DelaneyI walk in, not saying a word to the guys standing outside. The bar’s name is Rogue, to my astonishment. I step through the heavy doors and immediately feel out of place. It’s clear from what I’m wearing and my overall style that I don’t belong here, and I stick out like a sore thumb. The bar is dimly lit, with neon signs flickering on the walls in shades of red, blue, and green. All of them say Rogue. They cast strange shadows across the room, making everything look a little distorted, a little off. Strange. The scent of leather, sweat, and cheap beer fills the air, along with the constant low hum of conversation, broken by the occasional rough laugh or clink of glasses. They’re everywhere, these men. I don’t spot a woman anywhere. A few pairs of eyes glance my way as I enter, sizing me up. I try to avoid their gazes, but I can feel them lingering. I keep my head down, pretending to focus on the floor, but I can’t shake the tight knot forming in my stomach. The place is
DelaneyWe keep walking forward, and we reach the Omegatrix. The sight of it makes me cry out in relief, and I collapse right outside, right before I reach the entrance. My legs weaken, and I’m so damn relieved that I have a hard time breathing. The men who escorted me enter the cavern, and a few seconds later, they come rushing out with Francesca trailing right behind them. “By the goddess!” she exclaims. “Delaney! You’re here!”I try to stand up, and walk with her inside the bar. From the corner of my eye, I see that the bar is crowded with people, but I don’t meet anyone’s eyes. I go with her to the back, and then she opens the store room and helps me inside. “I’ll sit on the floor,” I tell her. She helps me sit down, and I lean against the wall. I feel like shit, and I want to vomit. I can’t believe that I got away with that. That I survived the streets, and survived that rogue bar. “What do you need, sweetheart?” she asks me. “Water,” I say. “Please.”She leaves the room
AlecI keep watching Delaney until she disappears around the corner. That’s when I realize that I’ve been out here for too long, and I should have left a long time ago. I speed down the road, making sure not to look around for her. I’ve done my part. That’s what I tell myself over and over again. I’ve done my part. I can’t do more without sacrificing everything I have. I’ve gotten involved way too much as it is. If anyone finds out, I’m done for. I drive, intending to go home. I’ve had a rough few days, and I just want to forget that this has all happened. It’ll all fade to the back of my mind like a dream would, and I’ll go back to it whenever I want to indulge, but that’s it. I can’t do more without seriously harming my reputation. I know I’ve never really wanted to be Alpha, but I’d be a fool to say that I don’t enjoy the privileges that I have. It’s fucking amazing. There’s nothing in this world that’s better than being Alpha. Everything I did in these past few days was pos
Delaney "I'm glad you're safe," Paola whispers in my ear. "I was so worried about you.""I was worried about you, too," I confess. "I only felt calmer when Francesca told me that you and your brother had gone somewhere with Matteo. That was when I believed that you got back here safely. Were you hurt?"Matteo interrupts the moment by saying, "Delaney, could we have a word? It's urgent."Paola doesn't have a chance to answer my question. I pull away from her, and look at him. His expression is pretty neutral, and I can't figure out if that's good or bad, not yet. If I had to guess, I'd say that he's watching me suspiciously. I nod, and Paola releases my fingers after squeezing them, signaling that Matteo and I are supposed to have this conversation without them. We head back into the store room that gives me way too much anxiety now because of what it's hiding, and Matteo closes the door. "I have a few questions to ask you, and I want you to tell me the truth," he begins. "I like yo
Alec After the meeting, I drive on home.Everything is getting more and more complicated, and now that I know about Alpha Jason potentially consorting against us, I don't really know how to act. I’d be considered a sympathizer, too, if they found out what I did for Delaney Waters, a woman tied up so far into all of this that it’s almost hard to believe. Alpha Fredrick will send me a file tonight. Honestly, I’m sickened by all of this. I don’t want to have to fight against Alpha Jason or anyone, really. Does that make me a weak Alpha? Do I have to love the taste of blood to be a great leader? It seems that’s the only way of looking at it, but in my defense, I don’t want more people to die. This war has barely started, and I’m already exhausted. The good thing is that I’ve sworn Delaney out of my life. I don’t care how much my wolf rebels against me for doing it. I had to cut the connection between us, even though I do still feel like I need to repay her for taking the blame and bei
DelaneyMatteo is keeping me away from the main duties of the rebellion while he deliberates, and honestly, I’m not complaining. I need the time to sit back and rest. I feel like I haven’t done that since I left the prison, where I had no much rest that I grew tired of it. It’s incredible how I now miss the peace and silence that came with being locked up. Out here in the world, everything is always moving so quickly, and there’s hardly enough time to think. I’m alone now, though, and that helps. Paola went with her brother and Matteo to do goddess-knows-what, and I’m underground by myself in the little house they own. I’ve been sleeping all day, losing track of time. My body is still recovering from the multiple injuries I had, which seem to be fading now with each passing hour. The deeper wounds are still tender, but the burns in my legs haven’t scarred that much. One would have to look very closely to see them. Not that I care about scarring or even appearances. I recognize tha
Delaney"Delaney," Matteo says to me as soon as he enters the bar. "A word, please."I drop the dishcloth I was using to dry the glasses, and follow him toward the exit of the bar. When we step outside, there’s nobody around, but I can see dust particles in the air, and that makes me wonder if people or wolves were running through this passageway. He turns around to face me, his face all business. I realize that this is when he tells me whether or not I’m going to be a part of this operation. I feel nervous all of a sudden, and fold my arms to hide the fact that my fingers are shaking a little. If he tells me to leave, I’ll do it. I wouldn’t want to sabotage the rebellion in any way. “To start with,” he begins, “I’ll let your secret slide this one time. I won’t demand to know who your helper was. I’ll leave it as it is on the condition that if it happens again, you’ll tell me who it was.”I nod. “Okay.”“I’ll also have to ask you to be more cautious when you’re stepping outside. It
Delaney I wince when Paola dabs the wound with a wet cloth to get rid of the debris lodged into it. When the man tackled me to the ground, I hit my forehead hard, and now it’s open and bleeding, and has a whole bunch of sand and other small particles embedded in it. It’s important for wounds to be clean before the healing process commences, otherwise the risk of infection is increased. Everyone’s eyes are on me, and I don’t know what I see in them. I have this feeling like they don’t believe me. What stranger would tackle me to the ground down here? I’ve already tried to describe him, and nobody recognizes him. The description doesn’t ring a bell. “It could be one of the younger boys messing with you,” Cade claims while folding his arms. He’s gotten out of the library for once, and he’s having a beer with everyone else. “I’ll speak to them about this. It’s not right for them to try to scare you.”I want to shake my head, and tell him that the person stalking me isn’t some kid. Thi