Moonlight Rogue

Chapter Four: Breakfast

I woke long before he did. I had hogtied him to the branch, using enough rope so he couldn’t roll off and hang himself or anything. He didn’t know it yet, but I was going to find out everything I could about his former clan I could so I could infiltrate and get rid of the toxic mold within. If I let Mason live, he’d just infect the rest of the pack if he hadn’t already.

His black hair fluttered in a breeze and I had to hold my wrist to prevent myself from reaching out and stroking it. I was acting like some damned teenager with a crush. This was why I didn’t do packs, I hadn’t been around a male in so long I was falling for the first one I saw. Frustrated with myself I closed my hand and rapped him on the head until he groaned and opened one groggy emerald eye at me.’

“Oh my f*****g god, I’m going to die!” he yelped as he got a view of how high he was up. He gripped the branch tighter ad he clenched his eyes shut. “Please, don’t let me fall, I don’t want to be turned into a pile of mush. Please, please, please, get me down I’m gonna fall!”

I rolled my eyes but cut his ropes. He squeaked and grabbed the tree even harder. I watched as he started to slide to the side without the rope’s support, and though he held on like a champ, the branch was just too slick for him and he fell off. I grabbed the rope, made a quick noose, and grabbed one of his legs before he hit the ground. The force was enough to jerk my arm and almost enough to send me toppling after him, but I had braced myself against a part of the branch that had stood out.

I let the rope go and hopped down to greet him. Cya was on the ground kissing the dirt and shaking. As he heard my steps he glanced up at me with panic-filled eyes. He was practically shaking. “Please tell me we don’t have to climb any more trees?” He begged.

I wanted to tease him, but I decided to be nicer, this time anyway. “Nope, no more trees.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Until tonight anyway.” The glare he shot me gave me goosebumps. I pushed on regardless. “You’re going to take me back to your pack.”

His jaw dropped. “No way! I’ll be killed!” He was already shaking his head in protest with his arms held in front of himself.

I glanced back up the tree. “Well, you’re either coming with me, or I’m going to tie your ass back in that tree, Cya. Your choice.”

He all but whimpered as he looked back at the tree and the color drained from his face. “Okay, but why in the world would you want to go to that pack? It’s bad news, they do really horrible things to females there.”

I shrugged. “I’ve had really horrible things done to me before, it wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, I made a promise, and that’s all you need to know. So what do you know of this pack, of this Mason guy?”

He frowned hard at me, and once more I swooned inside at how his eyes were sparkling in the morning rays. No wonder the pack girl fell for him. He was pretty dangerous. The strong cheekbones, the proud nose, the dimple in his chin, ugh, Morgan if you don’t get hold of yourself you’re going to be taking nothing but ice baths to clean yourself with. “Mason is a really evil guy. I don’t think you should try to meddle with him.”

I didn’t answer as I pulled out some breakfast for us. It wasn’t much more than some baked potatoes but it’d work for now, and he’d be grateful or starve. “You’re not going to convince me to not do this thing.” I paused. “Tell me about the harem in your pack.”

He had been biting down on the potato when I asked my question, he choked as his eyes bulged. I watched as they watered and he wheezed before getting the food down his throat. “How did you know about that?” His cheeks flushed and I had to smirk. I liked that I had embarrassed him. Oh, he was going to love this next part if just the question bothered him.

“I have my sources. I need to know about it, what’s the age of those that enter, and the age of those that exit? Does Mason use it, or only his men? And what are my chances of slipping in?”

He almost dropped his potato as he tried to absorb my questions. “You’re nuts, lady.”

“Morgan.”

“Huh?”

“My name, it’s Morgan. I figure if we’re going to travel together for a while you should know it, Cya.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “Okay, Morgan, the harem is a really nasty business. They’ll let kids just starting to get control of their wolves in there. They look like kids at times if one of the guys likes them enough. As for those that exit? It depends. Again, if one of the guys really likes a girl he can force her to stay past her service date. Anything those guys want, they get.”

“I’m aware that most of the men in the pack are animals, most are,” I commented with a roll of my eyes.

He frowned at me. “Hey, don’t paint us all with the same brush. I’ve never meddled with the harem.”

That I found hard to believe, but I did want to believe it so maybe it would be okay to give him the benefit of the doubt, this time. Just talking to him like this was making my insides twist. “Fine, not all of the men, go on.”

He was still scowling at me as he continued. “Mason does use it, a lot. He’s the type that wants to experience everything his harem offers, no matter the age. According to him, they’re all his anyway. All of his men use it, and some have the same kind of thinking as Mason. There’s not a single woman or child that’s enlisted that hasn’t had to service many many men. They’re all so numb to it now, when you see them all you’ll notice is this blank gaze of theirs, like something broken.”

I was puzzled that he cared. It wasn’t that it was impossible for men to care, but very rare, and usually none that looked like he did. The ones that looked like him tended to be the ones that caused the pain, not stopped it. “And can I get in?”

My breath hitched as his eyes traveled my body. He didn’t stay on any particular spots, just seemed to take the whole thing in. My heart started to pound as my palms itched. I didn’t get why I was so attracted to this guy, he was nothing like my mate had been and yet my body wouldn’t stop responding. He finished his survey and nodded. “Yeah, you’d be able to slip in. There are so many women I doubt they notice a new one, but it’s still way too dangerous. If Mason found you, you’d wish for death.”

“What’s to say I already don’t?” I asked with a chuckle.

He frowned at me again as he finished his breakfast. “You keep making jokes like that, but you really should be more grateful you’re alive. Whatever happened to you is in the past, can’t you just enjoy the now for now? I get it, everyone has had something bad happen in their past but we can always improve ourselves and make our future better.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his speech. “Listen, Cya, I get you mean well, but I’ve been at this for too long to believe in a fairytale-like that anymore. I once thought like that, I once believed that people could change and evolve themselves but that kind of thinking has been smashed out of me. The sooner you realize that some people are just shitty, the better.”

He did roll his eyes at me. “I might not have been gone from my pack long.” I snickered at him. “But I do know how to appreciate my life. I would have died if I had stayed, I almost died in that tree of yours, and I’m probably walking to my death right now with you and helping you set up your death. Do you really think that whatever mission you’re on is enough to sell your body and soul in that place, Morgan?”

A little thrill went through me as he said my name but I pushed it away. There were more important things to think about than the desire to grab him and force my lips to his. I wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked. “Cya, I do whatever I have to, if I can bring peace for others it’s a small price to pay.”

He sighed. At least he didn’t look mad at me anymore, just disappointed. I think I’d rather have him mad than disappointed. “If you really can’t be swayed from this, I’ll help you.” He got to his feet and stretched, I couldn’t take my eyes off his muscles as they rippled under his clothes and I couldn’t keep my mind off wondering just how toned they were. If he noticed my attention he didn’t address it. “If you want to slip into the harem, there’s some stuff you should probably know.”