Rogue Rage

Chapter 2

We arrived a mile away from the pack that we were now having to watch carefully, due to Marcus’s incompetence. Keith and I usually found our way up the trees, before entering their territory. This time was no different. Though this pack had finished their walls around their small village, they were more than thorough when it came to the watchmen surrounding it. There was a man every fifty feet, either on the ground or in the trees. There was only one guard that Keith and I could count on to leave his post a full two minutes before his release came. In those two minutes, Keith and I raced through the leaves and branches, making sure not to draw attention by disturbing them.

With thirty seconds to spare, Keith and I found ourselves at the wall of the village. It was a bit too easy to go from the same branch that the guard left to the entrance of the village with no detection. Keith gave me a subtle nod before sliding down a pillar and into the fey people. This morning was especially busy. Most people were bustling around hanging lanterns and dressing a stag that must have been caught only an hour or so earlier. I watched from the top of the wall as they chatted excitedly about the celebration that was to occur that night.

I jumped down and nonchalantly walked into the crowd. Usually, it would be easy to notice an unrecognizable face in any village. Even in the big ones, everyone knows everyone else. I never had a problem with hiding in plain sight though. For the most part I blend too well into the background. I’m too ordinary to stand out but not ordinary enough to meet anyone’s eyes.

It was actually no different from blending into Damian’s pack of rogues. Don’t speak to anyone unless absolutely necessary. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t get noticed.

“Excuse me sweetie, do you mind taking this to the Med Center?” Of course, sometimes it’s just dumb luck that gets me pulled in a bit too close. Just like with Damian. “I’d do it myself, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be. I had a little helper, but I don’t know where she ran off to.” She squinted to near slits. I knew they had pretty good nomads here but getting glasses had to be nearly impossible. I must only be a shape to her. Dumb luck that I walked by at this very moment and dumb luck that she couldn’t see.

“Of course, ma’am. Right away.”

“Thank you, dear.” She handed me a small crate of bottles that could only have held alcohol. I doubted a child could carry that many, which probably explained why her little helper had run off. Fine. I had handled stranger errands before. I would leave the crate outside the Med Center and be done with it. Still, I wondered how the woman had managed to carry it out of her home at all. It was not too heavy, but she was small and frail-looking. I glanced down at the bottles. Where the hell had she gotten alcohol? The nomads had passed through a week ago, and I did not remember anyone mentioning alcohol.

If she had found a way to distill it herself, there was no telling what Damian would do to get his claws on her—or on her method. He would not be merciful, and his people would not take no for an answer. I slipped one bottle from the crate and tucked it into the inner pocket of my cloak. The bottles were small enough to hide, but too large to risk taking more than one. At least now, the crate held an even number.

Just as I am approaching the Med Center, Maddock, the one I know to be the Luna’s brother and one of the strongest warriors in the pack came limping out. Two women rushed passed me to get to him. One of them bumped my shoulder nearly making me drop the crate.

“Woah, girls slow down.” He said them, while using an old crutch. “Why can’t be knocking over people.” He said beginning to approach me. I sighed to myself and cursed my dumb luck.

Keeping my head down I told him I was fine and thanked him for his concern.

He nodded once and peaked into the crate, “Here let me help you with that.” He took one bottle out of the crate and turned back to the girls, “For the pain.” They both nodded sympathetically and took one of his arms under their shoulders. The old crutch was left abandoned leaning against the wall of the Med Center. Jackass.

At least I had not given him a clear look at my face. Of course, that was not the only way to be detected. I could only hope the alcohol masked most of my scent, and he had seemed too distracted to pay me any real attention. I set the crate down and turned away, quickening my pace to avoid any more accidental encounters. Still, running into Maddock might have been useful. If my intentions had truly aligned with Damian’s, I would have acted like one of those girls and clung to Maddock’s side.

I could have acted enthralled and lingered near the Alpha’s table, listening for any careless scraps of information. Unfortunately for Damian, I had no intention of doing that. I followed orders, but only to a point. I owed him no loyalty, and I would only pass along information that could not be used against these people. I might not belong anywhere, but I did not want them harmed—not all of them, at least.

Finally, I made my way to the house that I was tasked to watch. The thing looked old and worn compared to the other structures. Of course no one bothered to maintain this anymore. If it were any other Alpha, the upkeep would have been on point. Instead, there was overgrown that surrounded it. Vines that had begun to creep up the sides of the walls. An old door that looked like it’s use had been minimal recently. What truly strange is that only a month or two ago, it was one of the most vibrant houses. I can’t say seeing it in this state saddened me. In fact, I took pleasure in seeing it’s ugly deterioration. And I knew I was not the only one.

This pack was unlike any I had ever been assigned to watch. They lived and breathed as one. If I pressed my hand to the ground at the center of the village, I was certain I would feel their hearts beating together. Maybe even the land beneath them carried the pack’s resentment. Maybe that was what fed the untamed shrubs growing only around this house. No one wanted to tend the place where the former Alpha and his wife had lived. He had given the final word on the current Luna’s cruel treatment. I had watched her go from abandoning this pack to helping save her people. And she—she was a sight to behold.

Leaving. Hm. I had wondered about that too, but where would I go? I could not risk another pack; Damian’s reach stretched across too many villages. I supposed I could survive on my own. I could hunt, fight, and make my own clothes. What else did I need? His head. The thought slammed into me, dragging old, ugly memories of my father to the surface.

I lowered myself into the tall grass nearby and released a long, heavy sigh. They were unlikely to leave the house today. They only emerged when supplies or food ran low, and the fact that they ate at home said enough about their diminished standing within the pack. It also revealed their respect—or lack of it—for the pack itself, as well as for the new Alpha and Luna. Since Gabriel became Alpha, he had not visited his parents once. His mother had tried to approach him in public a few times, but each attempt ended the same way: disapproving stares driving her back, tail tucked between her legs.

“—anymore!” The former Luna had shouted. I turned toward the decaying house. The two of them fought often—or at least as often as they spoke to each other. I almost felt sorry for her. From scattered whispers, I knew her actual contribution to the pack’s well-being had been minimal. After months of watching, the only thing I could say for certain was that she loved her son. For that, I pitied her. A good mother. A silent wife. A woman trapped in the role of Luna. Still, if she had ever spoken up, her opinion might have changed something—if not for the pack, then at least for herself.

The sound of wood striking the door snapped my attention back to the house. A moment later, the door opened and shut again. I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest. My back remained turned toward the house, and I was angled just far enough behind it to see the line of smaller homes while staying mostly hidden. From here, I had a clear view of the front door, but none of the windows faced me. Footsteps drew closer, and every hair at the nape of my neck stood on end. His pace slowed as he approached. He moved more like a serpent than an Alpha.

There was a heavy thud as he sat down next to me. I turned my head to look up at him. Great Alpha Stone.