Song: "The Show Goes On" by: Lupe Fiasco
My eyebrows furrowed. "Smell what?" I didn't smell anything, only the delicious scent of the food in front of me.
"You can't smell that?" Peyton asked slowly. All of us shook our heads.
"What does it smell like?" Logan piped up curiously.
Peyton leaned forward in her seat. "It's so hard to describe. It isn't strong enough but I can smell it and it has my wolf going crazy. It smells a little earthy with a mixture of chocolate or something. The smell is a weird combination but it's very intoxicating," she murmured. Winter and I shared a knowing look.
Riley squealed, "Maybe you can smell your mate!" We all let out a squeal similar to Riley's. It's the only explanation. I would know because I experienced it when meeting Parker.
Peyton's eyes went wide. "My mate? He's here?" The excitement in her voice was clearly evident as her face lit up.
We shrugged not really knowing. Peyton sniffed my arm again. "Why is his scent on you?"
I furrowed my brows. Her mate's scent is on me? The only answer is that her mate is one of the prisoners. My eyes went wide with realization.
"Can you package up our food? Peyton and I are going on a little field trip," I told the girls as I stood up and grabbed Peyton's arm. They gave me confused look but nodded anyways.
I tugged Peyton out of the place. She protested and asked where we were going.
"We're going to the prison," I replied. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Why? Parker doesn't want me to be there."
I rolled my eyes. "Forget what he said for now," I said. She nodded but I could tell she wanted to ask more but decided against it.
Once we reached the location, Peyton followed me down into the prison. The horrid smells filled my nose once again and I wanted to gag. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"This place reeks," she commented while scrunching her nose. I let out a laugh.
"Yeah it does."
We reached the bottom of the stairs and walked through the door. we were welcomed by the cells that lined the walls as we walked by. Peyton eyed them warily. I led her to the chamber that Parker was in before. I'm going to start calling it 'The Torture Room'. I heard voices as we neared and Parker's scent filled my nose.
Other scents filled my nose and Peyton became stiff. The door was just a few feet away.
"He's here, isn't he," she stated. I didn't say anything but nodded. I reached for the handle and pushed the door open. I was welcomed to the sight of Dakota. A dark bruise ran along his jaw and blood trickled out of his nose. My mate stood in front of him glaring with his muscles bulging as he crossed his arms.
All eyes turned towards us as we stepped into the room. Parker's lips turned into a scowl. "I thought I told you not to come here, Pey." He stepped towards us. Peyton and I didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the man chained to the wall.
Dakota's eyes were wide with disbelief and he was frozen where he was. He clenched his jaw and looked away. Hurt was clear in Peyton's eyes but she glanced away.
Parker was oblivious to the tension between the two. He gently took a hold on Peyton's upper arm. A growl resounded through the room. All of us turned to the only source of the sound. Dakota looked as if he was going to murder Parker as he shot daggers at him. Realization dawned upon Parker and he released his hold on Peyton.
A smirk played on his lips as he took steps toward an angry Dakota. "So rogues and hunters, huh? Are you going to explain why they are working together?" He asked nonchalantly, "And why is it that the one you are working for wants Jasmine?"
Dakota scowled and shook his head. "First of all, I don't know why he wants Jasmine. Second of all, what makes you think that I'll tell you?"
The smirk on Parker's face grew, "Oh, I know you will tell me." The anger on Parker's face was long gone. I wasn't the only one confused. Peyton looked just as confused. So did Dakota, Zander, and Jonas.
"And why is that?" Dakota asked sarcastically.
Parker then turned to us. "Peyton can," he replied.
Peyton's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What?" Instead of responded he walked back to us. His face became serious and he lowered his voice. "Please try to get him to talk. You are probably the only one who can. Maybe use the bond or something. But we need to try to get as much information from him as we can. Anything is useful," he told her.
"But how am I supposed to do that?" She asked, her voice wavering a little. I could tell she was nervous.
"I don't know," Parker replied, "Think of something." Peyton rolled her eyes at him but hesitantly moved around him to get to Dakota. He watched her every move as she approached him.
He started laughing dryly. "What's she going to do? If you think she can get answers from me, then your more stupid than I thought," he spoke.
Parker took a step towards him but I gripped his arm stopping him. "Don't." He reluctantly nodded and I let go of his arm.
Peyton hesitated as she stood in front of him. "You know what I'm going to ask you." Her voice was calm.
Dakota scoffed. "And you know what I'm going to say."
A frown took place on Peyton's lips and she narrowed her eyes at him. Without sparing us a glance she asked, "Can you guys leave for a moment?"
Parker was first to speak, "No." I rolled my eyes at him. Peyton seemed to know what she's doing so I took Parker's hand in mine and started pulling him towards the door.
He tried pulling his hand away and move towards them but I gripped him harder. "Let her. If you want answers, let her get answers the way she wants to. She probably somewhat knows what she's doing," I said.
