A True Rogue

Chapter 21

JJ was very angry. He was spitting mad.

How dare Jason not acknowledge HIM as his superior? How dare he disrespect HIM in front of everybody and so easily too?! How dare he dismiss as if-as if he were a mere peasant? All of that ALL of that trouble just to defend his useless, stupid mate? The rich bastard even went toe-to-toe with him!

Dammit it all to hell!!

JJ's mind was whirling, and each second his thoughts kept getting meaner, angrier and just plain mad; and it didn't stop there...

Perhaps, there's something about me that says 'mess with me, just for the hell of it!' JJ thought. Perhaps they think I'm as insignificant as they are...yeah...that's it. I have to set myself apart, have something that they don't, that..that they haven't had.

He would show them, he'd heard of the she-wolf named Vanessa? Yeah that's right. Apparently her mate died before they could mate, another life Rain's poisonous being rained upon. He heard that she was sweet, funny, smart and she had morals.

And her no record whatsoever of sleeping her way through thr whole pack, she won't make him the butt of every joke.

And there he'd got it!

"Dad," JJ said, barging into his father's office. "I want to take a mate, a real one."

Jackson was stunned silent, he wanted to tell his son that this was a bit impulsive, that it wouldn't be the same and to take his time and think things through but after short thought he concluded that this could be the only thing to mature his young son; besides, when has JJ ever listened to him? Maybe it was time to let burn in his mistakes and learn the hard way or ...if luck had it, this would mature his boy and end his reckless ways.

And so looking at his mate on the other chair he asked, "Anyone you had in mind?" JJ didn't miss a beat, "Kindly. Vanessa Kindly." he replied.

His mom was beaming. "Alright, we'll talk to her family, I'm sure they will agree though but," Lilly said, thinking it would be good for her son to move on from Rain, this was a case closed. "since you have about five months of school left, I think she should go with you and that you only officially mate when you return. So get  packing."

And there JJ set about to carry on with his life with a girl who was only too happy to agree to a second chance at happiness... and to spite Rain, the girl they both loathed.

~~~~

She was so hungry, she was so tired and she was in pain.

Paranoia had set in, her fears heightened and it had her jumping at every shadow, every croak and at the very sounds of nature; crickets, owls, even bats. In her mind, everything was out to get her and she was terrified.

She couldn't walk properly. Her feet ached too much, having been sliced in by upturned twigs, sharp edged rocks and hard trails of mountains. She hadn't even gotten the opportunity to take her shoes, her emergency fund or at the very least her papers and now she was paying the price, one forgotten step at a time.

Her wolf, her poor brokenhearted wolf, had taken them as far she could with the injuries they sustained but now, days away from Canyon she ran out of energy and had to give control back to the human.

The forest hadn't spared her skin nor her clothes of damage. JJ's new pants and a thin long sleeved top now torn and covered in dirt. That's 36 hours of running nonstop.

In that amount of time she'd been turned away, almost imprisoned and nearly killed.

A nearby pack told her that news of a treasoner had gotten around, that they won't house a person who'd harm their own pack. They didn't bother to hear her side of the story, no one did.

She'd also escaped imprisonment, a thing she refused to go through a second time in her young life. She'd learned her lesson the hard way the first time, she'd lost a part of herself she'll never get back. So when the second pack sent guards after her, she'd ran, her flight instinct taking over like it has as of late.

The third pack had sent killer wolves to get her, which fortunately she managed to get away with only a deep claw swipe on her right shoulder, that would scar. That's why she couldn't shift now, cause she was weak, she was hungry, had no energy and currently she regretted her decision to run from the wolves when they could've just ended her miserable life.

Collapsing against the closest tree, she spotted a mountain so dangerously high, and said hello dear death.

She had no reason to live for, in her psyche, she wasn't good for anything. Even her rapist had told her so, saying he won't release himself inside of her cause he'd never grant someone so worthless the honor of carrying his pups. Words he'd kept, soiling her face repeatedly instead.

That's why she took the tempting wooden stake, that's why she looked up at the moon as she brought it up to her heart, she would stab herself right in the heart. Of course she could heal, but not if she bled to death. And that she would, because there was no one here to try to save her life, she had no one.

So standing up on the mountain top, drenched in sweat and covered in blood and filth, she looked up.

Her end was in sight, she wanted the Moon Goddess to witness this moment. After all, wasn't She the one who geared her life in this direction?

And so she raised the stake high ready to drive it into her own chest, just at the right speed she would sooner achieve her death.

And one deep breath, a final prayer saying I'm done, this is it, I give, when-

"Our pups!"

"What?" Rain asked her wolf.

"I understand how you feel Rain, I get it, the pain but I  sense them, our pups, we can't hurt them."

"But how?" Rain asked, placing a very shaky hand on her stomach, sharpening her senses to the very best of her abilities with such low strength. As soon as her hand touched her stomach, she immediately sensed she was not one, she could't explain it but it was like her pups? It was like they were calling at her not to kill them, not kill herself. She wondered if this is what happened to Lara, if they reached out to the wolf first so she could relay the message.

Then some things started making sense, things she hadn't noticed, like how hungry she was all of a sudden when she's usually satisfied with just a little bit, and how she had no problem eating her pancakes WITH hot sauce.

This was followed by panic, what was she going to do with babies at her age? All alone? How was she going to support them? Where would she live?

She looked to the moon, a revelation coming into her head.

They must've known she was pregnant, they wanted to kill her along with her pups, and one that pained her the most. When JJ rejected her, he didn't just reject her. He rejected ALL of her, even their pups.

A lone tear ran down the side of her face, she didn't know if the moon goddess was prolonging or ending her misery with this, she didn't know. Because the fates had screwed her over, first her family's blessed mating had missed her and now she had no mating at all.

"Rain" Her wolf called.
"Lara" She responded, taking a deep breath, this was serious.

"I fed you with false hopes, you tried to tell me to stop. I never anticipated that we'd be lied to. You hurt and I'm sorry." The wolf said, begging for forgiveness.

"A weak human makes for a weak wolf Lara, I'm also to blame here, you lost your mate. I'm sorry." Rain made her apology, she could've fought harder so Lara wasn't the only one to blame here.

"They tossed us away, left us to die in loneliness. This is our gift, our time, these pups are ours to love, to be happy with. Don't you see?! They are ours! NOBODY can take them away from us Rain."

"NOBODY" Rain echoed her wolf, feeling a protective instinct beyond her understanding take over her body. It wasn't just her against the world now, it was mama-wolf for her pups.