Damsel in Control (18+ Only) - The Rogue Pack

Chapter 40

"Oh my god Saul, so when I said you were just being a 'typical man' at our dinner... fuck, I'm so sorry." It all makes sense to me now, why he was so offended after our time together, why he'd walked away, leaving me in the rain. I'd really hit a nerve with my comment, and probably with my general behaviour throughout the dinner.

"That's ok, to be honest, I really thought you knew, otherwise I wouldn't have been so offended. I thought everyone knew really, hence the attitudes towards me. But I think you've been away from all the werewolf politics that you must never have heard about the huge scandal I generated when I came out."

I reach out, gripping Saul's hands tightly. As if I could convey the depth of my apology through telepathy, I look deeply into his eyes, my own threatening tears. I can't even begin to imagine what he must have gone through. I may not know much about this world, but I can imagine how scared and stressed even I would feel about coming out. Saul must have been terrified.

"I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you. I'm really glad that it sounds like you've got a good supportive pack." I don't miss the dark look that flickers across Saul's face.

"I do now." He shakes his head, visibly pushing the dark thoughts into the back of his mind. "I really do, they're great. And everything Sam is doing for us... You should meet her, she's incredible." I fall silent at that, wondering what it would be like to meet someone who is that confident, that self-assured. Saul similarly falls silent, and I can't help but wonder if he's thinking back to a time when his pack was much less supportive. Maybe the two of us have more in common than I realised.

The knock at the door is loud. Sharp and sudden, it jolts both me and Saul from our contemplative silence. I frown, glancing at my phone to check to the time. Not that anyone ever visits me at any time, but eight at night seems like a very odd time for anyone to be knocking.

"It must be the neighbors!" I call out over my shoulder as I rush down the corridor. Outside is pure darkness and it takes a second for my eyes to adjust to the gloom. Two silhouettes stand at my front door. Both broad and tall, they make for a menacing apparition in the dark. Then I catch a glance of the faces that had been well hidden underneath strategically placed baseball caps and my heart plummets in my chest, the menace now very real.

I back up into the house, making a feeble attempt to close the door as I do, which the man on the right stops with his foot.

"Rodrigo..." The name is barely a whisper out of my mouth, yet it contains every ounce of fear and hatred that I have ever felt for the man standing before me. I sense Aida within me growling loudly, and I allow her anger to fuel my confidence.

"I don't know why you're here, but you are not welcome." I stand solidly in my corridor, blocking their entrance into the rest of my home, the rest of my life. Arms crossed over my chest, I force myself to stand tall in the face of the man who ruined my life.

"I suggest you leave." Aida's low growl escapes in my words, her Alpha authority seeping into the tone. I hide a smirk when both bulky men take a small step back.

"Now now, Reyna. That's not a way to treat a guest." Rodrigo has the audacity to tut at me, but it's effect is slightly reduced by the fact that he's now standing outside again.

"As if you would know how to treat anyone." Saul pipes up from behind me, having moved from the kitchen when I didn't reappear. I glance back, chuckling as I spot his stance. He's leaning against the wall, hair perfectly styled into a neat sweep as he picks at his nails, his demeanor suggesting that he is neither scared nor challenged by the two wolves at the door. Rodrigo's wolf growls and the dickhead dares to take a step back into my home.

"Is this the kind of company you keep now, Reyna?" He draws out every syllable in my name, pushing as much venom into his tone as he can. "Guess I was right to get right of you when I did."

I allow my eyes to flash red, the colour of an Alpha, and push my aura of dominance out a little more. He's not fucking welcome in my home. Although I guess this confirms Saul's theory that everyone knows about him.

"Did you come here looking for a fight? Or did you have an actual logical reason for coming to see me?" I roll my eyes at Saul as I say that last bit, emphasising that the likelihood of him having had any logical thought ever in his life is a very minute possibility.

"Actually... yes." Rodrigo seems to deflate at his companion's admission. "We came to give you this." He extends a small piece of paper towards me, one that Rodrigo seems desperate not to look at.

Hesitantly I reach out to grab it, immediately stepping back a few feet to give myself some semblance of safety. I unfold it slowly, stealing myself for whatever this may be. But luckily Lina has prepared me for what's written on the tiny sheet.

"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Rodrigo Gonzalez and Isabella Montgomery which will be held on the 28th June. Please RSVP below. We look forward to seeing many of our friends and family at our special day."

"Although just to confirm." The cocky smirk on Rodrigo's face spreads across his face. "For you Reyna, that isn't an invitation. It's an order. You WILL be there." Rodrigo's self-contented little smile as he orders me around makes me want to smack the smugness off his face. He turns to leave as if he'd never expect me to reply, but then instantly looks back over his shoulder.

"Oh and, Reyna. You better not bring her." He flicks his chin in Saul's general direction who instantly tenses beside me. It's the final straw that pushes me over the edge. And as I move forward to defend my friend, not a single whisper of my fear remains.

Rodrigo never sees the punch coming, my right hook hitting him square in the jaw as I force all of my strength through the arm. In my fingers, I feel the crack of his bone, the instant dark pleasure coursing through me as I finally give back as good as I got. But I don't allow the anger to take over. I'm definitely capable of leaping onto his body and pounding him in a way that reminds him of every piece of abuse I ever suffered. But I don't. I'm nothing like him.

"I suggest you leave Rodrigo. Now. And I can promise wholeheartedly that neither me nor Saul will be attending your wedding." And with that, I slam the door in his face, hard enough that the wall rattles in protest.