Chapter 0006

Bella's POV

I walked around the forest most of the morning, searching for possible clues. I also went to the spot where I found the warrior. He was definitely not attacked at this place. He came running from the mountain. There were only his footsteps and mine here. What huge feet he has. I chuckled. 'What do you think, Anaisha? Should we go to the mountain?' She seemed to ponder for a bit. 'Yes, but be careful and disguise your scent.'

I did, as Anaisha said, disguising my scent with the scent blocker I always carry with me. My stuff was well hidden within the cave. Nobody would know I was staying there. I kept walking until I reached the edge of the mountain. The battlefield was on the other side. All the warriors had to cross this mountain on their way back. I felt I was closer to getting answers.

I started climbing the mountain when halfway there, an overwhelming feeling made me stop. Tears started dripping from my eyes. What am I doing? This place is dangerous for me to be out here, alone and pregnant. If it was just me, I wouldn't care. The need to find my brothers is strong, but I shouldn't be putting my baby at risk. I should just go back to White Claw Pack and ask Uncle Conner to send a search party back. The conditions here aren't bad. I still wonder why Jasper lied about it.

I started descending when I heard voices close by. I specifically bought my cloak in a color that could easily blend with the bushes. I remained still. All I could hear was my heart thudding. 'Rogues.' Anaisha shivered. 'We'll be alright, Anaisha. They can't scent us.' They were too many. Their rotten smell was making me nauseous. All the bad decisions I have been making with haste, and at the heat of the moment, came rushing through me. I should have revealed my identity to the warriors. Now that I think about it, they didn't seem as bad. Well, compared to the rogues.

I remembered my ring at that moment, and just when I was about to bite my finger, two rogues pounced at me. Fuck!! 'Don't show them you're afraid, Bella; they thrive on the fear of others.' The two rogues grabbed me by the arms and lifted me easily from the floor.

"We got her!!" Yelled one of the rogues. A chorus of hoots came from everywhere. The two rogues by my side started snickering. They carried me all the way up the mountain. They had tents, and there were more rogues. They were at least 20 of them. My captors held me in place as a burley rogue who seemed to be their leader gave me a once over. He stared at his phone and then back at me.

"Would you look at that? It is her!" He said that to no one in particular. "What a delightful coincidence, Luna. You came straight to my den. There's a considerable bounty upon your safe return. Did you know?" The rogue smirked while he continued to bite a piece of straw. Tie her hands and watch her. I've heard she likes to run away." They all laughed.

The skinnier rogue was tying my hands while the other one held me. "This is a nice ring! I think I'm going to keep it." The rogue tried to pull the ring off of my finger, but the ring stayed in place no matter what he did.

"Leave her alone, Roy!! Their rogue leader yelled. "Bring her over. " They sat me unceremoniously on a stool next to him. The rogue kept staring at me. "You know, I'm in serious need of a mate myself. I like to call myself the rogue king." He put a strand of my hair behind my ear. He definitely was no king. He just looked plain evil, that's why the others obeyed him.

"How much is the bounty for my safety return?" I emphasize the safety part. This guy looked creepy, terrifying and creepy, and somehow not fully sane.

"We could have a little fun, your Alpha doesn't need to know." My heart thudded. He laughed like a madman. I'm sure I could somehow hurt one of my fingers and smeared my blood on the ring. I just have to wait for the right moment.

"Come on, Luna, what's the name of your Alpha? So he can come to collect his delightful prized possession, and I can get my money. Greg didn't give us all the details. The fool thinks I'll share the money with him." He huffed.

"He lied to you. My ex-mate doesn't want me. He has taken a mistress. There is no bounty for my safety return. He threw me out of the pack... ah!" My head turned to the side with the strong impact of his slap. My eyes stung, fighting tears.

"Don't think you can lie to me, wench. What Alpha in their right mind would throw out a woman like you?" He grabbed my chin and inhaled deeply. "Unless you want to stay with me, is that it? I could get used to your delicious smell." His eyes roamed over my body.

"Don't sweat." I hissed. He got up and pinched my chin really hard. I'll give you a couple of hours to reconsider. We have plenty of time. Nobody is coming to your rescue. We saw you arriving alone. A bit of a daredevil, I must say, or stupid. Either way, I know you're lying. Your mate will want all this hot stuff back." He waved a hand up and down my body. "The name is Gunner. Asked for me when you make your decision."

He walked away from me while staring at his phone. "Fuck!" He growled. "He survived! Greg failed to mention that. No wonder he was in a rush to leave. What will I say to the boss now?! We lost a great opportunity!" He started kicking stuff and growling. The other rogues moved out of his way while he was ranting. He grabbed one of the rogues by the neck and snapped it. Goddess, he killed him just because he could. He is a monster. Suddenly, going back to Jasper didn't sound as bad. I wanted to say something, but Roy put a finger on his lips and shook his head.

"Everything went smoothly with the other three. Why did they have to ruin it?! They had one job! Kill the man, that was it!!" He snarled. Was he talking about the warrior I found? All the rogues were scampering, and Gunner was like a bull on a rampage. He grabbed another rogue and tore his neck. He was getting dangerously closer to me. I stood on my feet and tried to run away. As long as I smear some blood on my ring, I will be fine. Gunner turned his head toward me, his eyes were red.

"Where do you think you're going?!!" He grabbed me by the hair, making me fall to my knees. I started screaming as his grip tightened.

"Gunner, the money, remember. No harm to the Luna." Said Roy with a gulp. "Do not intervene, Roy. I will teach some manners to this slut. She'll learn not to run from her man next time. Another slap on my face left me seeing black spots. Oh Goddess, my baby. 'Anaisha, the baby!' 'Don't faint, Bella, use your ring!'