31

"Huh. So stealing money is just so normal for you. Right. How could I forget?" she waved a hand airily, before shaking her head in frustration. "You rogues disturb me."

"We weren't only stealing money from rich and dirty crimelords."

She didn't know what to say to his blunt statement. Was he waiting for her to grow curious and ask what he meant? Biting her tongue, she refused to take the bait and instead focused on a dull star far above them.

"But just so you know," Zion continued when he couldn't take her silence any longer. Savannah smiled to herself. "That brothel we raided was owned by one of the clients of BrightFuture. That's the type of men we take from; those who see no value in lives, and have no care beyond what they can gain from any situation. They steal souls, ruining the dignity that every human deserves."

"I know there are monsters everywhere. I like to kill them before lunch, but I don't let innocents get in the way. Innocents like those other clients you stole from who might just be wanting to make an honest living so they can look after their families."

"Sometimes we can't help who gets caught in the crossfire. If it was your family on the line, would you let a chance at revenge slip through your fingers just so someone else doesn't get hurt?" Zion turned to her, a serious light in his eyes, his jaw clenching dangerously.

"Revenge?" her eyes widened.

He immediately looked away and pursed his lips, clearing realising he'd said more than he intended.

"Wait! You can't drop that on me without an explanation," Savannah reached and clutched his arm firmly. Sparks sizzled between them, but she stuffed the warm feeling aside and focused on Zion's hesitant expression.

"When Bastien tried to kill me, he muttered something about me being the biggest bounty he would collect so far."

"That's understandable. You're at the top of the council's most wanted list. Everyone knows you'd bring in the highest reward."

"But it wasn't the council who paid for the kill."

"What do you mean?" Savannah felt her stomach twist at the way his voice turned sour. The dark expression in his eyes told more than she guessed his words would. But when he started speaking, her heart kicked up its speed, racing to keep up.

"After I killed Bastien, I went to his territory. He'd bragged about having half the reward in his account already. He was so sure of taking me down," Zion's jaw clenched, a faint flutter in the muscle though he tried hard to disguise it.

Savannah felt her heart stumble at the significance of how deeply he was pained by something. She wanted desperately to know exactly what it was that hurt him so much.

"Sure enough, I found records of a money transfer in his office account books."

"You searched his office?" Savannah spluttered, then pressed her lips shut when he looked at her sharply. Realising she probably didn't want to know how he so casually found himself in an Alpha's office, she didn't interrupt anymore.

"The money was transferred from an offshore account in Catalya, then sent through an account in one of BrightFuture's clients before being wired to Bastien."

That piece of information fell deep in her mind. "That's not surprising. A lot of the council own investment properties on the Islands. They like to holiday there in total luxury at least three times a year. One of them could have paid Alpha Bastien from any one of their accounts—"

"It wasn't the council, Savannah! Aren't you listening? They didn't kill...." he paused, took a deep breath, and filled the silence with a weary sigh. "It wasn't them who were after me. I know all their fake account names and aliases. It was someone else who wanted me dead. Bastien was just a greedy sucker who got carried away with their promises. They underestimated me, but I made sure they never would again."

"You know the council's...? Never mind," she changed her train of thought at the exasperated look he gave her. Of course, to always be one step ahead of the Alphas who were after him, the Silver Rogue would know their tricks and plans. That shouldn't surprise her after everything she'd learnt about her seriously smart and capable mate. "What did you do to them?" was her next thought, wondering just how he sent the message that he was impervious to whatever smart ways they planned of capturing him.

Zion didn't answer. Instead, he leaned back and lay on the concrete, much the same way Savannah had been before he'd crept up on her. Tucking a hand behind his head, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the crisp air.

Savannah automatically sniffed, curious to what he smelt. She got a noseful of stale cooking grease, vehicle exhaust, and musty rubbish fumes from dumpsters nearby. A part of her couldn't wait to get back to the fresh air of the open countryside back home.

The other part tugged her down until her head was resting on her mate's bicep, her eyes studying the profile of his face curiously. "So what did you find out at the corporation?" she asked, remembering back to the start of his story of how tonight went down. By now, she'd pieced together his ulterior motive of hacking into BrightFuture's accounting system.

