The Rogue

XXXXIV

*Rian*

This entire scenario had me tense. I hadn't been able relax at all since we took off this morning after being hounded by the police. There always seemed to be so many demons coming after me all at once. One day, maybe, Nature would cut me some slack.

The explosive boom and burst of light drew my attention across the village. Faye had done her part and I hoped she was upholding the rest of her promise by fleeing. Forcing all other thoughts aside, I picked up a slow lope into the village behind Titus and Sarah's house.

Pack members were already darting to the narrow river to see where the explosion had come from. Fire was already snaking up trees and setting the canopy afire. It made me uneasy. This may have been a terrible idea.

There, out of the front door of the Alphahouse, came my father. Titus bolted up the street to greet him. They exchanged a few words that were difficult to pick out.

"...a fire, Alpha," Titus was saying.

"Go get...out the flames," my father replied. I leaned in closer closer, desperate to hear above the cacophony of fire and panicking people. "...job, Beta."

Titus spun around and leapt into his wolf. I watched him dart down the street towards the mounting fire. My mother stepped out of the house onto the porch and cupped a hand to her mouth.

"Stay there," my father ordered her.

This was my chance, I knew. He was alone. I took a step forward and then a another before a voice came shooting into my skull.

You shouldn't be here, it snarled.

I spun around and bore my teeth. The last wolf I expected was the very one I wanted so badly to kill only weeks prior. Maxen's green eyes glowed in the dusk.

What are you—how are you mindcomming me? I demanded.

Last I heard, you're a Rogue these days.

An involuntarily growl ripped a path up my throat. He snarled in response.

Tell me what you're doing here, he ordered.

I could ask you the same question.

But I am not the one whose life is at risk here.

Snapping my jaws at him, I shook my head and turned away. I don't have time for this.

You caused the fire, didn't you? he barked, jumping in front of me. What do you want?

What do you think?

Maxen stilled for a moment. Where is she?

None of your—

WHERE IS SHE?

She should be far away from here by now. Get out of my way or I will move you myself.

Something caught his attention, perhaps another mindcomm, and he suddenly bolted. I could rip his throat out from keeping me for so long. Angry, I stormed into the street, following my father's scent. In all the rush of people running with fire extinguishers and buckets of water, no one noticed me.

Then I saw him. My father was leaving someone's house, still in his human form. Fury surged through my veins. He degraded me, stole my rightful place, and abused my mother. I needed no other reason to end his life.

Lifting my head, I let out a howl as clear and piercing as the sky above. My father spun around just before I reached him. I knocked him to the ground as he transitioned. One of my paws swiped at his face, the claws managing to shred the right side of his muzzle.

The pain didn't disorient him for long. When I went to bite his unprotected neck, he kicked me off with his hind legs. I rolled once and jumped back onto my feet. We began circling each other. He was such a coward, waiting for me to make a move. If I wasn't careful, he could overpower me. He had age and experience on his side, both of which usually meant he was stronger.

I had a chance, though. If I played it smart.

So I lunged to his right. He stunned me by leaning into it, making our heads crash together. I twisted my head to the side and bit into his shoulder. A beastly roar escaped him as the pain weakened him. After releasing the bite, I used a paw to swipe his face again. Then I jumped on him and knocked us both to the ground.

He resorted to his claws. They scraped at my belly and legs, drawing blood everywhere. I couldn't get a good angle at him without getting clawed. Now I realized we were surrounded. Wolves I didn't recognize were standing with their hinds facing us while growling at the outer ring of wolves trying to fight their way in. The outer ring was my pack.

Teeth sunk into my own hind. Crying out, I jerked to the side. My father was on his feet again, snarling and snapping at me. The side of his face dripped blood. It was a gnarly wound that would take days to heal if I didn't manage to finish him off.

I leapt onto him, but he stood steady. My jaws locked onto the back of his neck while he tried to shake me. When that tactic wouldn't work, he rolled onto his back. It worked. The force of his weight nearly crushed me. Whining, I kicked him until I was able to get back to my feet.

This time he came for me. I met his jaws with my own, and my smaller size helped me get the better position. My teeth clamped onto his lower jaw and ripped downwards as hard as I could. His mandible broke with a sickening crack. He whimpered and pulled away.

I grabbed him by his neck next and forced him to the ground beneath me. The pain he felt must have been too great; he could hardly fight me. I set my jaws around his throat. My body sung with power and life, knowing how easily I could rip him apart.

We remained in that position for a minute: me standing over his body with my mouth around his neck. Revenge told me to finish it. Wild instinct begged me to tear his neck out. Yet something else held me back.

Like the coward he was, he began to whine. I forced him to wait in anxious anticipation. When he moved slightly to the side, my jaws tightened, earning a cry of pain and surprise. Finally, I knew what I was going to do.

I let him go. Stepping back, I let the worthless hide stagger to his feet. The fighting around us had quieted while everyone waited to see the fate of their Alpha. His lower mandible hung from his face, broken and unhinged. Much like him.

A wolf stepped through the inner ring with a worried whine. Her scent pervaded my nostrils. My mother glanced between me and him. Her loyalties were torn. I stepped in front of him to block her path and faced my father again. Then I shifted back into my human. The move was risky considering my enemy would be much stronger, but I knew I had won. Besides, I couldn't communicate with him as a Rogue. He couldn't tune me out as a human, though.

"Get off my pack's territory," I told him. "If you are not gone by sunrise, I will finish what I should have already done. Take my mercy as your last memento of life as Alpha, because you will never get the chance again."

His eyes flashed with anger, but he stumbled his way out of the circle. I growled at him when he glanced back at my mother. Though she whined after him, she didn't follow. Not that I could have stopped her if she had.

Titus came forward next and buried his face into my chest.

"Easy there," I said. His support made me realize how weak I felt from fighting. I patted his head away. "I need you to go find Faye. She's out there in the woods somewhere—"

"Actually," corrected a nasally female, "she's not."

Rolling my eyes, I turned to acknowledge Michelle. The idea of kissing her still gave me the heebie-jeebies. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled.

"And I suppose you know where she is?" I asked without any attempt to hide my annoyance.

"Maybe. You should probably look for her other lover first."

My hands clenched into fists. I found renewed strength in my fury. "Maxen!"