🐺 Connor 🐺

I can't believe I let her get taken. She was right there. My hands tug at my hair and I feel my fuse getting shorter and shorter.

"Her scent stops at an old abandoned house. If she's there, there is a possibility they killed her and dumped her body there." One of the wolves that had followed her scent gives his report to Sophie's dad and I growl loudly.

"She isn't dead." Everyone stares at me and I feel my wolf clawing to get control.

I have to find her. Mate is the only thing I need. I run my hands through my hair again and stand.

Eyes follow me, and I can't help but feel claustrophobic. "My mate has been taken by some wolf, and we are all just sitting here, talking. We should be out there looking for her. I should be out there."

Alpha Desperte stands and nods. "I want four teams of seven surrounding that house. Anyone goes in or out, I hear about it immediately." A man nods and rushes out to do his bidding. "Now Connor, I get that she is your mate and you're worried. I understand how you feel. Knowing this, I highly suggest you let us get her."

A growl rips from my throat and I fight with my wolf. "No one can keep me from leaving. I must find mate." He pushes through and I immediately become ten times angrier. "We go now. The longer she's held hostage, the more pain she could be put through. She is blocking me off for a reason." Alpha Desperte nods at me and I growl at the men all around the table. "Let's go get my mate."

🐯 Sophie 🐯

I can't lay on my back. The burn isn't healing because he comes back every few hours. The man's name is Xaviar, and he isn't Hullo. Hullo wasn't lying when he said that he wouldn't make me agree. What he meant was that someone else would torture me until I can only accept. Thing is, they'll have to torture me for a long time before I agree to anything.

"Hello Sophie." Xaviar speaks from behind me and I roll my eyes.

"Hello, dumbass." He growls and shoves a finger into the healing burn.

I hiss in pain and he chuckles. "Are you ready?"

I flip him off and he just laughs. "Even if I wasn't, you'd just go anyways." How long have I been here? My mind travels to Connor and how upset he must be. I know he's angry because I can feel it. I pray to the goddesses that he can't feel my pain. The hot iron touches my back and I cry out. Xaviar only laughs. Pain must be hilarious to him, sadist. He removes it and I pant, I can't give in so quickly. That makes me look weak, and I am anything but weak.

He places the brander on my back again and I hold my tongue. Xaviar pushes harder and I force myself to hold in the scream threatening to escape. "Come on Sophelia, don't ruin all of the fun." He says, removing it from my back.

"I'm sorry. Being around you just ruins my mood." He growls and presses it even harder into my back. A grunt leaves me, but I won't give him the pleasure of making me yell.

🐺 Connor 🐺

I stand a good distance from the unabandoned, abandoned house, Alpha Desperte standing next to me. "My men can't get in there. Those wolves are from an ally pack. If I attack, and she isn't there, it will be war." He growls and slams a fist on a nearby tree. Another scent trail was found leaving the building. We aren't sure if it's a decoy or not. It leads to a similar place, both heavily guarded with ally pack members.

"This pack doesn't seem to be such a great ally if her scent is where they are guarding. It's obviously them that took her." I watch one of the enemies walk around outside as I speak.

"Obviously, but I need proof and even then I have to talk to the alpha. This is politics, without it we're rogues." I nod and watch the building silently. It's now that I remember a certain rogue that has promised to protect her.

Straightening up I look back in the direction of the pack house. "What are you thinking boy?" He asks me.

"I'm thinking about the rogues that have devoted themselves to following her around." Alpha Desperte looks at me confused. "They can go in there without your ally getting angry."

His eyes widen and he pats my shoulder. "You're smarter than I thought." I groan and nod.

"Thanks." Everyone is annoying without her beside me. Even my own mother. I shift and run to the pack house. Just as I thought, I smell rogues in the distance. Following the scent I run across a camp site. Five tents surround a fire pit. Not caring about my vulnerability, I shift back. "Rogue?"

Immediately a flap opens and he looks at me, eyes widening. "What the hell?! Cameron! Get this man pants!" A man runs up to me holding a pair of pants in his hand. They stink of rogue, but I put them on anyways.

"She was taken." I say as I pull them up and onto my hips.

He growls loudly. "How is that possible?" His men bow their heads and he fumes. "Who is supposed to be watching her right now?"

A man, Cameron, steps forward. "Dylan is, sir."

"Where is he?" The man yells loudly and the men all avoid eye contact. "I have to do everything myself. Everyone, suit up." He turns to look at me, fury blazing in his eyes. "Where is she?"

I sigh. "That's where the  problem lies. There are two possible places, both heavily guarded by wolves from an ally pack."

"And that's why you came to me." It isn't a question, but I nod anyways. "You did the right thing. The name is Hunter. If you want to join in, grab a weapon and some clothes." I nod and follow after the other guys. Originally I thought they were a small number of men, but now I notice all of the tents further out and scattered around. There has to be at least forty rogues here, all men, and all seriously fit. I growl thinking of them being around my mate. "We've all lost our mates kid. We aren't going to take your tigress. You can trust us with her life." Nervously I grab items and weapons, some I don't even know how to use. After everyone has regrouped, he raises a fist in the air. "Who are we?!" He yells.

