The Rogue's Fate

by Missy De Graff

  His right hand is around my waist and his left is holding my right hand at a ninety-degree angle in the air. And my left hand is around his waist. With each step, our bodies move closer until my chest is flush against his. His warm breath blows on the back of my neck, sending chills rolling down my body. And I try to steady my shaky hands as I lay my head on his chest.

  "Lucinda," Caiden whispers in my ear.

  "Yeah."

  "Most people have agreed to fight," he says. Pulling away from his chest, I look into his eyes.

  "Most people?" I ask.

  "There was more talk about me being a fit Alpha." He shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe I'm not fit. I haven't been a very good Alpha."

  "What?" I say. "Don't talk like that."

  "It's true. I've done nothing but cause trouble. Dylan's always been there for everything, to clean up my messes," he sighs. "Maybe I should just give the Alpha seat to Dylan."

  I shake my head and squeeze his hand, pulling him closer to me. "That won't be good for anyone." I lean my head against his chest once more.

  "Do you think Felix will leave this pack alone if you and I both leave?" He rests his chin on my head.

  "I doubt it," I say. "He's power hungry. He'd hunt us down, and then attack this pack. You have plenty of strong members that he'd want to devour."

  "What do you mean, 'power hungry' and 'devour'?" Caiden asks, pulling me away from him so we're face to face. My wolf is giddy with excitement.

  "Remember the witch he's tracking?" I ask. "Cody, his Beta, told me a story about when they were young, the night Felix was named the next Alpha. He said a soothsayer came bearing gifts for the new Alpha-to-be: her gift was one wish of his choice. Felix, in his youthful pride, wished to be a mighty and powerful Alpha. Cody said the soothsayer turned out to be a witch that cursed Felix. She gave him his wish, but turned him into a power-hungry Alpha with no control. Anyone that is more powerful, or as powerful as he is, must die. Felix killed his father, the Alpha, that night. He was his first kill." Shivers run through my body thinking about the story.

  Caiden pulls me close, so close our noses are almost touching. Watching his eyes, I can't stop myself from glancing to his lips. My pulse quickens and my palms start to itch. I lean up and softly brush my lips against his. Having no response, I pull my lips away and a warmth rushes to my cheeks.

  I try to turn away, but he holds me steady, not letting me escape his strong arms. His blue eyes bore deep into my soul, and my wolf howls at the intensity of his stare. I watch his eyes swirl black as he smashes his lips into mine. He feverishly kisses me in an animalistic rage. I melt into his touch as his hands grab my hips, pulling me closer so our bodies intertwine as one. He growls as my hands roam his head and I run my fingers through his blond hair.

  When his lips leave mine, my wolf whines. But it is cut short when a warmth radiates over my skin as he trails kisses along my jawline and down my neck. Digging my nails into his back, I lean into his kisses and moan in delight.

  We jump and separate as we hear the front door open. I smile at Caiden and bite my lip. He looks at me, running his right hand through his hair, then walks past me toward the back of the house, disappearing down the hall.

  "Hey, Cinda!" Mia calls. "Was that Caiden?" she asks. I turn to face Mia, Gavin, and Dylan.

  "Oh hey. How was the cookout?" I ask, dodging her question.

  Chapter 26

  Caiden

  Gaining control of myself again, I splash cold water on my face and look in the mirror.

  "What are you doing?" I ask myself. "She has a mate, damn it! Stop making it harder for the both of us." I growl into the mirror. Turning around, I lean against the sink, trying to steady my shaking hands.

  "No, not now. Calm down," I whisper under my breath. "Calm down." I refuse to lose control, not tonight. I take deep breaths to calm down, and as my pulse slows, I think about my curse.

  Hearing laughter from the living room, I walk out of the bathroom and down the hall. Before I round the corner, I hear her laugh and a smile tugs at the corner of my lips. Closing my eyes, I lean against the wall and listen to the delightful sound.

  "So Dylan, did you have as much fun as Mia and Gavin?" Lucinda asks with a giggle. Mia must have been reliving Gavin's dance moves—he put on a show after we all ate.

  "No," Dylan says. "Someone had to clean up the mess you left behind." My wolf doesn't like the tone of Dylan's voice. It takes all my power to stand still, but I’m able to control myself.

