30

The trip back to the city passed quickly.

After running for a couple hours around the edge of the forest, they reached their car and all piled in. Most of the gang slept in the back while Zion drove. Chayton had wordlessly taken the front passenger seat, ignoring the glare Savannah gave him.

But later, as Cale rested with his head on her shoulder, she figured it was for the best. Sitting up front with Zion as they drove in an awkward silence was not her idea of a good afternoon. They'd barely spoken all morning, and Savannah felt bad for pushing Zion away last night. He'd done nothing but treat her with care and respect the last few days, and she just didn't know how to reconcile that with all the doubts and misgivings she still felt towards him.

And, if she really dug deep and examined her feelings, she realised she was afraid of having her heart broken if Zion never decided to join her pack. She just couldn't handle growing too close, losing herself to him, only to walk away if he never decided to change.

It was apparent Zion had a habit of tearing out hearts, so she decided the best course of action was to not be foolish enough to let him rip out hers.

She was an Alpha first and foremost, with a pack and dozens of lives under her responsibility.

And Zion was very, very clearly a rogue.

Their first move after reaching his city house was to go rob a bank.

"You're kidding?"

"Do we look like we're kidding?" Phoenix asked, strapping a belt around his waist, silver knives and a couple grenades attached.

"Don't you realise robbing a back is the most stereotypical, unimaginative crime to commit? It's like you guys have to prove daily that you're rogues," Savannah crossed her arms and glared at everyone as they rushed around, readying themselves to go. All she wanted to do was take a hot shower and sleep for a week.

"Nope. We're just low on funds," Talei shrugged, pouting her lips as she touched up her black lipstick, then shoving the tube and mirror in her bomber jacket pocket.

"And technically, we're not robbing," Niko said. "The CFO, executive board, and HR department are all at a gala lunch across the city now. We're putting no lives at risk or threatening anyone."

"We'll be in and out in under thirty minutes," Zion added with a rather proud smirk, his expression disturbingly relaxed for someone about to infiltrate a corporate building and steal millions of dollars.

"And technically technically," Talei raised her eyebrows as though explaining algebra to a first grader. "It's not a bank. BrightFuture is a company that trades bonds and handles other investments for their clients. All we're doing is tapping into their servers for a few minutes to direct some of the funds into our own accounts."

"So.. you're stealing directly from their clients? Still sounds highly illegal to me," Savannah argued, clearly disapproving of their little venture.

Talei scoffed. "They're all a wealthy bunch of politicians and socialites who've never worked an honest day in their life anyway. They can afford to lose a few pennies, believe me."

"And if they catch you?" Savannah couldn't help growing more nervous with each device and gadget the guys packed into their backpacks. If it was such an easy job, why all the gear? And weapons?

Niko gave her a reassuring smile, "They'll never be able to trace it back to use. We'll be cutting all surveillance feeds, disarming the security system, and using private channels to gain access to their server."

"We can even hack into the damn toasters in the staff kitchen to disable the smoke alarms and sprinklers," Chayton chuckled.

"We'll be completely untraceable," Niko said, proud of having thought of everything.

To be fair, it seemed they had thought of everything. Savannah knew the council and her fellow Alphas had been trying for years to track down the Silver Rogue and whoever he was working with. No one had come close. And if they had, they were now as cold and lifeless as Bastien.

She suppressed a shiver. "Well, I'd normally say all the best, but honestly I can't in this situation." She turned and flopped onto the couch in the living room, covering her face with an arm.

"You're not coming with us?" Tas scowled, pausing as he threw on a black hoodie.

Savannah snorted and rolled her eyes at him. "You really think I'd be a part of such criminal activity?"

"We counted you in all our plans. You can't just--"

"Leave her alone, guys," Zion cut him off. He appeared in the doorway, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie. Adjusting his cufflinks, he spoke bluntly, "Didn't I say she wouldn't be happy with this?"

Savannah couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. The shape of his broad shoulders and muscled chest were undisguisable under the sleek cut of his suit. As he ran a hand down his tie to smooth it, she imagined her own hands running all over him and feeling his perfectly sculpted muscles. Her face flushed when his eyes met hers, catching her staring. The smirk that appeared on his devastatingly handsome face made her even more aghast.

