THE ROGUE LORD'S OBSESSION

THE ROGUES

KRUSTAN CLAN

DREAM

My joints still ached, and I struggled to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt impossibly heavy.

Then Luina's scent reached me, mingling with another—one I had encountered before. A scent that had haunted me for weeks.

Luina was nearby, but she wasn't speaking. I could feel her hand wrapped around mine.

After several moments of struggling, I finally managed to open my eyes.

I wasn't in my room.

Not even in Luina's.

The room was more luxurious than anything we were permitted to enjoy back in our pack, especially at our age, when neither of us had a job. The floors and walls were made of marble. Glass doors lined one side of the room, while crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Even the bed beneath me was softer than anything I had ever slept on.

Then it hit me.

The rogues.

We had been taken by the rogues.

"Are you okay?" Luina whispered.

I stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly. My limbs still felt weak, and I doubted I could stand without help.

"Do you want me to help you sit up?" she asked.

I nodded.

She slipped an arm behind my back and carefully helped me sit up. The room spun for a moment before finally settling.

"It seems the sedative was too strong," she muttered. "Those useless rogues didn't even care about what it might do to you."

I exhaled, wincing as the memory returned.

I remembered being trapped in his muscular arms while the other man drove the needle into my arm.

Bastards.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

My gaze wandered around the room, taking in the marble walls, the glass doors, and the crystal chandeliers.

So the stories were true. Rogues didn't live like ordinary wolves.

But who imprisoned someone in a room like this?

A throat cleared beside me.

I frowned and turned to Luina.

"Even if I wanted something, how would you help me? We're both prisoners here."

She fell silent for a moment before smiling.

"If you can still joke, then I'm relieved. At least I know you're feeling better. Don't worry. As long as your mate obeys Lord Krustan, we'll be home sooner than you think."

I nodded.

"My mate is trustworthy. He'll come to save us."

Saying it aloud made it feel real.

But Luina snorted.

"Let's wait until he actually shows up. I can't remember how many times he's exposed you to danger and failed to step up when you needed him. After all, this situation is his fault."

I shook my head.

Luina had never liked Kaelen, and as usual, she was using the situation to make her feelings known.

"But I told you he had a meeting with the Council. That's why he couldn't save us."

"Then why did he release feral wolves in the first place, knowing you always go out searching for medicine for his parents?"

My heart sank.

I had no answer for that.

Yet I still felt the need to defend him. My mate wasn't a bad person. Sometimes, things simply happened beyond our control.

"I..." I trailed off.

"I don't want to fight with you, Dream," Luina said. "But deep down, you know I'm telling the truth. He can't be trusted."

"Luina, we're not fighting..."

Silence settled between us.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. We should stop before we end up fighting," she muttered, turning away.

She simply didn't understand how the mate bond worked.

She didn't have one.

I was certain that if she ever found her own mate, she wouldn't be able to resist the pull either.

A long silence followed before the door opened and a strong scent swept into the room.

Several young women hurried inside, carrying trays of food. Omegas, I assumed at first, but as they drew closer, I realized their scents were different. Some smelled like omegas, others like betas or gammas.

None of them wore uniforms, unlike the servants in the Beta's house back home.

It was strange. In a pack, rank determined so much, even the work people were expected to do. Yet here, women of different ranks appeared to work side by side.

A large carpet was spread across the floor. Small crystal lamps were arranged along its edges, dividing the space into two sections. Then the dishes began arriving, one after another.

Twelve different dishes.

I stared at Luina, my mouth falling open.

Judging by her wide eyes, I wasn't the only one bewildered.

These were rogues we were talking about.

How could they be so hospitable to their prisoners?

I remained on the bed, leaning against the wall as I watched them. I didn't know what to make of it.

Then my stomach growled.

The delicious aroma of throttlers' rolls, eggs, and milk soup filled the air, making my mouth water. For a moment, I was tempted to forget everything and eat.

But we were prisoners.

What if the food was poisoned?

The women finished arranging the dishes and stood around, watching us.

I cleared my throat.

My cousin climbed down from the bed.

"We won't eat your poisonous food. Take it away and leave us alone!" I snapped.

One of the women stopped in her tracks.

She glanced at the others, exchanged an amused smile with them, and then walked towards me.

Her scent was unusual. She didn't smell like a typical rogue, but neither did she carry the strong scent of a pack wolf. Whatever she was, her scent was faint.

"Look at this little pampered pack wolf," she sneered. "We're not in your mate's pack anymore, you pampered, rotten, arrogant, entitled furball."

My heart skipped a beat.

But that was all the hesitation I needed.

