Chapter 48

Lucian

I brought in the Rogue, Adrian. I didn't usually hunt individual Rogues, so it was a little difficult to capture him. I was, however, highly motivated.

Zara had brought me and my brother through the full moon. But it had cost her a great deal of pain. I was not willing to see her go through that a second time.

I could control myself. I would control myself. And I would find answers before the next full moon rose.

Once I had the Rogue, I dragged him back to our territory and handed him over to the guards with instructions to lock him in the tower.

“The tower? Not the dungeon?” one guard, Darren, asked.

I shrugged. “I’m going to have to question this one personally, and I want him isolated from any other prisoners.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Darren bowed, then added, “I wasn’t questioning your orders, Alpha, I only…” He trailed off, obviously at a loss for an excuse.

“I’ve sent every other Rogue and suspected Rogue agent to the dungeons, you’re confused by the change in pattern,” I said. “It’s fine, this is a personal matter, that’s all.”

“Yes, Alpha. Thank you for the clarification,” Darren said with a bow.

I nodded and went to eat and update Kieran.

“You found him?” Kieran asked.

“Yeah. Put him in the tower. I’ll talk to him after he’s had a little while to stew, get good and nervous.”

“Okay,” Kieran said, then, “She woke up.”

“Zara?” I asked as though there was anyone else he’d mention right now.

“Yeah. She seems fine. She doesn’t remember what happened any more than we do.” Kieran paused. “I think she remembers less, actually.”

“Hm.” I considered for a moment. If Zara didn’t remember either, then she couldn’t tell us what happened. But then if whatever had happened to her was so terrible, at least she was spared the memory. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

“Don’t you want to know what really happened?” Kieran asked.

I shook my head. “No. Not if it was so terrible all our wolves have hidden the truth from us.”

I remembered Zara’s scream. If I had done something to cause that, I was just as happy never knowing.

“She didn’t seem to be afraid of me when she woke up, at least,” Kieran said.

“Then it’s best we leave the incident alone, and focus on what we can do to prevent it from happening ever again,” I said.

“How do we do that when we don’t know exactly what happened?” Kieran asked.

“We know we were intimate with her,” I said. “So we avoid that in the future.” I stared into my brother’s eyes. “There are plenty of she-wolves around. Keep your hands off Zara.”

Kieran nodded, although he huffed. “The other women aren’t as interesting, though.”

“So put up with the boredom, or try celibacy for a change. Who knows, it might be good for you.”

Kieran made a face, but I knew he wouldn’t defy me on this.

Zara

I was a good patient for the first few hours. I really did try. But I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sick, and I wasn’t injured.

I couldn’t just lay around all day with nothing to do but read. I needed to move. I needed to figure out what was happening to me.

So after I read the same page in my favorite book five times without absorbing a single word, I dropped it back to my bedside table and slipped out from under the covers.

I needed to stretch my legs. That was all. I just needed to move. So I cracked the door open, and poked my head out.

“Sneaking out already?” Kieran’s voice startled a yelp out of me.

“Are you guarding my door?” I asked. “Don’t you have better things to do? A pack to run? Oh, wait, it’s four packs.”

“It’s one pack,” Kieran corrected me. “It was four packs. Anyway, Lucian’s home so he can do all that stuff. Where did you think you were going to go?”

“The gardens. You said I was allowed there,” I pointed out.

“When you’re recovered,” Keiran argued.

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “I’m not some wilting flower, Alpha Kieran. Now, I will agree to go easy on my training for a few days, just in case there is something physically wrong with me. But a walk in the garden will not kill me. Being stuck another minute in bed might well drive me insane.”

Kieran huffed and crossed his arms. “You are so stubborn! Fine. Let’s go for walkies, puppy.”

I snarled at him, but I was getting what I wanted so it was pointless to argue. At least he didn’t try to put a collar back on me. I might have bitten him if he did that.

Outside, I took a moment to walk under the trellises full of roses planted by a Luna two, maybe three Alphas back. The garden was old and wild and beautiful.

“You said Lucian was back,” I said when I decided I could talk to Kieran without growling.

“Yeah,” Kieran agreed.

“Did he find Adrian?” I asked.

Kieran nodded.

“I want to talk to him,” I said.

“That’s probably not a good idea,” Kieran said.

“No, but I want to,” I insisted.

Kieran sighed. “You’ll have to ask Lucian.”

“Okay.”

I turned on my heel and walked back into the Alpha house, heading for Lucian’s office.

“You meant now?” Kieran yelped, hurrying after me.

“Why not now?” I asked.

Kieran shrugged and waited while I knocked on Lucian’s office door. He seemed surprised that I bothered to knock.

“Yes?” Lucian’s voice invited us inside.

“I want to talk to Adrian,” I announced.

“Okay,” Lucian said.

I blinked. I’d expected to have to argue my case.

“Okay?” Kieran repeated.

“Yeah, okay,” Lucian said. “He refused to say anything to me. I can make him talk, but it’ll take time. Let’s see if she can get something out of him.”

So I found myself in the tower again, but this time I was the one outside the cell. I opened the door and stepped inside.

“Zara?” Adrian was obviously shocked to see me.

“Hi, Adrian,” I said. “We need to talk.”

“Okay,” he said. “Did those Alphas send you to soften me up?”

“I could,” I said. “Maybe I should, after what you pulled. Did you really think I’d accept a bond forced on me?”

Adrian winced. “I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I totally deserved the beating your new Alpha delivered.” He sighed. “Which one of them is your new mate? The quiet, angry one or the loud, angry one?”

I shook my head. “You know I can’t form a new bond, Adrian. I can’t sever the mate bond.”

He frowned. “But we never finished our bond. I severed my end.”

“It doesn’t work like that for hybrids,” I said.

“Oh.” Adrian’s shoulders slumped. “I… I never knew that.”

“Well you should have asked,” I snarled.

“Yeah, I should’ve done that,” he agreed. “So. It’s me or no one, for you?”

“I choose no one,” I growled. “You chose my sister.”

“But she broke our bond!” Adrian said. “I’m free again, we could be together.”

“No,” I said. “Not after everything you’ve done.”

I knocked on the door. I had what I needed. Adrian really had severed his end of our bond. Or at least he believed he had.

I told the Alphas what I’d learned, and asked for a little time alone in the garden. Lucian allowed it, although I noticed a new guard who just happened to need to take a break in the gazebo nearby.

My fated mate had rejected me and severed his end of the bond. I knew, everyone knew, that a half-blood couldn’t sever their bond. Everyone also knew that the bond shock could kill you if you tried to forge a new bond. But was that true? Was that what was happening to me?