Chapter 396
Three hundred and ninety eight
+15 8gnus
Three hundred and ninety eight
Emma POV
The truck drove for over ten minutes, leaving the rogue camp behind. Through the wooden slats of the truck bed, I watched the scenery change as the paved road gave way to a narrow, bumpy track that seemed barely used. We had crossed toward the lower side of Ruin Island, leaving the highland behind as the resort-like scenery disappeared into rougher land.
My heart couldn’t stop pounding as we neared our destination. The jewelry around my neck was useless now that my phone was switched off, otherwise it would have given off a signal regardless of whether the rogues had my phone or it was with me.
Mom would be worried sick and must have suspected my silence was strange since I called her every day, sometimes twice. She was my mother, but we were very close despite our contrasting personalities. I was like Dad, who preferred peace and quiet, while Mom loved chaos. Besides Anita, Mom had been excited for me to go on vacation, irritated that I was still hung up on Charlie after all these years.
If only she knew what was about to come.
Log cabins stood along gravel paths. Women walked between the houses holding baskets, and children played near the porch steps. Everything looked completely normal. It made me wonder if these families were rogues too, or if they were just people living under Alexander’s rule.
Despite the anger burning in my blood, a quiet conviction stayed locked inside me. He knew letting me remain there would get me hurt. His beta had that devilish, heated gleam in his eyes, making it very clear he would do anything to exact vengeance on us. I hated myself for thinking it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the mate bond had driven him to do the very opposite of what rogues were known for.
Anita slumped against my neck. I shifted my position, trying to give her space so the chains wouldn’t dig into her
skin.
They must have spiked the pastries back at the first camp.
I had to tell Anita about the mate bond. Keeping a secret like that from her felt wrong. She needed to understand why everything was falling apart. But three armed guards sat along the sides of the truck bed, watching our every move, and Haley was with us too, more or less a stranger to me. I couldn’t risk saying anything with them around, so I waited.
The pickup slowed down and turned into a paved driveway. Alexander sat on his black motorcycle near the front steps of a central house.
This settlement was far more organized than the last one. Armed guards stood at an iron gate set into an unusually high perimeter wall. Security cameras rotated from metal poles, tracking the truck as we entered. It looked cleaner than the cellar, but the cameras and guards only made it feel like a more expensive prison.
When the truck stopped, Alexander walked over and pulled my side of the tailgate down. He held out his hand to help me down.
I ignored his hand and scrambled off the back on my own, nearly cracking my forehead against the steel frame in my hurry to get away from him. I straightened up and glared at his face.
That look returned to his eyes. The same one from earlier, as though he were trying to communicate with me, trying to beg but too proud to do so. Fortunately for him, he hadn’t won my heart, and I wasn’t going to put myself in that headspace of overthinking things the way I did with Charlie.
1/4
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Throw hwagered and ninety eight
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Alexander was a rogue through and through. Rogues had no compassion. It was perhaps the color of his eyes that made them so distracting, but behind that was venom, and I knew he was ready to use it against me.
“Help me,” Haley muttered.
We hauled Anita upright. She blinked sleepily, her head rolling back.
“Fucking cowards,” she mumbled, her words slurring together. “Putting stuff in the sweet rolls. It was so good, though. I shouldn’t have eaten three of them. Now I just want to sleep p>
I turned my glare on Alexander. “How long is this going to take to wear off p>
Alexander did not offer a polite answer. “She’s got alpha blood. It should wear off in a few hours. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts p>
My blood boiled.
Two guards stepped forward and unlocked our chains. Without the heavy metal weighing us down, Haley and I managed to drag Anita through the front doors.
The inside looked nothing like the camp. Hardwood floors stretched down the hallway, with couches and wooden tables sitting along the walls. An older woman stepped out from a back room. She did not introduce herself or ask questions. She simply gestured for us to follow her down the hall.
She opened a door to a bedroom with two beds, each covered with a blanket. Haley and I dumped Anita onto the nearest mattress. She rolled over, pulled the blanket around herself, and went instantly to sleep.
I turned toward the door, burning to find Alexander.
If he thought moving us into a nice house redeemed him for what he did, he was completely out of his mind.
Haley grabbed my arm before I could leave the room. “What are you doing? Are you going to go fight the Rogue Lord? You’re going to get your head blown off p>
“Stay with Anita,” I told her, shaking her hand off. “Don’t worry about me p>
I walked out into the main hallway and followed the sound of voices toward the living room.
