Elegantly Rogue

C H A P T E R 3

Blair

I clenched my teeth, the sheering pain rippling through my body like a wave in a storm. I let out a pained moan, the sound of the whip cracking through the air warning me of what was to come. My jaw was starting to throb, the strain I put it under becoming too much. 

I could no longer feel my legs, my body hanging limply, suspended in the air. My only support was the chains that held me in place, my body vulnerable in every way imaginable.

     "I really dislike doing this. So, why don't you just do us both a favor and tell me why you were in the woods last night?" 

My muscles relaxed, the time it took for the male to talk giving me a much needed break. I could feel the odd trickling sensation on my back and I knew that it was either blood, or sweat dripping from my body. I knew that my body would soon reach its limits and I would go into shock. Or worse...

     "I asked you a question."

I pursued my lips, trying to silence the scream that bubbled in my throat as the whip came down on me once more. I pulled against the chains, trying to get away from the pain, but my efforts were futile. I was in pain. How do I get away from myself? 

It felt as if I had been here for an eternity, but the clock above the door proved that eternity could last an hour. Any doubt that I had about the unfair cruelty in packs had no been diminished. 

     "You know... There's a part of me that feels guilty for doing this to you, since you're a woman, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep it his pack safe. And trust me, if it were the Alpha, he'd be treating you ten times worse."

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to block out the pain. Footsteps sounded on the floor and my eyes instinctively opened. The man now stood before me, his face drawn into a sneer as he looked down on me. 

I swallowed, my throat having the texture of sand. But swallowing turned out to be a bad idea. My chest tightened, leaving me feeling breathless, on the verge of suffocating. I started coughing, feeling a warm liquid rise within my throat. 

I tasted the sour bile in the back of my throat. I barely had a chance to try and force it down when it pushed out of my mouth, the sour smell filling the air and the taste overpowering my senses. The man made a noise. Something between disbelief and shock, and within the next few seconds I received another lashing, the whip wrapping itself around my body. 

A loud scream bounced off of the walls and I had no doubt in my mind that it was mine. My throat was coarse. Dry. Every sound I made being more painful than the last. 

     "Enough."

I forced my eyes open, turning slightly towards the origin of the voice. I was slightly stunned to see the Alpha but I knew that the current state of my body would make it difficult for him to realize this. I allowed my body to go limp, a blanket of pain wrapping itself around me faster than the dark spots were covering my vision. 

     "Has she told you anything, yet?" 

The Alphas voice was cool and controlled. My heart started to race once I heard the word yet, which was a clear indication that they weren't done torturing me. I forced myself to take measured breaths, knowing that it would calm down my heart rate. There was no point in getting worked up. 

     "Nothing of value."

Cold fingers wrapped around my chin, causing me to flinch backwards in an attempt to get away from it. But the Alphas grip was harsh, his nails digging in to my skin. It came as no surprise when I felt blood trickle down the length of my neck. 

     "Do me a favor and look at me. Now, listen here you worthless—"

Matthew

My words seem to sink down into my stomach before I could utter them. My wolf was clawing at the barriers of my mind, fighting to get out. And as I looked into her eyes, I realized why. 

     "Mate! Mate! Mate!"

He chanted the words, barely leaving a second between each one. I abruptly let go of her, her skin even colder than mine was. My heart was pounding in my ears, loud enough to drown out the sound of my wolf. She was still staring at me, her eyes as droopy as they had been when I came in. 

Something cold grabbed a hold of me as I watched her blink, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head. It felt like time slowed down. Her body seemed to shrink into itself and I reached up with the intention of breaking the chains, only to pull my hand away when the metal burned my skin. 

I turned towards Shane, ready to bark out orders, but he was already moving towards the control switch. I turned back to her, wrapping my arms around her waist just as the cuffs beeped their release. I had no doubt in my mind that Shane was beyond confused, but I knew he would guess that I was acting the way I was for a reason.

I threw her body slightly so that I could carry her, feeling the warm trickle of her blood run down the length of my forearm. My heart started to pound harder, more insistent, like my need to get her to the infirmary. 

     "Alpha? What's going on?"

Shane's voice sounded like an echo, barely registering in my subconscious. I barely took the time to ensure that my hold on her was firm, before I dashed out of the door, knowing that time was of the essence. 

          ~•°•~

I stared at the doors that the doctor had wheeled her through and I couldn't help the sense of numbness that wrapped itself around me. The adrenaline of having to get her here safely was busy wearing off and I knew that in a few minutes the anxiety and worry would set in once more. 

     "Matt... I've stood around and watched for longer than I would have liked, so would you mind telling me why this rogue has you so worked up?"

My eyes took a few seconds to focus on Shane, causing him to appear in my vision as a blurred figure. I had grown up with Shane, knowing that he was going to be my beta, which caused us to bond in a way that made us almost inseparable now. I raised my hand to run it through my hair, but it fell short when I registered the slowly drying blood that was still caked onto it. 

Her blood.

     "I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this, but... I think she's my mate." 

I kept my eyes trained on him, knowing that even a slight distraction would cause me to miss his reaction—which turned out to be exactly what I expected it to be. His eyes seemed to widen and his face paled simultaneously. I knew that he was finding it as hard to believe as I was. 

     "Why would you even think that? It's practically impossible." 

He flopped down into the chair beside me, causing a rather unnecessary thud to bounce off of the walls.  He copied my actions of turning slightly towards the door and was now looking at it with a frown on his face. 

     "I haven't heard my wolf interact with me that much in a long time... Screaming the word mate when I looked into her eyes and then letting out some freakish howl of delight." 

I took a second look at him, before returning my attention to the door. He had a deep frown pulling at his brows and I knew he was thinking of a suitable reply. It's not everyday that an Alpha finds a second mate. 

     "Are you sure that your wolf isn't mistaking her for... Louella? Maybe it's something in her features or in her scent." 

His voice was hesitant, and with reason. This was a sensitive topic to discuss and had to be treated as such. I sighed slightly as I forced my shoulders to relax as I leaned back in the chair. I could tell my the energy in the air that I was making many of the nurses uncomfortable, and as much as I wanted to leave and set them at ease, I couldn't. 

     "I doubt that that's the case. My wolf was the one who captured her, remember? He could have killed her if he deemed it necessary. And he would have given me control if he realized who she was. And even that first time I grabbed her, something was just... off." 

The doors swung open and I stood up, forcing myself not to be disappointed at the fact that it was a different patient being wheeled back out. I sat down again.

     "My wolf did try to link with hers on the way here. He became primal after a few tries, and then he said something before going quite..." 

Shane's frown seemed to deepen even further before he shook his head and turned away from the door. Shane wasn't an i***t. There's only one thing a wolf would say before shutting itself away when it's mate was in the vicinity. 

     "Tell me you're not going to say what I think you're going to say."

His words were nothing more than a mere mutter and I allowed my shoulders to slacken, before registering the sound of the door opening. I looked up and recognized him as the same doctor who has been coming at frequent intervals to update me on her condition. I spared another glance at Shane before I stood up, saying the words I knew he wasn't ready for. 

     "She has no wolf."