Chapter 75 : Why Would she Go There?
*Soren*
Payne hissed at Eros, snapping his jaws and pawing the ground.
At my command, everyone else stayed perfectly still. Mila clutched her backpack but she was also frozen in place.
Despite his heroics in saving Ashley, she seemed to be the only one willing to turn a blind eye. I knew where I stood
and I agreed with Payne. Eros was malicious and dangerous. It was time to end him.
“Please, Payne…" Ashley begged.
Payne, still in wolf form, looked in my direction. I shook my head, letting him know that it was up to him what he
wanted to do. He looked at his sister and I saw his hesitation.
Arrows still flew around us but they were coming slower and less frequently. I had my suspicions as to why and it
only meant that I still had the upper hand.
Suddenly, Eros smirked, showing his true colors yet again. Saving Ashley, taking an arrow, it meant nothing to him.
His eyes reflected his malice.
He lunged at me again.
I grabbed Eros by the throat and threw him down on the ground, slamming his back into the rocks. He coughed and
wheezed, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
“Awwwwoooo!"
A howl broke through the night and I looked to a higher peak where the howl came from. The arrows stopped. One
final arrow slammed into the ground, sticking straight up and down.
Rocks and pebbles skittered down from the highest peak and Thomas slid into view. He had an unconscious body
draped over his shoulder.
With a wide smile, Thomas threw the body onto the ground in front of me. He was wearing a familiar outfit and I
narrowed my eyes on the badge he wore on his chest.
“He's a Norwind warrior," Thomas reported.
I scoffed and glared at Eros. So, he was with Norwind. I knew he was lying to me when he said he didn't have a
master or that he wasn't working with anyone
“I see that. Thanks for coming," I said, squeezing Eros's throat a little more.
“Sorry I'm late. I knew you needed my help down here but I didn't know there was more of an ambush up there
until the arrows started flying," Thomas explained. He nudged the unconscious warrior with his toe.
“Neither did I. At least, the only casualty was this i***t who took an arrow," I said, snarling at Eros.
“So, the healer brat is from Norwind," Thomas said.
“It appears so," I confirmed. “I guess that means Alpha Chandler sent you to follow up with Mila after we kicked his
ass, didn't he?"
Eros rolled his eyes and shook his head. He tried to talk but it came out a gurgling gasp.
“Uhh… Soren, you might want to loosen your grip on his throat," Thomas said pointing and smirking at Eros.
Sighing, I eased my fingers and Eros coughed again.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Don't insult me!" he snapped. “I'm not one of Chandler's pawns. He's a useless piece of garbage when it comes to
actual leadership. All he cares about is his dead luna."
“By all accounts, you're not much better," I pointed out. “If you're after that artifact, it can't be for anything other
than greedy or selfish reasons."
Ashley's sobs cut into our conversation. She crawled over and knelt at Eros's feet. Her eyes were puffy and red and
she sniffled.
“How could you do this to me, Eros? I'm your mate. We're… I thought…" her voice broke and she trailed off.
Ashley hugged herself and rocked back and forth.
Payne came up behind her, in human form. He put a hand on Ashley's shoulder but she ignored him, crying and
rocking.
I growled and narrowed my eyes at Eros. He was going to pay for breaking Ashley's heart and for making a
mockery of their mate bond. It was obvious to me that once Eros knew about his connection with Ashley, he just
manipulated her to get to us. Once he had Ashley wrapped around his finger, he got her to let her guard down
which was all he needed to incapacitate her and Payne.
“Alright, Eros, you have a lot to answer for. Least of all, hurting my friend," I growled.
“Ugh. You really think that is something I should answer for?" he asked, rolling his eyes again.
“Who do you work for?" I asked, squeezing his throat just enough to cause pain. I let up so he could talk again.
“Stop interrogating me, Soren. I lost, that's it. You're not going to get what you want out of me." He sighed and
shook his head.
I glanced at Thomas and Payne. Payne nodded and Thomas shrugged. I looked at Mila too. She was still clutching
her backpack and she looked ready to bolt at any second.
This wasn't the right place for a proper interrogation. But Eros was wrong, eventually, I would get what I wanted out
of him.
“Very well. Thomas, secure Eros and his cohorts. Take him back to the rogue zone and lock him up," I ordered.
“Yes Alph-"
I shot him a sharp look.
“Sure thing, boss," Thomas corrected.
Even though I'd decided to start building a pack, I didn't want the others to start asking questions about my past. If
they heard an old friend of mine refer to me as 'Alpha' before I established a pack, they'd have questions.
I released Eros when Thomas tied him up. Before Thomas helped Eros up, I leaned in and whispered to him.
“Eros, one more thing you should know about me, I'm a very patient man and I can wait until you're ready to give
me what I want. Even if it takes the rest of your life," I threatened.
There was a moment of fear in Eros's eyes but it passed quickly. He smirked at me.
“Bring it on. You're all bark and no bite," he challenged.
I glared at him. Oh, I would have fun getting answers out of him! The more proud they were, the harder they fell.
Thomas and his warriors got Eros and his followers tied up and into the Jeeps they'd brought.
