- The Rogues
Ara’s POV
“Table four and six, Ara, Joey called out from the kitchen, his voice warm and familiar.
“Thanks, Joey,” I replied, with a genuine smile as I balanced the heavy plates in my hands. The ceramic was almost too hot against my skin, but I barely noticed. These small discomforts were nothing compared to
what I’d left behind.
Carsten had become my sanctuary.
This quiet human town, nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, was the first place in years where I could breathe without feeling the weight of pitying stares or whispered judgments
The people here didn’t care that I was wolfless. They didn’t see me as broken. To them, I was just Ara, the new girl who worked at Joey’s Diner and always smiles at everyone.
Almost like having a real pack, I thought wistfully as I delivered the orders.
“Here you go,” I said, setting the plates down at table six with practiced ease.
Three customers- all around my age- looked up with appreciative smiles. I never saw them before. Must be from out of town and here for a quick visit or fun time.
The guy with intricate tattoos winding up his arms grinned, “thanks, hon.”
I felt uneasy. Something was wrong!
“You’re welcome,” I replied automatically. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Probably I was just imagining. I was far away from the werewolf packs, these humans were oblivious to our world. When I came here, I made sure no packs were around this area.
As I walked away, I allowed myself a small moment of contentment.
“You good?” Joey asked as he handed me the last plate for table four.
“Yeah!” I smiled.
“Worried about that fella at table six?” His bushy eyebrows waggled. “Noticed you kept glancing his way.”
My stomach dropped. I peeked at them once again. Should I really be worried?
“Not… I..” I trailed off.
“Relax, kid! They are in your territory,” he assured with a wink.
He was right! The town was my home now. I had nothing to be afraid of.
My shift was nearly over, the diner had emptied, and soon I’d be back in my tiny apartment with its creaky floors and leaky faucet- a place that was wholly, wonderfully mine.
“Joey, I’m off,” I called, shrugging out of my apron.
The old man peered at me from the kitche
coming in.”
Add to Library rowed, “careful out there, Ara. Storm’s
O
& The Roques
Yeah, we had the weather prediction earlier.
The night air hit me like a physical force as I stepped outside. I inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of pine and
damp earth.
The walk home should have been peaceful. Carsten was the kind of town where people still left doors unlocked. I fell in love with this little town even though I arrived here just two weeks before.
If I only have a year left to live, I thought, let it be here. Among people who don’t know enough to pity me. I just needed some peace.
But the moment the thought formed, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
Someone was watching me.
I quickened my pace, my pulse thundering in my ears. The street lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows that seemed to twist and writhe.
Don’t panic. It’s just your imagination.
Then a twig snapped behind me.
And I ran.
My sneakers pounded against the pavement as I veered off the main road, diving into the woods. Branches clawed at my arms and face, but I barely felt them. Every instinct screamed at me to move, to hide, to survive.
Who are they? My mind raced with possibilities. Rogues? Hunters? Did Lucian send someone after me?
A guttural laugh echoed through the trees, too close, too familiar.
No. It can’t be. I couldn’t get away.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist in a blink, yanking me backward with brutal force. I thrashed, my elbow connecting with something solid.
“Enough running, little wolf,” a male voice growled in my ear
Itwisted, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Moonlight illuminated the face of my captor- the tattooed man from table six. I gulped. His eyes glowed faintly in the dark, confirming what I already knew.
Werewolf!
“What do you want?” My voice shook, but I refused to cower.
The girl from his group materialized beside us, her movements eerily silent. Before I could react, rough rope bit into my wrists and ankles. I was captured even before I could blink.
“Let go of me!” I kicked out, but it was useless
With terrifying ease, the man hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The world tilted violently as he broke into a sprint, trees blurring past us.
“Put me down! Now!” I yelled.
“Stop yelling in my ear,” he snap Added to the library Move into grou
But I didn’t stop, “HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP MEI”
“Who do you think will hear you out here? A pack of friendly vampires? The man sounded irritated.
ווו
2/4
The Roques
I thrashed harder. “Let me go! I haven’t done anything! I meant no harm!”
“Keep quiet, Cinderella. Our Luna will decide that,” the girl said coldly.
Luna? My stomach dropped. Another pack?,
The forest suddenly gave way to a clearing. Without warning, the man dropped me. I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.
Before I could recover, he stomped his foot in a strange pattern. The earth trembled- then split open beneath
- me.
“What… Ahhh-” I screamed my lungs out as I plummeted into darkness. Was I gonna die?
“Quite! You’re really loud,” the wolf grumbled, hauling me upright. “I’m starting to think your old pack let you
leave just to get some peace.”
And I realised the fall was shorter than I expected, but no less terrifying. I felt like an ***! My knees buckled at the landing, sending me sprawling onto cold stone and that’s all I felt.
I glared at him, but my defiance faltered as we moved deeper into the tunnels. The air grew heavier, thick with scents I couldn’t place- smoke, iron, something wild and old.
Then, without warning, the darkness gave way to light.
My breath caught.
Spread out before me was an entire city- hidden beneath the earth, thriving in secret. Cobblestone streets wound between weird structures carved from stone and reinforced with steel. Lanterns hung from arched bridges, casting flickering light over bustling market stalls and crowded taverns.
“Where am I?” I whispered.
The girl snorted, “you trespassed on our territory and didn’t even know it existed? Are you really a werewolf?”
I ignored the sarcasm and focused on the situation as I spoke, “I checked the maps! There weren’t any packs.
here!”
“That’s because no one maps rogue territories,” the man said, shoving me forward. “We make sure of it.” Dread coiled in my gut. Rogues. The most dangerous of our kind–werewolves without packs, without laws,
without mercy.
And I’d just been delivered straight to their heart. Wait, wasn’t I one of them now?
We walked into one of those weird architectures. The grand hall loomed ahead, its doors yawning open like a beast’s maw. And in the middle of it, there stood a woman… No, a beautiful woman. Her long dark hair with a few silver streaks cascaded down her back. I shivered as her cold grey gaze fell on me.
“Found her, Luna,” the tattooed wolf said.
So she was their Luna? She didn’t look like a rogue at all–filthy, bitten, dangerous and unreasonable. Come 10 think of it, none of them looked like rogues.
I always thought the rogues used to hide in caves, fight over leftover foods, abduct women for s*x, but this.. I didnt have a word to describe this.
Come on, Ara! It wasn’t the time to be awestruck! I scolded myself. And if these brutes had chosen her as a
- The Room
Luna, I doubted she was just a pretty woman in her late forties!
I
Was she a werewolf too? I felt eerily about her, There was more to her than met the eyes.
“Good job, Kade, Amara,” their Luna replied
So the tattooed wolf was kade, and the girl was Amara.
Then her eyes fell on me as if she was reading through my soul, “what’s your name?”
“Ara,” I gulped down my fear, “what do you want from me?”
or eyes.
Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her
“Oh, little wolf,” she murmured. “You’re about to find out.”
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