The Rogues Who Went Rogue

When the sun was setting at dusk, Alpha Tate ran through the woods in his brown-furred wolf, along with Beta Mannon's black wolf and Xiera's grey wolf. They caught sight of a few rogues and were chasing them down. This rogue-hunting expedition already lasted eight months, yet he and everyone else doubted that they caught every single scoundrel there was in the Kingdom of Mondeideal...

Most of the wolves were getting tired and impatient. How much longer did they have to do this? When they said there were still hundreds out there, how many hundreds were they talking about exactly? It was exhausting! And the constant need to be on one's toes was still the reason that some of the smaller pack's leaders remained anxious despite the many rogues already secured behind bars in lycan territory.

Tate was probably the only one who didn't mind continuing the hunt. Apart from pack business, hunting rogues kept him busy, preventing his mind from inadvertently wandering off to Lucianne, who was now the Lycan Queen. It took every ounce of strength in him to offer the Lycan King and Queen his congratulations on their wedding day. The way she glowed and blushed whenever the King was by her side showed how happy she was with him, how at ease she felt whenever he was in the room. Tate had never seen Lucianne like that with anyone else.

Even if Tate weren't told to refrain from interfering in that relationship, he wouldn't have interfered. Lucianne had gone through so much for her age. She deserved to be happy, even if it meant her being with someone else. As much as he wanted her to be his Luna, he made peace with the fact that that was not a possibility anymore.

Moving on hadn't been easy for Tate, but it was doable with time, time away from her. The tormenting anguish in his chest when he had to cope with thinking about Lucianne being with someone other than him slowly, very slowly, became a bearable pain. As more time passed, the pain reduced to a mere discomfort. He still missed her but the emotions associated with loss had subsided a lot in the past few months. His pack members had been a good source of encouragement and comfort, making moving on feel like a phase in life rather than an end.

As Tate dodged branches and tree stumps, the rogues came closer into view. Two were black and one was red, wine red. Red wolves were extremely rare, and thought to be extinct generations ago. Tate himself had never seen one before. Red wolves were clairvoyants, and depending on their maturity and psychological stability, they could be either very accurate or inaccurate in telling the future. In the past, some of their precognition abilities were so inaccurate that their own clients had them slaughtered for poor fortune-telling.

Tate tried not to get too distracted by what he was seeing, and focused on capturing the rogues. With an authoritative howl into the sky, he pounced forward and blocked the rogues' way, stopping them from running any further. The rogues came to an abrupt halt as they whimpered, an express cry for mercy.

Tate shifted back to his human form and uttered, "By order of the king and queen, I, Alpha Tate of the White Blood Pack, place you all under arrest. You are to follow us back to White Blood, where we'll hold you in custody until the authorities come get you. Any attempt to escape justifies an immediate execution. Understood?"

The rogues continued whimpering and nodded at whatever Tate just said. Mannon and Xiera shifted back to their human forms as well. They took towels out of their sling bags, and threw them over the rogues before hastily fastening a silver bracelet around their front limb, forcing them to shift back.

The two black wolves were males, and the red wolf was a female, who looked particularly small, even smaller than Lucianne when she was a wolf. She couldn't be older than fifteen. Her rosewood eyes amplified fear as she looked at her friends in dismay.

The males looked afraid as well. They were in their early twenties at most. As soon as the rogues properly wrapped themselves with the towels, Tate and his wolves led them back to White Blood before any of them could come up with a clever plan to escape. He really hoped they wouldn't try to escape. Things would just get messy and bloody.

Fortunately for everyone involved, they made it back to White Blood without any fuss, and Mannon and Xiera placed them in the dungeon.

In the shower, Tate's thoughts went to the rogues all of a sudden. There was something different about this group, especially that wolf who looked like a child. Was she a child, or was she just born small and didn't look her age? None of the rogues they caught so far was a minor. This couldn't be one, could it?

Then, there was their demeanor. Most rogues turned defensive and brutal when they were cornered. And who could blame them? The animal instinct in all of them when trouble came was to be defensive and brutal. But these three today were not. They didn't even try to attack.

