Chapter 3 Rogue

• Erica's POV
• Ace pulls up to the pack house and puts the car in park. "Rock, paper, scissors to see who has to carry in her stuff?" He says arrogantly.
• "Don't bother," I pipe up. "I can carry my own stuff."
• I don't want them touching my luggage. The last time they "helped" with my things, I spent a week pulling my bras and panties out of various locations in the pack house. I will not give them the opportunity to do it again.
• "I will carry her stuff," Chris says gruffly. Ace looks at him in shock, but Bryce seems perfectly fine with the decision.
• I wait as Chris pulls my luggage out of the trunk. A frown tugs at his lips when he lifts it, but he says nothing. Instead, he pushes past me and heads into the pack house.
• "You are staying in the guest quarters," he explains as we walk through the door. "Mother's orders."
• "Okay."
• He shows me to my room, which is on the opposite side of the pack house. It is much smaller than the room I usually stay in, but I don't plan on staying here long.
• Chris tosses my luggage onto the floor. "Well. You know what time dinner is."
• "Right," I say, laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.
• Chris leaves without another word, and I kind of wish he had stayed. I pull out my phone and attempt to call my mother.
• Her phone number flashes on the screen, but the phone doesn't ring on the other end. I am only met with a dial tone. I cannot believe that they changed their phone numbers without telling me first. It is like they have disappeared into the abyss, leaving no trace of where they have gone. Someone must know where they have gone.
• The clock on my wall chimes, letting me know it is six o'clock. Crap. I should have already made my way down for dinner at this point.
• I wipe the tears that have stained my cheeks and check my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are puffy and red, and my blonde hair is a mess on top of my head. I know I should care more since I am having dinner with Alpha and the Luna of the North Pack, but I don't care.
• Opening the door to my bedroom, I see Ace standing on the other side of the door with his hand raised as if he were getting ready to knock on my door.
• "What do you need?" I ask grumpily.
• "I came to get you for dinner," he says gruffly. "There is no need to be rude."
• "I was just on my way down," I mumble as I walk out of the door.
• Ace mumbles something under his breath about an "ungrateful rogue."
• I want to turn around and punch him in the face, but I refrain. I cannot forget that this family is helping me in a time of need. No one else would have taken me in, knowing that my parents were banished from the West Pack.
• Ace opens the door to the dining room, and I see that my plate is set beside Bryce's. Bryce pats the seat beside him and motions eagerly for me to come and sit next to him. He seems overly excited to see me at dinner, and I cannot help but wonder what he is up to.
• Before I sit down, I inspect my seat carefully, making sure that there aren't any hidden whoopie cushions or that the seat hasn't been tampered with in any way. I can hear Bryce snickering beside me as I finally sit down. "You act like it's a trap," he whispers to me.
• My face flushes with embarrassment as I realize how silly I must have looked inspecting the chair. "Sorry," I mumble. "Force of habit."
• "It is no problem, Dear," Alpha Devin addresses me kindly. "I know how hard my sons have been on you in the past."
• I offer the Alpha a small smile as I place my napkin in my lap and wait patiently to be served. The Omegas bring in the oversized dishes and set them in the middle of the table. After serving the Alpha and the Luna, the Omegas hurriedly fill the plates of the triplets. I sigh when I realize my plate has been left empty as the Omegas rush out of the dining room.
• "The Omegas only serve the ranked members of packs," Luna Alice says as she nods to the trays of food in the middle of the table. "I do hope you understand."
• A lump forms in the back of my throat. I am no longer a ranked member of any pack now that my parents are rogues. My status within this pack will be questioned at every turn.
• "Of course," I say as I place a small piece of meat on my plate and grab a small bowl of salad.
• "Oh, Erica," Bryce says slyly. "Would you mind filling my plate again?"
• "Me too," Chris says with a smirk on his face.
• "Of course," I say again through gritted teeth. Reaching forward, I place more meat and salad on the triplets plates, sit back down, and begin to eat my food.
• Suddenly, the door to the dining room swings open, and a girl with bouncing, curly blonde hair bounds into the room. "Sorry I am late," she says in a sing-song voice.
• Luna Alice lets out a frustrated sigh as she looks at the girl. "Ashley," Luna begins with a stern look on her face. "You know it is always important to show up when dinner begins."
• "Yes, yes, Aunt Alice," Ashley says with a wave of her hand. She flops down in the seat across from me, and suddenly, her eyes fly up and meet my own. "Oh, my Goddess! Is this her? The rogue?"
• Rogue? I think to myself, is that how the people of this pack see me?
• "Ashley," Alpha Devin hisses at her.
• "What?" Ashley says with a weird look on her face. "Am I not supposed to bring up the fact that she is a rogue?"
• I place my fork gently on my plate and look down at my hands. Tears are threatening to stream down my cheeks as I keep my eyes focused on my hands. Once I feel composed enough, I decide to take my leave of the dinner table. "Thank you for dinner," I manage to choke out. "But I think I will head back to my room now."
• Alpha Devin and Luna Alice share a look, and I know they are speaking to one another through the mind link that all werewolves of the same pack share. The look on Alpha Devin's face shows that he is not pleased with the conversation that is taking place.
• "If you will wait," Luna Alice says with a wicked look. "We need to discuss your payment arrangements for staying with us."
• "Payment arrangements?" I cock my head to the side in confusion. I don't recall my parents mentioning anything about a payment arrangement.