"Well, she's not getting a cut," Talei said quickly, scowling at the turn of events, completely oblivious of the silent conversation going on between the reticent mates.

Savannah dropped her eyes when Zion's gaze grew too heavy, too probing, and glared at Talei. "I never asked for your ill-gotten gains."

"Well, you don't have to be all hoity toity about it," Talei retorted, flicking her hair out from under her collar as she pulled on a black coat. "Come on fellas, let's roll. We don't need Miss Goody two-shoes to help anyway. We were perfectly fine before she came along."

"I never offered my help, so don't quote me as backing out on anything!"

"Oh, shut up, will you? Are you always this annoying?"

"Don't you dare--"

"Girls, seriously!" Chayton berated them both. "Tal, get in the car and don't say another word until we're on site."

Savannah was sure Talei would argue, but surprisingly, she heeded the older rogue. She threw one last glare at Savannah before marching past Chayton, head held high.

"What on earth is up with her?" Savannah asked, completely bewildered by the attitude she'd just received. Talei had been rather nice to her the night before.

"Some guy she met yesterday never returned her message. She doesn't take rejection too well," Willow informed her in her usual bored way, studying her black polished nails while casually juggling a blade in her other hand.

"Phew. So she doesn't hate me."

"Don't we all hate you?" Willow stopped her blade-tossing and spun to face Savannah.

"Oh, sure. I guess that's why you fixed my jacket for me?" Savannah lovingly patted the collar of her vest and its shiny new studs.

"Don't take it personally," Willow scowled, as if she couldn't bear to be caught out caring for someone or doing something nice for them.

"Never," Savannah gave her a reassuring smile. "So anyway, speaking of rejection... how's Ethan?" she propped her arms on the back of the couch and rested her chin on them, a goofy smile on her face.

Willow shot her a dangerous glare, pointing the knife in her direction. "You mention his name again, and I swear I'll--"

"Eat chocolate cake! Once we get our hands on the money, I'm going to go to the cheesecake shop and buy a Jamaican chocolate cheesecake. Who's with me?" Phoenix interrupted, a goofy grin in his face. He ignored the murderous gaze Willow had trained on him and continued past her towards the front door.

"Bring a slice home for me!" Savannah called out, resisting the urge to smirk at Willow who just wordlessly grabbed her bag and stomped after Phoenix.

The rest of the gang followed soon after, leaving Cale standing by the kitchen bench and watching them with a thoughtful expression. He clearly hated the situation as much as Savannah. He'd grown close to these wolves over the last couple weeks, and the reminder that they were lawless rogues was painful to him too.

Zion was the last to exit the house. By the door, he picked up a black briefcase that suited his attire perfectly, and adjusted his tie one last time before pausing to look at Savannah.

She held his steady gaze, reading something that looked suspiciously like regret in his eyes. His eyebrows pushed together, his forehead crinkling slightly and a line appearing between his eyes almost as if he knew how much she disapproved of his going out. Almost as if he wished there was another way, but his course was already set.

Her stomach twisted with turmoil, uneasiness crawling along her spine as Zion clenched his jaw with determination. It was clear that he was putting up walls, fortifying himself against the silent plea in her eyes.

With a subtle nod of his head, he turned and walked out.

The car engine rumbled and tyres scrunched against gravel as the gang drove off into the city, causing her heart to stutter as the noise died away.

Savannah sulked on the couch for a while before pulling herself together. She padded silently to the kitchen and nodded at Cale who was sitting at the counter. He was eating what appeared to be a bowl of dry cereal. She opened the fridge, searching for something more substantial just as her stomach growled.

"I already looked through there. Nothing good. Even the milk was gross," Cale muttered, gesturing with his spoon to the trash where the empty bottle of milk now resided.

