Chapter 11

Wren's POV

I barged into Caelum's office slamming the doors shut behind me. I was beyond mad, I had reached my tipping point. Half of the anger drained away when I saw how his eyes lit up when he saw me.

The date we had changed something, as much I didn't want to admit it. We had been sending each other shy smiles and he had been giving me a lot of winks which made me blush like a school girl, it always made his chest puff up with pride afterwards.

I knew that what was about to go down would alter things but it didn't stop me.

“Hi." He smiled boyishly at me and gave a short adorable wave.

I looked at him, truly looked and realize that many people would see the tattoos, the lithe body, the white hair, the piercings, the cold yet powerful violet eyes and wouldn't realize of how much of a softie the Crimson Alpha actually is.

I knew of his blood crazed side and though I hadn't seen it yet, I couldn't conceal the two sides of Caelum together.

“We need to talk." For all my rage, my voice came out in a defeated whisper. I saw the light in his eyes dim and he swallowed.

“What happened between your parents and mine?" I finally asked the question that had been haunting me for the 13 years I was stuck in that cage.

Caelum's POV

I knew I couldn't keep the truth from her forever but I had to try even if it meant her hating me. I had to make sure she never found out the truth.

I arranged my face into a blank mask and I made sure my voice was bland, bored even.

“I don't know what you're talking about Wren." She started pacing across the room.

"Don't lie to me Caelum, I deserve to know. It's my parents we’re talking about. For goddess sake, just be honest with me!” She was getting angry, good.

"You know the story Wren, you were there. My father ordered an attack on your pack and beheaded your mother with his claws. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do.” I waved a dismissive hand towards the door.

“Dammit Caelum! You have no right to keep things about my parents from me.” She growled, slamming her hands on my table.

"I have no right? What gives you the right to come in here and demand for answers that you have no proof exist? What makes you think that I would open up to you, a girl that had already tried to kill me once? Who do you think you are?!” I roared, my fangs dropping and my eyes flashing black.

"I'm your mate and you will not yell at me!" She screamed at me, her green eyes welling up with tears she refused to let fall.

“You are not my mate. You're a cheap knock-off of what a mate should be, you're just a mistake the moon goddess made, nothing more. I can never accept you as my mate.” My voice was deathly calm as I delivered the killing blow.

Her lips parted but no sound came out, the tears she fought to hold on to dropping freely on her cheek. Each year was like a knife to my heart.

“Screw you." She choked out and stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut with a bang. I dropped my head in my hands and let out a frustrated sigh, one step forward, fifty steps backward.

Stupid human, my wolf, Xyler, growled and retreated to the deepest part of my mind to sulk. The door opened again, this time it was Soren.

“Please tell me you have good news or at least someone for me to kill." I grumbled. He winced and pursed his lips.

" I have bad news and even worse news." He said lowly, I groaned.

" Okay, out with it then.” I let out a defeated sigh. I wasn't cut out for all this.

" Bad news, we still have no leads on the Leslie case. The worse news is that there have been multiple sightings from various packs on a group of rogues.” 

Rogues were mindless, dangerous werewolves on the brink of insanity. They were more wolves than human, and they were usually packless, some of them being kicked out for a crime. A wolf was always meant to be in a pack and when you separate the wolf from its pack, the mental strain of isolation slowly rips the wolf of its sanity.

I hummed contemplatively, “what else?"

“The group of rogues have been passing through pack lands and from what was reported, they don't seem mindless.”

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed the bridge of my nose, I could feel a headache starting to form, “Someone is forming a pack of rogues. Soren, give the order to kill any rogue seen, mercilessly.” My claws have been itching to spill blood. Soren looked even more eager to obey that order.

A frantic knock interrupted our conversation. Soren looked at me for permission to open the door, I nodded tiredly. A guard came in hurriedly, fear etched in his features.

“Alpha, it's Luna Wren." My fangs dropped and my eyes turned black.

Wren’s POV

I was so mad. I was mad at Caelum and I was hurt which made me even more mad at myself for letting my guard down. I was walking around a bit trying to avoid everyone I knew.

I can never accept you as my mate.

Those words were running through my mind continuously.

Good, we’ll never accept him either, infact what's our next plan to kill him? Astrid said as she prowled around in my head, her feelings had been really hurt by what Caelum said considering that she had already accepted him as hers.

“Help! Someone help! Mommy!" A tiny high pitched voice yelled, it sounded like a child. I ran as fast as I could, giving control to astrid so we could be faster.

There, at the mouth of a ditch was a girl, about six years old, clinging for her dear life. My mouth went dry when I peered into the ditch.

“Wow, that's deep. Okay baby, hold on." My eyes darted around, looking for a rope or something similar. I spotted a twine few feet away and quickly tied it around my waist, I tied the other end around a tree. I tugged on it to test it's strength.

“Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath and descended into the ditch, she was further than I thought. A bunch of scrapes later, I reached her. She was a tiny thing shivering in fear.

“Okay darling, I'm going to lift you now, see the rope I'm tied to? I want you to climb up the rope, can you do that?” I spoke gently and calmly, not wanting to spook her.

She nodded, “I'm the best at rope climbing in my class." Her little chest puffed out in pride.

“That's good sweetie." I cooked, beads of sweat running down my face. I lifted her from the branch she was clinging helplessly to and helped her get a hold of the twine.

With bated breath, I watched her scamper up the twine like a little chipmunk. When she reached the top of the ditch, I could finally breathe.

“I’m going to go get help." She said and scurried off.

“Okay Wren, time to climb.” I muttered. A scent of sandalwood wafted past my nose and I remembered what had been niggling the back of my mind during the interrogation with Caelum and Soren after Leslie's death.

I had been smelling sandalwood all day, from the bakery to the weapons room, I didn't give any thought to it but I could smell it now. The crunch of dried leaves had me looking up.

“Is someone there?" I called out. I heard a faint mumbled “bye bye" and then the twine snapped.

Oh shit, I thought, then I plunged into the darkness.