Unedited.
Prologue: Disrupted
I stood at the table before everyone around me and smiled happily. This was my birthday. I was finally sixteen. It meant that I was finally able to go run freely with the others. My dad hadn’t wanted me running with them because I was too young and could possibly get hurt. All my other years before had been spent training. Learning how to move as fast as a bullet, how to fight and move as quickly and as stealthy as a thief in the night. Along with that was the learning the use of weaponry, just in case the need ever arose.
We were rogues, but we were rogues prepared for anything and everything. Pack members were already pretty cautious of us. If we even came within five feet of their land, then tended to get riled up and were ready to pull out the big guns. They assumed that the lot of us were vicious and only after them. It wasn’t like that at all.
A lot of pack people were of the assumption that all rogues were evil and tainted. Maybe some of us were a bit deranged in the mind, but not the majority of us. We were normal. Perhaps, we were a bit mischievous at times, but not killers. We were people who had been either rejected by pack members, mistreated by them, or we just happened to not be of the valued standards of most packs.
In other words we were the misfits and outcasts. Some of us were people who had left the pack because of the demands that came with being in the pack. My father and mother had left their pack because their Alpha had expected to be worshipped. He had been thirteen years younger than them and they’d believed in the older traditions.
My brother was still an active member of the pack. He was older than me and he had refused to leave the pack to come with us. When we had left, I was only eight. Sometimes, I went near the edges of the border on the sneak and watched him patrol in the early morning.
Some might look at being a rogue as a curse. It was a gift that many of them would never experience. We were free spirits. Maybe we didn’t have the money to support ourselves and live in luxury like the packs, but we were happier than they’d ever be.
We all lived in our separate homes, but we often met up and trained together. In some ways we were like a pack, but we actually weren’t. There wasn’t an Alpha, Beta, or anything like that. If we wanted something we voted for it. We were a diplomatic version of the humans. Even though we didn’t really have a president.
We just all looked towards my dad for answers. The reasons why we were here he could sometimes answer. Not to mention that he gave great advice and was there for me and everyone else. I lived like an only child because the day my brother turned his back on our family, he ceased to exist to my dad and my mom.
We were probably different than other rogues. I wasn’t sure how they lived but I had heard plenty stories about rogues living alone and traveling while divided. Not us. We were like a village of sorts. Unity and clarity were a part of us. Sure, we had our differences and some of us couldn’t stand each other, but we worked together. We tolerated in a way that packs never would. They fought and argued over simple squabbles and were often at war with each other. Rogues rarely ever went to war.
I cleared my head as I heard the voices around me joined in unison as they sang to me. They circled all around the table in our house and around the room. In front of me was a large store bought cake with icing on it and my name across it. Sixteen candles were on the cake and the middle one was the longest one.
“Happy Birthday to you,” my mom and the other guests sang in off key tones.
I smiled joyously and clapped my hands together in rhythm to their words. My best friend Ronnie had one arm wrapped around my shoulders, while my other best friend Milo had his arm around my waist. The three of us swayed from side to side as the song was sang.
As they continued singing until the conclusion of the song, I rest my head against Ronnie’s chest. He was an amazing best friend as was Milo the two of them were like brothers to me. I couldn’t imagine if anything ever were to happen to them. Although, they were both their own individuals they meant the world to me.
“Happy Birthday, Desi,” Milo said.
“Thank you,” I murmured, smiling at him as I removed myself from his embrace as well as Ronnie’s.
Everyone quieted down as my mom spoke. “Make a wish, honey,” she said, her eyes shining earnestly at me.
Her features were so similar to mine that humans mistook us to be sisters, rather than mother and daughter. Her eyes were slanted at half-mast almost feline in appearance. Yet their deep charcoal grey depths harbored secrets and wariness that were present even beyond the smile in her eyes. I had her long pale blonde hair and my dad’s phenomenal blue-violet eyes.
Looking at the cake, I leaned forward closed my eyes and made my wish. It wasn’t anything complex. It was a simple wish that we could be like always. That our lives wouldn’t be disrupted by pack life people, like so many others were.
I basked in the joy of being around my friends, rivals, and my family.
