The Rogue

Part 3

The forest rumbles, large paws shaking the ground as we run. I keep my pace to a stride to allow the rest of them to keep up with me, especially Ryker. I could outrun them all yet I keep my pace slower, my eyes glancing to Ryker from time to time. He's panting slightly, his body not yet used to the speed of adult wolves. He's still a juvenile, it'll be a long time before he finds his strength.

Theo runs on my right, occasionally turning back to the wolves to growl, telling them to keep up the pace. Our wolves would rather be running faster, both of us born from higher power. My wolf is always inside of me telling me to push myself, to become the strongest there ever was. She's greedy for power, she wants what she is without. This drives her forward, wanting to take the world for her own.

We stop when it becomes nightfall, all of us wanting a much needed rest. We set up camp in a small clearing, big enough for us to start a fire and to sleep for a little while. We had been running for hours, we're close to our destination. I take a second to watch as they begin to start the process to make a fire, all of them pulling their weight. When I'm satisfied with what I've seen, I begin to make my way back into the woods.

I allow my wolf full control, trusting her to guide me. Her snout goes to the ground, the scent of deer filling her nose. It's with a growl of her stomach does she follow the scent, her eyes looking around for any danger as she does so. It's not long before we stumble upon the group of deer and buck, all eating the grass, seeming peaceful.

She watches for a moment, her eyes calculating, as she looks for the biggest one. She settles on a buck standing a few feet away from the rest of them. It's almost as if he knows something is watching him because he turns his head, looking for any detection of danger. Her footsteps are soft, a dangerous predator, as she makes her way towards him. She's hidden by the shadows, her black coat blending into the night well.

When she feels as if she's close enough, her hind legs bend, ready to spring on the unsuspecting buck. She waits for him to bend down to eat the grass again before she pounces, her large jaw opening to take the neck in her teeth. All of the deer scramble as the buck begins to jump, trying hard to shake the wolf off with a kick of its hind legs. She bites down until her teeth touch, the buck going limp in her jaw.

She's proud of herself as she drags the dead animal back to her camp. This buck is huge and they will feast tonight. She has always thought of herself as a skilled hunter, her role quickly becoming the provider of the seven. Dragging the animal out of the trees and into the clearing, the seven are quick to shift.

They all wait, sitting silently until she takes the first bite. Once the bite has been swallowed, the seven come to take their share of the kill. They have built her fire so she will share her food with them. Their wolves can sense that is of greater power than them, so they will always let her go first. When her belly is finally full she makes her way to the fire, plopping down beside it. The heat radiates off of her fur as she allows me to take back control. I wait until everybody is back by the fire until I close my eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

*******************TIME JUMP*********************************

Hearing a twig snap, my wolf is immediately on alert. Glancing around the forest, I notice multiple pairs of eyes staring at my little group. A growl tears from my throat, waking the rest of my people up. My hind legs bend as a man walks out of the forest, a smirk on his face.

"Looks at this boys, we found some rogues. Let's make this quick, Alpha Elias wants all rogues bought o the prison for interrogation." He looks all of us in the eye, a shiver going down his back as they meet mine.

I make our choice for us, springing onto the man causing us to tumble to the ground. My jaw closes around his throat, ripping a huge chunk out as he screams. He wasn't expecting me to attack first. I'm about to finish him off when a large body slams into my side, sending me flying across the forest floor.

My wolf takes control, shaking the blow off as she looks around. The wolves are all fighting, we're severely out numbered. More wolves keep flooding into the clearing, each taking a different position against one of the members of my small pack. I'm about to get back into the fight when a man walks into the clearing, grabbing Ryker quickly by the scruff of his neck.

A low growl tears from my chest as I watch him handle the youngest member of my little group. "Who's the leader here?" Taking a step forward, the growls keep coming. "A female?" He laughs. "Surrender or he will be the first one I kill here."

Ryker begins to whine as the man tightens his grip around his neck. He's going to kill him if we don't surrender, he's willing to kill a child. Looking around, I give them a growl as if to say stand down. They listen, the fighting stops.

More unshifted males come out of the forest, collars in their hands. "Shift." We do as they say, my hands reaching up to cover my breasts. They collar Ryker first, the man looking me in the eye to see if I'll try anything. The man that comes to collar me shakes, he can feel the power radiating off of me. The pain from the collar has me growling lowly, I'm going to kill all of them. "Let's go."

It's about a fifteen minute walk before we stumble upon a clearing that has a large building, a pack house. I keep my face neutral as we walk inside, not wanting them to see the anxiety that's building up in my body. There's no one in sight as he opens a door, leading us down a case of stares. He's bringing us to their dungeon, they're going to torture and eventually kill us.

Ryker begins to cry, he's heard all of the stories, he knows what's going to happen next. Part of me wants to comfort him but I know I can't, at least not while all of these people are around. Could I lie to Ryker? Could I tell him everything will be okay when I know it won't be?

I stay silent as the men throw us against the wall, shackling our arms and our legs against it. Each cuff is made of silver and I hiss from the pain of them being against my skin. No wolf wants to feel silver against our skin, it burns and leaves scars.

The man who woke us up stands in front of me, a sadistic smile on his face. "Don't worry, our Alpha likes to have run with the rogues first. Then you'll deal with us." He reaches his hand up, a single finger gliding against my check. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you."

He leaves us there then, with Ryker crying in the background. I watch as he leaves, promising myself that next time I see that man, he will no longer have that finger.