Chapter 23


    "What the hell!" I screeched as I ran outside with Niall on my tail.


    I was left bbergasted as I took in the sight in front of me. My heart thumped against my chest like a


    beating drum, and the longer I looked at it, the more surreal it became.


    My car, that I nearly destroyed justing here, was in giant mes with a very flustered looking


    Valero, and a pissed rissa standing next to it.


    "I was literally inside the building for two minutes!" I pulled on my hair as I gazed between Valero and


    rissa, silently waiting for an answer.


    "It-it just erupted in mes! I-I.." Valero stuttered, still looking stunned by it all.


    I threw my head in my hands with a big huff, feeling rather annoyed and frustrated from this whole trip. I


    knew I smelled a little extra gas on my way here as if it had a leak, but I didn''t think it would''ve


    exploded!


    I felt as Niall rested his hand on my shoulder, at which I shocked us both by flinching away. My


    annoyance at what he did was still burning in me, but as I turned to look at him and saw the sadness in


    his eyes, I felt myself letting go as I stepped into his embrace.


    Warm tears soaked his shirt as they seeped from my eyes. I had no specific reason for crying, but from


    the overwhelming feeling of thinking my mate was in trouble, to finding out that he wasn''t, to emerging


    from the building to see my first car on fire--it was all too much.


    "Hey baby don''t cry" Niall coaxed as he pulled back my face to look into my eyes."I''ll get you a new car


    tomorrow if you want to"


    "It''s not about the car Niall" I semi shouted as I stepped away from him. He was taken aback by my


    movements and my tone, and I noticed that rissa and Valero looked slightly ufortable. "I


    missed you...I needed you and you were here doing God knows what with God knows who for


    whatever reason. I pulled an Alpha away from his pack to help me. I called on a rogue you obviously


    don''t like to help me. I put them and myself in danger because YOU decided to take a trip to rogue-


    town without thinking of informing YOUR MATE!"


    The silence sat between us like still water, and I was drowning in its thick, tense atmosphere. The only


    sound emerged from the cackling of the fire as it lit the open night. Niall gazed at me in thought for a


    while longer as I dried my eyes. Realising that he wasn''t going to say anything else, I simply turned to


    leave.


    "If we shift we''ll be able to be back by midnight" I cleared my throat as I spoke, not once gazing back


    as I headed for the exit. I heard all of them falling in, but I dared not to look back.


    "I''ll shift and you can ride my wolf" I heard Niall''s gentle and small voice as he spoke."You must be


    exhausted" The guilt and pain in his voice was evident, but I tried not to let it affect me.


    I simply nodded, appreciating the idea since I didn''t feel like running 300 miles in wolf form. rissa


    gave the gate guards a curt nod as we left. I was left confused knowing that Niall''s scent wasn''t


    masked, yet the guards as well as other rouges I passed didn''t seem bothered by it.


    It made me wonder, what business did he really have here?


    I decided, however, to leave the conversation forter. I was in no mood to discuss it.


    We walked for a while, just enough to put distance between us and thepound. The silence was


    deafening as we travelled, but I made no move to break it. Niall stayed closely behind me, and I could


    feel how on alert he was as we ventured through the woods. I too kept on high alert, pushing my wolf


    forward just enough to be more aware of my surroundings.


    "Um maybe we should camp out till dawn. I think we''re all a bit too exhausted to run all the way back


    tonight" Valero suggested at which surprisingly rissa agreed.


    I also nodded in agreement. Maybe I was being inconsiderate about travelling all the way home tonight.


    After all, it has been a long day.


    "There''s a small opening just about a mile from here that we could stay till morning. It''s rtively warm


    and secluded there" rissa informed us as she took the lead.


    Sleeping outdoors was never a problem for us wolves. In fact, it was better for us to connect to our


    animal side. But somehow the thought of sleeping right on the border of a rogue town didn''t sit right


    with me. Our scents were almost back to normal. Still, I made no move to protest. I was too tired.


    Valero and Niall both shrugged out of their clothes before shifting into their wolves. I purred in delight


    as I set eyes on my mate. His masculinity and dominance always had me swooning in delight.


    I tried as best as I could to hide it as I hopped onto his back. rissa did the same with Valero, though


    it was quite obvious how ufortable they both were.


    She guided him as we travelled at a steady pace. The night was rtively cool and calming. It almost


    made me forget the day I had. I almost fell asleep on Niall''s back as I let myself rx, even though I


    couldn''t shake the fact that he has yet to say something to me to make me understand what he was


    thinking.


    Sighing, I leaned my body against his massive fluffy fur, wrapped my arms around his neck and


    allowed myself to be set adrift.


    However, I wasn''t allowed to be pulled deeper into my slumber, because I was brought back to reality


    when a loud growling sound trembled the leaves Niall trotted on.


    Instantly, he stopped, and I was up and alert too. rissa and Valero perked up at the sound also, and


    Niall was already growling threateningly as he sniffed, snarled and eyed the forested trees.


