Damon rubbed his face irritably. Varya was objecting to anything that might put a scratch on Grady, and no matter what Caden and Maya said, they couldn't convince her.
If Varya refuses to cooperate, this won't work.
He promised Talia that he would take care of this, and he wanted to make it quick, but this Wilkow sister was testing his temper. The only thing stopping him from using his aura on Varya and Grady was that he knew Talia wouldn't approve.
To make things worse, they already agreed on everything, but then Varya saw a rogue being carried out. The guy was beaten black and blue with cuts and blood oozing everywhere, and she panicked.
"Listen, now…" Damon said impatiently. "Do you know why we are doing this?"
"Why?" Varya asked.
"Because if we don't, his old buddies will come for him and you. Do you know what it means to be captured by a rogue? You will be imprisoned and beaten until you have nothing left to say, and then they will beat you some more."
Varya frowned. "How I see it, you are trying to do the same."
Damon growled and stood up abruptly.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Varya called anxiously when Damon grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway.
Grady stood up to protest, but Caden and Maya blocked him.
Damon took Varya one level down, and then he opened the door and pushed her inside.
The room was chilly.
Damon flicked the switch to turn on the lights, and Varya looked at twenty tables arranged in two rows.
One table was empty, while others had irregular shapes covered in white cloth, and she didn't need an explanation to know that those were bodies.
"Cat got your tongue? Why are you quiet now?" Damon asked icily. "Speak!"
"Are these people from last night?"
"Yes. These are people from the Blue River pack who died last night. Rogues came, attacked, and left this behind. These people had families. They were good soldiers." He approached one table on his right. "Not all of them were soldiers."
Damon lifted the cloth to reveal a female. It was Marcy. Her face was covered in bruises and cuts that looked garish on her gray skin, and if he didn't know who that was, he wouldn't recognize her.
"You see, Varya, this is what rogues do. They come, kill, and leave. Do you know why?"
She shook her head.
"There are theories that rogues want to belong to a pack. People forgot that previous generations gave them land and resources, yet rogues used what they got and then resumed attacking. Rogues resist hierarchy and are unable to sustain themselves. There is a reason why no one likes rogues, Varya. They are the cancer of our society, one that can't be cured, and we need to remove it. I know you grew up in Europe, but you should be familiar that there are people without a moral compass."
"What do you expect me to do?"
"I want you to understand that I am giving you and Grady a way out. Did you see how people were looking at you? I am the only one who is willing to accept you. If you don't cooperate, you will fall down to rogue status."
"What's wrong with living among humans as loners? I lived like that so far, and Grady did the same."
Damon couldn't believe this. Didn't they already agree that she and Grady will take a blood oath and join the Dark Howlers pack?
"Do you think I will let you leave after what you've seen? Do you believe that people won't hunt your mate? The Blue River pack will want him because he came with the group that caused this." Damon gestured toward tables with corpses. "…and your sister won't be able to stop them. Or do you want to put Tatiana in a situation where she needs to pick between her people and her family?"
Varya pressed her lips into a line, and Damon continued, "Rogues will want Grady because he knows too much about them and about this place. And they will want you because that's how they can control Grady. Wake up, Varya. Your only hope of surviving is to join my pack."
"You talk like you are giving us a way out. But to me, it seems like another cage."
"A cage? I guess that's one way to look at it." Damon shook his head. "I can assure you that the territory of my pack is much larger than a dungeon cell. I am not saying it's forever. Join my pack and follow my rules. You heard Talia; we won't mistreat you. Give it one year. Two, at most. After that, if you still want to leave, I won't stop you. How does that sound?"
Varya looked at Damon warily. "But you want to harm Grady."
"He is a werewolf. He will get a few punches to make it believable, and then they will drag him out while he fakes unconsciousness. Faking blood is not an option because others can smell replacement. Whatever injuries Grady earns, they will be gone within a few days. I would never harm members of my pack unless they acted against the pack."
Varya heard all that already, but who will guarantee that Damon will protect them if they are not members of their pack? "I believe you. I would be more at ease if you let us join your pack first."
Damon rejected the idea. "If we do it in that order, someone might notice Grady is not rogue. When you join my pack, your scent will change."
Varya knew it made sense. And she also knew that Damon went out of his way to talk to her instead of forcing it on them. "I don't mean to be difficult. I am only concerned about my mate."
Damon's expression softened. If anyone wanted to put a finger on Talia, Damon would rip him into pieces, and here they were talking about hitting Grady.
"I will tell the guards not to go further than necessary. If you can't watch, you can wait outside. But prepare to cry and shout how you hate everyone, and you are returning to Europe. Kalina and Tatiana will comfort you and…"
"I know, I know… I will make a scene. Everyone will hear Grady is dead, and I'm leaving, so people think I'm not in the area anymore because my mate is gone." Just saying that made tears swell in Varya's eyes.
"That's good, but save it for later," Damon said while pointing at Varya's red eyes, and then he led the way back to the room where Grady was with Maya and Caden. They needed to pick a few guards who would interrogate Grady and make it look like they killed him.
Damon and Varya were walking down the hallway when Damon heard a voice in his head. 'Alpha, you need to come quickly.' It was Keith.
Damon froze. 'What's going on?'
Damon felt the air around him stiffening. Unstable emotions came through the mate bond, but why were they so weak?
'KEITH!?'
'Talia is in heat. I am taking her deeper into the forest.'
Damon's mind exploded. What did Keith say? How could Talia be in heat? Doesn't that thing take time to catch up? There should be signs!
It was happening! He will be a father!
Damon's moment of excitement went as fast as it came.
Everyone knew that when pheromones hit, unmated males are drawn like moths to a flame.
Why was Keith taking Talia into the forest instead of where Damon was?! The wretched coach had a death wish! Would he dare lay a finger on Talia?!
And why was Keith struggling to talk? Was he fighting against his urge to mate with Talia? Damn it!
Damon was outside, running toward the area where Talia should be with her guards and anxiety swelled within him.
'WHERE ARE YOU!?' Damon roared at Keith through the mind-link. Keith didn't respond, and rage overtook Damon's senses.
'KEITH! If you touch her, I will rip your body into pieces and send them to Katya in small Ziplocks! DID YOU HEAR ME!?'
Silence.
Damon was unable to focus on forcing the mind-link while running.
He cursed under his breath. 'Old guy! You better start sensing mate, or rivers of blood will flow.'
Damon shifted into his wolf form and followed the pull of the bond.
Faster.
Faster!
