Ch. 771..780

Chapter 771 Not a monster [Bonus chapter]

James returned to sit next to Cornelia on the sofa, and he absentmindedly poked a piece of sausage with a fork.

His hand froze mid-air when Cornelia asked, "Someone from your pack died?"

James released a long breath. He really didn't want to talk about it, but Cornelia overheard what Maddox said. He couldn't pretend like it was nothing. "My sister. She died last night."

Cornelia's eyes widened in slow motion when she understood that Maddox was talking about Marcy. Cornelia saw Marcy in the Dark Howlers pack. At that time, Marcy made a statement to a reporter in front of a camera about how she was giving up on the role of Damon's Luna so that she can travel the world.

Cornelia was confident that she will never hear about Marcy again, and it didn't cross her mind that Marcy will be here. Dead now.

"I went there last night," James spoke in a low voice. "I was hoping that she will be in the shelter, or maybe that she left this pack. But I found her in the forest, being beaten to death by rogues. There was a girl crying, yet I felt nothing. My biggest concern was to avoid exposure. If my father found out that Marcy was here, I would be in trouble. Alpha Damon and Alpha Maddox would also be blamed. I didn't care about Marcy."

Cornelia hugged him from the side. "I'm so sorry."

James snorted. "Why are you sorry? Didn't you hear what I said? I felt nothing. The female I considered to be my sister died, and I felt nothing. I am a monster."

Cornelia moved to look into his blue eyes which were like endless oceans as they reflected his internal struggle.

"Monsters don't feel, Jay. You are capable of love and care and anxiousness, and so many other emotions. I know. You are not a monster. You are just… broken."

James fisted her shirt, his fingers dug into the fabric, nearly ripping it but he didn't notice because he was staring into her dark brown eyes full of love as her words echoed in his mind.

"I am not a monster," he repeated.

"That is correct," Cornelia confirmed. "I know you are not a monster because you are my soulmate. You were forced to hide everything deep inside, so your father won't find it and use it against you. You hid your emotions so well that you couldn't recognize them anymore. I know you are scared. You are scared to look into the person your father molded, but I can tell you that I'm looking at him and he is not a monster. I am here for you and I'm not going anywhere. I won't force you to open up to me, but I hope that one day you will allow me to share your everything, pain included."

Cornelia raised her hands and wiped the moisture off his cheeks.

"See? I am right. Monsters don't cry. Monsters don't fear disappointing their other half. Your father broke you, but I know that my sweet Jay will feed me and put my needs first. My Jay will do everything he can to keep me safe, and he will rather harm himself than do something I might dislike. I love you, Jay. Together, we will get through everything."

James' shoulders shook and then he pulled her into him, and he sobbed silently.

Cornelia hugged him with all her might and patted his back. No matter how smart and how tall and how mature he was, in the end, he was still a sixteen years-old boy who was dealing with a lot.

His father was a horrible person, his mother didn't care, and he just saw his sister dying. He was surviving every day while fearing that his father will oust him due to the lack of Alpha aura, and there was also the point that James believed he was not strong enough to protect Cornelia, his mate. That was a lot of challenges for anyone to bear, and James was just one person.

At that moment, he looked like a fragile boy and Cornelia held him and let him cry it out because she knew that he needed it.

Part of her was glad that James broke down like that. He opened up and allowed her to see his vulnerable side. She knew that no one got to see that, and it made it special.

…

Later that afternoon…

Maddox led the group to an isolated stone building.

By his side was Tatiana, and behind them were Damon, Talia, Caden, Maya, Kalina, and Tony.

When they entered the room, they found Grady, Varya, Cornelia, and James.

Cornelia drew a circle with chalk on the stone floor.

Cornelia confirmed that Grady removed most of the unnatural energies by washing the body paint from his body, and she performed a few spells to extract the rest.

Cornelia said that she will need to investigate the collected samples to confirm how the bodypaint actually worked.

James ensured that no one could see his chocolate-colored Goddess doing her magic, so guards and Varya had to stay outside, but unfortunately… Grady saw it. Cornelia was performing the spells on him, so Grady was necessary.

James was set on killing Grady at the smallest sign of betrayal. Actually, he might kill the guy just in case he reveals later how special Cornelia was.

Grady was overwhelmed by the hostility that was tangible. What the heck? Even that teen boy looked at him like he couldn't wait to end him.

No matter how Grady saw this, he disliked packs and whatever structure they were following. No one asked him his name, nor occupation; that one word "rogue" labeled him as a black sheep and it seemed that no amount of good deeds will help him appear clean. Maybe Tristan was right after all.

Grady's instincts told him that he was lucky to be alive. Somehow, the scout and observe mission that Tristan described escalated. He saw bodies of rogues being carried, and he recognized some.

For now, Grady decided to observe and cooperate. His priority was to survive, and he will find his exit later. Hopefully, with Varya by his side.

"The circle on the ground is to contain the flames, in case he spontaneously combusts," Cornelia explained when she finished.

They all stood facing Grady, and Kalina had to drag Varya away from the guy.

Seven more rogues were caught alive, currently held in the dungeon, but Maddox didn't think they will give him any useful information. Leaders of rogue groups were not Alphas, and they had no way to enforce loyalty other than with threats, money, and brainwashing how everyone was out to kill them (which was not necessarily a lie).

"Do you understand that if you talk about your rogue group, you might die?" Maddox asked.

Grady shrugged. "What are my options?" He didn't believe the burst-into-flames story. And didn't the brown chick say how the burning curse was removed?

"Will you cooperate?" Maddox asked his next question.

"Yes," Grady responded without missing a beat.

"Why should we believe you?" Damon asked.

Grady looked at Varya. "Because I want to be with my mate. I will do anything to be with her."

"Even lie?" Damon asked stiffly.

Grady was not sure how to respond to this. Would he lie? Of course, he would! But if he says that, it can backfire big time.

---

Chapter 772 Interrogation of a rogue

Grady looked at the werewolves around him and he cursed internally when he realized that the only one not looking at him with malice or disgust was Varya.

If he knew things would turn out like this, he would stay in the human town and not seek werewolves. But then… if he did that, he wouldn't be able to inhale the addictive scent of peanut butter and feel the goodness of the sparks that came with Varya's touch.

Grady didn't care about Tristan and he definitely didn't care about these people that surrounded him. The only person he cared about was the brunette he knew as Varya, and she wanted to be with him, but things got complicated and he needed to use his wits to come out of it alive and with his mate.

"How about you ask questions, and then you can decide if you will believe me or not?", Grady asked.

They all looked at Maddox who took this as his cue to start.

"Tell me about your mission. Why did you come here? When? How?"

Grady didn't delay with answering.

"A few days ago, Nick told us that we will be heading to the Blue River pack for a mission. They said it will be easy. Infiltration, scouting, nothing more than that. We heard that there will be a big party for Luna and it was not unusual for us to take advantage of people celebrating so that we can gather information. Two days back, we were preparing for departure when we received additional information. They said that we confirmed our target will be attending this event and that our mission will change slightly. There was a crate of cube-shaped devices we needed to hide. Nick said that if we are nearby one of those, Alphas won't be able to find us or harm us."

Grady looked at Talia. "We each got to see photos of the same woman. Our main mission was to bring Luna Talia to our camp. If we encounter her, we were to persuade her to come with us with the only limitation that she shouldn't be harmed. Nick showed us a map of this area and assigned us spots where we will hide. If we encounter patrols, we were to run and not cause a commotion."