The girl came to Tate's mind again. Why were his thoughts still lingering on her? His animal even felt that they shouldn't go too far with the red wolf in particular, but why? Red wolf or not, this was a rogue. What made this one different from the rest? Why was he feeling this need to...protect her?

To put his mind to rest, he decided to see the three they captured today. After putting on a blue shirt and black shorts, the Alpha made his way to where the rogues were held captive. The two warriors at the dungeon entrance greeted him with a smile, and he returned their gestures when he walked past them.

The guards flipped on the lights when he entered. White Blood's Gamma, Toby, was right about refurbishing the dungeon to make it less eerie and more sanitary. Some of the rogues they previously caught looked so afraid of being caught, and swore to Goddess a thousand and one times that they would never try to escape (and made good on their word). Toby figured that not all rogues needed to be bullied or scared any more than they already were.

The fixed-up lighting made the place brighter, and the three-month-old cemented floor and recently-installed toilet bowls were a much better alternative in terms of hygiene compared to the earthy ground from before. At least they had a proper place to empty their bowels now.

Tate walked down the familiar pathway to where they kept prisoners. They kept them at the far end of the dungeon so that it would take them a longer time to escape if they ever tried to.

The rogues had been given spare clothes and separate cells. Tate stopped at the first cell to study one of the two men they caught. There was a healed scar running down his right leg and his pitch black eyes were fixed to the ground like he was in a trance.

Tate moved on to the second cell. The ginger-haired man met Tate's eyes for a brief second before looking away.

Finally, the Alpha came to the last cell, where the she-wolf was held. She sat on the bunk bed, hugging her legs as her back pressed against the wall. Her straight brown hair reached her lower back and covered most of her face. Why was someone this young a rogue? Tate's wolf was instinctively worried. He was tough and strict as an Alpha, but like every other noble fighter, he was merciful and patient to children. Tate knew couldn't just let her be here for the night and then ship her to lycan territory to be put with the other criminals.

"How old are you?" Tate asked after considering what he should do.

Her rosewood eyes turned fierce when she spat, "None of your business!" Not the typical reply one would expect from a wolf who was just whimpering and pleading less than an hour ago.

The Alpha tried again, this time matching her hostility, "You're right. None of what happens to you and your friends is any of my business. I only asked because it's more humane to be more lenient with minors. But if you'd rather be subjected to a round of whipping before the lycans come get you three tomorrow, then be my guest."

The whipping was, of course, a lie. The men in the other two cells heard this, too, believing to be true, and became more fearful than they already were. Tate turned away from the she-wolf, and pretended to walk away before her small voice came, "Thirteen."

He asked, "Are these your brothers?" He doubted it. They look nothing alike.

"No."

"Friends?"

"Something like that."

"What does that mean?"

"We just run together."

"From where?"

She avoided Tate's gaze, and she pressed her lips shut. Tate thought she wasn't going to say anything further before her answer came in a sad, lonely whisper, "Everywhere."

After another moment of silence, Tate muttered, "Okay."

His eyes glazed over as he mind-linked Lucianne, who now had formed permanent mind-links with every pack leader as their queen.

'Tate, everything alright?' Lucianne's concerned voice came through their link. Unless urgent help was needed, Tate never linked her this late at night.

As awkward as it was for Tate to speak to Lucianne, who he had been in love with for years before she met the king and became queen, Tate persisted to answer as normally as he could, 'Yeah, yeah, uh...we caught another three today but...it looks like we're entering uncharted waters from here. One of them is a minor.'

There was a pause before Lucianne's link in her authoritative queen voice came through, 'How old?'

Tate sighed in dismay and muttered, 'Thirteen.'

'He or she?'

'She.'

Another shock pause before Lucianne's voice came out softer, 'How is she?'

Tate's brows arched in uneasiness as he studied the girl with sympathetic eyes, and he replied to Lucianne, 'She looked shit scared at first but she sure is trying to put on a brave front now. Should I still keep her here? I have to admit, I feel kind of bad.'

