Heart of a rogue

* Chapter 4 - rehabilitation camp

My body felt heavy, and I was swaying from side to side. It felt like I was being moved. A car? No...a van. Everything was so dark, too dark to see anything. Then I realized—I hadn't even opened my eyes yet. Forcing my lids apart, I blinked until my surroundings slowly came into focus.

We were packed together, like livestock. Bodies huddled against each other in a cramped van, every rogue restrained, hands bound in strange shackles. I pulled at mine, feeling an odd, tingling weight in my wrists. They smelled strange, different from any metal I'd ever encountered.

"They're infused with magic." Mia's voice drifted over from somewhere in the back. I twisted around to find her, relief momentarily cutting through my dread.

"Mia," I called, trying to keep my voice low. "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer right away. I strained to see her in the shadows, and then she spoke, her voice almost fragile. "James and Liam...they're dead. They killed them."

I clenched my jaw and cursed under my breath. "Fuck..." I managed to mutter, feeling a sickening weight settle in my chest. I wanted to reassure her, tell her we were going to be alright, but I knew how hollow those words would sound. I knew what they did to rogues. Outcasts like us weren't brought back into the fold. We were slaughtered, erased like vermin. No one ever returned after disappearing.

Mia's voice was barely a whisper. "What do you think they're going to do with us, Luci?"

I sighed, leaning my head back against the metal wall of the van. I could feel every bump and jolt of the rough road. "Dispose of us," I said, each word bitter on my tongue.

Someone else, a rogue beside me, gave a low chuckle. "Maybe they'll drive us off a cliff, give us one last flight."

I couldn't help a snicker, and so did Mia and a few others who'd woken up. "Hey, at least we'd have the dive of our lives," I added.

"They're right...we're all mad." Mia's soft laugh sounded almost free, despite everything.

"Nah, it's just called being happy with benefits," someone chimed in. "Mad, crazy—whatever. Normal's boring."

After that, the laughter faded, each of us left to our thoughts. The nervousness crept back in, but as rogues, we knew better than to let fear show. Weakness was never allowed.

The van's engine cut off, and then the doors flew open. Blinding light flooded in, making all of us groan. I squinted against the harsh brightness, defiant even as handlers approached, weapons ready. As if we were feral lunatics. Maybe we were, a little.

Some who tried to fight back got nooses slipped around their necks, the pole on the other end keeping them at a distance. Others got poked with long tasers, the sharp electricity enough to bring anyone down. I learned that firsthand.

Fuck, that hurt.

They forced us to kneel in a line outside, on grass, with large electric fences behind us. The air was sharp with the hum of electricity. Farther off, I could see another fence, rows of tents, and a huge building standing in the middle of it all. Where the hell had they brought us?

A voice called out, snapping us to attention. "Welcome." I looked up, eyes narrowing at the familiar figure striding in front of us.

It was Joshua, Beta of the Sullivan pack. The name and face stirred up memories I thought I'd buried long ago. I could still hear my parents drilling the names of their allies into my head, but it was more than that. Joshua belonged to the Sullivan pack, which meant... Declan was here too. My mate. My mouth went dry.

Joshua looked down the line, making sure to meet every one of our gazes, mine included. He didn't recognize me. How could he? I'd grown, changed, the scent he once knew masked by the rogue's life.