*Onyx POV*“You should probably get some rest.” Tic says, dropping a sandwich on my desk along with another cup of coffee. “I can’t,” I say, glaring at the reports in front of me. “I have to figure this out.”“It’s been three days of you doing basic hygiene and looking through all of this for something. What you need is a set of fresh eyes.” He replies with a deep frown. “How is Tilly doing?” I ask, ignoring him.“She is fine,” He says and I look up, giving him a glare. “Tilly is training like everyone else.”“Good. Is she improving?” I ask, hopeful.He winces and clears his throat. “Have you made any progress finding a pattern in the rogues attacks?”I glower at him, and he avoids my gaze. “Tic, don’t change the subject. Is she improving?”He sighs and shakes his head. “No. It’s wolf week, and hers is smaller, more lean than the others. When the others are able to catch her, they toss her around like a rag.”“When the others are able to catch her? So she is fast, then?” I ask, feel

*Tilly POV*Anna shows up with Onyx right behind her and a big, proud grin on her mischievous face. I told her we were fine with only four people, but did she listen? No, because she is a strong-minded alpha’s daughter and the grin on her face just makes me wonder what else she talked to him about. It doesn’t take that long of an exchange to ask someone for help, and my curiosity is getting the better of me. “She looks mighty pleased for someone who just asked for help.” Harriet says, stepping up to my side.“It’s Anna,” Henry says. He has been the warrior training with Anna for the past few days to better his technique. “She is probably thinking about killing someone.” He shudders at the thought and Harriet and I break out laughing.Anna does not hold back in training, and her cheery nature while decimating her opponents has purchased her many fun little nicknames. My current favorite is Anna the Annihilator. She, however, hates it, which makes it that much better. “I hear you only

My nerves are an utter mess as I check the clock over and over again, watching the minutes tick by painstakingly slowly. I just have to see him. That will calm me down, even if it’s just a glimpse. It’s a feeble thought. I know seeing him will only lead to me wanting to kiss him, which I won’t be able to do in public. There are rumors about me and Onyx, with his blatant favoritism there were bound to be. But the thing with rumors is, what makes them exciting is the mystery of whether they are real or not. Touching him the way I want to would turn rumor into fact, fairy tale into reality. As much as I want to live this fairytale, I’m not sure I’m ready for what it all entails.My hand taps my thigh while I crane my neck, looking from side to side. Anna and I have long since abandoned our station after the last person signed in. Now free to mingle, eat, and be giddy with everyone else. Anna was too happy and getting a little violent with her random excited slaps or screeching, so I sen

My fear slowly melts away as Bill reaches out to help me up. I slap his hand away with a sneer and he frowns. He has never once been kind to me, even when the Alpha was looking. I highly doubt it’s going to change now that I’m a rogue. He sighs heavily and frowns. “Look, if I had known…” He pauses and runs his hands through his hair. “I didn’t realize–”“What the hell are you doing out here?” I scoff, standing and dusting myself off. “Come to gloat as I cross the line and fully become rogue?”He shakes his head in shock. “What? No! I picked up my mate’s scent and followed it.”I snort and dry chuckle. “Poor girl probably realized it was you and ran.” I mutter.“Yeah, kind of my worry too,” he responds. I stand in front of him awkwardly, waiting for him to excuse himself or for me to grow a pair and cross the border. Instead, we both avoid eye contact and stand in silence. After a moment of swinging my arms, waiting for something, anything, I huff out a sigh.“Well, I’ll be going the

*Tilly POV*Run.Run faster. The only thing I can allow to go through my mind as I rush through the barrage of trees and forest foliage is to run. There is no time to slow down and look back, no time to let my mind wander worrying about my best friend and my mate. My mate. Onyx.My pace slows, and I look over my shoulder, regretting it immediately. I’m alone out here. Completely and utterly alone, and I did it to myself. I rest my hand on the rough bark of a tree, allowing myself a chance to breathe as my emotions win and everything I am trying to run from floods back in. Anna has to be okay. There is no way in hell that girl would ever fall. Not with her skill and determination. She is the ultimate apex predator. Onyx, though I’ve only ever seen him train, has to be a top fighter if he has won the right to train all the warriors for years in a row. My stomach lurches, bile rising as I imagine him injured on the ground. My stupid brain’s active imagination is trying to make me tu