~"Niall where are you?"~ I asked through our link immediately as I felt it, but I was met with silence.
~"Niall?"~ I kept my foot on the brake just to go a little slower as I reached out again.
I knew he heard me, because I could feel his panic rising at the sound of my voice. I didn't know why,
but I really didn't want to either.
~"Niall!"~ I practically screamed this time in our link, growing very frustrated with his behaviour.
I was hurt that he heard me and refused to answer, and that he also felt when I came into linking range
but refused to acknowledge it.
~"Zoey, I'm so sorry for everything but it is not safe here. You need to go okay? I'll be home soon"~ He
finally decided to speak, but I felt anger rising in me as he did. It would've been better if he didn't.
~"WHAT?! Are you freaking kidding me Niall? You've been gone for two days and you expect me to just
go back home without you? And should I remind you that those were the exact same words you spoke
when you were leaving? But look at that, you didn't come back"~
~"Babe I swear I'll explain everything, but I need you to go. This is rogue territory."~ His voice was
desperate and I felt his panic rising the closer I went. It made me realize that the new dose of panic I
felt in the link was because he thought I was putting myself in danger.
~"You LEFT me Niall. You didn't come back and you're here at Rogue Burg? And for what? Aren't you
in as much danger as me?"~
~"How did you know-"~
~"Clarissa is with me, and so is Valero. You know why? Because I felt the panic in our bond and I
thought you were in trouble."~ I huffed as annoyance ate away at me. If Niall really wasn't in danger,
why did he come here and why did I feel him panicking every couple minutes?
My mind was quiet for a while, but he was still very much awake in my link. I could feel the guilt,
concern and regret from him as I waited for him to answer. I was still following behind Clarissa as she
led us towards what I assumed would be the main entrance. I knew it wasn't safe, but as much as I
was upset with my mate, I was not leaving here without him.
~"Zoey I can feel you coming closer and I am begging you, please go back home. I promise I'll be
home today and explain everything. That panic you felt in the bond? It was because I screwed up and I
thought I was putting you in danger. It was never my intent for things to go this far, but I want to tell you
at home where it's safe okay?"~ He asked in desperation.
A part of me wanted to believe him and follow his request, but the stubbornness that lived in my
bloodline would not allow me to.
~"If you want me to go now, then I better see you in front of my car right now. If not, I'm coming in"~ I
sternly decided, pushing through my determination in full folds so he knew I wasn't playing. However,
he didn't seem to be letting up.
~"Zoey-"~ I immediately cut him off from my link, knowing he'd only just try and convince me even
more. If he wanted me to go that badly, he'd find me and we go together.
I'm not about to play any games with him.
"Heated argument huh?" I yelped in surprise when Valero talked. I completely forgot that he was there
in my car too.
I sighed as I ran my hand over my face in frustration. "Yea. He wants us to leave"
"So not in trouble then?"
"Nope" I said, popping the 'p' with an exaggerated sigh at which he slowly nodded.
I resumed my driving, simply following Clarissa's lead. About a half a mile longer, she suddenly
stopped and took a u-turn towards my car. She shifted mid way towards us, causing Valero to quickly
throw his hands over his eyes. It was natural for wolves to see other wolves naked, so it honestly didn't
faze me.
I grabbed my coat from the back seat and handed it to her through the window once I came to a stop. I
eyed her confusedly, not sure why she stopped.
"Did you get a chance to talk to your mate? If he is in Burg territory, you'd be close enough to link" She
asked as she wrapped the thick fabric around her body.
"I did actually. I don't think he's in trouble, but I do believe he's in a sticky situation. Still, I wont leave
without him."
She nodded in understanding before turning to point towards some pine trees.
"The entrance is just around there, I can get you in since I'm a rogue and I used to stay here
sometimes. But this is rogue territory, and non-rogues like yourself and Mr. Alpha over there will not be
welcomed."
A frown took over my lips as I pursed them in thought. "So it's like a pack for rogues," I concluded,
seeing that it seemed exactly like that.
