Autumn Moon

10 years earlier

"So where is Lisa and the little fur ball this morning?" my dad asked.

I picked up the last of Jack's shredded toys and shoved them into the garbage bag. "Lisa is out with some of her girl friends and Jackie is at a playdate."

My dad laughs, "Lisa is probably thrilled to chat with her gals. Little alone time without the two boys."

"She's been hinting at trying again, you know." I tied the bag and tossed it to the side. I'll take it out later. "I think she wants a girl." The way she looks at the little girls in the pack makes me wonder if she's gonna take off with one or not let me sleep at all.

He ohhs, "The queen wants a pack princess."

"Queen," I laugh and lean back against the kitchen island.

"Be careful son. She is the Luna and a Luna gets what a Luna wants. If she wants a baby girl she will do whatever she wants to you to get one."

I scrunch up my face, "Damn dad."

"How do you think your mother and I had you?"

"Oh shi- don't tell me anything." Like any normal person I would rather not hear how I came to be.

Uhh, Alpha, I hear Bentley in my head.

Yes?

Something weird just happened.

Okay.

A rogue just came onto the land covered in blood.

I stand up straight, did it attack a member of the pack?

No... he... he left something and ran away.

What do you mean?

He left a child.

I look at my dad, come over now.

Yes.

"Something wrong son?" my dad stands up slowly and I ran my hand through my hair.

"Something strange just happened to Bentley." I move of the island and walk over to him, "a rogue just left a child in his possession."

"What?" He looks confused as I take a seat at the table. "I've never heard of a rogue doing such a thing." He sits down and places his hands on the table, "rogues run wild without rules or company. They make sure to stay far from pack land." I nod in agreement, "The only reason a rogue would come onto claimed land is if it doesn't care about starting a fight when passing through."

I listen as he continues to talk, but I'm more focused on how a rogue cut through my territory all the way to where Bentley was patrolling. Today he had to be by the rec center. If I remember correctly mom was helping out with a pup arts and craft thing. So this rogue was within attacking distances of the children. How bad is my security if this blood covered rogue got in so far?

A bark comes from outside and my dad and I get up and exit to the yard from the kitchen door. Bentley lies on the grass with a small brown haired girl on his back. Even from the porch I can smell blood coming off her.

"She's so small," dad says and walks ahead of me. I follow behind and approach Bentley and the girl. As we get close she growls and climbs off Bentley to hide behind his body. "Strange, a child shouldn't be able to growl like that."

I watch as she peeks over Bentley and notice her eyes glowing yellow. "She's unique."

She didn't want to leave that rogue. I had to hold her back when he ran away.

I kneel down,"Do you know where you are ?" I ask the child. She remains silent, can she even speak? The thought crosses my mind. "Can you talk?" She continues to growl and starts looking away every now and then. She's thinking of running.

"Honey," my dad starts and kneels down onto the glass. "You're in a pack right now. You don't need to be scared."

Her growling stops and she stands up straight, "A pack?" She puts her hands on Bentley. "Are you strong like Abbie?" Who's Abbie? a sister? "Cooper said there was a pack strong like Abbie."

Dad laughs, "We're strong. Maybe stronger than Abbie." Whoever this Abbie woman is.

I watch as her eyes get big, "that means you're super strong." She jumps on Bentley's back, rolls over him and lands on the ground in front of me. I finally notice that what she's wearing is an adult shirt with a belt around her middle. The blue fabric is splattered with blood. Gathering her footing she comes up to me. "You are kind of old."

This throws me back and I feel my wolf laugh inside of me. "I'm not old."
She slaps my cheeks holding my face in her hands, "don't worry. You look strong so I trust you." There is something about this child I just can't put my finger on. She's unique no doubt. From the look of it she should only be able to talk with her wolf. No way should she be growling or shifting eye color. This child is special. So special a injured rogue would even cross into a pack and leave her for what I can only guess is protection.

But what would she need protection from?

"Nice to know."

She nods and let's me go before flying to my dad. The child wraps her arms around his neck. "I'm hungry and sleepy. Can I go nap now?"

My dad chuckles and lifts her up as he stands. "We'll eat then nap."

"Okay grandpa." She relaxes against my dad as he turns towards the house.

Call Lisa home, I hear my dad's voice. She needs to be here.

I nod and he goes back into the house. Guess Lisa's girls' day out is going to have to end early. I let out a deep breath, Lisa.

Ronnie.

I need you to come back now.

She whines, but we've only just started planning where to go shopping.

Shop? never mind I need you to come back now. We have a situation.

Okay dear. See you soon.

I let out a breath, "What can you tell me about the rogue?"

"It was a male and he was bloody." Bentley stands up and stretches. "It looked like he was in a nasty fight with his coat torn up. He was also panting a lot so I guess he was running a long time."

"How old?"

"I'd guess his teens. Late teens or early twenties." He shifts around in his stance. "Something weird is happening with those two. I can understand that boy shifting if he's over eighteen, but the girl is different. She can growl."

I can't help but agree with him. "We know so little about rogues except that they are dangerous. Well, at least most of them are, or at least that's what we're told." In truth our pack has had little to no experience with rogues. They simply stay from packs if they wish to live.

"Do you want me to go bring Jack home?"

"No, he's with Jarvis and Darien right now." I'll let him play for a little while longer. "Go back to where you met the rogue and track him. The territory is big and if he's injured he may still be close. Find him and bring him here."