I dragged Parker out of the room and the other two followed out, leaving Peyton and Dakota behind alone.
-
*Peyton Mason*
After the door closed, I placed my hands on my hips and stared at the man in front of me. His dirty blonde hair was messy and cropped short that had my insides turning. His shirt was ripped and bloody but my eyes noticed his muscular form. He looked good even in the state he's in.
Damn.
My eyes traveled back to his face. Even with the impassive look on his face, his eyes were dark. Emotions swirled in his eyes and he was fighting it.
"So tell me, why were you on Lunar Shadow territory, rogue?" My tone was hard, all of the uncertainty was gone and I needed answers. I needed to know why they wanted Jasmine. Parker needs to know. Jasmine needs to know. Hell, this whole pack needed to know. There is no way that we would let anything happen to our future Luna.
"Why can't I be on your territory?" He replied. I rolled my eyes. This guy is really getting on my nerves.
I shifted on my feet. "Well, crossing on this territory is basically a death wish. The consequences for rogues is death," I pointed out.
He rolled his eyes. "I know that. Parker made that extremely clear," he muttered. He then smirked a little, "But I know that you won't let him kill me, mate."
My voice caught in my throat as the word rolled off his tongue smoothly and his baritone voice rang through my ears.
"What makes you say that?" I finally replied. I knew that I wouldn't let Parker kill my mate, no matter how annoying he is, but he didn't need to know that.
The smirk on his face grew. "You know why."
I then smirked bitterly and he was thrown off guard a little when I lifted his chin with my index finger and thumb "Don't test me," I said lowly.
Electricity up my arm at the feeling of his skin under my fingers. His eyes swirled with lust as he stared up at me. I stared back into his eyes as if lost in a trance. My other hand found its way to the bruise on his face. I gently caressed it with the pad of my thumb. His jaw clenched and he briefly closed his eyes.
I pulled my hand back and stepped away from him. His eyes slowly opened and a look of longing was clear on his face. It was gone as soon as it came.
"You need me just as much as I need you," I said to him after collecting my composure. I moved backwards until my back touched the wall and I leaned against it. "I'll let you take all the time you need until you tell me, but I'm not leaving until you say something," I spoke while examining the the navy blue nail polish on my fingers.
'It might be a while, I'm not leaving until he speaks,' I mind-linked Parker.
He replied quickly, 'Don't take too long. Jasmine and I will head back. There will be some guards waiting outside the door just in case. Contact them if anything goes wrong, alright?'
'Ok.'
My mate took a seat with his back against the wall, the chains pooled around him. "I'm Peyton," I introduced myself. It probably wasn't a good time to do it, but I didn't give a damn.
"Dakota."
So his name is Dakota. "That's a nice name," I muttered quietly.
A ghost of a smile played on his lips but he didn't say anything. I didn't know if he was going to give me answers but I would still keep trying even if he didn't comply. Might as well keep conversation going to see if he would open up and answer the question.
"So you're a rogue?" I asked him. He nodded his head. "What's it like?"
He let out an annoyed sigh and I smirked. "My mother was kidnapped by a pack of rogues, so was I but it was a different pack. I was saved by another pack of rogues who took me in. I was 13 when this all happened. I don't know where my mother, father, or sister are. I don't know if they are alive or not. So to answer your question, yes, its very difficult," he said bitterly.
"I understand how you feel," was my lame response but it was true.
"You don't understand. You probably have the most perfect life being the Alpha's sister. Friends who care for you, family, beauty. You have the whole package," he snapped. My brows furrowed. How did he know that I was Parker's sister? My life is not perfect. I may not have taken my mother's death as bad as Parker's but it did hurt me a lot.
"You don't know me so don't assume things. And apparently you know who I am but don't know shit about me or my shitty family," I retorted raising my voice a little. "My mother was killed. Parker witnessed it! Parker saved me whenever my father would try to hit me. Parker was abused many times and I couldn't do shit about it! I feel guilty every time I think about it because I couldn't help him. He could help me but I couldn't return the favor. Parker challenged him for the Alpha position when he was strong enough and won. I don't know where the hell my father is and I really don't give a damn! All I know is that the only family I have left is Parker." Tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to be released. I've been holding in all the anger and pain and it all wanted to be let go but I couldn't do it, especially in front of my mate.
Dakota's eyes were wide and his mouth opened and closed a few times as if he wanted to say something. He avoided my gaze and stared at the ground in front of him.
"Don't act like you know things, because you don't. Just answer the f*cking question and leave the only people I care for alone," I gritted out. I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket, not caring that the small amount of make up I was wearing was probably smudged.
Dakota's eyes lifted off the ground and scanned my face. His eyes softened when he saw the state I was in. He gulped and looked away.
