Chapter Forty-Five

Sullen

Sullen woke the next morning with heavy arms and legs. It’d been a long night with Roan. They'd broken in every square inch of their room, it seemed.

She didn’t mind. Her wolf certainly didn’t mind either.

Roan wasn’t in bed when she reached for him. Which didn’t surprise her. With the mole running around the pack, and the duties of being alpha, she hadn’t expected him to sleep in—though it would have been nice to feel his warmth when she woke up. She grabbed her laptop and worked through some of her emails. Her boss wanted her to come and check in with him the next week, to get caught up on her physical mail in the office.

For some reason, it didn’t excite her as it did before.

With a new mark on her neck, she felt a connection to Roan that she never did before. It was … all-consuming.

After she checked her email, she showered and got dressed. The pack house was quiet, despite it being 9 AM, and she found out that most of them were either patrolling the perimeter or training with Roan.

She knew she wasn't told to come train, but she wanted to show off her new mark. She wore her ponytail extra high so that the shewolves could see.

Especially Whitney.

Roan was in the middle of combat training with one of his wolves when Sullen walked up. He sensed her right away and looked over his shoulder at her. “Good morning,” he said.

Her gaze swept him head to toe, but she couldn’t stop from staring at his mark. “Good morning. Why didn’t you wake me?’

He walked over and whistled for everyone to take a break. “Because you had a long night. You needed the rest.”

She smirked. “So you didn’t need the rest?”

He chuckled. “Leaving you was the last thing I wanted to do, but I needed to show my face around here before they thought that I was retiring early.”

“I get it,” she said. “So is there any room for me to train or do I need to go check on Natalie? I don’t see her out here.”

Roan rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re all paired off right now, so you can either take a run, take a break, or go see what Natalie is up to. Have you eaten? You need your strength.”

“I haven’t. Some coffee does sound nice. I may go grab an early lunch.”

Roan reached forward and kissed her forehead. “Sounds good. I’ll see you soon okay?”

Sullen walked toward the pack house but stopped when she caught hostility coming from the infirmary. She doubted anyone that was sick was fighting in the offices, so she assumed it was coming from the cells.

It wasn’t her business or place to check on them, but curiosity got the best of her. She walked over toward the infirmary and slipped inside.

A few shewolves were being seen that were expecting pups, but Sullen easily slipped down the stairs toward the cells without being noticed.

She stopped at the top one and pressed her ear against the door.

The talking stopped. They must have heard her.

A chuckle slid down her spine. “Sullen, is that you?”

Sullen’s spine stiffened. She knew she shouldn’t go down the stairs, but the devil on her shoulder lured her closer.

What would it hurt? They were locked up. Going against her better judgment, she walked down the stairs and toward the cells.

The rogue they caught first almost startled her. He stood at the bars, his eyes large and fixated on her. Sullen cleared her throat. “You called?”

He chuckled deeply. She noticed he looked thinner than before, not as meaty or chiseled. She could tell they had lessened the food they gave him.

The other rogues were seated in their cells, watching their exchange, as if waiting on something important.

“You came looking for us,” he said. “Come on. You’re curious, huh? Or do you know?”

“What?” Sullen asked. “That my dad was a rogue?”

He smiled. “So you and your little mate,” he said, pointing toward his neck, “know that you come from a dirty rogue.”

Sullen narrowed her eyes to slits. “So what?” she asked. “I’m not a rogue."

“Oh, you decided to join the pack? They’ll be so proud.”

They who?

Sullen went to turn to walk up the steps, but stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “I’m not like you all.”

He shrugged his big shoulders. “She has no idea boys,” he said.

They all laughed, and it turned Sullen’s gut into bricks. “No idea about what?”

“About your ex-boyfriend.”

“What about him?” she asked, turning to face the rogue.

He grinned, and it reminded her of a snake. “He’s coming for you.”

Sullen chuckled. “You’re grasping at straws. Duke doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me.”

“Doesn’t he though?” he asked. “He’s texted and called, hasn’t he?”

Sullen’s stomach began to twist. “How do you know that?”

He grinned. “Because he told me.” He tapped his mind. “Up here. It looks like Roan’s marked you though. Duke is going to have a hard time getting rid of that.”

Sullen took a step down the stairs. “What do you mean he told you in your mind? Duke is a human.”

“Is he?” he asked. “There are many ways for a wolf to hide their true colors, Sullen.”

“But why?” she asked. “Why would he hide it from me? I’m a wolf.”

He pointed at her. “Now that’s a story for him to tell.”

“I don’t believe you,” she whispered. “I would have known.”

He shrugged. “Don’t believe me then, Sullen. It’s up to you, Doll.” He walked over to the only seat in his cell and sat down. “He’s coming for you, Sullen. We’re all coming for you. We’re coming for Roan and his little pack. There are a lot of great fighters in this pack, and we can’t wait for them to join us.”

Sullen took a step back from him and raced up the stairs. She burst from the doors, and out into the courtyard. She felt herself growing sick to her stomach. None of it made sense. Why would he tell her that if it had been a secret?

Sullen made it up the stairs to the pack house when she felt Roan’s hands on her shoulders.

“What's the matter, Sullen?” he asked, turning her to face him.

“I went down to the cells.”

Roan’s face twisted into confusion. “Why?”

“I—I don’t know. They said ... they said that Duke is a rogue, and he’s coming for me.”