As Grady spoke about Talia, people looked at her and Damon nervously, fearing that Damon will explode into violence. However, Talia and Damon were not surprised to hear that she was the target. They heard it before.

"What would you do with Talia after you get her?" Maddox asked.

"That is how much our group got to know," Grady responded honestly. "I was just a messenger. In the last few months, I collected a few packages in a human city. I would go to the address that was either a nightclub or a bar, and a package would be waiting for me. I never saw who left it there, or what was inside, and the bartender who was holding onto the package was just a human who did it for extra tips."

"Is that how you got those devices?" Maddox asked.

"As I said, I never looked inside packages. They told me to pick up whatever is there and bring it back without questions asked, and I was not allowed to look what was inside."

Maddox guessed that would be a dead end. Rogues don't have loyalty toward anyone. Whoever was pulling the strings would keep as much as possible to himself. Betrayal meant death, and most of the rogues hated packs so much that they would kill themselves when caught out of spite.

It's not that rogues were crazed fanatics out of choice, but the lack of a pack link changed them.

Wolves are social creatures, who live in packs with a strict hierarchy, and they see themselves as part of something bigger. When that is taken away from them, their wolves turn feral and they go… rogue.

Some wolves are born outside packs, and they accept individuality as normal, even though they always feel that something is lacking. However, when a werewolf is banished from a pack later in his life, the missing pack link is a hole he knows that shouldn't be there. There is a pain of rejection and the pack link breaking, and that wound festers and grows until they lose their compassion and empathy. The weak-minded ones succumb to it faster.

Banishing one from a pack is the death penalty for a werewolf.

Maddox was genuinely surprised that Grady knew that much, and he was collaborating.

Now, was he collaborating because of Varya, or because he was deceiving them, that was another thing Maddox needed to figure out.

"Who is Nick?" Maddox asked.

"That's Tristan's second in command."

"Who is Tristan?", Cornelia asked.

"It's a small-time rogue who causes us trouble occasionally," Caden responded.

"Are you saying that rogues we met last night belong to Tristan's group?" Maya asked. "There were hundreds of them."

Grady shook his head. "No, no. Tristan said that many groups came together for this. Some had a task to attack storages, some were to distract the patrols, and our group had Luna Talia as the target."

Talia thought of asking one thing that was bothering her from last night. "How did you know Luna Talia will attend this event?"

"We got information that Alpha Damon left with his Luna," Grady responded.

"From?" Talia continued probing.

Grady's brows came together. "I already told you all that I know, but I can tell you the rumor that's circulating."

Damon waved at Grady, indicating to keep talking.

"There is a woman by Tristan's side. I believe she is his mate. I'm not sure what her name is. The word is that she has access to confidential information from the Dark Howlers pack."

Maddox frowned. That was so vague. "Is that the rumor?"

"No. Those are facts. The rumor is that she grew up in the packhouse of the Dark Howlers pack and is very close to their Alpha. Her mother still works there or something like that, and that's how Tristan found out that Luna Talia left the packhouse. There was also something related to her telling Tristan about a scent-concealing potion and where it was made."

"Scent-concealing?" James asked. "Is that what you used last night?"

Grady nodded. "Tristan sent a group to the Dark Howlers pack and they got their hands on how to make it. I don't know if they bribed someone, stole it, or..."

Grady's voice trailed when he noticed that Talia, Damon, Maya, and Caden were staring at him like he was growing a second head. Or did he burst into flames? Grady quickly looked down to check himself. No, everything was normal.

"Did I say something wrong?" Grady asked apprehensively.

"You say you don't know the woman's name," Maya said. "Did you see her? What does she look like?"

"I caught a glimpse of her once. Dark brown hair, or maybe black." He gestured just below his shoulder level. "Not very tall, nor curvaceous, but not skinny either. I wouldn't say she stands out in any way, other than having Tristan's mark on her neck."

"Could you draw her?" Maya asked, desperately hoping that it was not Lisa.

Grady made a face. "My drawing skills are horrible. The female will look no better than a stick figure. If you have a picture, I can identify her."

Unfortunately, no one had Lisa's photo handy, but considering the information Grady told them, they all suspected that Tristan's mysterious mate was Lisa. Now what?

Chapter 773 Accepting a rogue

"Did we ever confirm who is Lisa's mate?" Caden's question broke the silence.

Maya shook her head. "I will ask Steph."

"Be careful what you say," Damon warned Maya as his insides churned at the possibility of… "We don't know if Steph is the one who leaked information."

"You don't think that she would…"

Damon raised his hand, interrupting Maya. "I don't think anything. But this sounds like Lisa, and she got the information somehow. Only a few people in the pack knew that Talia came with me, so the list of suspects who would put my Luna in danger is not long. And about the potion..." Damon jabbed his hand into his hair. He heard there was a breach in one of their labs, but nothing was missing, so they assumed it was warriors pranking each other. But now it seems rogues stole the formula.

At this point, Damon was fairly certain that Lisa got information from Stephanie. No one else was in contact with Lisa, how much he knew. Stephanie was either part of this, or she disclosed sensitive information without knowing that Lisa would give it to rogues so they could cause this mess.

Going after Lisa was one thing, but how could he go after Stephanie? She had been like his mother for the last decade, and Damon couldn't see himself pointing fingers at the woman who supported him when everyone else was confident he would fail.

Talia looked at Damon, feeling his anger and confusion. She knew that his emotions were amplified by the memory of his parents dying because someone from their inner circle betrayed them.

And this was about him and his people targeting his mate. How could be OK with that?

Maya and Caden were aware that Lisa could do petty things, but betrayal? That was a new low.

Damon punished Lisa lightly for what she did because of their history and because of Stephanie. Instead of appreciating what Damon did, it turned out that Lisa backstabbed him.

This was not just about Lisa being jealous of Talia. It was about endangering others, Damon included. After all, if anything happened to Talia, Damon would be weakened, which meant the whole Dark Howlers pack would be in danger, and that was not a forgivable offense.

Maddox continued interrogating Grady, and Grady told them that he grew up among humans and that he joined Tristan's group only a few months back.

Other than, "I can show you where Tristan's hideouts and package pickup spots are," Grady didn't have anything else that would be usable.

Maddox ran out of questions, so they needed to decide.

"What should we do with him?" Maddox asked Tatiana.

Tatiana looked at Varya standing next to Grady and clinging to his arm, and Tatiana had no idea how to answer this.

Grady was a rogue, a part of the group that caused them so much grief and turned her luxurious wedding into a day for mourning, but there was her younger sister, pleading silently for her mate to be spared.

"We are yet to confirm if what he said was the truth," Tatiana said.

"I believe he spoke truthfully," Talia chimed in. Liseli told her that the guy was not lying. There might be a chance he was concealing things, but whatever he said was the truth.

Maddox frowned at Talia's words. If Grady lied, it would be easy to deal with him. However, if he told the truth, it meant he collaborated, and... what next? Should they just release a rogue? That wouldn't end well.

"How about we take him to the Dark Howlers pack?" Damon asked, surprising everyone. He knew that Talia wouldn't say the guy was truthful without confidence.

"What do you mean?" Varya asked Damon suspiciously.

"So far, your mate showed goodwill. Considering that he was with Tristan only for a short time, and he didn't harm anyone himself, we will give him a chance as long as he agrees to join the Dark Howlers pack."

