Chapter 209
“Yes, I heard you. Do you want me to escort you or are you going with Honour and Derrick alone?” Katie asked her, “You could go with Caden to be safer...”
“But you said there are rogues in the woods...” Lina replied, “Why then would you let us go out very easily?”
“Listen to me, Lina. Tonight... It won’t be very different from that night. So be careful and don’t do anything stupid,” Katie replied in a serious tone, “The only difference is that these ones aren’t quite as many. Those were a storm of rogues that we had to deal with that day.”
Despite the grave nature of the information that the girl was telling her sister, she kept her voice cheerful as though there was nothing that the wolf had to worry about, “For someone that’s trying to warn me about rogues, you’re oddly relaxed.”
“Well, I would be scared if I was the rogues actually. I plan to bring them all down,” Katie replied cheerfully, “I am curious though... Like there is something I’m missing here.” In the back of her mind, she thought there was something wrong with what the rogues were doing. They didn’t attack at all and for as long as Katie had been keeping her guard up, they’d stayed fairly far from the students as though they were aware of her watchful eye. It was only one enemy that had approached and even then, she had known his intentions and they had nothing to do with attacking the students, “If there is nothing left, I do hope you find those... what did you call them?”
“Moon lotus flowers... they only bloom in the night,” Lina replied with a nervous chuckle.
“Oh yeah... aren’t those called Lotus Lunaria?” Sandra asked.
“Oh, so that’s what they are. I was completely clueless. I’ve never heard an alternative for their name,” Katie wondered.
.....
“Oh, they have many names. Their relation to the moon makes Moon lotus the perfect nickname to give them,” Cole pitched in, “Keep them safe, Caden.”
“I’ll do everything I can, alpha Cole...” Katie smirked at the grimace on her mate’s face when he was addressed with his title. Beta alphas that we’re also your best friends made a title unbearable.
.................
The two hunters along with Trevor sat in a triangle, discussing matters concerning security. There was a lot they had to discuss concerning the safety of the students. They discussed everything they could think of, from the security at the bonfire and an interruption that brought all their plans crashing down when they’d only just begun.
“I have a proposal,” Trevor began. An idea boiled at the back of his mind and he wanted it off his chest. If he was to pull it off, he was going to need to convince a lot of people, but that didn’t seem to worry him one bit.
“Well, let’s hear it,” Alice answered.
“Why don’t we have the bonfire here?” he said, staring back at the beach. Students kept themselves away from the water even though they looked as though it was the one thing they all wished to do, “The students want to get into the water. This place could be turned into a camping ground. The students could have all the fun they wish to... Just think about it...”
“That would be a good idea, but we don’t have all the security we need to pull off a large scale camping trip,” Morgan objected.
“Well, the Hunter’s Agency seemed to find it reasonable to send this same group of students off with only one hunter. And the hunter they sent was meant to come, had they known of her presence or not. You told me to stop underestimating her, so I don’t see much reason to worry,” Trevor continued.
“Have you thought of what she might think about this before you make her work a lot harder,?” Alice asked the junior hunter.
“Well, she seems pretty fine guarding this large group. Each time I see her, she’s relaxed and doesn’t seem too bothered by the potential dangers in this place,” Trevor said.
“Have you heard the rumours before you begin to run your mouth?” Morgan asked him.
“Who hasn’t heard them? ‘Student stands up to rhino after another student attempts to attack her already injured cub’,” Trevor groaned out the headline, “Can we move on to the camping I was suggesting? It will really help lift everyone’s spirits. Especially the werewolves...”
“What about the werewolves?” Morgan asked him.
“One of them had me know that they were warned on rogues taking shelter in the reserve. Most of them are on edge because of this exact reason. And you wouldn’t guess what simple-minded overrated self-respecting...”
“It was Katie, wasn’t it?” Alice stopped him halfway.
