Celeste had never been more grateful for an interruption in her life, even though she still had to deal with Hunter Blackwood and the utterly humiliating mate bond situation.
As well as the entire Alpha Summit that had witnessed her getting manhandled like a stuffed toy in the paws of a toddler.
She was adamant that she was still going to murder Hunter the first chance she got. But for now, the Rogues were attacking, and that meant punching something.
Which, honestly, was way better than standing there, staring at Hunter and wondering what his lips tasted like.
(Probably trouble. Absolute trouble.)
She shoved those thoughts aside as she bolted toward the north gate, Hunter running at her side.
"Try to keep up, Blackwood," she muttered, shifting into her wolf form mid-stride.
Hunter barked a laugh and followed suit, his wolf, Rogue,"emerging in a flash of thick black fur and deadly strength.
The moment they hit the courtyard, chaos exploded. It was one Messy, Blood-Filled Battle Later…
Celeste panted, shaking the blood off her fur.
The attack had been short and brutal, but between the combined forces of the Alphas present at the Summit, the rogues hadn't stood a chance.
Most had been eliminated. The rest fled, running for their lives.
"I got three," Hunter called out, shifting back into his human form beside her, looking infuriatingly attractive for someone covered in dirt and rogue blood.
She shifted back as well, rolling her eyes. "Four."
Hunter grinned. "Oh? Are we keeping score now?"
She gave him a mocking smirk. "I mean, if it helps your ego, I can let you think you won."
Before he could respond, a Beta warrior ran up to them.
"Alphas! There's—uh—an issue."
Celeste groaned. "Of course there is."
Hunter cracked his knuckles. "What kind of issue?"
The Beta hesitated, then, with an expression of deep regret, he said, "We lost one."
Celeste blinked. "Lost one? What do you mean lost—"
The Beta winced. "A rogue escaped… and, uh… he climbed onto the roof."
Silence filled the air.
Celeste and Hunter both stared at him. Then, in perfect sync, they both said: "He WHAT?"
The problem wasn't just that a rogue had escaped. It was more of a problem as to how he had escaped.
Instead of running into the forest like a normal rogue, this one had somehow scaled the damn Alpha Summit mansion like Spider-Wolf.
Now, he was perched on the highest peak of the roof, snarling like a lunatic while an entire squad of warriors stood below, absolutely baffled.
"I don't get it," one muttered. "Why go up there?"
"Maybe he wanted a better view?" another offered.
Celeste pinched the bridge of her nose. She did not have time for this.
"I'll handle it," she muttered.
Hunter snorted. "No way. I'm handling it."
Celeste turned to him, crossing her arms. "And what exactly is your brilliant plan, Blackwood?"
Hunter grinned. "Simple. I climb up, drag him down, and—"
"Absolutely not," Celeste cut in. "You'll fall and break your dumb face."
Hunter put a hand to his chest. "Are you worried about me, Rivers?"
She scoffed. "Worried? No. I just don't want to explain to the Summit why I let the great Alpha Blackwood launch himself off a building like an idiot."
Hunter laughed. "Sounds like a personal problem."
Before she could protest, he stripped off his shirt and started stretching.
For a second, Celeste forgot how to breathe, as she stared, because, even though she'd seen many Alpha's shirtless before, this was Hunter Blackwood, and he had no business being that attractive.
His muscles were ridiculously sculpted, his shoulders broad, his abs sharp, and his strong arms that definitely looked like they could hold her—
Wait. No. What was she thinking. "Pull yourself together and focus Celeste, this is Hunter Blackwood."
"Enjoying the view?" Hunter teased.
Celeste snapped back to reality. "No."
Hunter smirked. "Liar."
She was going to kill him, but first, she was going to watch him fall off that damn roof.
Hunter attempted to climb the roof but did not make it to the top.
Oh, he tried. He really did. But halfway up, the rogue snarled and hurled a loose shingle straight at his face. Hitting him hard, causing him to lose balance.
Then, with the grace of a man who had made several bad decisions in his life, Hunter lost his footing and plummeted straight back down.
Celeste did not laugh.
(That was a lie. She laughed so hard she almost cried.)
Hunter groaned from the ground. "I hate this guy."
Celeste grinned down at him. "Want me to handle it now?"
Hunter sighed. "Yeah. Fine."
She winked. "Try not to miss me too much."
Then, before he could get in a snarky comeback, she shifted into her wolf, dug her claws into the wall, and scaled the mansion like a pro.
Hunter, who was still flat on his back, grumbled. "Show-off."
Celeste hadn't heard his comment. She reached the peak of the mansion in less than a minute.
The rogue whipped around, his eyes wild. "Stay back!" he snarled. "I'll jump!"
Celeste blinked. She was so done with this night.
"You're threatening to… jump?" she repeated, deadpan.
The rogue hesitated. "Uh. Yeah?"
Celeste tilted her head. "From… what? The roof?"
"YES."
She stared at him, then, at the very, very soft bushes below, then turned back to him and said, unimpressed, "Okay, go for it. Don't mind me."
The rogue froze. "Wait. What?"
"I mean, if that's your plan, I won't stop you." She shrugged. "But fair warning? It's, like, a six-foot drop. You'll be totally fine."
The rogue glanced over the edge, and slowly, realization dawned.
"…Oh," he muttered.
"Yeah," Celeste said, crossing her arms. "Not exactly dramatic, huh?"
The rogue sighed. "This is embarrassing."
She patted his shoulder. "A little bit, yeah."
Hunter's voice drifted up from below. "Are we done? Or is he still contemplating his life choices?"
Celeste rolled her eyes. "We're done."
The rogue grumbled but allowed himself to be dragged down.
The moment they hit the ground, Hunter grinned.
"So, uh… Who handled it better?"
Celeste smirked. "Me. Obviously."
Hunter chuckled. "Fine. I'll give you this one."
Celeste raised an eyebrow. "This one? Oh, Blackwood. I handle everything better."
Hunter leaned in, voice low. "We'll see about that, mate."
Celeste's heart skipp a beat, damn this man, damn the mate bond, and damn the way her wolf wanted to melt every time he got this close.
She huffed. "Go fall off another roof."
Hunter laughed.
And Celeste?
Celeste pretended she wasn't enjoying this way too much.