I stood outside the room with Kalen and his parents. “She’s given us nothing, really,” the rogue king explained. “She claims that James simply introduced her to Carl. He seduced her, convinced her to leave the rogues and join him as his mistress. Lena swears she never worked for James or was involved in any plots. According to her, she is nothing more than a victim of poor judgement and circumstances.Danielle snorted and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arm. “Yeah, right.”“What she said,” I agreed. “She was never a victim.” I drummed my fingers on my thigh as I thought. “What if I go in and talk to her?”The king frown, looking confused. “What do you think you’d get from her that my people didn’t get?”“Something closer to the truth,” I replied. “I saw how she treated the people in Crimson Fang. She said things to me that I bet she wished she could take back now. In short, Lena can’t lie to me. Plus, I bet I can push a few buttons your people didn’t know how to or couldn’t push.”
“Well done,” the rogue king said as soon as I left the interrogation room.“Agreed,” Danielle said. “You pushed, but didn’t go too far, used her weaknesses subtly. If you want it, I’d say you could have a bright future in investigative work.”“Thanks,” I said, and just because I wanted to be sure, I asked the king, “I didn’t overstep with the lies about you and all that, did I?”It was Danielle who replied before the king could so much as open his mouth. “The point of an investigation is to get answers by… almost any means necessary.”The king nodded. “Yes, and we’re aware you’re not one for grandstanding or entitlement.”Relief filled me and also a little surprise. While they were right, I didn’t expect them to know that. “Great, thanks.”Danielle offered me a smile and patted my arm as the king said, “I’ll give this information to my people and see what we can do with it.”They started to leave, and I stopped them, asking, “What are you going to do with her?”“What we usually do wit
Kalen and I didn’t go back to the communal building. Instead, we went for a walk outside. We didn’t say anything as we walked for a while. Kalen still had a pensive look on his face. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. The sun shone down above us, the warm light reflecting in Kalen’s distant eyes. He had been quiet for too long.“What’s bothering you now?” I asked him as we walked.Kalen exhaled sharply through his nose, like he’d just remembered I was there. “Bothering? Nothing,” Kalen said, then added, “and I mean it this time.”“Then why do you look like your brain is going a mile a minute?”“Oh, I’m thinking, just not about my mistakes or anything like that.”I gave him a curious look. “Okay,” I said, drawing out the word. “That’s not cryptic at all.”He laughed and grinned at me. “Just thinking that all those things you said to Lena weren’t exactly lies.”Still very confused, I asked again, “What do you mean?”Kalen reached out and took my hand in his as
It didn’t take us long to prepare to leave for the lycan king’s territory. At this point, I stopped unpacking my travel bags. It seemed like every week; I was heading off to somewhere new. Travel was uneventful. However, when we arrived, there was a thread of tension in the air that I didn’t like. “Anyone else feel that, or is it just me?” I whispered to the others as they escorted us to the lycan king.“No, I feel it,” Kalen replied.“It’s to be expected,” his father said, his tone soft. “It was practically last week we were enemies in the middle of a war. I’d be more worried if there wasn’t any tension.”“Yes, it would feel like a trap otherwise,” Danielle replied. “But the people’s tension isn’t our concern. It’s my father whose reaction matters.”“Indeed,” the lycan king said, emerging from a room to our left, surprising all of us. “It seems the entire rogue community has come to my doorstep.” He gave Kalen’s father a disapproving look.“Father,” Danielle said, giving that look ri
When I got a hold of myself, it was just Kalen and me. I wiped my face, feeling embarrassed and stupid. How could Carl still get to me like that? As much as I wanted to believe Carl was lying, but I had read the rogue scout report so many times I had memorized the details. Carl mentioned every single one of them.“What happened, Alyssa?” Kalen asked, worry dripping from his voice.I continued to clean my face as I ducked my head. Taking a slow breath, I told him about the things Carl said. “I’m so stupid. I know he’s a dirty little snake, yet here I am…”Kalen pulled me against him. “No. Enough of that. You’re not stupid or anything like that. Carl is the idiot, greedy for everything that wasn’t his,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “You are a good person, Alyssa. You care for people, and don’t toss those you once cared about so easily to the side. Don’t ever feel bad for caring about others.”I let out a shaky breath, my fingers curling into Kalen’s shirt as I held on to his w
I leaned into my seat of the van we came in, staring out the window as we left the Lycan king’s immediate territory. “Alyssa,” the rogue king said, catching my attention, and I noticed he turned into his seat to face me.“Yeah?” I asked, feeling as if I’d missed something important.“While I spoke with the lycan king, he agreed to let us make a stop on the way, if you like that is,” he said.“A stop?”The king nodded. “We can stop by Crimson Fang to visit your father’s resting place. I know you haven’t said goodbye properly.”Surprised filled me and I didn’t answer him at first. “Uhm, yeah,” I said after a moment. “I wo
