Alice

4

The boy I had grown up with, sat at my breakfast bar looking completely different than how I had left him. He sat awkwardly in his seat as if he was preparing to be scolded.

"Why?" was all I could choke out as I set a plate of pasta in front of him. As much as he didn't like to admit it, I knew he was starving. The life of a rogue was not easy, you leave your pack and have to survive on scraps, or the generosity of others to survive. Knowing Carl, I knew he had no plan. He had probably been bribed.

He dug into the meal I had made for him without a word. I left him alone to finish his meal; I had no words for the guilt I felt. I made my way to the living room to watch television. I had no idea why he would have chosen the life of a rogue. Our parents had told us the life of a rogue, and it sounded like a nightmare to us as children.

I sat in the living room until I heard his fork hit the empty plate. I turned my head from the television to see he had turned to me.

"Still hungry?" he shook his head. I ignored him and made him another plate of pasta. While he shoved it in his mouth, I gathered a few things I knew he could take for the road to either keep for himself or share with his group.

I found an old paper bag in one of the drawers and stuffed everything in it. I even stole one of Trent's metal water bottles filled with water to give to him.

I tried to gently place the paper bag in front of him, but it came out a slam.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Why what?" he cocked his head.

"Why did you go rogue first all. You know the lives they live how could you?" I tried not to scream at him, "second of all, why did you steal those vehicles, where were you planning on going?" I felt the sting of tears in my eyes.

"I," he started before he looked out the window. "I came to get you," I saw the tears well up in his eyes, making them look glassy.

"Why?" I asked.

"Alpha Valentine, is evil he kills people, he abuses women, the list is so long I can't even list it!" he practically shouted at me.

"But you don't know that for sure," I told him.

"I can smell him all over you. I know you wouldn't let him touch you, so it had to have been forced," he grumbled.

"It wasn't," I mumbled. He glared at me.

"You are such a whore!" he screamed.

"I am not!" I felt the tears start to fall to my cheeks.

"How could you betray your pack?"

"I didn't betray them. I got chosen to be someone's mate. I didn't get to fucking choose," I growled.

"You had a choice. You could have rejected him!"

"I didn't!" I cried.

"You did, Mom and I suggested it, you were just too stupid to do it!"

"I wasn't being stupid, Carl, I was saving lives," I told him.

"You are just so fucking stupid," he shook his head at me.

"I'm not, I was just trying to keep my pack safe!"

"Well, you did it, now we can leave," he motioned towards the door.

"I'm not going," I stomped my foot.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"Are you in love with him?" Carl looked me dead in my eyes.