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Chapter 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Let’s go, Mommy! It’s picnic time!” I cry, grasping her large hand with my small one. I tug on her arm, but find my feet sliding backward on the hardwood flooring. My mom chuckles and, grasping my hand, leads me out the front door while calling for my dad. His heavy footsteps follow behind us and I turn to see my dad shutting the door while carrying our basket of food that my mom prepared.
“Ready to go, Princess?” he asks me. I nod vigorously. “I can’t wait! We will have so much fun! We can go swimming and eat the food and play tag and making flower crowns and–” “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” My dad interrupts. “Slow down. How about we just plan on eating and going swimming? If we have time, we can also play tag.” “Okay, Daddy,” I sigh. I rarely get to go somewhere new, so I want to enjoy this opportunity as much as possible. My father’s large, warm hand grabs the hand that my mom isn’t holding and we walk into the woods together. The trees are beautiful and very tall. I marvel at how big they are before noticing the sound that floats around us. I listen closer and find that it sounds like laughter. I glance at each of my parents and confirm that they are the ones laughing. “What’s so funny?” I ask, confused. “Your eyes were so wide,” my mom admits. “They looked so big on your small face that we couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s because I don’t normally see such big trees,” I pout, my cheeks warming. My parents chuckle again. As their laughter dies down, I feel a tug on both of my arms. My body follows the tug and I swing forward into the air. Giggling, I regain my footing. “Again!” My parents swing their arms forward and I follow. “Again!...Again!...Again!” I cry. By the time that my parents tire of swinging me, we have arrived at our destination. Before us lies a grassy field. Bordering the field is a lake. The blue of the lake contrasts beautifully with the white of the wildflowers that ruffle in the breeze. Giggling, I let go of my parents’ hands and run forward through the field. I take my time exploring the field. Crickets and other insects fly around me as I run, the vibration of my footsteps disturbing them. I stop at the shore of the lake, the cool water soothing my feet. Spotting an interesting pebble, I pick it up. The smooth stone is cool to the touch. Taking the pebble with me, I run back to my parents. “Mommy! Daddy! Look what I found!” I cry showing them my pebble. “That’s beautiful, dear. Now why don’t you sit down and eat with us?” my mom suggests. I plop down next to her on the blanket. “What’s for lunch?” I ask. “Sandwiches, cookies, and apples,” my dad tells me as he opens up the basket. “Your mom made you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, just the way you like it.” “Yummy! Thank you, Mommy!” I take my sandwich from my dad and bite into it. The peanut butter and grape flavors burst into my mouth. My mom smiles at me as she eats her own sandwich. “How about we play tag after lunch. Then we can go swimming to cool off,” she suggests. My father nods, “That is a great idea.” We continue eating in silence, enjoying the scenery. Finishing my sandwich, I ask, “Can I have a cookie, please?” My mom chuckles before reaching into the basket. “You may have a cookie after you eat your apple. You know the rules: no fruits or vegetables, no dessert.” I sigh and take the apple from her. The crisp flesh breaks against my teeth and I bite off a chunk. The juice spreads through my mouth as I chew and swallow. I like apples, but cookies are better. Bite by bite, I slowly eat my apple. My dad notices that I’m finished and takes the apple core from me before holding up two chocolate chip cookies. “Here you are. Don’t eat these too fast,” he warns. I thank him and take the cookies. They are perfectly chewy and melt in my mouth. I take small bites and savor every mouthful. My mom smiles while watching me and my dad chuckles. Licking my hands clean of melted chocolate, I stand up. “I’m done. Let’s go play!” I shout. My parents agree and stand up. We move closer to the middle of the field. “I’ll be ‘it’” my mom offers. “Okay!” I cry. “Come and get me!” I run off giggling. “I’m going to get you, you silly little girl,” my mom playfully threatens me. I giggle again and turn to run in a different direction. Glancing back, I see my mom running away from me to chase after my dad who runs in the opposite direction. Then, she turns back towards me. I run away, but am swept off the ground and into her arms. “Gotcha. Now you're ‘it’,” she says. I giggle. “I’m going to tag Daddy,” I tell her. She grins back at me. “That’s a great idea.” She sets me down on the ground and I take off running towards my dad. He sees me and starts running in the opposite direction. We are all giggling and running around when a harsh noise cuts through our fun. A growl, to be specific. My parents move to stand in front of me and I peek around their legs to see five wolves coming out of the woods on the far side of the field. The wolves move forward in a ‘V’ formation. The leader, a light brown wolf with brown eyes, lets out another growl. He steps forward, followed by two light brown wolves, a dark brown wolf, and a gray wolf. They all have matted fur and their snarls are feral. Their eyes seem to shine with a crazy light.Bab terkait
Born Rogue Chapter 2
My parents growl in response. “Shift,” my dad demands. The lead wolf shakes its head and steps forward again. My dad steps forward in response, shielding my mom and I. My mom turns to me and bends down to eye level. “Sweetheart, your father and I need you to run home. Don’t worry about us. We will return once we take care of these wolves, but we need you to stay safe,” she explains. “Can you do that for Mommy?” I nod. “Good. Now go ahead and run to the woods over there,” she instructed, pointing in the opposite direction of the wolves approaching us. “Your father and I love you very much. Please stay safe.” She kisses my cheek before standing up and turning to face the oncoming wolves once more. “I love you, too,” I tell both of them before running away as my mom instructed. My feet pound against the ground and my legs burn, but I don’t stop until I reach the tree line. I know that my mom told me to go home, but I didn’t want to leave them. Making a decision, I hide i
