Chapter 1

I could smell them before they smelt me.

Ten years of being a rogue meant I had trained myself to be able to smell a threat before they became a threat, it was a trick which had gotten me out of many certain death situations.

I shifted before they had emerged from the clearing and was preparing myself for an attack. I wasn't going to go down easy and it was sure as hell going to take more than a couple of male-wolves to take me down.

I may not look like much to the eye, but looks can be deceiving. I was more powerful than people had ever given me credit for which is part of the reason any pack members who managed to find me had always ended up dead at my hand; I wasn't someone to be messed with when I was pissed off.

It would seem that people were determined to find that out the hard way though. Not that you would ever catch me complaining. Killing those who were supposed to be some of the best fighters in the pack always bought about a sense of happiness, knowing I was one step closer to being able to seek my revenge.

In the ten years I had been living as a rouge the thought of actually meeting my mate was something which had crossed my mind on a couple of occasions, but they were brushed to the side as quickly as they came. At almost twenty-eight I had pretty much accepted that I was never going to find my other half and, even if I did find him now, then I would be sure to reject him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous rogue," one of the males chuckled when they finally came to a stop where I was readying myself.

"It looks like someone is planning on killing us," the other laughed in response.

"That's a shame because I don't know about you Jackson. But I really don't feel like dying today," another one replied, clearly amused that I was considering attacking them when I didn't have anyone to actually back me up. But that had never bothered me in the past and they must have known that.

"I would agree, Thomas. What about you Jacob? Do you want to die?" Jackson remarked.

Internally I was laughing to myself, and decided I would use this time to attack but, just as I was about to jump, a wolf came flying at me out of nowhere. His brown fur covering my eyes, making it damn near impossible to know what the hell was going on, but I had never been one to give up without a fight and this wasn't going to be an exception to the rule.

I used my hind legs to kick him in the stomach, forcing him off me and sending him flying into a tree. To say he looked pissed off would be an understatement but that simply made the situation all the more amusing for myself.

He ran towards me again but I was quicker than he was and managed to duck before he could actually hit me, but I made sure not to miss him, sinking my teeth at the point where his shoulder and neck met each other; refusing to relent until I had the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

"Damn. She's good!" I heard one of three idiots state. I didn't know which made the comment, so I growled at all three of them, running towards them which only resulted in myself now being surrounded by three more wolves.

I was in the middle and the four wolves were surrounding me, growling at me as they each made awkward eye contact with me. I dared to be brave and ended up taking a swipe at the black and white wolf which was closest to me, my claw cutting deep against his skin.

I was about to make another move, only a voice of authority put a stop to the show before it could go any further. "Enough. I want her alive."

I looked over to see a well-dressed man walking towards the five of us. The four wolves around me quickly transformed without so much as a word and, when they had done. I could see the damage I had done to two of them. I couldn't help but feel proud knowing they were injured and that I was the one who had done it.

"Shift. Now," he attempted to use his Alpha command on me, only it didn't work and I did nothing but continue to glare at him. "I said, shift."

I turned my back on his and walked over to a tree, remaining in my wolf form as I decided that I was going to lay down and close my eyes. My wolf never had been any good at taking orders, she didn't even listen to me half the time so I wasn't going to force her to do something she didn't want to do.

"Either you shift, or we'll make you shift," the Alpha demanded.

"Alpha Jayson, is she the rogue who has murdered so many?"

I looked up at the guy who I quickly recognized as Jackson. He had a huge gash across his cheek, his blond hair was all over the place and his green eyes almost looked like they were trying to see into my soul. He even had a pretty good body on him if I was being honest.

"I believe her to be, but I was her back on our territory where we can question her properly," Jayson replied firmly.

"Understood Alpha." Jackson bowed his head politely before walking back over to the male I had injured during our fight. I couldn't see him, but I could smell that he was losing a lot of blood, and I hoped he would die; I hoped his family would feel the same pain I had been forced to feel for the last ten years.

"Thomas. Jacob. I want you to take Shaun to the pack doctor and then inform our guards that we shall have a new prisoner joining us," Jayson ordered.

I saw the other two men pick up the practically lifeless body and run through the forest.

While he had been busy giving his orders, I had taken the opportunity to shift back and pull on some clothes. Jeans and a vest top with some sandals, I was used to travelling light these days and it was pretty much the same outfit I had worn for the last ten years.

"Ah. The famous Alpha Jayson. We meet at last." I smirked. He was feared among all packs and was known for his ruthlessness, but I was more feared and had caused more trouble in five minutes than he had done in his entire seven year reign as Alpha of the Moon Shadow pack.

"I would say it's a pleasure, but I guess I'd be lying," he muttered back distastefully.

"How many of your pack have I killed now in your bid to capture me? I lost count after the first forty men." I found myself laughing. Me, a single rogue, had killed some of the most experience and trained fighters in the country.

"Now I have you and I have no intention of letting you leave alive," Jayson remarked. I knew what was coming the moment Jackson walked over to me.