"Join the pack?" Grady asked, unsure if he was relieved or horrified by this.

Damon confirmed. "You said that you are a scout and quick on your feet. If you join the Dark Howlers pack, we will test your abilities. If you do well, you can become a warrior."

"A warrior?" Grady echoed Damon's last words, unsure if Damon was giving him a way out or tricking him.

Talia looked at Damon questionably, and she asked him through their private mind-link, 'You will take in a rogue?'

Damon didn't think it was a big deal. 'The Dark Howlers pack takes in anyone who needs a place to stay and doesn't mean harm to the pack. I told you that when we met. Didn't I?'

He did, but… 'Why do I have a feeling you have another reason?'

'He saw you using your powers. If he joins our pack, I will have more control over him.'

Talia was still not convinced. 'Isn't he a liability?'

'It is clear that no one wants him dead, and keeping him in the dungeon is not an option either. I will have people assigned to watch over him. Becoming a warrior can be a lengthy training, and we can prolong it until he slips or convinces us in his sincerity.'

Talia realized that Damon's words made sense, and she admired how he could think logically in this situation. He already had a plan, and it turned her on a bit. Smart Damon was sexy. How could she lag behind him?

"My Alpha has spoken," Talia said to Varya and Grady. "If I understood correctly, neither of you lived as part of a pack before. Other than joining the Dark Howlers pack, you will need to learn about the rules we follow and accept guidance from people we assign as your counselors. Based on your abilities and interests, we expect that you will perform specific duties. Since you are a mated couple, you will get a dwelling where you can live together, and you will never go hungry. What do you say? Do you agree to this?"

"We agree!", Varya and Grady said in unison, both relieved that there was a way out for them which didn't include a dungeon or worse.

Talia was already planning to conceal Grady's identity as a rogue. Only a selected few will know in order to avoid any unnecessary complications. And there was also one more benefit.

'We can ask Grady to let us know if he recognizes anyone,' Talia spoke to Damon through their mind link. 'He worked as a messenger for rogues, and I'm sure that he saw some spies.'

Damon nodded in response. He liked that Talia was thinking about how to use this situation to their advantage.

Kalina and Tatiana looked at Talia gratefully. They wanted Varya to be happy with her mate, but they didn't know how to make it happen, considering that Grady was a rogue. However, with Talia keeping an eye on the couple, Tatiana and Kalina were confident that Varya won't be bullied. If it was Talia and Damon, they could do anything.

Sisters were also happy that all five of them would be staying in the US. What luck!

Chapter 774 Plans for Grady (1)

Tatiana's smile fell when she saw that Varya and Grady were about to kiss.

"What are you doing!?" Tatiana snapped. "Until you become members of the Dark Howlers pack and pledge loyalty to Alpha Damon and Luna Talia, you are not allowed to mate."

"Or kiss!" Kalina was quick to add.

Varya looked at her sisters helplessly. Why were they treating her like a baby? Kalina was younger than Varya! But she knew Grady's background was a problem, and she didn't want to make things worse.

"Alright," Varya agreed. "We will do that if you promise not to give us a hard time after it. Do we have a deal?"

Kalina and Tatiana frowned, and Varya pointed an angry finger at her sisters. "I accepted your mates without questions asked. How would you feel if I stuck my nose into your relationships? I know you are worried about me, but I am fine. I know Grady is not a bad person. You need to believe me."

Varya wrapped her arms around Grady's waist, and he was quick to put his arms around her, happy to see that his mate was fighting for them.

Varya didn't know much about Grady, but she believed in him. The scene warmed his heart.

Varya was still glaring at her sisters. "We endured a lot in the last few hours, and we agree not to get physical until we join the Dark Howlers pack. In return, I want you to at least be open-minded about this and stop treating my mate like he is the biggest villain alive. Can you do that much?"

Kalina and Tatiana nodded stiffly.

Varya grinned and tightened her hold on Grady. "Hugging is fine, right?"

Tatiana snorted. "Why ask when you are already clinging to him?"

"I am afraid that if I let go, you will harm him," Varya responded.

"We agreed to be open-minded," Kalina said. "We won't harm him unless he does something bad."

"Why are you assuming he will do anything bad? What if someone provokes him? Do you expect him to keep quiet?"

Three Wilkow sisters bickered, and everyone wondered how much louder it would get if Lidia and Daria were also present. They all had fiery personalities, and Varya held her own in front of Kalina and Tatiana even though she was not marked by an Alpha.

"When are we heading to our new pack?" Grady asked Damon and Talia. He was eager to leave this place.

"We have a few matters to settle," Damon responded. "Until then, do your best to cooperate."

Grady forced a smile while wondering, how did he end up relying on two people who wanted to kill him first? Was this April Fool's Day? Or maybe all this was one of those reality shows where people with cameras will jump out and tell him how it was all one big prank, and he will be famous. Or was it a dream? He would take anything, as long as it was not real.

Grady jolted when he felt a palm on his cheek. Varya's hand was cold and slightly sweaty, telling him she was nervous. The electrifying sparks that prickled his skin were soothing, and he wanted more of them. All over his body, if possible.

"It will be alright," Varya said. "I won't let them hurt you."

Grady had never felt so useless in his life. All this was new and overwhelming, but the oddest thing was that a petite female said she will protect him. And the ridiculous part was that it was the truth. If Varya didn't step in, he would be dead. At least once.

"Maya," Damon called. "Can you check with Gideon to see when it's convenient to do the ceremony for joining the pack? If we can wrap that up before heading back, that would be great."

Maya agreed. "I'm sure Varya and Grady will be eager to do the ceremony as soon as possible."

Maddox was grateful that Damon and Talia were taking custody of Grady, but he knew it wouldn't be simple. Grady was a rogue whose group was responsible for killing many, including a warrior from the Dark Howlers pack. How will Damon and Talia explain that to the members of their pack? What a mess!

Maddox thought that Talia and Damon would leave to talk privately, but then he heard Damon ask, "James, can we have a word?"

Maddox raised his eyebrows at the scene of Damon, Talia, James, and Cornelia walking out, and Maya and Caden observing the scene like it was a totally normal thing. Since when were they that close?

…

James had a hunch what Damon wanted to talk about. It was about Grady. James wanted to talk about him also.

The fact was that Grady saw Cornelia performing magic, and James was not comfortable with the thought that the rogue will be alive and able to talk about it. What if the rogue exposes James' chocolate-colored Goddess?

The four of them went into the packhouse and used one of the empty rooms on the first floor for their discussion.

James was pleasantly surprised that his father didn't contact him so far. It was unusual that Alpha Edward didn't request a report on the situation, but James welcomed this silence. Was it possible that Alpha Edward was aware of what was going on? James wouldn't be surprised if his father had his spies. Heck, James wouldn't be surprised if his father had something to do with last night's attack.

James sat on the sofa next to Cornelia and held her hand in his. As much as the whole night was a mess, he enjoyed this situation where he could be with Cornelia openly. His mark on her neck was concealed under a layer of makeup, but James knew it was there, hiding… just how he was hiding how important Cornelia was.

"I wanted to talk about how to handle Grady," Damon's words snapped James out of his thoughts. "He is an asset, but also a liability. I'm sure you thought of some ways where we can take him with us, and he can be useful without endangering my pack."

"How are you going to assure that he doesn't talk about what he saw here?" James asked.

"Blood oath," Damon responded right away.

"Make sure to include concealing the existence of witches."

