The Alpha Return

SIX: The Rogue's Testimony

Valerie’s pov

The moment Theoron’s lips touched mine, I froze.

I was here kissing Theoron while my mate lay upstairs, suffering from years of trauma.

Panic clawed at my chest and I ripped myself away, breathless. My face burned hot, and my chest rose and fell way too fast.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Theoron staring at me with regret clearly written across his face

“I’m sorry.” He said nervously.

I lifted my fingers to my lips, still trying to process what had just happened.

“Theoron, we can’t…”

“You don’t have to say anything, I mean what I said. Choose what makes you happy.”

I saw pain flicker across his eyes as he stared at me one last time before leaving the room.

Sleep refused to come, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't forget the memories of today. Instead, I spent the night pacing thinking about Knox.

I wondered what my mate could have suffered these past years, the scar which covered most of his jaw and how I couldn’t even embrace him after all these years.

Instead, I cast him at the mercy of the healer like a discarded piece of trash.

Was I really a bad mate?

The Next Morning

There was a sharp knock at my door, I immediately frowned.

“Enter”

The door burst open and Gideon came in with two guards.

“Luna”

They bowed.

“We found a rogue carrying a weapon,” Gideon declared, lifting a silver dagger that appeared to be laced with wolfsbane.

My knees trembled as I wondered where a rogue could get such a dangerous weapon.

“We found him near Frostfang ridge trying to cross into the Moonfang territory and he specifically asked for Alpha Knox Valor,” Gideon added

My eyes widened as terror hit me in waves.

“Take me to him”

The rogue sat chained to a metal chair in the interrogation chamber. The room was cold and torches flickered against the stone walls.

General Ronan stood nearby while several soldiers held spears aimed at the rogue.

“Why did you come here?” I exclaimed, staring at his blood-filled face.

A grin spread across his lips.

“So the rumors are true?”

I glared at him, my ears ringing with the mockery dancing in his tone.

“What rumors?”

“Knox really escaped”

The entire room was taken aback. Gideon immediately stepped forward

“What do you know?”

The rogue leaned back in the chair. Gideon immediately pulled out a dagger laced with liquid silver (an extremely painful form of silver that weakened wolves without killing them) and stabbed it into his hand.

“ARRRGH!” The rogue screamed as the silver coursed through his body.

Then I stepped forward and glared at him

“What happened to Knox?”

The rogue panted heavily before finally speaking.

“I’m still not talking”

Immediately, I jumped on him and began digging my teeth into his skull. I could taste nothing but blood and my claws attached themselves to his throat, gradually draining the life out of him.

Gideon and some soldiers quickly tried to pull me away from the rogue and I could feel my wolf, Vina trying to claw out of me. She was ready to kill this man.

“Will you speak now?” General Rowan demanded.

The rogue was badly injured and the white fragments of his bone was clearly visible as a result of the biting.

“I was there at the Battle of Blood Moon Pass. I was part of the army that took Alpha Knox Valor.”

Five years.

It had been five years without answers, now one of the rogues responsible for my mate’s disappearance sat before me and I was livid.

“What happened after he disappeared?”

The rogue swallowed, he clearly looked agitated.

“The hollow. It's a prison beyond the northern mountains. It's a place where werewolf laws don't exist. Alphas are broken and turned into weapons. They are used for special assignments.”

Then, the rogue became very uncomfortable.

“The warden became obsessed with Knox. He kept him in a silver-lined cell and wanted to study him. He wanted to know what makes an Alpha wolf unbreakable.”

Gasps erupted and even General Rowan looked terrified.

“But Alpha Knox's valor never broke. He fought every day and escaped every chance he got. And whenever they dragged him back, he kept saying one name.”

“Valerie”

Immediately I collapsed, feeling as if my heart was being torn apart. Tears fall freely from my eyes as I hold my hands trying to steady myself.

A shaky, broken laugh slipped from my lips.

“My mate was going through all of this and I had spent five years feeling hatred, anger, and spite towards him for abandoning me.”

“Luna, this isn't your fault” General Rowan tried to console me.

“It is,” I whisper

“I wasn't there for him when he needed me the most.”

“Why did they release him?” Gideon suddenly asked.

“They didn't release him. He escaped three weeks ago, he killed seventeen guards and crossed the Northern blizzard.”

The rogue immediately went pale and looked genuinely afraid for the first time since his capture

“The warden is searching for him"