Zion tilted his head, hazel eyes meeting her brown ones. "That a man named 'Lucifer' was willing to part with half a mil to ensure I was taken out."

"Lucifer." Savannah tasted the name on her tongue. "Nope. Never heard of him. Sorry."

"Clearly it's an alias."

"Clearly," she snuggled closer, wrapping her arm around his chest. His warmth and scent were making her relax more than she wanted to, but she couldn't help it. Being this close to him always had this effect on her. Her mate was a natural anesthetic to any pain she was feeling, an anxiolytic even though he was more often than not the one that caused her angst.

"I know I have lots of enemies, but why would this one go to so much trouble to take me down?" Zion mused quietly, probably not expecting a response. "Why not face me like a man?"

"He's probably intimidated by you. Who wouldn't be? You're the strongest wolf I know. This Lucifer is most likely just a coward, jealous of what you have, and scared you pose a threat to whatever he has," Savannah felt the words roll off her tongue without much thought. She was too sleepy to analyse any real reason, her eyelids refusing to remain open much longer. Being in Zion's arms like this was too much of a temptation to put aside every concern and let her body rest peacefully like a baby. There was no need to sleep with one eye open when she knew beyond doubt that Zion would never let anything hurt her during the night.

She felt his lips press a firm kiss to her forehead, before the world slipped away into oblivion.

_____

Sunlight was warm on her face when Savannah woke up, and she guessed the time to be after nine am. The practical Alpha was usually always up before six, yet since living with rogues, she'd somehow adopted a more lazy lifestyle.

The bitter smell of coffee drew her down to the kitchen, where she found Talei chatting with Cale and Niko. Apparently, they couldn't decide which cereal contained more sugar; crunchy nut corn flakes or coco pops.

"Why can't you just read the nutritional information on the box?" Niko argued.

"Too easy. Haven't you heard of forming a theory based on sound scientific experimentation?" Talei pegged a few rice pops at his head. She then carefully measured out spoonfuls of the cereal before tasting them one by one. Cale did the same, much to his Alpha's amusement.

And Niko's frustration. "You two are crazy!" Rolling his eyes, he grabbed both boxes of cereal and carried them from the kitchen.

"Hey!" Talei ran after him, waving her arms wildly.

Cale shook his head and opened the pantry, deciding Weet-bix would be better than nothing for breakfast.

A while later the three of them left to meet some friends and go shopping. Despite having money to her name, Savannah figured the kind of shopping Talei would do was going to be the illegal kind.

Savannah spent part of the morning with Yolanda and her baby Matheus, then minded him for an hour while the new mum got some much needed sleep. Afterwards, to fill in time, the Alpha did some washing and tidied the house, sweeping the floors and vacuuming. The housework actually calmed her mind and gave her body time to rest and recuperate. It felt good to be doing some honest work without feeling guilt gnaw at her stomach.

Zion found her in the kitchen, rubbing the shelves with eucalyptus oil to reveal gleaming white marble. "You don't have to do that," he said, shaking his head and giving her a small frown.

Savannah shrugged off his scolding. His tone held a hint of concern, as if he didn't want her overexerting herself. "It's not backbreaking work. I'm fine. Besides, I feel as if I should help earn my keep. You have all been so accommodating to me and my Gamma, and what do we give in return besides lectures on morality?"

"True, that," he chuckled, his eyes warm as he walked over to her and caged her against the bench. His long arms rested by her side, the heat of his gaze forcing her to look up and meet it.

"I meant to give you something last night, but we got distracted," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear where he placed gentle kisses.

"Well, if you're trying to distract me again, it's working," she breathed, clutching his arms as her knees went weak. It was a classic cliche when she thought about it, but right now, his touch felt too good to think about anything besides.

Zion pulled away a few inches, chuckling. "I'm not going to apologise for that."

"I wouldn't want you to," she pouted her lips and blew him a kiss. "So... what did you want to give me..."

