An English Rogue

Taking action

POV:unknown

I had been in wolf form more and more, I went out alone. Not caring if I came back at all. My brother, my Alpha had insisted I take out a team of warriors with me but as he hadn’t used his Alpha command I wasn’t compelled to obey and chose not too. My friends deaths had been my fault. I don’t want that responsibility on my soul again.

I ran out to the same lake and searched for her. I searched for her scent. I travelled the hills and valleys as far as I dared in wolf form even risking getting close to human towns and villages in hopes of catching her scent.

My rage was almost gone, but in its absence it had left a sadness that I couldn’t cope with in human form. Shifting into my wolf Edon made life simpler. So I used my time selfishly slipping away from pack life and my responsibilities more and more to roam as a wolf, to get any little glimmer of her that I could.

~~~~~~~~

POV: Lena

Life had settled and although it wasn’t easy adding another body into the cramped flats, even I had to admit that things were kind of evening out. The pups were happy with a male role-model, Anna was obviously very happy, and Geraint had started a few renovations so that we could swap the rooms over and they could have more space upstairs.

I was still trying my best to give them more personal space, and they seemed happy.

I sat in the kitchen sipping a glass of wine and heard them taking quietly together. The pups were in bed and Mia was out with friends. Maybe I should head out too and leave them to have their own space?

“Run, run, run” Tala thought in the back of my mind. Maybe we could get away again. It would be heaven!

“We kind of shelved the idea of a family trip away with everything that’s been going on, maybe it’s time to reopen it?” I thought to her.

I heard what sounded like bickering coming from the other room. Damn this werewolf hearing! I didn’t want them to think I was listening, but I couldn’t believe it when I heard my name and I couldn’t help my cheeks flushing. In the couple of weeks since Geraint had moved in they had been so sickeningly lovey-dovey with each other!

“Honeymoon is over clearly” Tala scoffed

Just then Anna come into the kitchen and started looking through the cupboards closing them loudly.

“Everything ok?” I asked gingerly, reaching for another wine glass and pouring some for her.

She sighed heavily, “I’m just frustrated” she plonked herself down on the breakfast bar across from me.

“That’s surprising! You seem to be ‘at it’ every night!” I chucked trying to make light of it. Anna flushing a lovey red.

“Oh god! Not like that!” She snapped not taking the bait and sipping her wine quickly. “It’s you actually!”

My heart sank. I couldn’t believe it! I thought we were doing so well, I thought I was staying out of there way and giving them space and now I was the cause of their first argument! Well actually their second if you counted that very first one when they met! I felt so shitty, maybe I should leave after all?!? Was there no future for us together?

“You don’t seem fazed at all!” She continued “it’s like you’re not even worried!”

Now I was confused.

“I’m absolutely worried sick!!” She continued really letting her feelings out now. “Lena it feels like you’ve been avoiding me, and I need you, I need to know what’s going on with my sister, and you’re avoiding me!” She paused and sipped her wine. “Are you even worried?” She continued, hardly giving me time to answer. “I’m going out of my mind, and you haven’t even been around to talk to about it! What are we going to do? Where’s Kerri! Where is she?! Why hasn’t she checked in? Or sent us a message? WHY AREN’T YOU WORRIED AT ALL!?!?” Tears we’re streaming down her face as she ranted and got her feeling out in one explosive bundle, and I realised I was crying too.

I had let her talk without interruption knowing better than to break her flow when she’s feeling like this. She finally stopped long enough for me to reply.

“Anna, I’ve been so worried too, but I’ve put my head in the sand and hoped that it would sort its self out! You didn’t seem worried, so I didn’t want to make a thing of it! I honestly hoped she’d waltz in one day and it would be like she’d never been away.” I admitted and we both started crying again. “I even thought I’d got the stupid code wrong. I’ve checked it like 20 times. I’ve even risked turning on the burner phone incase the message hadn’t sent!” I said apologetically.

“What do we do?” She asked looking at me as if I had the answers. I could feel Geraint close by not wanting to intrude but not being able to stay away while Anna was so upset and I called him in. As he embraced her I could see her calming down from her state of panic. Maybe that mate bond was impressive after all.

“I feel like she’s still out there. Maybe she needs our help, maybe she’s scared and alone” tears ran down her gentle face again, dripping off her chin as the emotion engulfed her. “I know we don’t have a pack bond, but I feel like I’d know if she were dead” Anna said quietly.

“Right well this is up to three us now.” I announced including Geraint reluctantly as I downed my last bit of wine. “Kerri has always been the boss and we’ve always known it deep down. But now it’s up to us! We need a plan!” I said determinedly passing her some tissues and taking some myself.

Anna took the tissues and blew her nose noisily. Then suddenly jumped up, startling me out of my determined rage. She shrugged off Geraints strong arm and ran to the children’s play room and grabbed some large sheets of paper that they used to draw and some felt pens too. She looked so determined I wouldn’t have dreamt of stopping her even if I’d wanted too. She plonked it all down on the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

