Chapter 15: The Rogues

Lotus’ Pov

It’s been almost an hour now. Ben is still here guarding me. He is not even talking to me. I can sense that things are not going well.

“Ben, what is it?” I asked him, but he was silent.

“Tell me, Ben, what’s going on?” I asked him again. I am getting impatient. He still did not utter a single word.

“Ben for the sake of the moon goddess! TELL ME” I yelled at him this time.

“Lotus, there are almost three hundred rogues in each border.” I was shocked to hear that. This cannot be good. I started to feel lightheaded. I have to do something.

“Ben, how many are guarding the packhouse?” I asked him

“Sixty”, he gave me a short reply.

“Ben leave ten warriors here and go and help Damien”, I asked him.

“What? No Lotus. A pack’s priority is the safety of their Luna!” he said in a low voice.

“For God’s sake, don’t call me Luna ever again.”, I yelled at him. I took a deep breath to calm myself down and then started again, “Ben, you have seen me fighting. You know well that I can handle myself. Please take the warriors and go to the border.” I requested him again.

Ben didn’t respond. I know the reason. He cannot win the argument.

“I swear to the moon goddess, Ben, if you don’t go with the warriors, then I will run towards the border.”, I said in a cold tone this time. Ben looked at me for a moment and then said, “Stay safe, Lo. Don’t do anything stupid!”

I nodded my head. He finally left with fifty other warriors. I went to my room quickly and grabbed some silver knives, and placed them in my boots and pants. Then I went outside the pack. I saw ten warriors were left here. I can sense the tension inside their heads. I walked towards one of the warriors. He looked familiar. I talked to him before during the last attack. Now I remember.

“What is your name?” I asked him politely.

“Jimmy”, he smiled.

“How are they doing there?” I asked him.

“South is clear. Alpha went to the south first. Now he is in the east.”, Jimmy informed me.

“What about others?” I asked again.

“Beta is taking care of north, and Ben is headed towards west. It is in the worst condition. More rogues are there, it seems.”, he said in a nervous tone.

Suddenly I smelt rotten eggs. How did they pass the border? I looked towards Jimmy. He looked tense. Then he looked towards me, “Luna, please go inside. We…” Before he could complete it, I could see many wolves coming towards the packhouse. Almost fifty of them.

I bent down and grabbed my knives. I looked towards Jimmy once and ran towards the wolves. All the warriors also started to shift. Using my speed, I began to stab the rogues with my silver knives.

They tried to cage me in a circle, but I was fast. They could not hold me back. The rogues started to shift back to their human forms because of the silver. The warriors took care of the other rogues well. I sensed more rogues were coming. I asked them to be prepared. I ran towards the woods and started to stab the rogues. The warriors followed me.

I did not know how long it was. But finally, I could sense that no more rogues were nearby. We headed towards the packhouse. All the warriors were in good shape. I called for Jimmy. A medium-sized brown wolf came in front of me.

“Shift”, I commanded.

He went near the woods. He shifted there and wore a piece of pants, and came back running.

“Jimmy, which border was it?” I asked in concern.

“West. But it is under control now. Alpha is there.”, Jimmy informed me. He looked relaxed. So, the other warriors. I can sense that the threat is going away.

“What about the other border?” I asked him again.

“East, North, and South are clear now. The guards are patrolling further away from the border, but they haven’t found anything yet.” Jimmy smiled at me.

I returned the gesture. I felt relaxed. The only thing I want right now is Damien. I want to hug him tight.

“What about our warriors? Are they alright?” I asked him again.

“Some are wounded. They are heading to the hospital directly. None died.” Jimmy smiled again. “May I ask you something?” he asked. I nodded with a smile.

“How do you learn to fight like that, just with knives?” he asked with a surprise in his tone.

I giggled, “Jimmy, I have been training since I was ten. At that time, I didn’t even shift. So, I learn to use different weapons to defend myself. I first shifted when I was twelve. By then, I was so much habituated with knives that I could not stop using them. Besides, my speed helps me to fight even in human form.” I explained. I saw that other warriors also have shifted back and are wearing only pants. They were also listening to me.

“Are you really married to our alpha? You are just a minor!” he asked again.

“That was a treaty marriage.”, I sighed.

Suddenly I smelt other wolves in the woods. It was the warriors from the border. They have started to come back. Some of them were still wounded, but they started to heal. Werewolves have healing abilities. Our wounds heal in seconds unless we are stabbed with silver or wolfsbane. That is another reason that we live longer and age slower than humans.

The other pack members also started to come out from the shelter and gather near the woods, behind the packhouse. I saw Adeline. She was looking for something. Then her eyes met mine, and she ran towards me with a big smile on her face. She hugged me, and I hugged her back. She probably has also heard about the total number of rogues we have faced today.

“Are you alright? I heard there were almost two thousand of them”, there was concern in her voice.

