“ROGUES!”
Andrew’s voice echoed in Asher’s mind.
Instantly, he jumped out of the bed as three stinking black rogues with matted fur approached Alisha, two in wolf form snarling, saliva falling from their mouth as they bared their canines, then the other in human form, dressed in little more than a pair of shorts, in the winter, a clear indication the wolf was not used to being in human form much anymore.
“I come in peace, your highness,” the human rogue stated, holding his hands up as if in surrender.
Asher placed himself between the bottom of Alisha’s bed and the rogues, as Iesha awoke and began to cry, walking up his mate, who gasped, holding her sister to her in a protective manner.
“If you come in peace, why not make an appointment, and arrive in the day?” Asher growled out, his eyes scanning between the three wolves, making himself ready for any attack that would come his way.
“I would be an idiot to go against a royal wolf. I know you can take on the three of us, if not more without breaking a sweat your highness. But, I do come in peace. I could not come during the day, as I wanted to avoid anyone catching me,” the rogue continued.
“State your business, and I will decide if you live or die this night,” Asher growled, his body coiled like a spring as Max waited to push through as soon as he was needed. Nothing and nobody would get to his mate.
“I come with a warning, Jabez and his bitch placed a bounty on the head of your mate. Half the rogues in Derbyshire and the surrounding area are after her, to claim the money. It is not the first time this has happened, he placed a similar bounty on the heads of her parents, and we all know how that ended,” the human rogue said.
“When did this happen, he is locked up?” Asher growled out.
“The day you arrived. He was going to lead them into Matlock woods, and have them both killed along with a warrior from their pack. You were to find them and he was going to make up some bullshit reason that they were returning from a cottage where they had stayed,” the rogue continued.
Asher quickly discerned the rogue was being truthful, and a low growl rumbled from behind him, one he instantly recognised as that of his mate’s wolf. He was torn as to stand guard or go make sure Mia didn’t try to shift again.
“Max, try to talk Mia down, she cannot try to shift, they are not strong enough yet!” Asher informed his wolf.
“So why are you not trying to claim your prize?” Asher growled, as suddenly his mother and father appeared.
“Mam, go and help Andrew and Cheryl!” Asher ordered. His mother nodded her head and went towards the doctor's quarters, to protect her pack members.
“You will not like the truth, but as a mark of respect I will tell you anyway,” the human rogue declared, a little too self-assured for Asher's liking.
“I probably would have. But, when the mark is mated to a royal wolf, and the alpha who promised to pay is arrested, there is no use in pissing off the royal family, as no payment would be made,” he responded.
Asher let out another loud growl, followed by one from Caesar, his dad’s wolf, and Mia was growling behind him in response as Iesha whimpered slightly.
“They all know this, but some of them think they can claim the Matlock pack grounds in payment. They are delusional, but I have an offer,” The human rogue continued.
“As you see, I have a number of rogues under my command, I am their alpha, so to speak, and I would like to have packlands of my own. So, I promise protection with my rogues of your mate and her pack, and you give me Matlock in payment, so that we can become a pack again,” the human rogue shrugged.
Asher shook his head and chuckled slightly.
“No deal rogue, I can protect my mate, and she can protect her pack,” Asher said.
“But can she, from her hospital bed? I don’t think so,” the rogue stated, looking around Asher towards Alisha.
“Did you kill my parents?” Alisha’s voice called out. Asher could not help the pride he felt, as she sounded so strong, despite lying in the bed being conscious for just a few hours, she really was special.
“No, but I know who did. Tell your mate to make the deal and I will tell you,” the human rogue stated, with a sick smile, feeling he had the ‘gotcha’ moment that would get him what he wanted.
“It doesn’t work like that rogue. Tell me who killed my parents, and I will ask my mate to make your death quick and painless, don’t and trust me, I will ask him to make it as painful as possible, and my eyes will be the last thing you see, whilst begging for mercy,” Alisha countered with a growl.
“Feisty, and an Alpha, I am almost jealous Prince Asher,” The human rogue laughed.
“Yet what she said is true, I can give you a painful torturous death, or a nice snap of your neck. You decide, who killed her parents?” Asher backed up his mate.
“Give me Matlock and we can all live in peace. After all you are a royal, you don’t deal with torture.” The rogue laughed.
“No, we deal in making heads footballs. Now…last chance,” Asher growled.
“Dad, I am going to kill these fuckers, keep Alisha from shifting!” Asher said to Zander.
“Agreed, but keep the gobby one till last, to get the information before you end his pathetic life.” Zander growled in Asher’s mind. He had quickly discerned the rogue was weaving truth with lies, to try and deceive them.
Asher stood, then pointing at the left-hand wolf, then the right-hand one, he began to rhyme.
“Inee, meany miney, mo, catch a rogue by his toe, if he squeals let him go, inee meany miney mo.” He said, pointing at the right-handed wolf.
“Guess it is you,” Asher grinned, then jumped into the air, as Zander rushed to Alisha’s bed and gave Mia a royal command to not shift.
