Kaden POV
Kai is making a scene. It is so dramatic that no one is looking at the burning pack house any longer. Tish is kicking and screaming, demanding to be put down, but Kai is a man on a mission. He is headed for the cabin, and I rush after him.
'Kai,' I reach out through the mind link. 'Now is not the time for this. Our pack needs us. With Father gone, we are now the Alphas of this pack. We have to act like it.'
Kai pauses right before the cabin door and turns to look at me. He is covered in mud and blood, and his blue eyes are glowing with anger. 'I am worried she will run again,' he says as he sets Tish on the ground, but he doesn't let go of her.
'If we are going to be her mates, we will have to learn to trust her,' I tell him. 'We can't keep her hidden or locked up any longer.'
'So, we are just supposed to clean up the pack and hope she doesn't flee?' Kai snarls through the mind link.
'That is exactly what we are going to do,' I respond. 'Those people need us. We can't abandon them on the first night we are their Alphas.'
Kai lets out a huff of frustration as he looks at Tish. She is looking between us with a scowl on her face. "I don't like it when you use the mind thingy," she pouts.
"We are sorry, my Love," I apologize. "But we agree that we need to clean up the pack before marking you."
Tish rolls her eyes. "I think I was the one that said it wasn't the right time."
"You were right," I tell her before kissing her on the cheek. "Now, I am going to help my pack."
Before I can turn around, someone clears their throat behind us. We all turn to see Oliver shuffling from side to side. "Can I borrow Tish for a moment?"
"What could you possibly want with my mate?" Kai growls in his direction.
Oliver groans at Kai's possessiveness. "Raven is refusing to go to the hospital, and I know Tish completed some nursing school. I would like it if she would just look over Raven."
Kai and I both look at Tish with our mouths opened wide. "You went to nursing school?" We ask at the same time.
"It was a long time ago," Tish replies sheepishly. "I hardly think I am qualified to look at the Luna Queen. It would be best if she were to go to the hospital."
"You don't understand," Oliver says urgently. "She has requested you personally."
It is Tish's turn for her mouth to drop open. She steps away from Oliver and backs into Kai. He steadies her on her feet as she mumbles under her breath.
"Well," Oliver says. "Are you going to disobey the Luna Queen?"
"She hates me," Tish whispers. "Why would she ask for me?"
I shrug my shoulders. "I think you should see her."
"Okay," Tish whispers. "Is she able to walk? It would be best if I saw her in private. I think."
"I can carry her," Oliver says as he rushes away.
Tish looks as white as a ghost. "Do you want me to stay with you?" I ask.
"No," she shakes her head. "You need to care for your pack."
I kiss her again and head back up the hill to see what needs to be done. I can see Kieran and Leo have already taken charge of the cleanup, and I am a little embarrassed that it wasn't me. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I jump into action. Assessing the bodies and determining who is a pack member and who is a rogue.
The pack members will be given a proper burial, but the rogues will be drug deep into the forest and burned. This is not how Father would have done things, but he is no longer here. We have to make an example of those who would dare to invade our pack.
I see a few of my warriors crowded around a rogue. He is shackled with silver and on his knees, but that does not stop him from fighting. As I approach the rogue, he stops thrashing around and smiles at me.
"How will the little bitty Alpha run the big bad South Pack without Mommy and Daddy by his side," the rogue taunts me.
Normally, I am not one for violence. That usually falls under Kai's duties, but I can't stop myself. Before I know what is happening, I have jumped on the rogue and am beating him senseless. Blood is spewing from his mouth and nose, but he laughs louder with each hit. This man is deranged.
Strong arms pull me off of the rogue, and I fight to be let go. I don't want to stop hitting him until he is dead.
"You need to calm down," Leo says to me. "You will need what information he has. You can't get that if he is dead."
I take several deep breaths, trying to ease the anger inside of me. "You are right," I finally say. "Take him to the dungeons."
My warriors lift the man from the ground and drag him away. Still the man laughs manically as he is pulled away. I have heard that some rogues lose themselves, but this is the first I have seen it myself.
"What needs to be done?" I ask, wiping the blood from my hands onto my shirt.
"Everything is mostly cleaned up," Leo tells me. "There is one body we don't know what to do with."
I turn and see Cedric's mangled body. He is a pack member, but he also sympathized with rogues. He should be burned with the rogues, but I know that would break Tish's heart.
"Take him to the morgue," I command. "He is important to Tish."
No one questions my commands, and I let out a sigh of relief. My eyes dart around the grounds surrounding the pack house. I am looking for Kai. I didn't see him during the cleanup.
Instantly, there is a scream that comes from the cabin. I rush toward the sound and stop dead in my tracks. Kai is holding Tish by her throat, and his canines are sunk deeply into her neck. She is squirming uncomfortably, trying to get away.
I watch in horror as he pulls his fangs from her skin and swipes his tongue across the wound. He releases Tish from his grip, and she falls to the ground. She places her hand over her neck and looks up at Kai with tears in her eyes.
My feet carry me faster than I can imagine, and I stand between Tish and Kai. "What the fuck did you do?"
"Exactly what I said I was going to do," Kai says proudly. "I was not waiting another moment to mark her."
"This isn't how you mark someone," I shout at him. "Did you even ask her? Or did you just grab her by the neck and sink your teeth in?"
"I…" Kai searches for the right words, but there is nothing he can say to defend himself.
The door to the cabin opens, and an oblivious Oliver looks over us. "Raven is ready," he says to Tish.
"Read the room," I snarl at him, but Tish gets to her feet.
"It is okay," she says as she walks past Kai. "I will see her."
Tish disappears into the cabin, and I spin on Kai. "If she chooses to throw you in the dungeons, I will not hesitate."
"Fuck you," Kai grumbles as he storms away.