“I am fine, Adeline. It’s over now.” I offered her a smile.

“Is this true they came for you?” she asked again.

Is this true? How would I know? My husband did not bother to tell me about my fans. That asshole! I am still mad at him. But why? What do they want from me?

“I have no idea.”, I said. I was a little lost in my thoughts.

“So, you are his wife?” she said in disbelief. I nodded my head.

“Remember the treaty I told you about? That treaty was signed through the marriage of us.”, I said in a sad tone.

“But you are just a minor, Lo! You have an elder sister as well, right?” there was pain and concern in her voice.

I know Adeline, it's hard, right? Why would any family force their minor kid to marry a monster? Well, they did not, but my fate did.

“It’s complicated. Eva and Jakob tried their best to save me”, I said to her like an explanation. Then I smelt Ben. I turned around to see him. He was bleeding like hell. He was wounded on his shoulder and hand.

“Oh my god! Ben!” I ran towards him.

“Hey Lo! How are you doing?” he asked with a smile.

“How am I doing? You are bleeding. Oh, the moon goddess. Let me see your wounds.” I held his good arms and took a look at his shoulder. He got bitten badly. But his shoulder started to heal. That means no infection is there. Thank god. Then I began to examine his arm.

“I am alright, Lo.”, he said again. I still was holding his hand and looking at the bites he got.

Suddenly I got pulled away from him. Someone grabbed my waist and lifted me to his chest. He was not wearing any shirt! I smelt mint. It was him. That pervert is holding me in front of the whole pack! I moved my head towards him to say, “Put me d…”. I could not complete my sentence.

His lips crushed into mines. He was sucking my lower lip like there is no tomorrow. He was biting it playfully. His tongue licked my lips for entrance, but I did not submit. Then he pinched on my waist suddenly, and I gasped. He smiled a little on my lips and got access into my mouth. He sucked my tongue, devoured every inch of my mouth. It was rough, passionate. After a few minutes, he pulled back to the breath.

“How are you doing, kitten? “Damien asked me. Everyone was staring at us. Ben and Alex were smiling. I felt so embarrassed. I want the earth to swallow me so that I do not have to show them my face again. My cheeks are burning.

“You perverted asshole! Put me down!” I yelled at him. I tried to free myself from his embrace. The keyword is ‘tried’.  He pulled me closer and hugged me tightly.

“Stop fighting, kitten!” he whispered while inhaling my smell again and again. Everyone is watching us. No way! I do not need that kind of attention. What is wrong with him? My wolf is so happy that this demon is finally acknowledging us in front of everyone. But I didn’t want it this way. I cannot give in. I am still trying to lose his grip.

“Let go of me!” I shouted again. Now I can hear some giggles and laughter as well. I turned red like a tomato.

“Why do you always try to leave me, Kitten?” he kind of shouted this time. “Keep trying, Kitten, I will never let you go!” he said in a husky tone. He rubbed his nose on my neck.

“Damien!” I yelled again.

This time he put me down but did not let go of his hold. He held me tightly on my waist and kept me closer to his chest.

“You were stabbed and drugged, but still you went to fight rogues? you moron!” I was furious this time.

“Is my little wife concerned about me?” he smiled. He caressed my cheek. I pressed his hands away.

“Why didn’t you let me fight?” I yelled at him again. “Above all, you left Ben behind to babysit me?”

“Because you don’t have to”, Damien said with a smile.

“Look at Ben! I could have saved him from those.”, I said again in protest.

“Oh, my knight in shining armour with silver daggers in hands, we need to keep you safe first.”, he kissed my forehead. Why is he doing that? Oh, it’s so embarrassing.

“Alex, any news from the border?” he asked. His hands are still curled on my waist, holding them tight so that I cannot move away.

“No, alpha. Everything is clear now.” Alex replied. I looked at him once. He is trying to subsidise his smile.

“How many were there? In total?” I asked Damien. I wanted to ease the situation.

“Eighteen hundred Kitten”, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. And the situation is back to where it started! My sheer luck! Please, someone, hide me.

“Stop! We need to talk, Damien! It's not a joke”, I was furious. The situation was not good at all.

“Relax, kitten. I…”

“I was there when they demolished the New Moon Pack! I have seen how destructive they can be.”, my voice becomes feeble. Nobody from ancient moon packs wants to talk about that day.

Damien let go of my waist. He cupped my face with his hands. Then he looked deep into my eyes. 

“I will never let anything happen to you, Kitten. If someone wants to harm you, he has to go through me first.” His words were sincere. It was assuring. I never felt so safe before.

“Curtis, double-check the borders and burn the bodies.” Curtis nodded his head. “Alex, Ben into my office. Now!” Damien ordered again. Then he looked at me again and said softly, “Come, kitten, you have done a lot today. You need to rest now.”