Damon's eyes darted to Cornelia as he understood why James was asking. "Alright."

"You might want to work with Alpha Maddox to stage Grady's death before you leave."

Damon didn't get it. "His death?"

James hummed in confirmation. "Tristan is not a fool, and the fact that he was not here last night proves it. Don't underestimate him or the ability of rogues to get information. Many eyes saw that rogue sitting in front of the packhouse with a Wilkow sister clinging onto him, and that would mean only one thing… mates. What do you think Tristan will do when he finds out about it?"

Damon nodded as he understood where James was going with this. "He will look for Grady."

James raised his finger in the air that slowly fell to point at Damon as James spoke, "Tristan will look for Grady until he finds him, and then he will use him against you."

---

Chapter 775 Plans for Grady (2)

"How can rogues use Grady against us?" Talia asked. "He was seen here, and we will take him to the Dark Howlers pack secretly."

James released a long breath. "No offense, Talia, but you are too naïve."

Talia frowned. What did he mean by, no offense? It was offensive, alright?

Talia would ask for moral support from Damon, but Damon told her more than once that she was too soft, so she guessed that Damon would probably just agree with James. And even if Damon defended her, he would do it because she is his mate and not because he believed it.

She decided to show some backbone. "What does my personality have to do with Grady?"

"Nothing," James said. "But because you are so kind and inexperienced, you can't see how dirty people can be. Your best quality is also your biggest flaw."

"I am not sure if you are complimenting or insulting me," Talia shared her thoughts.

"Oh, it's a compliment. Trust me," James said. "Consider yourself lucky that Alpha Damon is your mate. If it's any other Alpha…" James shook his head and decided to get back to the topic they discussed. Grady, the rogue.

"When Grady met Tristan and their group, he was stupid enough to believe that rogues are good guys. He was probably so happy that he spilled everything about his life in the human city. Grady said that his mother had passed, but what about his friends? Ex-girlfriends? There are so many ways to blackmail Grady into obedience, and if you think that the blood oath will protect you, I can tell you that you are wrong because there is always a way to go around an obstacle you are aware of."

"That still doesn't explain how rogues can use Grady. Don't they need to approach him first? How will they approach him if they don't know where he is?" Talia asked, feeling proud of herself for thinking of this.

"And that's how we are getting to the point of the Wilkow sister, Varya," James said with a smug smirk like he was waiting for that question.

"What about her?" It was Cornelia who asked. She loved when James displayed his smarts.

James' expression softened as he looked at his chocolate-colored Goddess. "No matter how much they hide Grady, they can't hide a Wilkow sister. Kalina and Tatiana are Lunas and too high profile. After last night's live stream, everyone saw Varya standing among the bridesmaids. And there were also numerous photos taken by reporters. Do you think that she can go into public and not be recognized? Once Tristan hears how a Wilkow sister was clinging onto his man, it won't be difficult to find Grady."

Talia's mood dropped at James' words. She knew he was right, and now that he said it, it sounded logical. Why didn't she think of that herself?

Damon didn't like this. "Are you saying we must stage Grady's death and then hide them? Or should we ask them to wear disguises wherever they go?" If it's for a limited time, it would be feasible. But what if it takes forever? Damon regretted offering Grady to come to the Dark Howlers pack. Killing him would be simpler. Maybe he can make it look like an accident, preferably before Grady and Varya mate.

'Mate won't approve,' Sapa spoke into Damon's mind.

'She won't approve only if she finds out about it.'

'More lies?'

Damon was exasperated. Why was Sapa coming out only to scold him? Praise or two would be nice!

'I have no intention of lying,' Damon grumbled at the ancient wolf spirit. 'I am only trying to keep Talia safe. In case you missed it, the last night's mess was because someone wanted to get his hands on Talia, and we have no idea who that is. What do you suggest I do?'

'Use your position and power to solve the problem without upsetting mate,' Sapa said sternly.

"There is another way," James said mysteriously, pulling Damon out of his mental chat with Sapa.

"What way?" Damon asked.

"Use Grady to your advantage."

Damon didn't get it. "We can use Grady to send misinformation, but I don't see how that would help. Now that we know where Tristan's hideout is, we can just wipe them off."

James shook his head, indicating how that was not what he meant. "It's obvious that a small rogue like Tristan couldn't be behind last night's attack. Someone else organized them, but Grady is too low in the hierarchy of rogues to know anything useful."

Damon thought how that makes sense, but... "Rogues don't keep databases we can hack into, and they don't share their secrets either. What can a newbie like Grady do?"

James thought for a moment before responding. "It's a long shot, but… if Grady could help us get to that Lisa person, he would be useful. As someone who has access to the information from your pack, she is a valuable resource to Tristan, and he will not let her leave his sight."

Damon rubbed his chin while thinking about James' words. If Tristan won't leave Lisa out of his sight, the probability was high that… "Lisa should know who was behind this."

James' eyes flashed in agreement. "If I understood the situation correctly, Lisa still belongs to your pack. Even among rogues, Tristan has a nasty reputation. He has a way with words and a short fuse. The rumors about him involve crippling people, and he doesn't use tools or weapons to achieve that." James lifted his fist, indicating that Tristan beats up people who disobey him. "I am confident that Lisa is not having an easy time there. You can mind-link her, but in order to make her submit, she needs to come to you. Grady is one of them, and he can help her escape Tristan."

Talia shook her head. "Even if we find a way to get Grady to cooperate, you assume that Lisa wants to escape Tristan. Lisa is a tantrum-throwing person, unable to hold back her grudges, and her mother adores her. The last thing I heard, Stephanie was happily talking about how Lisa finding her mate. Assuming that it's Tristan and he is mistreating Lisa, Lisa is set on hiding it, otherwise, Stephanie would go ballistic."

It was James' turn to pause. "It doesn't matter if Lisa won't or can't escape her abuser. What matters is that her mother won't approve after finding the truth."

Talia's eyes widened. "You want us to use Stephanie to get Lisa out of there?"

James spread his hands, palms up. "I am only telling you that you found the information you can use to get an advantage. How will you use it, it's up to you. Considering Lisa's unique position, if I were you, I would make a solid effort in getting her out of there and into my custody."

Damon ran his hand through his hair. Many things James said made sense, but everything was risky.

"We can storm that place and extract Lisa," Damon said.

James disapproved. "If Tristan knows that Lisa was close to you, and he probably does, he will use her as a hostage. Another thing is that he will know that Lisa is a double-edged sword, and he might eliminate her at the first sign of your attack. In either case, you won't win."

Damon cursed under his breath. James was right. Those were rogues, and they won't flinch when killing.

---

 

Chapter 776: Dangers in the darkness (7)

Lulu's transformation into her wolf form was not complete when her fangs dug into the thigh of one rogue. She jerked her head, ripping the piece of his flesh before dashing to her next opponent.

Talia was not idle either. She was kicking and punching, taking advantage of the fact that rogues were reluctant to harm her, confirming that the guy was not lying. They didn't want to harm her.

But why?

They already confirmed they were aware of her identity as Damon's mate. Why would they kidnap her? And how did they know she was here? Damon and Talia came early, and they were careful to act as Alpha Damon and Alpha Natalia when they were out of their room. Sure, people might think that the two Alphas were chummy, but not to the point of knowing that Talia was Damon's mate.