Taking the candles out of the cake one by one, I spread them out on a napkin and then took the knife and began slicing the cake. It was going to be good. I knew it. It was one of my favorite kinds of cakes: a marble cake with vanilla and strawberry frosting.
Taking the biggest piece from the slices, I lifted it onto my plate and then took a fork and took a big chunk of it and stuffed into my mouth. I smiled afterwards and Milo laughed patting me on the back.
“Atta girl,” he said, jokingly. “I taught you well, didn’t I? Remember, take a deep breath and then scarf it down. You’ll get more food in that way.”
I was in the middle of swallowing the cake when he said that, I burst into laughter and ended up coughing as the cake went down the wrong side of my throat. That sent Milo into even more laughter, while Ronnie shook his head and rubbed my back soothingly.
“You’re an idiot,” he told Milo, amusement clear in his voice.
When I finally came to Milo had his cake on a paper plate. He looked directly at me and then he demonstrated what he had just instructed. He downed the slice of cake in one intake. I didn’t understand how he could’ve done it other than allowing his a slight change in his throat size. He had tried teaching me the trick over and over, but I never truly understood it. I only could get a chunk down at a time. While him and Ronnie scarfed down plates full of food in minutes.
Sometimes, they reminded me of ravenous wolves with bottomless pits for stomachs; although, the two of them were completely different shifters. Milo wasn’t a werewolf, but Ronnie was. Milo was something altogether different. He was a weretiger. Both of them were unique. That’s what we were, a gathering of misfits. A mixtures of different shifters.
“Shut up, you do the same thing!” Milo protested.
I giggled and took a cup of punch and downed it quickly. After that coughing attack, I couldn’t help but drink something to help it go down. It was refreshing.
“Of course, but I don’t look like an idiot while I’m feasting,” Ronnie said,
“That’s not true! I do it with more style. You know us tigers are a lot more suave and smooth than you wolves,” Milo retorted.
Ronnie feigned a gasp and allowed his mouth to be agape. “Wolves are so much more smooth and suave then you slinky sneaky tigers!” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Milo. “We are so much better eaters than tigers!”
I placed a hand over my mouth, giggling as they continued arguing. I took the time to finish my slice of cake before the two of them both turned to me and forced me into their dispute.
“Don’t tigers eat smoother than wolves?” Milo insisted.
“No, wolves eat smoother than tigers, don’t they, Desi?”
I looked back and forth between the two of them. “Considering that I’m not a tiger or a wolf I wouldn’t know?”
Milo groaned loudly. “Aw, come on, Desi! You don’t have to be nice. It won’t hurt his feelings.”
Ronnie scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course it won’t hurt my feelings because she’ll tell you that wolves are much better at it!”
“Let’s go for a swim, shall we?” I interceded. “It’s my birthday, let’s not spend it arguing over eating etiquette.”
“Fine,” Milo and Ronnie said in unison.
I smiled and then reached up and kissed both of their cheeks. Sometimes, they behaved as if they weren’t already eighteen. I knew it was to entertain me more than anything and I never minded it.
We headed to the lake that wasn’t too far away and I stripped down to the two piece bikini that I was wearing beneath them. Once I was down to that I dived into the lake where various others were lounging.
“Hey it’s the birthday girl!” one guy shouted, his dimples showing. “Let’s welcome her properly.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Nooo!” I protested, turning and swimming away rapidly.
“I’ve got her!” Milo shouted as he chased after me.
“No, Milo! No!” I shouted with laughter, as he captured my legs.
I knew what was coming next and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Being tickled, then having shots of alcohol drunk from your stomach, then being kissed by every single and available male wasn’t my thing. They did it for their own fun, but they believed that everyone sixteen and older should be kissed at least once before ever meeting their mate. Mates weren’t looked down upon, we still valued them. Probably more so than those spoiled pack life brats. More than one of the shifters had been rejected for not being good enough. Some of us settled down with shifters who weren’t our mates.
“I call first kiss!” Milo shouted.
“No one is kissing—”
A loud commotion came from the edges of the woods around the lake and we all turned to see what was going on.
