Raised by Wolves

09 Rogue?*

Random fact...
Once a wolf is a couple of years old, they leave their parents pack in search of a mate to begin their own pack. The ones that stay help to care for the pups.

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"Morning Alic." I say as I enter his office.

"Hello, beautiful." He smiles as he looks at me.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I ask.

"Well, I have to speak to a couple of Alphas about the rogue problem... that will be an arduous affair... I still don't know what to suggest." He sighs.

"What are rogues?" I ask him.

"I forget sometimes that you weren't raised in this... rogues are pack-less wolves. They are shunned from our society and some even killed on sight... now hunters are using them as weapons against us... I wouldn't want to be a rogue right now... it's scary, Bella. It's like they have no soul. The hunters destroy them. No wolf deserves that." He explains.

"So I was a rogue... And if I hadn't participated in the ceremony, I still would be." I say. Alic stands up and walks over to me.

"No, Bella... you would be protected by my pack no matter what." He tells me.

"But by your definition, I would be a rogue. If I wasn't your mate, would you have killed me?" I question him.

"No! Please stop this! You aren't like them!" He holds me tightly.

"No, Alic! If I wasn't your mate, you wouldn't have taken me in, and I would have been in danger! How do you know that other rogues aren't good people in a bad situation? You need to help them not fight them!" I growl feeling protective of those like me. I was apparently a rogue most of my life.

"You're right." He sighs and then perks up. "You're right!" He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the office.

"Where are we going?" I call out to Alic as he pulls me down the hall.

"My least favorite but most valued companions." He responds.

"What?!" I say utterly, confused.

"Just come on." He sighs as he continues to pull me along. "Now they can be a bit creepy, but they are extremely insightful. I owe them a lot. Just stay close." He says as he knocks on the door in front of us. We are on the far side of the pack house. I've never been over here before. Honestly, it seems like the wolves avoid this hall.

"My King." An older man says, opening the door. "And the Luna Queen... a pleasure to meet you, Isabella." He adds when he sees me. I smile, giving him a nod as we enter.

"Rogues." Alic stated as we sit on a couch and a woman serves us drinks.

"Yes... you want to help them. Make rouges nonexistent, therefore eliminating the ability of the hunters to use them as weapons. A wise decision." The man nods at us, and my jaw drops. Alic didn't say all that... Did he?... no. I was with him when he got whatever idea he had, and he said nothing.

"Exactly." Alic nods to the man, and I'm even more stunned. "I know some choose to travel, but this puts them in danger because they can't enter any pack's land... I was thinking we could designate them travelers. Creating that distinction, we allow them onto pack lands for their safety."

"True, but the Alphas will not agree. They have no guarantee that these travelers will not cause trouble." The man says.

"You could give them a medallion with the king's seal. This will mark them as a traveler and say that you take responsibility for them. Any crime committed will be dealt with by the King personally." The woman says joining us.

"That sounds good... then any other rogues can join a pack. We send out a command allowing them to join a pack." Alic says, then sighs. "Many Alphas won't like that either! Some rogues are that way for a reason! They won't want to risk it."

"They can come here." I say, trying to contribute to the conversation.

"The Alphas will complain that we are just trying to raise numbers. They will feel even more threatened by me than they already do... and it still doesn't change the fact that some rouges are genuinely bad people." He says.

"Well, the Alphas will have to choose between letting us take in all the rogues and risking it themselves!" I argue irritated with the stupid Alphas, and I haven't even met them. "But I don't know about the evil ones."

"That I can help with." The man says. "the King's Rogues." He smiles and looks at us like we know what he's talking about.

"I need more than that, Ivan." Alic tells him.

"Oh yes, sorry, Alpha King. If you bite a wolf like so." He says using his hands as a substitute for Alic's Jaw. He places his hands on Alic's shoulder so one digs onto his shoulder blade and the other into his pectoral muscle. "It will shatter the shoulder blade and leave a permanent mark. Neither of which will heal completely unless they are accepted into the King's Pack... they will not be able to fight in wolf form due to the injury and will be obviously marked as a rogue. They will pose no threat and be useless to the hunters." Ivan explains.

"How do you know this stuff?!?" I ask. It seems like this dude is just making stuff up.

"He is the head seer... they know things." Alic tells me then turns to Ivan. "That's all well and good, but I don't want to permanently disfigure people like that."

"In human form, they will be normal aside from the mark your teeth will leave. It will simply harm the wolf. It is harsh, I'll give you, but necessary for the dangerous ones of your kind... and you can always repeal the sentence by accepting them into your pack. They will heal, and the mark will fade. It's a last resort, Alpha, but you know the lesser Alphas will require some form of punishment available when you disallow making people rogues." Ivan tells him.

"As always, I appreciate your wisdom, Ivan. We will need to call a meeting of the Alphas to explain the new rules. Please ensure your people speak to their respective Alphas ahead of time. It will make this easier." Alic says.

Ivan sighs. "After all these years, you still think we need to call our brothers... little King, they already know just as I do. Fear not all will work out."