The Rogue's Fate

by Missy De Graff

  Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms and say, “What do you mean? I’m going shopping with Mia, remember?” Was that a little harsh? Nah, after the bittersweet memory I just relived, I currently despise the man in front of me. I know the feeling will pass, it always does. Stay strong, Lucinda.

  “No. What are you doing with Caiden?” He pinches his lips together after returning the stern tone.

  “That is none of your business,” I say under my breath and this earns me a low growl. What am I doing with Caiden?

  “Actually, it is,” he spits through tight lips.

  “How do you figure that?”

  “You’re my mate. You’re MINE!” Dylan growls, his hands shaking with rage.

  “Oh yeah? Since when?” I turn on my heels and head toward Mia’s Nightfire-red metallic Mini Cooper.

  After I slide into the passenger seat, Mia speeds away. Through the cloud of dust left in our wake, I notice Caiden standing on the porch. I’m sure he observed my little argument with Dylan. Oh well, damage control will have to wait. And out of the corner of my eye, a flash of golden brown streaks the green grass as it heads toward the woods. Dylan's wolf.

  Chapter 10

  Lucinda

  “Finally!” Mia squeals as we drive down the road. Taking her hands off the steering wheel she waives them around, doing a little party dance. I roll my eyes and shake my head.

  Turning to me, she says, “I can't believe you're here!”

  “I know, me neither. But please keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel.” I flash her a smile.

  “Well, it's about damn time!” She adjusts back to face the front. “Where have you been? What took you so long? Why didn’t you–”

  “Whoa! Slow down, one question at a time.”

  “Fine. What took you so long?” Mia eyes me carefully, the smile dropping from her face. “When Gavin and I left you, we made a deal. Remember?” I nod. “You were going to come join us within a month,” Mia continues. Slouching in my seat, I shift my weight. I don’t have the heart to tell her I won’t be staying long. “That was three years ago!” Covering my face with my hands, I groan.

  “I know. I uh, I, well you see—” The words twist in my dry mouth. What would I tell her? I can’t tell her the truth.

  “I was worried sick! I thought...Do you know what it was like when I returned? What had happened to my pack? My brother—” She slammed her palm on the steering wheel. “Damn it, Cinda! I thought they killed you too!” Tears begin to stream down her face.

  “Hey, I'm okay. I'm a hard nut to crack, remember?” I say softly. “I’m fine, really. I'm sorry it took longer than I said it would. I ran into an old acquaintance.” I flash a weak smile, as if that would cure everything. And I change the subject before she asks for more details.

  “But, what happened to your pack?” I ask. “And what happened with your brother?”

  “It was a slaughter,” she says, in a low, monotone voice. The tears leave dry streaks marking her paled face and she’s in a trance-like state. “Gavin and I arrived home just after it, so we only heard stories. But, there was an unprovoked rogue attack. We weren't prepared and suffered many losses, my parents among them.”

  My stomach churns as I think of my own pack. “I’m so sorry. Do you know why they attacked, or who it was?” It reminds me of Felix.

  Shrugging, she says, “The Elders think they just wanted to kill, and they succeeded. It was a massacre.”

  “That’s not unheard of, but it still sounds so strange, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know what to think. Caiden thinks there must be more to it, but he hasn’t been able to find anything.”

  “So that's when Caiden became Alpha?” I ask. She nods and then her eyes light up.

  “Speaking of Caiden, what's up with you two?” The playfulness in her voice returns. I've missed her mood swings.

  Shaking my head, a few pieces of my hair fall loose and cover the blush that I know is rising to my cheeks. “Nothing's up, we just met. He's a good Alpha. Different than most. He’s nonjudgmental, caring, and understanding. This pack is very lucky to have him.”

  “Yeah.” Mia's fingers fidget with the leather steering wheel.

  “Spill it.”

  “He, I don't know. He isn't the same. I can't blame him, after everything that's happened. But he's put distance between him and the pack,” Mia says. “He goes off for days, sometimes even weeks, and turns off the mindlink so we can't reach him.”

