The Rogue Queen

Chapter 11 - Hunters -Alastair

I could not have been more grateful to have Calliope around. The more I got to know her, the more I didn’t want her to leave. Everyone in the pack loved her. She got on well with Mirya, whom I had made my new beta in the wake of Kel’s betrayal.

Between training and patrols, I was solely focused on finding Kel. He consumed my days and filled the moments between my duties. It was as if Kel had just disappeared. I found myself only thinking about where he went and how I could make him pay for what he had done. Not just to my mate, but to Calliope. Because of him, she lost everything and, for some reason, that made me even more determined to find him. But with no leads, I was forced to sit and brood over it.

In the wake of having to wait, I found myself watching Calliope as she was playing with Luther, one of the kids that I had taken in. He was one of fifteen orphans who had lost their parents to moon-madness. He was currently fostering under Shiloh, a pack healer, and he was seemingly following in her footsteps of wanting to learn medicine.

Watching Calliope interact with him was endearing and for a moment I found myself wondering what kind of a mother she would become. How her mate was a fool for letting her go.

“She could be ours.” Rusten spoke up.

I could still feel his desire for Saga. For Calliope, his continuation to call her ours and to make her our mate was getting frustrating. I wasn’t interested in finding anything new. It had only been a few months since I lost my mate. I didn’t need his pressure. I growled at him in response, and he went silent.

“Alastair?” Mirya would grab my attention. “Simon is looking for you.” She would say, her eyes drifting to follow my gaze. I nodded to her. She grinned when she noticed what I was staring at, “Can I say something?”

“Of course.” I replied. “You are always free to tell me anything, Mirya.”

“I know you want to find Kel. But maybe revenge is not the best path for you. Maybe Pheobe has another path for you to take?”

“Not you too.” I grumbled. Climbing to my feet. “I don’t want a new mate. I want to avenge the one I lost.”

“You are really stubborn and sometimes, for how smart you are, you do dumb shit.” She replies. “You have something before you. Something that could be healing. Yet you ignore it.”

“I appreciate your advice, but until I have completed my mission, I can only think of sinking my teeth into Kel’s throat and ripping it out.”

Mirya raised an eyebrow at me, “are you so sure about that?” She glanced back at Calliope.

For a moment I thought about it, then I felt guilty. Cindy was not dead for long and here I was fantasizing about another. No. She deserved closure, and I would give it to her.

My fur ruffled and I growled at Mirya. She shrugged and I stalked off to find Simon. I found him sitting at his computer, a very famous place for him to be.

Wolves really didn’t care much for technology, though we found our uses for it in daily life and kept their usage to a minimum. However, Simon found technology fascinating and had taken a strong liking to it and was actually really good at it, so I encouraged him to learn more.

“Hey boss.” He greeted me with a smile. I sat down next to him. I had yet to leave my wolf form. Today, wishing just to be like this so I can be more aware than I would as a man.

“Go on.” I grumbled, and his hands began to fly across the keyboard.

“So…I found and tracked his phone. It led to Clearwater, the human city. It’s about a day's run from here. But that is where it shuts off. I think he destroyed it. However, I was able to access the city cameras and I found that he frequents a bar there, but there is more.” He looked grim as he spoke the last words. I looked at him and nodded for him to continue.

“He is working with hunters. Like you suspected. I think that town is a hotbed for them."

My ears lay flat as I thought about how to get to him. It would be difficult with hunters all over the place. They had an uncanny ability to pick out werewolves even in their man form.

“Keep gathering intelligence.” I told him, “Anything you can see that could be a weakness in how to get to him. Maybe even a way to take out that hunter's nest.”

Simon nodded. I left him and went back outside to find Calliope lying in her wolf form on the back porch sunning herself.

Mirya’s words crossed my mind and I grumped again. I would be dishonoring my mate to move on so quickly. Even though I felt so close to Calliope. I wanted to be with her. I knew that it was not the right thing to do. However, I would be happy to forge a relationship with her. A friendship. I moved over next to her and laid down.

“You are good with the pups.” I said, looking over the back yard, watching them playing in the open field.

“They are good pups.” She replied. “They will be fine wolves one day.”

I could tell there was something on her mind. She watched the pups but occasionally she would glance in my direction.

“What is on your mind?” I asked. She seemed hesitant to respond.

“You can talk to me about anything.” I urged her to speak.

“This…connection we have.” she says slowly.

I tense up. This will be the third time it was mentioned today, and I already felt myself becoming defensive. She noted my body language and became quietly looking down.

“I don’t understand it. But I feel it. Saga feels it. Even Rusten feels it. I am just trying to.” She falls silent and I don’t know what to say in response. I let the silence stay between us for a long time.

“I don’t understand it either. It is not like anything I have ever felt before.”

“Do you want to explore it?” she asked curiously.

“No.” I replied, and I could see her disappointment immediately. It broke my heart seeing her become sad like that. “I care about you Calliope, but I don’t want a mate right now.”

“Revenge is a stony path, Alastair. It often leads to heartache.” she says quietly.

“My heart is already broken. What more can it do?”

“It won’t bring you peace.”

“I can’t let him live while she is gone. Justice must be served.” I growled. I could feel my anger brewing just thinking of letting him get away.

“But at the risk of what? What are you willing to lose to get at him?”

It was my turn to be quiet. I was willing to risk it all. I couldn’t be satisfied until he was dead.