Chapter 6

Dagger's POV

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The coffee dripped into the pot as I stared. The sun hadn't risen yet, and neither had Serenity. She was still in my bed, breathing deeply as she slept. It was the sound I focused on now since it was the only thing I had to remind me that she was real. That she was mine, here, and had accepted me.

Though, it hadn't been easy for her. Not like it had been for me. The decision, in my mind, was already made as soon as I found her. But for her? It was like choosing to jump off a cliff with no bottom in sight. The comparison had been like throwing cold water on my head, but I couldn't be mad at her for it. I couldn't even fault her for it.

After taking her from the center of the circle, she had a panic attack. I could tell she thought I was keeping vital information from her. Technically, I was, but if I told her the meaning of the black line, it would've tainted this whole thing.

The black ribbon was something I'd only seen used one other time when I was a pup. The Ribbon of Life was used for serious pacts. Ones that had to result in dire consequences if the pact was broken, or if the terms of the agreement were broken. It was almost like the blood-binding oath Benny had gone through to save the humans, but worse.

Should a pact bound by the Ribbon of Life become forfeit somehow, one or both of the parties present would die. In Serenity's and my case, if I didn't mark her within the two months, I would die. Punishment for my past actions as well as my defying the Elder Council so publicly.

The way Cecil saw it, I should have let my mate and the other humans die. In his mind, had I not spoken up, Conri and the others—yes others—wouldn't have claimed their human mates. All would've continued as normal, except for the unbearable grief we all would've suffered. But at least the wolf population would've been safe.

Of course, that wasn't what happened.

According to Conri, after Serenity's and my bonding ceremony, three more wolves came forward. A Paleoak female's mate ended up being Jake, which worked out well since a Frostclaw male's mate was Macie. Lastly, a Timberpaw female's mate ended up being one of Tank's brothers—Tate. All accepted and completed the bonding ceremonies.

"You're up early," Benny's voice broke me from my thoughts. He was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, resting his hands on his cane. A fresh bandage was wrapped around his wrist.

"I could say the same for you." I turned my attention back to the coffee pot.

"I must say, that was the most eventful Elder's Meeting that I've been to in a long time. Five human mates..." Benny let out a low whistle. The shuffling of his cane moved behind me as he made it to the fridge. "How is Serenity doing?"

"Sleeping." I hated that I didn't know exactly how she was. I had to guess what she was thinking, what she was feeling. If she was a wolf, this wouldn't have been an issue.

"Obviously I can hear that she's asleep." The fridge door opened. "It was a lot for her to take in, I'm sure. Poor kid."

"It was." I opened the cupboard and pulled out a mug. Filling the cup with freshly brewed coffee, I tried not to think too much about the way I'd held her hair back while she puked last night. Panic attacks...

"Conri got the humans back to camp alright?" Benny asked, closing the fridge again.

"He had help."

"Ah yes. The other humans' mates." Benny shuffled over to my side and set creamer on the counter. "Does she know about your...stipulation?"

"No. And it's going to stay that way." I stepped out of his way, watching as he fumbled around a bit to get his mug and fill it. "She'll either let me mark her or she won't. I'm not going to have her feeling like she owes me something."

"Don't be so dramatic."

"I'm not. If she knows that I will die if we don't seal our bond, it won't be real."

"The Moon Goddess says otherwise."

I set my half-finished cup of coffee on the counter. "We need eggs."

"The stores don't open for an hour and a half," Benny called after me as I headed for the stairs.

"Good thing I'm driving then, hm?" I retorted, continuing up the stairs and to my room.

Carefully opening the door, I slipped into the room and avoided the creaky floorboards as I walked over to the side of the bed. My Serenity was turned away from me, still peacefully asleep, and I knew it was completely wrong of me to watch her like this. Very stalkerish to a human, but...I couldn't help myself.

Everything she did fascinated me. Probably because I had no clue what was going on in her head. And if I could've spent the rest of my life looking at her, I probably would've because nothing could compare. People went to museums to admire art, but all I had to do was look at Serenity and know I was staring at a masterpiece.

She rolled over to face me, and a small smile made its way to my lips as I saw that she was wearing the shirt I'd given her to sleep in. It was a win to know she didn't detest me so much that she'd slept in her clothes from last night. The ones I'd left alone, at least.

