The Rogue Alpha's Mate

CHAPTER 4

LYCANDRA POV.

“Dad.” I sobbed in relief when I saw that my dad was the one in the lead and he had murderous eyes on the naked man holding me. The rogue named Max, jerked in surprise when I addressed the alpha wolf as my father, and I whimpered in pain when his hold tightened around me. I felt fear course through my body at the growl that he released to warn the alpha when my father took a step forward. My father stopped in his tracks at the warning, but I saw two slightly bigger, dark brown, identical wolves step up on either side of him growling menacingly. My brothers.

My father transformed and stood tall amongst his wolves as he glared at Max. “What are you doing on my lands rogue?” He snarled in a cold voice that I rarely heard. “And what are you doing with my daughter?” He questioned and I looked from my father to Max. He had an angry look on his face, and I could see that he was sizing himself up against my father. “I’ve come for you, King.” He spat out hatefully. I have come to take back what is rightfully mine and as for the girl? I think I’ll keep her. Having a human pet can have its… benefits.” He said and looked at me. I found myself momentarily dazed as I looked into his piercing blue eyes. I was overly aware of the heat of his naked chest as he held me and the pleasurable sparks that ran through my body as the bare parts of my skin touched him.

Snarling and growling startled me from my daze, and I realized that he has already looked away and I was openly just lying in his arms and staring at him. I saw a cocky grin pull at the corner of his mouth and I hastily looked away. What the hell is happening to me? “You will not touch her.” Growled my dad and he and my brothers looked ready to rip him apart and I realized what he was doing. He was trying to anger my father into attacking but he also knew that my father wouldn’t because he still had me caged in his arms. “Oh, but I am already touching her old man.” He goaded my father.

My father snarled again in agitation to Max’s answer and my brothers stepped forward but halted when my father indicated for them to stop. “What do you want? I don’t know you so what could I have possibly have taken from you?” He asked and Max looked stern and angry again. “The Dark Moon Pack.” He stated and I could see my father take in a shocked breath. “What? What could you possibly want with that pack? And what makes you think you have any claim on it rogue?” My father growled and Max growled in retaliation. “I have every right to that pack. I am its rightful alpha. It was said to be passed to me before the alpha’s death.” He stated and I looked confused to him and then to my father, but he looked confused as well. “That’s not possible.” My father stated. “That packs alpha is alive and well.” My father said and Max snarled at him. “Not that sorry excuse for a wolf. I’m talking about the original alpha. Damon Dark.” He says and I can see the satisfaction on Max’s face when he spoke the name and my father went pale.

I could see the hate cross my father’s face and I knew why. Everyone in our pack did. Damon was the crazed alpha that tormented and abused my mother. “Damon Dark was a sadistic man who thought only of himself.” My father snarled. “Why would he leave the pack for you to run one day? No one spoke or knew of a successor, so you have no claim.” My father said and Max growled. I have every right and if that means that I have to fight for it then so be it. I was going to challenge you anyway to exact revenge for his death.” He growled and I gasped. “No, please you can’t.” I spoke before thinking and I yelped in fright when he snarled in my face. “Quiet human, or I will make you.” He growled and that only angered the wolves in my pack, especially my brothers who were snarling and growling as they were clawing at the ground beneath their feet.

“If it’s a challenge you want then you will have it, but you will release my daughter and keep her out of this.” He growled and took another step forward but a painful cry from me made him stop as Max tightened his hold once again and applied pressure on my injured shoulder. I tried to hold back the sobs of pain, but I was losing that battle. I’ve trained with the other she-wolves but I was still human and so my pain tolerance was less than theirs. Un-subconsciously I pressed my face against his chest to try and hide the pain that showed on my face, but I knew it wasn’t helping. My father and brothers have already seen that I was injured, and they knew that Max held my life in his hands. Any wrong move and I would be dead. But would he really kill me? I asked myself. He claimed that I was his mate and mates did not hurt their partners. At least that is what I thought. Maybe it was because I was human. He didn’t want a human mate. The disgusted look on his face earlier made that very clear and for some reason I felt a stab of pain in my heart for just thinking it. Why was I even feeling this way? He was a rogue and from the sounds of it, he wanted to kill my father to avenge this Damon Dark. He was our enemy, and I should not be feeling this way.

