Roxy gripped the metal handle of the bucket she carried tightly, warm water and gauze sloshing about with each step she took. Tobias and Isaac flanked each of her sides, making her feel teeny tiny between the two mountains of muscle as they walked through the underground cells. Although Tobias was more of a bodybuilder and could easily deck his opponent with a single punch, she found herself sidling against Isaac's tall but strong figure. Zaps of electricity sparked where their arms brushed against each other.
Roxy looked up at his face, trying to decipher what he was feeling. But Isaac had plenty of practice masquerading his expressions, and his neutral face was giving nothing away. Roxy knew she was grasping at straws – desperate – to win his heart over, but she could sense a shift in Isaac. There were the forehead kisses, the way he played with her hair with a raw fear in her eyes. He wanted to cave to his wolf's desires, to the invisible ropes that tied their hearts together for eternity. But his crippling fear of hurting her was stopping him. Cautiously optimistic was how she would approach things, although that was easier said than done when her mind conjured up all sorts of fantastical daydreams.
'Are you sure you want to do this?' Tobias asked cautiously, his grey eyes looking down at her.
Roxy could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. On the rollercoaster of emotions, suggesting showing the rogue care rather than abuse, seemed like the honourable route to take. Isaac had been furious that she suggested such a thing, but he hadn't been able to argue with the fact much longer that his fists of fury were getting answers from their prisoner. But now as the rogue's cell grew closer, she couldn't stop the doubt seeping into her system. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Even in fear, she had to stay true to herself. The rogue, like all of them, had once been a normal wolf from a respectable pack until something had sent them tripping to the dark side. It was a disease, and he needed help.
Besides, if the rogue did try anything, she had no doubt in her bodyguards' abilities.
The stench was even stronger after brewing underground overnight, making her stomach do an uneasy rumble. The rogue was still hunched in the chair, resting against the ropes which bound him. Roxy faltered when she went to take a step towards the cell. She didn't want to admit she was scared, but she was downright petrified. Right in front of her was a creature which tore lives of decent packs apart. They killed innocent wolves. They wanted her and her sister.
They were all decent wolves once.
'You don't have to do this, Roxy.' Isaac was eyeing the rogue distastefully through the bars. It hadn't even moved to acknowledge their presence. Roxy would've assumed it was dead if it wasn't for the laboured breathing rattling the broken ribs in its chest.
Inhaling a deep breath, she moved towards the cell door, clinging to the bucket in her hands tightly. 'No, I do.'
Isaac sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was then Roxy noticed how tired he looked and she wondered when the last time he slept was. 'I don't like this.'
Roxy reached down to give his hand a squeeze, hoping he wouldn't notice her own trembling. 'I know that he won't hurt me as long as you're around.'
There was the sound of a throat clearing.
'And Tobias, of course.'
'Tobias knows that if he lets you get hurt I'll feed him to the rogue,' growled Isaac, sending his Beta a warning look.
Tobias rolled his eyes. 'It's always an honour to serve you, Alpha.'
Isaac gave a grunt. 'Well come on then, let's get this over with.'
With a curt nod, Tobias brought a long key from his pocket before ripping the door open with a loud groan. It was slightly humorous that rope and a simple key was keeping their hostage from escaping. Once they lost control, they were almost unstoppable, ignorant of pain and killing themselves. It proved how much the silver had weakened it. Roxy timidly stepped into the cell with Isaac in front and Tobias behind, forcing her eyes away from the droplets of blood splattering the walls which were carved with long claw marks. It reminded her of Miss Octavia's story of when the original werewolves locked themselves up during nights of the full moon. She looked around the cells, noticing they all had chains hammered into their walls and the same claw marks. Is this what the Moonlight Ridge ancestors had used this place for? To lock themselves away before werewolves had developed the ability to shift on their own command rather than be a slave to the moon?
'Leave me alone.' The snarl of the rogue in front of her made Roxy jump.
Isaac stuck to her like glue as she moved to place the bucket down and approach the rogue. Her heart hammered in her chest and she clasped her hands together to stop them shaking. 'I'm here to help you.'
The rogue chuckled darkly, the strands of his long brown hair clumped together by blood hanging in front of his face as he refused to look at her. 'Why in the hell would the Luna of Moonlight Ridge pack want to help me?'
'I like to believe there's always a goodness to wolves,' said Roxy timidly. 'Even when they've been possessed by a rogue.'
She tried not to flinch when the rogue snapped his head up to gaze at her. His face was swollen and bruised; the sickly yellow of his eyes barely visible through the puffy skin. Dried blood caked his chin from where it'd dribbled from his split lip. Only a few of his stained and jagged teeth remained in his mouth, the others still scattered around the chair he sat on. Roxy's eyes fell to the thin chains of silver draped across his chest. Pushing down her nausea, she shook her hands in nervous preparation, reaching towards them.
