Chapter 10 THE ACCUSATION
Celestia pov
"Leader, you've been quiet ever since that man came around and he won't tell me what happened. Don't keep denying it cuz I know something happened,"
Crane said in front of a campfire in the dead of night, by this time those people had already gone to sleep in their tents.
Apart from us the only other rogues that were awake were those that were on patrol duty.
"I've already told you a million times over nothing is happening, he is just someone from my past. He made me an offer I wasn't really interested in. There's nothing more to it than that,"
At the mention of my past crane let go, it was an unspoken rule about rogues not to speak about their past.
I judged people by what kind of person they wear in their present knowing that if they were evil it wouldn't be long before they exposed themselves anyway.
But I wasn't the type who was quick to judge. It was an important skill I had to learn while bringing many rogues under my wing.
"I wonder if anyone misses me," Crane suddenly said yanking me out of my thoughts as he said into the dancing fire, "Is there anyone right now awake somewhere thinking of me? Wondering if I'll be back?"
I stood up and placed a reassuring hand on his firm shoulder.
"There is someone right now right here that is more than happy to have you crane, don't forget that,"
He managed a smile but it only went halfway to his eyes. I couldn't really blame him too much.
After Crane came back to his senses he could not remember his past, he couldn't even remember his last name. His time as a rogue had also changed his appearance, there was no way of finding out who he was and nobody ever recognized him as a member of their pack but there was always this burning need to find out about his past.
I never tried to discourage him but I did try to open his eyes to what the reality of that could look like.
There might have been no one waiting for him that he had been kicked out of his pack with everyone in full acceptance, but if he ever did find his memories and the people inside them it might not be a pleasant experience.
He told me that he would be ready for it if it ever happened and he would be much happier knowing than being unsure.
I couldn't exactly fault him for that.
Despite everything I had experienced myself I would never give up all my memories if it meant that I would not remember my precious baby again.
I would keep all that suffering lodged in my heart because along with it was that picture of his little face.
I returned to my tent hoping to fall asleep but sleep was very far from me there tonight.
I rolled from side to side hoping that slumber would eventually approach me but instead of that I just became more restless until I eventually sat up. I had told myself I would forget about it but each time my mind went back to the conversation that I had with file Raphael.
He was not the type to make empty promises when it came to that woman, if he was willing to lay down so much even allowing me to come back to the Brazen pack then there must be a serious reason why he wants me back and he won't be giving up anytime soon.
I bit into my bottom lip.
He was really something else after everything that he had already taken away from me; he still wanted to have this too.
I know what I had was probably not what anyone would describe as the lap of luxury but now I felt more fulfilled as a person helping out those who needed the most.
When I was the moon I tried to help my people but there was always this distance between me and them, a distance that the pack hierarchy insisted would be upheld no matter what.
But now that I heard the complaints of those around me directly from their mouths now that they were not forced to bend to stuffy social norms when they interacted with me felt like I was making real connections it's made it easier to get through every single day I had hoped to build something up and now this happened.
Against my own choice, I had to start contacting the alphas and lunas that I worked with telling them that I would not need to be making exchanges for a short time. A concerned alpha asked me if all was well.
"Of course everything is good but I think it's out that we need to be careful while we make these exchanges to make sure that we don't get caught or anything like that,"
I was also trying to sniff out the rat but they didn't hope that much would come out of it anyway. I worked with the highest-ranking wolves of each pack even if I found out I was being betrayed. The only thing I could do was cut connections but it's not like I could make them pay.
The day passed by without any incident and I was beginning to let the back of my hair fall down thinking nothing of it.
That was until two rogue group leaders came barging in without an invitation demanding to see me. It was midday and I was on patrol with Crane and some others. So it took a while before I returned to respond to their rude arrival. I was a leader and I deserved some respect like everyone else.
"We need to talk to you," Priscilla one of the leaders said, the other a short male named Dante stomped forward as well.
"We know you're a traitor, Celestia, and we have evidence too!"