5. Fate Is A Sneaky Little Bitch.

~ RAELIN ~

I slam the door of her cell behind me, the sound reverberating through the stone walls.

And then I walk away.

Damn that stupid rogue.

She is stubborn—far more than I expected. I definitely know that she is hiding something from me.

But I will find out. Whatever that is, I will find out. She is delusional if she thinks she can hide the truth from me.

The cold air of the prison hallway wraps around me as I leave, but it does nothing to cool down the fire of anger and frustration blazing deep in my veins. My footsteps echo in the silence as I walk past a couple of cell guards standing at attention.

They greet me, and I simply nod and hum in response, barely even noticing them.

I can't pay attention to them when my mind is forcing me to pay undivided attention to my thoughts that are consumed with Layla.

Rogues are not welcome in my pack, and Layla's presence here is posing a threat that I do not like.

In situations like this—when it comes to matters of my pack—I prefer things to be simple, straightforward.

Capture the rogue that dares defy my kill order, extract any vital information from them, and then instantly get rid of them.

That is how it has always been.

However, this time… it’s different.

I know that the rogue prisoner in my possession now is my mate, but I will not even consider our bond if I ever find out that I am busy keeping a fucking time bomb inside my pack.

I won't care if that stubborn rogue is my mate or not.

Also, if she dares pushes me to the edge of resorting to drill out the truth I want from her, I will do it, even if it means having to break her bones to push her beyond her dire limits.

I will fucking do it.

Finally, I find myself at the general entrance of the dungeon. When I push the door open, it creaks aside.

And I step into the open air.

I inhale the crisp warmth of the morning sun. The sky is white-blue and clear, the sunlight casting a bright glow over the pack grounds.

The weather is nice today, unlike the harsh thunderstorm that raked all through last night.

I fucking hate thunderstorms. They exist only to remind me of the rainy night Wes and I lost our parents to a rare incurable disease.

Now, the only people I have left in my life are Wes, Cupcake, Caleb, Brie, and Gaia. I can't imagine losing them. I don't know what I'd do without them.

“Ray.”

A familiar voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I look ahead and see Wes, my younger brother and Beta, approaching me.

He is a bit taller than me, broad-shouldered, with dark brown eyes that always see past my lies and pretenses every single time. Just like my father.

While I have my mother's blaze and ferocity, Wes is calm, possessing a steady presence I have always believed he also got from my father.

Wes is the only voice of reason in my life right now. His presence is always a grounding force for me, helping me make better decisions for our pack.

If there is anyone I can entrust my life to, that person is Weston.

“Hey, why the long face?” He asks when he finally reaches me. He is still dressed in his morning black combat clothes. A sheen of sweat coats his forehead.

“Did she say anything?” He continues when I don't answer him, wiping his forehead. “Does she know you're her mate too?”

“Yes. I think she knows that I am bonded to her, but she is fucking driving me crazy Wes.” I grit out and start walking the path leading to the packhouse. “She is fucking stubborn and keeps repeating that she just mistakenly trespassed into our pack.”

“And do you think she is saying the truth?”

“I don't really know.” I exhale in frustration. “When I used my aura on her, I sensed that she wasn't lying to me. I didn't push further because I didn't want to risk hurting her. Hurting her also means hurting myself.”

I sigh, my head throbbing with an ache I have been feeling since yesterday. “I don’t like her, and I don’t trust her. I hate how frustrated I am right now because of her and this stupid pathetic bond I share with her. Maybe I should have just rejected her that night instead of bringing her into our pack and—”

“Don’t think that way, Ray.” Wes interrupts me, placing one of his arms around my shoulders. “Yes, I get that she is a rogue and even forbidden to be in our pack right now, but fate is sneaky little bitch. Layla is your mate now. Rejecting her will make you weak, and you can't afford to be weak now.”

“I fucking know that.” I hiss.

“I know you do. So, I suggest that we continue keeping her alive and watching her for now. Killing her, rejecting her, or sending her away will not do us any good if she is indeed a rogue spy.”

“She has been in our pack for two days now.” I seethe in anger. “I don't think I have the patience to sit around waiting for her to come clean.”

“Ray, I hate this situation too. I fucking do. But we can't afford to act rashly now. Besides, I think you have another problem to get rid of right now.”

Just as he is done speaking, he points to the direction of the water fountain in front of the packhouse.

I follow his pointing index finger and almost freeze when I spot Kira Gandall standing there in her little skimpy black skirt and a yellow corset blouse, one of her fingers twirling a lock of her raven black hair.

“What the fuck?” I curse under my breath.

“Yeah. I said exactly the same thing when I saw her this morning watching me train with Caleb and Derek. The way she came onto us was creepy as fuck.”

“I don't want to deal with her right now.” I groan.

Wes chuckles. “Just ignore whatever she'll complain to you. Don't let her bother you for long.”

I sigh. Kira Gandall is a very nosy piece of work. Sometimes, I do wonder if she is sick in the head or something. Ever since we were children, I have never liked her one bit.

She derives pleasure and satisfaction from other people's pain.