Liya.My breath hitched in my throat. "Escape?" I stammered. My mind raced, replaying James's words like a broken record."Rogue… smell like a rogue…" This couldn't be happening. How did he know? Could he actually smell it on me?I actually never thought rogues smelled a certain way, but if they did, and I smelled like them, I was at an advantage because it would be difficult for my mates or anyone else to find me.“Are you certain about me smelling like a rogue? Can you explain it a bit more to me? How do rogues smell?”James squinted at me; his brow furrowed in suspicion. "Don't play dumb, Liya," he said, his voice low and tense. "There's something different about you. A scent… a presence. It's… familiar."Familiar? A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. Maybe… maybe he wouldn't freak out. Maybe he'd understand. But before I could even think about explaining, James's eyes widened in realization.“Are you a rogue?” He asked again, his eyes narrowing at me.Rogue. The word hung heavy
Liya…I paced the room, trying to process Jame’s revelation. The air crackled with electricity as the realization dawned on me. Jameson Davies. The son of the Beta, I vaguely remembered from my childhood. The missing piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place.I now realized why I had no idea who he was, a lot had changed about him. He was much older and had grown to be his own person. Also, he was well-built, compared to the lanky looking James everyone knew.“I can’t believe it’s you, you should have just told me your real name, I would have easily remembered you, rather than make me rack my brain, while feeling like I disappointed you.”“Well, you did disappoint me,” James smirked.“I wished you had told me sooner. No wonder I felt so comfortable with you. It’s because we’ve known each other already.”"Jameson," I repeated, the name tasting strange yet familiar on my tongue. "I… I don't believe it. You've changed so much."A wave of emotions washed over me – shock, disbelief, a
Hunter’s POVSilence. It was a suffocating thing, pressing down on me like a physical weight. I’d so badly wanted to sit on the Alpha’s chair, in this very chamber, but it now echoed with an emptiness that mirrored the hollowness in my chest.It had been a couple of weeks since Liya… since everything went to hell. The memory of her fiery eyes flashing with defiance, her words laced with hurt and anger, still haunted me.I know we weren’t perfect, but at least we tried our best. Relationships weren’t exactly plain and simple, especially if you have the weight of the pack on your shoulders, even Liya knew that, but I guess she expected us to try harder.Her disappearance had punched a hole through our hearts, leaving a void that echoed in the training grounds and every other place I tortured her.Guilt gnawed at me; a beast that refused to be tamed. We, the triplets – Gunter, Ryder, and I – had treated Liya like… well, like something less than she deserved. We followed our father's lead
Liya’s POVSurprise flickered through me as Jameson steered me away from the cluster of out of shape buildings. I'd half-expected to meet a disorganized group of rogues huddled around a fire, sharing stories of their struggles and plotting menace.But in their case, they were just a bunch of people fighting for survival, if anything, they inspire me. The fact that they were able to survive the war and still form a community of strong people who looked out for themselves.Rogues were often seen as werewolves who do not abide by laws, werewolves who brought chaos wherever they went, but these people were nothing like that. Perhaps they’ve always been misunderstood.Don’t get me wrong, some of them were complete neanderthals, with myopic sense of reasoning. They’re go to war even at the expense of their family."There are others here?" I asked, curiosity piqued.Jameson chuckled. "Yeah, there are. But they're not exactly the 'let's hold hands and sing campfire songs' type. They keep thei
Liya's POVMy heart hammered against my ribs as the werewolf, gruff and with scars all over, blocked our path. James, stepped forward, a placating smile on his face. His stance was a little protective, his hand holding mine as I stood behind him.Okay, forget what I said about rogues, some of them are completely dangerous with an intent to kill.I had a feeling the rogue knew his presence frightened me, and he liked it. It’s probably a reaction he was used to getting from people."Easy there, Greymane," he said, his voice warily cheerful. "It's just James and a friend. We come in peace."The wolf, whose name was Greymane apparently, scrutinized us both with narrowed eyes. He sniffed the air, his nose twitching comically. "A friend, huh?" he rumbled, his gaze lingering on me."Doesn't smell like any friend I know. Wait! Are you fucking this girl, James? Oh my my my, this must be your newest little conquest, you didn’t have to call her your friend, James. We don’t frown upon fucking."H
Liya’s POVApparently, Candice was James’ sister. I wondered why I did not remember her. ‘Maybe because you did not remember James in the first place,’ My wolf replied, answering my question.She was so young as well, I felt bad for her, she had been through so much at such a young age. It must have been difficult for her to move from place to place. Her situation made me try to understand her hostility towards me, but her outburst left me reeling a little, every other person was receptive, so why her? Why that reaction? I internally chuckled.It appears being around James seemed to get the girls irritated. Both the girls at the academy and now his sister.What was even more hilarious was the fact that I wasn’t actually his girlfriend, but they kept making it seem like I was. Or at least that was what their jealousy was fueled by.I once asked James why everyone thought I was his girlfriend, and his reply was vague as expected.His words “you can’t blame them, people hardly see me wit
Liya’s POVCandice met my gaze, “Why so silent? Cat got your tongue?” She said, a smug smile on her face. I released her, still somewhat in shock.Had James told her I was mated to the triplets? But that was definitely not the reason for her initial hatred towards me. Instead of overthinking, I decided to just ask her.“How do you know I’m mated to the triplets?” I quizzed, narrowing my eyes at her. She snorted, “I uncovered your secret, haven’t I?”There had to be someone reason why she was this hostile to me and I had to find out why. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t bother, but for some reason, I didn’t because she was Jame’s sister.“That does not answer my question Candice. I’m not going to ask again, how do you know I’m mated to the triplets?” I countered, taking an intimidating step towards her.Her eyes darted around the room, searching for a quick escape. I smiled, analyzing her thoughts. The door obviously was not an option because I had my back to it, and the windows wer
Liya’s POVA wave of relief washed over me as Candice and I laughed at her sarcastic joke, we had succeeded in forming a truce, one I hoped would last forever.I could use a female friend, one who was honest and fierce as Candice. I needed someone who would be completely transparent with me and would have my back no matter what.“You know, I initially thought you were one of those girls that had a crush on James and hated seeing me around him, before he introduced you to me as his sister. Then I realized you were just being protective of him.”“He’s just been through so much and I want him to be happy. I want him to be safe as well. And he seems to like you a lot, I wanted to make sure you’re not out to hurt him,” Candice explained softly.“I won’t, James has been there for me, ever since I knew him. More than anything, I want him to be happy and safe as well. He could use a break from all the fighting.”The sound of the rough wooden door creaking open made us both jump. James stood i