Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The King of Rogues

I have fought too many battles in my life. Everyday is a struggle for survival. In my world, you have to be strong. Weakness is never an option. I was moulded to be strong by the elements that rule my life, and those elements are 'Fight or perish and kill or be killed'. Once I understood those elements, I had no choice but to adapt. I did not want to be part of the inferior stock. I had to fight. Fighting and gaining more strength have been the features of my daily life.

My name is Baron Augustus, and I am a rogue werewolf. Although, there is a difference between I and the average wolf, I am a member of a peculiar breed called the shapeshifters. I have been considered an abomination by my fellow wolves all through my lifetime. The truth is, not only am I a strange beast, but I and my kind also have a way of life that the average werewolves are afraid of.

Occasionally, we suck the blood of the human species to sustain us. We also come from a breed called the vampires. The werewolves and vampires have been enemies for centuries. They have utterly distinct ways of life, so to see creatures that were hybrids was unacceptable.

The werewolves who have a pack call us rogues, and over the years we have come to accept the title. We relish in it. Life as a rogue made me become a king and a warrior throughout my lifetime.

I never knew my parents. I was raised by werewolves that adopted me after my parents died. They died in a pack war a couple weeks after they birthed me. The werewolves that raised me were members of my pack. When I turned twelve, they found out about my strange condition and with the support of the rest of the pack, they sent me away with nothing.

During my early days, I was lonely. Life as a rogue was hard. Members of different packs never accepted me. When I begged the werewolves for help, they would chase me away. They ridiculed and spat on me.

I was hungry for years, scavenging through the woods as a lonely rogue. Sometimes, I was able to beg members of the human species to give me food. I struggled and fought my way in a world that looked like a very harsh jungle. Life was full of agony, until one day when I finally decided to change everything.

I turned eighteen years old that day. I was scavenging just like every other day when I met him. His name is Elijah. He is the alpha of a pack that called themselves the Luna pack. That is the strongest pack in the region. They also have the most numerous number.

Elijah is tall, light in complexion, has dark hair and a huge physique. He is one of the oldest werewolves I know. I am now thirty years old and Elijah is in his sixty's but astonishingly very agile and strong. He spotted me from afar and immediately paused. I was in awe so I stopped eating my fruit and stood up immediately.

We stared at each other for a short moment. My heart raced as we gazed at each other. So many thoughts went through my head, most of which were governed by fear. I sensed that he was a werewolf. I stared at him and I saw him have a look of disdain as he looked at me. I began to shiver in fear and I became dumbfounded. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run or remain on the spot.

Suddenly, Elijah began running towards me with a look of rage. I became intensely terrified and my feet felt numb as I tried to escape. I was very sure that my pace was very sluggish as Elijah easily caught up with me.

As soon as he got to me he said; "You hybrid bastard!" After which he kicked me in the chest and I immediately fell to the ground. He then came over me and began kicking my stomach. I groaned in pain and begged him to stop. Shortly after kicking me, he bent down and used his right claws to scratch my face repeatedly. I began to cry as my face bled.

Suddenly, something very unexpected happened. It was as though I had tapped into my hybrid nature. As he launched attacks at my face, I grew unconscious and closed my eyes for what felt like a second. I then opened it and growled aloud in a very deep and furious tone as my eyes turned blood red.

I could spot the fear in his eyes. I then immediately shoved him off my body and stood up. He tried clawing at me but I swiftly dodged all his attacks. He was in awe of my ability. I was astonished as well. I moved like a man possessed. After effortlessly dodging all his attacks, I held him at the neck with just my right hand and lifted him off the ground. He tried to claw at me and resist me but he could not anymore. I then slammed him on the ground.

My fangs grew out and I gazed at him for a short moment, after which I grabbed his neck and bit him with my fangs. I began sucking his blood and I relished in the moment. However, I did observe later that I preferred human blood even more.

After sucking his blood for what seemed like a very short moment, I stood up and stared at his almost lifeless body. He then began to crawl as his spilling blood stained the ground. He did not die that day. I later got to find out that members of his pack found him and saved his life.

Something even more peculiar happened at that moment. I began to fully shapeshift into a full breed wolf. The process of transformation was excruciatingly painful. I felt and heard my bones cracking. I felt like my muscles were turning inside out. I cried and winced in pain. The process took a couple minutes but it felt like a whole day to me. Once I fully transformed, I absconded into the bushes and remained in my primal form for several days before transforming back to human form.

That was the moment in my life that I finally tapped into my full powers as a shapeshifter. It felt agonizing and glorious at the same time. The torture and pain Elijah inflicted on me awakened my more primal nature. I was finally strong.

Shortly after that encounter, I set out to find other rogues like me and help them.

I am now thirty years old. I am a leader to the rogues and a warrior in my own right. I have been training the other rogues to fight over the years. I have discovered up to seventeen rogues like me in the woods.

Sometimes, we steal from different packs and even the humans. That is how we survive. I don't conform to the rules other creatures are guided by. I have taught my rogues to be ruthless and always take what they like without permission. We are hybrids, so we are at the top of the food chain. The werewolf packs fear us.

However, the only pack we've not been able to attack is the Luna pack. This is because of their largely numerous number. Elijah is my sworn enemy and I plan to be king of the woods once I have discovered enough rogues. I have known too much suffering, enough to not show any mercy to any creature.

I used to think about having a soulmate sometimes, but I have given up on it. I have to stay focused now. I have to become king and take my revenge on those creatures that did me wrong.