Nearly a week passed after our visit with the lycan king. Danielle and I continued our training while I saw very little of Kalen or his father. There was a lot of movement in the camp. It seemed as if we were getting closer to finding James. I tried asking Danielle if she knew anything, but she just said I should focus on my training and trust that if there was news Kalen would tell her.That only made me annoyed, one because I hated not knowing what exactly was going on and second, because she was right. Kalen wouldn’t keep me in the dark about anything important. Yet, where was he? Until recently, he was practically at my side all the time. It seemed strange he wasn’t here.Suddenly, my feet knocked out from under me, but Danielle caught me before I hit the ground. “You’re not paying attention,” she lectured as she glared down at me.“Right,” I said, feeling a bit of whiplash. “Sorry.”“You should be,” Danielle said and pulled me up to my feet. “I’m not doing this for my health, you
***Trigger Warning - This story deals with child loss ***My little one has left. I was so lucky to be his mother, yet so tragically only for a month.I hummed a soft lullaby as I rocked back and forth in the rocking chair while I held the necklace in my hands. This would be the closest I’d ever get to holding my baby ever again. Oh, goddess, why did you give him to me only to take him away so soon?My fingers brushed over the glass that sealed the ashes of my son, as I stared at the one that contained a small snip of his dark blonde hair. Hair just like his father, Kalen. This damned war! It had taken both of them from me.Six months ago, out of nowhere, rogues began attacking several packs, including ours. They were slipping past defenses and taking out key strategic spots with astonishing precision. Everywhere they went, towns burned and fields trampled, turning the whole place into a living hell.“Alyssa, take care of yourself. I will be back soon.” My father kissed me and left to
Nearly a week passed after our visit with the lycan king. Danielle and I continued our training while I saw very little of Kalen or his father. There was a lot of movement in the camp. It seemed as if we were getting closer to finding James. I tried asking Danielle if she knew anything, but she just said I should focus on my training and trust that if there was news Kalen would tell her.That only made me annoyed, one because I hated not knowing what exactly was going on and second, because she was right. Kalen wouldn’t keep me in the dark about anything important. Yet, where was he? Until recently, he was practically at my side all the time. It seemed strange he wasn’t here.Suddenly, my feet knocked out from under me, but Danielle caught me before I hit the ground. “You’re not paying attention,” she lectured as she glared down at me.“Right,” I said, feeling a bit of whiplash. “Sorry.”“You should be,” Danielle said and pulled me up to my feet. “I’m not doing this for my health, you
I leaned into my seat of the van we came in, staring out the window as we left the Lycan king’s immediate territory. “Alyssa,” the rogue king said, catching my attention, and I noticed he turned into his seat to face me.“Yeah?” I asked, feeling as if I’d missed something important.“While I spoke with the lycan king, he agreed to let us make a stop on the way, if you like that is,” he said.“A stop?”The king nodded. “We can stop by Crimson Fang to visit your father’s resting place. I know you haven’t said goodbye properly.”Surprised filled me and I didn’t answer him at first. “Uhm, yeah,” I said after a moment. “I wo
When I got a hold of myself, it was just Kalen and me. I wiped my face, feeling embarrassed and stupid. How could Carl still get to me like that? As much as I wanted to believe Carl was lying, but I had read the rogue scout report so many times I had memorized the details. Carl mentioned every single one of them.“What happened, Alyssa?” Kalen asked, worry dripping from his voice.I continued to clean my face as I ducked my head. Taking a slow breath, I told him about the things Carl said. “I’m so stupid. I know he’s a dirty little snake, yet here I am…”Kalen pulled me against him. “No. Enough of that. You’re not stupid or anything like that. Carl is the idiot, greedy for everything that wasn’t his,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “You are a good person, Alyssa. You care for people, and don’t toss those you once cared about so easily to the side. Don’t ever feel bad for caring about others.”I let out a shaky breath, my fingers curling into Kalen’s shirt as I held on to his w
It didn’t take us long to prepare to leave for the lycan king’s territory. At this point, I stopped unpacking my travel bags. It seemed like every week; I was heading off to somewhere new. Travel was uneventful. However, when we arrived, there was a thread of tension in the air that I didn’t like. “Anyone else feel that, or is it just me?” I whispered to the others as they escorted us to the lycan king.“No, I feel it,” Kalen replied.“It’s to be expected,” his father said, his tone soft. “It was practically last week we were enemies in the middle of a war. I’d be more worried if there wasn’t any tension.”“Yes, it would feel like a trap otherwise,” Danielle replied. “But the people’s tension isn’t our concern. It’s my father whose reaction matters.”“Indeed,” the lycan king said, emerging from a room to our left, surprising all of us. “It seems the entire rogue community has come to my doorstep.” He gave Kalen’s father a disapproving look.“Father,” Danielle said, giving that look ri