  "Excuse me?" Lucinda says in a high-pitched tone. "Mess? What mess?"

  "Going all wolf on that kid," Dylan says.

  "Yeah, the kid that was rushing at Caiden with a knife?" Lucinda asks.

  "You don't get it, do you?" Dylan growls. "That kid wouldn't have landed a finger on Caiden. Caiden would've taken him down with a single move. You ruined everything! Caiden would've restored confidence with that one act! You probably caused more damage than good."

  "What the hell?! I protect the Alpha and you're pissed at me?" Lucinda yells. A spicy mint scent tickles my nose as it drifts through the air to where I stand in the hall. My blood thins and my heart pounds again. Oh Lucinda, if only you knew what you did to me.

  "Why do you do that?" Lucinda growls.

  "Do what?" Dylan asks.

  "One minute we're all having a good laugh and then the next you manage to make me so angry that I'm about to go all wolf on you." I hear Lucinda sigh.

  "I bet he does it on purpose," Gavin says.

  "Yeah, to make my life a living hell," Lucinda says.

  "It probably makes it easier. You smell funny when you're mad," Gavin says. "Ouch! What was that for?" I can only imagine Mia smacked his arm. It's quiet in the next room, so I decide this is as good a time as any. Turning the corner, I put on my game face. Tonight I want answers.

  "Tell me about the night you were announced the next Alpha," I say to Dylan as I walk into the room.

  Four sets of eyes stare at me, but I hold the one set that's locked on mine—Dylan. Mia attempts to talk through the mindlink, but I block her. Everyone needs to hear these answers.

  "Tell me about the gypsy," I demand, still with no response. Dylan casts his eyes to the ground with this question, not able to meet my stare.

  "Did she offer you a gift?" I ask in a calm tone.

  Dylan's shoulders tense and his body freezes. His eyes slowly rise to meet mine.

  "A soothsayer came to me on my twelfth birthday," I whisper. Clearing my throat, I continue, "She gave me a gift, but since I wouldn't choose, she chose for me. She gave me the gift of strength; a strength that is equal to no other."

  I take a deep breath and on the exhale I continue, "And with most gifts, there is a price to be paid. The price of this gift is equal to the gift itself; I can't control my anger. She called it a payment; I call it a curse. You all have seen me lose control, go off for days at a time, running wild as a feral beast. Yes, this is my curse."

  A warm hand rubs my back, my shoulder, and finally down my arm where it squeezes my hand. I know who it is before I see her, her sweet scent of mint and honey calming my nerves, giving me a renewed strength.

  "So I ask you again," I say, returning my focus to Dylan, "Tell me about the gypsy."

  Dylan looks between Lucinda and me, and then down at our hands.

  "Fine," he says, and heads toward the couch to sit down. Lucinda tugs me over and we sit on the couch next to him. Mia and Gavin are sharing a recliner on the other side of the couch.

  "The night I was announced as the successor Alpha, I went out to celebrate. I ran into the gypsy that had been performing tarot card and palm readings all day. She said she had a special gift for me, a gift for the next Alpha. I was young and stupid. At the age of twelve, you don't think too much about the future," Dylan says in a dry tone and licks his lips.

  "I took her gift, and then paid the price." Dylan flares his nostrils. "You're right, her payment
is a curse."

  "What was the gift?" Lucinda asks. Dylan's eyes finally lift from the floor to lock with Lucinda.

  "I can't speak of it. It's part of the curse."

  "Does it have something to do with me?" Lucinda asks.

  Dylan nods.

  "It makes sense now," Lucinda says, "when Felix had me in the holding cell, there was an elderly woman there too. She said something odd that made no sense to me at the time. She said something like, 'You've been touched by me child, and yet I don't know you'. I thought her a kooky old lady, but I guess Felix found his witch after all." Lucinda smiles and a warmth rushes through my veins. I want to push her down and smother her with kisses. I shake my head to gain control again. My wolf is not playing nice tonight.

  "Oh! Felix and his witch!" Lucinda's eyes lifts to mine as she realizes what I did earlier.

  "Yes, there will be time for that, but I'm still curious about the gypsy," I say, squeezing her hand. "Dylan, about your mother."