"Then it's a good thing I froze some of those bananas from last week. Want a smoothie?" Savannah asked her Gamma, opening the freezer and retrieving the solid fruit wrapped in cling wrap. After slicing them, she threw them in the blender that permanently lived on the bench. She then added honey, cinnamon, cacao powder, and some of the protein powder she'd seen Niko use on a few occasions. She wasn't hungry for heavy food, so maybe this would give her the energy she needed. After adding enough water to cover the ingredients, she whizzed it up and poured it into a few glasses.

"You made three?" Cale gave her a questioning look when she placed them on the server.

His words made her pause and stare at the glasses in her hands. She had an easy answer, "I made one for my mate," so why was it so dumbfounding? "Is it weird that I just can't stop myself from being so domestic and caring towards him?" she slapped her forehead, causing Cale to chuckle.

"I can drink it, if you like. Then no one will know," he offered with a small grin.

"Nope. Not a chance. I made it for him; I'm saving it for him," Savannah decided, popping it in the fridge to keep it cool.

"So, you worried about him?" Cale asked hesitantly, unsure if he was going to start Savannah off on an angry rant, or make her start crying. He knew his Alpha well enough to understand how deeply she felt things, especially regarding her perplexing mate.

"Not really,"she shrugged. "He's survived this long. What's one more job breaking into a high-security corporation in the middle of the city?" Try as she might, she couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"Yeah, I mean, he can handle himself against Alphas, right? There should be no problem tonight," Cale agreed.

"The thing is," Savanna took the last sip of her smoothie, pausing meaningfully as she pondered her next words. "I can't decide if I want them to make it home safe, or actually get caught red-handed in the middle of their criminal activities. What does that say about me? I'm losing the plot, for sure."

"It's understandable," Cale offered a sympathetic smile. "They're clearly doing the wrong thing, but you care about them. Zion's your mate, so it's natural."

"But maybe being caught and brought to justice would finally make him see reason," Savannah mused. "I don't want him to be hurt, just dished a little punishment so he'll wake up to himself. Being a part of a pack isn't such a horrible thing. We could make it work."

"For all our sakes, I hope so. I dread what the council could do to us if they find out we've been colluding with rogues."

"Don't remind me," she groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"By not turning them over to the council, especially Zion, what's our punishment gonna be? Lord Alistair still has his eye on us, and he's not gonna be happy--"

"I know!" she held up his hand to stop him. "I know, okay? I haven't had time to think it over, but I will. We'll think of something, and we'll sort this out. Just let me catch my breath," she took a deep breath and shared a look of misery with her Gamma. They both understood the amount of trouble they'd be in if caught with the rogues. But did she want to leave them just yet? Had she reached a big enough dead end with her mate to warrant just walking away from him like this? How would he ever turn around to join her if she turned her back on him? Or was that the only way to get through to him?

A disturbance at the door interrupted her thoughts.

Cale rose with her, and together they crept towards the front entry. Muffled laughter, a few curses, and girlish tittering reached them through the dead-bolted door.

The locks were turned, and as it opened, Savannah gaped at the sight of Phoenix with two girls draped on his arms, Chayton carrying another, and a few more standing further back with Tasman and Niko supporting them.

"What on earth is going on?" Savannah asked, her voice dripping with stern Alpha authority as she took in the skimpy dresses and heavy make up on the women. They shared smiles with Phoenix who was whispering slyly in one of their ears.

"They're staying with us for the night. Picked them up from a club nearby."

"You're totally kidding, right?" Savannah gripped the edge of the door to prevent her hands from wringing the rogues' necks.

They didn't look like they were kidding. Phoenix brushed right past her with his entertainment for the night. She'd known he was a player, and that these rogues had extremely low morals, but seeing it blatantly made her wilt inside.

"In truth,"Chayton leaned in to explain as the rest of the women filed inside. "We rescued them from an illegal brothel close to BrightFuture. We're keeping them safe for the moment."

The explanation set of a whole new set of alarms in Savannah's mind. Her opinion of the women changed drastically, but the same couldn't be said about Phoenix. She marched to the living room and found him on the couch, two women sprawled over his lap seductively.

"Um, hello," she tried gaining their attention, feeling stupid and like she shouldn't even be watching their explicit behaviour. "Phoenix!" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest in a commanding pose.

