Chapter 4

The rogue who sat down in front of me was one of the younger ones. By the look of him, he was a few years older than me. He shook as he sat there, looking at me with wide eyes.  I could smell the sweat and fear pouring out of him. Not sure what it says about me, but his fear helped me relax.

“There are a lot of alphas who detest rogues, even to the point they execute all that dare cross their lands,” I started, keeping my tone flat and business-like. “I’m, however, not one of those alphas. I don’t believe all rogues are deviants, and I support every wolf’s right to live as they choose. Yet, that doesn’t mean I won’t tear apart anyone who threatened my pack. You have attacked my people and threatened their lives.” I leaned forward with a glare. He managed to hold my gaze for a second before lowering it to the table.

“I am feeling merciful today so I will give you one last chance to make it right. Answer my questions and I’ll allow you to leave my territory unharmed.” I gave him a moment to think before I asked my first question. “Who ordered you to come into my territory?”

He didn’t say anything at first. Just hung his head, looking at his clasped hands. “I don’t know who they were,” he said finally. “I was in a bar. A usual hotspot for us rogues. I was with a couple of friends when some wolf none of us have ever seen offered us a lot of money to come here and cause trouble. That’s all he said. It was a lot of money, and I needed the money… and here I am.”

I smelled the truth on him. That didn’t help me at all. Anger heated my blood. I had more questions, but this guy didn’t have the answers I needed. “You can go,” I snapped then with another glare I added, “But if I catch you in my territory again I won’t be as forgiving.” To Koryeon I said as I leaned back in the chair. “Fingerprint him then send him on his way. Bring in the next one.” Two enforcers came into the room and helped the rogue stand.

“Thank you, Luna. I won’t forget this,” the rogue said as my enforcers led him out.

I wasn’t sure if I should feel reassured or worried about his words. Had he been moved by my mercy or did he see me as weak and would he join my enemies? I didn’t have time to worry as the next rogue was brought in.  He was a bit older and a little scruffier. Like keeping his hair cut and his beard trimmed was the last thing on his to-do list. He licked his cracked lips as he plopped down in the chair. He glanced between Mario and me suspiciously. This one wasn’t as scared as the rogue before him had been.

I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be as easy as the first one. I repeated the same offer to him. Talk and go free, or don’t. The rogue narrowed his eyes at me with a snide snicker. “You want me to believe that you’re just going to let me walk out of here? That green boy that came in before me may swallow that bullshit, but not me. Honey, you’re not the first top dog I’ve had to suffer. I won’t fall the whole compassion spiel.”

“It’s not a spiel or bullshit,” I said as I rested my arms on the table. “It’s not even compassion. It will make my life a whole lot easier to send you on your way than keep you here as a prisoner. I’m not going to kill you because all you did was trespass this time. I don’t take life unless warranted. All I ask is that you make my life easier and tell me what and who brought you to my territory tonight.”

I almost held my breath as I watched him consider my offer. “No,” he said and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll never trust you alphas! All you care about is yourselves and your power. You’d never let me go. Not after I came into your territory as I did. Take me back to my cell or do whatever you’re going to do to me.”

I tried to keep the disappointment from my face as I called enforcers back into the room. “Return him to his cell, and bring in 3-B,” I told them. They took the rogue out of the room. I would follow my dad’s standard punishment for rogues like him. Zip tie with a silver core around the wrist, Silvered, and have him do community service for a couple of weeks then send him on his way.

The rogue from 3-B was led in next. He was growling and fighting the enforcers when they brought him in. They had to force him down into the chair and cuffed him to the table. Again, I repeated my demands.

He laughed and spat on the floor. “Go to hell, bitch!”

“Someday, surely, now who sent you to my territory and why?”

He snickered. “How about you bring me a real alpha, Sweetie.”

“You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” I told him.

The rogue looked me over and licked his lips. “How about you stop pretending you’re anything, but a pretty piece of ass and come over here. I will show just how hard I am.”

I scoffed and looked him over. “I doubt you know what to do with a real woman. You are just a sad little man.” I used my forefinger and thumb to show just how little.

