CHAPTER 65

*Olivia's POV*
I kept running, feeling the wind rushing in my ears. My wolf was tense, making me run faster than normal.
I heard a growl behind me and I made the mistake of looking back. I stumbled over a tree trunk and fell to the floor.
"Get her." I heard a voice hiss and I immediately scrambled to my feet. I took on a fighting stance, glaring at them.
The one in the middle was staring at me with wide eyes. His eyes were dark, like the night sky when the moon was nowhere to be found.
Behind him were at least three more wolves, all wearing the same band around their wrists.
I felt a shiver crawl up my spine when I realized what they were. My wolf said it for me, her voice sounding like a growl. "Rouges."
The night sky eyed wolf smiled, standing straighter. "You are smart. But I would beg to differ since you are here. What are you doing around our parts?" I kept my eye on him, watching him move around me. "I don't want any trouble."
One of the rogues laughed, rolling his eyes. "Trouble? You think you can just come in here and we would let you pass?" I kept my eye on the one circling me, clearing my throat. "I just want to pass through. Like I said, I don't want any trouble."
I planted my feet squarely on the ground, preparing to shift. My wolf started growling. "They don't know who they are messing with. They don't know who we are. We need to show them who we are."
I calmed her down, just as the night eyed wolf came to a stop in front of me. His entire stance was like a spring, readying to snap. I was sure I had the same stance. I could feel the tension bubbling under my skin.
I moved, shifting fluidly in the next second. They all shifted in the following seconds and I launched at the leader. His wolf was as dark as his eyes and he moaned as I brought him to the floor.
Maybe it was my grief. Maybe it was my time as the "mindless" savage that made me be able to fight all of them off.
Claws ripped into my back and I howled as I was ripped off the night sky wolf and throw against a tree. I ignored the pain cursing through my body as I got to my feet, turning on the wolf who had attacked me.
I pounced on him, using the side of my body to slam him against a tree. I heard a growl behind me and I moved. I didn't have time to waste. If I stopped for a second to catch my breath, they would kill me.
I used my teeth to hook them on the neck, spinning them around to slam them against the tree. The wolf whined, and I turned on the last two standing. The last two had begun to get up and I growled low in my throat.
They understood the warning. They hung their heads, whining. I looked around for my clothes and found them a few sides away from the wolf I had tackled to the ground.
Trotting to them, I shifted out of my wolf. I started wearing them as fast as I could, aware they were watching me. "You are stronger than you look."
I knew without turning that it was the night sky eyed wolf. I busied myself with adjusting my clothes when a hand gripped my forearm. I hissed, wrenching my hand out of his grip. "Don't touch me."
"Oh? I apologize. Are you mated?" My heart started to ache and I pushed down the emotions that were threatening to burst. Pushing away the memories that were flooding across my mind, I cleared my throat and smiled at him. "Yes." His eyes ran down my body. "Noted."
He brought his eyes back up to meet mine and smiled as he held out his hand. "I am Emerett." I eyed his hand warily. My wolf sniffed the area and once she determined it to be safe, I shook his hand.
He smiled slowly, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. "You fight surprisingly well. Who taught you?" I shrugged, taking my hand back. "I am a visual learner." Emerett laughed and shifted so I could see the other rouges behind him.
They were three and they had already dressed up. The one with the long hair tied up in a ponytail was holding a bloody cloth against his neck. "Your teeth are sharp." Was all he said before he turned away to walk into the forest.
He didn't say anything else, but I could feel his coldness sweep through my spine.
Emerett's hand landed on my shoulder. "That's Ron. Don't worry. You impressed him. He has rarely sustained such injuries in battle before, so he is just prickly because you wounded his ego."
I was about to open my mouth to respond when one of the rogues laughed. "Em, you are a sly son of a bitch. We both know Ron is prickly because he underestimated her."
The rogue talking moved up to meet me and I was taken back by how gray his eyes were. "I am Alvin. It's a pleasure to meet you." He ran a hand across my cheek. "It's not everyday you get your ass handed to you by such a pretty thing."
I narrowed my eyes, preparing to jump him when the hand on my shoulder pressed me down. "You need to stop pushing buttons, Alvin." I cursed, angry that I was about to rise to his bait.
"We need to calm down, Olivia." My wolf said and I took her advice and sucked in a deep breath. The last rogue was leaning against a tree, filing his nails. "That's Jude. He doesn't talk a lot." Emerett informed me, his hand slipping off my shoulder.