“Yes, it was. Please let us hold the bonfire here. It would do those scared werewolves some good. I also heard that there is going to be an official duel between a couple of them at twilight. With an event like that one, we can keep an eye on them,” Trevor said to them.
“I am starting to see your point. We’ll have to talk to the guides and send the cars back to the hotel for equipment. Call on the third hunter at the hotel for extra protection. Finally, the last point is that we have to find a way to talk to Katie. She is too taken by her werewolf minions that she doesn’t have time left for the hunters. I wonder a lot if she’s a hunter and not a werewolf, but I guess blood is thicker than water,” Alice began, letting her eyes hover above the group of werewolves that had the girl immersed in a conversation.
Sensing their conversations, Katie excused herself from her group of werewolves and walked up to the hunters, “Don’t let them keep you too long, alright?” Cole had called out to her.
“I can’t make any promises,” she replied before sauntering over to the hunters she was meant to protect the two classes with.
“What are we talking about?” she asked them, taking a seat beside Alice.
“Well, you, of course... You’re having so much fun we are wondering if you’re doing your job,” Morgan began, “Well, those were Trevor’s thoughts...”
“I know what it looks like. You’re all free to feel that way. Anyway, I would warn you all to stay vigilant. There are rogues in the reserve. I forgot to mention that earlier.”
The hunters looked at her like she’d lost an eye and was talking like nothing happened, “And you know this because...” Alice trailed on, waiting for her to pick up.
“I just know that... If you want me to find you one at the moment, you’d have to keep up with me until we got to one. Unfortunately, that would alert them that I know of their presence and I am not aiming for that. The rogues that have decided to follow me to the reserve shall meet their ends soon. Although I still need them for one last task,” she said half to herself.
Alice looked at her with a suspicious look, “Would you elaborate on how you would be able to find the rogue so fast? I was under the impression you were going to track it down, but at the speed that you’re talking about, it’s like you know the exact location of the rogue in question.”
“Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Anyway, I found you talking about something, but I still don’t know what it was about,” Katie tried edging them away from the questions she was sure they were trying to ask her.
“If I’m to guess, I would say you came here only because you felt it was the exact thing you needed to do at the moment,” Alice groaned. It was Morgan’s turn to look at his comrade.
“Am I missing something here?”
“I knew something wasn’t right about one of the students the moment they arrived yesterday,” the woman replied.
“That’s why you excused yourself to go check them out yesterday,” Morgan continued, piecing it together.
“Yes, I did. And was I given the shock of a lifetime when I find the girl that was handed over to the Chase family for protection against the Rogue King,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure there would be anyone out there who knew anything about that,” Katie laughed nervously.
“Well, I was stationed somewhere else at the time. And Marie Chase... was my best friend. She told me everything,” Alice continued.
“Well, in that case, you know what brought me here then,” Katie responded.
“Trevor was suggesting that we have the bonfire here and we set up tents in the sand. Camp out for the night and enjoy the stars,” the woman reported.
Katie’s mind flared up with excitement. It was an excellent idea, but one that came with several other dangers. If the rogues were to attack, they would be cornered and have nowhere to run. “That is a very good idea, but I think it’s beyond my abilities. I won’t put humans at risk,” the girl responded.
“Oh come on... That’s not something I expected to hear from the same person that has been training with Frank Silver,” Trevor groaned.
“How do you manage to doubt her skill and accept it all in the same day?” Alice asked the boy, amusement laced in her voice.
“What can I say? It’s a talent of mine. I know she’s powerful. I haven’t gotten to see her in action just yet, but from the way the rest of the werewolves fear her, I can tell she’s not your ordinary werewolf. It’s hard to believe it though when I see her mulling around with her mate like there is no danger left in the world,” he sighed.
“Well, that’s a Chase hunter for you. They don’t need their eyes or ears to see everything,” Alice smirked, “Isn’t that right, Katie Chase?”
Impressed by the woman’s deductions, Katie smiled in response, “This would place us all on the same page now. I’ve been watching... everything.”