With a snarl, he jerked forward, hands out to attack me. It was so sudden that I wasn’t able to control my sudden jerk back which led me to almost fall from my chair. It was a prey response. The rogue started to laugh and Mario rounded the table, hitting him hard in the face. It didn’t stop the rogue’s laughter. “Oh, yeah, that’s what I thought. I am going to make you scream one day, Sweetie. Just you wait.”

Angrier with myself than him, I snapped, “Enough of this. Get him out of here. Put him back into 3-B until he rots!”

The bastard cackled with delight as the enforcers dragged him out of the room. “Good, Luna?” Mario asked, angling his face so none of the others couldn’t see his concern.

I straightened my jacket and took a moment to ensure my voice came out strong. “Just fine. This is a waste of time. I need to speak with Howe.” I got up from the chair, berating myself for reacting as I did to that rogue.

“Yes, Luna,” Mario said and followed me out of the room. I marched to the holding cells, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to me. Howe’s cell was in a section all by himself. “Mario, stay here.”

“But-” he started.

“I have to talk to him alone. I can handle this. Don’t worry,” I told him, putting a bit of order in my voice so he wouldn’t argue. We were alone, but I was still too worried someone might overhear.

“Yes Luna,” he said with a nod.

I returned the nod and walked down the corridor and stopped in front of Michael’s cell, my hands in the pockets of my jacket. Michael was sitting on the floor. The cot had not been slept in. His head resting against his chest. His scent danced around me, pulling on my senses and urging me to go to him. I steeled myself against the instinct. Lazily Michael lifted his head and made a soft, sarcastic laugh when he saw me standing there. “What do you want?”

“Can you feel it?” I asked him.

“What does it matter?”  Michael asked back. I took that as a roundabout way of saying that yes, he did feel the mate connection. He sighed loudly and glared at me. “Look, can you get on with this. Just reject me, throw me out of your territory and I’ll be on my way. I already spent the night in this dump.”

His bluntness took me so by surprise I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He expected me to reject him? Something in me softened at that. “Is that what you want?”

Michael laughed again, shaking his head. “Is that what I want? No one has given a damn what I wanted in my entire life, Peaches. Why start now?” His tone was bitter through his laughter.

“Peaches?” I repeated. Where had that come from? He shrugged as a reply. I sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. “I should reject you. It’s what everyone expects and might even insist. Your father’s cruel hand has managed to hurt people even here.”

“My father was a thorough man if nothing else,” Michael replied, his voice dull and flat.

“He was also strong and capable,” I admitted. “Traits you look like you share. Traits that...” I paused. I’ve spent so much time trying to deny my weaknesses that I found them difficult to admit now. “That I need right now.”

Michael’s head came up and he sat straighter. The coldness in his brown eyes now held a hint of curiosity.

Again, my instincts resisted admitting weakness, but I felt I should be at least honest with my mate. “I became Luna of Willow Pond about six months ago… after the death of my entire family. Since then all anyone does is question, challenge, and doubt my capabilities to rule the pack. And all because I’m only nineteen and unmated. I can’t change my age, but if I had my mate, perhaps people would start to believe in me,” I explained, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. It was so ridiculous that simply having a man by me would make people support me. 

“That has to be,” Michael started then sneered at me. “The saddest and most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard. If you can’t run the pack on your own. Maybe you don’t deserve it.”

The truth of his words hit me and it hurt. That hurt turned to anger as I glared back at him. “I can run the pack just fine on my own! It’s the old school, chauvinistic bastards who are making it impossible! Now, I’m offering you a chance to actually do something with your life other than being a bullying bastard.”

It was childish, but I wanted to hurt him back as he hurt me so I got up on my knees and sneered back at him. “But you’re not my only option, Howe. There is a man and he is a good man too. He’s kind, sexy as sin, and ready and able to fulfill every last desire I have.” I let my voice grow huskier as I ran my fingers along the steel bars of the cell.

Faster than my eyes could track him, Michael crossed the length of the cell. He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me against the bars. A deep, low growl erupted from him and his eyes glowing a golden-brown, with an unmistakable possessiveness. Fear sliced through me, and the scream for Mario was on my lips.