Asher landed on the rogue's back, and squeezed his legs together, bringing the wolf to the floor, then, with his bare hands, began to twist and rip off its sensitive ears, as the wolf cried out in pain. the sound of his cry like a squealing pig. Placing his hands on the wolf’s snout, lifting up his top jaw whilst holding his bottom jaw and ripping his head off from the mouth upwards. Instantly, the rouge shifted back to human, dead on the floor.
“Oh look, this one is now shaped like a rugby ball, or NFL ball, Sheba might like a game!” Asher said, holding the head by his hair, then discarded it.
Alisha watched in awe of her mate's strength. She could not deny how proud she was of him, even if his little rhyme had been annoying to her. She instinctively shielded Iesha from the carnage that was happening, as the human and the other rogue wolf both began to try and attack her mate.
A purple wolf walked in growling, holding two heads in its mouth and spat them in the corner next to the one Asher had declared was a rugby ball, then stood back watching as her mate fought one rogue wolf and one rogue human single handily. She watched as Asher elongated one single claw, and cut the human rogue down the center of his body, enough to have his insides protruding outside his body, but not enough to end his life completely, before turning and jumping on the wolf's back once more, only this time quickly snapping its neck.
“Now, who killed my mates parents?” Asher asked, standing in front of the blood-splattered rogue, with his guts half out of his body, as he fell to his knees.
Asher grabbed hold of the rogue and dragged him to the side of his mate's bed, as he made him kneel before Alisha.
Chloe quickly shifted, and grabbed Iesha. For all Alisha was shielding the little one, there was no way she wanted her to witness anymore than she already had.
“Here Chloe, I will take her,” Cheryl said, stepping over the dead body’s, and gathering Iesha into her arms, holding her close to her chest to shield her eyes from the sight, then taking her to the small room at the side where the little girl had been colouring with her just 12 hours before.
“Who. Killed. My. parents?” Alisha growled, her eyes the bright emerald colour of Mia.
“I …I don’t know, it was a bluff, please, please no more,” The human rogue begged.
"LIAR." Chloe growled.
"Last chance rogue," Alisha said, her eyes never leaving the rogues.
"I did, I fucking killed them on the promise of obtaining Edensor, but Jabez double crossed me, and all I got was some money each month," The human hissed out, in pain.
Alisha shook her head, and looked at her mate, who nodded his head, and an indication to his mate that the wolf was being truthful, and she simply sighed, then looked into the rogue’s eyes. After all, as much as she wanted to turn away from the violence, she had made a promise, and an Alpha always followed through on them, irrespective of her feelings. Plus, this was for her parents, and the lives of their leadership team and their children, revenge was coming, and as much as it turned her stomach, Alisha would witness this, till the last drop of the rogue's blood had dripped from his pathetic body.
Asher elongated his claw again, and slit the rogue's throat. The last thing the human rogue saw was two bright emerald eyes as he slipped away into the eternal sleep, and face the fires of hell for his actions.
Alisha slumped back onto her pillow, her body slightly trembling from the adrenaline. She had done what she had promised to do, but seeing anyone killed in front of you was never good, and she felt guilt that it had come to this, yet relief that her parents murderer was dead. Her stomach clenched as she began to retch. Asher ran to the cabinet and got a small brown sick bowl, placing it under her chin as she dry heaved. Holding her hair, back, he soothed her.
“We do things like that because we have to, not because we want to, it is okay Alisha,” he whispered, happy that she was strong, and kept her word, but more happy that she still was in touch with her humanity.
“Was that your first killing Alisha?” Chloe gently asked.
Alisha heaved again but nodded her head. As much as she had to do what she had done to show her strength, and avenge her parents, she hated every last second of it.
“It is okay my brave Alpha, I was sick for days after my first kill. I still hate it, but you grow used to it, and only do it when required. You did so well,” Asher comforted her.
“Iesha, where is Iesha?” Alisha asked between her gags, as her body attempted to throw up the contents of her empty stomach.
“Playing in the playroom with nana Cheryl. They have a good relationship with each other, she is safe, we shielded her from the worst of it,” Chloe explained, and watched on as her son comforted his mate.
Gathering herself and taking a breath, Alishia looked up to Asher, who was covered in rogue blood, as he attempted to get in bed beside her to hold her.
“Oh no you don’t, you stink of rogue. I will be fine, you go shower!” Alisha ordered, as Chloe and Zander threw their heads back and laughed.
“I like her, Asher, I really, really like her,” Chloe said, seeing much of herself in the girl.
“Trust me son, you had best do as your mate tells you, else there will be hell to pay, and you may get punished by having to live in a Barbie's bedroom for months,” Zander laughed.
Alisha furrowed her brow, wondering what that was all about, but watched as her mate laughed, then walked off towards the ensuite to have a shower, just like she had requested. Chapter Twenty-Four The Forgotten Mate and The Alpha Prince