one wrong word or move on my part would push him over the edge that he so obviously was balance on.

 A howl sounded outside and my heart started to race, but he said, "do not worry, that is just the patrols letting you know they are still here since you can not link with them."

 Well, I didn't know if I should be thankful or if it was just another reason that would make them all look down on me. I couldn't help but glance to the front window, and Alpha Rogan saw it.

 "Dylan, I know what you are thinking. They will inform you of their presence and nothing more, but they are one of the main reasons why you need to keep Rae hidden."

 Alpha Rogan's eyes glimmered and I knew that he was linking with someone and it must have been really important because he was already walking for the door before his eyes had gone back to their usual color.

 I wanted to ask him for more information about what was going on out there, but when he grabbed the door and turned back to me his eyes were more black than their usual blue color.

 "This is my one and only warning Dylan. Under no circumstances am I to find out that you disobeyed me. If you do, your life will become much, much worse."

 There was nothing I could honestly say to that. I had no idea how he could make my life any worse, but I was absolutely terrified about what he might think up to make that come happen.

 Rae had been asking to be let out everyday since then, but her persistence today was much more intense than all the others.

 With so much to think about, I decided to run through some workouts to try to help myself focus before going through my clothes to pick out a somewhat decent outfit for the day.

 Even though the Sylvera's were coming over here to make lunch and watch movies, like usual, the joy that came with their visits made me want to put a little extra effort into my appearance.

 Lecia had been texting me from the moment she woke up this morning and I felt like she was giving me a play by play of her day. It was funny how much joy she got out of giving out such trivial information.

 My phone was going off about every five to ten minutes and I was about to get into the shower when I looked at the last message.

 Lecia asked if I would be okay with Cruz bringing his friend with them and though I was a little worried, I agreed. Lecia's brother's were just as kind as she was and I knew that they probably had good taste in friends.

 I sent back "sure" before I jumped into the shower. Rae was getting pissed at the fact that she knew I was completely ignoring her.

 Deciding to help drown her out with some music, I put on one my play lists on my phone and took my time singing along in the shower. The music worked wonders to lighten my mood, so I kept it on while I dressed and fixed my hair.

 After Lecia's little make over, she had convinced me to order some new clothes from some online stores. Since a few of the things came in this past week I decided to impress her by wearing one of the outfits she helped me choose. 

 I chose some light blue skinny jeans with distressed patches on the legs, a white peasant blouse, and some sparkly sandals that showed off my freshly painted hot pink toes.

 Since I still haven't learned all the ins and outs of putting on makeup, I just put on a little lip gloss and pulled my wild mane into what I learned to be called a messy bun on the top of my head.

 The music coming from my phone was now a mix of my play list and some songs that Lecia and her brothers had insisted I listen to so that I could "broaden my horizons" or so they said.

 I didn't know this song, but it had a really catchy tune and I was whistling along when I heard the knocking on the front door. Taking the time to get ready really took quite a bit of time and I hadn't realized that it was time for them to come already.

 Rushing to get the door, I grabbed the phone and turned the music off. I hadn't realized I had missed like ten messages and I was quickly trying to read through them as I walked to get the door.

 "I'm coming, I'm coming," I called out as I was walking down the little hallway into the living room as I continued to scroll through all of Lecia's texts. The last message was up on the screen when I reached out for the door knob.

 Unsure I had read it correctly, I tried to read a bit slower to make sure that it truly said what I had first thought. I sucked in a large breath and was about to pull my hand back, but it was too late, the knob was already turning and the door was being opened.

 Why hadn't I paid better attention to my phone? If I had, I would have been able to either stop this from happening or prepare myself. Lecia's last message read:

 Hey doll, I know you said you were cool with my brother's friend, but I completely forgot to let you know that it's Eren. Like Eren Eren! Are you sure you're gonna be okay with it?

 Lecia swung the door open wide and sure enough, there were four figures instead of the usual three who came to visit. I swallowed down my nerves and welcomed them all inside. This was going to be an interesting evening.