MOMENTS BEFORE THE ROGUES ATTACK
RYDER’s POV
Some say that in times of danger, you can actually sense it before it comes. Some call it the gift of clairvoyance, others, premonition. But whatever the fuck it’s called, I can feel it now.
There is a shift in the atmosphere. The air feels heavier and the wind has died down. I narrow my eyes and place a hand on Hayden’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
He immediately turns to face me. “What is it Alpha?”
“Shhh.”
My hearing is sensitive, more so than any other wolf in my pack. I close my eyes, then I hear it. The thunderous sound of an army of wolves charging through the forest, the branches breaking off as they plough through the woods at breakneck speed.
Shit.
“ROGUES!” I shout and immediately establish a mind link with every warrior in our pack. I instantly shift, as does every other man and wom
ALISA’s POV“She brought the rogues here. She is the mastermind.”What?I blink and lift my head to see everyone staring at me. Did I hear wrongly?“What are you talking about?” I ask Beta Zion as confusion swims in my head. Ryder pushes Zion’s hand away and steps in front of me, shielding me with his body from the Beta’s deadly gaze.“Watch your mouth Zion,” Ryder hisses and Zion takes one more menacing step forward, ignoring Hayden who tries to hold him back.“I speak the truth!” Zion cocks his head to one side and I see his eyes, they flash with fury.“The rogues started breaching our defence the moment she appeared, and tonight when you brought her to the packhouse, the rogues attacked!”“Beta, it’s just a coincidence,” Hayden tries to reason with him.Zion snarls in response. “I’d say it’s
RYDER’s POV She is truly a temptress. One kiss from her and my body burn with desire. I open my eyes to look at Alisa’s face, struck speechless as she stares right back at me with nervousness dancing in her eyes. I need to claim her, mind, body and soul one more time before I go. “Unbutton your blouse.” She blinks and bites her lips, making them go from rosy pink to deep red and my cock hardens. Damn. “It will be days before we see each other again. I want to kiss every inch of your body before I leave for the council,” I tell her and she swallows hard, thinking a while before she nods. One by one, she unfastens her blouse and I stop her before she goes for the last button. The blouse hangs loosely on her shoulders, half-covering and half exposing her and I like that. Very much. She has nothing underneath, nothing at all except for that annoying little underwear. “I want nothing more than to throw you ove
ALISA’s POV Ryder thinks I am asleep, but the truth is, I am not. How can I fall into slumber when he has to leave? My heart aches as I hear him whisper, “Dream of me Alisa. I’ll see you soon.” But I keep my eyes shut, allowing him to think that I am resting peacefully. I do not want to pile any more worries onto his already full plate of troubles. Let him go on his journey in peace and I can only hope and pray for him to come back soon. The door to the beach house gently closes and it is only then that I open my eyes and take a peek at my surrounding. Pulling out the note underneath my pillow, I take a look at it and my lips quiver. His words, they are so beautifully written. They are akin to a beautiful; landscape ricked by daydreams and don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. His note reads: ‘Love you, Through it all. Ryder.’ The words are simple, and yet they are gent
RYDER’s POV I am in my wolf form and Bane and I move as one, tearing through the forest at breakneck speed. The journey to the Council of Elders at the borders of the tall mountain will be a long one and we must make haste. There is not a second to lose. The sun has started to dip below the horizon and if we maintain our speed, we might just make it to the Council in two days’ time. But halfway through the journey, Bane suddenly stops in his tracks. ‘What is it, Bane?’ I ask. Bane growls, baring his teeth and the fur on his body stands. Something is not right. All around us, there is not a sound. No chirping of the birds, no rustling of leaves, no scampering of wild rabbits….it is as if the animals of the forest have all gone into hiding. Then suddenly, we hear the snapping of twigs. ‘Rogues,’ my wolf, Bane hisses. Fuck. Yes, rogues. And not just one. Bane and I are severely outnumbered. O
ALISA’s POV“Hello, Alisa…looking for this?”It is Liam.The Beta’s son dangles my clothes in his hand as he kneels right next to the lake. He dips a finger into the water and twirls his finger around, making ripples in the cold lake. His manner is arrogant, with the cockiness of the damned.It was a mistake to swim in the lake.He pauses and stares at me with a ferocious grin. I am lucky that he cannot see my naked form underneath the water.“Come, Alisa, let me help you out,” he offers his free hand and I shake my head defiantly. I’d be a fool to let him touch me.I wade deeper and deeper into the lake, desperately looking to my left and right, trying to find something…anything to fend for myself but there is none.“Oh Alisa, aren’t the naughty one. Playing hard to get?” He dumps my clothes on the ground and in an instant, he dives into th
ALISA’s POVI am brought to Zion’s house and to my surprise, it looks more grand than Ryder’s. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that Zion was Red Moon’s alpha and not Ryder. His place is practically a mansion and it is immaculately decorated with ornaments of gold and silver.But what catches my eye most are not the elaborately decorated interior designs, what catches my eye is the body that lies in the middle of his grand foyer.The body is covered by a giant piece of white cloth. A part of me wonders if it is a dead rogue’s body, but deep down, I know it is not.Zion’s men spread around the body in a semi-circle and I am forced to kneel before the body with my head pushed down and hovering just inches away from the cloth. The succubus in me has weakened after the struggle against Zion’s men earlier.“Let me go!” I struggle in one of his men’s grasp, but
ALISA’s POVFrom a distance, I hear someone scream. But the crackling of the fire and fumes that surround me are so suffocating I do not care to look. I can hardly breathe.But then more screams ensue and through the smoke, I think I see Zion run towards the source of the shrieks. Everything happens in a blur next. Someone, a man, jumps over the flame and into my circle of fire. He swiftly cuts the rope that binds my wrists.I slump into his arms, feel him snake his hands around my waist and haul me over his strong broad shoulders.“You’re going to be fine Alisa,” the man says. A tear slips down my cheek and I know no more.*****I open my eyes with great difficulty. My head feels groggy and my vision is somewhat blurred, almost as if I am swimming under water. I force my eyes to open but for some reason, they feel like they have been glued shut.I sense two people nearby and they sp
RYDER’s POVI am just about to cross the border to my pack’s territory when suddenly, Marlene’s shrill voice tears through the dense forest.“RYDER!!!” The hair at the back of my neck immediately stands up. Something is wrong.“RYDER!!!!!” She comes stumbling through the woods, ignoring the branches that graze her cheeks and dives smack into my arms. This little girl may be blind, but her senses are way sharper than those with eyes.I wrap my arms around her and kneel before her flushed little face. She is crying.“What’s wrong Marlene?” I pick her up in my arms. The dip in the pool has helped accelerated my healing and I feel brand new. Powerful even.“Alisa,” she breathes. She is having trouble catching her breath.My heart stops at the mention of Alisa’s name. I shake Marlene’s arms roughly and her head rolls back and forth like a ragg