Lucianne reluctantly admitted in a murmur, 'You and I both, Tate.' After a sigh, she added, 'But we know what happened to the warriors from Forest Gloom when they decided to show that seemingly-petrified rogue mercy."

That really was a horrifying tale to remember. A frail-looking she-wolf was shuddering and shivering non-stop behind bars after being caught by Forest Gloom warriors. The warriors sought permission from Lucianne to offer the rogue better treatment and accommodation within the pack house itself, describing how bad the situation was for the intruder. Lucianne gave the green light, reminding them to exercise the highest level of caution. The moment the rogue took the first step out of the dungeon and saw daylight, all hell broke loose. The rogue attacked the wolf escort and continued to attack those around her until the Alpha, Clement, plunged his claws right through her chest to put an end to her life.

Despite that nightmare, Lucianne was still hesitant to insist that this girl should remained in her cell. This was a minor, and Lucianne always had a soft spot for children. 'What do you think, though? Is she just acting scared so that you'll let her out or...'

'This doesn't look like an act. There's something...innocent about her. I'm not sure how to say it.' he replied.

Lucianne then asked, 'What about the other two who were with her? What do you make of them?'

'From whatever I can tell, they're practically rogues with no balls. They didn't even bother to turn defensive when we cornered them.'

'Strange,' Lucianne muttered. After pondering for the next few minutes, she hesitated before giving out her decision, 'I WANT to be lenient with her, Tate, but I NEED you and the rest of White Blood to be safe. Please leave her there. It's not worth the risk.'

It was clear from her tone that she wasn't satisfied with her own decision, and neither was Tate. But what choice did they have? The probable danger outweighed the benefits of letting her out.

Lucianne then continued, 'I'll personally come and collect them tomorrow, just so that they won't be too daunted by the lycan warriors. Don't let them out until I get there.'

'Roger that, Lucy,' he responded, and as cheerfully as he could, the Alpha added obligatorily, 'Say 'hi' to the king for me.'

Tate wasn't as good as Lucianne was when it came to putting on an act, so she still heard the tinge of sadness there. What she was grateful for was that he sounded less sad now compared to a few months ago. She spoke to Tate as little as she could, allowing her Alpha friend time and distance to heal and move on. Toby, Tate's Gamma and Lucianne's best friend, updated her frequently, and she was glad to hear that Tate was getting better each day.

With a gentle voice, Lucianne linked, 'Thanks, Tate. Xandar will appreciate it. Have a good night.'

Right after ending the link, every bone in Tate's body was set on following through Lucianne's instruction to leave the minor there. But as soon as his cleared eyes looked at the girl hugging her legs with sad eyes staring into space with her head tilted to face the floor, he found himself rooted to his spot.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about this kid that made him grow alert and turn protective. His animal, for some unexplainable reason, just KNEW that it would take a bullet for this girl, not in a romantic kind of way but a 'you're-one-of-us-and-I-will-have-your-back' kind of way. Leaving her in this place was going against the dead certainty of his animal's primal instincts. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable, safe and cared for. But the queen's orders were the exact opposite to that.

His human wanted to obey orders and walk away like he had been trained to do all his life. But his animal persisted arguing with him. At this rate, Tate doubt he'd get any sleep that night with his animal whining and growling. So, he sighed and, when he gave in to the beast he was born with, he told his animal, 'Lucy is going to kill us both for this. You'd better be ready. Whatever she does to us is going to be on you.' His animal wagged its tail, completely indifferent to the consequences of its decision.

Tate took out the keys from his pocket to unlock her cell, and the girl's eyes amplified in surprise. She remained on the bed, and made no move to come out. Tate decided that this was not a time to be friendly, still unsure whether she was acting vulnerable or was genuinely vulnerable. In a harsh tone, he asked, "Are you coming out or not?"

She seemed to be brought out of her shock, and got out of the bed before taking steps towards the opened door. When she stood right before Tate, his head motioned ahead and said, "Walk. That way."