Born Rogue Chapter 3
Beep. Beep. Beep……Beep. Beep. Beep. I jolt awake from the nightmare and lie still, letting my body relax. My face is still wet with tears and my heart is racing. I haven’t had this nightmare in a while. For several years after my parents died, I would wake up screaming and crying from the memory. The only reason I could think of that may have caused the memory to resurface was my graduation. I graduated college yesterday and couldn’t help but wish that my parents were with me. Thinking about them probably triggered the nightmare episode. After my dad died in my arms, I ran back to our house. I wasn’t able to bury my parents and that is something that I have always regretted. I continued my schooling at home and was able to get into my parents’ accounts and use the money. My parents had homeschooled me all of my life, so I simply continued my online classes. The only difference was that I no longer needed to take holidays as I had no one to celebrate with. I threw m
Born Rogue Chapter 4
Beep. Beep. Beep. I groan. I hate my alarm clock so much. I roll out of bed and enter the bathroom. Time to get ready. I brush my hair and teeth before applying some light makeup. I am not a huge fan of make up, but a little can be nice. I apply some mascara and some eyeliner. Stepping into my closet, I contemplate what jewelry to wear with my outfit. I pull on the skirt, tank top, and blazer. I think a pair of earrings and a necklace would look good. Choosing a dark blue set to match the color of the tank top, I also grab a pair of black pumps. Once dressed, I go to the kitchen. I pull out the sandwich I made the day before and pack it into a lunch box, along with fruit, chips, and a water bottle. My shoes click along the hallway floor as I leave. I grab my purse and car keys from the hook on the wall where I keep them. I love my car. It is a blue sedan with a black leather interior. I slip into the driver's seat and place my lunch box and purse on the passenger’s seat. M
Born Rogue Chapter 5
This was my routine for the rest of my internship. Danielle was very kind and trained me in all of the different aspects of the finance department. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to work on a project with the finance department as I was transferred to the management department after two months. Two months after that, four months into my internship, I was transferred once again to the operations department. Time has flown by and today is my last day at this internship. I am disappointed to be leaving but value the experience I have gained. I wave hello to Kayla, the receptionist, as I pass. She waves at me in response. I take the elevator up to the twelfth floor, where the operations offices are. The elevator dings before the doors slide open. I walk through the rows of cubicles until I reach mine in the back right corner of the room. I set my purse on my desk and pull my chair out, draping my coat over the back of it. “Good morning, Arielle,” my manager greets.
Born Rogue Chapter 6
Knock. Knock. “Come in,” I call, looking up from the computer screen in front of me. The door to my office opens and my secretary, Jane, walks in. “Here is the information that you wanted regarding this evening’s client meeting,” she informs me as she sets the pile of papers on my desk. “Thank you, Jane,” I reply. She nods in response and I hear the door shut behind her. I rise from my chair and walk over to the large floor to ceiling window that makes up one wall of my office. I survey the city below, thinking back over what has happened these past couple of years. I worked under Claire as her assistant for a year. During that time, she took me under her wing and taught me how to be a good business woman. I went to client and project meetings with her. I spent hours helping her read through and review business proposals. I even spent two months traveling overseas with her. Claire and I developed a close relationship. I think of her as a mother in the same way th
Born Rogue Chapter 7
Finished reminiscing, I turn from the window and walk back to my desk. My chair dips slightly under my weight before spinning to face my desk once more. I pick up the packet of papers that Jane left for me and review the day’s schedule printed on the top paper. Not much to do until this evening. I have some proposals to look over, a board meeting to attend, and end my day with a dinner meeting with a potential client. I put the top paper to the side and begin to read through the proposals underneath. Time passed quickly and I was soon on my way to my client meeting. We had agreed to meet at a local restaurant for dinner and discuss a joint project. Jane had offered to come with me to the meeting, but I decided to give her the night off. I watch through the window as my driver pulls the car up to the front of the restaurant. “We are here, Miss,” he informs me. “Thank you, Fred,” I reply. “You may leave once I am inside. Don’t worry about picking me up. I plan to call
Born Rogue Chapter 8
I wait to see if the Alpha will be coming to speak with me today. After two hours have passed, I pull out my phone. My captors, for whatever reason, never took my purse from me. I check the cell reception. Zero bars. That’s not good. I can’t call Claire and let her know the situation. Hopefully, Jane remembers my instructions. When I first hired her, I told her that if I missed two days of work without letting her know, to contact Claire. I am left with no choice but to trust that she remembers. Time ticks by slowly, I am able to do some work on my phone but don’t want to deplete the battery too fast. When I’m not on my phone, I watch the seconds pass on my watch. At seven in the evening, a guard walks down the hallway and stops outside of my cell. “Here’s your food, Rogue,” he snarls, setting a plate on the ground. He kicks the plate through the bars and places a cup in the spot that the plate had vacated. “Enjoy your dinner.” He turns and walks away in the same direct
