WINTER ROGUE

CHAPTER 6 - BODIES IN THE SNOW - JAYLA'S POV

The wind was howling as I wrapped my cloak tightly around my slim frame, blocking off the cold, as I walked through the dead tree's covered in a light layering of ice and snow. The snow was thick today after last night's storm and each step brought the freezing snow to my ankles, but I continued.

The smell of blood was thick in the air and I knew, thanks to my keen Lycan senses, that I'd be stumbling upon a large number of dead soon. I'd tried to ignore it, but the scent was too overwhelming, and I couldn't focus on anything but the smell, so I decided to deal with it.

It had been years since someone had stumbled into my forest where I'd been forced into exile as a rogue, until I finally agreed to the marry Barret. An agreement I would never enter into, no matter what.

Finally, after an hour of walking in the chill, from my cave, I saw it. The scene that caused the scent of blood to fill the air.

There lay strewn across the forest floor were dozens of dead bodies, some in their Lycan forms, some mid-shift, while others were just naked, wounded and frozen in the snow, their red blood scattered over the soft white, faces frozen in fear and hatred.

I exhaled and began to dig the graves with my shovel I'd dragged along with me. Normally, I would just burn the bodies, but winter made that impossible with the wet wood, and I wasn't interested in spending a few days drying some out just to burn these intruders in my forest.

I worked until nightfall, digging and sweating all over myself until finally I had two large mass graves.

I'd noticed specific markings on the men, indicating they came from different packs and should not be buried together, so I chose to give them this kindness to not be buried with the very enemy who'd taken their lives.

I vaguely wondered if anyone had survived this fight, and if so, where were they? Were they wandering around my forest?

I pushed aside those thoughts and began to put the stiff frozen corpses into the ground, one by one, being careful and respectful before filling the dirt back in.

After placing a stump on each grave and using my claw to carve each packs marking over it, along with a number of dead in each grave, I stood up, dusted off my hands upon my dress, and began the journey home, grateful that the scent of blood would soon fade from the area and I could get some peace.

Not that I'd ever had much peace in my life, and today, or rather this evening, as the sunset was now upon me, would bring no peace either.

As I started to leave the area. I stumbled on an injured man I'd missed. He was naked and covered in blood, with his stomach practically hanging out through an open cut from hip to hip, and his face badly beaten, and despite this, I could see how handsome he was, and more importantly, I could tell from the aura around him, that he was an alpha. Which is most likely how he'd survived so long.

I paused for a moment of hesitation. Should I let him die or save him? He'd clearly led the fight that spilled into my territory, and ruined my day digging holes. I was about to walk away, when he moaned in pain.

''Haley.'' He whispered, ''I'm coming, I'll save you.''

So. He was trying to save a girl. Most likely his mate. I felt a pang of jealousy. Because of my packs curse, I'd never have my own mate, but I also felt pity. If this Alpha's enemies had taken his mate, then she was in danger. He might be her only hope of survival.

I approached the man, knelt and checked his pulse, but I noticed something, a strange tingling over my body.

''What the hell is that?'' I asked my Lycan Willow. ''Is this the feeling of the bond?''

''It can't be,'' She argued, ''We can't feel the bond thanks to the curse. He may have powers and that's what we're feeling.''

''Maybe,'' I nodded, ''It would explain how he's surviving with his guts out. It mustn't just be because he's an Alpha.''

"We need to help him," Willow demanded, "It's been years since we've spoken to anyone, let alone our own kind, and he clearly has some unfinished business. That's why he's fighting so hard to stay alive. Besides, he's cute. I want to look at him a little longer."

I exhaled and rubbed my face. I hated being involved in the business of others. It's why I enjoyed my exile so much.

The man moaned and started to wake up, his dark green eyes on display for a moment, ''Please help me, Haley needs me'' He whispered weakly, before he passed out again.

"Okay, fine. I'll help him," I told Willow, "But it's pointless, the girl might already be dead.''

I pulled off my large cloak, feeling the cold again, and laid it beside the man. I could carry him, but it would be easier this way, so I rolled him over onto the cloak and started dragging him back towards my cave.

He woke several times, whispering Haley's name, over and over before passing out again. Whoever Haley was to him, he loved her, and she was worth fighting for.

It was late into the night by the time we'd returned to my home. Inside my cave, the darkness swallowed us whole, so I quickly added more wood to my fire, enjoying the warmth and dim light, while I closed the entrance to the cave.

After putting some water to boil on the fire, I sat the Alpha down near the fire. I needed to operate, so I quickly gathered my tools I'd made over the years, and returned to the man. The cave was not ideal for an operation, and it definitely wasn't sterile, but it was the best I had and didn't have another choice.

