The rogue assassin

Kill the mate?

I lifted my hand to signal the others to stop. We were close to the border now. My wolf was howling out and there was no way to keep her quiet. Believe me, I tried. I grabbed a little leather pouch from my belt and gestured to the others to do the same. The herbs within the pouch were then used to cover up our scents like usual. I rubbed the herbs deep into my skin but whatever I did, I kept smelling my own scent. I took the lead anyway and crouched closed to the edge of the border. I stiffened when I heard a branch break behind me, crashing onto the ground. So much for a surprise attack. We all jumped down the moment three border warriors arrived. Two of them were ready to fight, the third one was different. He just stood there with cloudy eyes. I jumped over a warrior who protected the absent man while my team took care of the warrior behind me. I stood in front of the defenseless man when I realized he was linking his mind. s**t. This was going to be a hard one. I took his head into my hands and twisted it before dropping his lifeless body to the ground. I then turned around to see that my rogues already killed the other two warriors. We needed to pounce quickly. We ran further into the pack grounds until we stumbled onto a wall of warriors and the alpha 500 meters in front of us. My wolf went crazy and sent a low growl through the air. I signaled the pack to stop and standstill. The air felt weird and tingly and I wondered why. My gaze shifted over the warriors on the other side of the field. They stood their ground as well. Their alpha kept his hand raised and I knew that once that hand came down, our war began. My eyes stayed on the alpha a little longer. His face showed mixed emotions. For a second I thought to see love, sadness, and happiness pass his expressions. But these all faded away when he saw the mark on my shoulder. The mark of the rogue assassins, burned into our skins the moment we came into their program. The rogues behind me were getting restless and so was my wolf. Although for different reasons. She kept screaming the word ‘mate’ in my head and forced me to take a step closer. This action made our opponents even more on edge but they never moved. The expression of the alpha changed from focused to confused when I c****d my head to the side. Realization dawned on me. I just met my mate and there was no way I could attack him or his pack right now. I was confused myself. I gave him a sympathetic smile before turning round to the rogues and telling him to retreat. This was my way to show him mercy and trust. He could've easily killed me if that was his desire. I wouldn't see it coming. The word retreat made some of the rogues look at me full of questions. I simply stated that this was not our method of work and that our assignment had changed. Of course, it didn't but I couldn’t tell them exactly that I wanted to protect my soulmate could I? Unfortunately one rogue did not agree with me. He spitted out that I was not to be trusted and a lazy leader before taking a sprint straight to the alpha. The alpha took a stance, ready to kill him but I beat him to it. I turned around and stopped the rogue by lifting it by its neck. I growled hard to his face to show dominance. I threw him to the side once I was sure my point was clear. Some other rogues were ready to attack as well but the growling made them rooted in their places. “I said, pull back. NOW!” That was enough to make them turn around with a huff. I watched all of them disappear into the woods. I turned around and inhaled deeply when I found myself entranced by the smell of cherries and cinnamon. It took a while before reality crashed in. He was still in the same spot with his eyes on mine. I needed to go. Now. I thought that all of the rogues were gone but I was greeted by the stern faces of Sander and another girl, the moment I turned back around. They stayed by my side as to say: touch her and we will kill you as well. I gave the alpha a quick nod which he returned before turning around and leaving the perimeter. I knew with this action, I made a death sentence for myself and maybe for the others but I wasn’t going to kill the last good thing in my life. He was the last thing I had. Well, I knew that I could never have him but still, it felt good to see him. He saw me as well. He could choose to reject me and search for a more capable Luna. I just hoped that the elders would kill me immediately. Please, don't give me the torture again! We took our usual detour to our spot to avoid being followed. I stepped into the clearing with a sigh, before coming to an abrupt halt. There were torches everywhere. How did they know of my action already?  I turned to look at the rogues and saw one of them looking at me with an evil smile. Great, it was the loser who ignored my commands. I walked up to the same elders that killed James a couple of months ago. They still looked the same with their black robes. Except for the fact that they started closing in on me. Leaving me in a closed circle. The woman had her usual, creepy smile on her face and slapped me hard in the face. “I told you to take care of it. You were the one who told me a year ago you could handle the responsibility. And now? Did you really stop our mission because of your mate? A single weak wolf? Are you that pathetic or did one of us permitted you to alter the mission?” She looked at me as if it really was a question but I knew better than to answer. I aimed my gaze to the ground in shame. She was right. I was pathetic. We should have just pushed through. We are not to care about our victims or even other rogues. We are simple fighting machines and nothing else. She grabbed my chin and pulled my head up in a painful manner but I never gave a sound. “Did we train you to be so weak?” I shook my head while trying to lower my gaze again. She grabbed me by my throat which caused my eyes to widen in shock. This gave the woman enough satisfaction as I finally gave a reaction. “Cuff her and take her back to the dungeons. I will think about your punishment later missy". She then turned around to the others. "And you, my little sons and daughters…” Fear and shame were readable on their faces and for a second I felt bad for them. It was my fault after all. My decision. “You will all be executed and replaced. Except for... you little guy. You were the one to tell us about these flaws. You may live free if you want.” With that, she turned around and walked into the woods. One of the men held me down while the other grabbed some silver cuffs from his belt. The silver burned into my skin the moment they made contact with it. They held me down as I tried with all of my might to break free. Eventually, they made me watch how the other man killed every single one of my team members. Some were able to flee in time while others stained the ground beneath us. And I knew this was all on me.