There may or may not have been a certain Boise State sweatshirt she'd been wearing that stunk of Tank. And I may or may not have taken it and tossed it in the fireplace. After she'd fallen asleep, of course.

A strand of hair had fallen into her face as she shifted in her sleep, and I couldn't resist. Brushing it away, I savored the moment my fingertips had against her skin.

I really didn't want to leave Serenity while she was sleeping. But if we were being honest, the longer I stayed in this house with her scent overwhelming me, with no way to properly touch her, the more my wolf wanted to take control of the situation.

So, I finished getting ready, walked downstairs to write her a note, then left in the old, beat-up Chevy. As long as Serenity stayed with Benny or at least in the cabin, she was safe. And I planned on being back as soon as I got eggs.

The drive into town took a little more than an hour, and it wasn't the nicest drive. Especially with unpaved roads most of the way down the mountain. Not to mention I had to keep an eye out for wildlife that wanted to bolt in front of the pickup. I really didn't need to redo the front end again. And it was a good thing that I was paying so close attention because halfway down the mountain, someone decided to run out in front of me.

Fucking Conri.

The idiot wore a shit-eating grin as the poor Chevy stopped inches from him. When he was sure I was stopped, he walked around to the side, waiting for me to unlock the doors or roll down the window. Unfortunately, that meant I had to reach across the seat to do either, so I just unlocked the door for simplicity's sake. Conri hopped in the pickup.

"I was hoping it was you! What's up, brother?"

"Why are you in my pickup, fucker?" I growled, giving him a death glare.

"Why'd you unlock the doors if you didn't want me in it?" The shit-eating grin was still plastered on the ginger asshole's face. Then he motioned to the road. "I can talk while you drive."

"Shouldn't you be with your mate?" Gripping the steering wheel, I started down the mountain again.

"She's sleeping and the camp was getting a little crowded with all the wolves in it. Ever think a Bloodmoon, a Paleoak, a Timberpaw, and a Frostclaw would sleep in the same place peacefully? That sounds like the beginning to a bad joke."

"Not really, but I'm also still wondering why you're in my pickup."

"Alright, alright, fuck." Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him slump down a bit. He continued, "We all know Bane is going to exile me from the Bloodmoons, right? So I thought, 'what the hell, why don't I just kick it with Dag?' And I would rather bunk with you rather than some Paleoak and Timberpaw anyway."

"Where the fuck do you think I live?" Is he serious? "I don't live in a fucking mansion, Conri."

"Sure, but I can use a couch. And I figure since you took your mate home—"

"I didn't mark her," I held up my hand, showing him the red and black marks.

"Oh fuck man. So it's true then...? Cecil really broke out the Ribbon of Life?"

"Yeah."

"I mean I saw it, but I figured I just saw wrong... So you don't think your mate will be cool with sharing a bed with you while I crash on your couch for a while?"

"When the fuck did I agree to that?"

"Awe, come on man. Don't be a dick. Do you think I want to go back home to your brother who has a hard-on for killing humans?" Conri shuddered. "Staying at the lair with him is a nightmare...believe me. It made sense at the time, but the dude's a fucking sadist. No wonder he doesn't have a mate yet."

"Well, just because you chose the wrong side does not make you my problem." Glaring at him from the corner of my eye, I saw him tense a little. But this was Conri. And Benny was right. I couldn't keep blaming my brother's pack for turning on me. I sighed, "So...did you mark Nat?"

"You call her Nat too?" Conri sounded a little disgusted. "But no...I did not mark her yet."

"Isn't that her preferred name?"

"She's not a fucking bug! Nat," Conri huffed. "If I ever get my hands on her dad, I'm strangling him for making her hate her full name. Swear to the Moon Goddes, I will do it."

"Why don't you just focus on showing her how to love her name again, hm?" I suggested, fiddling with the air vent because it wasn't blowing on me.

"Huh..." Conri stared at me like I'd grown another head.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hey, you ever think about what the pack would've been like if you had beat Bane?"

"Fuck, Conri. You really want to bring up that shit? Now?" I looked at him in disbelief.

"Well, considering you won't let me crash on your couch, I figure this is the only time to bring it up." All he gave me back was a shrug. It really pissed me off how nonchalant he was being. As if the past ten years hadn't happened. As if we'd been friends the entire time.

But he was right. When were we going to get another chance to talk like this?

