Chapter 2

Connor

MY wolf was threatening to leap to the surface. He has been agitated ever since my Beta called me to visit the rogue. And now looking at the young woman that lay afraid on the cold floor of our prison, my wolf has grown even angrier. He was mad that I was letting another man look at his mate's body. He was furious I have done nothing to help my mate as she was clearly in pain.

"What do you mean it does not exist?"

My thoughts were cut off when I heard my mate's voice. Everytime I hear her speak, it is as if angels have come down to sing at me. She was perfect.

Get her a blanket. Now.

I mindlink Luke, my Beta. He simply nodded before leaving the cell. I took one step away from my mate and watched as disappointment crossed her face. My wolf whimpered seeing that, but I focused on the matter at hand.

"South Forest was wiped out years ago," I answered her question from earlier.

"Years ago? I just saw my Alpha earlier today," she said with confusion.

"Alpha Kane is dead."

My mate continued to look at me as if everything I said was all a lie. I know she was lying. The tragedy of the South Forest pack was well-known all around the country. They were attacked by a band of rogues and witches and no one survived.

"Now tell me from what pack are you really from," I pushed the question once again.

"I already told you. I was a part of South Forest. Alpha Kane, he banished me earlier today," she answered with pain lacing the last sentence.

"Stop lying, rogue. We know all weres from South Forest died years ago," Luke said as he entered the cell.

He tossed the blanket to my mate and she scrambled to cover herself with it. I saw her flinch from the sudden movement she made.

"I don't lie," she firmly answered.

"That mark on your arm, how did you get it?" I asked her.

"I told you. Before I was banished, my Alpha branded me with this."

A snort came from my Beta as he shook his head. The mark in her arm was an old symbol. Any werewolf who is given with that sign will immediately die.

"That's a death symbol, rogue," Luke says.

I growled lowly earning a confused look from the other man. My wolf was not liking how Luke was calling his mate 'rogue'.

"It's a banishment symbol, Beta," my mate answered in the same tone.

I almost smirked hearing her condescending reply. Luke growled and took a step forward but I sent a glare to his direction stopping his movement.

"Let's stop the games. Tell us where you are really from and how you survived that mark," I say to her seriously.

She remained silent and just looked at me. My wolf was loving all the attention she was giving us but I knew the real reason behind it. She was not going to speak any longer.

"Suit yourself. You have the prison all to yourself," I say and walk out from her cell.

Luke followed me and he locked the bars behind him. I threw her one more glance and saw a pained expression on her angelic face. My wolf was getting angry at me for my behavior but I maintained my stoic attitude and walked out from the prison.

"Hey, man. What are we going to do with that rogue?" Luke asked once we were out in the open.

I started walking towards my house passing by some pack members who all bowed their respect as me and their Beta walked by.

"I want to get real answers from her. Not this nonsense about the South Forest pack," I answered his question.

"We don't normally take in prisoners, Con. And that mark on her arm, what was that about?"

"I don't have an answer to that," I say angrily.

"I doubt it was really made by her Alpha. Only witches can brand that kind of symbol on someone. If another being tries it, it fades immediately," Luke says ignoring my angry tone.

I stopped walking when we were in front of my house. I was not staying in the pack house as I value my privacy too much.

"I want you to get answers from her," I simply say.

"What do you mean? Like torture her?" Luke asks.

I see him back away a little bit from me. I knew my eyes were glowing from my wolf's anger. He has been furious ever since this whole mate thing has started and hearing his Beta talk about torturing her was just the icing on the cake.

Closing my eyes, I try to control myself. I breathed in and looked at Luke again.

"Consult a witch or something. Do something to get answers," I answered him and turned away.

I was just about to open the door to the house when Luke called my name. I turned to him with an annoyed look. He was sporting a worried look that made me even more annoyed. What's his problem now?

"Are you ok? Your wolf seems to be on edge with this whole rogue situation," he said.

"I'm fine," I snapped at him and turned to face the door again.

I gripped the doorknob to open the door but my damn Beta really just can't keep his mouth shut for even a minute.