Actually… the rogues didn't say they knew Talia was here with Damon. Their words were about knowing that she LEFT with Damon. Did that mean someone from the Dark Howlers pack was working with rogues? To make things worse, only a handful of people knew that Luna Talia left with Alpha Damon. Talia's insides churned at the thought that someone from the packhouse betrayed her. Who could it be? She didn't think Damon would be a suspect, but she trusted everyone that came to her mind. Maya? Caden? Zina? Rose? Mindy? Gideon?

This mental instability was enough for one rogue to grab her shoulder. Talia punched him in the nose and shook her hand. That hurt.

'What are you doing?' Liseli growled at Talia. 'Let me take them!'

In the spur of the moment, Talia forgot she had a wolf form that was a killing machine. But she also forgot something else that was more efficient.

Talia dashed through the rogues and shouted, "Lulu! This way!"

"AHHHH!" A rogue screamed as Lulu bit a chunk of his arm. That was the last rogue that didn't shift yet into his wolf form.

Lulu dashed toward Talia, and when Talia confirmed they were separated from the rogues, Talia stepped in front of Lulu. With one thought from Talia, all rogues fell to the ground.

There were nine wolves there, capable of standing.

Talia couldn't control her aura precisely to press on each rogue individually. However, she could direct her aura in a specific direction, and that was enough to freeze them all.

'Liseli, I need them as humans.'

'On it.'

Talia was unsure if Liseli affected Lulu as well, but two seconds later, all rogues and Lulu were in their human forms, naked.

Rogues were sprawled on the ground, unable to get up, and Talia gaped when she realized that the rogues were clothed. What kind of magic was that?

On a closer look, Talia realized that those were not clothes. It was some kind of body paint.

Talia thought how that was convenient. By painting clothes on their bodies, even if they shift between forms, they won't be perceived as naked as long as they don't let others get a good look at them.

The guy who was talking to Talia before raised his head to look at Talia incredulously.

Talia smirked, guessing that he was the leader here. "You know I'm Luna Talia. That should mean Damon marked me." She pointed at her neck, where the mark was visible. "Did you think I'm a pushover?"

"Even with Alpha Damon marking you," the rogue spoke with difficulty. "You shouldn't be this powerful."

Talia sneered. "It seems you don't know everything."

Rogues eyes darted behind Talia. "Your confidence will be the end of you."

Talia felt the hairs on her back rising.

Did she actually make a mistake about Lulu? Was Damon right about…?

Talia whipped her head to see from where the rustling was coming, only to see two guys there. Where did they come from? And they were huge.

Lulu was in her human form, wrestling one guy that was nearly double her size, while the second one was coming for Talia.

"They told us you have an Alpha aura, but a marked female shouldn't be able to suppress the group like this," the guy who was approaching Talia said. "Release them."

Talia's eyes darted to Lulu. The guy was pinning her down, and it didn't look like Lulu could escape him. He was just too big.

Talia was dejected. Why were these guys after her? Why can't they leave her alone?

Talia was angry. How dare they just come and demand that she comes with them? She was not stupid.

Talia was scared. What if they hurt Lulu? How many people did they hurt so far?

Talia's anxiousness skyrocketed. What if they hurt Damon? Why couldn't she reach him through the mind-link? The mate bond was there, so she knew he was alive, and she hoped that if he was in distress, she would be able to feel it, but there was nothing.

Talia balled her hands into fists to conceal that she was trembling.

"What will you do if I don't release them?" Talia asked with all the confidence she could muster.

"Your friend has a nice body. You will get to watch. We might let her live if she serves us well."

Talia's insides tightened. Was he talking about…? She couldn't finish that thought.

Talia stared at the scene where the guy on top of Lulu grabbed her hair and then forced a kiss on her. Lulu bit him back, and he slapped her.

Talia saw a lot of violence in her life, but usually, she was the one at the receiving end.

Was this how other Omegas felt while Anna was beating Talia? Why didn't they help? How could they just watch over and over again and do nothing to stop it?

Talia shook those unpleasant memories away. This was different. Someone else was being bullied because of Talia.

Listening to their demands would be foolish, and letting them bully Lulu further was unacceptable.

Lulu groaned as the guy twisted her arm, and for Talia, that was the last straw.

How could Talia conceal her powers if the price to pay was that people around her needed to suffer?

Talia had enough, and Liseli agreed.

"What makes you think I will allow you to have your way?" Talia asked as her eyes started flickering in silvery light.

The guys behind her still couldn't move a muscle, and two guys in front of her started feeling pain all over. Talia didn't know what Liseli was doing to the two, as she was concentrating on her Alpha aura that held the group in the back pinned to the ground, but it was evident that rogues were suffering.

Lulu got up from under the guy who was bullying her, and Talia could see a big bruise on the left side of Lulu's face. There were more scratches and bruises, and Talia told herself to focus on dealing with rogues. She will heal Lulu later.

Lulu kicked the guy and cursed at him, and then she looked at Talia.

Lulu saw Talia glow and do magic during their pack run when she healed Keith and dispelled black runes from Damon, but this was different.

The energy coming out in waves from Talia was tangible, and the silvery light pulsated around Talia like someone was turning on and off a lightbulb; Talia was the lightbulb.

"It seems you are missing quite a bit of information about me," Talia sneered at the rogues. She gestured to two newcomers to join the others, and they moved with difficulty.

 

Chapter 777: Dangers in the darkness (8)

"I want to know how you are concealing your presence," Talia demanded from rogues that were pressed on the ground in front of her. Those bastards sneaked on her more than once now. Even Liseli couldn't pick them up.

Seeing that no one was willing to talk, Talia stared down at the closest one.

"Speak!" She shouted, and the guy groaned as the light around Talia increased.

'Let me get into his mind,' Liseli said.

'Fine,' Talia agreed. 'Make it quick.'

With Liseli taking charge of interrogating enemies, the silvery glow around Talia subsided, leaving only her eyes to pulsate in silver light.

Talia could see images flashing in her mind, memories that were not hers. There was some rubbish, guy-talk about women and drinking, and found out that the rogue in question was planning to head to the human city tomorrow and visit a nightclub there.

Out of the important stuff, Talia picked up that the rogues had orders to come to a specific location and to wait for a signal. She saw him sneaking between the patrols of the Blue River pack, and it was obvious that the guy knew where he was going. There was a scene of a tall, dark-haired guy telling them that they will wait for the Luna of the Dark Howlers pack while showing them Talia's photo, and they needed to draw on their skin with specific paste...

The man's body spasmed as he started foaming at his mouth, and Liseli quickly got out of his mind with, 'He was weaker than I thought.'

Talia blinked at the man who was lying on the ground, and she couldn't believe that he was dead.

She killed a person, just like that.

Before Talia could process that she had committed murder, the guy's painted clothes caught on fire. It was like when a synthetic fabric touches the flame; it all disappeared within two seconds, leaving a slightly scorched naked body behind.

"What the…?" Lulu said under her breath.

Talia was equally puzzled, but she knew more than Lulu now. "Due to those painted clothes, as long as they are still, their presence will be concealed." But that didn't explain the lack of their scent or why the guy caught on fire.

"Oh," Lulu said, and then she cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "How do you know that?"

Talia was not in the mood to explain. "Can you mind-link Pierce?"

Lulu's eyes lost focus for a moment. "No." A second later, she added, "Keith, Caleb, and others are unreachable as well."

Talia pressed her lips into a line. This confirmed that these rogues had a way to interrupt not only her mind-link with Damon but to mess up the senses of an Alpha and block the pack's mind-link.

