The Unwanted Mate Sneak Peek

She's a Rogue

Eric

Was it the strong smell of perfume she doused herself in or just plain disinterest, I couldn't care less about the Rogue. She was practically nonexistent as she moved through the halls with a hood over her head as if any of that would keep anyone from realizing what she was. The little I've been around her, she never talked.

I remember the first time I saw her. I was fourteen, almost fifteen.

* * *

Everyone had gathered around the main packhouse to witness the arrival of the rogues in the black truck. Knowing I wouldn't be allowed close enough to see the three rogues, I had climbed out of my bedroom window and made my way to the porch roof before laying on my stomach and watching from the edge of it as I rested my chin on my arm.

I lifted my head as I saw the truck driving up the dirt road and watched it stop in front of the pack house. The pack members were uneasy as they stood around and those in wolf form hid in the woods in case the Rogues tried to escape. The tension in the air palpable, even from up where I was. The warriors had climbed out from the truck bed and went to open the door. A woman with dark brown hair stepped out. Her clothes were mismatched with a checkered shirt and floral skirt. Both equally stained with dirt. The woman was pale and although she was skinny, she didn't look unhealthy. She must have just become a Rogue recently. There seemed to be something not right with the she-wolf as if her mind were somewhere else. Her body was completely relaxed despite all the hostile wolves surrounding her.

How could a woman like that even survive the wild? Her partner must be strong. I waited for the wolf to come out of the truck, but all that followed was a girl who seemed my age carrying a small toddler- I assume is what was covered in the blankets- protectively in her arms. The girl's dark brown hair fell to her shoulders matted with leaves and tangles. She wore a dirt-stained white silk night gown with tears on the ends and one strap broken. Unlike the older she-wolf, the girl was tense and guarded. Her piercing grey eyes were sharp and cold as she held the toddler close to her as she eyed everyone around her. She seemed completely aware of the danger around her, unlike her mother. I waited to see who else would come out of the truck, but as the girl stepped away from the truck, my brows furrowed together, and a frown of confusion formed on my lips as the warrior shut the truck door. I looked at the three. They were it? Where was the wolf? But...how'd they survive? Is that Rogue she-wolf that confident in taking on an entire pack that she could look so relaxed right now?

The other option would be the girl my age, but there was no way she could be the one that kept this family alive. She'd have to have a wolf and we wouldn't be getting our wolves till we were sixteen. I knew she didn't have a wolf because the pack was more focused on her mother than her and by the tension, I could only imagine how powerful the mother rogue's wolf aura was. I kept watching the three of them as they were forced to stand and wait till my father and mother came to the front of the house.

"Oh, my Goddess..." I heard Mom gasp.

"Why don't you come into my office?" Dad said. The rogues did as they were told and stepped onto the porch out of my view.

* * *

It didn't take long for news of my father's reckless decision to spread throughout the pack and not many agreed with that decision including me. My father had given permission for the Rogue family to stay, offering them a piece of territory, and a home to stay in. Not that any of that was the issue, what made his decision reckless was his decision to not submit her.