The Midnight Rogue’s Broken Mate

Run!

[Celeste]

The younger children were being herded by a few remaining omegas, while the few warriors left fought off the intruders. I tried to move but paused to think. I was wolfless, powerless to protect anyone and definitely not bulletproof. So how could I help?

A rogue wolf lunged toward me, and I stumbled backwards, narrowly avoiding his teeth. He snapped at me, his eyes wild, his fur matted and filthy. I struggled to get to my feet, scrambling backwards when a flash of movement blurred in front of me. One of the warriors tackled the rogue, slamming him into the snow.

"Get out of the way! You're a hindrance!" a voice called. I looked up to see one of the pack's guards, motioning to me. "Take the children and flee!"

Nodding, I turned and sprinted toward the infirmary, knowing I could at least gather supplies and tend to the wounded. It was all I could do.

The sounds of battle echoed outside, but I forced myself to focus, gathering bandages, antiseptic, anything that might be needed. Whatever fear I felt, I buried it, knowing that for once, I couldn't afford to be helpless.

"My grandson is still out there! Celeste, go and get the children!"

"Quickly! The kids are the pack's future!"

"Why the hell are you hiding in here? Get out there and do something!"

The outbursts came in waves and I almost snapped back. Their demands made me wonder if they'd forgotten that I was the weakest of the weak.

"Do something."

I was no warrior. No one had trained me, had even given me the tools to defend myself. Yet I couldn't just sit back and let innocent children die. No matter how annoying some of the pack kids could be, they didn't know any better and just copied the phrases their parents often said.

Before I knew it, I was dashing out of the infirmary with the supplies bundled into a pouch. I was going to save the kids even if it killed me.

I ran toward the sounds of frightened sobs and found a small group of children huddled inside an alleyway. One of the little girls, barely six, looked up at me with tear-streaked cheeks, clutching a torn doll.

"It's okay," I whispered, my voice trembling as I crouched down, reaching out to her. "Come with me. I'll get you all to safety. We'll run to the forest." There was an underground bunker in the main house but it was too risky and some of the kids were hurt so I settled to try and reach the forest. The snow slowed our footsteps and I carried a little boy who'd twisted his foot.

All I could think of was getting these children who had a brighter future than mine to safety.

But before we could cross the next building, a sharp c***k echoed, followed by the sensation of something hard being slammed into the back of my head. My eyes went blank and my knees buckled, and I fell forward despite the children's screams, crumpling into the snow as darkness overtook me.

When I awoke, my head throbbed with a relentless ache, and I groaned as I tried to move my hands. They were bound—cold metal pressed against my skin. The silver cuffs sapped what little strength I could muster, slightly burning my skin as I hissed in pain.

"She's awake," someone muttered. I turned toward the voice and found myself staring into the cold eyes of another omega. Around her were a few others, children huddled close to them in what appeared to be the back of a moving truck.

At first, it wasn't odd that all eyes were on me. I'd always been an anomaly and was used to the negative attention.

"Where... are we?" I swallowed, my throat dry as I struggled to rise.

One of the girls sneered. "Oh, don't play dumb," she spat, folding her arms. "We're all here because of you."

I blinked, puzzled by the accusation. "What are you talking about?"

"You must've led them right to us. You've always been an outsider, never belonged here. Makes sense you'd betray us!" Another omega spat and the children huddled around her. "Right, Ella?" She turned to one of the children.

I strained my eyes to make out the child's face in the dark. She was the one I'd seen in the alleyway holding a doll.

The girl nodded, her voice trembling. "We were hiding and she led us to where they caught us."

My heart raced, "I didn't... I wouldn't..." I tried to explain. "I'd never betray the pack."

"Liar!" One of the girls lurched forward, her hand flashing out, and I felt a sharp sting as her slap landed across my face. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit my lip to keep from speaking.

"Alpha Rafael's father was killed because of you! Everyone knows you've despised our pack ever since Alpha Rafael found his mate!" she hissed, her hand grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking, pain radiating from my scalp. I struggled to stay calm, trying to form words, to explain, but every time I opened my mouth, they cut me off with insults and accusations. To them, I was guilty—no defence could change that.

They shoved me, and slapped me, their insults coming in barrages. I curled into a ball, both hands behind my head while they kicked and stepped on me. 'goddess help me.' Was the only thought that crossed my mind as tears escaped my eyelids.

Before they could do more, a sudden jolt rocked the truck. Tyres screeched, metal crunched, and the world spun as the vehicle tipped, crashing onto its side. I tumbled, my back slamming into the hard metal wall, and for a moment, struggling to stay conscious.

When I came to, the faint sounds of groaning and whimpers reached my ears. I blinked, disoriented, and saw that the others were scattered around, injured, some bleeding. Hell, I wouldn't have been better off if I wasn't already curled up when the accident occurred. My head throbbed as I tried to push myself up, wincing at the cuts and bruises littering my arms.

The only good thing was that the back doors had been forced open by the impact. I remembered my medical pouch, fumbling for it as I crawled out of the truck. Outside, it was already dark and I watched the cityscape from the highway. Lights littered the streets and the moonlight reflected off glass buildings. "It's... beautiful." My eyes sparkled at the sight.

The other omegas began to emerge, limping, holding onto one another, whispering in fear and confusion.

Just then, a figure appeared, one of the rogues who had captured us. He stormed toward us, yelling with his hand raised as if ready to strike.

But before he could reach us, a dark shape moved in the distance—a massive beast, black as midnight, its eyes glowing like molten gold. It was a wolf, but not like any I had ever seen. Its size was monstrous, broad and towering over the seven feet while standing.

A loud, rumbling howl filled the air, and the rogue froze, his face going pale. The next second, the wolf lunged, and with a swift, brutal swipe, the rogue's head rolled to the ground.

An omega nearby whimpered, falling onto her butt. "Wh-what is that thing? It can't be a wolf..."

Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get as far away from this creature as possible. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The moonlight caught the creature's eyes and for a second, I thought it was looking at me—for a second, I forgot the fear that plagued me, lost in the familiar gaze of this creature. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say a word, someone screamed.

"Run!"

Without a second thought, I grabbed a child's hand but she pulled away, leaving me bolting off alone. I heard the others fall into step behind me, after all, we were sitting ducks on such a wide road with nowhere to hide.