The Alpha King and His Rogue Queen

Trap

WINSTON

The rogues had vanished like smoke through fingers.

We reached the campsite just as the last traces of their heat lingered in the air—warm bedding, half-eaten rations, the faint musk of hurried movement—but no bodies, no resistance, no ambush. Only silence and the sour bite of abandonment. They’d known we were coming. Had probably scented us miles out and melted away before the first boot touched their perimeter.

Stark paced restlessly inside me, claws scraping the edges of my mind. They’re mocking us. Let me hunt. Let me tear through the trees until I taste blood.

Not yet, I told him. This isn’t a hunt anymore. It’s a conversation.

The camp was pitiful—tattered tents patched with scavenged hides, a central fire pit still smoldering, cooking pots abandoned mid-meal. No luxury. No waste. Just survival scraped together with ruthless efficiency. I’d expected squalor from rogues; what I found was discipline.

Nickolas emerged from one of the larger tents, frowning. “There’s a hole here—small, but wide enough for a grown wolf to drop through. Looks deliberate. Like an escape hatch.”

Brandon called from across the clearing. “Same over here. Another one.”

I scanned the ground. Fresh dirt around each opening, no drag marks, no blood. Clean exits. Planned. Professional.

A slow smile tugged at my mouth. Something stirred in my chest—genuine interest, the kind I hadn’t felt in years.

“James, Elijah, Brandon,” I said, voice carrying easily across the site. “Follow those tunnels. Map where they lead. Do not engage unless you’re cornered. Report back the moment you surface.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they answered in unison, already moving with the crisp obedience of wolves who knew better than to question.

Nickolas watched them disappear into the tents, then turned to me, arms crossed. The disgust on his face was plain—he could smell the damp earth, the stale sweat, the faint rot of unwashed fur clinging to everything.

“You’re sending them in blind,” he said.

“They’re not blind. They’re scouts. And I’m staying topside.” I met his eyes. “Withdraw the rest of the men. Take them back to Conhedge.”

Nickolas blinked. “You’re staying… alone?”

“Yes.”

He exhaled through his nose, a sound halfway between frustration and worry. “I could stay. Keep watch. Backup.”

“I like solitude.” I kept my tone light, almost teasing. “Besides, who’ll hold the palace if Lucas decides my absence is an invitation?”

“It could take days. Weeks. Those tunnels might loop for miles.”

“That’s why I’m putting you in charge.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “If anything moves in my absence—Lucas, rival alphas, even a whisper of unrest—you handle it. No hesitation.”

Nickolas’s jaw tightened. “And if this is a trap? Everyone who’s crossed Rain says the same thing: one look, one word, and their minds go blank. They wake up robbed blind with no memory of how. She’s not just a thief. She’s… something else. Magic. Dark magic.”

I tilted my head. “You think I can’t handle a little spellwork?”

“I think you’re walking into a carefully laid snare with your eyes open and calling it strategy.” He hesitated, then added softer, “I don’t want you hurt.”

The admission hung between us—rare, unguarded. Nickolas had earned the right to speak plainly; we’d bled together too many times for formality.

I let a small, genuine smile break through. “Your concern is noted. And appreciated. But those rogues aren’t qualified to hurt me, Nick. Not even close.”

He studied me a long moment, then nodded once—reluctant, but accepting. “If you’re not back in three days, I’m coming after you. Trap or no trap.”

“Fair enough.”

He turned, signaled the remaining men, and they melted back into the trees the way we’d come—silent, disciplined, loyal.

The clearing fell quiet.

I stood alone amid the ruins of their camp, breathing in the layered scents: pine, smoke, fear-sweat, and beneath it all—hers. Wild mint. Charred herbs. Something electric, like the air before lightning.

Stark rumbled approval. Finally. No more babysitting. Just us and the prey.

She’s not prey, I reminded him.

Now that I can see the end of these shenanigans, I will put an end to it once and for all. I just knew what I had to do now that I realized the rogues are way smarter than initially thought. There was no reason for a hunt anymore, so I sent the guys back. I hate that those annoying rogues were everywhere all the time, trying their hardest to disrupt the peace of my kingdom or get a reaction from me. Whatever their plan was, it's working. Now with everyone gone, I found a suitable place to sit. Mind-linking the warriors I sent underground, although I doubt they would find anything.

'Find anything yet?'

'Nothing worthy of note, it's like a crazy maze down here, though,' Brandon replied.

'You can say that again, I think I am lost. I can swear I have walked past this wall a dozen times already,' said James.

'And it stinks real bad down here too, it's insane, even if they came in here, they are all long gone now,' Elijah added.

'Keep looking, you might find something soon,' Winston instructed. 'Don't worry, I will get you out as soon as I can,'

'Yes your Highness, but it's all bare down here, I can't even find my point of entry' said Brandon, and he was one of the best trackers in the kingdom. If Brandon just confirmed not being able to find his way back, it can only mean one thing, either the rogues made a really long and unending tunnel underground or his men had just walked into a certain trap. Since they were going to keep playing dirty, then he would not be sparing their lives.

'Finally thinking like a true king' muttered Stark in annoyance. He was already fed up with his human for wasting so much time and now the trails have gone cold.

'Everyone deserves a second chance. You of all people should know that.'

'What if I don't wish to know that anymore? We can't keep sitting here and inhaling this terrible air for f**k's sake. If we are going to give chase, then I suggest we get to it now and if not, let's return to the palace with the rest.'

'Come on now, are you suggesting that we give up on the chase so soon? Without even trying?'

'Well, yeah, I can't stand this filth for much longer.'

'I know, but aren't you a little excited? This is the most fun we are getting in a long time,'

'I was in the beginning, when I thought we were going for a hunt, but not anymore. Remind me again, why are we still up here?'

'Because going down is walking directly into their traps,'

'But at least we will catch them and be done.'

'True, but if the air up here is this bad, imagine how it would be down there. Did you not hear what the guys just said?'

'Nope, I don't, I was busy getting angry to listen, so now what? Sit here and fill our lungs with bad air till someone shows up?'

'We could do that, or we could set a trap of our own.'

'Interesting, I am liking your idea more and more, so what are we waiting for?' the beast asked, the excitement returning to his tone and Winston only smirked before getting up to set his own trap.