With rogues nearly undetectable, who knew how many of them were still hiding? And if they could mess with all that, even if Pierce and others found out that Talia and Lulu were facing rogues, there was a chance that reinforcements won't be able to find them. What a mess.

Rogues stared at Talia whose eyes stood out like flashlights on her body. No one told them about anything like this, and they had no idea what it was, but they knew they were in trouble.

'We need more information,' Liseli urged Talia. 'Pick another one.'

'We can just ask.'

Liseli refused. 'This is faster, and we are ensuring that they are not lying.'

Talia puffed her cheeks, 'Fine. But try not to kill him.'

'You have compassion for people who wouldn't blink while killing,' Liseli said mockingly.

'How I treat others reflects who I am, not who they are.'

Liseli didn't respond. She knew that Talia was a kind soul. The only time Talia was ready to harm others was when she was protecting someone dear to her, like Damon.

Talia saw another set of images. The same tall, dark-haired guy was telling them to drink a scent-concealing potion before heading to the Blue River pack. There was a map behind him with some dots on it, and the humid hot air filled with scents of sweat and moss was suffocating.

"Leader," one guy asked, and the scene shifted for Talia to see more than a dozen guys standing in a room that had walls covered in wooden panels. It looked like a cottage. "How do we know that Luna Talia will be here?"

The tall, dark-haired guy smirked. "I have my sources. We won't make a move until we confirm that they left together."

"Is it true that we will collaborate with Jason's and Malik's groups?" Another voice asked.

"There will be more than the two of them. You don't need to worry about it. Do your task well, and we will all get to move up from this dump."

People cheered, and the scene became hazy.

Talia blinked to see the guy in front of her spasming on the ground. Just like the previous one, the moment he breathed his last, his clothes burst into flame.

'Do you think that clothes painted on his skin can sense he died?', Liseli asked curiously.

'I told you not to kill him.'

'No. You said TRY not to kill him. I tried and failed. It's not my fault he resisted, and I had to apply more force than necessary.'

Talia couldn't believe this. 'I would twist your ear if only you had one.'

Liseli snickered. 'We can shift into wolf for you to get my ears, but then you lose thumbs, so there won't be any twisting.'

Talia didn't want to argue. They were in a dangerous situation, without a way to contact Damon, facing rogues, and she needed information.

"Who is your leader?" Talia asked, and the rogues turned to look around. Some of them looked at the guy who was talking to Talia before.

"Not that one," Talia said. "I meant the tall, dark-haired guy who was giving you instructions to come here. He was wearing a black leather jacket. Tell me, or I will make you. You know that I can suppress you with ease. Do you think that's all I can do?"

"Ah! Ah!" One rogue cried, and his painted clothes burst in flames. "Oh… Save me!… Aaaa!" A few more rogues cried in unison as they burst into flames.

Talia panicked. What was going on?

'Maybe clothes detect betrayal also,' Liseli's voice sounded in Talia's mind.

Talia raised her arms and started waving. "Stop! Stop! Stop thinking about your leader. I don't care about him!"

The cries stopped, and Talia realized that only four rogues were still unharmed.

The ones that caught on fire were dead.

'What the heck is going on here?' Talia asked Liseli.

'In the face of this information, I think that the first two rogues burst into flames because we peeked into their memories,' Liseli shared her thoughts. 'Painted clothes make them appear not naked, conceal their presence, and prevent betrayal. This explains why we got only fragments from each of them.'

Talia rubbed her forehead. How can she get information if asking or forcing mind-reading makes them dead?

"You have no use of us," the leader of rogues spoke. "Let us go. Unless you want to kill us."

It was evident that Talia was shaken up by seeing people dying in front of her, even if it was not her fault. Everyone knew that Lunas have nurturing nature. They won't kill, not on purpose, and not unless they are defending their loved ones and their pack.

 

Chapter 778: Dangers in the darkness (9)

"You want us to let you go?" Lulu asked the rogue incredulously. "What's to say you won't come tomorrow in another attempt to kidnap my Luna?"

He smirked. "You are right. We will probably return. In order to prevent that, Luna Talia should join us now." He spoke to Talia. "Our task is only to bring you back, to talk. This is not kidnapping; it's a friendly invitation."

Lulu crossed her arms over her chest, giving her two peaks a push up. She was not bothered by her nakedness.

"Do you think my Luna is stupid to go with you?" Lulu asked.

He shrugged. "What do you suggest? Should we sit here until breakfast? What will that achieve? You know we won't talk. We can't. If you hand us over to Alpha Maddox, he will interrogate us and that will end up with him letting us go, assuming we survive. And we know that Luna Talia won't kill us."

Talia didn't hear what the guy said. She was visually inspecting the bodies and four rogues that were still breathing.

"Why is your leader not here? Did he send you on a suicide mission? Or are you another diversion so that he can do something else?"

Talia shook her head at this last question. She heard that Luna Talia was the target. However, that didn't mean it was the full truth. That was only what these guys received as instructions. There was a possibility that the leader had a different plan, one that he didn't disclose to others.

Talia really wished for Damon to be here. She tried mind-linking him again but to no avail.

"What are you guys using to prevent mind-link from working?" Talia asked. "There is no way that rogues would know such a thing. With whom are you working? There must be something you can tell us otherwise you can only dream about leaving this place."

The guy just shook his head.

"How can you be so calm after your leader set you up like this to be cannon fodder?"

He shrugged. "It is what it is. What's the point of being angry now?"

Talia was surprised by this rational response. But then... they were rogues, always scheming, and Talia was confident that under that calm demeanor the guy was plotting revenge.

But he was right. She couldn't kill them, but she had no intention of letting them go either.

Talia puffed her cheeks while thinking about what to do. If Damon was here, he would know how to handle this mess.

Talia remembered that her mind-link with Damon worked while she was in the packhouse. Mila was at the edge of the forest, mind-linking Tatiana, and Talia wondered if the rogues turned on the interference when Talia stepped into the forest, or maybe Talia entered the zone where mind-linking was jammed. In any case, she needed to fix it.

For rogues, this was not a big deal.

Rogues didn't belong to a pack, so they didn't communicate via mind-link. They had other ways to exchange information, like phones or they would carefully plan their missions, accounting for various outcomes so each could move independently without exposing others.

Unfortunately, werewolves that were part of the pack relied on their mind-link too much, and now this was a problem. How can she inform Damon, Meg, or anyone else of their location? And the bad thing was that there could be more rogues nearby, approaching them, and Talia wouldn't know unless they stand right in front of her.

'If they are interfering with mind-link, we could be able to sense the energies and see from where it's originating,' Liseli said.

There was not much confidence behind Liseli's words, but it was the only thing they could do.

'How come you didn't discover anything before?' Talia asked.

'At that time, I didn't know that such a thing could exist.'

'Let's try this together,' Talia said and turned to Lulu. "Keep an eye on them. I need to focus on this."

Lulu nodded, unsure what Talia was up to, but Talia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and Lulu understood that Talia shouldn't be disturbed.

Talia's body was glowing again. Pulses of silver exited her feet and spread in every direction as circles of light. Each circle reached further than the previous one, covering the foliage and trees and even the forest critters that were hiding in their burrows, making every detail visible for Talia, like it was right in front of her.

Talia's eyes snapped open when she found something. She was not sure what it was, but the energies were acting strange there, and it needed investigation.