  “Do you know where he goes or what he does?” I ask.

  “No, but you two seem to be friendly,” she says and I nod, hiding a grin. “That's good. He needs more friends.” I would like to have friends too, unfortunately my friends usually die.

  “Well, I wouldn't be a good friend.”

  “And why not? Aren't we friends?” Mia asks, raising one eyebrow at me.

  “Yes. You're my best friend!” I say. “But he's an Alpha, and I come with a lot of baggage that he shouldn't have to deal with as an Alpha.”

  “Well, he has a lot of baggage too. Maybe you two can ship your luggage down the river or something?” She says with a snort. At that, I let out a full out belly laugh. It feels good to relax and be happy.

  When I first met her, she was traveling alone looking for her fated mate. She had no business being out in the wild by herself. And I was wandering aimlessly through the country and lonely so I took her under my wing and we soon became best friends. But when she asked me what I was doing out in the wild alone, I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, that I was rejected by my fated mate and kicked out of my pack. So I let her believe I was doing the same thing she was. And she never questioned how far I had traveled, nor how long I'd been out on my own. Thank goodness she’s more of a talker.

  When I think about how I ended up over in this part of the county, all the way to the mountains in the east, it's a mystery. I wasn't trying to follow Dylan, not after that first night we left home. Those rogues he traded me to were rough and vulgar, but after a few days they warmed up to me. I stayed with them for a while and learned as much as I could about taking care of myself as a rogue. That’s the first time I met Felix. But eventually, I had to go.

  I hadn't a clue where Dylan was and frankly I didn't care. That's why it always amazed me when I would run into him. As often as I stumble upon him, I started to look at it as a sign that we were meant to be together. I started to think that the feeling I had was a string tied from my soul to his, pulling me along as he ran. Pittsburg, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Denver–and that’s the last time I saw him.

  Each time I showed up he would be surprised, but then relieved that I was still alive and doing well. Then we'd get into an argument or a physical fight and I'd leave. After a few weeks that feeling would return, a pull deep inside me. It was my compass through the wilderness, which guided me to Mia. I can’t be more grateful for having her as my best friend.

  The car ride is short and we arrive in the parking lot of a crowded mall. Mia drives around for ten minutes the entire time she dodges humans casually strolling by the parked cars. And then she finally finds a place to park.

  We head to the main entrance and Mia asks, “I noticed you didn't have a bag—”

  “Right. I left in a hurry.”

  Giving me a suspicious look, Mia asks, “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  I smile. “You can say that.”

  “Does it involve a male—that acquaintance you ran into? Did you think I missed that tidbit?” She smirks.

  I shake my head and a few loose pieces of hair fall into my face.

  “Is he human?” she asks.

  Rolling my eyes, I say, “Oh no. I wouldn't be running from a human.”

  “Good. Don't worry yourself, I know how to deal with the non-humans,” she giggles. But quivers race up my spine. I pray she never meets Felix.

  “Okay, we need a plan of attack if we are going
to buy you a complete wardrobe and still be home before Gavin and Caiden totally freak out.”

  “No, I just need a few different pieces,” I say, biting my lip. How do I tell her I won't be staying long?

  Glaring at me, she says, “Fine. A few pieces of classic clothing that can be mixed and matched to give the illusion of a full wardrobe. But—”

  “One small problem,” I say. Mia raises her eyebrows at me and puckers her lips, waiting for me to finish.

  “I have no money.” A small smile tugs at my lips and I shrug, hoping that will be the end of it.

  “Oh please,” she says. “No problem at all, I've got plenty.”

  Mia drags me in and out of every store. While I despise shopping, I haven’t done it in so long I’m actually enjoying myself. Except Mia insists I try on everything. I blow hair out of my face, the hair that’s fallen loose from all the changing and then I study myself in the mirror.

  “That one is perfect!”

  Changing back into my jeans and t-shirt, I grab the clothes and head to checkout. Mia grabs all the bags of previously purchased items and follows.

  “All this really isn't necessary,” I say as we wait in line.

