Chapter Forty
Graham glared down at the four rogues tied up before him. Rain was coming down in sheets, sending his already dark mood into a depression. The rogues scowled down at the ground. They were all on their knees, their heads bowed as they waited in silence for their ultimate end. Graham scanned each of them, looking for the weakest link. He noticed the mark on one of their necks. He tilted his head and his men grabbed the rogue by his neck and shoved him to Graham’s feet.
“Five of you are missing. Where are they?” he asked without preamble.
“I… I don’t know.”
A shot rang out causing the rogue to jerk and look back at the limp body of his comrade, the smoke emanating from the pistol, and the satisfied smirk worn by Theo as he moved to stand behind the next rogue.
“Five of you are missing. Where are they?” Graham repeated.
“I don’t know! We split apart and never shared our destination!” the rogue pleaded. A second shot rang out. “Fuck!” the rogue cried, not needing to look this time to know what happened.
“I recently met my mate,” Graham mused, putting his hands behind his back and looking up at the sky.
It had been two days since he’d spoken to Catherine. If she called it was always when he was shifted, unable to answer. Whenever he called she didn’t answer. His next call was always to Lucas who told him she was working herself to the bone and was probably knocked out cold from exhaustion. It was his third day away from her. Yet another promise broken. He shook his head to try to keep himself rooted to the present.
“I met my mate and even hundreds of miles away I can feel her pain.” He glanced down at the rogue who gave him every ounce of his attention. “Every accidental trip, every stumble, every paper cut,” he lied. Graham squatted down to be eye level to the rogue. He shifted his gaze to the man’s neck. “We only need one of you to interrogate. I am sure you’ve been trained to withstand the worst of our imaginations. The question is… can she?”
The rogue gulped and lowered his head. “Please, she hasn’t done anything. She… she has nothing to do with this.”
Graham forced his sinister smile to the surface. For once it was difficult. “Then I suggest you start talking cause…” He glanced at Theo and another shot rang out. “There’s no one left but you to interrogate.”
“Do you believe him?” Theo asked, as the rental car pulled up.
“Not for a second,” Graham admitted.
“Good, just making sure you’re thinking clearly.”
He sighed. “None of it adds up. Nathan’s beta explicitly said every rogue they caught had their tongues removed, yet the four we track down don’t? They wanted us to find these four and to bring them back to the pack. I’m sure they have a plan for them. Maybe a way to let the rest in.”
“What do you want me to do with this one then?” Theo asked, kicking the unconscious rogue for emphasis.
“Let him go,” Graham whispered.
“Sorry? I’m sure I didn’t hear that right.”
“I said to let him go,” Graham faced Theo. “I want you and the others to head back to Blackmoore. Make a show of it. Make sure people notice you departing. I’ll stay behind and wait for this fucker to wake up. Then I’ll tail him.”
“You really think he’s stupid enough to lead you to the others?”
*Stupid enough? No. Desperate enough? Maybe. If nothing else he’ll run back to his mate and I’ll have an idea of where these rogues are hiding out.”
Theo nodded. “That’s why you’re the boss. You sure you don’t want me or Jasper to go?”
1/3
Chapter Forty
Graham rubbed his face. “Like you said, I’m the boss. If these rogues get away it’ll be on me and Jensen will probably just send me back out. I have to do this.” Graham sighed heavily, thinking about how disappointed Catherine will be to see Theo come home without him.
As if reading his mind Theo asked, “What do you want me to say to her?”
Graham looked upward. “That if it were up to me I would have never left in the first place but I’ll be home to her as soon as I can.”
Theo nodded and clapped Graham on the shoulder. “Good luck, Grey. Don’t get yourself killed.”
Graham shifted and waited in the woods. He tried to not think of his mate but every minute his mind drifted to her. What was she doing right now? Was she missing him as deeply as he was her? How angry was she going to be when Theo arrived home without him? Would she ever forgive him?
As his thoughts spiraled, the rogue jerked awake. He threw his hands up as if preparing for a beating. He stilled and glanced around at the empty field. He crawled over to his fallen comrades. He shook his head and started to weep. Then he went through their pockets.
There wasn’t anything to find, Graham’s men already searched them. Sighing in defeat, the rogue hung his head for a few minutes. As if resolved to his fate, he shook himself off and stood. He wiped his face and shifted. He took off into the woods and Graham smiled. He waited ten minutes before pursuing him.
So far his plan was working. The rogue, certain the lycans had left him for dead, was careless about disguising his scent. Graham had to admit he was a fast wolf, but he was still no match for a lycan. The rogue only paused once to roll around in a stream to cool off and hydrate. Then he was off again. Graham knew they were covering a large distance. The woods around them were turning cold the farther north they went. The atmosphere grew thin as they ascended a mountain and snow began to cover the ground.
Graham crested a hill and saw the destination of the rogue. Because he was miles behind the rogue, he could not see him, but the scent trail he left behind disappeared into the tavern at the top of the hill. Graham shifted back and took the clothes tied around his leg to get dressed. He took a deep breath as he looked at the establishment.
He’d heard of the Red Wolf Lodge before. It was in the middle of the Montana wilderness only accessible to shifters and magical beings. It was run by witches who cast spells to keep shifters from harming each other. It was a safe haven, a secure place. Until today.
Graham walked into the bar and immediately swept his gaze assessing any danger. The bar was nearly empty. It was early in the day still, meaning most of the clientele were professional drunkards. Two witches, one blonde, one brunette were behind the bar with their heads bent in conversation. The brunette tilted her head toward the darkened corner of the bar and he followed her gaze. His eyes narrowed on the rogue and a man who was clearly angry. The rogue whispered urgently, gesturing with his hands in desperation.
“Got you,” Graham hissed.
The phone in his pocket vibrated, catching him off guard. He turned his body from his target in case he looked over and recognized him. He glanced down and saw his mate’s name flashing on the screen. He closed his eyes, feeling his stomach tighten in regret as he hit ignore and then switched his phone off.
When he turned around he let out a growl. The two men were no longer in the corner. The door at his back opened, sending a gust of wind and snow around his feet. Graham swiveled and in a flash caught the rogue by the nape of his neck. The rogue screamed in panic, kicking his legs and clawing at Graham’s
arm.
“Please, please, let me go! I just want to get back to my mate, please!” the rogue begged.
“Sorry, you’ve already squandered that chance once, my friend,” Graham said. He brought his elbow down on the man’s neck and he slumped forward,
unconscious.
He threw the man down on the ground and turned to find the other rogue. His eyes immediately found him, standing behind the counter, holding the blonde witch in a chokehold, a knife pressed to her throat. When she saw him her eyes widened. He felt his insides twist and his breath escape him.
“That’s right, lycan,” the rogue spat. “I’ve found your woman. Not to worry, I have orders from my alpha to not harm her… yet. Walk away and leave me to do what I came for.”
Her eyes began to glow a vibrant purple and he knew what was about to come. The rogue made a mistake thinking this witch was defenseless. He threw himself behind a pillar and made himself as small as possible against the support. There was a dull click like a grenade being pulled and then an explosion rocked the entire building sending shards of glass and splinters of wood past his head.
The dust cleared and Graham stepped out. The building was reduced to rubble but yet the witch stood on her feet just where she’d been before the explosion. She looked down at the rogue whose eyes and mouth were open in shock. The rest of his body was nowhere to be found.
Graham cursed, knowing she’d killed the leader of the rogues who had tried to breach their perimeter. She stooped down and placed a finger to the brunette
2/3
Surrendering to Destiny