In the centre of the paper she wrote KERRI in capitals and drew a circle around it in red pen.

“Right what information do we need to find out?” She said in her organised voice, “I mean obviously the main question is, ‘Where is she’? But how do we find that out?” She added ‘where is she?’ To the Kerri circle in blue pen.

“We could do with finding out exactly where she went, and who she went to meet” I suggested trying to think. “Maybe she would have more information in her room? Or at least in her safe? Who are her contacts? And where was she staying?” I said rubbing my eyes I was suddenly really tired. “Did she even get to the first stage’ or did she go missing before that?”

Anna write all of these down, spaced out around the centre circle and circled them individually as well. “Ok so where do we start?” She asked

“I think we need to start here in the flat, do you know her safe combination, maybe all the information we need is right under our noses” I suggested.

As if on queue we heard the unmistakable cry of little Juno waking in her cot. Anna quickly checked the baby monitor, “Ah man, right I’ve got to go to her,” she said sighing. “Maybe we should pick this up tomorrow?” She gave me a kiss on the top of my head before issuing Geraint on the lips and heading out of the kitchen and across to her room to see to the little pup.

I picked up the glasses and started to tidy the kitchen. I could feel Geraints eyes on my back and I suddenly realised this was the first time we’d been alone together since he moved in. Was that on purpose? Or just because I was avoiding them?

“She’s been really worried you know” he said suddenly. “She needs your support on this, no matter what new issue you’ve got going on. She needs you to put in aside and step-up Lena!”

I could feel the venom in his voice as he said my name. Tala pushed forward ready to challenge him and I could see him bristling as he sensed my wolf! The kitchen was by no means big enough for a two wolfs to shift, let alone a wolf fight! And anyway, what would that achieve?

“Look, I know you’ve got a problem with me, but suck it up! I’m not interested in your tender male ego. MY sister and MY family are the important ones here” I replied instead giving him a contemptuous look.

“Yes you’re actually right for once, MY family are the only ones that matter!” He replied not letting it drop.

“Let’s get this straight once and for all! You will never get between me and MY family! Don’t even try!”

“I don’t need to, to f**k things up all on your own don’t you!” He laughed to himself. As he started getting up from the breakfast bar, I quickly launched myself at him, and quietly whispered in a low velvety voice “you are nothing, you will always be nothing.” My voice came out in a curly wisp the travelled through the air to Geraint his eyes glazed over and then he shook his head and glared at me jumping away as if he’d been bitten.

“Lena!” Came a shocked and angry voice from the doorway. “I can’t believe you would do that!!

I froze my anger quickly ebbing away to shame. In that moment I hated Geraint but now I realised he had goaded me into hurting Anna and I hadn’t even needed much encouragement.

She moved quickly and stood in front of Geraint protectively. He still looked slightly confused.

“What did you do to me?!?” He demanded angrily, trying to push past Anna to get to me, and I couldn’t help backing off. I wasn’t scared of a fight but now Anna was in the middle it was something I desperately wanted to avoid.

“You have gifts?!? But you’re a rogue?!?” He practically shouted at me.

“That’s hardly my fault!” I shouted back.

“Right this is getting out of hand” shouted Anna back stretching herself up to try to make her small frame to seem more imposing. She looked back and forth between the two of us making sure she had her full attention, before she turned back to me.

“How dare you use your gifts on MY mate!!” She said firmly. That’s almost unforgivable! Had it not been for overhearing the conversation between the two of you I wouldn’t even know what would have compelled you to disrespect me like that!” Turning to Geraint, “but I did hear. I could hardly believe my ears! I am very disappointed in you too! How dare you threaten my sister like that! I’m disgusted with both of you! Apologise to each other now!” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I can’t loose either of you. I know it’s selfish but I need you both. Don’t make me choose! Please don’t!” She said sadly and didn’t need the mate bond to feel the emotion in her words.

“Geraint, I apologise to you. I should not have lost my temper and I should not have used my gift on you” I said clearly, I meant it, but still begrudged it.

“Lena, I apologise for implying that you wouldn’t always be a part of the family. It wasn’t my place to say that”. Geraint said solemnly.

“Right let’s leave it like that!” Anna said a bit brighter. “It’s time for bed. We have a lot to get started tomorrow! Kerri has to be our priority now!”

She kissed us both again, and led Geraint out of the kitchen.

I headed upstairs to my own flat.

“You should have let me rip his throat out.” Tala thought.

“That wouldn’t have helped much would it?” I thought back. “It would have been an nightmare to clean up!” I smiled to myself at the thought.

“I’m still tempted” Tala mused.

It was nice to have something in common with her for once even if it was the shared urge to murder our new brother in law…