Chapter 7: Putting The Pack First

-Rogan-

I got the little hunter tied to the bed again. This time also her feet, so she couldn’t strangle any nurses with her legs. Luckily, Kira was alright, and awake, telling us what had happened, and that she would rather not handle this patient again. I agreed with that. No one should get too close to her. She was smart, this one and well trained. She was definitely a fighter, and that could give me some trouble.

“Alpha!”

I was in the hallway right outside the little hunter’s room when Rhys called out to me further away. I saw him and Marcus coming down the hallway, looking confused.

“We heard what happened.”

“She is a slippery one,” I said.

“But you caught her?”

I nodded.

“She got far though. She is fast,” I said, and I could actually hear myself sounding impressed.

What the hell? I shouldn’t sound impressed. I shouldn’t even feel slightly impressed that she had been able to overpower me as she had in the woods. I was ending it after all.

*No!*

I groaned, as my wolf yelled inside my head, and my friends must have noticed.

“Are you okay? Rogan?” Marcus asked.

His voice sounded far away, as my ears rung for a few seconds. When would my wolf quiet down?!

“Yes,” I said.

“We will put some guards on her,” Rhys said. “We should have done that sooner.”

“The little hunter was tied down and unconscious. There was no need for guards,” I said.

“There is now.”

I sighed and nodded. Really, I didn’t want guards on her, because it meant other males close to her, and my possessive alpha nature really didn’t like that.

“Fine,” I said. “Let’s put some guards on her.”

“How long until she will be back on her feet?” Marcus asked,

“She already is …”

“Want to start the interrogation then?”

It bothered me that he even suggested it, but I also knew people were impatient to end this. Now that we had a hunter who could tell us where they kept one or maybe all their bases, we might not have to draw them out at the ceremony. This one could be enough for us to get more information, and we all wanted that information fast.

“Soon,” I said. “I got something I need to take care of first.”

Rhys and Marcus looked confused.

“What?” Marcus asked.

I wanted to tell them, because I knew I could trust them, but at the same time I didn’t want to bother them with this. This was my shit to solve, and I would. I would prove that I could and that I put this pack and every damn wolf out there before myself.

“Just … something,” I said.

“I will go tell Sam and Dean to stand guard. Do you need anything else from us?” Rhys asked.

“Just keep things running. I will join you soon,” I told them.

“And the ceremony?” he asked me. “Will it still happen in a few days? You and Eric didn’t get to talk.”

I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Shit, I had forgotten about the meeting I had agreed to a few days ago. He was probably a bit impatient to hear more, especially because the attack on me had happened at his house.

“Let us hold off with the ceremony until I have spoken to Eric. Right now, I need to deal with the hunter.”

“What shall we tell him then?” Rhys asked.

“Just tell him to meet me tomorrow. Here.”

“The hospital or the house?” he asked.

“The house,” I said.

He nodded, and the two of them walked away. I knew I needed to get this rejection over with before Dean and Sam came to stand guard. I didn’t want anyone listening in. Among wolves, word spread fast, and word would spread even faster when it involved their alpha. Alphas were the center of the pack. The link to everyone. It meant you had a lot of responsibility. You might have more power, but you couldn’t abuse it. No, you were chosen to protect people and keep them safe and help when you were needed. You could never use your powers for anything else.

My father had taught me that … He had been a great alpha. Killed by hunters though. Just like my mother, sister, and brother as well. Now there was just me left, and I had a mission, which was why I couldn’t be blinded. Now was not the time for a mate, and certainly not one who was the enemy.

*You can’t do it!*

“But I will.”

*I will stop you.*

“Do your best to try, but we need to do this. Don’t forget who comes first,” I whisper-yelled.

*Our mate. Our mate always comes first.*

“No, the pack does.”

*Until we find our mate. She needs us.*

“She wants to kill us.”

*I thought we agreed on showing her another way! It can be done.*

“Yes, it can be done, but I don’t got that time.”

*So, you would rather put her through torture than spend your time showing her who the real enemy is? We could have our mate and take the hunters down at the same time, but you are choosing to hurt her instead?*

I could feel how angry my wolf was, but I had no choice really. This one seemed very skilled, and that night when they attacked, she ran to her dead friend, as the only one. Something told me she was of high rank. Maybe even the leader of the group. She would be too deep into this brainwashing. Those higher up had always had to prove themselves, and I knew trying to undo all the damage they had done to her mind would take me years. I didn’t have years. None of us did, because I knew, like us, the hunters were desperate to finish this after so many years of war between us, and when people became desperate, they became careless. They became dangerous.

“I will always put the pack first.”

*I’m not saying forget the pack. I’m telling you there is another option.*

“Yes, losing everyone and everything we love just to have the little hunter.”

*Tell them the truth, be honest about this, make her understand and we will get it all.*

I shook my head.

*Rogan! I cannot let you do this!*

“Why are you so against me?!”

*Because this is our one chance! I just know it. She will be the only mate we will ever have.*

“How can you be sure?”

*Because the Goddess doesn’t reward cowards.*

“Cowards?!”

*Yes.*

“I’m protecting my people, how is that being a coward?”

*Because you are not willing to go the extra mile to protect our mate too. You will only hurt her.*

“She is human. It won’t hurt her.”

*Are you completely sure?*

“She hates us. The only one getting hurt here is us.”

*And you are still willing to do it …*

“I can take the pain,” I said, but my wolf didn’t respond this time.

He seemed so damn disappointed, I could feel it and it weighed me down, but it didn’t stop me from walking into the other room. There was a little lamp beside the little hunter, but as I looked at her, I saw what the escape had done to her. How tired she looked, but she still refused to sleep. She was sweaty though and very pale.

“Does the torture begin now?”

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