  I watch his head fall forward and hear a sniffle.

  "There is no judgment here, we've all had horrible things happen to us because of this soothsayer, gypsy, or witch—whatever you'd like to call her. Please, just tell us what happened." I say in a low, calm voice.

  "My mother," Dylan stutters. Lucinda lets go of my hand and grabs his trembling hands with both of hers. A fire burns at my soul, but I refuse to allow it to overtake me. I have no claim on her.

  "My mother," Dylan starts again, "she followed me that night and overheard the gypsy's gift; she ran inside the tent just in time for me to receive the payment."

  "My mother was a clever woman, more clever than the gypsy gave her credit. She asked the gypsy for a gift for herself and the gypsy agreed." Dylan allows a small chuckle. "Little did the gypsy know what gift my mother would ask for."

  "What was her gift?" Lucinda asks.

  "It was a smart and heartfelt gift," Dylan whispers. "She asked for her gift to be the ability of my gift to be reversible."

  "Wait. Your curse can be broken?" My heart is pounding so hard I am sure everyone in the room can hear it.

  "Yes, the gift can be undone, but not the payment," he says with his eyes cast to the ground. "She was angered by this, so she cursed me to never speak of it. I'm unable to tell you the gift and how it can be undone," Dylan says, lifting his head to look at Lucinda.

  "What happened to your mother?" Gavin asks.

  "Her payment was her life," Dylan says. Lucinda stiffens at his words. I cannot help myself, I reach up and stroke her back, making small doodles with my fingertips between her shoulder blades.

  "So what about Felix?" Mia asks, breaking the silence. "How does he fit into this?"

  Lucinda tells them the same story she told me earlier. I do not listen. Instead, my mind is racing in all directions. I try to think of what we can do about Felix, but I am easily distracted by Lucinda. Each time she raises an arm or waves her hand, her scent floats on the air, tingling my nerves.

  "Felix has the witch, right?" I ask, once she is done talking.

  "He had the witch—there was no one left in the house when we tracked Cinda," Gavin says.

  "Our leverage is the witch," Dylan says. "If we have the witch, then we control Felix. We can make a peace deal with him."

  "Sounds like a plan to me," Mia and Gavin say in unison. Lucinda does not voice it, but watching her, I know she does not agree. I am not sure I do either, but I need to leave the room. I need to get away from her, she is too close.

  "It's settled then, we'll discuss more in the morning." I stand and head into the kitchen. I need food to calm my rattling urges.

  Later as I am heading to my room, my wolf keeps pulling me to Lucinda's door. My hand is on her doorknob and I fight with all my control to stop, but my wolf whimpers and the all too familiar cloudy veil covers my eyes.

  Lucinda wakes up and I am surprised she is not agitated to find me in her room, sitting in a chair a few feet from her bed.

  "Is everything okay?" she asks. I am concentrating so hard on staying in control that I don't respond.

  She gets out of bed and walks toward me, wearing a tank top and underwear. My wolf whimpers and I growl.

  She kneels in front of me, placing her hands on my knees.

  "Caiden, what's wrong?" she asks.

  "We need to talk," I manage to say.

  "Okay, about what?" She bites her lip.

  "Earlier." Running my hands through my hair I continue, "that shouldn't have happened."

  "Stop." Lucinda holds up her hand. "I get it, I have a mate and you think I should be with him. But the thing is, he doesn't want me. I'm over it."

  The authority in her voice catches me off guard. I try to talk but she shushes me. "If you're worried about what others may think, don't. No one really knows about Dylan and me."

  "I'll know," I say under my breath.

  "He doesn't want me!" She throws her hands up in the air.

  "Isn't it obvious, he's trying to protect you from the curse that horrid witch cast!" I pound my fist down on my knee, clenching my jaw. "And his curse can be broken," sighing, I lean my head forward into my hands.

  "Even if the curse is reversible, how he's acted the past ten years, how he's treated me, all that he's done." Lucinda grabs my hands, moving them from my head, forcing me to look at her. "How could I ever forgive him?"

  "That's the thing about Mates, you don't get a choice. Your souls are drawn together like magnets, an invisible string pulling your fates together to be forever bound." I smile at her. Reaching up to Lucinda's face, I touch a loose strand of her hair that has fallen forward. Sliding my fingers down the silky lock, I tuck it behind her ear.

