Chapter 5

This might take a while…

Dargan’s POV

The alpha was back and damn I wish he wasn’t! Someone had seriously pissed in his porridge this morning--- On second thought, the entire pack might have taken a dumb in his porridge this morning, because he was taking some serious anger out on me again. And for once, I didn’t have the gag. Not that it worked in my favor or anything. He would ask a question and whenever he didn’t like the answer, he’d punch me.

And right now, he didn’t like anything I said…

“You were standing naked above her!” he said--- although how he knew that, was beyond me, but it seemed like he was twisting the tale, so he’d be a witness as well. Probably to add credibility to his son’s story. And right now, trying to get me to change mine…

“You’re telling me that was a coincidence?”

Was I mad for finding his question funny?

“You’re telling me that your wolf is so small, that your clothes don’t rip when you shift?” I mocked him back, knowing that no matter what I said, he wasn’t going to like it. “Or are you just that stupid you can’t---!”

Damn, this man was never going to let me finish an insult!

My rib broke under the onslaught of blows, and I was finding it harder and harder to breathe. But still, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed…

I mean---

This was THE Blackwood Pack! The biggest and strongest pack in the south, with so much money they could use it like freaking toilet paper! Alpha Christian Blackwood was infamous for how he led his pack with an iron fist, and he was rumored to be absolutely ruthless and a coldhearted bastard. But I must say, that if everything he’d done to me so far was his worse…

He was losing his touch!

And yes, I was qualified to judge considering that torturing people was what I did for a living – aside from fighting fixed boxing matches…

Oh, I didn’t mention my little side-gig as a punisher?

Sorry, my bad…

But yeah, I also got paid to hunt down certain wolves or make cheating husbands/wives pay for their crimes (I wouldn’t hit a woman, but there were other ways to terrify them if you know what I mean). Alphas, werewolves, and shady humans in general eventually got around to hearing about me and they paid me handsomely to find the thing they didn’t want to dirty their hands in. Because while we were werewolves and dealt in death more often than not, we had a Council of Elders to abide by. And they usually didn’t look too kindly on rogues and especially not alpha’s who made deals with them.

I stopped caring about that a long time ago…

“You know,” I wheezed when he finally let off. “It’s rude to cut a man off when he’s talking.”

Yeah, I was pissing him off, but--- he took the bait so easily how could I not?

Another blow and this time I was pretty sure he broke my jaw. And while I was just casually informed you of that, let me reassure you it hurt like a son of a bitch! As in I would have screamed in pain, if I hadn’t just had my ribs broken, causing me to black out for a second.

Or longer, I don’t know…

I just know that I woke up with an icy bucket of water in my face. And while I was thirsty, I preferred my water in my stomach, not my lungs. And as I just now discovered, having air in them served a might fine purpose…

Like breathing…!

“I should kill you right now,” Alpha Christian hissed, as his claws dug into my neck and his fingers squeezed my throat shut.

“But you---can’t--- Can you?” I wheezed between short gasps of air. He growled in my face but then instantly dropped me as if I’d just burned him. I crashed to the ground, coughing and gasping in much-needed air.

And then laughed.

You see…

I’d been right!

He couldn’t kill me. Not anymore because the guy who’d been here before had gone above his head. And sent for the Elder’s Council. It was the only thing that made sense at this point. Otherwise, they’d just leave me to rod down here, never bother with me again. But the alpha was back, and he was desperate.

Hell, it reeked off him!

And while killing me would solve all his problems, it would be too much of a coincidence if I accidentally died before they arrived. He would never be able to clear his son’s name.

“You orchestrated all of this, didn’t you?” the alpha sneered, desperate for a way to pin this shit on me. “You manipulated my beta---”

So…

The other guy had been a beta? Usually, that honor fell on the Alpha’s best friend, which just made the betrayal between them that much more of a blow. Frist with the murder, then with the demotion. And now this…?

Friendship really was a bitch…

“I told him the truth,” I informed the alpha, giving up on trying to get to my feet again. He’d already broken one of my legs and yeah, just like with the jaw thing, it hurt so damn bad, I was seeing black spots. I just couldn’t pass out just yet.

The show must go on as they say…

“You’re only angry because you know the little shit did it,” I spat--- literally! Blood was filling my mouth and I had to spit it out. Although most of it was running down my chin, because I didn’t have the energy to actually spit, and---

And fuck me!

Was that a tooth?!

Not again…

“He would never hurt Veronica like that,” the alpha replied, like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Really?” I smirked--- and yeah, I might be back to being a little delirious. “Then why don’t you command him to tell the truth?”

The breath froze in the alpha’s chest and that was all the confession I needed…

He knew the fucker did it!

Otherwise, he wouldn’t hesitate to do to – if nothing else then to clear his son’s name once and for all.

“Thought so,” I grinned, feeling everything inside and outside of me throb and ache. “But if it makes you feel any better, punch me all you want. It won’t change the facts.”

He left, slamming the door shut behind him. Not that I was going to miss his company, but I knew that the only reason why he’d leave so abruptly, was because the Elder’s Council had arrived.

At that, I smirked.

Good!

Now, you might wonder why I – a rogue – wasn’t worried about the supreme authority of the werewolf race was about to show up at my hypothetical doorstep? Especially considering that I’d been wanted for murder for over 15 years?

Well…

Let’s just say that I had something up my sleeve…

Still, when the door opened several days later, and the alpha led three werewolves into the cell, I couldn’t stop the surprise that made my heart squeeze in my chest. The werewolf in the front had a similar build to my own; before I got locked up here thaat is. His hair had a little more gray in it now than when I last saw him, but in so many ways, it was like seeing a ghost…

“Dargan,” the oldest of the bunch said, looking at me with hard, gray eyes.

Eyes that matched my own…

I sighed.

“Hello, Uncle!”