“In the name of the Council we are here to collect one Ryan Simmons and Angelica Simmons. You can either turn yourselves in willing or we’ll have to determine for ourselves, who is who.
All around were members of the nearest pack of wolves and members from the jaguar pack that was a few miles from there. They surrounded us with guns aimed at any and everyone, including the children. I didn’t hesitate to move. I swam to the shore and rushed forward to get to the children.
“Have you no standards or morals at all?” I screamed in outrage. “Quit pointing your fucking guns at these innocent children.”
I grabbed the ones nearest me and shoved them behind me. I would protect them with my life if I could. They wouldn’t be harmed. A few of them sobbed openly and I snarled allowing my shifter to surface. My eyes changed in color and my canines elongated. I would pounce if I had to. They wanted my parents. I couldn’t let them have them. My mother and father were my whole entire world. I hadn’t spoken to my dad since the morning, when he had given me a gift.
What did they want with my parents?
From behind me some of the elder women came forward and moved the children away from direct aim of the guns. They weren’t regular guns, I knew that. They were more than likely tranquilizers.
One man from the midst of them stepped forward and he looked directly at me. He continued walking until he was in front of me.
“Who are you to question the actions of the Council?” he thundered.
From sniffing him, I could tell he was a jaguar shifter. I folded my arms across my chest. As rogues we didn’t follow any laws set by the Council, unless we chose to.
“The real question is, who does the Council think they are to try and dictate every aspect of our lives?” I retorted. “Who the hell are you to come here ruining my birthday party with this bullshit?”
His eyebrows darted up and his eyes widened, before his shoulders tensed with outrage. “Step back, child. They broke the law daring to set up the beginnings of our exposure. You can’t dare question that!”
I arched an eyebrow. Wanna bet? “They would never do something as foolish as that. They’re not here. So why don’t you go scram along with your domesticated pets?”
His nostrils flared and he stepped closer. This time he was so close that his shirt brushed against my bikini top and legs touched mine. He stared down into my eyes for a minute, before he inhaled deeply. Then a growl escaped him.
“Foolish, brainwashed child,” he snapped. “I don’t believe that any more than I believe that rogues aren’t up to the threats of exposing our kind to humanity!”
His voice was a dull roar by the time, he finished speaking.
What the hell was he talking about? Rogues organizing to expose all of us to humans? I didn’t know anything about that. None of us did.
I narrowed my eyes. “Throwing a tantrum will get you nowhere,” I retorted, standing toe to toe with him. “Maybe you’re the one who is brainwashed. None of us would ever be ignorant enough to think that exposing ourselves to humans would be a help to our kind.”
He snarled. “Line up all of you,” he commanded. “We won’t stop until we find them, even it means dragging you all to Romania to meet with the Council.”
He looked at me again with a glimpse recognition. “You look just like her with his eyes. You’re their only child. I will take all three of you back to make an example of all of you! Your parents will be tried and you will be given to a pack to become civilized. You could stand to learn a lesson in manners.”
I scoffed and then laughed in his face. “No, no. I won’t be doing that at all. Nor will they be tried by anyone. You could stand for a lesson in manners, leadership and etiquette.”
He reached forward as if to grab me, and I side stepped him. I knew that in a fair fight, I wasn’t likely going to win. Milo and the others would no doubt step in and I didn’t want that. I knew I looked strong and rebellious to any who looked but I wasn’t. I was scared for my parents. Tears were near and I knew that if these
Just as I was preparing myself to battle my parents exited the house and looked around in shock. Then they composed their features as the jaguar shifter moved away from me and toward them.
“Arrest them,” he ordered.
Six men moved forward from the woods, their guns aimed at my parents. As they stood there surrounded, I felt the first tear splash down my arm and I couldn’t help but look at them.
“I love you, Desi,” my mom said, looking at me before she was grabbed roughly by one of the men along with my dad.
“I love you too,” I replied, tears streaming down my face as Milo’s arms came around my waist to keep me from moving forward and attacking the jaguar shifter. He knew me well. I would've went after that jaguar, regardless of the consequences.
I wasn’t staying behind. I had to see this supposed trial and Council.
Alright, so this is the beginning. First part. It's unedited as of now.
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