The Rogue Series 1: The Rogue Alpha

HARLEY

When I approach the room, a guard tries to block me, but I duck under his arms and slide into the room.

Reese and Millie are screaming in the corner, Reese using her body to block Millie.

Two guards surround them. Simon and Sage are bellowing from the bathroom as they bang on the door that a guard is holding shut.

Ms. Brenda is on the floor, a scratch healing slowly on her face, tears running down her cheek.

“Stop!” I yell, filling my chest with the authority I reserve for the kids when they misbehave.

The men seem confused for a moment but quickly let their eyes travel to their alpha, who nods slightly.

Slipping past them, both girls throw themselves into my arms.

“She was trying to kill us!” yells Millie.

“She’s going to trap us!” screams Sage.

Another growl shakes my chest as I turn my body toward the pack, hiding the girls behind me. “What happened?”

Ms. Brenda lifts herself up and begins to brush herself off before speaking. “The girls are confused. I was just bringing things for them to play with, and they lost it. Luckily, the guards intervened.”

The girls are young and reactive, but they don’t freak out without a reason. They know they can’t throw around accusations without reason.

“They aren’t toys!” shrieks Millie. “She’s lying!”

My head spins with anger as my wolf tries to push forward—creating pressure and clouding my mind.

I search for the supposed toys. As I lay eyes on two items, my body shakes with rage. I push the kids fully against the wall as my nails extend and my fangs release. “What are you getting at?”

Alpha Jackson finally steps forward, following my gaze. His voice fills with the alpha authority I heard at the camp when alphas were captured or from some rogue leaders. “Ms. Harley, retract your fangs immediately. No one is trying to kill or trap the kids. No one would dare do that to my guests. Now, all I see here are harmless children’s toys. Please explain yourself.” He picks up a rope and wooden stick, holding them out to me.

Forcing my fangs to retreat, I do not move or allow the kids to move. My mind is still spinning. He is holding the weapons right there, yet he’s trying to trick us.

Beta Liam steps forward quietly and asks, “Ms. Harley, what are the items in the alpha’s hands? What are they used for?”

Are you freaking kidding me? I’ve always heard packs are bad, but damn, I didn’t realize they made you stupid. I spit out my words with ferocity, “It’s a rope and a club. And what do you mean, what are they used for? I don’t know, maybe restraining, strangling, or whipping? Hitting, beating, or murdering.”

Many of the guards struggle to hold back laughter, but the alpha’s eyes stay locked on me, anger flashing in them as they shift to a deep forest green.

He drops the items, storming off. The sound of shattering glass and breaking wood echoes through the hallway behind him.

Stunned, everyone stiffens slightly, but Beta Liam quickly takes control. Grabbing the items from the ground, he tosses them to a guard, ordering him to take them away.

Then he orders that Sage and Simon be released from the bathroom.

“Well, it seems we have a bit of a miscommunication going on here. Maybe a sign our two societies are a bit more different than even we realize. That was a jump rope—children use it to hop around and play. The club is a bat—kids hit balls with it. Neither of these are inside toys, so I’m not sure what Ms. Brenda was thinking.”

He gives a side glare to Ms. Brenda, and she quickly lowers her head. “Can we make a deal moving forward that, short of someone actually having a knife aimed at your body, we stop and ask each other what their intentions are before we react?”

He stares at me as I look back at the terrified girls. Is he telling the truth? Are these items harmless? With a slight sigh, I ask, “Girls, who scratched Ms. Brenda and knocked her down?”

Reese looks down, guilt covering her face as Millie points straight at her.

“Although I’m glad you tried to protect your sister, I need you to apologize to Ms. Brenda for hurting her and for the misunderstanding.” I keep my voice soft and leave authority out of it. She protected her sister. I’m not going to punish her for that, but she needs to own her actions.

She nods, looking at Ms. Brenda. “I’m sorry I hit you and hope you’re okay.”

Ms. Brenda nods warmly, then quickly leaves the room.

Sage runs to her sisters and pulls them into a hug.

Simon, more hesitant, stares at me, anger and frustration raging in his eyes. He is about to say something.

“Did these guards put you in the bathroom?” I ask.

“I was already in there,” he says. “Sage ran in, and the guards closed the door.”

“Why were you in the bathroom,” I say, my voice rising in anger, “when I told you to watch them?”

He whimpers slightly, involuntarily lowering his head and eyes. “I’m sorry. Nothing happened. It was a misunderstanding, right?”

“This time, but you wouldn’t have known that! Next time I leave you in charge of the kids, you’d damn well better take it more seriously. Otherwise, I’ll find someone who does. Do you hear me?”

Hurt twists his face. I am being harsh, but this is not okay. We aren’t part of this pack. We aren’t safe, and he knows that. We took shared responsibility for the kids when we ran from the camp, and he has to take it more seriously.

They should never be out of his sight. He was usually much better at watching out for us in the woods, but right now, I don’t know if he can handle this responsibility.

“Yeah, I got it. Sorry,” he whimpers, grabbing my hand.

I allow my face to soften, giving him a small smile before squeezing his hand back.

The guards and Beta Liam watch us curiously. For a second, I wonder if I should have done that in the mind-link, but they need to see we aren’t playing around either.

Banging continues to echo down the hallway. My body tenses as my eyes nervously dart toward the door. The alpha. Is he mad at the kids for hurting his pack member? It was just a scratch—she’ll be healed within an hour or two.

My heart races as my eyes dart between Simon, the gamma, and the door. “Is the alpha upset?”

The gamma shifts his body nervously, exchanging a quick glance with the beta. “Sounds that way.”

“And what happens if he stays upset?” The words escape my mouth before I think about them. I know what happens. The same thing that always happens to rogues.

The gamma’s eyes travel between the kids and me, his eyes darkening as his voice becomes cold. “I would recommend you make sure he doesn’t. That is, if you want to stay together.”