Chapter 5

Allene's POV

I stood in front of the pavement in the packsquare of the rogues.

I had followed Draven back to his rogue pack. I hadn’t known then that he was their leader and the one who had saved me in the bushes from Leonard’s hands. I only knew that he was the only person who could help me right now.

When I had run earlier, I hadn’t had anyone in mind. There was no plan or a savior. I had only been escaping my predicament, fleeing from Leonard's men who were chasing me, determined to drag me back to his pack.

Draven had sent me away before, after saving me, warning me not to cross his lines again. SilverFang pack and the rogues were at war and trespassing each other's land meant death and on the spot.

 I hadn’t listened. Instead, I followed him, knowing that if I failed to do so, Leonard and his men would eventually catch me. Worse, if Draven had mistakenly revealed my location and sent me away, his warriors might be lying in wait for me even now.

Wolves from packs who wandered into rogue lands were killed. It was known. I had expected death when I found out that I had earlier. I had prepared myself for it as worse has been my case considering that I was from SilverFang.

But instead of what I had expected, Draven, whom I hadn’t even known still existed had saved me.

He had been sent away from the pack decades ago. When I was still small, I had heard the stories. How he had killed his father—Leonard’s grandfather—in a bid to possess the throne. It was also said that he had killed his pregnant mate, all for power. In the end, he had been banished and Leonard’s father, Darius, who was seen as the better candidate, had been crowned Alpha.

Yet I had never believed it. My parents hadn’t either and that was why I refused to believe it too. Before my father’s death, he had been good friends with Draven, even while serving as a warrior in Darius’s pack.

Their friendship had never ceased. I had heard whispers growing up. Rumors of Draven being appointed heir because he had been better than his elder brother, Darius, at leadership. But only a few years later, their father was killed and Draven was banished.

“What are you doing here?”

The voice startled me out of my thoughts. I had been so lost in memories, desperately searching for a reason that would justify my presence here, that I hadn’t noticed when he finally came out to meet me, just as I had requested.

I turned to meet his gaze and immediately noticed the rogues. Their eyes were all over us and especially me. I was certain they were questioning what their Alpha was doing with me, the mate of their enemy. That was all I was to them.

Even Draven had warned me earlier not to follow him when he noticed me doing so.

“My rogues would want nothing more than to kill you, Allene,” he said. “What brought you here, even after my orders not to follow me?”

Once again, I was at a loss for words. Instead, I stared at him, as though my silence might somehow provide the answers we both needed in that moment.

“My late parents told me to run to you if ever I needed help, and they weren’t beside me to provide it,” I began when I finally found my voice, never once missing his face or the subtle changes in each expression he gave.

He seemed indifferent to what I had told him, that my late parents had spoken his name as my last refuge. But I wasn’t ready to let that deter me from what I had come here for.

“As warriors of the SilverFang pack, they saved you not just once or twice,” I continued. “Do you recall when you went to annihilate the people of the South Carolina pack, and your brother, Darius, heard of it and sent his warriors to aid the pack against your rogue wolves?”

A snarl tore through the air. I turned sharply to see a rogue wolf standing guard behind him, infuriated by the memory I was dragging to the surface. Draven stopped him with the lift of his palm, but the gesture only silenced him. It did not pacify him. His face held anything but peace.

“What point are you trying to drive, Allene?” Draven asked as he stepped closer to me.

I heaved a sigh, knowing my words were having exactly the effect I wanted. More than that, he had called my name. That alone was a victory. Moments ago, he had pretended not to know who I was.

“My late father was the one who informed you of the ambush,” I said, my voice steady. “Even when it meant committing treason against the SilverFang pack. He helped you save some of your wolves through the secret exit hidden in the South Carolina pack.”

When I finished, the indifference on his face shifted just slightly, but enough for me to notice.

I knew the story all too well. I had read it once in my late father’s recorded memories of events he had preserved before his death. I had memorized every detail before it was burned in a fire, the same fire that came when Draven later led an attack on the SilverFang pack with his rogue wolves.

“What do you want, Allene?” Draven demanded. “I will not ask you again. You are standing here alive only because of the bond I once shared with your late parents. If not for that, I would have let my wolves feast on your flesh.” I felt a chill run down my spine as he said that but still hel my head high and didn't want to back out now.

Draven was cold and formidable. That reputation had always preceded him. But did he truly expect me to be frightened by a mere threat?

Before I rejected Leonard, I had already made up my mind to face whatever awaited me afterward. Draven, standing before me now, was not the least of my worries.

“Shouldn’t you be inviting me into your throne room so we can discuss matters further,” I said lightly, “seeing that we both now have a good understanding of ourselves?”

The warrior behind Draven bared his teeth and fangs at me, trying to intimidate me into silence. But from the look on Draven’s face, it was clear he was not angered.

He looked amazed.

As though he couldn’t quite believe that I had followed him into rogue lands as an outsider, an enemy, and now stood before him, speaking as though I were a specially invited guest.