Chapter 5 - Julian

For the past five weeks, I have been tracking down every lead I had on Nareena and I've been coming up short each time. 

My frustration levels were at an all-time high. Pair that with my wolf's desire to be with his mate and I was slowly going crazy. It wasn't only him that wanted to be by his mate, I also wanted to be with Willow, but I couldn't yet. 

Leaving her once again was not my proudest moment. I figured it would be better to slip out unnoticed. She was okay for the most part, but I didn't know how she felt about me. Did she write me off? Was she upset? I prayed that she wasn't, because the only reason I did leave was to keep her safe. Her safety is in my hands and I have to do everything I can to keep her out of harm's way.

As I walk to the old abandoned campsite that the rogues and I had unofficially claimed, I think about how my mindset has changed.  I have always known that the bond between mates was extraordinary my parents were living examples -  I just couldn't imagine it having such an immediate and drastic effect on me. In just a few hours I was ready to throw away the life I had built in the last five years, just to be with Willow. 

However, it was easier said than done. 

After leaving Willow, I managed to track Nareena's faint scent and began following it. Thankfully her scent was in the opposite direction of the pack, so I knew that Nareena wasn't lurking about in the shadows. But the scent soon faded and I was lost. 

In this last week alone, I have visited five hideouts we've used in the past, but Nareena was never there. I was drained. I could barely sleep and my wolf's instincts were lacking, so food was scarce.

Without the rest of the rogues, I was defenseless. As a lone wolf, I was a threat that any Alpha would take out without hesitation if I stumbled into their land. I wasn't safe.

My only motivation was Willow. Once I had sorted this all out I would finally get to hold her in my arms again. If she would let me, I'd get to hold her and tell her how sorry I am for leaving yet again.

She is my prize and I am determined to win the game.

Nareena just makes it so much harder. She's always been a loose cannon with a malevolent streak. She's corrupt in every possible way and just thinking about the relationship we had, makes my skin crawl. How was I so blinded not to see her true colors? Was I really that far gone?

The thoughts leave my mind as my wolf surfaces, he senses trouble lurking. The abandoned land comes into view and the hairs on my arm stand up. Everything looks exactly the same, but no one is here. 

Or rather, I can't see anyone. The contingency plan that had been enforced when my father was around, stayed the same. 

Whenever an ambush would go wrong, we would all flee in opposite directions and come back here. As their leader, I should have left to come back here as soon as shit hit the fan, but obviously I couldn't. My priorities had changed.

Willow became my everything and everyone else took a back seat, the rogues included. 

I still don't know how many of them survived and it's a little daunting. I can feel their presence hiding somewhere here. 

To them, I am now a traitor. I abandoned them. 

Walking cautiously, I try to make my way around the camp without stepping on anything that would give away my presence. Nothing had been disturbed, it almost looks like a preserved historical site.

The only sound  I can hear is my heavy breathing. I tiptoe my way to a dilapidated shed to check if any of the weapons we stored there are still there. 

The door whines as I push it open, I cringe and suck in a breath, looking around to see if the ghost is still clear. Thankfully it is. Deciding against opening it any more, I squeeze myself into the small space and look around. 

I find two daggers and a makeshift spear. The rest of the weapons are gone, so my suspicions of them sneaking about is confirmed. I grab the two daggers and shove them into my pockets and slowly back out. 

Everything is still, even the leaves aren't moving.

But the tranquility doesn't last. As soon as I'm out the door, Nareena and a group of four males step out of the treeline. 

My wolf is revved up, ready to shift, and take them out. He's thinking primally. He doesn't see that we're severely outnumbered. 

Slowly I move my hand over my pocket, where I can feel the handle of the dagger, I curve my fingers over it and ready myself.

Nareena steps forwards, the males flank her sides. It's clear she's their newly appointed leader. That's the thing about rogues, they don't care if you're male or female, they just need someone as corrupt as them to lead them down the winding path of destruction.

Out the corner of my eye, I see two wolves emerge from either side of me. They have me surrounded and  I'm sorely outvoted. The wolves step closer, exposing their canines.

My grip on the handle tightens and I prepare to pull it out. 

"Pull out the dagger and they'll end you," Nareena promises. She walked forward when I focused on the two wolves and now she's just a foot away from me. 

"Aren't you going to do that anyway?" I reply unperturbed.

She raises an eyebrow and jerks her head to the left and right, telling the wolves to back off. 

"What do you want?" I ask her. 

A cold smile covers her face. "You know what I want Julian. Don't play dumb baby," she coos and steps forward, placing a hand on my chest.

I snarl at her closeness and grab her wandering hand, pinning it down harshly. She flinches at the tight hold. 

With her being so near to me, I could easily plunge the dagger into her throat and watch as she choked to death on her own blood. Just the thought alone makes my mouth water. 

My wolf praises the thought, growling out his approval. Nareena's eyes narrow into slits as if she can hear my thoughts. 

"Touch me and your precious mate is dead," she says. My grip on her hand loosens and she takes the chance to snatch it back. "I have eyes and ears all over," she continues. "But you're way too smart to try anything stupid to jeopardize that bitch's life, aren't you? she taunts as she walks around me. I can tell that she's enjoying this. 

I keep my stance tight and my face impassive. 

"Oh come on." she laughs. "Not even a scowl?"

The only response given is crossing my arms over my chest. She's up to something.  "Nareena", I say in a bored tone. "Can you cut to the chase already?"