“Ashley, are you alright?" I asked, meeting her gaze.
She sniffled and wiped her nose. “I can't believe…" Sighing, she hardened her expression. “I'll be fine!"
I nodded but I wasn't convinced. Ashley could put a strong face on but I knew she was a lot more sensitive
underneath that. For now, I let her portray the hard, strong person. When she was ready to face the heartbreak,
Payne and I would be there.
“Payne, why don't you take a Jeep back with Ashley and Thomas? Mila and I can keep walking. We're only a few
hours from the rogue zone," I suggested.
“Thank you, Soren," Payne said. He grabbed Ashley's arms and pulled her into a standing position. Payne put his
arm around his sister's shoulders and guided her to the Jeep.
“Mila?" I stood up and waved a hand in front of her face. She still looked like she might bolt at any second. “Are you
alright?"
“I'm not hurt," she confirmed.
“Good. We're going back to the rogue zone," I said. I held a hand out to her.
She was timid as she took it but willing to let me guide her.
***
After a few days of settling in, I met with Thomas and he showed me the renovated training facilities.
“I put in new fencing and training dummies. There's also a weapon's shed and we have sign-in sheets for those that
want to reserve training times for themselves," Thomas explained, pointing to the different areas of the training
fields as he described them.
“This looks good," I said. I stepped up to one of the fences and watched some of the new recruits sparring.
“They've come a long way. I'm putting a heavy emphasis on cooperation and fighting as a team or a unit."
“Good. Rogues aren't used to that," I said, nodding.
“They'll be an organized, disciplined army soon. Perfect for a pack for your stature," Thomas reported, smirking.
“Thank you, Thomas. This is really good work."
“It is my pleasure, Alpha."
I glared at him but this time, I didn't correct Thomas. I'd have to get used to being called that if I was serious about
starting my own pack.
Glancing at Thomas, we shared a look, the kind that only lifelong friends share.
“I'm sorry I have to rely on you for helping start a pack. If you have other responsibilities…"
“I don't," Thomas assured. “And it isn't a problem. I'm supposed to be helping you with your pack matters,
remember?"
“Well, when you put it like that," I grumbled.
“You know, I'm honestly surprised that you didn't ask Payne to do this," Thomas admitted, creasing his brow.
“Hmm. Payne and Ashley are from the same pack as Mila. Her parents' pack," I said. “If they decide to rebuild their
pack, he will have his own obligations.
Thomas's eyes widened. “That's… not what I expected. You think Mila will want to rebuild her pack?"
I shrugged. Talking about Mila with Thomas usually ended in him telling me to let her go. I wasn't sure I wanted to
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmget into it.
“I have to say, Soren, I'm sorry about what I said about Mila the last time. It was out of line for me to tell you what
to do with someone that isn't your mate, or who is for that matter," he said.
“Thomas… I think she is…"
“She is what?" Thomas asked, arching an eyebrow.
“My mate. I think Mila is my mate," I clarified.
Thomas stared at me. His jaw slacked and he started to turn purple.
Chuckling, I slapped him on the back. He coughed and wheezed.
“You can breathe, you know."
“I just… you said… last time you said she wasn't," he sputtered.
“She still had a copious amount of Blackfire poison in her veins and her witch blood wasn't fully activated. The
stronger her witch power got and the more doses of the Blackfire antidote she took, the more I could feel it," I
explained.
“That's a whole lot of complicated scientific babble that I didn't understand," Thomas joked, smirking.
I rolled my eyes. “Basically, I couldn't feel it before, now I can."
Thomas smiled and nodded. “I'm happy for you, Soren. Are you going to ask Mila to be your luna?"
I pursed my lips and shrugged. “That depends on if she wants to rebuild her own pack."
“Soren, don't be an i***t," Thomas teased. He grinned, showing me all his teeth.
“Do I need to pull rank on you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Seriously, any woman would choose to be your luna over rebuilding a pack. Trust me, a pack doesn't look nearly as
good naked as you." Thomas broke out laughing.
I groaned and rolled my eyes.
“I'm pretty sure it has more to do with what she wants than who looks best naked," I snarled.
“Well, when you ask her, you should be shirtless. That would probably be the best way to secure a yes from her," he
added, laughing.
“Don't you have work to do!?" I snapped, crossing my arms and glaring. “So, shut up and go do it."
“Sure, sure, you're the alpha…"
“Oh, Thomas, speaking of Mila, have you seen her?" I asked as he turned to leave.
Thomas laughed and threw his head back. “You really can't be away from her for more than ten minutes, can you?"
I sighed and shook my head. “That's not what this is about. She has a tendency to run away if she's left alone too
long."
“Don't worry, she's at Scarlett's place. Went over this morning," Thomas said laughing lightly.
“Why wouldn't I worry about that!?" I snapped, throwing my arms out to the sides.
Who knew what crap Scarlett was filling Mila's head with.
Thomas shrugged.
“Well, she's not running away and she's not there to meet other guys," he said, smirking.
“Why would she go to Scarlett's?" I asked, more to myself.