'Roxy.' Tobias' dark hand was quickly on hers to stop her. He eyed the rogue warily. 'Let me.'
In one swift movement the Beta flicked the chains from the rogue who cried out in pain as his melted skin peeled off with them. The wounds which remained created a large cross on his torso, the burnt flesh weeping and angry. Tobias quickly reached down into the bucket and wrapped his fingertips in a soaked piece of gauze to cool his burning fingers.
'Thanks, Tobias.' Roxy winced and picked up the bucket, moving back to the rogue. A strong hand clasped around her arm and she looked to Isaac who was glaring down at the rogue. 'Isaac...'
Ever so slowly, Isaac released his grip on her. With a trembling hand she squeezed the excess water from a piece of gauze and cautiously approached the rogue, only to jump back when he snapped at her. Isaac was quick to intervene, using a strong arm to sweep her behind him while his other hand gripped the rogue's face.
'I would be polite if I were you, rogue.' Isaac's eyes were ablaze, his claws elongating into the prisoner's face. 'My soulmate is possibly the only wolf I know to show her hunters kindness. So I dare you to lay a single one of your filthy paws on her, otherwise we'll continue getting answers from you my way.'
Despite the dire circumstances, Roxy and her wolf were entirely focused on the fact that Isaac had acknowledged them as their soulmate. A warmth blossomed from her heart, quickly spreading through her chest and to the rest of her body. She felt as though she was glowing.
'Why?' The rogue barked, a continuous growl coming from his chest. His yellow eyes were zeroed in on Roxy.
Clearing her throat, Roxy stepped out of Isaac's cover. 'Because believe it or not I don't agree with what my soulmate did to you.' Her eyes darted to Isaac nervously. 'However if you want to sit in this cell until your wounds cause you to die a slow and painful death then I'd be more than happy to spend my day elsewhere.'
When the rogue didn't respond she moved towards him again, keeping an eye on any teeth wanting to take a chomp from her arm. The rogue gave out a cry of pain when she gently pressed the gauze into the wounds the silver had made before moaning in agony through clenched teeth. The sounds of his cries made Roxy's stomach swirl with nausea as she moved across the wounds, gently allowing the cold water to dribble down the raw flesh. A pile of bloody gauze had quickly accumulated next to the bucket once she was done.
'Do you have a name?' She asked the rogue, cautiously moving to dab the dried blood from his chin.
The rogue seemed to hesitate. 'I mean I think I did.' As much as rogues terrified her, Roxy couldn't help but sympathise for the man. How awful to be unable to remember your own name, unable to remember the happier parts of your life. 'I think it started with a J but I'm not sure.'
Roxy continued dabbing around his face, apologising when the rogue hissed violently at the larger wounds. 'Can you remember anything about your previous life?'
The rogue shook his head. 'I think I had a soulmate and two children.' He grunted. 'Or perhaps that's just something I've convinced myself of over the years.'
'Have you been a rogue for long?' Roxy got a fresh piece of gauze from the bucket.
The rogue gave a sharp growl making Isaac press himself against her. Tobias had a calculating frown on his face as he watched on, his ginormous arms folded across his chest. 'I don't know. The days seem to repeat themselves. It's like I'm stuck in a fucking time loop.'
'It sounds horrible.'
The rogue gave a long growl. 'I wish you weren't helping me. I would've much rather died at the hands of your Alpha then continue living.'
Roxy stilled, her eyes sliding to Isaac and Tobias who now wore the same looks of confusion. They were thinking the same thing. Rogues didn't feel anything. They were like zombies, wiping out entire packs without a flicker of remorse or sympathy. Soulless. Yet the rogue in front of them seemed to be able to acknowledge the wrongs he'd committed, welcoming death even. It made Roxy wonder if he'd been a rogue for a much shorter time than he thought. The full extent of the rogue mindset hadn't been able to entirely consume him yet.
'Why have you been spying on my sister and I for two years?' The rogue was silent and Roxy gave an irritated growl. 'I helped you. I doubt you can say many bluebloods do that for you. Now it's time for you to help me.'
The rogue gave a growl. 'The leader has plenty of disposables who he sends on his missions. Disposables have been sent to spy on you and your sister for years. I've only ever been sent here, to cause you no harm, but to deliver the message that he's coming. Apparently our leader likes to play games, like a cat that plays with a mouse before devouring it.'
'What's your leader's name? What does he want with us?'
'I don't know.'
'Stop lying to me!'
'I'm not!' snapped the rogue, his remaining teeth gritted together. 'No one knows his name or what he looks like. At least not the disposables like me. The only one we do see is his deputy who notifies us of when we're needed. Our leader doesn't like getting his hands dirty. As for you and your sister, I honestly don't know what they want – what their messed-up plan for you is. They tell us what to do and we do it, we don't need a why.'
'They?' Isaac snapped.
The rogue narrowed his eyes to the ground. 'The leader, his deputy and...' He hesitated. 'The witch.'