Scarlet Rogue (Book One)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Nothing is at it Seems

Ayden

Staring at the stained wall, I wonder how many bottles I've thrown against this wall now. Too many to count, that's for sure. Grabbing another bottle from the liquor cabinet on my left, I make my way through the damp floor dodging the pieces of glass before walking back to my desk, opening the bottle to take a gulp.

The room still not destroyed, a sure sign that my anger is very much in control. If my beta and mate want to run off together, why the hell should I care? Damn it, a part of me thinks it's my fault. I pushed her away, if I had read her file earlier then things could've been different.

Rustling causes me to lift my gaze to see Mark making his way through the glass towards me. You'd think he'd be used to it by now but somehow, he manages to get caught on the glass each time.

"Ouch," he screams out in pain before making a run to the chair across me, proceeding to take out the glass wincing in the process.

"You're still on that file," he says when he sees the paperwork on my desk. "Stop obsessing over the fact that Kaelynn did not destroy the kingdom and go after them."

"I'm the Alpha, not you," I declare back, my voice displeased.

"I know, I just hate seeing you like this when it's clear neither of them would do anything to hurt you," pausing to see my blank reaction before continuing, "Avery is going crazy without Kaelynn too, it's not good for the baby."

"None of us need her, we are managing fine."

"Only because the Queen hasn't attacked us this week for whatever reason."

His last comment earns a snarl from me telling him it's time for him to leave. If he wasn't my brother, he'd be in the dungeons now for his constant defiance. He may be wrong about a lot but he's not wrong about the attacks, we've been lucky and I've been too distracted playing detective with the file. I don't know how else to cope with losing the two people I need in my life, who've betrayed me after I trusted them.  

Alpha, there's a swarm of people coming towards the border at 9 'o'clock.

Erik's mind link with Mark's last comment sends me into a frenzy. We are about to be attacked and without Kurt it's going to be tough.

I'm on my way, get the weapons ready. How many soldiers?

Alpha, they... well, they look like civilians.

Unsure of what Erik means, I run out the house shifting to my wolf towards the borders, Mark close on my rear. With or without Kurt, I can defend the pack just fine. When I reach the borders, Erik is sat on a thick tree branch looking ahead, no weapon in hand.

"Erik, what are you doing?" I growl shifting back before climbing up to see how bad the opposition looks.

That's when I finally understand him. They don't look like the enemy, tens of civilians sprinting through the Queen's land as though they are running from a beast. Men, women, children, mostly malnourished and wounded with the same desperation in their eyes, running as though their lives depend on it.

Erik looks to me waiting for an answer. These unsuspecting people arriving from the Queen's land; are they here for refuge or something more sinister?

"House them in the guesthouses with guards at each one, nobody gets out until they've been vetted."

Erik nods mind linking the rest of the pack to make preparations. This could be our chance to get the insider information on the Queen's land and finally get revenge against Kurt and Kaelynn.

Erik gets down from the tree changing into a pair of clothes under the tree then throwing me up the same thing. He walks to the border ready to direct our new guests whilst I stay up keeping guard. It's not long before a crowd gathers around the border. Erik doesn't have to say much before a girl on the other side starts shouting orders.