"Yes Alpha," Bentley bones start cracking and I turn to go back into the house.

Mom, I call out to her.

I already know dear.

Dad must have told her already.



I sit in my office chair while my dad sits on the couch with the girl asleep beside him. An empty plate sitting on his lap where a sandwich was before. The door opens and my mom walks in with Lisa, their noses wrinkle and soon they turn and find dad with the child. "Ronald," mom says sternly. "How come this child is covered in filth?" she looks at me.

"She came like that."

"And it didn't occur to you to give the child a bath?"

Yeah idiot, my wolf chuckles.

"Would you mind," I gesture to the girl.

Mom rolls her eyes at me before going to dad's side. "Sweetie," she shakes the girl. "Sweetie," the child stirs and sits up, eyes closed. "Let's take a bath honey." Mom takes her by the hand and slowly leads her from the room. As they leave I hear the girl mumble something about a pink rabbit. The door closes and Lisa takes a seat beside my dad.

Her bare legs cross underneath her sun dress and my wolf howls inside me. I knew something was weird today, Lisa is ovulating and her pheromones are attracting me. Ignore it, ignore it, I need to focus on the important stuff. "So she is the reason you called me back?" Lisa raises a single eye-brow in my direction. I nod and her stern face does a one-eighty, "she's so cute Ronnie." Lisa squeals. "It's like the Moon Goddess gave me a daughter without all the weight and child bearing pains. I can't wait to dress her up and develop a mommy daughter relationship." She's jumping in her seat with excitement, "We will have to give her a room. Oh, we can convert Jack's playroom into a girl's bedroom."

"Slow down," I cut her off. "We don't even know anything about her. Like why she was abandoned just now."

Her excitement dies down, "where was she found?"

"Bentley said a rogue was near the rec center and when he went to confront it the rogue left the child."

She gasps, "Maybe it got scared of Bentley and decided to ditch her to get away."

"No," I shake my head, "she was blatantly left with us."

"Why?"

"Because he probably knows we will take care of her," dad speaks up. "Whoever this rogue is he braved pack land while injured to find a safe area for the girl. If she was just going to be abandoned they could have left her randomly in the forest. Yet this rogue comes into our land, in an area with children to leave a child." He looks at the both of us, "maybe this Abbie brought her to us when things got rough."

"That would make sense seeing as she is covered in blood," I lean back. "If she is important to the rogue then there is a chance he will come for her."

"I don't think so," I look at the door and watch Bentley walk in.

"Why not?" Lisa asks.

Bentley stops in the middle of the room and look at the three of us. "That rogue had a good chunk taken out of its thigh and he had a neck wound."

This catches my attention, "That bad?"

Bentley nods, "its real bad for him. I tried to find him after I saw you but he had already crossed out of the territory into free land. I tried following but I hid when I smelled trouble," he moves towards the wall and leans against it. "Turns out there are a pair of rogues looking for that guy. They had bloody muzzles and looked as though they went through a hell of a fight."

"They could be his friends," Lisa says and Bentley shakes his head.

"These guys look like the aggressor. I don't doubt they will find that guy and kill him, but I don't know if they will be satisfied with only him."

I look at dad and he appears to be in deep thought so I look at Lisa. She looks worried as her eyes train themselves on the ground. "There is no question on whether we keep her in the pack. She'll stay, no doubt."

"She'll stay with us and-"

"No," Dad cut Lisa off. "She'll stay with Maggie and I."

"Dad."

"Jackson is at the age of wanting all his parents 'attention. If you suddenly bring another child in to invade his space he'll act out and maybe hurt her. Have her stay with us and introduce the kids in a neutral environment and slowly we can work on them living together."

I sigh, "I don't think that's necessary."

"Really?" he leaned back. "When we first brought your sister home you know what you did? You smacked her in the face with a remote for the TV. You were only five might I add, younger than Jackie."

I was about to say something when the door opened and the girl stood in the doorway with tears running down her face. She sniffled then runs in coming straight to me, "What's wrong?" I ask while turning my chair to face her.

"He-he," she hiccupped while crying. "He pushed me into the wall and I hit my head," she put her hands on her head and wailed. "It hurts."

I touch her wet hair and feel a small bump, "who pushed you?"

"The boy!"

"This one to be exact," I look up and in the doorway is Jarvis holding Jackson up from his armpits. Jackson hangs in the air with his cheeks puffed and eyes glaring at the girl. "Jack pushed her because your mom was putting his clothes on her."

I glance down at the girl and notice she is in fact wearing Jackson's clothes.

"She's dirty and smells weird," Jackson yells while kicking in the air.

"Jackson," Lisa says his name sternly and Jackson flinches. "You don't say that to girls. Say you're sorry right now."

"No!"

I turn my attention back to the crying one, "what's your name?"

"Scarlett," she says and I use the bottom of my shirt to wipe her snot.

"Jackson say sorry right now," I look at him and he looks scared. "Don't make me tell you again."

He looks at the floor, "sorry."

"Coming through," Darien runs into the room and comes behind my desk. Stopping in front of Scarlett he stares at her and moves her hands off of her hair before placing an ice bag on the bump. This stops her crying as she stares at Darien and he smiles back.

Your son is acting like a Casanova over here, I say to Jarvis.

That's my boy, he sounds proud.

And that's mine, I narrow my eyes at Jackson.

"Looks like Scarlet will be staying with you and mom."

My dad smiles, "your mom is already on her way home to get a room ready."

Of course she is.