The exhaustion seemed to disappear, replaced by the anger boiling inside me. I straightened and stared defiantly at her.

"What did you say? Pampered wolf? What about you, you classless wolf?"

She chuckled and turned to the others.

"Did you hear that? She called me classless!" She looked me up and down. "And what about you, little she-wolf? Have you ever left your pack without shielders protecting you? Are you even a real wolf, or just a fake one?"

The others burst into laughter.

My hands curled into fists.

"Don't talk to her like that, you smelly rogue!" Luina snapped.

Before I could stop her, she bent down, grabbed one of the crystal lamps, and hurled it at the woman.

The lamp missed its target.

And all hell broke loose.

The women scattered, shouting at one another as food and dishes began flying through the air. In seconds, the room descended into chaos. Plates shattered against the walls, food splattered across the floor, and oil spread over the polished marble.

I lunged at the woman who had insulted me.

I had learned hand-to-hand combat back home, and I believed I had the upper hand. For a few seconds, I even thought I might win.

Then she shifted.

The change happened so quickly that I barely had time to react before she seized me and hurled me against the wall.

Pain shot through my back.

A sharp sting spread along my spine, so intense that I feared a bone had been displaced.

"You helpless human!" she thundered. "How dare you defy me?"

Her wolf had surfaced, and her voice reverberated through the room. For a moment, I could have sworn the walls themselves were trembling.

Just how strong were rogue she-wolves?

For the first time in my life, I felt utterly helpless.

And afraid.

Back home, no one dared speak to me like that, let alone lay a hand on me. I couldn't shift, but I was the Beta's daughter and the Alpha's mate. My position had always offered me a certain protection.

Here, none of that mattered.

Confronted with that reality, I felt foolish and weak.

The she-wolf advanced on me again.

I screamed as she lunged.

This time, even Luina couldn't help me. The woman tossed my cousin aside as though she weighed no more than a dead antelope.

I watched in horror as Luina hit the floor.

Then the she-wolf turned back to me, baring her fangs.

I barely had time to draw breath before she lunged again.

But her teeth never reached me.

Something caught her midair.

In the next instant, she was ripped away from me and hurled against the wall.

My heart stopped.

Silence descended over the room.

Lord Krustan stood before me.

He was half-shifted, his eyes glowing red.

For one brief moment, he simply stared at the woman.

Then he moved.

He crossed the room, seized her, and slammed her against the wall again, this time with even greater force.

It looked effortless.

A sharp c***k echoed through the room.

Everyone fell silent.

Oh, Goddess.

Was he killing her?

My anger vanished, swallowed by fear.

The woman had nearly killed me, yet the thought of Ruzzan killing her made my stomach twist.

What was wrong with me?

Why was I pitying someone who had just tried to tear my throat out?

Before Lord Krustan could do anything else, the man who had injected me earlier shouted.

"Everyone, evacuate the room! He's losing control! Stay away from the Golden Fangs she-wolf unless you want him turning on you!"

His warning sent the remaining women scrambling for the door.

The man himself backed away, breathing heavily as though he had just run a race against the Alpha King.

I stood frozen, struggling to understand what I had just witnessed.

Was he warning them to stay away from me?

Why?

What did I have to do with Ruzzan losing control?

After a moment, Lord Krustan finally stopped.

He surveyed the wrecked room, his gaze passing over the shattered dishes, the spilled food, and the oil coating the marble floor.

Then he turned away from the woman and walked towards me.

Before I could react, he gathered me into his arms.

"It's okay," he murmured. "You're safe. I promise you're safe."

Something inside me broke.

Tears gathered in my eyes before I could stop them.

No one had ever reacted like that when I was attacked. No one had ever rushed to my defence with such fury. And no one had ever held me afterwards and promised that I was safe.

Yet this ruthless, barbaric rogue had done all three.

I hated him.

I was terrified of him.

And somehow, he was the one telling me I was safe.

My chest tightened.

I raised both hands and struck his chest with what little strength I had left.

He didn't release me.

"I'll never be safe here!" I cried. "Take me home!"

Yes, he had defended me. But he was also the reason I was here in the first place.

If he hadn't brought me here, I wouldn't have had to fight those women. I wouldn't have been thrown against a wall or feared for my life.

None of this would have happened.

"Calm down, Dream," he said, his voice surprisingly steady.

I shook my head violently.

"I won't! Take me home! I don't want to stay here with these infested rogues who have no self-control!"

The words came out between broken breaths.

Then the sobs began.

I buried my face against him, furious with myself for crying in the arms of the very man who had taken me from my home.

Oh, Goddess.

What was wrong with me?