She nodded and began walking, glancing at her surprised friends as she strode past their cells. Tate kept a three-step distance from her in case she attacked. When they emerged from the dungeon, he continued giving directions from behind her to lead her to the pack house. In his basement, Tate turned on the lights and air-conditioner. He made the teenager stand at a corner where he could see her while he removed a white fabric covering the old couch.

After getting out spare pillows from the cupboard, and his maid came with a spare quilt, his fierce eyes fixed on her as he began, "You're sleeping here for the night. There's a restroom right through that door. I'm going to lock the basement after I leave. For your own sake, don't try to escape."

She nodded obediently with seemingly-grateful, though still-fearful, eyes. What annoyed the Alpha was that his animal was cooing in his mind when she gave him a small, grateful smile. This was an Alpha wolf of one of the strongest pack in existence. It was NOT supposed to soften for a rogue, damn it!

He made a mental note to give his wolf a pep talk later. Once Tate left and locked the door as promised, he spoke to the warrior stationed outside the basement, "The moment you hear anything suspicious, link me with a scream, Timmy."

"Will do, Alpha."

As Tate went to his own room and lay in bed, he thought about what he just did and muttered into the darkness, "Lucy, you are so going to kill me for this."

###

In the thick forest not far from White Blood, the only other red wolf in existence, Margaret, had her fist clenched on the table, where her rogue members now sat around. They all just returned from trying to find three of their own for hours, and when they learned where the scent trails were leading them to, all of them were afraid to go any nearer. The only one who didn't share that fear was Margaret, their leader. She was worried, but she was even more furious!

After emitting a low, angered growl, she asked, "Which one of you was supposed to watch them?"

All eyes fell on Kate. Kate's teeth let go of her bottom lip, and after swallowing a lump in her throat, she tried to walk around the problem by explaining meekly, "We caught their scent trailing to White Blood, Margaret. We can get them back."

Margaret's eyes burned in fury when she delivered a low, condescending remark, "Do you how idiotic you sound right now, Kate? My daughter and her friends have, under your supposed supervision, found their way to one of the most guarded packs in the territory. You think we can just show up and snatch them back?"

A sudden protrusion of her claws which went through the table made most of her followers jerk in fear as she conveyed a chilling warning, "For your own sake, Kate, you'd better hope I'll get my daughter back in one piece, or I'll rip out your throat myself."

Everyone agreed that it was reckless to enter the pack. Fortunately, rogues like them had been noticing that lycan warriors would come a day after a rogue capture to escort caught rogues and board them onto jets, bringing them to Goddess knew where. So, the plan was to take back her daughter and the other two with her after they were transported out of the pack but before they were brought onto the jet. It wasn't a foolproof plan, but it was the best one they had.

After putting together her best team for a rescue mission that they were going to execute the next day, Margaret went to bed and couldn't help but imagine her poor girl being locked in some filthy dungeon. Her eyes pooled in tears as she considered the possibility of her only pup getting raped. These pack leaders of the strongest packs had no mercy, especially to rogues. She simply hoped that this Alpha was either gay or already had a Luna, who would be merciful enough to spare her daughter of any torment, at least until tomorrow.

As soon as Lucianne ended the link with Tate, she felt a strong pair of hands massaging her shoulders as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her head turned to the side, and her mate trapped her lips in a sweet kiss. His hands moved down the side of her body, feeling her perfect curves before his arms circled her waist, and his thumb brushed her skin through the thin nightie.

When their lips parted, Xandar buried his face in her neck to take in her scent before his deep voice rang through her ears, "Who was it, baby?"

"Tate. He said 'hi'," Lucianne answered simply, and immediately felt Xandar's grip around her waist tighten. Her hand reached to stroke his muscular arm assuringly as she continued, "One of the three rogues they caught today was a thirteen-year-old she-wolf."

She met her husband's confused orbs and continued whispering in worry, "We didn't find any minors in Wu Bi Corp, and none of the rogues behind bars said anything about children. Where did this girl come from?"

Xandar was rendered equally speechless before he ultimately asked, "Would a pack kick-out a thirteen-year-old?"

"Never!" There was a pause before Lucianne continued in dismay, "Not to my knowledge, at least. Disloyal members are normally only casted out after eighteen."