Her words trailed away when Zion pulled a jewelry box from the pocket of his jacket. It wasn't hard to recognise the high-end jeweller's brand. Without effort, her heart sped up, her throat going dry as all sorts of possibilities ran through her mind. "You didn't steal that last night, did you?" she eyed him quizzically.

A muscle in his temple twitched, as though fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Is it so hard to believe that I have worked some honest jobs in my life?"

"Well, given your reputation..." she patted him knowingly on the chest, her fingers surprised once again at how hard the underlying muscle was.

He sighed deeply, expanding that broad chest to give her even more proof of his strength. "I see I have a long way to go in improving your opinion of me."

Tilting her head, she only gave him a small nod.

Taking another deep breath, Zion raked a hand through his hair. "So will you accept this, or should I just give it to someone else, say...Talei?"

"I'll take it!" she squeaked.

He smirked mischievously, then sobered. "Savannah, I know we don't see eye to eye on lots of things," Zion began, holding the box closed between them. "But I want you to know that I care about you. A lot."

She couldn't tear her eyes from his; couldn't seem to take a breath to appease her tight lungs, afraid it would shatter the moment that Zion had weaved around them with his meaningful words.

"And, I know you want me to come with you and join your pack, and I will. One day. But just not yet. There's a few things I need to do first."

Her heart sank, her eyebrows creasing as disappointment flooded her veins. Because, though she'd come into this telling herself to have no expectations of her wild rogue mate, her heart had done the complete opposite. It had galloped away on a magical horse into the sunset, destined for a castle where she would rule with her mate by her side and a dozen children created from their undying love.

"So I offer you this, a promise," Zion opened the box, revealing a pendant on a gold chain.

Tentatively, she touched the pendant, shaped in a delicate flower with a crystal stone in the middle.

Zion's lips turned up in a subtle grin. "You know I said once that your scent was like licorice? Well, it's more like gardenia. Forest gardenia that's native to the islands east of the continent. They typically have seven petals," he pointed to the intricate detail of the flower pendant. "The number of perfection." He held up the necklace and clasped it around her neck, his fingers brushing the nape of her neck before trailing down the chain and tapping the pendant that now sat between her clavicles. His whisper of a touch sent shivers erupting on every inch of her skin. "Perfect. Just like you."

Turning in his arms, she stared into his eyes, at the unreadable expression found there. What was he saying? She had wanted so much from him, yet this promise seemed like all he could give now. And, no matter the number of secrets he held, she felt she could trust his feelings for her. It might not be the love she'd really wanted, but she couldn't doubt that he cared for her. That was enough for now.

Rising on her toes, she kissed him deeply. He responded wholeheartedly, pressing her against the bench. He soon took control of the kiss, exciting her with his soft lips and demanding tongue.

A surge of dominance flared within her, and she twisted them around until his back was to the shelf, and she took control of the kiss. He didn't seem to mind, placing his hands under her thighs and lifting her higher, giving her the best angle.

Her parents were right... the kitchen was the best place to spontaneously show your mate how much you appreciated them.

A knock at the door interrupted them, causing Savannah to leap back and nearly knock all the dinner plates off the bench. Zion reached out, his long arms easily snagging her before she could hurt herself.

"That's probably a delivery for Yolanda. She's expecting a parcel," he commented, still holding her in his safe embrace.

"I'll... I'll go get it," she stammered, swiping her tongue over her swollen lower lip. The taste of her mate remained, consuming her with only a teaser of what he could truly offer if they ever finally decided to accept each other.

A dozen places of where she'd like to go on their honeymoon filled her mind, setting her imagination on fire. She'd always thought spending a week in a cosy beach shack would be romantic, or a cabin in the mountains. They could go camping by waterfalls and explore canyons together, or get lost in the ancient forests in the western highlands. She suddenly wanted to see the world by Zion's side, and couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life with any other man.

Opening the front door, Savannah came face to face with a little girl. "Hey pup, can I help you?"

"Can I please come in?" the girl asked politely, brushing wisps of chocolate brown hair back from her face. She looked about five or six, had messy braids that framed her pixie face cutely, and large brown eyes that stared at Savannah openly. With a heavy bag on her back, and a dusky pink jacket covering thin shoulders, she looked a little lost and very alone.