Kalen and I didn’t go back to the communal building. Instead, we went for a walk outside. We didn’t say anything as we walked for a while. Kalen still had a pensive look on his face. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. The sun shone down above us, the warm light reflecting in Kalen’s distant eyes. He had been quiet for too long.“What’s bothering you now?” I asked him as we walked.Kalen exhaled sharply through his nose, like he’d just remembered I was there. “Bothering? Nothing,” Kalen said, then added, “and I mean it this time.”“Then why do you look like your brain is going a mile a minute?”“Oh, I’m thinking, just not about my mistakes or anything like that.”I gave him a curious look. “Okay,” I said, drawing out the word. “That’s not cryptic at all.”He laughed and grinned at me. “Just thinking that all those things you said to Lena weren’t exactly lies.”Still very confused, I asked again, “What do you mean?”Kalen reached out and took my hand in his as
“Well done,” the rogue king said as soon as I left the interrogation room.“Agreed,” Danielle said. “You pushed, but didn’t go too far, used her weaknesses subtly. If you want it, I’d say you could have a bright future in investigative work.”“Thanks,” I said, and just because I wanted to be sure, I asked the king, “I didn’t overstep with the lies about you and all that, did I?”It was Danielle who replied before the king could so much as open his mouth. “The point of an investigation is to get answers by… almost any means necessary.”The king nodded. “Yes, and we’re aware you’re not one for grandstanding or entitlement.”Relief filled me and also a little surprise. While they were right, I didn’t expect them to know that. “Great, thanks.”Danielle offered me a smile and patted my arm as the king said, “I’ll give this information to my people and see what we can do with it.”They started to leave, and I stopped them, asking, “What are you going to do with her?”“What we usually do wit
I stood outside the room with Kalen and his parents. “She’s given us nothing, really,” the rogue king explained. “She claims that James simply introduced her to Carl. He seduced her, convinced her to leave the rogues and join him as his mistress. Lena swears she never worked for James or was involved in any plots. According to her, she is nothing more than a victim of poor judgement and circumstances.Danielle snorted and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arm. “Yeah, right.”“What she said,” I agreed. “She was never a victim.” I drummed my fingers on my thigh as I thought. “What if I go in and talk to her?”The king frown, looking confused. “What do you think you’d get from her that my people didn’t get?”“Something closer to the truth,” I replied. “I saw how she treated the people in Crimson Fang. She said things to me that I bet she wished she could take back now. In short, Lena can’t lie to me. Plus, I bet I can push a few buttons your people didn’t know how to or couldn’t push.”
We found Danielle and the trackers quickly and she promised us she’d get the news to her father, the lycan king, as soon as possible. Still, unease prickled at the back of my mind. We had to get to them before James did. Kalen suggested we keep ourselves busy. There was one place I could go to keep my mind off things, as I stayed busy. “Alright, I know just where to go. Follow me,” I told him.“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Kalen said when I led him to the kitchen.“I know, but if you want to let off some stress and stay busy, there is no better place,” I replied. “Also, I think it would do you some good to serve for once.” Ignoring the look on Kalen’s face, I walked over to Marcel. “Got some extra hands if you need it,” I said as a way of introduction.He gave me a look and said, “I always need extra hands.” Marcel didn’t waste any time shoving a cutting board and a pile of vegetables in Kalen’s direction. “Start chopping. Even pieces, don’t mangle them.”Kalen stared at th
I sat at the large desk in the rogue king’s office with several papers in front of me. There were letters between Carl and James. I flipped through the pages, my fingers tightening around the edges as I read. Carl’s resentment against my father seeped through every carefully penned word. He spoke of betrayals, real or imagined, and of how he could do better if only given the chance.James’ responses were more measured, calculated even. He never outright encouraged Carl’s complaints, but fed Carl’s frustration with carefully placed questions and vague statements. It was manipulation at its finest, and Carl had walked right into it blindly. He ate up everything James gave him. Idiot.As much as the letters against my father angered me, the ones mentioning me were worse. He expressed his frustration at our friendship not becoming more, but there was one that was rather crude, talking about what he’d like to do to me. The casual way he wrote about me, as if I were some prize to be claimed