Rogue Rage

Chapter 20 (Maddock)

“What did you speak to Mabel about?” I was never one to confront another, especially after the years of confronting Katy. Leon was the last person, I’d choice to start with. As far as brothers went, he was the best. As far as a stand-in Alpha went, he saw me as any other pack member. A warrior with purpose that needed to be fulfilled.

“Oh, yes. The conversation was close doored just so I can disclose it to you anyways.” He hadn’t even looked up from the map on his desk. I had noticed Joan walking towards the office after Mabel had finished her meal and told me she planned to change clothes. It was strange, it seemed like I could never get the same scent from her. She constantly smelled different.

A plate of hot food sat on the desk. I assumed that was Joan’s purpose before she left Leon to own devices. “She asked me if I was attracted to her.”

“You thought, you were hiding it well?” Leon asked dryly.

“That’s not the point. She only asked after speaking to you.”

“And what did she say when you admitted to it?”

“What makes you think I admitted to it?” Leon finally looked at me with an arched brow. Bastard. “She asked why.”

Leon laughed, “She’s humble.” Leon stretched his arms out. “We talked about her position within the pack. She needs a task if she’s going to be here long term. It’s odd that Gabriel didn’t assign her to anything.” He circled a ridge on the map with charcoal. “Speaking of which he said he gave you a task for the watchtower.”

I nodded, knowing that the conversation about Mabel was over. He wouldn’t give me any other information. “Yeah, when I was tracking that rogue through the forest I was able to tell that his scent matched one of the two that I found on the watchtower. I don’t know how it happened but he and another entered through there.”

“Have you spoken to the guards about it? Asked if they ever left their post unattended?”

“No. I asked other warriors first if they noticed anything odd from their post. According to the other guards, Max and Drew are great warriors with a great family line.”

Leon sighed, “No one wants to start problems with anyone else. Guess it’s time to speak to them directly. Do it during the day, we need every post manned by nightfall.”

I agreed and stood.

…

I stood at the top of the watchtower with my forearms braced on the rail, looking down over the wall while I waited for Max to climb up. Morning wind dragged through the trees beyond the fence, carrying pine, damp bark, and the fading trace of old rogue scent. My eyes kept cutting back toward the village despite myself, searching for Mabel in the movement below. I knew what that was—possession wearing the mask of concern. She would have called it creepy without blinking, and damn if that didn’t make me want to hear her say it.

Behind me, Drew stood too still to be relaxed. His boots were planted shoulder-width apart, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the tree line like discipline alone could keep him from looking guilty. The rogue scents were gone now. All that remained was weathered wood, iron nails, old sweat, and the familiar marks of Max and Drew.

“Maddock,” Drew said. I turned as Max hauled himself over the ladder, jaw tight, one hand briefly at his lower back before he caught himself and straightened. Both brothers faced me like men prepared for a punishment they had already guessed was coming.

I let the silence sit for a few seconds. Wind rattled through the watchtower planks beneath our feet. “Walk me through your shift. Start to finish.”

Drew’s throat worked. Max kept his eyes on me, but the tendons in his neck stood out.

“Quiet, most days,” Drew said first. “Yesterday was the exception. Other than that, not much movement outside the wall.”

I turned to Max.

“Same on nights,” Max said. “Wind. Animals. Nothing worth sounding an alarm over.”

“Nothing worth it,” I repeated. “That’s different from nothing.”

Drew shifted his weight. Max didn’t move, but sweat gathered at his temple despite the cold bite in the air.

“What time do your shifts change?” I asked.

Drew glanced at his brother. “I relieve Max at dawn. He takes over for me at midnight.”

“Twelve hours is a long watch,” I said. “Hard on the back. Harder if a man is already hurt.”

Max’s jaw flexed once. Drew opened his mouth, then shut it.

I looked between them. “Neither of you ever leaves this post before the relief is standing on this platform, correct?”

Max breathed out through his nose and looked down. “I have. A few times. Only when I could see Drew coming up the path.” His voice was rough, stripped of excuse. “A minute or two. Never more.”

I stepped closer. “A minute or two was enough for two rogues to cross this line. One ran. One is still somewhere inside our walls. Every family sleeping behind this fence paid for that shortcut.”

Drew took half a step forward. “Maddock, Max was injured during the attack. His spine—”

“Quiet, Drew.” Max’s voice cracked like a whip. He straightened until the pain showed in the corners of his mouth. “I take full responsibility.”

I held Max’s stare. “I spoke to the other warriors. They respect you, and not just because of Maxwell and Darlene. I know about the damage to your back when the rogues hit us. I also know why Gabriel put you here instead of on roving patrol.” I pointed down at the platform beneath our boots. “But if you had told him the truth about the pain, he would have posted another guard or shortened your watch. Instead, you protected your pride and left a gap in our wall.”

Max took the hit without blinking. Good. Shame meant he still understood the weight of the post. “I’m reporting this to Leon, and to Gabriel when he returns. Until then, you’re off this tower and on hold for reassignment.” I set a hand on his shoulder, firm enough that he had to meet my eyes. “You’re a good warrior, Max. That is the only reason this stays tight until leadership decides what comes next. We do not need panic spreading through the village.”

Relief moved through both brothers before they could hide it. I understood it. I also hated it. Mabel could have died because of this gap, and the thought put a hard edge on every breath I took. But anger would not fix the breach. Discipline would.

I turned back to the rail and looked out over the trees. “There were two unfamiliar scents here about a week ago. One male. One carrying something damp and feminine. Why wasn’t that reported?”

For the first time, both of them looked honestly lost.

Drew shook his head slowly. “I didn’t catch it.”

Max swallowed. “Neither did I.”

My jaw locked hard enough to ache. The image came back before I could stop it—Keith breaking loose, launching for Mabel, her body going still because there was nowhere for her to run. If I had been half a breath slower, there would have been blood on the stones and a dead girl in the middle of our stronghold. I turned away from Max and Drew before the anger in my eyes gave them something to fear that had nothing to do with rank. “You were so busy guarding your secret that you stopped guarding this wall.” My voice stayed low, but both men went still. “That gap almost put teeth in one our member’s throat.”

I looked down over the village. Children cut between houses. Women carried baskets toward the kitchens. Warriors moved like they always did—steady, confident, certain the fence and the men above it would hold. They trusted us without thinking about it. That was the point of a post. A warrior did not get the luxury of pain, pride, or excuses when lives slept behind him. Mabel had crossed those grounds bruised, hungry, and too damn used to no one standing in front of her. I would not let this pack become another place that failed to see danger until it had already reached for her.

I turned back to them. Max’s shoulders were rigid. Drew’s face had gone pale, but neither brother looked away. Good. Let the weight settle. Let them feel the wall beneath their boots and every heartbeat behind it. “I’ll speak to Leon. What happens after that is out of my hands.” I stepped close enough that my words belonged only to the three of us. “Honor outranks pride. Always. Your pride opened this post, and your honor took the wound for it. Earn it back, or step aside for warriors who can.”