"Yeah, I think about it. A lot." I scratched at the phantom pain in my chest, specifically where the worst scar Bane had left was. Had it not been for Benny, I would've died of sepsis from that alone.

"Me too. Ever since your dad stepped down, it's really gone to shit."

"Can't be too bad. No one's defected yet."

"What the hell do you think I'm trying to do? There's no way I could make it on my own, but...with you? Shit, we'd make a badass pair!"

So that was what this was. Now that he had a mate, he had to protect her. But being only a beta, Conri had no chance of taking Bane in a one-on-one fight. And a one-on-one fight was unlikely since Bane would just get the whole pack to turn on him. There was always the loner life, like me, but Conri wasn't strong enough to face any retaliation by himself.

"We're not making a pack," I grumbled.

Besides not wanting to, it wasn't just as simple as joining up together. The Elder Council had to recognize and accept the pack. They had to approve the alpha, and it was just a bunch of bullshit hoops to go through. Too much effort for too much fucking headache.

"I'm not saying you have to agree...but at least think about it, alright?" Fuck me, Conri's relentless.

"Fine." I wasn't planning on thinking about it at all.

"So about crashing on the couch..."

"Damn, Conri. Do you ever shut up?"

"Nope." Conri grinned, knowing he had me right where he wanted me.

"Fine. Whatever. But Benny has the final say. It's his cabin."

"Great! So where are we going?" Conri finally put on his seatbelt, securing it with a click. "You can just drop me off near the campground on our way back. Damn it...I'll have to talk to Bane too, I guess... Fuck, he's going to want to know why I'm moving out. Also, what the fuck are we listening to?"

Glancing at the radio, I shrugged and turned it up so Conri couldn't talk anymore. It was The Offspring, one of their older album CDs. Conspiracy of One, to be specific. My personal favorite, next to Nirvana's Nevermind album. And the best part? It rocked hard enough to drown out Conri's bitch ass.

But it was kinda nice to talk to him again. Even if he was still the obnoxious chatter-box he'd been when we were kids. However, I was still pissed at him for everything that happened back then. Especially considering he'd taken on the beta role for Bane. Talk about a kick in the balls.

The rest of the drive was companionable, even if Conri wasn't a fan of my music choices. Fortunately for him, though, we got to town just as the stores were starting to open. Turning into the parking lot, we stopped and got out.

Once we walked inside, we were greeted by an older lady who wore way too much makeup. She seemed half-asleep, but could she really be blamed? Conri and I were the only customers in the store, and I doubted anyone else in town was up this early on a Sunday.

"Do you think I should get condoms? Like... until she's ready for my mark? Natalie was adamant about using one when we—" Conri stopped in front of the condoms, pregnancy tests, and baby formula, "—had sex last night."

"You fucked her but you didn't mark her?" I crossed my arms, glancing at the condoms briefly.

"She said she didn't want a 'hickey.' It's irritating, bro. Like...she was all over me last night when we made it back to camp, but after? Fuck no. I couldn't even sleep in the tent with her." Conri raked a hand through his hair. "Humans make no sense. It's not just a 'hickey.' Not to mention she came prepared with like...seven sizes of condoms... Do you think I should be concerned? Not that I'm shaming her. Like, I know I've fucked girls before her, but she's end game for me. She's human, though, so I don't know if it works the same for her... You know?"

"Yeah..." Oh, boy did I. If I wasn't Serenity's end game, that was it. Game over for me.

"Maybe I should..." Conri grabbed a pack of Trojans. Then offered me one too, "Better wrap it up, man. You know...for when you finally lose your virginity."

"Fuck off." I stomped down the aisle, completely ignoring the condoms he'd offered. Not that I needed them, considering the stash I kept in my nightstand drawer. Fuck, I hope Serenity did not go snooping around if she woke up. Conri only cackled as he followed after me.

After I had my carton of eggs, Conri and I walked up to where the older lady had greeted us before. I set my eggs down, letting her scan them before Conri nudged me out of the way and set his condoms on the counter as well. He gave the lady a million-dollar smile.

"He's buying today," Conri said, gesturing to me. When I was about to protest, Conri patted my chest and winked at the cashier, "I'll get it next time."

I'm going to kill him.

"Oh..." The lady glanced between us before quickly looking at her screen. A faint blush was on her cheeks. "Um. Your total is eleven forty-seven."

Eleven dollars and forty-seven cents later, we were paid, so we left and got back on the road.