Queen of Rogues

Unknown Punishment

Dehlia POV

Anger filled her at that very moment. Rage erupted in a vibrating force throughout her being and, for the first time every, she found herself looking to escape a situation she refused to even be in. F**k this sh*t! She refused to be in this situation. She had never wanted to meet her mate. Her dark gray eyes looked up at the thunderous skies and a scream of frustration left her lips. She shouldn't have smelt his cinnamon and cardamon scent. Nor listened to Phoenix purr in happiness to the group of men that sat across from her. She was normally reserved at times in public. But even the a**hole in her needed to come out every once a while. Not b*tch. No, she was never that, but only the heavens knew that she could definitely be the world's biggest a**hole if she set her mind to it.

The meatloaf and gravy had sent her over the edge. She couldn't stand the taste or smell. She wanted to throw up at the very smell. The last time Phoenix ate that she mentally screamed at her wolf after throwing everything back up later that night. But this man! This man had ordered that combination. What a cruel and unknown punishment. The chiseled featured one could have kept his mouth shut. Had not said a word but that put her on edge. She knew they were part of a pack. They smelled of a pack. She didn't want them. She didn't want that life. She liked her life. Loved it even and now it seemed like fate wanted to really screw it up.

"What the hell!?" Tavia asked her. She asked her! And all Dehlia could do was puff out her cheeks in frustration. Her best friend caught the hint and turned to look back. "F*ck..." She only saw her gothic friend's face that way when she talked about mates or heard about mates. "Who? Who was it?" She looked at her friend now with a new fierceness in her eyes.

"F*CK!" Dehlia screamed out as tears started to fall. The pull started slowly towards the man in the diner. The way his green eyes looked at her. She couldn't read his emotions. She couldn't tell if he even had time to register what she was. She had to run and get away. This was a punishment worse than death for a rogue. Already alone and now the pressure of rejection would follow. She didn't want it nor him. She wanted Khai. She liked Khai and that was turning to love. "I can't, Tavia!" She screamed and cried as her friend pulled her to the woods.

"Hush baby..." Tavia wrapped her tightly in her arms as her friend cried. Her eyes turned back to the dinner as she watched the two wolves come out. One definitely looked pissed off but the other was frantic. "We need to leave before they find us. We've managed to hide away from packs of wolves. We can do it now. The further we are away from them, the less likely the pull will be strong."

Tavia had been right. Dehlia cleaned her eyes up. Her black make-up smeared around her features before continuing to wash away. She didn't say anything. She silently shifted to her wolf after getting out of her clothes. The sound of her bones cracking and the ache that spread throughout her body before relaxing in the form of a black wolf. This was what Phoenix looked like. Beautiful as the night itself, and even now she had to fight with the only being that wished to stay.

We can't... Dehlia whispered now.

But he's our mate. Phoenix watched the dinner.

We won't survive the rejection. We're rogues, remember? Dehlia said softly, hurt, and sadly.

But... Phoenix looked at the dinner, then woods. He could be so much more...

Let's go.... Dehlia cut the conversation with her wolf.

Phoenix lowered her head but made no sound to alert her mate. She even knew that they had to stay hidden. Even before she emerged, survival had always been Dehlia's worry. Even now, Dehlia still ran on those thoughts and they had become hard to break even with daily reminders. She would listen to Dehlia but she knew that her mate was different than others. That he was kinder.

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Matthia POV

"What the hell was that about?" Fitz yelled out in anger. He had never felt so disrespected by anyone. Sure, he had seen wolves be a**holes by peeing on others wolves, but this was a different kind of disrespect. This was some packless wolf causing a problem.

Matthias looked panicked when the girl ran off. "Stop her!" Panic gripped at his throat. He had never felt such fear and terror. Why he felt such a feeling seemed unexplainable. Most would be made that they're mate ran away or hurt even but Matthais felt terror. The panic that gripped at his mental well being seemed almost as if he had relived it once before. A deja vu feeling even. He hated it but had to make sure the girl was okay. The scream from outside only added to the sheer fear, but the moment he reached the doors and threw them open to find them both gone. Were they witches? His eyes looked around. He could smell their scents but the rain seemed to be washing away. His eyes closed tightly as he felt his knees slam into the gravel of the parking lot. The sharp pain of small rocks and mudding dirt digging deeply into his covered flesh. He breathed in slowly to hear Fitz run out right after him.

"What was that about?" Fitz glared at his friend. He had never felt so irritated by the man since they were children. What had come over him?

"She was my mate..." Matthias muttered.

"What?" Fitz' had to make sure he had heard him right.

"She was my mate." Matthias finally gathered his lost thoughts and self before looking at his friend. "The one in black was my mate."

Fitz' looked at the woods and then his Alpha while the man kneeled on the ground. "You mean that crazy girl?" He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"We need to find her." Matthias found a new sort of determination.

