Chapter 93
Thorne’s POV
Shifting, I run into the forest.
I shouldn’t return while angry. It wouldn’t be good for me or for Aurora, and I don’t want to cause her any distress when I get back. Anders said Aurora’s injuries aren’t too bad, but she still needs rest and recovery.
Showing up in a rage would only worry her and could possibly slow her recovery, which is something I won’t take part in.
“Alpha, are you on patrol?” One of my gammas asks through our mind link as he runs up beside me. Two more of my men appear, running alongside me in their wolf forms.
“Did you find Luna Aurora?”
“Is Luna Aurora alright?”
“I’m blowing off some steam,” I answer, “And yes. She’s recovering at the house.”
“I’ve told you not to call her Luna. It’s not appropriate yet,” I tell them. They’ve been some of the few that I assigned to watch and protect Aurora while she’s alone at the house, and they’ve taken to calling her Luna, even though she isn’t.
Having Aurora as my Luna is the ultimate goal, but right now, I still need to convince the pack and the elders to accept her.
“Come on, Alpha. The Left Guard all notice how you care for your mate,” Reece, the leader of the group, says. I cut my eyes at him, and he barks a laugh, but inwardly, I’m pleased. These men have accepted Aurora and aren’t looking down on her for being human, and that gives me hope that the rest of my pack can follow suit.
If they can do it, so can the rest of my people.
“Rogues!”
Spinning around, I jump back just in time to dodge a rogue who swipes his claws at me. He misses by inches, giving me the chance to strike. I pin him, my muzzle at his throat before he can react.
“What do we do with them, Alpha?” Reece asks, back in human form, as he drags the wolf he captured toward me. The unconscious man slumps to the ground, and Reece knocks out the struggling wolf in my jaws.
“Take them to the cellar. I want answers as to how they’re continually getting onto our land without being detected,” I order, “I’ll meet you there.”
The three rogues hang by their wrists from the ceiling, each of them glaring at me as I stop in front of them. I spin the blade in my hand and slice it across the middle man’s chest again. He groans and grits his teeth but doesn’t speak.
“Why are you attacking my pack?” I ask again. “And how are you getting inside my borders?”
When they stay silent, I sigh and drag the knife across the neck of the man on the right. His companions gasp and jerk against their restraints as the life leaves their friend.
“I’m becoming impatient,” I mutter, twirling the knife between my fingers again. The other two men sputter and fight against their bonds as I look at the two of them. “Who is going to tell me what I want to know?”
“Th-The goal is to weaken the p-packs before we attack the Lycan King,” the man on the left says, eyeing his dead friend. “We w-were dispatched to find a way in and keep y-you from catching us.”
One of the gammas behind me scoffs and mutters, “What a failure you are.”
“We swear,” the rogue in the middle says, “We’ll tell you what you want to know if you don’t kill us!”
“Then speak, or I might become impatient again.”
He visibly stiffens before stuttering, “W-We came through the North border near the rogue lands. Your patrol was weakest tonight, so we killed the patrol unit and—”
My hand is around his neck, ripping out his throat before he can finish his sentence.
The last rogue gasps, and I turn to him.
“It wasn’t my idea! I didn’t want to join them, but I didn’t have a choice!” The man cries, and as I look at him, I realize that he’s much younger than the others. “I thought we could sneak past, but they wouldn’t listen.”
“Then why are you with them?”
The young man shakes his head, “I was kicked out of my pack after making a stupid mistake, and the rogues were the only ones I could turn to. They made me come here by saying they’d kick me out too.”
“Then tell me, why are the rogues attacking my pack?”
“Because you have leverage we—they need,” he answers.
“What leverage? Does the rogue leader think he can take down official packs and get enough power to overthrow the Lycan King?”
The rogue shakes his head, “N-No. They’re looking for the girl. If they can get the girl, they can take the Lycan King down.”
Aurora.
Two thoughts immediately come to mind, surfacing with the concern I feel. One is that we haven’t even confirmed that Aurora is the King’s daughter, yet there are already people after her. The second is that the rogues are bolder than I thought they would be.
“I-I don’t want to die,” the rogue says softly, glancing at his companions.
“Cooperate with my requests, and you won’t. I’ll leave you to talk to my gammas,” I tell the rogue. “If you really had no other choice, I’ll allow you to stay, but the moment you endanger anyone here, you’ll join your friends in death.”
“Thank you, Alpha. I’ll cooperate.”
Turning and exiting the cellar, I leave my gammas with an order to take the man to a room and keep an eye on him. Then, I head inside to wash off. If I show up to the house with blood all over me, it might freak Aurora out.
As I shower, my mind wanders and my worry increases. Not only are my parents against Aurora, the King’s enemies are after her too, but now the rogues are also a threat. There are enemies on every side of us, and I don’t know what I can do to protect her other than keep her close.
Everything is piling up quickly, and I have a feeling that things will only get worse from here on out.
There’s also a chance of a mole making trouble in the pack which will have to be dealt with as soon as possible.
As the thought crosses my mind, I sigh and scrub my hand down my face.
“Jace, is there any progress on finding a mole?” I ask through the link.
“Not yet, Alpha, but I’m searching. If there’s someone leaking information, I’ll find them.”
“Keep me updated.”
The closer I get to the house, the more my wolf paces. We’re both itching to see our mate, especially since she’s in more danger than we thought.
It doesn’t compare to the moment I see her again, though.
When I enter the room, Aurora is alone. Her back is facing me, and goddess, help me, she’s topless. However, that’s not the only thing I notice. Bruises climb up her side and back, staining her skin purple and black.
Gently, I brush my fingers up her spine, “Does it hurt?”
“Thorne!”
Aurora spins around, her arm banded over her chest, and I groan as her arm barely covers her breasts. Goddess, help me. She’s trying to kill me.
“I-I was trying to apply medicine, but I can’t reach. Could you help me?”
Nodding, I sit and carefully turn her back around, grabbing the medicine Anders made for her. I try to keep my mind off of her injuries as well as her state of undress while I gently apply the medicine.
Each bruise is a reminder of my failure, and soon, I find myself whispering, “I’m sorry I haven’t protected you. I promise from now on, I’ll do a better job of protecting you.”
