CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & SEVENTY
Jason’s POV
The scent of them became stronger as I knew they had found me. Green eyes became visible one by one as they approached from the shadows. There were seven of them stalking towards me.
‘Stay on your guard,’ my wolf warned.
“What is a former Alpha like you doing out here?” one of them taunted.
“Stay out of my way,” I said firmly and they only laughed.
“Silverfang’s most wanted,” another taunted. He was stocky, had a crooked nose, and was missing part of his left ear. I knew him instantly from one of the rogues I had repelled. “Word travels fast. There is a reward out for you. Enough to keep a wolf comfortable for a long time.”
Another one laughed. “Comfortable. He means enough to buy a territory.”
“Hand yourself over,” the first one ordered. “Make it easy and we will not rough you up too badly before we deliver you.”
I felt my fury building inside of me. It had been building for weeks now. Being hunted was one thing. Allowing rogues to laugh about the price on my head was another.
I let my wolf take over. What happened next was him venting every frustration and resentment he had toward me. When it was over, six of the seven were dead and dismembered while the seventh was on his knees in the dirt with his hands up in fear.
“Please, please, don’t kill me,” he pleaded.
“You know where the Rogue King is,” I growled
I clawed him across the face, cutting his eye. He screamed out in pain. “Yes, yes, I know!”
“Take me to the Rogue King and I won’t rip your head from your body,” I snarled.
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” the rogue said as he got to his feet.
We walked for two hours. The trees thickened until the canopy blocked most of the moonlight. “You better not be leading me into a trap or you’ll be the first one to die,” I warned.
“No, no, I’m not,” the rogue stammered. “Look, it’s not too far now.”
We reached a small mountain. There were two guards who watched as we approached. The rogue stopped and said, “See, it’s right here. I…”
I didn’t let him finish and drove my elbow into the back of his skull, cracking his skull. The rogue fell and convulsed on the
ground. I stepped over him and approached.
The guards tensed but I spoke before they did, “I am Jason, son of Elder Michael of Shadowclaw.”
They looked at each other before one of them said, “Welcome Alpha Jason of Shadowclaw. The king has been expecting you t will escort you.”
The underground palace was a series of chambers carved from rock and reinforced with timber so old it had gone black Torches burned at irregular intervals and the shadows cast eerie shadows against the wall. Nothing about the place had been built tor
comfort or welcome.
The Rogue King was in the deepest chamber. He was seated in a chair closer to a throne than anything else in the room The Rogue King was a large man, larger than I had expected. He looked like more of a mountain than a man. Scars ran from his hairline across his left cheek and down toward his jaw. His eyes were pale blue, flat, and entirely without warmth.
+25 Bonus
The Rogue King did not speak immediately. He assessed me before gesturing for me to sit down.
“Michael is dead,” he said as he lit his cigar.
My eyes widened slightly. How had he known? My wolf growled, He probably has eyes everywhere. Do not anger him’
“Yes,” I confirmed as I sat down.
“A shame,” the Rogue King said as he took a long pull from his cigar. “You should be mourning and yet, here you are. What do you want from me?”
“I want to finish what my father started. I want to be the new Alpha King,” I answered. “I want Silverfang’s throne and I want the resources to take it. In exchange I am offering two pack territories. Bloodmoon and Silverfang both, once I have consolidated control.” 1
The Rogue King gave out a hearty laugh. “You are like your father. Straight to the point. That’s what I liked about him,” he said.
“Is it a deal?” I asked.
“I want three,” he countered.
“That is asking a lot.”
“And you are asking me to give you resources that would be more valuable with me than on the odds that you become the Alpha King.”
My jaw flexed at the insult. I grit my teeth from growling. ‘He is goading you. Do not…’
‘I know!’ I snapped at him.
“Three packs or no deal, boy,” the Rogue King stated.
“Fine. Three,” I said and reached out to shake his hand. The Rogue King smiled and shook my hand. On a different face it would have been a pleasant sight, but on his, it made the hair on the back of my neck rise.
The Rogue King reached into his pocket and produced a pendant on a cord, blood-red and roughly the size of my palm and placed it on the table between us. “Every rogue you encounter will recognize that. Show it and they will obey you.”
“Thank you,” I told him.
“What is your plan? What do you think you can do that your father couldn’t?” The Rogue King asked.
“My father failed to see Talia and Nolan as a unit. I am going to turn them against each other,” I explained as I picked up the pendant and placed it into my pocket.
The Rogue King leaned back in his chair. He smirked and said, “Welcome to the other side, boy. Do not disappoint me the way your father did. Now, get out.”
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