The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 84

The next morning, Lucianne packed the baby essentials before she, Xandar and Mrs Parker left for the Den. Xandar was hesitant to allow their daughter to come with them at first, but seeing that both he and Lucianne could use their Authorities on those creatures if it had to be used he gave in.

Lucianne didn't want to spend too much time away from Reida, so she brought her daughter anywhere that didn't pose a risk of danger. She already met the royal mavericks, and they were all loyal to Greg. Since Greg was on their side, she wasn't worried about bringing Reida along. They reached the Den, and many were fascinated by the princess, who was looking around with those curious lilac orbs in her mother's arms. Hailey came over, and was elated that they brought Reida along. She dashed back to her room, got the small teddy bear she bought after meeting Reida the first time and handed it to the princess.

The king and queen thanked Hailey for the kind gesture. The softness of the plush toy clearly pleased the baby girl, but the scent didn't. She only hugged the teddy for only a brief second before separating herself from it. After a moment, Reida rubbed the toy mercilessly against her mother's chest.

Reida's head then turned to Xandar, and her arms stretched out. Her father got the cue to carry her, but the baby dropped the toy in her mother's arm on the way, so she exclaimed 'ah!', demanding for the teddy from Lucianne before rubbing the toy against her father's chest next. When she was satisfied with the scent of her new gift, she held it close to her chest and cooed aloud in happiness.

Hailey and Desmond then led them to the discussion room, and they noticed that Greg had added chairs around the table. When Xandar walked past Greg, Reida caught Greg's familiar scent, and turned towards her uncle before she yelled 'F*CK!' with a big smile. "REIDA!" Lucianne exclaimed with eyes and tone that was so fierce that Reida's smile faded as she snuggled deeper into her father's chest, seeking protection.

Xandar pecked a kiss on her daughter's forehead as he whispered, "Well done, cupcake."

Greg took no offense, and simply chuckled lightly before he said, "Good morning to you too, princess."

Lucianne was in the midst of apologizing before Greg stopped her from finishing, "I doubt she knows what that word means, My Queen. It really isn't an issue. It's probably her way of saying 'hi"."

Xandar then muttered to Reida, "Daddy will explain what it means, cupcake. But you'll have to promise that you'll keep saying it when you see Uncle Greg, okay?"

Lucianne warned, "Don't. You. Dare. Xandar. She's too young. She shouldn't be saying that to ANYONE yet."

Of course Xandar didn't mean it. He just wanted to elicit a response from his mate. The proud father doubted Reida possessed the vocabulary required to understand that word anyway. After stroking his fuming wife's hand to calm her down, they started the discussion.

Greg brought them up to speed about Dr Tanish and Madame Psych. The good news was that this was a false alarm. The scientists behaved normally, speaking only to each other while closing off their field of vision, hearing and opinion to everyone else. They were, in Greg's words, 'still dabbling in random nonsense without any prospect of a breakthrough'.

When they moved on to J.J., Bundy and Dormant Little Red, Lucianne's brows pulled together when she questioned, "Are these three from the same...clan, Greg?"

"Never was, and I doubt they ever will be. They aren't in any clan, clique or group per se. No one wants them. Apart from being able to keep themselves alive, they're practically useless."

Lucianne crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat. "Useless," she muttered in contemplation. "How are the two females affording the stay at the inns?" "They're pickpockets, My Queen."

"Pickpocket who? The other rogues?"

"Sometimes. There are also a number of dim creatures in our territory who wouldn't know what these two are up to until it's too late, even if it has happened several times before. Other times, they use scent sprays and disguises to steal from those in crowded places of the kingdom. Malls, markets, airports, and the like."

"So...you're saying they're useless despite being able to pickpocket because their skill isn't up to your standards?" Lucianne asked.

"I suppose you could say that, My Queen. Beyond knocking someone's wallet or cash-stack out of a bag, they can't do anything without alerting their prey. They can't even steal from someone's wrists or pockets, which are where most valuables are found."

Lucianne got to thinking again. "Have they been staying in the same inns this whole time?"

Greg looked at Nani, who nodded in confirmation.

Same inns. Same routine. Same frequented locations. Nothing changed except the fact that they both quieted down. The usually-drunk Red sobered up. Why would creatures need silence AND be sober?

When Lucianne figured it out, she looked straight at Greg and said, "You think they're watching your people."

Greg admitted in a low voice, "It's a preliminary suspicion for now, My Queen, but yes."

Xandar asked, "Why would someone want to watch your followers?"

Greg replied, "Like you, not everyone likes me, cousin.”

"I thought you had everyone under your power."

"I had everyone under the impression that no one can or should mess with me and my followers. Not every rogue lycan is my follower."

Xandar then uttered in revelation, "There's someone who wants to challenge your position. That's the present threat."

Greg muttered in dissatisfaction, "Suspected threat."

The king turned to his queen and uttered, "The other day at Blue Crescent...you were the only one who wasn't physically attacked by the proditors. They want to control you with the concoction, and use you to control the rest of us. Whoever is behind this is playing the big game, to control not just those loyal to the kingdom but also those who aren't. The proditors and whoever they're working with is looking to overthrow me AND the king of rogues here. They think they can do it but they need time, and those watching his followers right now are just buying time by...being red herrings."

Greg and everyone else in the room couldn't mask their surprise at Xandar acknowledging that the duke was a king of something. Xandar didn't see an issue with it because he had seen the way his followers interact with Greg.

Despite Greg's poker face and dead tone, his followers always exuded the willingness to serve, the same type of energy that Xandar himself got from his own ministers, police and warriors. Sure, Xandar had the King's Authority to compel any rogue as he pleased but Greg had power over them without any Authority.

Lucianne was the first to blink and said, "That does seem to be the case, darling. Uh..." her sights returned to Greg when she asked, "Will there be anything you need, Greg? Something within our system or..."

"What we need from you, My Queen, is permission for another matter." Greg then explained the situation with Kate, and Lucianne held her breath until he finished his story.

She mind-linked Xandar to discuss the matter, and when her eyes cleared, she swallowed a lump in her throat and said, "Do whatever is necessary to keep our people safe. Every single one of them, including the mavericks."

###

In the Forest of Oderem, the vigils were NOT having fun.