"The leader of the hunters and the Rogue King signed a contract for an alliance. It was an idea proposed by the Rogue King. If he has an alliance with the hunters, there wouldn't be anyone to get in the way of his plan. He wants Jasmine, I don't know why. I also know that the alliance is fake and that the hunters will be killed off after Jasmine is taken," he finally said. My head snapped towards him. He finally answered the question. I was pretty shocked.
It was an alliance. The Rogue King was behind all of this. There isn't much said about him except for the fact that he's brothers with the Werewolf King. He became a rogue when his brother took the king position. Some say that he's cruel and merciless. Some say that he killed his mate. No one knows why and the rest is unknown.
"Why not kill off the hunters beforehand?" I asked as I kicked off the wall and approached him.
"Having the weapons hunters use is an advantage. Werewolves only really know how to fight, not use weapons. Hunters have guns with silver bullets which kills werewolves. Why not give the rogues an advantage?" He replied. He did have a point.
I wiped away the drying tears on my face. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. I raised an eyebrow and he continued. "I'm sorry for assuming things. I guess I'm just not happy with the way my life turned out and it's basically eating me alive."
I nodded my head. "It's fine."
It became silent once again, both of us just staring at each other. Assessing the other's movements.
"I guess I got what I needed, I'll go tell the others outside," I spoke up and made a move to leave.
"Wait!" I was startled by the sudden desperation in his voice. He made a move to reach out to me but the chains stopped him.
"What?" I placed my hands in my jacket pockets. Dakota stood up from the ground. His height towered over my 5'6" height.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. "What's going to happen now?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He licked his dry lips. "I mean what's going to happen between us?"
I didn't know. When he first saw me, he didn't look to happy to see me. "I don't know. You didn't look to thrilled to see your mate."
"I thought that I wouldn't be able to have you," he mumbled and looked down. His cheeks were a little pink and he looked completely embarrassed.
My mouth formed an 'o'. A small smile found its way onto my face. I was taken off guard when he returned the smile. I noticed the dimple on his cheek which had my wolf and I internally swooning.
"I'm not going to become a rogue, Dakota," I whispered as the smile on my face vanished. He smiled sadly and nodded, "I know. I don't want to take you away from your pack."
An idea popped inside my head. "What if..." I started while running my fingers through my hair. "What if you joined this pack? You wouldn't have to be a rogue anymore."
"It's not that easy. Your brother probably wouldn't be too happy that a rogue, who is part of the plan to kidnap his mate, joining his pack."
I frowned because I knew it was true. But Dakota was my mate. Parker knew that I needed my mate and it wouldn't be fair for me if I couldn't be with the one who was made for me.
"I'll talk to him."
.
.
.
"No."
"Why the hell not!?" I snapped.
Parker looked up from the papers on his desk. He fixed the dark rimmed glasses on his face. "He's a rogue. Lets also not forget that he's after Jasmine."
I rolled my eyes. "He's not after her. The Rogue King is. I don't care if he's a rogue, he is my mate. What if he wants to be a part of a pack instead of being rogue? What if he is capable of being loyal to the pack?"
"What if he's not?"
I let out a frustrated groan. "I need my mate! You can't let me be happy? Lets test is loyalty. He can show us their fighting tactics and he'll be able to help us," I reasoned.
Parker stared at me long and hard before sighing. "Fine. One screw up and he's gone."
I grinned. "Thank you!" Parker rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever."
Before getting up from my seat, I leaned forward and placed my arms on his desk. He gave me an annoyed look before going back to the papers on his desk.
"When are you going to bang Jamie?" I said bluntly. Parker dropped the papers in his hand and they fell on the floor. He cursed under his breath before glaring at me.
"Say it louder next time, would you?" He asked sarcastically before reaching down and picking up the dropped papers..
"Maybe I will. Anyways, I want some nieces and nephews. Also lets not forget that you'll probably have a more positive attitude afterwards. Then again, if you two start banging, it'll probably be an everyday thing and I wouldn't be able to spend time with her–"
Parker cut me off, "Shut up!" His cheeks were dusted with a light pink and I started to laugh. I had never seen him blush before.
"So when are you going to mark her?" I asked another question.
"I don't know! Soon, maybe? It's her choice whether or not she wants to accept me, I'm ok with whatever her choice is. Now can you shut up and let me do my work?" He snapped while running his hand through his hair.
I smirked and got up from my chair. Before closing the door I called out, "I heard she likes it rough!" I made sure to say it loud enough so everyone on the first level of the pack house could hear me.
I heard him call my name but I just ignored him with an evil smirk on my face.
-
So Peyton found her mate, who just so happens to be a rogue working for the Rogue King. Why do you think the Rogue King wants Jasmine?
RTA is ranked #3 on werewolf! Thank you guys so much for your support. It's also close to getting a million views! I'm super excited for it.
Sorry it's taken me a while to update. School is such a struggle. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter!
~Kira