Silenced

Chapter 5

           

I clinched my shirt impossibly tighter and prayed they wouldn't see how badly my hands were shaking. I closed my eyes as well. It seemed best not to watch everyone leave. It would only fuel my fears. The chairs on either side of me moved. I couldn't hold back my glance. The alpha and beta had moved closer to where I sat. Everyone else had left the room.

"We are trying to help you. It's obvious you are not here to cause harm. We can't let you leave because the council laws prohibit packs from allowing rogues to roam freely. They cause trouble for everyone and are meant to be detained by pack officials or by the council. You're not a rogue. You don't deserve to be treated like a criminal. We want to help but we can't if we don't know what's going on." The beta said.

I knew he meant what he said. Despite leaving out that rogues were meant to be killed not detained his tone was sincere. They may want to help but they didn't know the truth. I was a criminal. The council would see that in a second even without what I had done in my previous pack. I had attacked a pack official. A repeat offender. I was as good as dead.

'I don't need help. I was doing fine on my own.' I wrote. I knew from my shaky hand writing they wouldn't believe me. 

"Do you really want to live as a rogue? Do you know what they will do to you if one of them catches you? We have found bodies of people they have treated as toys before it's not pretty to say the least." The beta said shaking his head.

'IF' I wrote and glanced up. I was surprised at how intently they were watching me. 'I have managed so far' I turned the page before writing again. 'Pack or No Pack is not what makes a man a monster.'

"It is not an 'if'. It is a WHEN which is what we don't want to happen. Have you encountered a rogue wolf before?" The Alpha asked. I nodded. I wanted to scoff. Of course, I had encountered rogues before, many in fact since I had been on patrol in my previous pack. "Was it a pleasant encounter?"

I paused at his question. He was correct in assuming my previous encounters with rogue wolves had not been pleasant. Nearly all had been frothing at the mouth and eager for the taste of blood. I shrugged. He was not amused by my subtle dismissal. 

"Can you imagine what that wolf would have done to a young female human if given the opportunity?" He asked.

I cringed a little knowing they would have shredded someone like me if given the opportunity. He was right. They would rip me to pieces at best if I came across them. I didn't need to visualize it.

I kept my eyes down on the paper. There was no doubt about the danger of being on my own but they didn't understand what was at stake staying in one place. I would rather risk the rogues than risk going back. I pulled on my hair. It was already over my shoulder in the same place I had pulled it for months. It was a terrible nervous habit. I sighed. They would already be under the microscope for not killing me as a rogue. There was no way I could stay here. The council would send me back if they knew and it was only a matter of time before they investigated in person. I didn't want to risk getting them into trouble but I couldn't risk facing the council.

There was a faint knock on the door before Alisa entered. She hadn't bothered waiting for someone to call her in. She went to the beta in silence and handed him a folder. He opened it quickly and she squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. She made eye contact with the Alpha and nodded. The alpha wasn't surprised by whatever she had just confirmed but the beta was. I watched the color drain from his face slowly as he flipped through the folder. What ever information was in there had to be pretty heavy. He pushed the folder toward the alpha. The alpha flipped through as well.