Calum Pov

I looked at the papers scattered across my desk and sighed in frustration.

My nerves had been on edge ever since Morgan had left this morning. It was only a short trip and wasn't likely for her to be harmed in such a short time. However, I worried about her safety because I wasn't there to protect her.

I sent multiple guards to ensure she comes back to me alive and unharmed. She definitely put up a fuss but agreed to go with them nonetheless.

It didn't help my paranoia that I was examining the reports of rogue spottings from the past week.

Rogue activity was not much more than usual but it was there as always. Part of me believed that the fact we had so many rogues in the first place was due to my father being alpha before me. He was a good alpha but the punishment he used the most for crimes in the pack was banishment. With many pack members being banished, their mates often left the pack to be with them. All of this resulted in an increased number of rogues.

At first, having more rogues wasn't much of a problem. Unfortunately, they soon became a problem after becoming bitter over their exile. The reason my parents aren't here today is because many of the rogues attacked our pack to get revenge on the alpha and luna that had cast them aside. My parents were killed in that attack.

It was the worst day of my life and I've used it as a lesson for me to become a better alpha. I often punish pack members in other ways, such as making them do the less desirable chores of the pack or withholding an amount of their pay.

My dad made so many rogues because he couldn't bare ending a pack member's life. Because I refused to make any more rogues that could be a danger to my pack, I've sentenced many wolves to death when they've committed serious crimes against the pack. It was often times hard, but it was for the good of the other pack members.

I may not be the most feared Alpha in the country, but my position did come with power and wolves knew I was a force to be reckoned with.

A knock on the door sounded and I called out to let them know they could come in.

"Alpha, the girls have returned."  Lance told me once he was in the office.

Without saying a word to him, I rushed to the front door of the house so that I could see Morgan.

Finally outside, I watched as Ashlyn and Morgan stepped out of their car. They were both laughing and it was serene to see them become so close in only a matter of hours. Morgan looked more beautiful than I've ever seen her whilst she threw her head back and even let out a cute little snort. It was nice to see her bright and happy.

My immediate reaction was to feel jealous. It almost hurt that my sister made my mate laugh in a way I never had. I did my best to put my jealousy aside knowing that my mate would eventually laugh and smile at me like that some day.

I took many steps forward to close the large distance that had been between us. She finally noticed me when I was a few feet away from her and her eyes lit up in surprise. Not able to hold myself back, I reached out and pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm so glad you made it back safe." I whispered in her ear.

She giggled and responded, "I told you I'd be fine."

"That you did."

"I feel so appreciated and loved." Ashlyn said sarcastically in the background.

Rolling my eyes, I let go of Morgan before grabbing Ash into a big bear hug. After I had her trapped, I began rubbing my knuckles against the top of her head.

"Cal, stop it!"

"I'm just giving you the attention you wanted."

"Let her go, Calum." Morgan told me.

"Fine. You two are no fun when you're together."

"Of course we are. You just don't get to see it." Ashlyn said.

"Whatever. Morgan, would you like to eat dinner with me tonight?" I asked her.

"Sure."

I grabbed her hand and led her towards the garage where my car was at.

"Goodbye! Have fun you two!" Ash called out to us as we left.

Morgan turned around to wave at her.

"That was rude." She scolded me.

"What?"

"You just left your sister there without even saying goodbye. Don't you think we should've invited her to come with us?"

"That was normal. Don't worry about it, we do that to each other all the time. I wasn't going to invite her because I would like it to be just the two of us tonight." I told her.

"Ok."

We left the pack house shortly after stepping into my black Camaro. I drove her to a small diner that was nearby in the pack lands. The diner had good food and was a quiet place. I thought she would love it.

Once we arrived, we sat down at a booth and ordered our food.

"How was the day at your old pack?" I asked her sincerely interested to hear about it.

Luckily, my question lead her into a series of stories. She told me about things she found that she forgot she even had, how it was seeing her family again, and even a couple of things her and my sister talked about.

I smiled and mainly listened to everything she said. While she talked, I admired her and thought that I could just listen to her beautiful voice all day. She truly was amazing.

It was the best time we had together as mates up to that point and I realized that I was a lucky man to receive such a wonderful mate as her.