“None. All of our people are unharmed and accounted for, primarily thanks to you” James said quickly as the patrol bowed their heads and avoided my gaze.
An omega quietly handed me some clothes and I began to dress, my movements jerky and irritable. “How many rogues in total?” I asked in a dangerous voice, as I slowly did the buttons up on my shirt “How many rogues made it onto my territory?” James’s expression was grim “20 rogues. You took care of at least nine while we did the rest,” he said tightly.
My eyes flashed as I fought back the wolf that was close to shifting and tearing apart my patrol who had failed me tonight. The rouges should never have made it this close to the packhouse. They should have been spotted before they entered the territory. I glowered at them all.
“What happened? I demand an explanation” I roared.
The men flinched. Neither of them looked me in the eyes. My voice went dangerously quiet “Do I need to use my alpha tone? If that happens, all of you will be punished and banished” I snarled, thoroughly in the mood to kill them all.
The youngest one, no more than eighteen years old, cleared his throat and looked at me, his body shaking. “It was my fault” he whispered.
I inclined my head, urging him to continue. He gulped. “I was meant to be lookout and I abandoned my post,” he said guiltily.
“To do what?” I snapped.
He blushed. “To meet a girl” he mumbled.
“To meet a girl” I repeated quietly “You put this pack at risk, for the sake of getting laid” My voice was loud and aggrieved.”
The boy blushed and nodded, looking miserably at the ground.
“What about the other one?” I asked sharply and the boy looked confused.
“Other one?” he stammered.
“There is meant to always be two lookouts, on opposite sides, for this exact, stupid reason,” I said between gritted teeth “Why didn’t the other one see the rogues coming?”
The other men looked nervously at each other.
James spoke, looking confused. “There was no other lookout King Kace. You didn’t put one on the schedule” he said.
I eyed him incredulously “I always put two lookouts on the schedule. It has been like that for years” I said stiffly “and if it wasn’t it should have been brought to my attention.”
“I did think it was odd,” James said shamefaced “I should have questioned it.”
I glowered at them all. “All of you should be punished for what happened tonight. I’ve already got another patrol walking the perimeter because of tonight’s spectacle” I snapped “As it is, you will all be docked tonight’s pay.”
They nodded, looking relieved, but I was no way near finished yet. I turned to the young man who had caused this whole mess with his incompetence and by abandoning his post.
“You are to be punished,” I said icily “and the girl. She should have known better than to convince you to leave your post for something so reckless. Did she know that you were on patrol tonight?” I growled.
He hesitated. I waited, wondering if he was going to be foolish enough to lie to me. He swallowed and then looked at me, his eyes wide and his expression stricken. “Yes, she knew but honestly, she didn’t know that there would be a rogue attack. We just wanted to spend some time alone, without our parents knowing about it” he said trying to plead with me.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said dismissively “Every girl or woman that’s of age, knows the rules and the consequences of encouraging a patrol or warrior member to leave his position when he’s on duty. You cannot prevent her from being punished. Now I want her name” I said, folding my arms over my chest and staring directly at him.
James subtly motioned for the other men to leave. The young man looked near tears. I had no sympathy for him. He let out a large exhale. “Rose Winters” he choked out and I nodded at James. “You are to spend a week in the dungeons, with nothing but bread and water to eat and drink.” My voice changed and I pushed my Alpha aura out, causing him to sink to his knees “Did you possess any prior knowledge of this rogue attack?”
“No your highness, I didn’t” he wheezed.
Satisfied I let my aura fade. “You won’t be tortured, but you’ll be in chains, you and your girl,” I said angrily “and left to think about how dire the consequences of your stupidity could have ended. You also owe each of the warriors that were wounded, even slightly tonight, an apology.”
“I understand,” he said gravely, lowering his head.
I looked at James. “Get this i***t out of my sight. I want the girl in a separate cell” I hissed “and ensure that a girl omega is there to provide for her. I’m not naive as to what could happen to her and if anybody lays a hand on her, I’ll kill them. Make that clear” I told him frostily. There was always the one guard who thought he could get away with something and I was not about to let something happen under my instructions, even if the girl had pissed me off. I wasn’t a complete monster.
I did not condone rape of any kind in my pack.
“I will personally take care of it,” James said respectfully.
“Good. Make sure there are two lookouts on and change the schedules if it’s needed as well” I instructed, feeling tired.
He nodded. I turned around and stomped my way towards the pack house, feeling volatile and aggressive. I really needed to find my mate and soon, I thought, or take my chosen mate, because at this rate, my wolf was going to take control and I wasn’t going to be able to keep fighting him back. It had been a massive effort to shift back to human form tonight, something that I wasn’t going to inform James about. The last thing I needed was him getting concerned and forbidding me to shift. After this stupid upcoming party, I was going to nip this trouble in the bud, one way or the other.
Kace POV
I entered my room and stopped short, sensing another presence, my hand automatically going for the light switch, bathing the room in light and outlining the perpetrator who stretched out on the bed, a wide smile on her face. I tried not to sigh. After tonight’s antics, I was not exactly in the inclination for what she was offering. My wolf was also angry, not wanting to be touched by her, and it was all I could do to hold him back as he threatened to come to the surface once more. She had the worst possible timing I thought, as she lay there, seductively, her eyes gleaming at me. Any other time, I would have been more than tempted, but now I was numb to her overtures.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply