Untamable

Chapter 21 Meeting

Edward’s POV

As soon as Noah strides into the camp, he's rolling his eyes and firing off questions. "Edward! I hear you picked up three person from The Wood Pack?"

"Is that going to be a problem?" I ask.

"No, not at all. In wartime, the more the merrier," Noah says. "But honestly, you can't just disappear like that. One minute, you say you're going for a leisurely stroll, and the next you're gone for a whole day and night. We searched high and low and nearly lost our minds.Then you waltz back at dusk with three new recruits—a warrior, a doctor, and an Omega. How do you pull off being both efficient and reckless all at once?"

Ignoring the sarcasm dripping from his words, I reply, "I ran into some unexpected situations. You’d have done the same if you were me."

"Enlighten me," Noah prompts, quirking an eyebrow.

"I ran into a she-wolf named Elizabeth while walking in the forest…" I start to say.

"Hold on," Noah interrupts, looking puzzled. "You never bother naming any rogues. They're always just 'rogues' to you."

"Oh, it's for storytelling convenience," I quip.

"Storytelling convenience?" Noah laughs. "You've never been one for convenience in speech the last twenty years. Am I supposed to swallow the idea you've suddenly had a change of heart? Elizabeth must be something special."

I value Noah’s astuteness, but when he turns it on me, I regret ever praising it.

Sensing my reluctance, Noah presses, "Is she drop-dead gorgeous?"

"She's pretty," I concede, "but more 'could kill you with a look' pretty than 'angelic'."

"Wow," Noah chuckles, clearly amused. "Do go on."

"Anyway, she tricked me," I admit, attempting to smile.

"Tricked you?" Noah's eyes widen. "What did she do, bat her eyes and make you think with your pants?"

I stare at him in disbelief. "That's a bit insulting," I huff. "I don't think with my nether regions."

"Says the guy who practically had a wife in every brothel in White City," Noah teases.

"I wasn't serious about any of that," I say, shrugging. "Purely just to meet certain needs. Speaking of which, I'm shocked you're still a virgin."

"Acquiring knowledge is way more thrilling than dealing with she-wolves," Noah shrugs.

"Maybe because you haven't met many," I joke.

"Can we drop this already?" Noah says, sounding irritated. "We're going off-topic."

"You started it," I point out.

"I apologize!" He says, but his tone is anything but apologetic. "Now spill it—how did Elizabeth fool you?"

"I posed as a rogue, asking her if she knew somewhere to crash for the night, hoping she'd lead me to the base where she resides. Somehow, she saw right through me..."

"Probably your clothes—way too neat for a rogue," Noah suggests, eyeing me up and down.

"Good point," I admit. "But she didn't let on. She agreed to take me somewhere, and I ended up at The Wood Pack. When we got there, I was so shocked I forgot to play it cool. I turned around, and bam—she was gone."

"Smart lady," Noah muses.

"Yeah," I say, covering my face. "Made me look like a complete fool."

"Maybe you are a fool," Noah jabs with a grin. I glare at him, but he's unfazed and just laughs. "So, what happened next?"

"It was getting late, so I thought I'd crash at The Wood Pack. They didn't recognize me at first, so I just went with it and claimed I was from The Blue Moon Pack. Then Alpha Aiden’s wife, Luna Cherry, decided to make it her mission to put me in my place," I mutter. I've encountered plenty of snobs, but at least they pretend. First time I've met such a blunt Luna. Alpha Aiden must be blind."

"Seriously?" Noah asks, genuinely surprised.

"Yep," I chuckle. "Luna Cherry apparently has a bone to pick with Luna Evelyn, so she saw this as a prime opportunity to stick it to someone from the Blue Moon Pack. She wanted to kick me out, wouldn’t let me stay, and even threatened to make me a slave."

"But her decision isn’t entirely off, you know," Noah points out. "Taking in strangers is against the rules."

"Really?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "Didn’t know our rules were so strict on rogues. I should probably brush up on the bylaws."

"Brush up?" Noah rolls his eyes. "You haven’t read them, have you?"

I say nothing but give him a sheepish grin.

"And then what happened?" he asks, clearly intrigued.

"Gamma Barry, who'd been at Father’s banquet, recognized me as the prince," I say. "After that, Luna Cherry became super respectful. She heard I was after a rogue and had Alpha Aiden do a sketch of the fugitive. Aiden’s quite the artist. He captures a likeness with just a few strokes." I pause for a while, adding,"And here’s the twist. As Aiden sketched, his wife suddenly chimed in, shouting ‘Isn’t that Elizabeth?’ So, you're probably wondering how they know her."

Noah nods, eyes wide.

"I was surprised too," I continue. "Remember Barry mentioning Aiden’s divorce at the party? Well, the she-wolf he divorced is none other than Elizabeth."

"What a coincidence," Noah exclaims, astonished.

"Yep," I laugh. "Then things got a lot more interesting. The pack was split right down the middle. Luna Cherry wanted Elizabeth caught at all costs, while a maid named Aurora insisted Elizabeth was basically a saint and begged me to let her go."

"And what’s Alpha Aiden’s part in all this?"Noah asks.

"Ah, he tried to keep his Luna from throwing too much shade at Elizabeth, which, of course, only made Luna Cherry even angrier," I say with a smirk. "I realized if I just left things as they were, that poor maid might end up in hot water. So, I graciously invited her to join us."

"How generous of you," Noah comments with mock admiration.

"Or maybe I just needed someone to bring me tea and do my laundry so I could focus on dealing with the rogues," I joke.

"What? Anna's not cutting it?" Noah teases.

"Anna?" I chuckle. "She goes on strike whenever she’s busy."

"That sounds like her," Noah laughs. "And who are the other two people you brought back?"

"Gamma Barry and Helen Wood both volunteered to join us," I reply. "On the way back, they mentioned that Alpha Hugh had appointed Barry as Elizabeth’s guard and Helen as her personal doctor. Sounds like Alpha Hugh was treating Elizabeth like a future daughter-in-law. No wonder Luna Cherry can't stand her."

"Why on earth would Alpha Aiden divorce Elizabeth to marry Luna Cherry if Elizabeth is so beloved by the pack?" Noah wonders.

"Exactly what I was thinking," I say. "Helen mentioned that Aiden and Cherry are fated mates."

"Guess not all fated bonds a good thing," Noah reflects.

I nod, about to share more when Anna pops into the camp, cutting us off.

"What's going on, Anna?"Noah gives her a curious look.

"General George is here," she says. "Do you want me to let him in?"

"Is he by himself?" I ask.

"He’s got a few guards and his daughter with him," Anna replies.

Noah and I exchange a quick look. Noah nods, and I say, "Alright, let them in."