Tangled Fates

Chapter 2 Rath

****edited 7/23/2024**** I made significant changes and edits to this chapter. I wanted to add more character growth and information than I originally had. ****

"Alpha, the rogue from Zander's pack, is in the dungeon. Would you like us to start the interrogation?" Caleb says, using the mind-link.

I rub my temples and take a deep breath. Finally, we have a chance to get some information on Zander's location. Zander had been conducting attacks for five years and they brought me in to handle him three years ago. At first, I thought that this would have been all wrapped up and dealt with in a matter of a couple of months, but months became years and still, he managed to slip through my grasp.

"Go ahead, Caleb. I will be down shortly." I mind-link as I push away from my massive oak desk. Scattered papers and maps of leads that only lead to dead ends consume my work life and every other moment in between. Each piece of parchment transformed into a battlefield, a terrain bursting open with hidden secrets and dotted with the blood of innocents he'd trampled beneath his heel.

My footfalls echoed through the grand halls of Silvermoon Castle, bouncing off the cold stone walls. Each footstep seemed louder, angrier as I neared the dungeon- a physical testament to the frustration welling up within me. Most of the cells that rested in the dungeon of Slivermoon, were empty. I didn't particularly appreciate keeping anyone alive if they could harm the pack. We used them mostly to hold rogues for questioning till their untimely demise. Or, in very rare cases, wolves that lost their mates. It was better for them and others if they were in a place where they could not hurt themselves or anyone else.

As I neared the cell that held the rogue, the smell hit me. The scent of death and madness. A scent that makes your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth and your throat to close up just to prevent the putrid tinge of rot and decay from entering your body. Rogues, a blight on the world. Better to burn them all to ash and let the dirt reclaim their bodies.

Caleb's voice bounced off the cold stone walls. His interrogating voice is cruel and stern, the complete opposite of his true character. He is one of my betas, chosen for not only his strength but for his kindness that I saw would bring value in times where my harshness would not.

Silence fell, then a blood-curdling scream and the scent of blood. Without having to see nor hear him, I knew that my second beta was in that cell with Caleb. Elijah, my enforcer. A man of few words, but lived by action. He was the guy I could count on to get his hands dirty when mine needed to remain clean. Together, the two of them were the perfect betas for a King.

"Alpha," Caleb said as I entered the cell. His green eyes reflected an inner fire that matched my own. His normally neat sandy hair was now unruly from constantly running his fingers through it.

"Any information?" I asked, looking past Caleb at the bloodied rogue who sat chained in silver to a chair. Elijah studied a small table that rested against a wall. Wolfsbane, silver scalpels, and other various devices rested in an orderly fashion.

Caleb nodded, "Some. He says that he left Zander's pack. Says that Zander has lost his mind and that he is looking for a pack to take him in."

"Do you believe him?" I looked back at Caleb, sensing his hesitation.

Caleb shook his head. "I don't know if I believe him or not. Rogues lie to save their skin in situations like this and I don't have any proof that what he is telling us is true or not. In all likelihood, it's possible that someone sent him as a trap. Bait, even if he doesn't know he is."

"When you and your group caught him, what did he do? Was he a wolf or a human? Did he fight?"

"He was in wolf form and he..." Caleb looked to the rogue, "He cowered. Curled up with his tail between his legs."