Chapter 4 Rogue Against Rogue

• I was immediately on both feet and unsheathed my claws.
• I growled at him as I stepped backward—narrowly escaping the sharp swipe he intended for my right shoulder.
• The forest was thick with shadows, the scent of pine and damp earth clinging to the air as I sprinted through the underbrush. Moonlight struggled to pierce the canopy, but my keen senses guided me through the gnarled branches and twisted roots. As the daughter of the Alpha, a proud and fierce one, I will never back down from a fight.
• But I can hide.
• And hiding is the best move to keep me alive tonight. I’m not really that trained in combat so I wouldn’t dare fight that feral Rogue with maneuvers that I barely mastered nor theories that I’m not sure would really knock him down and defeat him.
• I peeked behind me. The Rogue was relentless, his feral growls echoing through the cluster of trees nearby.
• “Where are you, Princess?” He purred, calling my name in the most malicious manner I ever heard.
• His back was behind me, larger than my brother. He turned around my direction. I ducked. His amber eyes gleamed with wild fury just like the stories my brother, Rowan told me: Rogues are unpredictable, untethered by pack law, and dangerous to all who crossed their paths.
• And here I am: face to face with one of them. Perhaps one of the fiercest of them given his size—
• “There you are.” He grabbed my wrist and pinned me on the earth. I struggled beneath him with a shrill.
• “No, I’m not!” My forehead collided with his that made stars dance in my vision. I rolled beneath him. Jumping in both feet and steadying my body, I bared my teeth, claws glinting against the silver moon.
• “Come here, you foul beast!” I gathered my fists and attempted to punch him in the jaw.
• He dodged it. But as soon as he lowered his body, I threw a flying kick to his crotch.
• The Rogue groaned, falling face first on the dirt.
• But the kick caused me to slip and I almost hit my head on the rock when I willed myself to land in the row of brambles and thorny roses instead.
• The fall there wasn’t too fatal but it still hurt as fuck. The thorns scraped my hand, my arms, my face. It tore my clothes as I attempted to stand, and even resulted in drops of blood from my abdomen.
• I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain, stepping out from the thorns and brambles.
• Just as the Rogue was about to get up, we both shifted to our wolf forms.
• I snarled as claws slashed through fur, teeth snapped dangerously close to our throats. I leaped back from him and landed on a nearby boulder on my paws, my wolf licking her teeth stained with blood. I can hear my heart pounding; I can feel my adrenaline surging through my veins.
• The Rogue, with his brownish-black fur sprayed with his own blood, growls at me as he realizes he was caught in those same brambles and thorns I was in earlier.
• I shifted back to human form, chest puffed out in victory. “You lost.”
• The Rogue shifted in his human form too. He growled once, letting all the anger shatter his ears.
• But then he laughed.
• His laughter was soft at first. Then it becomes louder, rising into an eerily sound. I prowled closer, making sure he’s really wounded.
• It happened so fast that I didn’t had time to blink—
• He kicked me in the stomach.
• My back thudded in a groan that I vividly heard the breaking of bones, an explosion of pain that rendered me immobile. I faced the sky as I struggled to breathe. I can’t even move my fingers, only my eyes.
• I heard the Rogue escaping from the sharp thorns and strode slowly towards me, relishing every step as if he’s walking into his summit of victory.
• This Rogue is definitely not an easy bastard to deal with. He’s cunning, and very strong.
• My breath hitched, my legs wobbling. He towered over me like Death given form. I feel my neck slicked with blood. I think my whole body is.
• “Any last words, princess?”
• And then I screamed. Really screamed. Louder than I ever did.
• With his figure looming before me, teeth bared in a savage snarl, I didn’t hesitate to show him it’s not the end of my fight. But my body betrayed me.
• This couldn’t be the end. Not here, not like this. I wouldn’t die today—
• I closed my eyes, sending mind-links to my brother and father as I waited for the Rogue to lunge his killing blow.
• “If you’re so brave, Rogue, then kill me with your bare hands. Do not shift or use a stone,” I side-glanced the huge stone between us. “Kill me with your hands alone.”
• A dark chuckle, and then, “Of course. I can do you with my own hands—”
• Movements on my side distracted both of us, the blur of motion shattering the scene.
• He was another Rogue—sleek, powerful, and fast—who collided with the Rogue that was supposed to end my life. I can tell what he was because of his scent. And because of his ragged look that seemed to wander anywhere the moon guides them.
• The Rogue that attacked me hissed at my savior, facing him in a fighting stance that he’s sure will knock down my savior in a blink.
• My savior filled the forest with his howl. He shifted into his human form, and his snarl even set the hairs on my arms to its tip.
• “Uhm—”
• They clashed, even before I could say more. Teeth and claws and punches thrown at one another against the dim.
• My vision started to blur, but I forced myself to stand up and rise to my feet.
• As I whipped my head to the two Rogues, I realized that my savior really meant to protect me and drove the Rogue out from our sights. I can even see in his eyes and the way his body moves that he’s willing to punch him in the throat and bury him beneath one of the trees.
• As I was on my both feet, I didn’t wait for either of them to turn around at me.
• I ran away—back to the Moonbeam Pack even if I’m no longer sure which path to take.