He finally tore his lips from one of the women's and gave Savannah his attention. "What? Don't scare them with your scary face! They're traumatised enough as it is. Do you know how many disgusting traffickers we had to kill to get them out of that horrible place?"

"If it was so awful, why are you using them now like this? Give them some real love and care, for crying out loud!"

"Oh, he's not using us," one of the girls, appearing young, perhaps only seventeen, turned to Savannah. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, lacking all hope but for a trace that was only now beginning to flicker to life. "We're showing gratitude to our saviour." She traced a finger lovingly down Phoenix's face and over his full lips.

When they began kissing hot and heavily, arms and legs tangling seductively, Savannah put her foot down.

"I won't let you do this. I don't care if he just rescued you from a brothel, and it's your choice now," she addressed the girls. "It's still immoral behavior and I won't tolerate it."

"What on earth, Vannah?" Phoenix pulled away to fix her with a dark scowl.

"You heard me," she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"But we're just making ourselves feel better. These girls deserve a little pampering," he replied hotly, turning with a charming smile to the girl on his left as he squeezed her thigh.

Savannah fought the urge to wring his neck. "Seriously? You call it pampering? I call it fornication, and I won't allow you to do it under my roof."

"This is not even your house," Phoenix pointed out, turning back to face her with an angry look.

"Do you see another Alpha around here?" she motioned around them, suddenly wondering where on earth Zion was. Why didn't he come home with the others? Had something gone wrong and they'd forgotten to mention, 'Hey, we left our fearless leader behind'?

Phoenix bristled under her authoritative tone, and though he'd never been affected by her Alpha dominance much before, he felt it now. The girls in turn started to grow agitated, shrinking in on themselves.

When Phoenix didn't respond, Savannah said lowly, "Therefore it's mine. And I make the rules. So if you want to be a manwhore, do it elsewhere. But for your sake I suggest you keep it in your pants." She nearly choked on her own words, realising it was the crudest language she'd used yet.

"Yes, ma'am." Phoenix grumbled and got up off the couch, disentangling himself from the girls before stomping up the stairs.

Savannah sighed, running a hand through her hair to push it back from her face. She looked at the girls still on the couch, huddled together with bewildered looks on their faces. Their makeup was running as silent tears tracked down their cheeks. She hated scaring them like that, but she couldn't let them fall under Phoenix's charm so easily. Their emotions were all over the place, and they needed her as a protector whether they realised it or not. She reached for the nearest blanket and laid it over them, giving them her best comforting smile.

Her heart tugged at the situation the women had found themselves in, and felt pity for how messed up their lives now were. Taking a deep breath, she began planning where they were going to sleep, how much linen and bedding was in the house, and how long they could stay here as they began their journey to a better life.

Her eyes met Chayton's through the kitchen doorway where he was gently dabbing a cut on one of the women's faces while she cradled a glass of water in wafer-thin hands.

"What's the plan?" she came up beside him and asked.

"My twin sisters run a women's shelter a few blocks from here. I'll have a talk with Cassie, see if they have room to take them in or know of someone else who does."

A sigh of relief escaped her lungs, which had grown tight at seeing the pain etched on every beautiful face that had stumbled across the threshold. She had no idea of their stories, but she knew that no woman deserved to be treated as property, used for pleasure or traded for wealth. She couldn't begin to imagine the desperation or sheer misfortune that had driven them to such an empty and tortured existence.

Savannah watched Chayton closely, as if seeing him for the first time. Under his rough and hardened exterior, there was a softness about him that showed through the way he cared for these women. Even the smallest action of lifting a torn sleeve to cover one of the girl's shoulders was thoughtful, and this kindness sent a surge of optimism through her heart.

Despite all the reckless behaviour and flouting of laws, these rogues had hearts as large as any she'd known.

Putting the kettle on to boil, she set about making tea or coffee for the women. Finally, after a few calls with his sister, Chayton told them all the good news that Cass and Sandra could give them a safe place for the night. He was greeted with smiles and soft thanks.

