Chapter 235
For The Rogues.
Dean
People like to think rogues are mindless animals, wild dogs with no plan, no purpose, no control.
They’re wrong. We’re superior. I’ve been playing the long game. For over a year now, I’ve been dragging myself from pack to pack, hiding in plain sight behind a pair of fake parents with fake
smiles and an even faker story. Travelling for work opportunities. That’s what they told everyone. A simple family, humble and passing through. It was convincing enough to get us invited in instead of hunted down. That’s the trick: wolves will open their doors for pity before they ever open them for
power. And once inside, I got to look. To hunt.
The first few packs we went through were duds, all noise and no spark. We didn’t go in subtly then; we rushed in with our teeth and claws. Hunting like primal animals. My wolf, Jackson, kept growling
that we were close, but he didn’t know where. Every failed lead ended the same way, though, with
blood, chaos, and me dragging what was left of my rogues back home. So I changed the strategy-no
more raids. No more breaking down gates. You can’t search a kingdom while it’s on fire.
You walk in.
You smile.
You blend.
You wait.
And then… I found her.
The second I walked into that goddamn school, my wolf went still. One sniff of the air, and I knew.
Her. She didn’t even have her wolf yet, so she couldn’t feel it, couldn’t sense the bond pulling between us. But I could. It was like a hook buried deep under my skin, dragging me toward her. Macey. She was all sunshine and manners. Sweet, polite and utterly oblivious to who she was supposed to be. My Luna. The one I’d been tearing the world apart to find. I tried doing it the right way, I really did. I smiled when she glared, joked when she got tense. I thought if I could just get
1/4
9:40 Mon, Sep 7
For The Rogues.
,,97
close, she’d start to see. She’d understand what this was, what we were meant to be. But she was
slow. Too fucking slow. And everything around her made it worse. That perfect little packhouse life,
her doting family, and that so-called brother of hers, always hovering. Watching. Getting between us
like he had any right to. Jackson hated him. Hell, I hated him. Every time Macey looked at that
reaper bastard, my wolf went feral, snarling in my head, demanding we take her and show her who
she belonged to. But I held back. I tried to be patient.
Until she pushed me away again.
The second time.
That was it.
Maybe it was Jackson that snapped, or perhaps it was me. Doesn’t really matter – we’re the same where it counts. The same hunger. The same fury. She is ours, and she will learn her place, one way or another. When the rogues gathered tonight, when they saw her standing beside me, too shocked even to move, it felt right. It felt like the world finally corrected itself. She’ll come around. She has
–
The firelight burned hot across my skin as I raised our joined hands higher, feeding off the sound of the crowd that wild, frenzied roar of wolves who had been denied a place in this life for too long. This… this was what I was born for. Not some quiet pack life, not kneeling at the feet of an Alpha who’d forgotten what real strength was. I was the storm that would tear it all down and with her, I’d rebuild the world in our image. I waited until the noise settled into a low hum, the kind that buzzes through the bones, the kind that makes hearts beat faster. Then I stepped forward, pulling Macey with me, her hand limp in mine. The fire caught in her hair, lighting her up like a goddess, and the
sight almost made my chest ache.
“When she marks me,” I shouted, my voice booming over the restless crowd, “when our Luna finally awakens her wolf and returns the bond, we will be unstoppable.”
A ripple of excitement tore through them. Heads lifted, claws flexed, growls of approval rumbled low
in their throats.
“She’s not just some pretty face,” I went on. “She will bring us power. The daughter of the
2/4
9:40 Mon, Sep 7
For The Rogues.
Underworld itself, raised by those who rule death. She will bring that power here to us and we will
take it and shape it. We will wield it!” 2
The crowd responded exactly as I wanted them to with their cheers rising again. I could feel Jackson
pacing under my skin, pushing against my ribs, thrilled by the energy rolling through them all.
“When our bond is complete,” I said, turning back to Macey, running my thumb over the pulse
fluttering at her wrist, “when my Luna bears my mark, I will carry her strength, and she will carry
mine. Together, your Alpha King and your Luna Queen will finally give you what every pack has
stolen from us…”
I paused, my voice dropping low, letting the silence hang just long enough to build the anticipation.
“Justice will be served.”
The words hit like thunder.
“Justice for every rogue exiled without cause,” I roared. “Justice for every wolf hunted for being
different. For every pup left to starve in the woods. For every one of you who has been called dirty,
broken, worthless and less than.”
The crowd howled, raw, primal and echoing against the stone walls. The sound made the ground
vibrate beneath my boots and I grinned, letting it wash over me.
“They call us monsters,” I continued, voice rising again, “but what are monsters if not the ones who
survive what others can’t?”
That earned me another roar, louder this time. Some raised their fists, others dropped to one knee in
reverence.
“We will take back what was stolen,” I promised, lifting Macey’s hand again, ignoring how she
stiffened beside me. “We will burn down every wall they’ve built to keep us out. And when the dust
settles, they’ll kneel before us. Before her and before me!”
I let the words sink in before finishing, voice rough and triumphant, “Together, we’ll unite every
3/4
9:40 Mon, Sep 7
For The Rogues.
rogue from every territory. We’ll end their lies, their rules, their thrones. The packs will remember
the name that made them tremble.”
I threw my head back, shouting into the night-“For the rogues!”
And the crowd echoed me, louder and louder until the chant became a frenzy, their howls shaking
the stone beneath our feet.
97
I turned to Macey, forcing her chin up so she’d look at me. So she’d see me.
“This is what you were born for,” I whispered. “You’ll thank me one day.” 2
She said nothing, but her eyes burned, and I told myself it was fear, not defiance. It didn’t matter.
Either way, she’d bend eventually. And when she did, when that bond locked into place – the world
would bow with her. For the rogues. For us.
Comments
J Jennifer McAuliffe
I cannot wait for Elliot to fund them.