Chapter 75 : Why Would she Go There?

*Soren*

Payne hissed at Eros, snapping his jaws and pawing the ground.

At my command, everyone else stayed perfectly still. Mila clutched her backpack but she was also frozen in place.

Despite his heroics in saving Ashley, she seemed to be the only one willing to turn a blind eye. I knew where I stood and I agreed with Payne. Eros was malicious and dangerous. It was time to end him.

“Please, Payne…" Ashley begged.

Payne, still in wolf form, looked in my direction. I shook my head, letting him know that it was up to him what he wanted to do. He looked at his sister and I saw his hesitation.

Arrows still flew around us but they were coming slower and less frequently. I had my suspicions as to why and it only meant that I still had the upper hand.

Suddenly, Eros smirked, showing his true colors yet again. Saving Ashley, taking an arrow, it meant nothing to him. His eyes reflected his malice.

He lunged at me again.

I grabbed Eros by the throat and threw him down on the ground, slamming his back into the rocks. He coughed and wheezed, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

“Awwwwoooo!"

A howl broke through the night and I looked to a higher peak where the howl came from. The arrows stopped. One final arrow slammed into the ground, sticking straight up and down.

Rocks and pebbles skittered down from the highest peak and Thomas slid into view. He had an unconscious body draped over his shoulder.

With a wide smile, Thomas threw the body onto the ground in front of me. He was wearing a familiar outfit and I narrowed my eyes on the badge he wore on his chest.

“He's a Norwind warrior," Thomas reported.

I scoffed and glared at Eros. So, he was with Norwind. I knew he was lying to me when he said he didn't have a master or that he wasn't working with anyone

“I see that. Thanks for coming," I said, squeezing Eros's throat a little more.

“Sorry I'm late. I knew you needed my help down here but I didn't know there was more of an ambush up there until the arrows started flying," Thomas explained. He nudged the unconscious warrior with his toe.

“Neither did I. At least, the only casualty was this i***t who took an arrow," I said, snarling at Eros.

“So, the healer brat is from Norwind," Thomas said.

“It appears so," I confirmed. “I guess that means Alpha Chandler sent you to follow up with Mila after we kicked his ass, didn't he?"

Eros rolled his eyes and shook his head. He tried to talk but it came out a gurgling gasp.

“Uhh… Soren, you might want to loosen your grip on his throat," Thomas said pointing and smirking at Eros.

Sighing, I eased my fingers and Eros coughed again.

“Don't insult me!" he snapped. “I'm not one of Chandler's pawns. He's a useless piece of garbage when it comes to actual leadership. All he cares about is his dead luna."

“By all accounts, you're not much better," I pointed out. “If you're after that artifact, it can't be for anything other than greedy or selfish reasons."

Ashley's sobs cut into our conversation. She crawled over and knelt at Eros's feet. Her eyes were puffy and red and she sniffled.

“How could you do this to me, Eros? I'm your mate. We're… I thought…" her voice broke and she trailed off.

Ashley hugged herself and rocked back and forth.

Payne came up behind her, in human form. He put a hand on Ashley's shoulder but she ignored him, crying and rocking.

I growled and narrowed my eyes at Eros. He was going to pay for breaking Ashley's heart and for making a mockery of their mate bond. It was obvious to me that once Eros knew about his connection with Ashley, he just manipulated her to get to us. Once he had Ashley wrapped around his finger, he got her to let her guard down which was all he needed to incapacitate her and Payne.







































































“Alright, Eros, you have a lot to answer for. Least of all, hurting my friend," I growled.

“Ugh. You really think that is something I should answer for?" he asked, rolling his eyes again.

“Who do you work for?" I asked, squeezing his throat just enough to cause pain. I let up so he could talk again.

“Stop interrogating me, Soren. I lost, that's it. You're not going to get what you want out of me." He sighed and shook his head.

I glanced at Thomas and Payne. Payne nodded and Thomas shrugged. I looked at Mila too. She was still clutching her backpack and she looked ready to bolt at any second.

This wasn't the right place for a proper interrogation. But Eros was wrong, eventually, I would get what I wanted out of him.

“Very well. Thomas, secure Eros and his cohorts. Take him back to the rogue zone and lock him up," I ordered.

“Yes Alph-"

I shot him a sharp look.

“Sure thing, boss," Thomas corrected.

Even though I'd decided to start building a pack, I didn't want the others to start asking questions about my past. If they heard an old friend of mine refer to me as 'Alpha' before I established a pack, they'd have questions.

I released Eros when Thomas tied him up. Before Thomas helped Eros up, I leaned in and whispered to him.

“Eros, one more thing you should know about me, I'm a very patient man and I can wait until you're ready to give me what I want. Even if it takes the rest of your life," I threatened.

There was a moment of fear in Eros's eyes but it passed quickly. He smirked at me.

“Bring it on. You're all bark and no bite," he challenged.

I glared at him. Oh, I would have fun getting answers out of him! The more proud they were, the harder they fell.

Thomas and his warriors got Eros and his followers tied up and into the Jeeps they'd brought.

“Ashley, are you alright?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

She sniffled and wiped her nose. “I can't believe…" Sighing, she hardened her expression. “I'll be fine!"

I nodded but I wasn't convinced. Ashley could put a strong face on but I knew she was a lot more sensitive underneath that. For now, I let her portray the hard, strong person. When she was ready to face the heartbreak, Payne and I would be there.

“Payne, why don't you take a Jeep back with Ashley and Thomas? Mila and I can keep walking. We're only a few hours from the rogue zone," I suggested.

“Thank you, Soren," Payne said. He grabbed Ashley's arms and pulled her into a standing position. Payne put his arm around his sister's shoulders and guided her to the Jeep.

“Mila?" I stood up and waved a hand in front of her face. She still looked like she might bolt at any second. “Are you alright?"

“I'm not hurt," she confirmed.

“Good. We're going back to the rogue zone," I said. I held a hand out to her.

She was timid as she took it but willing to let me guide her.

***

After a few days of settling in, I met with Thomas and he showed me the renovated training facilities.

“I put in new fencing and training dummies. There's also a weapon's shed and we have sign-in sheets for those that want to reserve training times for themselves," Thomas explained, pointing to the different areas of the training fields as he described them.

“This looks good," I said. I stepped up to one of the fences and watched some of the new recruits sparring.

“They've come a long way. I'm putting a heavy emphasis on cooperation and fighting as a team or a unit."

“Good. Rogues aren't used to that," I said, nodding.
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