002 Serious Question

"What the hell, Nate?!" Raven ignored Knight's taunt, snapping his head at Nate who froze in fear.

Raven glanced around the room as he wrinkled his nose slightly -- the smell of blood was suffocating. Most of the torture instruments in the room were freshly used with blood all over. There was barely any place on Knight that was still intact:

His gut filled with deep wounds and his chest with crossed scarlet stripes all over, even his shoulder looked out of its socket.

Raven pulled out a handkerchief only to put it away, but that didn't escape Knight's eyes.

"So I guess the rumor is true then," Knight grinned at Raven, not seeming to notice that Raven just ignored him completely, "Alpha Raven is a clean freak."

"It's hemophobia!" Raven glared at Knight, his frown deepened when his eyes landed on the countless wounds on Knight.

"Isn't that what I said?" Knight laughed, seemingly enjoying Raven's bothered look.

"It's just about blood -- Why are you here yet again?!" Raven realized he didn't have to explain himself to an annoying rogue, "This is the sixth time you are captured within the last two months, if I recall!"

"I didn't know you pay such close attention to me," Knight grinned, "I lost count."

"Not every moron gets captured every week and does not learn from it!" Raven finally lost his patience and taunted back, which made Knight grin even brighter.

"According to my count, your prison FAILED to keep me, five times." Knight smirked before he slowly chewed the next two words with a tasteful tone, "Alpha Raven."

"You are THAT good, then you should be able to get out, and STAY out." Raven frowned.

"I worry that you might miss me if I do," Knight answered quickly.

"Moron." Raven shook his head, but before he could say anything to Nate, Knight whistled at Raven and asked--

"Seriously, I hear that you have yet touched any woman. Is there something wrong with you...there?"

Raven growled at Knight with his ear red, his eyes flickering as the beast inside him pressed forward. Raven's four men held their breath, trembling at the spilling Alpha Aura when Knight chuckled: "So easy to tease you, Alpha Raven."

"Bold!" Nate pulled a thick iron rod and jabbed Knight right on the open wound on his stomach. Knight gasped as he clenched his teeth when Raven let out a growl as if he was the one who was just pierced through by a rod.

"What the hell, Nate?!" Raven snapped at Nate: "I thought you have dropped the lynch habit! What did I tell you?"

"No torturing prisoners..." Nate grunted before he pointed at Knight, "But this filthy rogue insulted you!"

"And the torture before that?!" Raven said in his Alpha voice and all four of his men whimpered with their heads low.

"Care about me that much, huh?" Knight's annoying voice rose behind Raven, and Raven took a deep breath to get ahold of his temper before he turned around slowly.

Knight just curved his lips into a taunting grin.

Raven shook his head slowly as he turned to the rest of the three men following Nate: "Ten whips for each of you, twenty for Nate. Don't you dare go easy on him!"

The three men whined and grunted as Nate protested with a shout: "Why is it okay to whip us, but not a filthy rogue?!"

"Because those are the law, and the rogue will face his own sentence! Though I doubt there is any left now, after your GAME." Raven's eyes landed on Nate strictly, and Nate whimpered at Raven's Alpha dominance, "Thirty whips, for doubting my decision."

"Alpha!" Nate shouted.

"You want more?" Raven rose an eyebrow.

"Of course not, Alpha Raven. Nate wouldn't dare go against you." An old voice rose at the door. Raven sighed, failing to notice the cold stare from Knight that landed on the man that just walked in.

"Beta Iron!" The three men bared their necks at the cold-looking old man.

"Father!" Nate walked over quickly and bowed at his father, "I--"

"Quiet!" Iron glared at his son before he turned to Raven with an apologizing smile: "My apologies on his behalf, Alpha. We are not disobeying you."

Raven nodded silently.

"With all due respect, Alpha Raven," Iron continued, "Would it be possible for you to allow me to take the twenty whips on my son's behalf?"

"What?!" Raven frowned in surprise.

"You know, I was your father's beta when he was still..." Iron's voice shook with plain pain. He paused and adjusted his mood before he continued, "I don't have too much time left now. This kid is going to be your Beta in the future, Alpha Raven. I just don't want there to be any grudge between you and your future Beta."

[There, he's doing it again!] Raven's wolf grunted in his mind.

[Stop it, Frost.] Raven warned him, but Raven frowned at Iron's words himself. Iron WAS presuming on his seniority. He took advantage of being Raven's father's Beta all the time, and sometimes his authority even tops Raven's order among the gammas who were mostly older than Raven.

After all, Raven was just a twenty-two-year-old who just lost his father to a sudden tragedy--

There is a reason why losing their Alpha at his peak leads to chaos in a pack.

"And about the rogue, Alpha?" Iron didn't even glance in Knight's direction, who had been staring at Iron ever since the old man came into the room.

"I'll deal with him." Raven sighed, knowing Nate got away with a punishment yet again. It only got harder and harder to discipline the Hogans with Iron Hogan gripping on the power tightly.

"A vicious snake, that one." Knight's eyes finally returned to Raven long after Nate Hogan left with his father and his three loyal dogs.

"That's none of your business." Raven went and let Knight off the chains, "I do apologize for all the damage they have done, but you are in here for a reason."

"Oh, really?" Knight rubbed his sour wrist as he leaned against the wall tiredly, "And what is that?"

"You know well enough what crime you have committed." Raven frowned strictly, but then when his eyes landed on Knight's wounded body, he just pulled out the handkerchief and handed it over.

"I entered the pack's territory," Knight took the handkerchief and pressed it against the deep wound on his stomach before handing it back with a grin, "If that's the law I'm supposed to have broken?"

Raven hesitated on taking back the handkerchief, and that got another laugh out of Knight.

"It IS within our right to capture you when you enter our territory as a rogue without permission!" Raven rose his voice again, frowning at the fact that this man just seemed to easily irritated him when he thought his self-control was splendid until two months ago.

He actually did remember Knight.

An annoying rogue that he captured himself two months ago in a battle with a bunch of rogues. Raven could recognize that unique smell of black tulip anywhere.

"Seriously though--" Knight smirked at Raven lingering on his handkerchief with two fingers on the only corner that didn't dip in blood.

Raven rose his eyes and sent Knight a confused look, "What?"

"Did you miss me?" Knight smirked, the iron blue eyes fixed on Raven's dark ones. Raven rolled his eyes and stormed out of the cell, but among the huge slam of the cell door, he heard Knight's low voice clearly--

"Be careful of your own men, Alpha Raven. There is a traitor in your pack."