The Rogue

XVIII

*Rian*

According to the moon, Brian's wolves should've attacked right about now. Hopefully, there had been no interruptions and the attack had taken place on time. My pack reached the crest of the highest hill and I gave the order to halt. Everyone's breathing was labored but their excitement was still running high.

I scanned the desert for the town. Lights twinkled in the distance, probably about a mile or two away. If all was going as planned, Brian's wolves should have been pushing the Rogues into the desert between us and the town. I was still searching for movement when I heard a yelp.

Like me, my wolves tensed. That was our key. My shrill howl pierced the night as I lunged forward. My pack followed on my heels, and we descended from the hill. The closer we ran the more I could hear. Snarls, pained whines, defeated cries, and the snapping of jaws.

The clouds seemed to shift and out emerged the moon. It splashed a pool of light over the entire desert. The wolves' bodies could be seen colliding. Wolves were falling to the ground and getting back up.

A few of Maxen's wolves caught our approaching scent and lifted their heads. Fear bled into their eyes. They hadn't been expecting us. They thought this fight would die out easily. Well, they were wrong.

My pack moved in on the chaos. I circled around the fight, looking for one particular wolf. One wolf whose death would certainly belong to me after tonight. The problem was, I couldn't find him. He was nowhere to be found. Although I'd only gotten the chance to catch his scent once, I'd hoped I would be able to recall it tonight. Maybe he was here and I just couldn't smell him. There were a lot of other wolves here, so his scent may have been blocked.

But I doubted it.

Tracking was what I was good at. I should've been able to find him without a qualm. This could mean only one thing: he wasn't here. Neither was Faye, so I immediately assumed they were together. Maxen told me he was using Faye to connect with the town his pack shared with humans. Perhaps they were in the town now, completely unaware of the war going on in their backyard.

I started in the direction of the lights. One of the Rogues noticed and came at me. He was stronger than expected, but I managed to put him down by wrenching his neck to the side with my jaws. Then I continued on my way at a quick yet cautious jog. This time I tried smelling out Faye's scent since she would be much easier for me to find. If they weren't together, that was okay. I would rather find her first anyway.

Two minutes passed before I reached anything noteworthy. They seemed to be single-story apartments all side-by-side. Here, I smelled Faye's scent for the first time. My blood began pumping faster with adrenaline. She was close. I followed her scent to the backdoor of one of the apartments.

Charging into the door worked. The slab of cheap metal flew off its hinges and landed on the floor inside with a loud smack. I trotted over it and into the apartment. Faye's scent was everywhere. This was like heaven. It pulled me into a small, plain bedroom. This had been the room she'd been staying in. I knew because the pillow smelled like her hair, even though she must have been using a different shampoo while here.

"She's not here," a deep timbre rumbled.

I spun around, baring my teeth. Maxen stood in the doorway of the bedroom, looking much smaller now that I was a wolf and not a human. When he transitioned, he would be monstrous. It would be better if I took him now. I needed answers first, though. If I were still the Beta, I would have already charged at him. Now that I had marked Faye and had a grip on my wolf as Alpha, I could think about things more clearly.

Shifting out, I leveled Maxen's glower with my own and asked, "Where is she?"

"Somewhere you will never find her."

"Tell me!"

"You broke our agreement," he snapped. "All rules are off, Alphaboy."

"You broke the agreement! You hurt her!" I took a step towards him as my body trembled in fury, prepared to transition at any moment.

His brows drew together. "I never hurt her."

"I heard her scream, you liar!"

"I didn't..." The color suddenly drained from his face.

"Was it her scream or not?"

Gulping, he nodded. "Yes, but—"

That was it. I was finished listening to his lies.

I lunged for him, and my body transitioned mid-air. Although Maxen began transitioning as well, I was too fast. He was knocked to the floor before he could retaliate. My jaws snapped at his neck, but he kicked me off with his hind legs. I flew back against the wall, undoubtedly leaving a hole. He leapt onto his feet.

A growl worked its way through me as I went for him again. When he dodged, I moved with him, expecting it. It gave me the chance to sink my teeth into his rear. He let out a yelp and turned on me with blinding speed, catching a bite of my ear. Whining, I jumped back. My ear was bleeding.

Maxen came for me this time. He went straight for my neck, classic amateur move. I ducked my head at the last minute and caught his throat. He tried pulling away, but it only made it worse. I had him. This was it. A pathetic whimper rolled out of his muzzle.

I controlled him by his throat, maneuvering him until he was laying on the floor. My mind was spinning with all the ways I could kill him. Slow and painful. Quick and painless. It all depended on how much I hated him. Right now, I hated him more than anyone else on this planet.

"Wait!" a girl shouted. "Rian, wait! Don't kill him!"

Just like that, everything—every thought, every impulse, every fleeting desire—came to a flying halt. In walked Faye through the busted door frame. She was dressed in a long t-shirt that clearly was not hers and did not smell like her. Her forehead and upper lip were beaded in sweat. After catching her breath, she stumbled into the room.

"Listen to me," she spoke firmly, "this has to stop. Right now. Rian, let go of him."

Although I wanted to do the exact opposite, I found myself letting go of his throat. He rolled back, snarling at me, until he was on his feet. We growled at each other. Faye stepped between us, and, letting out a whine, I tried to push her aside. She swatted me off.

"Okay, boys." Her dark eyes glanced between us. "Let's talk."