Chapter 2

Josie POV

            It had been a couple days since I had last seen Sam.  I had been shocked when Sam had accepted my rejection.  A small part of me had hoped he would continue to refuse.  I know it was ridiculous, but I wanted him to fight for me.  Not that he had not.  He had.  I kept shutting him out.  He deserved so much better than me.  Someone who had not spent a lifetime being a rogue.

            My father had been the Rogue King, before my twin brother Eric killed him and took over as the Rogue King.  A rogue was a wolf who did not want to be a part of a Pack or had been kicked out of a Pack for some reason or other.  Others were born into it.  As the Rogue King’s daughter, I was born to be a rogue.  It was our family’s legacy.  Rogue royalty, I think with a sarcastic chuckle.

            For me all I can remember is pain.  Physical pain from inside my body.  A pain that twists around your internal organs.  And then the physical pain from years of abuse by my father.  I never understood why he hated me so much.  Not that he was a lot better to Eric.  I think he knew one day Eric would take over as the Rogue King and the only way that happened in our world was by death.  It was Eric’s destiny.  There was never a threat that I would take over.  There had never been a female Rogue Queen.  It was unheard of.  I think it is the reason the Rogue King allowed me to live.

            If there had been twin boys born, the Rogue King would have killed the weaker one.  So, I guess in a small way, it is a blessing to be female.  However, in this moment I hated being a female.  I hated being caught at the mercy of a Pack who would be happy if I died.  When they first killed Eric, I wanted to kill them all.  I had tried so hard to protect my brother and help him get away, but I was not strong enough.  And he was not able to escape.

            Then Sam kept pushing me to accept him.  As the pain of my loss subsided, I started to hate having been a rogue.  It meant normal things like mates would be lost to me.  I could not pass on the pain I felt daily to a mate.  And it would.  Mates feel everything through our bonds.  I could not pass the torture onto someone else.  Especially someone I would come to love.

            And now Luna Jenna of the Red Pine Pack, the rare healer, has offered to heal me provided her Alpha husband agrees.  The healing would rid me of the pain that plagues my body.  I am skeptical it can be done.  She had started to heal my brother, but he ran out of time.  His rogue tendencies stopped him from fully embracing his healing.  Instead, he clung to a hope that he would be able to take Jenna as his mate.  That of course did not happen.   

            I shiver as a chill rolls over me.  I was currently being housed in the dungeons.  Aside from the stink of the dungeons they were also dark and cold.  I had lost weight since I came into the dungeons.  I had no appetite.  I had no ability to exercise to keep my strength up.  I was cold all the time.  I spent much of my time under a thin blanket trying to warm my body. 

            Try as the guards might, I refuse to eat.  Eating hurts my stomach.  The food is good, and they provide quality food considering we are in a dungeon.  I simply cannot bring myself to help myself.  I want to die.  I am ready to die.  Particularly as I have no chance with my mate.  Eric is gone.  What is there left to live for?

            Just as I am wallowing in self-pity, I hear the dungeon doors once again.  Was it mealtime already?  It was the only time someone came down here.  Or to try and talk me into eating.  I slowly turn my head as a petite red head comes around the corner.  Luna Jenna has returned once again.  She is beautiful.  Her red hair flows down past her shoulders.  Her silver eyes seem to see into your soul.  She is full of life and love for her mate, Alpha Adam.  Everyone easily loves their Luna and rightly so.

            She looks at me intently seeing me shiver under my blanket.  “What do you want?” I ask as it takes an effort to speak.  They provide me with water, but I have even started dwindling how much water I want to consume.  “First I want to know why you are not eating,” she says expectantly.  For a small person she certainly has a very demanding presence.

            “I am not hungry,” I mutter turning to look back up at the ceiling.  “Look, I do not have a lot of time before my Alpha tracks me down,” she says lowering her voice.  “I want to heal you,” she says.  I knew she wanted to, but I was not certain the Alpha was okay with that.  “Adam will come around, but I need you to eat more.  I cannot do this on my own.  If you are not healthier, it will be harder to heal you,” she says hurriedly.

            Just as she finished, I heard the dungeon door open and Alpha Adam roaring Jenna’s name.  “Look who found me,” she says with a sheepish smile.  I look back toward her as Alpha Adam comes around the corner with his Gamma, Jack.  They both look in the cell before Adam pulls Jenna away from the cell door.  “I thought we were going to discuss this?” he says angrily.  “We did discuss it.  I told you I wanted to do it, you did not say no and here I am,” she says like it is all said and done.