  “What do you mean? Of course, it is!”

  “Do I really need a weekender bag?”

  "Yes!" Mia hands her credit card to the cashier.

  We take a break from shopping and grab lunch in the food court. I’m relaxed among the crowds of humans milling about, unknown they’re surrounded by otherworldly creatures. It’s these creatures, the other wolves that cause my wolf to perk up and stay alert. All the other wolf shifters stop to speak with Mia, in turn, she introduces them to me. But inside I frown, knowing I won’t be around long enough to see these people again.

  And then I smell it. The familiar scent of vanilla and pine. My heart skips a beat and I scan the crowd. My eyes fall upon a brown-haired boy and his hazel eyes stab me with daggers when they meet mine. Cody.

  “Cinda? What are you doing here?” I hear Cody's voice in my head. Damn. I guess Felix hasn't released me from the mindlink with his band of rogues yet. The other packs will never view him as a serious Alpha with an established pack, not after what happened to his prior one. It’s a good thing I've learned how to be selective with the mindlink and block everyone except Cody.

  Just then, my heart drops and waves of nausea ooz through me.

  “You shouldn't be here! Leave. Now!” Cody screams through the mindlink. But it's too late, an iron grip tightens on my shoulder.

  Chapter 11

  Caiden

  Well, that was entertaining. A grin creeps across my face as I watch Dylan run into the woods. So he does care. My stomach tightens. What am I doing? He doesn’t deserve her. But he is her fated mate. Everyone deserves a second chance. I should go after him; maybe a good fight is what he needs to kick some sense into him.

  As I take a few steps toward the tree line, I reach out to Dylan in the mindlink. He shuts me down. Ouch! What the hell! A blast of coldness runs through my body, sending chills down to the bone.

  "Don't." Dylan's voice echo's in my head. "Let me be. We'll talk when I return." He is a lot more powerful than he lets on. My teeth grind against each other as my muscles shake with rage.

  I’ve trusted him with my life, with the lives of my pack, and he doesn’t have the courtesy to tell me the truth about him and his past! Granted I never asked, but something like this he should've mentioned. Is he trying to keep secrets from me and suppress his strength to hide his true power? I thought I knew him, but maybe I don’t.

  Standing on the porch seething, I say through the mindlink, "Yes, we will talk when you return."

  I open the door with such force, it nearly falls off the hinges. And then I storm into the Pack House and head straight to my office. As I am rifling through the cabinets, I hear someone cough behind me.

  "What's up, Caiden?" Sammy asks.

  "Just looking for the old pack records," I say.

  "For something specific? I thought you already knew everything there was to know about our Pack history?" Sammy stuffs his hands into the front pockets of his stonewashed denim pants.

  Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I say, “Not our pack.” And I turn around toward a new cabinet and pull the drawer open. “I’m looking for the History of another pack. All of the Alphas before me kept in touch with the other packs, and my father and grandfather kept an extensive collection of detailed notes, journals, and correspondences.” After the death of my father five years ago, I should have continued communications, but I wasn’t in the right state of mind. And the annual Alpha Retreat and Elders Convention have been canceled. The attack on our pack and several others have spooked everyone.

  Stepping up beside me, Sammy asks, “Okay. What are we looking for?”

  “I’m not exactly sure. Anything to do with the Dark Raven Pack.” I have a feeling something happened in their old pack that forever changed the lives of Dylan and Lucinda.

  Maybe Dylan doesn't know about it. Or maybe it is another secret kept and a lie told.

  I take a deep breath and try to remain calm.

  “Is this it?” Sammy asks as he holds up a spiral notebook with Dark Raven written across the front in ornate gold calligraphy.

  Eagerly grabbing the notebook from Sammy, I swiftly sit at my desk, and stare at the writing on the cover. It is my father’s cursive handwriting, and the memory of his death flashes behind my eyelids: him kneeling over my mother's bloody body, crumbled on the dead grass stained red with her blood, his palms covered his face as he wept. Watching from across the field, I yelled to him. I saw the rogue behind him preparing a fatal blow. How could he not know he was there and why was he blocking the mindlink? Father looked at me as the claws of the attacker wrapped around his neck. And with one swift motion, the attacker severed my father's head from his body. That one look told me everything I needed to know and it haunts me every day.