Born Rogue Chapter 9
Blinking at the bright day light, I wiggle in my mate’s arms. After a struggle, I manage to squirm out of his arms and step away from him. He reaches for me, but I swat his hands away. “That’s enough. I let you carry me out, but I can walk the rest of the way,” I inform him. He lowers his hands and stares at me, looking conflicted. “Fine,” he agrees. “But if you stumble or lose your balance one more time, I will be carrying you.” During our argument, Claire and the men had exited the dungeon. Claire walked over to me and paused in front of me. “I need to go take care of some work soon,” she informs me. “I will have a discussion with Mr. Renost before I leave.” I nod to confirm that I understood what she said and focus on my feet. My brain is still fuzzy and walking steadily is difficult, but I don’t want to be carried. I carefully place one foot in front of the other. One. Two. Three. I count my steps. On number eight I stumble. I go to take step number nine, think
Bab terbaru
Born Rogue Epilogue
“Be careful, Kyle!” I call to my eldest as he runs out the back door of the packhouse and into the yard full of people. His younger brothers, Tate and Noah, chase after him. The three boys run through the large tent set up in the backyard as I chuckle at their antics. After defeating the Grim Ire pack and Emira, Tyler and I were finally able to settle down. A year later, Kyle was born. We waited a couple of years to let Kyle grow up before having Tate and Noah. Today, the whole pack is celebrating Kyle’s ninth birthday. “Grandma Claire is here!” Claire announces as she enters the backyard. I chuckle as the boys run over to greet her. Claire was ecstatic when Tyler and I asked her to be a grandmother to our children. She knows that she will never replace my mother, but she still treats me like a daughter. “Alright boys! Let Grandma talk to Mom for a bit. There will be plenty of time to play with her later,” I tell them as they cling to Claire’s hands, trying to pull her
Born Rogue Chapter 60
I become aware of many voices around me as my consciousness slowly returns. My fingers twitch to the side and bump against something. The thing moves and then a hand grasps mine. The pleasant tingles that shoot up my arm are all the information that I need to know that the hand holding mine is Tyler’s. “She’s awake,” I hear him cry and several other voices respond. Memories of being locked up in the lab flash through my head and I quickly cast a protective barrier around myself and Tyler. Shouting erupts on the outside of the barrier and I reach up with my free hand to rub my eyes. “Arielle?” Tyler asks. I squint my eyes at the bright overhead lights. All I can make out is a dark figure standing over me. Reflexingly, my fist flies up to remove the threat. It misses the figure and is caught by a warm hand that causes tingles to fly up my arm. “Arielle, look at me,” Tyler commands. I blink several more times, trying to adjust to the lights. My eyes slide around unt
Born Rogue Chapter 59
The green lights shoot around the room like little glowing rockets. They crash into my shields and fizzle out. I manage to see a green projectile heading towards the scientists despite the light show happening around me. I quickly throw up a shield around them. They will need to explain any information they have learned and then be judged for their involvement in this at a later time. “Nooo!” Emira shrieks as the green orb collides with the shield and harmlessly fizzles out. “This can’t be possible! I’ve always been stronger than the others!” “Others? What others?!” I question her. “The other lycans!” she wails. I glance at Tyler and notice that he is watching me. We share a look and he nods. “What do you mean ‘the other lycans’?” I shout back. “Did you think you were the first?” Emira lets out a vicious laugh as another round of green bullets collide with my shields. “There have been several before you. My father has been studying your kind for years. E
Born Rogue Chapter 58
“So if someone is cursed to sleep, what spell would you use to counter the curse?” I ask Aunt Shanna. “Ah!” she exclaims after pausing to think. “I know just the spell.” She begins to flip through the pages. Words fly past in rapid succession, but I manage to read a few. They mean guard, bind, and dispel. After flipping through half of the book, Shanna stops and points to a page. The explanation of the spell is short and merely states that the spell will wake up the recipient. The magic word is ‘izuzzu’ which means ‘arise’ in the language of magic. This is written at the center of the magic circle and is surrounded by lines that form the shape of z’s. Shanna seems to be watching me because when I glance up at her, she is staring back at me. “How do you end a spell? You said that you end a curse by casting it twice,” I question, looking away from her penetrating stare and back to the book. “Great question!” she cries. “Spells are normally negated by casting the opp
Born Rogue Chapter 57
The top half of the page is covered by an intricate design. The center of the design is a small square with a circle surrounding it. Around the circle are letters. Then several concentric rings surround the letters, each one larger than the last. Some are made up of circles connected together. Others are made of octagons and other shapes. The circles end and triangles form yet another circle around the design. In each triangle is a number and each number is different. Finally, there is one last circle that surrounds the entire design and connects the point of each triangle together. I am surprised to find that I can read the letters and numbers even though they are not written in any language that I can recognize. The numbers are in the same order as a clock and the letters at the bottom spell out ‘sleep’ over and over again. Below the design is a short explanation about the spell and how to cast it. “This is a sleep spell,” Aunt Shanna says, interrupting my thoughts.