My wrists were bound with silver hand cuffs and, though it stung like a bitch, I wasn't going to let it show that I was in pain.

"There was me thinking we could be friends," I replied. I did love to push my limits, especially when I was being taken to the territory of the pack who mercilessly murdered my pack as we slept. Though Alpha Jayson only inherited the title of Alpha after he murdered the man who had the power before he did, the man who had given the order to invade and insisted that there were no survivors.

Alpha Martin Jackson. The ironic thing being that his son, Blake Jackson, was now Jayson's Beta and I am pretty sure Jackson was his third in command. There wouldn't be any other reason for Jayson to make him stay behind while he sent the other two ahead.

"I intend to torture you until you give me answers and then I will ensure you have a slow and extremely painful death," Jayson seethed as he walked in front of Jackson and myself.

"Yes. Guess that means I get to live for another couple of years before I die," I replied as I fist pumped the air. I knew I was being childish and that it was only serving to piss Jayson off further, but I also knew he wouldn't kill me until I told him what he wanted to know.

"I don't play games," Jayson snapped.

"Really? I kind of pegged you as a guy who would sit down to play something like Monoply after a stressful day."

“You are really pushing your luck now. He will kill you where you stand.” My wolf so kindly decided that was an appropriate moment to speak up but, just as my wolf never listened to me, I also didn't listen to what my wolf had to say. Not even when it was speaking the truth.

"You have killed my men, many of them had mates and children, and you even had the audacity to remain at the border of my territory. Forgive me if being nice to you isn't exactly high on my list of priorities rights now," Jayson snapped, coming to a stop in front of me and sizing me up.

Being six foot one did hold his advantages, such as the fact Jayson couldn't make me feel inferior to him, even if he tried. I was only a little shorter than he was and I could look directly into his eyes as he tried to show me who the boss was.

"Life is bitch. You live and you die. You should get used to that," I stated with my teeth gritted. I had to learn that one the hard way.

He didn't say another word. He didn't look like he had enough cells in his brain to think of a reply, instead he settled for storming off in front of us, hitting any tree he came across; he even managed to split a couple in half.

I smirked to myself while I allowed Jackson to pull me along beside him. I enjoyed the fact I had managed to get right under the skin of Alpha Jayson and that he knew I was going to be one tough cookie to crack so he was going to have to do more than torture me for information.

Even when we reached the underground prison I was going to be stored in and the smell of rotten blood hit me, the grin didn't leave me face and I couldn't help but laugh as Jackson demanded the guards open the doors. I continued to laugh as he dragged me down the poorly lit corridors, taking several twists and turns, before he came to a stop at a metal door.

"Is this where you're going to unsuccessfully question me for answers?" I found myself grinning.

"You know, for a rogue, you don't seem particularly worried about what is going to happen to you," Jackson stated as he pulled the door open and marched me inside, forcing me down on the chair in the corner of the room.

"Do you really think Jayson is the first Alpha to capture and torture me?" I asked in amusement. I could see that he was considering the answer to the question I had just posed and that only made me smile even more. "Besides, I think Jayson has more to worry about than I do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jackson raised his eyebrow at me suspiciously.

"I guess time will tell," I grinned smugly. I loved knowing I had the upper hand and there was nothing Jayson or his pack could do about that. I had been planning my revenge for years now and it turns out Moon Shadow has a lot of enemies, enemies who were willing to help me out."

"You won't be able to do anything. You are one and we are many," Jackson replied confidently. If he was worried then he certainly wasn't showing it, or at least he wasn't showing it in front of me.

"You are dismissed, Jackson. The Alpha wants you in his office," a voice called from across the room and I looked up to see him standing beside the door. His eyes suddenly meeting mine and I had never seen a man move quicker than he just did.

"Blake?" I heard Jackson call but his eyes were trained on me.

"Tell the Alpha he needs to get here now. There is no way I am letting him torture her." Blake growled and it would be sweet that he wanted to protect me if I didn't hate his guts. It was due to his father that I had no family or pack so he could go to hell if he thought I wanted to mate with him.

"He is never going to agree to that. She's killed close to eighty of our men!" Jackson shouted.

"Eighty? Damn I'm good," I said cockily. My eyes never leaving those sinister green ones of Jackson.

"And you are going to die for what you have done to this pack," Jackson replied quickly. I hate to admit it, but the guy was growing on me and I almost smiled at him. He was the first male to not be intimidated by me and that in itself was an achievement.

"No one is killing her. If they touch her then they will have to deal with me." Blake growled and I could tell that his wolf was begging to come to the surface so he could rip Jackson to shreds for what he was saying.

"Blake. She is the reason your uncle is de—"

"I don't give a fuck, Jackson! You go and get Jayson and you tell him if he touches my mate then I will personally see to it that he dies!" Blake shouted and Jackson pretty much backed out of the room in complete fear of what Blake would do to him if he didn't get Jayson.

Truth be told, torture sounds like a better option right now. It would be far better than knowing my mate was the son of the man who killed my entire pack.

The son of the man who had killed my family and left me with nothing.