Framed

Part 5

I was hiding, waiting. The sound of running feet could be heard and I watched as Tom Whelan burst from the forest, sliding to a stop. He was breathing hard, looking around him. "I'm here. Where are you?"

"I'm here as well Whelan." I spoke as I slowly stepped from the shadows. "I'm surprised you made it. I was just beginning to think that you didn't care about the young pup."

He growled softly but I just smile at him. "Where is Jason?"

"He's safe Whelan. But I promise that he'll be returned to his family."

"What do you want rogue?" He spat at me, glaring. I laughed as I took another step towards him. "You don't recognize me Whelan? It's only been five years." Whelan looked at me, puzzled.

I slowly push the sleeve of the shirt off my shoulder and I watched as his eyes landed on the mark the Elders branded onto me. His eyes widened and I laughed louder. "Do you know who I am now?"

"Ruth Blackwell." I take another step closer, but he doesn't move. He just stands there, shocked as if he thought I was a ghost. "You're supposed to be dead. The hunters contacted me just two weeks after you left..."

"After you had everything and everyone I cared about ripped from me Whelan. Tell the truth." He nodded slowly as he licked his dry lips. "They sent pictures of your body. There was too much blood for you to have survived that."

"Yeah... If I had been human, I would have been dead. But I'm a werewolf. Do you know why I'm here?" I asked as I tilted my head, staring at him. His eyes flashed gold and I knew that his wolf felt threatened.

Slowly, he shook his head no. "I'm here Whelan," I say as I walk just within arm's distance from him. "I'm here to make you pay for what you did to me, to my brother warrior that you murdered in cold blood to cover up the fact that you were working with the hunters." A soft crack of a branch breaking had my eyes scanning behind him.

"You didn't come alone did you?" I ask softly and his face paled. "Don't kill Jason. Please, don't kill him." I laugh and it sounded cold and hard. Leaning closer, I feel claws forming. "Whelan, I never had the pup to begin with. He's safe on pack land, hiding. But you'll never see him again."

His eyes widened in surprise just before I plunged my claws deep into his heart, ripping it out. Bellona whimpered and I looked up, right into the shocked eyes of Max. "Ruth?" He asked as he took a step towards me, his eyes darting down to his father's lifeless body. "Where's my son Ruth?"

"You know this rogue?" A warrior asked, surprised. I smiled as I took a step back. "Your son is safe on pack land Alpha Whelan. I didn't lay a hand on him." Max flinched as I called him alpha, but I just took a step back.

"This is the rogue that saved Jason from the Spartan Bear." Someone spoke and Max's eyes snapped back to me. "You saved him. Why?"

"Because I'm not heartless," I say with a sneer. "I stand up for what I believe in Max, and innocent pups fall under that category." Max's eyes glazed over and I knew that someone was speaking to him. "They found Jason hiding in his room. He's safe."

I took another step backwards and Max took one towards me. "Wait... What will you do now?"

"Now," I shrug as I keep my eyes on the wolves before me. "Now I try to find someone to settle down with, to try and live a life that is somewhat normal."

"I'm sorry Ruth, for everything."

"What's done is done, Max." I look at Whelan's dead body before smiling. "I have my revenge. The man that ruined my life is dead. He has paid for his crimes."

"You said that he was working with hunters... In what way?" I sigh softly. "He'd sell some of the lower rank wolves, and what rogues that stumbled into pack land to the hunters. I only found out when they captured me that second year. He killed my best friend, a man I considered my brother, to keep that secret."

Silence fell and I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I knew that could never really live a normal life. Once word got around that I had killed a former alpha, everyone would be on the lookout for me.

I could hear more wolves running towards us, so I shifted. Giving Max one last look, I spin around and sprint into the woods. I knew that since I was on unclaimed land, I was safe. I wasn't the only rogue that roamed about, and the pack wolves knew that they would be vastly outnumbered right now. I could feel their eyes on me as I raced away.