One Bite

Chapter 3-12

"I was looking at the weapons tent when the rogues attacked." Her shoulders lifted. Setting down her mug, she picked up her fork and started eating. "Oddly convenient, given the circumstances."

"How many rogues were there?" I looked down at my eggs and poked them again. They looked delicious, despite not being my now previously-favorite-but-ruined-by-last-night's-experience chocolate doughnuts.

"Not as many as the number that attacked your father's convoy in our territory," she replied before she took a few sips of coffee. "Seven by my count but they fought similarly. Stealthy and organized."

I dropped my fork with a clatter. "Was the rogue captured in your territory one of them?"

"Not that I saw." She leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper, "But it was pretty chaotic. These Eastern wolves aren't much warriors. You screaming and running around in your underwear didn't help."

"Did anyone get -" I started to ask when she shook her head.

"No casualties but a few injured," she replied. "The rogues were looking for something. Or someone."

"Did they find it?" As I stared at her with wide eyes. "Or them?"

"Yeah." She looked at me with sadness in her dark eyes. "Rose."

"Oh no," I gasped, clamped both hands over my mouth. "Is she -"

"She's fine." A soft voice assured me from above. I looked up and saw Rose standing next to Idris, her hand clasped inside his.

"Thanks to my Northern friends." She smiled at Raina then her mate.

Idris' other hand reached up and rubbed her shoulder, where I caught the flash of red marks on his knuckles. His smile remained on his mouth as his dark brown eyes filled with the same concern reflected in Raina's.

"Why would they want you?" I looked at Rose.

She was the nicest, sweetest person here and couldn't hurt a fly even if she'd tried.

If she found a hurt fly then I'm sure she'd tape its wings then nurse the fly back to health.

"Healers are highly valued by rogues." She took the seat next to Raina while Idris slipped into the chair on my other side. "They don't have access to hospitals and infirmary resources like packs. They took a bunch of our supplies and vaccines, among other things."

"Are you okay?" My eyes scanned her physical appearance. With the exception of a few scratches on her forearm, she seemed unmarked.

"Like I said..." She held Idris' hand in both of hers, a gesture that prompted his smile to widen. "I was well protected."

"We didn't capture any." Raina sighed, clutched her coffee cup, and sipped the rest of it empty. "But we did enough damage to chase them off."

"What about River?" I wondered how their other pack healer was doing.

"She..." Rose's tender face fell and tears sparkled in her eyes. "...Wasn't as fortunate."

"They took her!?" I barked out, earning me a Raina gesture to keep my voice down.

"Yes," she whispered. "Alpha Stephan organized and sent out a search party last night. Apparently, he had the right wolves in the right positions to go after them."

That must be what Torak meant by 'once more important things are settled.

"I'll be right back." Rose stood up, pushing back her chair. "He mindlinked me. They're back. She's okay, but you all stay here."