"Do you have anywhere you are headed off to, pretty little thing? Or you would like to camp for a few days? Our cave is not too far from here." Alvin said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
I narrowed my eyes, letting out a low breath. "Wouldn't your alpha complain?" Emerett laughed and took my hand. "I don't find any issue with it. I am ready to help you. You held your ground against us. That's commendable. My home is yours if you wish."
I was suddenly struck with a fatigue so strong, my knees weakened and I leaned against Emerett for support. "We need to start heading back." Jude suddenly said, pushing himself off that tree.
Alvin nodded, looking back at me and Emerett. "You can carry her, right?" Emerett lifted me up in his arms like putty in response and jerked his head forward. "Move."
Emerett looked down at me, eyes flickering with an emotion I couldn't recognize. "I am sorry for what I am about to do. What we are about to do." I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, when he suddenly covered my mouth with a cloth.
My eyes immediately started drooping and I heard a whispered sorry before my world went dark.
When I opened my eyes, I was on a bed. The walls of the room were completely mud and they had curtains surrounding them. I groaned, sitting up to hold my head.
As if on cue, Emerett suddenly walked in, holding a tray of biscuits and a drink.He was smiling softly and I sighed. "I am sorry I had to do that. We just don't want people knowing where we stay. It's dangerous. It only causes problems."
I took the tray he held out, staring at the drink. "What's your assurance that this isn't spiked?" "You are alive now, aren't you? Why would I want you dead?" I glanced at him, narrowing my eyes. "I am a threat."
"Not in this cave. Despite your impressive strength, we can collectively bring you down together." I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I understand."
I took a bite of the cookie, moaning softly as it melted in my mouth. "You like it? It's a recipe." I smiled at him, nodding. "It's really nice."
"Thank you. The kitchen women would be happy to hear you say that. Despite how many times they have heard that." I rolled my eyes, laughing. "And they aren't cocky by now?" Emerett shook his head. "I don't think so. They seem pretty humble to me."
I took a sip of the drink and Emerett sat down beside me. "I am going to ask you a few questions. If you are up for it." I nodded, pushing aside the tray. He looked up at me, red covering his cheeks. "No. It's fine. You can eat as we talk."
"It's not proper." His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. "I don't care." I refused to bulge and he sighed. "Okay. Have it your way."
He suddenly sat up straighter, every trace of a joke gone. "Do you want to stay here?" I opened my mouth to respond and he cut me off. "We allow lost wolves to stay with us. We have a few conditions, sure. But it's nothing we can't meet up."
I felt my belly twist. "How many people are in your clan?" "Approximately about 50. We are small, I know. But we are a community and a family. That is all that matters."
"Say, hypothetically. I wanted to stay. What are the conditions?" Emerett titled his head, pursuing his lips. "It's not that much. Respect the authority and if you hunt for food, you share some of it with the pack leader."
"Which in this case..." "That's me. I don't ask for much. I try my best to be fair about what percentage of your spoils I take and it seems to be working. We rarely have conflicts around here."
I poked at the cookie and Emerett sighed. "We don't have any other serious rules. Expect the ones you might be aware of already. Don't touch a mated wolf in any manner apart from being friendly."
He laughed and I glanced up at him. "Actually, that one is a bit flexible. If your mate is utterly possessive, you can decide what your boundaries are and communicate them with the clan."
I suddenly didn't feel hungry again and I winced. I had a mate. Was I actually supposed to be here?
Emerett's hand landed over mine, covering it. "I don't know what troubles you or what brings you here, but my cave is yours for as long as you want it."
He leaned in closer and I could swear I saw stars in his eyes. "Tell you what. Because your stay here is hypothetical" He winked, making me laugh. "You don't have to follow the rules. Just stay out of the way of anyone else and don't cause trouble."
"Wouldn't your clan have something to say about that? Or do you treat all your hypothetical guests this way?" Emerett laughed, smiling. "I guess you are special. I don't do this often."
I looked around the room, taking note of it more clearly. "Who stays here? It seems..." "posh? it's mine. I didn't want to put you among the clan just yet." I noticed a huge bookshelf standing against the wall.
"So you read?" Emerett laughed again, and this time it seemed to come from his chest. "Reading is my escape. I love reading. Infact, some of my clan members use books as their spoil percentage. It works better if I don't have it in my library already."
I stared at the shelf. There should be about a hundred or more books there. "Have you read them all?" "Yes. Some more than twice actually. They are categorized. The ones on the left are my favorites."
I turned to face him, watching how his eyes lit up his entire face as he spoke. I didn't have a plan just yet, but I had a place to stay and think. I released a deep breath.
Emerett was kind. He was sweet. But once my plan was ready, I was going to leave. And I would tear down this cave if he tried to stop me.