"We'll look for her but she didn't seem happy about the news herself." Fritz spoke delicately. "I've never seen a girl act the way she did."

"We need to find her now!" Matthias demanded, and even now he refused to use his Alpha voice on his best friend. He wanted to be able to give respect and receive respect from those around him without using such a gift. He rose to his feet finally and moved towards the forest with the intent of catching her scent. He removed his clothes and shifted. Atlas stood just as strong as the day they had first shifted. The snow-white wolf looked up to the skies and howled a painful and sorrowful howl for his mate. Matthais could feel the same pain and aching.

Find her... Matthias whispered to the wolf.

I will always look for her.... Atlas thought back before barely glancing back at Fitz's wolf, Morpheus. He turned and ran into the woods while trying to keep with the scent before stopping at a rushing river. Had they really been brave enough to jump into such rapid waters? How stupid could they have been, knowing full well that they could have been hurt. Atlas lifted his giant head again and howled in pain.

A simple bark brought Atlas away from his sorrow before looking back at his second in command. Morphus had found something that at least belonged to one of the girls. A colorful bracelet. It had to be her friend's item. His mate seemed void of color in her style. He breathed slowly in the scent and could find his mate's scent lightly on the bracelet. Finally, both wolves headed back to their clothes.

Matthias shifted back and changed as he held the bracelet. "We'll find her friend at least. Maybe then I can find her." He said slowly before looking back at Fitz while the man walked up to him pulling his shirt over his well-toned body. "We better get our food to go and head out." He said softly while his head hung low.

"Yeah..." Fitz said weakly and nodded. He hooked his arm around his best friend's neck and led him towards the diner to get their food before heading to the conference. He could only hope his friend made the best decision for himself. He knew full well Matthias had sacrificed so much already. Even if he didn't like the girl's attitude.

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Tavia POV

A ping stabbed Tavia deep in the heart. The memories of her own rejection flooded back. She understood Dehlia's fears and pain. She had witnessed it first hand and felt the pain it caused. Her mate had been a gamma that rejected her. Rouges, as he said, were filthy and broken. She looked back at the diner as her friend cried and nodded silently. "Hush baby..." Tavia wrapped her tightly in her arms as her friend cried. Her eyes turned back to the dinner as she watched the two wolves come out. One definitely looked pissed off but the other was frantic. "We need to leave before they find us. We've managed to hide away from packs of wolves. We can do it now. The further we are away from them, the less likely the pull will be strong."

She led her best friend away from the heart ache. She wouldn't let her suffer the way she had. Dehlia had been there because of her rejection. Had cared strongly for her until she had the strength to start going again. She wouldn't allow her friend to feel this pain. She was thankful that the mate's pull wasn't as strong on a rogue. The pack hive mind always made the pull stronger, but rogues lacked that connection. It kept them safe sometimes even with a mate pull. She stood beside her best friend in her wolf form. Her gray was a color that could blend in with the snow that fell every fall to early spring. She carried both of their clothes as they ran. Her wolf, Belladonna, guided the two of them as they ran.

Finally, they hit the river. She looked at her fellow wolf and nudged her to follow her into the river where they swam across before walking into the long stems of wild basil growing by the river. She showed Phoenix to roll around as the herbed scent masked their own scents. They moved further into the brush before finally shifting back. Her arms were wrapped around her crying friend. Feeling the girl tremble beneath her hold as the sobs followed. "He won't find you. I'll make sure of that." Tavia whispered her promise to Dehlia as the girl gripped onto her friend for dear life.

Never would she allow sure a thing to happen. "Lets get dressed before either of us catches a cold. We won't be a help to anyone at Hashi if we are both sick." She smiled weakly at her friend. Finally, she guided her friend to work and left her off on her own. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be here for you. Are you sure you don't want to go back to the center?" She asked one last time while watching Dehlia shake her head.

"Its okay. I need to do this for the shelter." Dehlia spoke weakly.

Where was the fierce girl she loved? Had the bond really weakened her? Tavia eyed her best friend and settled for a nod. She knew the girl was too damned determined for her own good. "Alright, just call me if you need anything." She repeated before watching her friend walk into her job.

A sigh passed her lips as she bit her lip to keep from crying for her friend. Could Dehlia even survive this kind of rejection? Only time would tell and Tavia hoped that she could. She had watched Dehlia survive so much already but this was different. There were stories of wolves dying from rejection and she didn't want to attend Dehlia's funeral if that did happen.

Phoenix and Dehlia aren't like us... Belladonna whispered.

I know. I just worry about them. Tavia thought back to her wolf. She ran her fingers through the rainbow-colored hair that felt around her shoulders. She breathed out slowly and nodded before walking away to her own second job.