The problem was that it was about fifty feet away. Talia was the only one who could get it because she didn't know how to explain it to Lulu, other than shouting. Leaving Lulu on her own to watch over four rogues was not a wise idea. There was only one way to deal with this situation.

"We need to move. All of us." Talia said.

Lulu glanced at rogues and then at Talia. "Go, where?"

Talia gestured. "That way. There is something and I need to check it out."

Talia led the way with four rogues behind her and Lulu at the back.

Talia was maintaining her aura on the rogues, so they walked slowly.

It didn't take long for Talia to reach the source of the disturbance. She moved the leaves with her hands carefully, unsure what to expect. There was a metallic cube-shaped device lodged between the roots of a massive oak tree.

A few tugs later, a cube-shaped thing was in Talia's hand.

There were buttons and a small display with lights flickering, and Talia found a groove at the back. Upon pressing there, the cube opened and revealed a switch and two small knobs.

"What are you doing?", Lulu asked in an urgent whisper when she saw that Talia was about to press that switch. "What if it's a bomb?"

"I don't think it's a bomb. It's a device that's preventing the mind-link from working." Talia explained.

Lulu was not so confident. "Are you sure?"

"No," Talia admitted. "But if this will blow into our faces, those rogues would be running for their lives." Or at least try to.

"What if they don't know that this is a bomb? We just saw them spontaneously combust. What's to say that this won't blow?"

Talia had to admit that Lulu had a point, but what were their options? "If you are afraid, you are welcome to step back. If this kills me, tell Damon I'm sorry. I did my best."

Lulu made a face. "If you blow up and I survive, Damon will find me and kill me five times over. I will rather stay here and have an honorable death."

"Is it honorable to die in an explosion?"

Lulu thought for a moment. "For a warrior, honorable is to die in a battle. But right now, I'm not a warrior. I'm a guard." Lulu snatched the device from Talia's hand. "Now, Luna, please step back so I can flip this switch."

Before Lulu could react, the cube was back in Talia's hand. "I'm not going anywhere. If you don't want to go, you are welcome to stay."

Lulu opened her mouth to protest, but Talia already flipped the switch.

"You can open your eyes now," Talia said to Lulu teasingly.

 

Chapter 779: Dangers in the darkness (10)

With the device turned off, Talia closed her eyes to sense her surroundings. Everything in close proximity was clear, but that didn't stretch far before images in her mind became blurry again.

'Kitten! Kitten!' Damon's voice sounded in Talia's head, and she nearly teared up at the anguish that came with it.

'I'm here, Damon.'

'WHERE ARE YOU!?' There was a relief, but the anger came quickly to cover it up.

Damon, Maya, Caden, Keith, and Caleb reached the packhouse only to discover that Talia went out to investigate the disappearance of guards.

Didn't he tell her to stay put!?

Damon found Ivy, Lily, and Mila with ease. From them, Damon heard that Lulu and Talia went into the forest, and he couldn't find them in the direction Lily pointed at. Since then, Damon was running around aimlessly, hoping to find Talia and doing his best not to lose his mind while tearing into the bodies of a few rogues who were unfortunate enough to be noticed by Damon and his unit.

'Goddamit, kitten! Are you set on making me die early from anxiety? Where are you!?' Damon was still shouting, but Talia could feel that he was calmer now.

'Follow the bond,' Talia said. 'I'm with Lulu. We found a device that disrupts the mind-link. There are more of those in the area. If your mind-link is not working, you are close to one, and it seems they are also jamming our ability to sense surroundings.'

Damon remembered that his ability was acting up this evening. He thought that maybe he drank too much or someone drugged him, but it didn't cross his mind that there were devices that could interfere with the ability of an Alpha. Who could make such a thing?

Damon focused on sensing his bond with Talia, and he could feel the pull in a specific direction, telling him where Talia was. That was all he needed to run as fast as his paws carried him.

"I can reach Pierce!" Lulu said excitedly. "Their group bumped into rogues. Lidia and Daria got hurt, and Pierce and Jordan took them to get medical help. Kalina, Varya, and their Omega went to meet up with Mila, Ivy, and Lily, and I'm sure they will come here soon. Keith and the guys are also reachable!"

Talia mind-linked Meg, confirming Talia's suspicion that rogues hid these signal-jamming devices through the forest.

Talia realized that someone clever was behind this. If they cut off all communication, people would notice right away. Instead, rogues covered some specific areas, making it appear that the other person was unavailable. They crippled the defenses of the Blue River pack, and people were not aware of it.

Talia stared at the electronic device. "Who could make this?"

Lulu leaned closer to give it a sniff. "It looks human-made."

Talia's silvery eyes widened. "Humans?"

Lulu looked at four rogues with a sneer. "They work for whoever pays. Humans included."

Talia's eyes were perfect circles now. "Are you saying that humans are behind this?"

Lulu shrugged. She didn't know, but… "Anything is possible. We might be concealing our existence from humans, but that doesn't mean they don't know about us. Didn't you watch a movie or two about our kind? Sure, humans got a lot of things wrong, but they got some things right also. That's not a coincidence."

Talia didn't like this. Humans? Didn't the rogue say how they came here for Luna Talia? Why would humans want Luna of the Dark Howlers pack? If they wanted to discuss business, they would contact Damon. Or were they planning to keep Talia hostage and force Damon into something?

All this was giving her a big headache and she really missed Damon and his hug that could make everything better.

"What the…?" Lulu's question was cut short, but it alerted Talia to pay attention to their surroundings.

Small movements could be detected, and Talia figures approaching.

"Seven of them," Talia said under her breath, hoping there were not more that she couldn't pick up.

"Is that Alpha Damon?"

Talia's body tensed when she realized that her senses were messed up again, and the range of how much she could feel clearly on her left was reducing. "It seems they have on them one of those jamming devices."

"Oh, shit…" Lulu mumbled when she confirmed that her mind-link was not working again. "How many of those interfering gadgets are there?"

Talia didn't want to find out.

Four rogues still suppressed by Talia's aura were visibly cheerful now, and one of them said, "Give up, Luna Talia. It will be easier for everyone. Our orders are to not harm you, but we will resort to force if necessary."

Talia ignored them.

"Damon and guys are on their way," Talia said to Lulu, loudly for others to hear, hoping that they would give up and run before they got caught.

Lulu understood the meaning behind Talia's words, but the rogues didn't show an intention of retreating, so there was only one option. "Let's keep them busy until Alpha Damon comes. Maybe he finds a way to interrogate them successfully."

The leader of the rogues shouted at their reinforcements, "Alpha Damon is coming! We need to hurry! Watch out for Luna Talia's…"

He stopped talking when Lulu punched him in the face.

Talia realized that with more rogues coming, the ones they captured were becoming bolder and she worried that they will distract them if the fight erupts.

Talia waved at Lulu to step to the side, and then the crunching of bones was heard as four rogues cried and collapsed.

'We got just their legs, right?' Talia asked Liseli.

'Can you stop worrying about the people who don't have good intentions?' Liseli snorted when she felt that Talia felt guilty about it. 'Just do you, girl, and let me handle bad stuff. Focus on our guests who are approaching steadily.'

At Liseli's words, another wave of anxiety hit Talia. These rogues had no intention of talking as they were already in their wolf forms.

Should she use her powers? Didn't she already expose herself? Talia thought that it didn't matter, not anymore.