I stopped near the doorway. Alexander stood near a large window, talking to a young woman. They were close enough that I could see him looking directly into her eyes, his voice low as he tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear.
Heat rushed through my blood. I hated how quickly it happened, how seeing his hand on her was enough to make jealousy flare before I could push it down.
Alexander’s head turned, and his eyes met mine. He leaned down and whispered something into his companion’s ear. She turned toward me, her eyes running over my face.
“Did you bring us here just to flaunt your lover?” I spat out p>
Alexander stared at me, then burst into laughter. The sound was light, almost boyish. It caught me off guard.
I glared at him, my hands balling into fists.
The woman shook her head and smiled.
Alexander looked back at her. “People have called us all things, but this is new, don’t you think, Cherry p>
2/4
Three budied and ninety might
+15 Bonus
She chuckled and stepped past him. As she walked by me, I caught sight of her face. The same high cheekbones, dark hair, even the shape of her face was the same as Alexander’s.
She was his sister. A blind person could have seen it.
She closed the door behind her, leaving us alone.
The weight of the bond crashed into the room the moment the door clicked shut. My lungs tightened, making difficult to draw air, but I forced my voice to work. I needed to hide how much his presence was affecting me.
“So what’s your deal?” I demanded. “Did you bring us here because you thought I’d stoop so low as to sleep with you again p>
His smile disappeared. He didn’t lose his composure, but the cocky edge was gone.
“You should be thanking me,” he said flatly.
“For what exactly? Deceiving me and taking advantage of me before you and your men abducted us p>
He sighed like he was dealing with a whiny child.
“I didn’t abduct you p>
“Oh please, quit the act!” My voice rose. “You had your man target your victims on the island, damning the consequences of how this would affect them and their families. Meeting you is the worst thing that has ever happened to me, and seeing your face makes me sick p>
Alexander took a step toward me. I took one back. He could lose his temper and hurt me, and I wasn’t going to give him the chance.
“That isn’t what you were saying when I fucked you last night p>
I gasped.
What a bastard.
“I was drunk out of my mind. That is the only reason anything happened p>
Alexander scoffed. “Right. Blame the drinks and not your wolf enjoying every bit of her mate’s touch p>
“My wolf can’t stand your presence. Not everyone is delusional enough to think a mere mate bond matters in the grand scheme of things when the person they’re paired with is nothing but trouble p>
He said nothing and headed to the wine bar to pour himself a drink.
“Cat got your tongue?” I said, following him.
“Look, I don’t have time to babysit. If you don’t want to be in this house, the front door is unlocked. Walk out.
“Walk out?” I challenged, stepping right into his space. “How am I supposed to walk out when you cowardly abducted me and surrounded this place with armed guards p>
I moved closer, wanting to humiliate him.
“Why would I ever want to be with a criminal? I have my family and friends’ reputations to uphold, and if you weren’t up to some sinister plans, you would have revealed your identity last night p>
Alexander’s eyes darkened. He moved closer until there was barely any space between us, making me gasp.
3/4
Thron hundred and ninety eight
+15 Bgnus
“You sheltered Alpha kids are all delusional. You act like your fathers didn’t steal, cheat, and murder to build the territory you live on. Your family isn’t clean, sweetheart. They just have better houses to hide their sins in p>
I tried to pull away, but he didn’t let me go. A shudder ran through me, and I cursed under my breath. The only thing I could do was hold my head high and find a way to hurt him.
“This bond is a mistake. I am going to break it p>
He let me go, and I took several steps back, almost tripping.
A cheeky smirk touched his lips.
“Good luck doing that after fucking me,” he said. “Were you not taught in werewolf biology what happens after mates have sex p>
Oh goddess.
My mind had completely blanked out, but now the supernatural law came rushing back.
An unconsummated mate bond was simple. A verbal rejection from either side was enough to snap the invisible thread and set both people free. But once the physical connection had been sealed, the bond sank deep into the soul. Words meant nothing now. A verbal rejection could not touch it.
Breaking a consummated bond required a formal severance rite.
It meant bringing in a pack elder, seer, my parents, and two representatives of the entire high council, all of them standing in a circle while the truth was read out loud.
Everyone would know that I slept with a rogue before the bond was ever recognized. Everything I was desperately trying to hide would be exposed to the world.
Alexander watched me, knowing exactly when I understood what that meant.
He had won the exchange without lifting a finger.
“Checkmate,” he said with a wink.
My eyes burned with hot tears, but I refused to let a single drop fall in front of him.
I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as my feet could carry me, putting distance between us before 1 completely broke down.
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Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.