            Jack snickers behind them, earning himself a glare from his Alpha.  Jack was not too concerned.  He looked at me with almost a bit of pity in his eyes.  I glared at him before rolling back over to look at the ceiling. “We said we would figure out the best plan of action and then decide,” he reminds her.  “I did figure out the best plan of action, and I have decided.  I will heal Josie,” she says.

            He growls at her, and she just laughs before taking his arm.  “One thing that does piss me off Adam.  She is freezing, get the guards to get her more blankets.  I need her to eat and be a bit healthier before I can try a healing session on her,” Jenna commands.  Adam mind-links with the guards, as a guard comes around the corner quickly and tosses in a couple more blankets into my cell. 

            Jenna shakes her head, but I stand on shaky feet and walk over to pick them up.  I wrap them both around my body and for the first time, feel like I have enough layers to take the chill out of my bones.  “And food Adam, she needs fresh food,” she says as she sees my tray left over from lunch.  Adam sighs before he reaches out to someone else for a fresh plate of food to be brought to my cell.

            “Josie, I need your promise that you will eat,” Jenna says quietly.  I look at her intently.  Did I want to live like this for the rest of my life or was I prepared to try?  After a long period of time, I slowly nod my head, “I promise,” I say as I curl back up on the bed to wait for my meal to arrive.

            Jenna, and Adam turn away and walk out hand in hand.  Jack lingers for a moment.  “She’s the real deal.  If she thinks she can heal you, she will.  Give her a chance,” he says before nodding to me and leaving.  I watch him walk away.  I have been a bitch to all these people.  I have no idea why they want to help me, but for once in my life I am going to accept the help.  And maybe get a second chance with my first chance mate.

Sam POV

            I slept later than I had anticipated and opted to go for a full breakfast at the bar before I headed back out on my journey.  I would definitely be back to visit this place again at some point in the future.  Hugging an embarrassed Doris goodbye, I move toward my bike and slip my helmet on stowing my duffel bag on my bike. 

            As I throw my leg over my bike, I realize I had a brief moment in time where I was not thinking about Josie.  Maybe this break was doing me good.  I had checked my phone earlier. I had a couple messages from Jack.  Nothing that was urgent, or he would have asked me to call right away.  I decided to get on my way and try him later tonight.

            I decided to stick to the back roads.  I liked going through the communities and stopping for gas or lunch at quaint diners.  You always knew if it drew a crowd, it was a good place to stop.  Having drove for hours, I decided to stop earlier tonight than I had the first couple nights.  I wanted to get a hotel, grab a shower, and hit up a local pub. 

            Getting a room was easy as it was the off season.  In fact, most were happy to see you, they offered free upgrades.  Heading up to my room, I opened the door and appreciated the king size bed, with the jacuzzi bathroom.  While it was nice, it was not as big as our Pack suites.  Pack suites had multiple rooms, walk-in closets, huge bathrooms, and a kitchen area along with a sitting area.

            When I was dreaming that Josie would accept me, I could not wait to show her my place.  And to have her spread out on my bed so I could devour her.  I felt my jeans tighten as I walked toward the shower stripping off my clothes.  Moving into the washroom, I turn the shower on to warm up the water.  Grabbing the shampoo and conditioner travel bottles along with a bar of soap, I jump into the small shower stall.  I am a big man and used to having a shower with multiple shower heads.  My shower at the Pack house could comfortably house four people in the shower … not that I have tried, of course.

            I wash my hair and rinse it before soaping up and washing my body.  As I get to my hard cock, it does not take long for me to enjoy my release as I think of my ex-mate.  Leaning my head against the shower wall, I stand there for a moment letting the hot water relax my tired muscles. 

            Part of me wants to simply stay in.  I wonder if I was too hasty leaving Josie.  Maybe I should go back first thing tomorrow.  No.  I said I would stay away for a couple weeks and that is what I am going to do.  She made her decision and I needed to move on for my own sake.  I needed to find a chosen mate, or Moon Goddess willing a second chance mate. 

            Turning the shower off, I step out drying myself off and combing my wet hair.  I step back into the hotel room and dig out some clean clothes to put on.  Turning back to my room, I grab my leather jacket, my room key, and leave the room.  I am hungry and wanting to check out the sights.

            As I make my way downstairs, I get the name of a local pub that is a happening spot from the cute woman behind the desk.  Definitely my type, but she has a wedding ring on.  I do not play with married women.  And she did not seem overly interested in me, I think with a chuckle.

            I walk down the street a couple blocks and as I turn the corner, I can hear the pub music from the street.  It looked like a good crowd was present tonight.  I was looking forward to listening to some good music and forgetting about everything for a few hours.