Kneel, Alpha: She's Not Forgiving You Yet

Chapter 4:

WREN

The next few weeks settled into something dangerously close to normal.

I worked at the black market during the day. Kara complained about my hours but always had dinner waiting when I got home. Ash healed faster than any wolf I'd ever treated, though his memories still refused to return.

For the first time since leaving prison, I caught myself believing life might actually get better. I should've known better.

Snow fell heavily as I approached home. I had just climbed the stairs to my apartment when hurried footsteps echoed behind me.

"Wren!"

I turned to find Kara rushing toward me, breathless.

"What happened?"

She grabbed my arm before I could unlock the door. "The Alpha has your Rogue."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"Pack soldiers took him near the market less than an hour ago." She struggled to catch her breath. "They're saying he's a Lycan spy."

The words made no sense. Ash didn't even know his own name. How could he possibly be anyone's spy?

Kara swallowed hard. "The Alpha is interrogating him himself."

Fear gripped me for a second. I can't return back to the pack house. Going back meant facing everyone who remembered exactly who I was.

"Wren." I looked at Kara. "What are you going to do?"

I already knew the answer.

Ash had stood beside me when the whole world wanted me dead. He had protected me without asking for anything in return. So, I wasn't leaving him there.

"I'm bringing him home."

Kara closed her eyes briefly. "I figured you'd say that." She squeezed my hand. "Just... be careful."

*

The Pack House looked exactly the same. Six years had passed, yet nothing had changed.

The second the guards recognised me, their faces drained of colour.

"She came back?"

The rumours spread through the corridor even before I made it closer. I ignored their whispers and cold stare and just kept walking.

The deeper I went underground, the harder my heart pounded. Then I saw him.

Ash hung from silver restraints fixed to a post in the centre of the interrogation room. Blood stained his clothes. His head hung low, though I knew he was still conscious.

I felt pain crawl inside me.

A man stood with his back to me, questioning him. He turned at the sound of my footsteps.

Elias.

Time seemed to stop for a few minutes. He looked exactly as I remembered; broad shoulders, blue eyes, the same face I'd spent three years trying to forget.

For one endless second, neither of us moved. Then every trace of the Alpha disappeared from his expression.

"Wren?" He stared at me as though I were a ghost. "Wren... You came back?"

****

ELIAS

Three years ago, everyone told me I'd made the right decision. They still did.

Ironclaw had never been stronger. Trade flourished, the council approved every proposal I placed before them, our alliance with the Beta family remained stable.

Even my marriage to Miranda had given the Pack exactly the political strength everyone predicted.

From the outside, my life was perfect. So why did it still feel empty?

A knock interrupted the thought. Miranda entered carrying another stack of reports.

"The northern expansion has been approved."

I nodded.

"The research division also received additional funding."

"Good."

She watched me for a moment. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine." I told her.

"You always say that." She sighed softly. "You should rest."

"I still have work."

She smiled sadly, already knowing she wouldn't change my mind. After she left, I stared at the snow beyond the window instead of the paperwork on my desk.

Winter always brought the memories back: a woman laughing because I'd fallen asleep over medical reports, cold hands stealing my coffee, and a smile that used to make the Pack House feel like home.

I closed the file.

The past was over, it had to be.

*

The next morning, a border guard arrived before sunrise.

"We captured an unidentified Rogue." The guard handed me a report. "Male. No Pack markings. Significant combat injuries. Unknown origin."

I read the information quickly. There were several wounds; both old and new, evidence of extensive combat experience, no identifying scent markers, and no Pack affiliation. Most importantly, six trained soldiers had been required to bring him in.

Six. That alone made him dangerous.

Relations with the Lycans had grown worse every year. An unknown fighter appearing near my territory wasn't something I could ignore.

"I'll question him myself."

By the time I reached the holding cells, my wolf was already restless. Something about the Rogue's scent felt... wrong.

He was already bound with silver chains at both hands and feet. Despite the restraints, he met my eyes without fear.

I pulled out a chair and sat opposite him. For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then I broke the silence. "Name."

The Rogue stared at me, but said nothing.

"No name?"

His expression didn't even change a bit.

"Pack affiliation."

Still nothing.

I leaned back slightly. "This would go much faster if you cooperated."

He continued studying me quietly. A faint smile appeared on his face, and something about it immediately irritated me.

Finally, he spoke. "I don't know."

I frowned. "Your Pack?"

"My name."

The answer surprised me. If there was anything a man shouldn’t know about himself, it definitely wasn’t his name.

I studied him carefully, he didn't sound deceptive. If anything, he sounded frustrated.

"I don't remember."

The interrogation continued for nearly an hour. Every answer was the same, he remembered nothing.

No name, no Pack, no past, no explanation for the scars covering his body. Yet my instincts refused to believe he was ordinary.

I rose from my chair, preparing to end the questioning. Then the cell door opened behind me.

My wolf echoed in my chest. MINE.

The growl vibrated through every part of me.

Before I turned... before I saw her... I already knew exactly who had walked into the room.