Chapter 8 8

Pain permeated Kiara's body at the slam, but her eyes held a glint of resilience as she matched Devon's deadly glare. "In this room, and within the borders of this pack... I am in charge. I have let you act out, but game time is over and now, I am going to ask you questions and you are to make sure to give me answers. Is that clear?"

Instead of giving a response, Kiara sealed her lips shut and just continued glaring at him. Devon picked on that she might refuse to give him any response, but he went ahead to question her either way.

"Your name is Kiara Sorde, what pack were you a part of before you were made a rogue?" he released his hand that was wrapped around her throat and leaned against the table. Kiara reached out and gently massaged her neck, clearing her throat in the process. Once she confirmed her neck and throat were okay, she threw her face away from him and kept mute.

Devon palmed his face and took a deep breath to restrain the annoyance forming in the pit of his belly. His patience with her came from the fact that she was his mate, but the conflict inside him because of what he experienced was making his patience run thin and she was not helping matters.

"Listen here, you do not have to act like a sore loser because I beat you at your game," she turned to him, her eyes burning with anger but he continued anyway. "You have given me your name, and all I have to do is type it on my system and I will have the answers to my questions. I have however chosen to respect you as my mate, but you are not making this any easier."

The honesty in his eyes took her aback, and if she was being honest, it moved her a bit but then she recalled Kristen's eyes. They had been honest that night too, and the very next day, he turned on her. Eyes can lie too, and the mate bond assures nothing.

Swallowing down her feelings, Kiara clenched her hands. " I have nothing to tell you, you can do whatever you want to do." It was better for him to get whatever information and lies that were spread about her than to tell him the truth. Maybe then, he'd let go of her and she'd continue her path alone.

When Devon confirmed that she meant what she said, he pushed himself up from the table. "Very well then." He walked away, and met one of the pack soldiers stationed outside, "take her to my guest room and order the servants to run her a bath, get her a change of clothes and get her food. Make sure they strictly adhere to the doctor's orders on what she should eat."

"Yes, Alpha"

He dragged back the soldier as he made to leave, then whispered in his ears, "if you get even the littlest bit of rough with her, I'll send you 6 feet under."

"Yes, Alpha." He slapped his back twice then walked away while ordering his beta – Luka, – to meet him in his office.

Luka got there just as he sat down and opened his computer. "Have you interrogated the rogues like I asked?"

Luka stepped forward and nodded. "Some of them are still passed out, but those that are awake all had the same answer as the rogue back at the border. They all came here because of the scent."

"None of them knows about the rogue attacks that have been happening around my borders?"

"That's their claim."

"And the issue of the scent, the unmated soldiers around did they perceive it and feel an attraction?"

"All the soldiers at the border are all mated, Alpha."

The response sent Devon a step back in his findings and an inch deeper in his doubts. How was he going to find out if what he felt was the actual mate bond or a manipulation caused by her scent? Luka was mated, and that must have made him immune to her charms.

"The rogues, are they all mate-less?"

"Most of them."

"Even the mated ones were drawn in by her scent?" Luka nodded, and the skin on Devon's forehead pinched together.

He rubbed the skin under his nose and thought for a while – the extra information he got has just tilted everything – "Luka?"

"Yes?"

"What did it feel like when you found your mate? Do you still remember what it was like?"

A fond smile forced the corners of Luka's lips up. "Of course. She smelled sweet and enticing, I wanted to do all sorts of things to her, I wanted to protect her but all the same I wanted to mark her knowing fully well it will cause her a lot of pain before pleasure. My wolf was ecstatic, possessive, and in her touch, he felt like a pup... dog would be the better befitting term."

That was a summary of how Devon felt when he saw her, and how he feels whenever he sets eyes on her, but that could also be likened to how the rogues felt towards her. His frown deepened and he twirled perfectly on his chair.

"I want 30 unmated male wolves at my house tonight by 7, there is a hypothesis I need to check out."

Luka did not need to be told what theory it was, he also felt suspicious when he saw the rogues clamping on her like that. "None of the rogues?"

Devon looked at him for a brief moment then shook his head. "Keep interrogating them for now, one of them might know something."

"Noted. Anything else?"

"Just inform the computer security team that I will be making use of the collected intel, and they are to delete my search the second I am done. No traces left. I don't want them poking around on it." Luka nodded and walked away.

Once alone, Devon released a deep breath and being left with no other option, he typed in Kiara Sorde, and endless links popped up.