4

"What is your name?" the Alpha asked as he sat before me, the stool creaking under his weight.

Enyo's ear darted up at the sound, but she didn't have the strength to move.

"It doesn't matter," I said as I locked eyes with his deliciously golden pair.

"It does matter when a Rogue enters my territory and kills more than half of my deployed warriors," he aggressively stated with his rough voice as he clenched his large hands.

"Like I told your Beta, we did not know that your lands had expanded to encompass the neutral grounds," I explained with agitation, despite the fluttering of my heart.

"Watch your tone, Rogue," he warned.

I rolled my eyes, and he growled lowly.

"How could two rogues, that so happen to have ventured into my protected lands, be capable of such destruction? That doesn't happen by chance," he asked with rising anger.

"Asks the Alpha known for death," I retorted plainly.

"And yet you are not scared."

"I have no reason to be."

To that, he ran his hand through his locks to reveal his gorgeous face. Smirking full lips, a chiseled jawline peppered with stubble, and small dimples greeted me as his eyes looked full of dark promises. A dark angel. He rolled up his black sleeves to show even more of his beautiful caramel skin, prominent veins decorating his forearms. I shook my head to refocus.

"How about I give you a few?" he asked with a sadistic smile as the door opened and guards poured in.

They moved me into a bigger cell and hooked my chains to a feature in the ceiling. My toes were barely touching the floor once they finished hoisting me up. The room was dimly lit with a flickering fluorescent bulb, casting shadows in front of me. From what I could see, they brought me to their torture room decorated with various rusted tools and a drain in the floor from what I could see. I smelled the notes of silver and acid. I couldn't see him, but I knew he was right behind me. Something heavy was dragged against the floor, metal sounds clinking against the uneven tiles.

"Enyo, prepare yourself," I warned.

She whimpered but didn't move. I took slow breaths as I prepared mentally for the worst.

"I will ask you once more. Why did you come here?" He demanded.

"I think you guys really are dense. I've already told you my answer," I said with a huff.

With a cracking blow, a whip tore the skin on my back, peeling it like an orange. I set my jaw as my eyes began to burn with tears, but I made no sound. He sent two more breathtaking blows to my back, each harder than the last. My blood decorated the surrounding area like abstract art.

"Who sent you?" he yelled.

"Ask your Beta," I said between pants.

Two more blows came within seconds of each other. My breathing stuttered as a scream tried to fight its way out, but I refused to give this asshole the satisfaction.

"Who sent you?" he asked once more.

"I've already told you."

Three more lashes adorned my back that oozed like an infected wound. The inside of my jaw was raw as I clamped my mouth shut, needing a distracting pain.

"Why were you trespassing?"

"We weren't."

Two more came crashing down like lightning in a violent storm. I bit my cracked lips as blood flowed down my body, painting my rich skin.

"Why are you here?"

"Because...of your Beta's...ignorance."

Four more. I broke through the skin of my lip, the metallic taste of blood coating my tongue.

"Who sent you?"

"Ask. Something. Else."

Five more.

"Where did you come from?"

"I'm a Rogue...remember."

Six more. I began fighting for my consciousness as my mind fogged.

"What is your name? Why is your wolf black?"

"It's...not...important."

Three more. My head began to lull forward as my neck could no longer hold the weight. He walked around with thundering footsteps and grabbed my head by my wet curls. He pulled my head back until he could see my face, taunting me with a dark smile and eyes full of delight.

"Why don't you carry a scent? Who are you?"

I gave him a bloody smile as my eyes started to close, darkness singing its siren song beneath the ringing in my ears.

"I thought...you'd...never ask," I panted out weakly as I let Enyo penetrate the room with our scent.

"I'm...your...mate," I added before passing out, welcoming the darkness like an old, missed friend.