This was definitely not the postman Yolanda was expecting.

"Where are your parents?" Savannah leaned over the doorstep, looking up and down the street but seeing no one.

"My mum died when I was little. And actually I'm here to see my daddy."

The bluntness took Savannah by surprise, but before she could reply, the girl kept going.

"He used to live here. Does he still live here? I need to see him. Like, really need to." Her voice was sweet but edged with urgency. Twisting her fingers together, she stared at her shoes before looking back up at Savannah with expectant eyes.

"Listen, sweetie. I don't know anything about your dad. Maybe you have the wrong house—"

"It's not the wrong house. It has the blue paint under the window. See?" She pointed up. "Daddy said he'd never paint over it so I'd always know—"

"Okay, fine." Savannah looked up and saw the window with an old blue paint smear under it, looking like it was left over from three paint jobs ago. "Come in and tell me what your dad looks like." Grabbing her hand, Savannah brought the girl inside, wanting to bring her in from the cold and shut the door as soon as possible. She couldn't very well leave her alone out there to spend the night on the street.

"Well, he's tall, and has greeny brown eyes," the young pup began describing him in a sing-song voice.

"Right. Tall and brown eyes." That narrows it down to forty percent of the male population, Savannah mused as she tugged the girl gently through the house. She found Zion still in the kitchen, bent over the stove cooking something, and called out, "Hey Zion, this random pup--"

"Daddy!" the little girl squealed and pulled from Savannah's grasp, running to Zion and jumping into his arms.

"Hey! Huggabunch!" Zion wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck.

Savannah's jaw dropped to the floor as she stared at them, her body becoming paralyzed with shock.

"Uh..." Savannah stuttered, trying to clear her throat that had become drier than any desert she'd ever read about. Her mind struggled to process what her eyes were seeing: the young pup with her little arms wrapped around Zion's neck as he knelt to hold her close, her small body engulfed in his large embrace.

She knew what that embrace felt like, but the picture now seemed all wrong.

Zion had never mentioned he had a little girl. That kind of thing was something you found out on the first date— not that she or Zion had ever been on a real date, but she'd read books about them, and had hoped she and her mate had progressed to at least the tenth date, future-planning stage. Touching the promise pendant that now hung around her neck, her heart twisted at the irony. How could she have been so blind about him?

Refusing to believe initial appearances of who this was, she thought of other options. Maybe this girl was Chayton's pup, and everyone treated her like family. Maybe Zion was like an uncle to her, and she just called everyone 'daddy'.

Yeah, that must be it. Savannah was familiar with having many men in her life she looked up to like a father. She could number them on both hands, all the strong leaders in her pack and close friends to her parents who had helped raise her and her siblings. It took the whole pack to raise a pup, and these rogues were appearing increasingly like a well-structured pack whether they even saw it themselves or not. This pup was clearly someone else's. She couldn't possibly be Zion's daughter.

"Um, hello?" Savannah repeated, waving her hand awkwardly while standing on the threshold to the kitchen, afraid if she took one step she might fall over in a fluster of emotions. Her heart was racing like mad, the blood pounding in her temples making her dizzy, and her lungs were struggling to keep up with the hyperventilating she was apt to do in overwhelming situations like these.

Zion stood, not even noticing her while hoisting the little girl onto his hip and effortlessly balancing her in one arm. "How did you get here?" he asked her, tickling her tummy and eliciting giggles from her. They filled the room with a sound so familiar to Savannah, yet so out of place in this house, at this time, with this man she thought she knew.

"Bessie had a family emergency," the girl pronounced slowly and clearly, as if reciting something memorised. "So she said to tell you she went to the hospital, and I would stay with you for the week."

"She just dropped you off without even calling me?" Zion raised his eyebrows in surprise.

The girl shrugged innocently, at a loss.

"Well, then. Looks like you're stuck with me, Cherub. How's my favourite girl?" Zion cracked a grin and tickled her again. His voice was an octave higher, almost taking on a song-song quality as he spoke to her endearingly. "You hungry? Because I am just about to make chow mein."

