A Rogue's Heart

Chapter 4

I was awake an hour before the sun started to rise. After a short shower, I dressed and made my way to the back porch and just watched as the sun broke out of its sleep. I sat outside until most of the pack was awake before I slipped into the dining room.

Since I wasn't the hungry, I just took an apple and a bottle of water. Sitting in the same seat as yesterday, I ate my small breakfast slow. Once I was finished, I walked to the kitchen and refilled my bottle then sat it in the refrigerator.

I was looking for the King's office when I passed by an open window. A slight breeze was blowing by carrying the fresh scent of rouges. Another sniff told me that there were no pack wolves anywhere near the rouges. Rolling my eyes, I jump out of the window and shift, my paws hitting the ground.

As I flew through the trees locked on their scent, I heard several wolves following me. I could tell that Joel was one of them so I just blocked them out. I found them easily. They were stupid for not masking their scents. Silently like a ghost, I circled around them.

"So the plan is to ask for protection, offer false bait and then when their guards down, kill the King and Luna?"

"For the tenth time today, yes you moron. And once the king's dead, we'll contact the hunters and let them do their part." A silent growl slipped out from my lips, but they couldn't hear it. Brushing against a small bush, I watch as the first rouge tensed and looked around.

"Was that one of them? What if they found us?" The second wolf just snapped at him. "Would you settle down? We've had our eyes on this pack for weeks; we're clear for two hours and you know that!" The first wolf went to speak again, but I didn't let him. Leaping from the brush, I knocked both of them over.

I was the first back on my feet so I started circling them slowly. "Look at the little she-wolf, Walter." The second wolf laughs at me. "What are you going to do, glare us to death?" Both laugh at the joke, but stop when I lunge forward and bite a big chuck of the second's leg.

"I don't think she likes you picking on her Charlie."

"Shut up Walter." Charlie said, snarling at me. He jumps at me but I easily dodge the attack. Walter tries to run, so I clamp my teeth around his arm and pull him back towards Charlie. By now my ears picked up Joel and the others, but I kept my mind focused on the rouges.

"Why are you fighting us femme? You're a rouge just like we are. Tell you what, you let us go and when we've killed the king, we'll cut you in for part of the take. What do you say?" Charlie asked me, looking nervous. I knew that they heard the others coming. I bear my teeth at him and leave three deep claw marks on his shoulder.

He winces at the pain and growls at me. "Be that way mutt. When the king dies, so shall you."

Just kill him already, says Lily, my wolf. I was planning on it Lil. Gheesh. She chuckles at me as I leap forward and close my jaws around Charlie's neck. With one snap, I break his neck. He falls to the ground dead just as Joel jumps from the brush.

Walter's eyes jump from me to the wolves in front of us. He makes the mistake of lingering on them ten seconds to long, giving me the opportunity to shift and knock him out. I could feel their eyes on me as I begin to dig through the small cache of clothes at the base of the tree.

I quickly pull out a pair of basketball shorts and a small shirt, which looked two sizes too big when I put it on. Taking a small stick I look at Joel and then start writing in the dirt. Take the pup to the cells and get rid of the body. His name is Walter and they were plotting to infiltrate your pack so they could kill the King.

When they read what I wrote, they growled. I could see that they were fighting their wolves. Running back to the house, I knew I would be late for the meeting with the Council and the king. Reaching my room, I quickly pull a long sleeve dark red shirt and a pair of jeans out of the closet and toss them on the bed.

Jumping into the shower, I rinse the blood and dirt off me quickly before jumping back out and drying off. I get dressed in a flash and give my hair a once over. Running down the hall to King Winters office, I almost stumble when I recognize a scent that I ran across about two years after I shifted.

I knew instantly then, as I did now, that it belonged to my mate. However, the first time I smelled it, it was faint and old. My mate had been long gone from that area of the woods when I passed by. I step up to the office door and calm my nerves. My mate was on the other side and I knew one thing for sure; he was either a part of the Council or a part of the King's family.

Taking a deep breath, I couldn't help but smile at my wolf's reaction to our mate's scent. I knock once on the door and wait. "Come in Jenny." King Winters calls out to me and I slowly turn the knob. Stepping into the office, I felt their eyes on me but I kept mine locked straight ahead.

"Jenny." King Winters starts to speak. "I'd like to introduce you to Councilmen." Slowly lifting my eyes, I look to my left and nod once as I took in each of them. I could tell my mate was staring at me from where he stood to my right. When my eyes landed on him, I kept them lowered to where our gaze wouldn't meet, but he wouldn't think I was being disrespectful.

"Gentlemen, meet Jenny Rose, the only surviving member of the massacre on the Dark Moon pack. She was the one who alerted the Council, the only one who's able to tell us exactly what happened that day." He places a hand on my shoulder. "Just take your time Jenny." I nod slowly and sit in the chair beside his desk.

-I was just ten years old when my small pack was attacked. Everyone was getting ready for the pack barbeque and since I kept getting underfoot, my mother sent me outside to play. I decided to head into the woods to pick some wild flowers for her because I knew how much she loved them.

I quickly lost track of time. When I thought I had enough, I made my way home. But it wasn't until I was almost out of the trees that I heard the screams and gunshots. I stood rooted in that spot for what seemed like hours but was actually just minutes.

Before I could move, the back door of my house was thrown open and I watched as my mother fell onto the ground with a hunter's blade sticking out of her back. Her eyes found mine and she yelled for me to run. And I did. I hid in the forest until nothing but silence came from the direction of my pack.

As I slowly walked past the bodies of my pack, I knew what I had to do. My father had drilled the steps into my mind over and over again. I took what he told me to out of his safe and called the Council. Once they knew, I left.

The King was softly speaking, telling them what I was saying. As I lowered my hands, I could feel my mate's confusion. I wasn't sure if he would want a mute mate and I didn't know how I would handle his rejection. Lily and I were strong, but I wasn't sure if we were strong enough to face that.

"Thank you Jenny. I know that wasn't easy. You can leave now." I nod at him and quickly leave the office without looking at my mate. If I fell for him, it would just bring more pain in the end. As I entered my room, I decided that it what I needed was a nap. Curling up on the floor where the sunlight streaming through the window would hit me, I closed my eyes and let peace claim me.