"The Guard!" The group yells in a loud chorus

"Who are we?!" Hunter yells again.

Again they cheer "The Guard!" and I watch them.

"Then let's go get our tigress back!" Hunter yells over everyone and they all roar out in cheers. "Take the lead." He says to me.

I look at everyone, and they all look at me. Raising a fist in the air I yell. "Let's go get my mate!" They all cheer at me and I take off. The menacing sound of pounding footsteps follows behind me.

A smirk forms on my face when I see scared enemy wolves. "Follow her scent to the right! That's the other place." Half of the group breaks off and everything turns to chaos when the entirety of the enemy wolves charge out of the abandoned house.

🐯 Sophie 🐯

Xaviar abruptly takes the brander off of my throbbing back, cursing. He throws it into the hot coals and charges out of the room only to come back a minute later. "Rogues are attacking, at a fucking time like this." As if we were getting anywhere. "Get up." He snatches my arm and abruptly pulls me out of the chair. "We are going to get you out of here, before they kill you." Like he cares what happens to me.

Not having enough energy to fight back, he drags me behind him. We leave the room and he runs down a hallway towards a set of stairs leading upwards. My hands are tied together with rope, and I can only run for so long after I've been tortured. I fall to the ground, and he growls before lifting me over his shoulder.

"Find her! I don't care if you have to tear the houses down!" I hear a familiar yell from the floor above us. Just as I hear it, Xaviar places me behind him and opens the door. "Who are you?" The voice asks angrily.

Xaviar nods his head, but I can't see anything because he's so tall. "This is my parents house. My name is Xaviar, and you are?"

"That's none of your business. Who is behind you?" Hunter?

A howl is heard from outside and I hear a door slam open. "Get away from my mate." Xaviar is ripped away from me, and I see Connor tearing away at him. My balance isn't steady, and I fall against a body.

"Tigress." Hunter bows his head in respect and I grab ahold of his arm to keep steady.

Connor stands up, still fuming. His eyes meet mine and he rushes to me and pulls me to him. His arm presses into the burn and I hiss. "What's wrong?" Connor holds me at arm's length, and I don't answer. "Turn around." His anger is still pulling his attention. I do as he says, and he lifts up my shirt. He erupts into a growl, and whips me back around. "Who did it?" My eyes flick to Xaviar who is passed out on the floor. Connor begins to sprout hair, and grow his claws, proving just how close his wolf is to having full control.

"Connor." He turns to look at me, halfway to the almost dead man on the floor. "Take me home." Connor immediately goes back to normal, his eyes hold sadness and he rushes to hold me, careful of the burn this time.

"I missed you Soph. I was going crazy without you." I wrap my arms around his waist as we breath in each others scent. The short amount of time without him hurts, I just need time with him.

"I missed you too Connor." He kisses my hair and looks me over. "I'm not hurt anywhere else, I promise." He only nods and pulls me in again. When we pull apart, I notice all of the other wolves and blush.

"We are so sorry we didn't stop you from being taken. The guard on you was knocked out and we had no clue. We have failed you." Hunter bends a knee and kneels before me.

I place my hand on his shoulder and he looks up to me. "You did everything you could to get me back though. I'm not paying you to protect me, I haven't even asked you to. As far as I am concerned, you all came out of the goodness of your hearts and that's all I can ever ask any wolf to do." He smiles up at me and I gesture for him to stand. "Thank you, all of you."

Connor thanks them also, shaking hands with Hunter. He leads me outside and I see their carnage. Dozens of bodies lay on the ground and gladly I don't recognize any of them.

He takes me out to the treeline and I see my father. Dad rushes up to me, his eyes filled with worry. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Connor looks down at the ground, ashamed that I got hurt.

I turn and gently raise my shirt. It grazes my burn and I almost fall over. Connor catches me and holds me up gently while my dad growls at my back. "It's only in one spot dad. It isn't that bad."

"Sophie, you've been branded with someone's initials." Connor calmly tells me. My eyes widen and I try to turn and see it, but the only thing I succeed in doing is falling into Connor. "Let's get you home and to a doctor." He wraps an arm around my back and hooks an arm under my legs.

My dad walks beside us with glazed eyes, probably telling my mom they have me back.

"How long was I gone?" I whisper to Connor.

He doesn't look down or talk at first and I think he's ignoring me until I see his eyes watering. "Two days." I place a hand on his cheek and he turns his head to look at me. "It was almost more. I don't know how crazy I would have gone if things had lasted any longer." I rub the pad of my thumb across his cheek and wipe a stray tear.

"Things didn't last longer, and I'm right here." I kiss him lightly and I feel pain through it. The pain isn't my own, but his. I feel his need and anger. Our lips part and I look up into his beautiful eyes.

"I'm staying in your room from now on. No way am I leaving you alone again." My father's head snaps to look at Connor. "Step down Desperte. It's for her safety." My dad nods, actually nods, and walks on. Connor sighs and I rest my head against his chest. Being so close to him is comforting and his scent lulls me to sleep.