Born Rogue Chapter 56
My nightmare repeats itself over and over again and each time I am younger than before. My helplessness is driving me crazy as I am forced to watch my parents die, unable to help. I wake up for the seventh time and my room is different from how I remember it. The walls are painted purple, but I only remember them being light green. My bed is also smaller. It suits my small, five year old body better than my normal twin size bed. I decide to lie in bed and think about my options. I have tried practically all of them without success. During the third round, I pretended to be sick the whole day, forcing my parents to stay home with me in hopes of avoiding the wolves. This ultimately failed when the rogue wolves broke into our house and killed them. Then I tried going into the city, going to another country, and even visiting the top floor of a skyscraper. Nothing worked. Each time the wolves came without fail. “Good morning, Sleepyhead,” a voice says. I roll my head to t
Born Rogue Chapter 55
My eyes open slowly, and I realize that I had fallen asleep on the couch. I sit up, ready to clean up my dishes from dinner, but freeze when I see the room around me. It is smaller than the bedroom in my house, but just as familiar. "Arielle, it's time for breakfast!" voice calls up the stairs to me. "Oh, no. Not this," I whisper as I slowly slide out of bed. The hardwood floor is cold against my feet as I plod down the hallway and into the bathroom. My head barely reaches halfway up the mirror, and my hunch is confirmed. I am the same height as when I was twelve, and I bet today is also my birthday. "Arielle!" The feminine voice calls again. "I'm getting done!" I yell out the open bathroom door. Clanging noises echo upstairs from the kitchen as I shut the door. I get done quickly and rush downstairs. It is hard to believe my eyes when I enter the kitchen. My mom stands in front of the stove, stirring something in a pan while my dad sits at the table reading t
Born Rogue Chapter 54
Beep. Beep. Beep. A loud noise awakens me, but disappears as soon as I open my eyes. My vision remains blurry and I swear that I can see a lab room with doctors bustling about surrounding me. My limbs feel heavy and weak. Then I blink and am back in the same bed I woke up in yesterday. I sit up, rubbing my eyes. Nothing has changed when I open them again. I am still sitting in bed covered by my navy blue comforter. My desk stands opposite my bed in the right corner of the room. Both my closet door and bathroom door hang open the way that I usually leave them. I slide off my bed and wait until my feet are buried in the soft, plush carpet before standing up. Then I spot it. My keys are on my desk along with my wallet. I know for sure that I left them hanging up in the hallway as I always do before going to bed yesterday. Perhaps, the day is repeating itself the same as yesterday. If that is true, then I may be in a nightmare. Upon realizing this, my mood immediately improves.
Born Rogue Chapter 53
I open my eyes, slowly becoming conscious. The soft fabric surrounding me and lack of pain have me confused. Where am I? Wasn’t I trapped in the lab? How did I get here? Looking around, the room seems familiar. I sit up on the bed and it dawns on me. I’m back home. Not the packhouse, but my old home. Why am I here though? I moved into the packhouse a while ago. I need to go talk to Tyler. He should know. I launch myself out of bed and get dressed as fast as possible. Grabbing my wallet and keys from where they lay on my desk, I practically sprint to my car. I definitely break several driving laws on my way to the packhouse. At one point, I took a turn so hard I nearly flipped my car. My tires squeal as I skid to a stop in front of the large mansion. I don’t even take the time to shut my car door before running into the building and up the stairs to Tyler’s office. The door flies open as I enter the room, accidentally using too much force. A loud gasp echoes in my ears a
