Chasel carried me all the way back, straight into my bedroom. "I want to check your ankle," he insisted once we were alone. "Let me shower and put on some clothes," I told him. "You probably want your jacket back, right?" I had to make light of the situation; otherwise, I would break down. He smiled at that comment, but I nearly had to push him out to make him leave. He was quite concerned.As the water pelted my tender skin, I hoped to mentally and physically cleanse myself of the slime from that customer. After a half hour, I realized there wasn't enough soap in the world to scrub the feeling of that pervert's hands off me. The only thing that could counteract my shivers of shame was what Chasel did to help me.When finished, I stood on the bath mat, staring at the steamy mirror. Limping my way over, I wiped a circle of condensation off to see my face. I was startled in fright at my reflection. My cheeks were swollen, and my lip was cut from the heavy-handed hits of my ex-bos
My life in the rogue slums was difficult when we first arrived, but it wasn't so bad now. In fact, this was the best I'd felt since my mother passed away. I looked forward to waking up instead of feeling depressed like I did when I lived at Gold Valley. Every morning, Chasel did his best to serve Anna and me breakfast. It was a kind gesture, and he wanted to do his part, but in true Chasel style, things didn't always go as planned. He blew up the kitchen more than once, but he wasn't deterred. He never seemed to give up on improving, no matter how hard things were. Today, after I woke up, I could smell Chasel cooking all morning, though I couldn’t say it tempted me. There was the strong scent of smoke accompanied by the sound of pans clanging together. “Oh, you’re up!” he excitedly told Anna and me when we came to the kitchen. "This is going to be a fantastic breakfast. Just you wait.”Of course, Anna and I were skeptical and discreetly covered our mouths, tittering about
That night, I lay in my bed but could not sleep. I kept tossing and turning, recalling Chasel's gentle yet desperate eyes as he looked at me with affection. My face burned from shyness, and I covered my head with the blankets. Did he really say that to me?Secretly, I smiled to myself. The next morning, we pretended nothing happened, especially in front of Anna. However, Anna could sense that something was going on with us. Chasel wasn't exactly skilled at hiding how he felt.Anna's eyes were glued to him, and I could see him becoming uncomfortable. Why would she purposely make him feel bad? Surely, there was a method to her madness, right?While she stared at him for several seconds, her eyes flicked back to me. I was just as terrible of an actor as Chasel was at hiding how I felt! Here, I was thinking I'd be able to play it cool, but Anna's all-knowing eyes pierced my soul. It was like she could see into my every thought. Her eyes snapped back to Chasel. When Chasel noticed h
I dropped my jaw when the tables and stools bent in half as easily as snapping toothpicks. I locked eyes with one of the rogues. Seeing me excited him, and he advanced, clenching his jaw. With all his strength, he swung the iron bar at me. Luckily, my reflexes kicked in, and I dodged it. However, he recovered and came back more zealously, raising the bar high over his head.Just when it would crack down on me, Chasel's sinewy hand intervened, clasping the rogue's wrist. He held on with a vice grip, staring his enemy down. Gasping, I realized Chasel had just fended off a two-handed attack with only one! His golden irises shimmered under the track lighting above him, and he narrowed his eyes. With intense determination, Chasel twisted the rogue's arm around until it was in an unnatural position."No, stop! You're going to break it!" my attacker cried, yelping in pain with each twist. "I'm sorry! What do you want? I'll do anything.""Why did you attack her?" Chasel demanded, jerking
Just as the rogue clamped down on Chasel's throat, we heard thunderous, unified howls. Their gritty quality made them sound like roars. Everyone around us widened their eyes and ducked their heads, cowering. Almost immediately, our attackers shifted to humans. "That's the Moonlight Pack howl!" one of the hurt rogues whispered fiercely to another. "We gotta get out of here." He spun around frantically, searching for a path to escape. "We're so screwed," his wounded friend whimpered just before he passed out. Chasel had done some damage to them despite his smashed back. The rogues knew that this roar meant it was time for a crackdown, and everyone was running scared. This chance intervention drew their attention, and they were no longer concerned with Chasel and me.In fact, they raced in the opposite direction, attempting to flee. Taking advantage of the chaos, Chasel led me outside so we could slip away from Salvatore and his crew. We walked as fast as we could toward home.
The warriors swiped me from my hiding spot as if I were light as a feather. Still coughing, I fumbled with my footing as they forced me to freeze. Judging by their coordinated movements, these two were used to this type of situation. I wasn’t getting away. "Let me guess? You can’t prove who you are," one commented as they cuffed me. I debated whether to explain or not. Who would believe I was from the Gold Valley Pack and marooned here? Even if Moonlight vetted me, I wouldn't have the backing of my father. Choosing not to speak, I simply shook my head. I doubted it would carry much weight that their captain had saved me. From Anna’s recount of her life, it didn’t mean anything to be spared. After my expected response, the warriors glanced at each other and shrugged with cynical smirks. They handled me effortlessly as they swiftly led me out of the rubble. Along the way, I noted how their muscles filled the outline of their shirts. These were two guys I didn't want t
As I stared at this stranger, I stepped back, feeling embarrassed about my display of affection. However, he didn't seem bothered as he stood straight and introduced himself. "I'm Felix, the new Alpha King's personal assistant," he said, touching his chest. "I also happen to be his best friend." He flashed me a confident smile. I laughed under my breath once but then knitted my brow, feeling uncertain. "It's nice to meet you, Felix," I began, "But where am I?""You're at the Moonlight Pack hospital ward. I hope that isn't a shock to you," he said with concern in his voice. “Maybe I should have led with that.” "How did I get here?" I pursed my lips together as I glanced at him. "I had no choice but to rescue you from those savages. It was a terrible sight.""You saw me in the jail cell?""Yes, I intervened. I stopped by the station to interrogate some of the rogue prisoners when I noticed you.""I see," I whispered, touching my fingers to my lips, ponderi
Chester/Chasel POVThe flicker of warm light played against my closed eyes, gently waking me. After slowly raising my lids, I had to squint. The sun was brightly streaming through the nearby windows. Glancing outside, the sky was pale blue with streaks of thin clouds. I couldn't help but feel optimistic. The scent of bleach and another disinfectant hung in the hair. The latter's aroma reminded me of somewhere else, but my thoughts were too jumbled to recall. In the distance, muffled voices carried from behind the door. My hearing was dulled, and I couldn’t make out the words. When I glanced down at myself lying in the white hospital bed, I was shocked. What happened to me? My mind was foggy, trying to reconcile where I was now, with what I knew. Glancing at a familiar scar on my index finger, the memories came flooding back. A little girl was in trouble. She was held captive by a group of rogues. I felt I had no choice but to save her, but regretfully, I'd fallen