The Mark of Betrayal (by Cooper) novel Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Samara

Over the next several days, Roman and I fell into a pattern of bringing new members into the pack, having them accept us as their ranked members, and learning how to manage three pups all at once.

Sloane and Scarlet have become nearly inseparable. When I asked Roman, he reminded me that he and Teddy were the same and that it’s probably the best thing that could happen to Sloane right now. While she’s still sad and I know she’s struggling, replacing everything in her bedroom made a big difference with her and she’s starting to settle into her new home with Scarlet’s help.

Slade, on the other hand, has become extremely clingy, wanting Roman to hold him all the time. He’ll accept me on rare occasions, but Roman has set up a play area and put a small bed in his office so that Slade can stay with him during the day. One of the only times he’s okay being away from Roman is if he’s with Luca. Anytime Roman and Austin need to meet about the upcoming confrontation with Dylan, they have Elizabeth bring Luca to the office and then Roman and Austin go

to his office to meet.

Aria, being a newborn, is having the easiest adjustment. Since her bed is the same and she took to formula and bottles well, she’s been the easiest of the three. Roman and I got her on a schedule of feeding like Luna Devi suggested and since then, it’s been pretty smooth.

The last of the pack members finally arrived from my family’s old pack and honestly, that transition has gone much more smoothly than I expected. It seemed to help Sloane and Slade to see familiar faces around the packhouse and my family’s pack members settled in with me as their Luna very easily. I heard discussions that their adjustment to this pack was easier than adjusting to remaining in my family’s pack after my parents and Teddy were murdered. Roman and I both feel that it’s because Althea was no longer a white wolf. I don’t see how Sawyer wouldn’t have known that, but apparently, no one else in the pack realized that Gillian was no longer a white wolf. Even if they had, I’m sure Sawyer and Althea would have spun it as Even if the something that happened because she lost her family.

Thursday night, Roman comes to our room after getting Slade to sleep. I am rocking Aria while feeding her. He leans against the edge of the bed and looks at me. I can tell that he is conflicted about whatever is on his mind.

“I think I need you to join me at Dylan’s pack this weekend,” he finally says.

“Okay.”

He sighs, watching me. “There’s a chance that there will be a fight. I don’t like the idea of putting you in danger, but I think that having you and Ayla there will eliminate any fight that they pack may have. His pack knows of the white wolves and they’ll feel the pull to Ayla as soon as we get there. If you are there, as much as I don’t like it, it could mean the difference between saving lives and taking lives.”

“Roman, I have guards,” I tell him, I’ve felt ridiculous walking around our pack lands with two large warriors following me everywhere. But Roman insisted. I was surprised when Austin identified Sawyer’s previous Beta, Adam, as a possible guard. I’d been even more surprised when he’d accepted the position happily.

“I didn’t protect your family, but I can make sure that I protect you,” he said.

That had been all Roman needed to hear. I wasn’t at all surprised when Roman assigned Eric, the driver who suffered two days in the car with us on our return home as my guard. Eric with thrilled with the upgrade in status. Apparently, the Luna guard is a prestigious position in the packs. Sawyer’s previous Gamma, Kyle, accepted a position as guard to Sloane. Since she and Scarlet have started going all over the pack lands, Roman assigned Kyle’s mate as a pup guard as well.

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“There’s one more thing,” Roman says, coming over to take Aria as she finishes her bottle. He’s such a natural. I can’t until it’s our pups that he’s holding.

He smiles, leaning down to kiss me as he catches my thought.

“What thing?” I ask, knowing that now that the pups are asleep, it’s only a matter of time before I can have my mate inside

1. me.

“Detective Timothy called. The bones definitely belong to Derrick Hall. He wants to join us in Dylan’s pack this weekend. I told him that if Dylan was involved in betraying your family in any way, he dies. He wants to be there for his mate, Priscilla, and their pups. I don’t think that his mate was involved, and the pups obviously weren’t, so I’m fine with it.”

“When are you going to call Alpha Waylon?”

“I’ll call him in the morning. One more night won’t make a difference, then we’ll need to make a plan to return his bones. Detective Timothy said he would do that, but I feel responsible for him in some ways. Does make sense?” he asks, gently bouncing as he walks Aria around, trying to burp her.

“It does. I feel responsible for all of them. And, I’m sure it will be a long conversation, one that would keep Alpha Waylon up tonight. At least tomorrow he’ll have time to process things.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” he says, just as Aria lets out a loud burp. “You agree too, huh, Aria?” he asks her.

“How are you so good with kids? You don’t have any siblings,” I ask, still awed by how great he is.

He gives me a look as if I’m missing something important. “Theo and I helped raise you, Samara. Theo adored you from the moment you were born, which meant that I learned to love you from a very young age. I may not have changed your diapers, but I did give you bottles. I held you when you’d get tired, and helped you when you were potty training, all sorts of things. I’m a bit out of practice, but we do have pups in the packhouse that sometimes are fussy. As an Alpha, I have the ability to calm them, or Orion does. Ayla does as well, probably more so than Orion.”

I watch him as Orion purrs at Aria, putting her to sleep.

“Are you going to tell Alpha Waylon about Sloane?” I ask, getting back to our previous conversation.

“I had a thought about that as well and I want your input. Once things are settled with Dylan, I want to have your formal Luna ceremony. That means we will invite all of the northern packs to come watch you take your vows again. Alpha Waylon is on the cusp of the north and south. I thought I would tell him about the possibility that Sloane is his granddaughter, invite him to your Luna ceremony, and give him the option to come early or stay late in case she is.”

“I don’t want her to feel pressured to spend time with the man if she doesn’t want to,” I say. Sloane is our responsibility, and I intend to keep her safe.

“And I will be very clear with him that until she decides that she wants to know for sure who her father is, he isn’t to say anything about it to her. If he can agree to that, I’ll invite him here. If not, then he’s not invited. If he comes and pressures her in any way, I’ll boot him out of the pack. The other thing that I will be VERY clear about is that she is ours. If she chooses to have a relationship with him, fine. But we will be raising Sloane as our daughter. If he tries to take her from us, I will destroy him.”

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