Love & Tribulations

Chapter 7

Rose's POV

I nervously bit my lower lip, waiting for my brother's reaction. I felt my heart speed up as he glanced at me with a shocked expression.

"Okay, so you're telling me that your mate is the alpha of this pack?" he inquired. I nodded in return, and he took a deep breath.

"And she asked you out?" he added in confusion.

"Something like that", I murmured.

"So...", he said, with a look I couldn't quite decipher.

"I'm not sure what you're thinking, but this wasn't supposed to be a date; I just wanted to get her away from all of this." I protested.

"Right", he replied in disbelief.

"Come on, remember after our parents died how Sarah would just take us on these random trips when things got too hard for us?" I elaborated. He sighed in delight at the mention of that slightly nodding his head.

"Are you sure that's all this is?" He questioned cautiously.

"I don't know, I just...I have this overwhelming need to be there for her." I tried to explain.

"It's because of your bond with her", he said with a soft smile.

"Really, it hasn't even been that long?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm sure you've noticed that she seems better than when we first got here." he brought to my attention. The thought of playing even a minor role in why she's doing a little better made me feel a little more at ease. Shit, did I imprint on her?

Elias paced the room for a few seconds before stopping and turning to me. "This is going to cause a lot of problems." He spoke in a dejected tone.

"Yeah, I know there's no telling what the council will do if they ever find out", I exhaled, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. It was difficult enough to convince them to agree on a truce.

"Hey, we'll figure it out", he assured, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You're taking this surprisingly well", I admitted. He looked at me somewhat seriously.

"Are you happy?" He asked earnestly. I nodded, a little perplexed by the weight in his tone.

"Then that's all that matters", he told me with a faint smile playing on his lips.

His smile slowly faded as he looked at me seriously again. "We lost his trail somewhere near the Mexican border." I nodded in response.

We've been searching for the man who murdered our parents since we discovered he was still alive. We knew he recently joined the pack of rogues, in the north. Rogues travel in small groups; they're not a part of a typical pack or clan and can contain just about every species. Their pack of ruthless animals slaughtered multiple species innocent and all.

"Keep looking; he'll slip up eventually. What about his accomplice?" I inquired.

"Still not talking, that bastard", he hissed, with his arms folded across his chest. "Also, the council wants to meet with us." Great, just what I asked for. I thought to myself sarcastically.

"God, they're such a pain in the ass, tell Caleb to schedule a meeting", I grumbled, as he notified Caleb. How can he be so calm after everything I just told him?

"Are you really ok with this? I mean-", he interrupted me before I could finish.

"She accepted you, or she's trying to, which is surprising enough considering her circumstances. So as long as you're happy, I'm fine having a werewolf as my sister-in-law." My eyes nearly popped out of my head as he smiled unconcernedly. There was a knock on the door before I could begin to object.

"Heyyy, Roseee can I steal you for a second?" Tris questioned as I swung the door open.

"Sure", I replied confused as to what this was about. She didn't say anything as I followed her through the corridors. Is this about Ezra? She came to a halt and turned around, glaring at me.

"What game are you playing here?" She asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about", I replied, much more baffled than before.

"Ezra", she said before going on, "she just lost her father, and you're-" I cut her off because I saw where this was going.

"I have no intention of causing Ezra any harm. I just want to be there for her." I told her, knowing she could tell if I was lying or not.

"Good, Ezra is a very special person", she said with a knowing glance and a faint warning behind her words.

"I know", I agreed with an earnest expression. She took a seat on a bench in the hallway tapping the spot next to her.

"What are mates to vampires?" she questioned as I sat down.

I turned to her, realizing that they didn't know we perceive mates similarly to werewolves. There are numerous books that discuss the relationship between werewolves and their mates in connection to their moon goddess. For vampires, however, it wasn't recorded. When our leaders realized that mates were one of our biggest weak points, they didn't want that knowledge to get into the hands of the enemy.

"Much like werewolves, vampires are very territorial. We feel the inexplicable urge to protect our mates. We imprint on our mates to establish that we see them as lifelong partners, and we mark them with our scent to indicate ownership. There's more but I don't think that's the question you were asking", I spoke as she nodded before rephrasing her question.

"What does Ezra mean to you?", She clarified.

"Ezra is the most important person in my life, and it's strange because I only recently met her, yet I feel like I've known her my entire life. When I'm near her it's like I lose all my senses. If you ask me now, I'd be too worried about the council finding out about us to take her anywhere." I admitted, not capable of holding my smile back at the thought of her.

"Our councils aren't particularly open to change", Tris stated, and I nodded in agreement.

I recall being incredibly defiant with the council a few months into my rule, which was also tough for the council to agree on. Especially since I didn't want anything to do with their war and they saw me as someone they couldn't control, unlike the previous king. I glanced around as I sensed Asher approaching us.

"She threatened you, didn't she?", Asher inquired.

"What, it's a rite of passage", Tris remarked, making Asher scoff.

"I'm sorry for cutting this short, but James needs us", Asher explained turning to Tris.

"Like actually this time?" she grinned. Asher's eyes widened, and I laughed recalling the last time they used that excuse.

"Yes, now let's go", he responded.

"Good night", I said to them as I made my way to my room.

"Night", they said simultaneously. As I walked through the door, Elias looked up at me questioningly.

"She just wanted to give me a stern warning", I shrugged while my brother shook his head.

"Alright, I'll just let Caleb know that we'll be here longer than initially planned, goodnight", he smirked making his way to the door.

I flipped him off before removing my boots and jacket and collapsing into the sofa. My thoughts drifted to Ezra; I couldn't wait to see her. When she smiles, it lights up my whole world. I want to keep that smile on her face, and maybe one day, be the reason behind it.

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been updating these past few weeks. School has been hectic and I just got back home. My midterms start next week so I wanted to post something before I get buried with work again. I also wanted to thank everyone for reading and voting it really means a lot to me. I hope you all are doing well.