Talia could feel the adrenaline rush coming from Liseli, and she gave in.

With a flash of light, Talia became a light gray wolf enveloped in silvery light which made her glow in the dark forest.

The first wolves had reached them already, and growls shook the area as Lulu was entangled in a fight.

Talia kept Lulu on her left, and she exerted her aura in other directions, effectively suppressing the rogues coming from her right.

One rogue from the front jumped at Talia, and she avoided him clumsily, regretting that she didn't get any training to fight in her wolf form.

Sure, Liseli was deadly and charged with instincts to avoid danger and strike enemies. They also had powers, but when everyone was moving swiftly, and there were friendly units around, it was difficult to use those powers.

Talia didn't have time to count, but there were more than ten newcomers.

Talia glanced at Lulu to see that she was facing three wolves, jumping, biting, and kicking, each looking for a chance to get closer to the neck and deliver an incapacitating injury.

Everything around Talia was horrid, but she didn't allow herself to freeze in fear.

 

Chapter 780: A dark morning (1)

Talia's insides jolted at the sight of a dark gray wolf coming from behind Lulu, and Talia rushed to intercept that one, hoping to lessen Lulu's burden.

The moment Talia's wolf collided with the dark gray wolf, her control of aura slipped, and the five wolves she was holding down moved to jump into the fray.

Talia gave Liseli control and focused on suppressing rogues that were mobile.

Talia tried not to think when Liseli twisted her body and got her fangs into the neck of the dark gray wolf. The sensation of ripping the flesh of a live creature was nauseating, but Talia managed to keep it together and not disturb her wolf. This was not a game.

Once the dark gray wolf stopped moving, Liseli released him and turned to find her next target.

A yelp escaped Liseli's maw when two light brown wolves jumped on her from behind, making her lose her balance.

Talia could feel Liseli's rage mixing with adrenaline as she got back to her feet, and then the whole world slowed down.

Lulu pounced on one of the two light brown wolves that attacked Liseli, pushing him to the side. In the next moment, Lulu was back in the air, about to jump on the second light brown wolf, when two other wolves came from behind Lulu and slammed into her, effectively changing her trajectory.

Lulu's wolf rolled, and before she could stabilize herself, those two wolves were on top of her.

'No! NO!' Talia screamed mentally at the sight of two wolves tearing with their fangs into Lulu's body at the same time.

Talia yanked control from Liseli and dashed toward Lulu as the surge of silvery light exploded in all directions, sending the nearby rogues flying.

…

Damon was on the verge of losing his mind. Where the hell were Talia and Lulu?

He followed the pull of the mate bond, but then it was gone.

The whole forest was eerily quiet, which was never a good sign.

To make things worse, his mind-link was broken, and he was not sure if it was because of those devices Talia mentioned or because Talia and Lulu were engaged in fighting, and they shut down the mind-link so they wouldn't be disturbed.

Damon's anxiety was amplified whenever they bumped into rogues. He could barely sense them, and when spotted, instead of fighting, they would run. What the hell was that?

Damon would chase them if not for the priority of finding Talia. He hoped that patrols of the Blue River pack would discover those loose rogue units.

'Don't!' Damon mind-linked Maya, who started chasing two rogues who were running away. They discovered that even with their mind-linking obstructed, it still worked when they were close by.

'They might have answers,' Maya said to Damon.

'And they might run for reinforcements,' Damon grumbled. 'Our priority is to find Talia. Let's not separate.'

Maya didn't like that they were running in circles without knowing what was going on, but she knew that Damon was right.

A blinding flash of light exploded through the trees, and Damon rushed that way like crazy. There was only one person capable of doing something like that.

'It's my Liseli!' Sapa shouted in Damon's mind. 'She is amazing! And she is angry.'

Damon didn't like it. Talia used her ability, flashing for everyone to see. Didn't he tell her to stay inside and not reveal her powers? But he knew that Talia wouldn't do that unless necessary, which meant she was facing a crisis.

'Faster, Sapa!'

'Any faster, and my paws will come off.'

Keith was right behind Damon, regretting that he didn't have some super-boost or teleporting ability like those witches. He would be there already and see the situation and help Talia and…

'I told you, Keith…' Lulu's voice sounded in Keith's mind through their mind-link. Why did she sound so weak?

'What's going on, Lulu?' Keith asked.

'I told you that I don't need the oath to prove my loyalty,' Lulu said, ignoring Keith's question. 'I always proved my loyalty with actions. Like now…'

'Lulu?' Keith called. 'Lulu!?'

Another silvery flash was seen, this one even stronger than the previous one, and Keith wondered if it was because they were closer or because Talia had increased her power output.

Damon and Keith nearly tripped on a rogue sprawled on the ground. Maya, Caden, and Caleb were right behind them.

"Waaah!" A scream reached them, and they all dashed toward the sound.

Damon's heart tightened at the sight of crying Talia. She was enveloped in silvery light that extended to Lulu's body. Talia was holding Lulu's head in her lap, there was a lot of blood, and he couldn't pick up Lulu's heartbeat.

Damon's urge was to comfort Talia, but his reason told him to first ensure there were no dangers.

Several rogues were unmoving on the ground, most of them were in their wolf forms. Damon guessed that Talia knocked them out somehow, and he frowned when he realized that they were dead.

Damon killed many, and he wouldn't think much about it, but he knew that was not Talia's style, and he was concerned about her mental state.

The pulsating silvery light from Talia's body was dimming, and she sobbed, unaware that Damon hugged her from behind or that Maya, Caden, Keith, and Caleb were also there, on their knees, looking at Lulu's lifeless body. Maya cried silently in Caden's arms, and Keith and Caleb stared at Lulu, having difficulty accepting that she was gone.

Damon held Talia and rocked her gently, letting her hold Lulu and cry it out.

He stared at the tree canopies above them that released some of the early morning light to illuminate the world that was darker compared to yesterday.

After an unknown measure of time, Talia became aware of her surroundings.

Somehow, she was wearing a t-shirt. There was no memory of her putting clothes on, but she was in Damon's embrace, and he was wearing a similar t-shirt also, and she guessed that Damon dressed her up while she was out of it.

Talia didn't register when Caden fetched t-shirts and sweatpants for everyone from the nearby stash of clothes.

Damon's presence enveloped Talia, and she knew he was there, yet she couldn't calm down. Lulu's mutilated body was covered with a dark green t-shirt, and her hands were resting on her chest.

Talia looked at her bloodied hands.

"I tried to save her," Talia said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I couldn't."

"Shhh," Damon shushed her. "It's OK. You did what you could."

"It's not OK," Talia said. How can this be OK? "Lulu died because she protected me. Rogues attacked me, and she jumped to save me and… ah… waaaah!" Talia was crying again. Gory images of rogues tearing into Lulu's body replayed in Talia's mind.

"Lulu's name will be etched in the wall of warriors who made sacrifices for their pack," Damon said, his voice solemn.

"Lulu died with honor," Keith said while struggling to keep his voice from breaking. "She had no regrets." He hoped this was the truth.

Keith knew that Lulu was aware everyone doubted her, yet she still came here and performed her duty like things were fine.

'You did it, Lulu,' Keith spoke into the mind-link, even though he knew Lulu couldn't hear him anymore. 'You proved your loyalty. Luna and Alpha acknowledged you and are mourning your loss. Did you hear you've got a spot on the wall of fallen warriors? That's the highest honor a warrior could have. Your father will be proud.'