"I'll look for a witch to consult on this situation. But I think your father might be able to help us with this, Alpha."

I remained stiff in my position hearing his statement. My father has long retired from his Alpha position and has fully given me all the power for the pack. The reason for his retirement was too close to this problem and it would dig memories that we would rather not bring up.

"I want you to do this on your own. Get a witch here as soon as possible," I answered him and finally opened the door only to slam it shut as hard as I could, my anger rolling off me.

GUILT was gnawing at me inside out. My wolf has lashed at me with a silent treatment ever since I have entered my office. I looked at the papers in front of me and yet I saw nothing. My mind was focused on something else. It was drifting to the thought of my mate lying all alone inside that dark cold cell.

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I was never the one to feel guilty about anything. I make choices based on what I know is right. And yet that one decision of leaving my mate in that cell was eating me alive.

A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before ordering whoever it was to enter my office.

I stood up when I saw who my visitor was. My father walked inside with a soft smile on his face. I sat down once he was seated on the chair in front of my desk.

"I heard you were looking for a witch, son," my father said in a serious tone.

I scowled at this. Luke must have told my father about the situation.

"Yes," I answered him and lifted one of the many documents lying on the table.

"What for?"

"A rogue entered our territory," I answered and set down the document at hand, giving up on trying to focus on it.

I saw my father lift an eyebrow at my reply. I simply waited to hear what he would say about this discovery.

"What do you need a witch for?"

"She bears the death mark."

My father's eyes widened with my answer. I followed his movement as he stood up and went to the window overlooking the thick forest.

"No one survives a death mark," came his calm reply.

"That's why we need a witch to explain this situation," I answered, remaining in my seat.

"Why not just kill the rogue?" my father asked as he turned to face me.

I felt a mild headache once he said those words. My wolf was making this hard for me. He has been playing with my mind for hours now, agitated with the condition of our mate.

"Not an option," I answered shortly and looked down at the documents once again.

"I have always trusted your decisions for the pack, Connor. But I want you to know that not everything you see is presented in black and white. Some things are different from what they look like."

"What are you implying?" I asked him as he turned to look away from the window.

"You only have to say the word and your mother would come to help you out," he answered with a cautious tone.

My mother was always a touchy topic for the both of us. It has been seven years since I last saw her. That was the time she and my father were called for a meeting with all the other Alphas.

"She left us to become a traitor of-"

My sentence was cut short by my father's angry growl. He never wanted to talk about that topic. It was as if she never committed a crime seven years ago. My father never turned his back on his mate. But I did. I cannot tolerate a traitor in my family even if it was my own mother.

"I will call for your mother to visit the pack tonight."

I stood up as my father said that statement. How dare he make decisions when he is no longer the Alpha?

"As a former Alpha I believe I still have some say in what is best for this pack," my father continued when I only glared at him.

"You think the pack would want a traitor to step foot in their land?" I asked him sarcastically.

"I think what the pack would want is to be safe. A rogue bearing a death mark does not seem to project that. Not to add the thought that their Alpha refuses to simply terminate this wolf that brings that danger to them," my father simply replied and started to walk towards the door as if to imply our conversation was over.

I released a heavy breath and sat down. He was right. No matter in what angle I look at it, only my mother can have the answer to this puzzle the new prisoner has brought.

"She stays in the pack for an hour. Not a second more," I state before my father can close the door behind his back as he exits my office.

"Of course, son," he simply answered and finally closed the door.

The mild headache brewing earlier has now become a full-blown pain in my head. Aside from my wolf's anger towards me because of our mate, I was also feeling distressed about the arrival of my mother.

The only reason why I agreed with my father's decision was because I know my mother is a powerful witch who certainly has knowledge about the death mark engraved on my mate's skin. But aside from that, I have no desire to see her again. She might have been this pack's Luna before but she is considered as a traitor to the whole werewolf community. Born half were and half witch, she turned her back on us when she decided to side with rogues.

How can I face a traitor like her? The traitor that led the massacre of the South Forest back seven years ago.