The Found One

Chapter 17

Izzy POV

Izzy didn't think she actually needed to be present for this discussion, but after having managed to successfully evade the storm of Rowan's volatile emotions once, she decided not to press her luck, and stayed quiet.

"Rowan I want to apologize about today, you know we take security seriously, we have never had problems with Rogues like that before. I've ordered the borders all continue to be doubled, and we've beefed up patrols inside the territory as well."

Izzy felt her curiosity spike, she had heard the word a few times now, but still didn't know exactly what they were talking about. "What's a rogue?"

Rowan hadn't shifted his focus from her, his arm draped across the back of the couch an ankle crossed over his knee, he looked the picture of ease and relaxation. Izzy didn't buy it for a second. It was a tactic she noticed a number of Rowan's group employ, downplaying their size, minimizing their impressions, or downright faking disinterest – she wasn't fooled anymore. They were ALWAYS alert, ALWAYS ready, and ALWAYS capable.

She let out a small breath of relief, when he didn't look annoyed or upset at her interruption. "Rogues are werewolves that are not bound by Oaths and Bonds to the packs and Alphas. Without that stabilizing force to maintain balance between their two sides, they lose touch with their humanity. Our animal side, by virtue of what it is, is more dominant and more often than not it is stronger. Without the bonds of pack and the hierarchy to enforce balance and strengthen our humanity, the animal nature wins out and erodes it – though not all of it. Hate, anger, rage, and often times other stronger emotions remain, mixing with the animal nature into a toxic mix - an unnatural mix. Rogues are loners by nature, they shun humanity, as well as Pack life, and very often are; violent, uncontrollable, and feral."

"But not all of them are bad?" Izzy asked, piecing together his explanation.

His lips twitched, eyes softening. "No, not all of them. Some are able to give into their animal side without turning dangerous, they live more as true wolves then werewolves, choosing to remain in their furs and occasionally rejoining wild wolf packs. But those cases are extremely rare, most can't accept the loss of the bonds, their human side goes mad, allowing the stronger more violent emotions to thrive alongside the dominant nature of our wolf's. The worst are those who do not choose it. The break is much more violent and damaging in those cases."

"Some would choose that?" Horror coated her voice. She couldn't imagine anyone choosing to go through that, to become what Rowan was describing.

"There are always misguided people. Those who think there are easy paths to power and glory, people who believe they are the exception to the rule. Those who imagine themselves bigger than what life would have them be, and there will always be those who thirst for violence and blood, in that sense, we are no different than your humans."

Rowan fell quiet as she thought, when she didn't question him further he offered another miniscule smile. "Maleco," His voice shifted back, she returned the small smile, with a tiny one of her own. "The Rogues weren't your fault, in hindsight, I should have warned you - but we had been monitoring them, and had believed they hadn't managed to discern where and when I was to be travelling."

Izzy jumped in surprise, her eyebrows pulling together.

"What do you mean?" Maleco voiced the question on nearly half the rooms tongues.

"You're going to need to explain at least some of it Row, your mom will understand." Austin suggested from his place near the door.

At his words, Rowan's lips tightened ever so slightly.