"Oohh... hmmm," she lifted her shoulders in another shrug, pouting her lip dramatically. "I don't know..."

"You don't know? I thought you loved chow mein. Wait a minute..." Zion narrowed his eyes. "What has Bessie been feeding you?"

"I already ate ten chicken nuggets for lunch," she replied sheepishly.

"Ten?" Zion's eyes widened. "Ten? That's a lot for my little cherub."

"No, it's not!" she squealed when he tickled her again. "I'm bigger! I'm not little anymore, Daddy. Bessie says I grew.. um," she looked up at the ceiling, her face scrunched in thought. "Two inches!" she smiled proudly, holding up two fingers.

"Really? You don't say," Zion put her down and placed a hand flat on her head, measuring her against himself. "I do believe you're right. Two inches! Now what am I going to do with you? I think you've eaten enough. You don't want to grow taller than daddy."

"Yes, I do!" she giggled and stood up on her toes. "I want to be as big, and as strong, and as tall as you! I will be even stronger!" To demonstrate, she wrapped her arms around his thigh and tried lifting him.

It was adorable to watch, and Savannah began smiling.

Then she caught herself, her stomach sinking once she realised just what she was looking at. "Can someone please tell me what is going on?"

Zion finally looked up, as if just realising she was standing there. "Oh hey. I'd like you to meet my daughter, Darya." He tousled the girl's hair lovingly, turning her head to face Savannah.

Brown eyes met her own, and suddenly Savannah was looking at a face that couldn't possibly resemble any of the other rogues that lived under this roof. The shape of those adorable eyes, the hues in her chocolate brown hair, even the plumpness of her childish lips held traces of the man standing beside her.

"Hi," the pup lifted a hand and waved, suddenly shy as she angled herself slightly behind Zion's body.

Savannah could only stare, knowing she was gaping like a dying fish but unable to come up with any sensible words to say.

"What's your name?" the pup asked, moving forward a little, curious, confidence seeping back into her demeanor.

"Uh.. I.. I'm Savannah." The Alpha finally found her voice, daring a glance at Zion. He was watching her closely before turning back to the girl with an easy smile.

"Are you a friend of my daddy?" Darya asked.

"I suppose you could say that," Savannah felt anger burn to life in her stomach, and she crossed her arms while shooting Zion a glare. "Sure, I'm a friend of your father's," she emphasised the last word, heat radiating from her gaze. "In fact, I'm his mate."

Darya's eyes widened. "Mate? But...but..." A frown creased her flawless childish complexion. "I thought Mummy was your mate?" she turned to Zion, her entire body asking the question.

If Savannah's stomach had dropped to her toes before, it went completely through the floor of the building and right to the foundations now. An ugly feeling arose within her, one she couldn't put a name to. It was a mixture of dread, disbelief, jealousy, and anger.

Zion knelt to the girl's level. "She was. She always will be, darling. But Savannah here is my second chance mate. How cool is that?"

"I suppose," she lifted her small shoulders before dropping them with a heavy sigh.

"Hey listen, Darya," Zion continued, laying his large hands on her shoulders comfortingly, trying to erase the sadness that had shadowed her cute features, "Why don't you go put your stuff in Willow's room and get ready for a shower? I'll have dinner ready by the time you're done."

"Okay," she picked up her bag and obediently walked out of the kitchen. As she passed Savannah, she paused. "Nice to meet you, Savannah. I hope you like my Daddy. He's the best." Then with a wide grin, she skipped off.

When she was out of earshot, Savannah turned to the 'best daddy' and stared at him with her most stern Alpha expression. She was fuming, and couldn't wait to hear an explanation.

"You have a daughter?"

Zion didn't seem to fathom the barely controlled anger that boiled under her skin. Instead, he replied sarcastically, "Do you always need someone to restate the obvious?" Raking a hand casually through his hair, he turned to stir the pan on the stove. "I thought Alphas were more intelligent than that," he tsked, his voice once more the deep rumble she knew so well.