  This is why I haven’t touched these books since becoming Alpha. Shaking my head to erase the painful memory, I take a deep breath and brush my fingers over the word, Raven, etched into the center of the leather-bound notebook. Raven, an omen of death and destruction.

  The memory of my parents’ final moment flashes again, only this time, I focus on the shiny black raven perched on a nearby tree, watching their demise with an uncanny interest.

  My fingers tense and begin to curl, but I relax and start flipping through the pages. I notice each page is recorded as a journal entry with a date.

  I figure starting at the end will be more beneficial, so I skip ahead to where the writing stops. Interestingly enough, the last entry has no date, but it is titled—

  Dylan named next Alpha.

  A grunt escapes my lips and I look to Sammy, "The last entry is about Dylan."

  I pull up a chair and motion for Sammy to sit next to me as I begin to read the entry aloud.

  "A wandering caravan of gypsies traveled through the territory after the announcement of the Alpha selection. The young pups loved them; reading tarot cards, offering palm reading, and all the other fortune telling games. One woman offered something she called 'special gifts'. Fortunately, few people took her up on this offer. The one person that was known to have accepted her gift died instantly. Be wary of the traveling gypsy."

  I look to Sammy, as I furrow my eyebrows and squint.

  "What does a caravan of gypsies have to do with Dylan?" Sammy asks.

  "I don't think anything, why?" Shrugging his shoulders, he looks down to his feet and a warm glow rises to his cheeks.

  "I don't know. I guess since the title was about him being named Alpha." He pauses to look at me, and I raise my eyebrows for him to continue. "I thought maybe there was a connection. Did you know he was named Alpha?"

  "No, I didn't."

  "Do you think there could be a connection? Maybe he had his palm read and didn't like what it said," Sammy says.

/>   “Maybe." Doubt it.

  “The question is, why is he here and not still with the Dark Ravens?” Sammy asks. “He’s supposed to be their Alpha, right? So why is he here, as our Beta?”

  Because he rejected Lucinda, his fated mate, and the Alpha kicked Dylan and Lucinda out. No, I can’t tell Sammy. It’s not my secret to tell.

  Instead I focus on the journal and flip through a few more pages. Looking for Lucinda's name, I find an older entry. Though, it doesn't give much information, only that her mother died during childbirth when Lucinda was born. The pages before and after this entry have clearly been torn out.

  "Hey, remember that soothsayer that showed up on your birthday one year?" Sammy asks, interrupting my thoughts. Turning to glare out the window, I nod. I don't want to think about that night. Soothsayer my ass, she was a fucking witch. A low growl vibrates my throat. Sammy ignores my mood and continues to talk.

  "She read my palm, but wouldn't tell me what it said. She spat on the floor and threw my hand back at me. What a quack!"

  Before I can say anything, Dylan walks into the room.

  "Dylan," I nod with a grunt.

  "Caiden. Sammy," Dylan says. He looks refreshed. The run did him good. Unfortunately, I didn’t run.

  Anger boiling inside me, I bluntly ask, "What happened the summer you were named Alpha?"

  "What do you mean?" His eyes narrow and his lips curl into a lopsided snarl.

  "Specifically, with the gypsy," I say. At the sound of the word gypsy, all expression falls from Dylan's face and his complexion grows pale. For a second I worry he might faint, but fueled by anger, my empathy stays hidden.

  "Who died?" I ask. Dylan's eyes swirl black and I feel power radiate off him as it ripples through the room. Narrowing my eyes, I tighten my lips and flare my nostrils.

  "Answer!" I pound on the desk and let lose a deep growl. He is strong, but I am stronger. I exercise my alpha dominance over his willpower, and he finally closes his eyes with a sigh and takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

  Watching him with a cautious eye, I study his posture for any indication of subordination, but when he opens his eyes, they are once again pure green.