In the past twenty-two hours and seventeen minutes have been long, tiring, and fucking stressful. Every minute I am away from her is another minute a terrible scenario lives in my head. The possibility that she might be gone, taken somewhere I can’t follow, makes my chest ache with a rage so violent I could destroy any pack that stands between us. With my pack in trustworthy hands, I only have one thing to think about. Tilly.And how to convince her to come back with me. Everyone knows she tried to reject me. She didn’t really lower her voice when she uttered the words and mouthy warriors spread news faster than a gossiping, meddling mother. What they don’t know, thank heavens, is her reason, though I’m sure some could guess it if they tried. I have a long journey ahead if I think getting Tilly back will be as simple as saving her.She is the kind of woman who would thank me for helping, then send me on my way. Tilly is stubborn and determined, which is why I have to show to her how

“I can’t believe you went rogue and tried to leave me behind.” Anna grumbles, her voice soft and wounded. I wince, hearing the disbelief and pain there. We have always been partners in crime, even when her parents expressed their distaste with her spending all her free time with the pack fuck up. Anna never, not even once, thought about leaving me. “I did it for you.” I try to console her and she rolls her eyes. “Leaving me without my bestie is not doing anyone any favors. I would murder my way to you if I had to, Til.” she scoffs like I don’t grasp the magnitude of our friendship, how deep it runs for us. But I do. Which is why I did what I did.“Anna, you are going to be the next Alpha of our pack.” I remind her. “And I was destined to be the next rogue. There is no world in which I didn’t see you shirking the duties that I know you desperately want to protect me.”“I know the responsibilities on my shoulders well enough to make my own decisions. The last thing I need is you makin

*Tilly POV*Ty’s chest rises and falls with each shuddering breath. He is in rough shape, far worse than I have ever seen him or anyone before. My hands shake as I wrap my arms around myself, searching for any kind of comfort I can come up with. Onyx would be by my side in a second if I allowed him. But I don’t need his arms to make me feel safe. Not when safety in his arms is still the lie it was when I rejected him. The walls of my life are closing in around me. They have ripped what little security in who I am from me, leaving me bare and bleeding. All I want is to go home, a home where I was never wanted or really welcome. I was allowed to live there, but I had no right. It’s impossible to not feel like a fool when I look in the mirror and think I know what I see. Everyone else saw me for who I was long before I ever knew.A product of my mother’s ruining. A cancer in the family leeching off of them and begging for love and attention when they had none to give. It was asking too

*Tilly POV*My fingers ache from where I’ve nearly chewed through what I can of my nails. My leg nervously bouncing as I stare off into the sea of darkness before us. Night fell hard, a storm in the distance rumbling through the trees and the clouds hiding the light from the moon. Even nature is working against us and every second I’m away from Anna, knowing she is in danger, is another second I inch closer to insanity. It’s a strange bond between her and I. It’s something we both admit, but maybe that’s part of us both being Alpha’s? There are secrets surrounding alpha bloodlines. Things like not being able to reject an alpha, not something I was aware of and I’m rather well read. But I suppose secrets are there as an added layer of protection. Alphas are the strongest of our kind. Well, I guess not in my case, but I’m sure there are always exceptions to some rules. “You should sleep.” Onyx says, startling me from behind. I choose to ignore him, pretending my heart isn’t in my thro

It felt like an eternity to get to this moment, the moment where the fire has died down enough that they need to send someone out for more wood. I watch as Bentley reaches for the last piece and tosses it on. He glances to the spot and sighs heavily before walking over to one of his group and slapping him upside the head. “I told you to gather more wood.” He hisses. The guy startles and rubs his head.“And I told you I brought all I could carry.” He retorts.“I swear on my life, Evan, if you don’t get your ass up.”“You’ll what?” Evan scoffs and slumps back down. “You have no rank here, pack wolf, so why don’t you pull the stick out of your ass and keep the fire going with that, yeah?”“I’m not a pack wolf.” Bently growls.“Yeah, well, you seem high and mighty like one.” Another rogue says to the right. “We agreed I would be in charge of this excursion.” Bentley says, annoyed. “Yeah, and we can agree to change that at any minute. Two of us, one of you.”“I vote for a change in lead