Runaway Rogue

Chapter Twelve: Caspian's POV

Caspian was pretty satisfied with himself as he drove back home. He felt like he had tackled this shopping list like a pro. If pros got stuck in the lingerie section and had to flag down a very kind staff member for help. The woman appeared a little concerned that a man was shopping for a bra in a size that was clearly not meant for the person paying. He just assured her it was a gift.

And there had been a little bit of joy in grocery shopping, too. It wasn't something he typically enjoyed, just a means to fill his belly. He often only looked for things with a sales tag, things that wouldn't go bad within a week or two. Most things portioned for one were freezer meals and he had eaten more than enough of those over his lifetime. They smelled of depression and loneliness to him.

He wasn't a particularly good cook. His mother was adamant that he learn because she would not have a child who could not perform basic life skills. After many failed attempts, she decided that if he could make some eggs, a grilled cheese sandwich, and make pasta, he might not be well fed, but he wouldn't die.

Thinking about Indigo in his home, he wanted to do better. Maybe he would never be a great chef. But he could try. She made him want to try.

Even if it was clear that she intended to harbour secrets from him.

He needed to give it time. The bond would strengthen and he would soften. Surely, if he was mated to someone, she would be good in her core. What happened to his parents, what happened to his pack, didn't mean that every rogue wanted immense bloodshed. Right?

Fuck, he hadn't been thinking about anything gory or distrustful when the sale assistant had brought him a variety of women's underwear for him to choose from. All he could think about was kissing pale skin, watching her amber eyes shut, and listening to his name on her lips over and over again. His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

It was all going to be fine. It was going to be good, great, even. He just had to let it be great.

He pulled off the main road and drove onto his packlands. It was a relatively normal town from the outside. Humans would never know any better. They stopped in for gas or popped into the bakery from time to time. Someone even said if a house went up for sale, they would buy it in a heartbeat. Houses never went to market here, though. Humans were welcome to pass through, but no one stayed.

Which meant that the strange behavior that Caspian was witnessing was not for human eyes. A man and a woman began sprinting, the woman shifting into a mighty grey wolf, her eyes wild but focused.

A rogue, perhaps. The pit in his stomach – the one that had been a constant companion since the attack – grew. He had left. He had been gone and something might have happened, something he might have been able to catch sooner than the others.

Then he realized that they were racing towards his house. And the pit in his stomach grew so large he feared it would swallow him whole. The only thing that kept his driving reasonable was his fear of running over a fellow pack member, but as soon as he was close enough, he jammed his truck into park and leapt out.

"Get off him you rogue bitch!" someone screamed.

Caspian took off at a sprint, following the small group of people that were rounding his house. It was a mix of wolves and humans, all of them with a glint of blood lust in their eyes. Bile rose in Caspian's throat. Had he trusted the wrong person? What was he thinking leaving a freshly found rogue alone in his territory? She had held a grisly knife to his throat and he had just trotted off. He was an idiot.

At the back of his house, he saw the carnage.

"She's going to kill me!" Chase screamed.

He was a cocky young wolf, someone who used ego to cover the hurt. Caspian knew him, because he had been him once. But now, Chase was pressed into the dirt with Indigo on top of him, her pretty teeth bared, her eyes furious.