After they left and the house was quiet again, Savannah wandered over to a wingback chair in the living room, wondering how much more excitement the night would hold. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and began scrolling through messages from her family. All their questions about why she wasn't home yet made her heart constrict and her eyes sting. There was no easy answer, and the dread of coming to a decision made her all the more despondent. She contemplated if she should even bother replying right now, knowing that once she started, she'd receive an avalanche of even more questions.

"Is it safe to come down yet?" Phoenix poked his head in the room.

"Depends. Are you going to behave like a respectable human being yet?" Savannah answered, not looking up from her phone. Her disciplinarian voice dripped from her lips like molten honey, the tone so familiar from having rebuked her younger siblings when needed.

Phoenix didn't take it so well, putting a hand over his heart as he snorted. "I'm wounded! When am I ever not respectable?"

"When you try to take advantage of helpless women," she continued evading his eyes, not yet ready to joke with him. She was still upset with the loose-living rogue, and wanted to ignore him a bit longer. She went back to looking at the images her sister Emerald had sent.

Phoenix, for some reason, was brave enough to come sit beside her on the edge of the chair. "Is that your family?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, swallowing thickly as she studied the photos. There was one of her younger brothers tackling each other in their backyard, a setting sun behind illuminating their favourite climbing tree, bright smiles on their faces blurred by movement

Another one had her littlest sister Kiana on their father's back, head thrown back laughing as he carried her around the garden while their mum tended roses in the boxes outside the living room windows.

The last was of Emerald with a few flowers in her hands. The caption depicted them as the first blooms on the iridaceae hybrids Savannah had been experimenting with before she left to chase after her wild mate.

"Beautiful," Phoenix commented, his voice wistful.

"Yeah. I tried to cross the yellow variety with the purple, to make a sunset effect on the petals."

"No, I mean... the girl."

"My sister? Yeah, Emmy has always been so much more pretty than me. I'm a mess most of the time, but she's always so neat and effortlessly beautiful."

Phoenix reached for the phone and grabbed it from her hands before she even realised what he was doing. He studied the photo up close. "Her eyes are so gorgeous."

Savannah snatched the phone back quickly. "Stop perving on my sister! Besides, you wouldn't like her anyway. She's even more innocent than me," she gave him a knowing glare.

"How do you know that's not just my type? I could teach her so many things—"

"Stop it right now, Phoenix!" Savannah leapt up from the couch and tackled him down. "Don't talk about my sister like that ever again."

"Okay, okay!" he held up his hands in defense. "I get it, your sister is off-limits."

With a final growl, Savannah picked herself up and dusted off, throwing him a glare before marching upstairs.

The bedroom was too drenched in Zion's scent to be able to think clearly, so Savannah stepped out onto the balcony. Seeking even more of an escape, she looked over the railing and spotted ridges on the side of the building. It wasn't much effort to crawl up the side to the top of the building, and roll over the edge onto the rooftop.

Finally, lying back on the cold concrete and staring up at the sky, she felt some peace. The last few days had been so crazy, with barely any time to herself. There was so much to think about and she hadn't had the space to sort out the tangle of problems surrounding her. The feelings inside were like a dense jungle she stared at gloomily from the edge, too daunted to enter and explore. A part of her wanted to be strong, to be the Alpha she'd been raised to be and stand firm no matter where on earth she was, while another part of her wanted to be home, curled up with her family surrounding her as she cried out her frustrations.

"Ah, you found my favourite hideout."

She sat up straight as the husky words were spoken mere feet away.

"So quiet and peaceful up here, no?" Zion settled beside her, an easy smile on his face.

She eyed him up and down, noting the trackpants and black singlet he'd changed into. It was a far cry from the formal attire he'd been wearing earlier, but she couldn't say it was any less attractive. His thick biceps and broad chest were predominantly displayed, and she had to tear her eyes away from him before he noticed her quick yet thorough perusal.

"And you just ruined it," she muttered sullenly. Before he could reply with a witty comeback, she turned on him sharply, "How can you act like everything's normal?"

He didn't even flinch, almost as if he'd been expecting her chagrin. "Because it is."