Lion's den
ELENA
I stepped on another twig and it snapped. I was getting closer to the underground path that led into my Father's Pack.
When Trent had requested that I come here, to the secret passageway of my Father's Pack, I wasn't confused about its existence because Father had shown it to me when I clocked 18. It was a secret passageway that led in and out of our Pack. It was also a quicker exit during an emergency.
No one else should know of its existence except the members of the royal family and a few of Father's confidantes. So yeah, it made sense that I knew about it but it didn't make sense that Trent knew about it.
Well, except you add the possibility that Tracy told him about it. Because she knows.
I stepped out of the thicker parts of the forest and could finally see the cleared path leading to the passageway's entry.
But there was an army of rogues standing in front of it. My breathing grew unsteady when they all saw me.
Why does it feel like I'm about to have a panic attack? Gruesome memories of the time they held me in their camp stormed my mind. I took deeper breaths, rubbing at my aching chest.
Not now. I can't chicken out now. But Lord, seeing these creatures again is bad for my health. Everything about them is traumatizing.
I stepped closer to them. Deep breath, Elena. Deep breath…
“Hey!” I snapped, as the one in front snagged my arm. His stench assaulted my nostrils and I held in a retch. These smelly bastards!
“Don’t get all defensive, princess. We're just making sure you're clean.” He grinned, running his veiny, monstrous hands around my body.
What he was doing, and the memories storming my brain made me wanna scream. I never realized how badly these rogues traumatized me. Actually, I knew. But I thought I'd healed. I guess not.
Fury flashed through my eyes when I felt his hands groping my ass. These perverted freaks!
“Let go of me…”
“Stay put, Princess. I'm not done. You seem to have something in there.” He groped my ass again.
I lost it. In a second, I took a step back to get a better vision of his face and then I gave him the most brutal slap of his life.
The snarls I got in response put me on check instantly. His men were displaying their animalistic canines, ready to chew me up.
The man I'd hit was all shades furious. My heart hung in my mouth when he stepped closer to me.
VINCE…
“How dare you?!” He bellowed, grabbing my neck in a tight fucking grip that held no doubt that he wanted to kill me.
I choked on my breath, tapping on his tight grip, trying to loosen it up for me to catch my breath.
VINCE!
“I know our prince will be fucking happy if I end your miserable, bratty life right here, right now.” The man spat out furiously. His damned accent was like gravel against my teeth.
But what? His…prince? Who's that?
“Actually, no, he won't be. Let her go.” A voice said from behind. A voice I would have vowed I'd never hear again in my entire existence.
The man released his grip, turned around, and bowed, while I went into an aggressive coughing fit. It died down forcefully when I looked up to see who intervened for me.
My eyes almost fell out of their sockets at the face I was staring at. Three to four years ago, I'd seen that face for the first time and I was low-key impressed that the rogues had someone who looked a bit normal. Handsome, if I'm being honest.
He's the only one with a unique and distinguished face amongst the rogues. He and the Rogue Prince. The rest of the rogues were almost clones of themselves. It was hard for me to tell their differences.
But I knew this one…and he knew me too. The familiarity in his eyes proved he did.
He smirked. “Exciting seeing you again, Princess.”
I knew his name. Give me a second, I'm gonna recall his name. It's on the tip of my tongue. Give me a bloody second!
The Rogue Prince was Declan. And this one was…uh…
“Beck, Princess. It's Beck, Prince Declan's best friend. Or sidekick. Whichever.” He chuckled, like he could tell I was struggling to recall his name.
His calm demeanor didn't mean friendly. He was chuckling and all, but the animosity in his eyes was gnawing harder at me. I think that's also something that made him uniquely memorable.
He didn't have the usual grumpiness of rogues. But he had the iciness very well coated with an impeccable warm aura.
“Let's get going, Princess.” He flashed me a sarcastic grin but instantly switched to a strict demeanor as he turned to his men. “Bring her along.”
Two of them pulled me along by my arms. I didn't resist and just went along with them. I was having a real panicky moment now as a sudden, terrifying thought slipped into my mind.
If the rogue Prince’s sidekick is alive, then…then…is there a chance the rogue Prince is somehow alive too?
Is there a chance he survived Vince's explosive massacre years ago?
If that's the case, then…I just walked right into a lion's den.
I gave a scrutinizing look to the rogues pulling me along and the ones behind me. I was checking if I could recognize them. Perhaps, were any of them from the camp? 3-4 years ago?
But again, I couldn't identify any of them. They all looked grumpy, scarred, and monstrous. I can't tell if I saw any of them when I was held in their camp.
We took the route that led into Father's Packhouse. A broken whimper left my lips at the horror they'd turned my Father's house into.
The endless dead bodies lying in the compound. The pool of blood everywhere. The women tied outside, naked, cold, and brutally wounded.
They've turned this place into a living hell; it's bloodcurdling. I couldn't keep up looking at every gruesome detail of their viciousness.
I got dragged into Father's courthouse and into his official royal room. They shoved me to the floor.
I was on my knees, in front of Father's throne. Tears made their way down my face. I never thought I'd be staring at that throne with this much fear and terror.
It's always been a source of strength for me. It always comforted me. But now, it's making me cry so bad.
The side door opened. The approaching footsteps had me lifting my face.
Trent. He looked…different. Very different. The dressing was a bit roguish. He'd grown his hair and dyed it red. His eyes were dimmer and ghostly. He was a walking menace now. The kind of man who has you fighting for your breath at a glance.
After him, was Liam. Wow. I mean, another day to give Vince his flowers for being the most accurate when it comes to discerning folks. He never liked Liam. Now I see why.
And then the last person walked in. The rogues behind me chorused something in their dialect, and all of them went down on their knees, bowing their heads to the ground.
That meant just one thing but I didn't wanna believe it yet. He was heading towards me, but I still couldn't believe it.
It couldn't be him.