“I don’t think so, King.” Max growled coldly. “Whether it is by challenge or surrender, I will keep her with me as collateral until I have what I came for.” He said menacingly and I shivered in fear. He was using me against my father to get what he wanted and what he wanted wasn’t me. Why did that bother me so much? Another sob escaped my throat and I looked up at him. “Please don’t do this.” I begged in a low voice and his head snapped to mine. For a moment I thought I saw a softness in his eyes, but I must have imagined it because he growled at me. “Didn’t I tell you to keep quiet?” He snarled and I whimpered in fear, but it was instantly replaced by shock and pain when he forcefully put me down on my feet but held me tightly to his side around my waist. I clutched at my shoulder as the pain shot through my body I could feel the blood running through my fingers. Distantly I heard growling and snarling from my pack, but I couldn’t focus on them as I started to feel lightheaded, and I slumped forward a little from the pain.

“I’m warning you rogue, let her go and we can settle this now.” I heard my father growl and I looked at them through my hair. His wolves were spread out on either side of him, and I could tell that they outnumbered Max and his wolves. “You really think I’m that stupid?” Growled Max. “How do I know that your wolves will not interfere once I let her go and take you up on that challenge?” He growled. Everything sounded so far away, and my head was starting to spin. I knew that I was losing a lot of blood because I was not healing like a werewolf. I had to do something, while I was still able to be on my feet. I needed to distract Max to give my father the opening that he needed, but that thought alone pained me to do that to Max, but I had to make a choice. My pack and my family… or Max who only saw me as leverage.

Taking a deep breath, I willed all my strength I could muster and elbowed him in the ribs. Taken by surprise, he released me, and I fell forward onto the forest floor in a painful heap and instantly there was growling, snarling and thundering paws that vibrated on the ground. My father shifted just as my brothers leaped forward towards Max and instantly all the wolves were at each other’s throats and trying to tear each other apart. I could feel the shifting air as the wolves moved around me, but by now I was too tired to care. I didn’t know for how long it went on, but I suddenly felt clawed paws on my back and growling so close to my ear that I could feel the hot breath on my neck. I don’t know how, but I knew it was Max.

“AAAAAH.” I screamed as he bit down hard where my shoulder met my neck. I felt my body jerking of its own accord as I could feel the bite heating up and tingle. The last thing I remember was that he released me and the heat of his body retracting, leaving me cold as the jerking started to subside and another feeling started to course through my body from the bite on my shoulder.

ALPHA DEVON POV.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was as scared as I was now. It took everything in me to try and keep calm and to keep Bronx back. He wanted to forcefully take control when he saw that our pup was hurt and held captive against another male and a dangerous rogue too and I suspected it was the same rogue that has been seen traveling between the neighbouring packs. He was a big man, and I could feel that he had a powerful aura around him, and I wanted to tear him apart for hurting my little girl. I could smell her blood and I could see her losing blood and I feared that if I didn’t get to her on time, that she would bleed out.

I was looking for a opening to attack and as if she was reading my mind, Lycandra elbowed the rogue in the ribs, making him release her in surprise and I instantly jumped into action. My sons have already leaped towards him when I shifted and I and the rest of my warrior wolves that accompanied me, attacked. My wolves taking on his wolves.

Fenris and Adoff were both clawing at the rogue leader who was still in human form. Taken by surprise he didn’t get the chance to shift and had to resort in fighting them of whilst still human. I had to admit, he could keep his own against my sons and that unsettled me. They were the strongest of my pack, even stronger than me but the way the rogue side stepped them with his agility and speed was shocking. I grabbed one of the rogues wolve by its neck with my jaws and swung him towards a tree where he yelled before slumping to the ground. My thought was on Lycandra and that I needed to get to her, but I knew that I had to get rid of the threat first.

I leaped past her towards where her brothers were still trying to take on the rogue leader and just as I was about to leap on him, he grabbed Adoff by the hind leg and pulled him off his feet and swung him towards me. We collided in the air and we both went tumbling into the ground. By the time we got to our feet, the rogue leader has shifted and kicked Fenris on his side with all four clawed paws, also making him tumble back several feet. My heart nearly stopped when the rogue jumped onto Lycandra. She screamed as he bit into her, marking her as his and she started to jerk and whimper where she laid face down on the forest floor. Just as suddenly he released her, and he howled for his wolves to retreat. I howled for my wolves to pursue them as I hastily shifted and kneeled next to her as the jerking started to subside, but she was already unconscious. Fear racked through my body as I felt her for a pulse, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt one. It was faint but it was there. I mind linked Missy as I slowly turned her around and picked her up. She needed immediate medical attention and once I made sure that I had her securely in my arm, I started to run back to the house. I just hoped I wasn’t too late.