  Lucinda rests her cheek in the palm of my hand.

  "That pull is what led me here. I haven't felt it since I arrived," Lucinda whispers. "Being here, it's easier to be around Dylan. My wolf tolerates him well."

  "Lucinda," I say in a deep voice, "We can't."

  "Stay with me tonight?" Lucinda asks. "Just as friends." I nod. If my tail were out, it would be wagging.

  I watch as she crawls back into bed, lying on her left side. I crawl into the other side of the bed, scooting close behind her so my chest is against her warm back. I drape my right arm around her midsection; she grabs my hand, twisting my arm so it lies between her breasts and cuddles with my forearm. We're holding hands under her chin, and I feel the light rumble of her wolf vibrate against my chest; my wolf responds with a vibration of his own.

  Chapter 27

  Lucinda

  I wake up with a lingering dream playing at the back of my memory. I smile and inhale his scent, and my thoughts of the dream fade away. I reach for him, wanting his touch. Instead my hand brushes against a cold sheet. Turning over I stare at the place he slept not too long ago.

  Heading downstairs, I smell Dylan. Before I can run back upstairs, he sees me from his seat on the couch.

  "Hey Lux."

  "Hey," I say, walking toward him.

  "You okay?"

  "Yeah, why?" I crinkle my forehead.

  "You're fiddling with your shirt hem," he says. "Growing up you always did that when you were nervous or anxious." Looking down, I smile. Dropping my hands to my side, I sit on the couch next to him.

  "Yeah, I guess some habits are hard to break," I smirk.

  "So what's up?" he asks.

  "Have you seen Caiden?" I ask.

  "No, why?" Dylan asks, looking at me with curious eyes.

  I shrug and look anywhere but at him. I find an interesting little spot on the carpet. A blood stain? Dylan's voice brings my attention back to him.

  "You two have become close," he says and watches me with curious eyes.

  "Yeah," I flash a small grin and reach for the hem of my shirt again.

  "I'm," Dylan stutters, "I'm happy for you." He squeezes my knee, giving it a little shake. He'd do the same thing when we were kids and he teased me
about a boy I was crushing on.

  I look up to him and our eyes meet. We're locked in a stare; I'm unable to look away. My pulse quickens and my body explodes with fire. Every part of my skin burns; it feels like someone's pouring hot lava onto my head and it's slowly dripping down, covering my entire body. Tears form at the rims of my eyes, threatening to fall.

  His pupils dilate and his eyes finally break from mine as he leans in, narrowing in on my neck. He opens his mouth and licks his lips. My lip throbs with a searing pain from where I bit through it and then a warm liquid runs down my chin. He looks up at me and does a slight shake with his head. Reaching up to my lip, he wipes the blood from my chin and looks down at his other hand on my knee. Abruptly standing, he backs away from me.

  "I'm going to get some breakfast," he says as he walks into the kitchen.

  I melt back into the oversized cushions on the couch. What the fuck just happened? I lick my lip. There isn't much blood left, but the throbbing pain remains. Stupid nervous habit. Why do I have to bite my lips? Grabbing the nearest pillow, I cover my face and growl.

  Readjusting myself, I wipe away the tears that found their way to my cheeks. Pulling my knees onto the couch, I hug them and lay my head on top. Caiden, where are you?

  I wipe the corners of my mouth and take a deep, slow breath as I open my eyes, letting them adjust to the light. Looking around I'm still on the couch, I must've fallen asleep. I can't shake the eerie feeling that lingers from the dream I just had. Shaking my head, I stand and stretch, hearing a small pop and crack in my back and neck. My ears prick up at the sound of hushed voices coming from the kitchen.

  "Hey." I yawn as I walk through the doorway.

  "Hey, sleepyhead. Didn't get much sleep last night?" Gavin says with a wink. I smack the back of his head as I walk past him to the sink.

  "Are you feeling okay?" Mia asks.

  "Me? Yeah, why?"

  "You look a little off." Mia shrugs her shoulders.

  "Oh, I have a horrible headache, I think." I rub my temples.

  "You think," Dylan says in a dry tone.