    I ran my hand through his fur soothingly, simply because I needed him to stay calm until we identified


    the threat. With his mate this close by to ''danger'', his wolf''s only instinct was to protect me at all cost.


    Even if that meant killing whatever wolf had spotted us at first sight.


    "rissa? What was that?" I asked, as I made a move to hop from Niall''s back. But the minute I did, he


    was circling me in a protective manner as he continued to watch the trees.


    I didn''t stop him, since I understood his urge much too well. Valero was doing the same for the most


    part, except he was just in Alpha mode rather than mate mode.


    "They found us," was all she said as she too jumped from Valero''s back.


    We could smell the mutt, but he was not showing himself. His scent was also quite faint, telling us that


    he either masked it, or he was quite a distance away.


    "Who found us?" I tried my best to get away from Niall''s circling so I could get closer to her, but he


    simply wasn''t having it.


    Eventually, I just led rissa inside my personal bubble to converse with her. We were still very much


    on alert, but the way Niall and his cousin were acting, I was sure it was safe to talk without being hurt if


    a wolf should attack.


    ~"Remember when I told you about our scents being...special?"~ She poked in my head instead of


    saying it out loud. I nodded in response. ~"Well long story short, it was the reason why I was kidnapped


    from my pack as a child. Our blood can do wonders and-"~


    She stopped immediately as the growling came closer. I pushed my wolf forward as I scanned the trees


    and perked my ears. We couldn''t tell what direction he wasing from, but he was indeed closer. I


    quickly looked back to rissa for a quick answer; the urgency in my eyes told her to make it fast.


    ~"It can''t do much for a regr wolf now, but if a pregnant wolf should drink our blood, it would cause


    the pup to grow stronger than any regr wolf. Of course, he/she wouldn''t be as strong as a high


    ranking wolf, but he would be stronger than his peers. Way stronger. It also has special healing agents,


    but nothing miraculous. So you can imagine of other wolves should know about this, how dangerous it


    can be"~


    ~"And?"~ I urged, wanting to know where she was heading.


    ~"There once was a group of 15 special rogues called genesis rogues. They dedicated their whole lives


    into finding wolves like us so that they could build a pack of their own with their heirs being born with


    our blood. But they retired a few years back and settled at Rogue Burg. For generations they have


    failed, so they gave up their aimless mission. But this one in particr must''ve been out hunting and


    caught your scent, since the mask is wearing off. It won''t be long until he alerts the others"~


    ~"And you didn''t warn us!"~ I snapped unintentionally, but a group of blood thirsty rogues was


    something I would''ve liked to hear about.


    ~"I haven''t seen them in a decade, and your scent is still faint so I didn''t think..."~ She trailed off as she


    pinched the bridge of her nose before meeting my eyes again. ~"You have to understand Zoey, their


    tracking skills are a thousand times better than mine. Even with the light coat of wolfsbane, they


    scented you out"~


    I huffed in frustration as I continued to eye the trees. My mind swirled with various questions, but


    thinking about it all would surely give me a headache.


    Who would''ve thought that my bloodline that I didn''t even know was special until this morning, could


    get me in so much trouble?


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    ~"What about you? Aren''t they after you too? Weren''t they after dad?"~ I was utterly confused and


    slightly nervous. If my blood could do such things, why didn''t I know about it earlier from our chat?


    ~"I have been a rogue all my life, and your dad was a rogue for years. We had to stay safe from them,


    especially after they kidnapped me from my home. In order to stay safe, Reagan corrupted our blood


    with napellus ashes, making it deadly to the mother of the child who would drink it. They took my blood


    once, and when it killed the mother, they left us alone"~


    ~"And now they smell fresh blood and are after me"~ I concluded, running my hand through my hair in


    frustration. Niall was still sniffing and sneering at the trees, ready to pounce andpletely oblivious to


    my conversation with rissa.


    ~"If you and Niall run real fast, maybe Valero and I can keep them off until you''re in packnds-"~


    ~"No"~ I cut her off swiftly. ~"If they''re after me, then this is my fight"~ I stated confidently, ready to take


    them down.


    This wasn''t only about me anymore. If even one of them survived, I would always have a target on my


    back, meaning that people I cared about could get hurt. When Niall and I should have a child, he too


    would be in danger as long as they are aware of my existence.


    This had to end now.


    "Why isn''t he attacking" I mumbled out loud as I waited for him to emerge.


    Valero and Niall were in attack mode too, but the ''genesis'' rogue wasn''t showing himself. Instead, he


    seemed to be only circling the grounds a few yards away, growling every now and then to make us


    know that he was very much still present.


    "He wont attack alone. He knew he''d only die" rissa confirmed. "He''s waiting on the others"


    ~"What others?"~ This came from Niall as he pushed himself into my head.


    ~"I''ll tell youter"~ I quickly replied.~"Now let''s just stay focu-"~


    I wasn''t allowed to finish, because the rustling of leaves and the distinct sound of more wolves growling


    stole my attention.