After thinking about it, Xandar murmured, "So, it's safe to say this one has rogue parents."

"That's...possible. But why weren't they with her? Why would one let their thirteen-year-old daughter run around foreign territory, knowing full well of the risks of getting caught?"

Xandar heaved a heavy, frustrated sigh as his hands moved up to caress his mate's tense shoulders again. "I don't know, sweetheart. Maybe they're dead, already caught, or her parents didn't know what she was up to? Goddess, it could be anything."

"I know," she stroked his hand when she continued, "Before bringing her to lycan territory, I want to meet her. She and her friends are already scared as it is. She's just a teenager. I don't want her to be intimidated by the lycan warriors. I'm going to White Blood with the warriors tomorrow to collect the rogues, darling."

Xandar's animal turned alert. "And you're not thinking of dragging me there with you?! Baby, we've been through this!"

Lucianne's eyebrows furrowed as she stated the obvious, "You and your second-in-command are scheduled to check out a suspected rogue supplier site with Chief Dalloway and his police force tomorrow, Xandar."

"I could sit this one out. Those sites are always a bust anyway!"

"That doesn't guarantee that this would be a bust as well. You gave them your word, Xandar. You have to go with them," Lucianne insisted. As she studied Xandar's expression more carefully, she felt his insecurity through their mate-bond, and saw some fear swimming in those lilac orbs she fell in love with.

Lucianne reached for his face, and Xandar leaned into her palm as her thumb stroked his cheek. She then assured her beast with firm black-and-lilac eyes, "Darling, we've marked each other. Tate is not a threat. No one is. I'm only in love with you," After pecking a kiss on his lips, she whispered firmly, "I'm yours, my indecent beast. Only yours."

In his head, his lycan cooed and wagged its tail. Xandar sighed before pecking a kiss on Lucianne's forehead in return before he muttered, "Keep me posted, okay?"

"Okay," she responded in a shy whisper under his affectionate gaze, which turned flirtatious when he began gently pulling down the nightie straps as his lips traced the warm skin on her shoulder. His lips then moved to her neck, pecking a trail of soft kisses. Lucianne closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side to give Xandar full access, not caring that she was now topless as she sighed in bliss.

After Xandar's rough hands traced her smooth arms, he carefully lowered Lucianne flat on the bed and continued sucking on her neck like it was honey, enjoying the sound of her moans and the feeling of her beautiful breasts pressed against his hot skin.

They weren't worried about waking their baby daughter sleeping in the nursery room next to theirs since the master bedroom was soundproof, and if her sleep was disturbed, the baby-sound-and-irregular-motion detector installed on the cot would alert her parents on a complemented device installed on Lucianne's nightstand in the master bedroom. As long as that thing didn't go off, little Reida was fine.

In the dim bedroom, Xandar kneaded Lucianne's breasts before gently squeezed the flesh at her waist and moved down to her firm buttocks. Lucianne's own hands traced his broad shoulders and hard torso as her feet skillfully pulled down his boxers to bring Xandar's erection into full view. In between Lucianne's moans, her body moved in response to her mate's touch as their lips trapped each other in a deep kiss.

After parting her legs and getting his queen wet, the king entered her and began going in and out in slow paces, focusing on connecting with the most beautiful and amazing creature in the Kingdom now laying right below him as he made love to her. The way they looked at each other whenever they started with slow, passionate sex always ignited feelings of love as deep and fiery as the earth's core; happiness as blissful as walking along the shoreline; and desire that made them crave for each other even more than they already were.

Xandar gradually increased his speed as Lucianne gasped, whimpered and moaned in pleasure. It didn't take long before he started moaning with her. When Lucianne's core locked him in, they both came with irrepressible screams.

Their euphoric eyes locked as they took quickened breaths like they had just completed a marathon. And without pulling out from his mate, Xandar pecked a kiss on Lucianne's lips before he whispered, "I love you."

Lucianne's eyes glistened in joyful tears as her smile widened. "I know, Xandar. I love you, too."