She tilted her hand in a 'so-so' gesture before speaking again."It's more like a safe haven. As you
know, rogues are always on the run if they aren't settled in a human territory or something, and it can
be really rough out there. This place is mainly for wolves who are tired of running, or who need safety
for a little while. They have a strict no-violence code, but if an outsider, or in other words a pack-wolf
invades, it can get messy. They will only see you as a threat"
"So how did Niall get in there? And how will we?" I questioned with a frown. I surely understood and
respected their system here, but I needed to find Niall.
"I think I know how he did." She smirked as she grabbed her pants, pulling out a herb I knew and hated
too well. I scrunched my nose up as she held the wolfsbane in her hand as if it was nothing. Valero
mimicked my expression as we just watched her in questioning.
"Do you have water and a spray bottle?" She asked with the smirk still etched on her face.
"It so happens that I am one of the only wolves who wears perfume, but I don't see where you're
getting at with this. " I shuffled through my compartment for my old cologne and grabbed my bottle of
water from the cup holder.
She took them with a 'you'll see' glance, and I watched as she popped the head of the bottle off its
body, emptying the remaining contents and replaced it with water and the cursed plant.
She placed the top back on the bottle before roughly shaking it together. The diluted scent of the
perfume plus the now evident scent of the wolfsbane mixed in water made me gag in disgust. I eyed
her and the bottle skeptically as she held it out to me.
On the outside, it might've seemed hilarious looking at Valero and I. We both had a repulsive look on
our faces, and we were both leaning away from Clarissa as she held it out to us.
"What am I supposed to d-do with t-that?" I finally questioned, momentarily gagging as I asked.
"It will temporarily mask your scents until we find Niall. It will wear off in like an hour or two because it
isn't fermented and not mixed with the other binding agents, but it'll do" She told us casually.
"So let me get this straight.. This bottle of abomination will mask my scent until I find Niall, and it will
only wear off long after I find him and we are on our way back?"
"Assuming that all goes well, yes" She confirmed, and as much as I hated the wretched thing, I knew I
needed it.
Slowly, I collected the bottle from her, where I covered my mouth, eyes and nose with my hand, whilst
using the other to spray it all over my body. Any wolf knew that wolfsbane to the skin wasn't detrimental
like silver, but once it got into our system, it was over.
I held it out to Valero, but he just eyed it with even more contempt than when he looked at Clarissa.
"For Niall" I urged him in hopes to strike a nerve. Eventually, he sighed and collected the bottle from me
where he hesitantly sprayed it all over himself too.
"In and out quickly okay?" She met my eyes in search of agreement, and I quickly agreed and re-
started the car.
She walked ahead of us until we arrived at a huge wall with surprisingly nice gates. I could see that the
inside wasn't forested like the outside, almost like a mini society of their own.
Clarissa simply showed her face at the gate, mumbled a greeting, and we were home free. And Valero
thought she wouldn't be much help.
To say I was impressed by the inside was an understatement. For outcasts and runaways, the rogues
really outdid themselves with Rouge Burg.
An odd primitive feeling came over me when I thought about all the ruthless Alpha's who could find out
about their little safe haven, and aim to exterminate them. No wonder it was kept a secret. I would've
too kept it secret too.
"If anyone here knows where your mate is, it will be whoever is around the desk today. But remember
you can't just blow your cover. Act a little...roguish." Clarissa smirked as she talked to me at my car
window.
"So I just go in there and ask?" I raised my eyebrow in confusion. That seemed oddly too easy.
She simply nodded. "This is a safe haven after all. Even rogues have mates you know? And when they
happen to lose them, this is the first place they look. Same with split up families and friends..It's sorta
their job in there to help. But it's not always effective. Depending on the day and person, sometimes
you get nowhere. Some willingly help, some just don't care. We're rogues after all"
I bit my lip as I felt unsurity rise in me. What if Niall got himself in some shit and the minute I ask for
him, they take me too?
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