I poured a medicine onto his wound to numb the area, but the man groaned in pain, and his eyes opened for a moment. He raised his hand weakly and touched my cheek, leaving that strange tingle over my skin again, before it fell back beside him and his eyes closed again.

When I was sure he was unconscious again, I began to cut away the damaged skin, and carefully put his stomach back where it belonged, before I stitched him up again, and added an antiseptic liquid I'd made over the injury, and wrapped his stomach with the last of the bandages I had.

I left him sleeping, washed my bloodied hands, and searched through my clothing. Surely I could find something to alter to dress the naked man. I came across a black dress and brought it over to my sewing area where I spent the next hour sewing him some pants.

Once I was done, I used some hot water to clean the man's body. Examining it as I did. As far as Alpha's went, this man was very attractive, wide-set, muscular, light layering of hair over his chest, impressive d**k, much like a lot of Alphas, but there was something in his face, something gentle and kind that I'd never seen on an Alpha, though I was probably imagining things because he was asleep. For all I knew, the second he awoke, he could turn into a monster.

I pulled on the newly made pants, before covering him in one of my animal pelts to keep him warm, while I set out to sew him a shirt and eat the last of my meat. I'd hunt again in the morning. Alpha ate more than most, and he'd be hungry when he woke up.

I slept beside him, waking up on and off to add more wood to the fire, and changing his dressing. Over the next day, I continued to clean and redress his wounds, but he didn't begin to stir again until sunset the next night while I was cooking my freshly killed deer meat.

I was eating as he woke, and warming by the fire, when Willow and I heard a loud groaning and turned to see the man, fully awake and looking around frantically.

"Easy," I called out, causing him to jump and look over at me by the fire, "I just redressed your injury. If you move too much you'll reopen the cut."

''Who are you? Where am I?'' He asked.

''I'm Jayla, and my Lycan is Willow.'' I told him, ''You're in my cave in the Vauxstone Mountains, and you are?''

''Alpha Kolton of Lotus pack, and my Lycan's Zeke.'' He groaned, holding his stomach, ''Where are my troops?'' He asked, looking around.

''Dead.'' I answered, as I started putting some food onto a plate, ''I buried them along with the enemy soldiers.''

''You buried them together!?''

''Of course not.'' I answered as I went over and knelt beside him, ''I'll show you once you've healed. Here, eat, you need to regain your strength, and there's some water there. You'll need it. You lost a lot of blood, and I don't exactly have any blood bags lying around.''

Kolton took the plate, and stared at the meat.

''Relax, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you in the first place.''

''You saved me?'' He said in surprise as he looked down at the bandages. ''You didn't have to do that, thank you.''

''I wouldn't thank me so quickly.'' I shrugged and sat back down on the other side of the fire and pulled my cloak around me, ''I'm not a healer. For all I know, I put your guts back into you wrong. You could pee, and it'll come out of your belly button.''

Kolton laughed, but then cringed, and held his stomach again, ''I'll risk it. How long was I out?''

''One night.'' I answered, and started eating again.

''Sh*t. They'll be so far ahead by now.'' He whispered and tried to get up, but I quickly rushed back over to him and pushed him back down.

''Are you stupid? You nearly died, and need to heal,'' I told him, ''If you leave now, you'll be dead before you take three steps. Besides, there's a blizzard out there right now. If you don't die, you'll end up walking around in circles for days.''

''I can't wait. Haley needs me.''

''How are you going to help your mate if you die?'' I asked, as I returned to my spot again, pouting at my spilled plate, before I started picking up the meat and tossing it into the fire, ''Just heal for a few days, and go after her.''

''I can't risk it.''

''Are you deaf?'' I asked, as I started to cut some more meat, ''I said there was a blizzard. If your mate's abductors were still in my forest, they would have been forced to find shelter. They're probably not out yet. Besides, we're in the center of the forest. It takes days to get out. Don't worry, you'll catch up, but for now, lay back and heal.''

Kolton frowned as he slumped back against a stone near him, ''Fine. But.... will you help me track them? You said this was your forest, so you clearly know your way around. They went west. Can you help me? I'll pay you. Please, I'm begging you.''

I stared at him in annoyance. I didn't want to go hiking through the forest during winter, but I could use the money. ''Fine, I'll help you find your mate, now eat.''

''Thank you, Jayla, I owe you.'' He smiled warmly.

''You owe me gold.''

He smiled and started eating, ''Fair enough, and Haley's my little sister, not my mate. I don't have a mate.''

''Oh, okay.''