She gives me a dirty look, clearly not enjoying the fact that I'm not giving in to her jeers. 

Stepping away, she puts up her hand and signals for the males to come closer. 

"You betrayed us; just like your sister did all those years ago. You're a hypocrite Julian! The things you said about her? How you couldn't wait to get revenge? And then what do you go and do?  Leave us in the lurch just because you found your bitch! Did you suddenly grow a conscience? Let me break it to you," she whispers the last part, leaning in. "She'll never want someone as inhumane as yourself, she'll never love you, Julian. But I do. I accept you for who you are."

Finally, her plan is clear. She wants me to leave Willow for her. It's funny because we were together for five years and not once did she ever tell me that she loved me. I never dwelled on it, because I sure didn't love her.  I cared for her, yes, but love was never part of the equation. 

All Nareena wants is the title of a Luna. She just wants power. Nareena knows that I plan on taking back my father's pack eventually and she wants to rule over people. She doesn't love me, she loves to control and dominate people. 

"I'll never reject Willow for you," I bark out. "Never."

She rolls her eyes and walks away. "Well don't come running to me when she rejects you. And don't say I didn't warn you."

I narrow my eyes at her. "Is that a threat?"

She snorts. "Nope. Just a friendly reminder."

Nareena turns on her heel and walks away, back towards the woods. "He's all yours boys. Just don't kill him...yet" she sings. 

The two wolves waste no time in launching their massive bodies at me. But it's easy to dodge them. Their weight makes their reflexes a lot slower, but their attacks always leave a mark. Whiles the two of them take their time shaking off their fur, I arm myself with both daggers and slice through the first attacking male's throat easily. 

One down, five to go. 

Fists and feet come from all directions. I do my best to block some of them, but I can only do so much when I'm outnumbered. I grab a fist that aims for my face and pull hard, dislocating the joint - it's an old tactic that I enjoy using. 

While it won't kill the male, it hurts. 

As he screams out, I drive the dagger into his chest and he falls to the ground. 

In general, rogues are weaker than wolves that belong to a pack. They don't have the strength that comes from the unity of being in a pack. Wolves are social creatures, and their wolves weaken significantly without that bond to an Alpha. Many rogues are on their own for years before they join other rogues, so they weaken a great deal. 

However, just because these rogues are weaker, they have the upper hand right now.

With just four more to go, I can feel my body becoming sluggish. All my energy sources have been depleted in the last five weeks and I'm just running on pure adrenaline at this point. 

I feel a sharp sting radiate through my shoulder - one of the wolves bit into me. The skin is intact but the wound is deep. I grab the wolf's head in a headlock and punch its jaw until I see it hang. The other three are relentless as they try everything to get me onto my knees. 

With its jaw disarmed, I fling the wolf into a large boulder, smiling at the crunch I hear when it hits the hard surface.

The remaining three circle me. My shoulder throbs, but I can survive. 

I've lost one dagger somewhere. I hold up the other one ready to put it to good use when I feel a stinging burn on the back of my knees. 

How did I not notice someone coming up from behind me? The male roughly kicks me forward and fall onto the ground, my knees too weak to hold me up. 

They waste no time jumping on top of me and landing punch after punch, followed by brutal kicks to my face or ribs. 

It's agonizing. 

My body can't take the beating, I just have no energy to defend myself. So my wolf takes control of the situation. The shift into his form isn't as smooth due to my current state but we make it. 

In his nature, my wolf becomes the beast everyone knows him to be. He claws out one of the male's eyes and tears through the flesh on his thigh until the bone can be seen.

The fight gets more challenging when the other wolf joins in, a hanging jaw and slight limp not keeping him away. For some reason, I can feel my wolf slowing down. He's getting fatigued. 

I know he's finally reached his limits when I feel a pair of massive arms circle from behind him and squeeze ruthlessly. The sound of his ribs shattering echoes within the hollow cavity. 

He whimpers at the excruciating torment and twists his body, trying to get out of the males hold. The twists just make the pain even worse. He gives up, too weak to move. 

The damage has been done and I know that the rogues notice my lack of fight. 

"Alright, that should do it," one of them says.

I feel the male removing his grip, before dropping my wolf to the ground. My wolf whines in pain as the ground digs into his broken ribs. They snigger at my discomfort before leaving.

Too weak to be in his form, I shift back into my skin and just lay on the dirt. 

Every breath I take is pure torment. It feels like shards of glass are scratching the inside my chest. I clutch my sides as I try to stand up, wheezing heavily. It's almost dark and I can't just lay here like an easy target. 

Barely managing to stand on my own, I force my body to put one foot in front of the other and walk. I don't know where I'm walking to or for how long, but the thought of Willow fuels me. 

It doesn't take away any of the pain, but it motivates me to push myself beyond my limits. The ache dulls with each step until I accidentally trip over a branch and collapse onto the ground. The force of the fall is so harsh, the breath gets knocked out of me. A fiery agony burns through my entire body. 

My hands claw at my chest in a weak attempt to protect my broken bones, but it's too late. The damage has been done. Breathing seems nearly impossible, this time it feels like sandpaper grating against my lungs. My vision becomes blurry and my thoughts are all over the place.

 All I'm picturing is Willow, but the brutal ache makes it too difficult to even focus on my mate. Instead, I just roll over and slowly curl myself into a ball and wait out the convulsions.