Page 47 of Fated to the Rogue

“Valentina,” I repeated, testing the way her name sounded on my tongue. A groan reverberated in my chest as I tried to hold it beneath my throat. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but I knew I should start with the one making my blood boil. “Why have you gone rogue?”

“I…uh…” Noticing how reluctant she was, I leaned forward on the desk, encouraging her to look at me. I didn’t want to startle her by touching her, but I hoped the reassurance in my eyes would be comforting enough. In the end, she sighed. “I was born an Omega with traitor blood. My parents were executed after trying to take down the Alpha. Because I was only four at the time, I was allowed to stay in the pack. Another Omega took me in and raised me. He was with me the first time I shifted, and when he saw my…peculiar wolf, he told me to lie and say I was wolfless. The pack was already not too fond of me because of my background, so he was afraid of what would happen if they found out about my male counterpart. I followed his advice, and when the Alpha asked me if I had shifted a week after my birthday, I told him I hadn’t. He told me I was useless without my wolf and banished me.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” By the end of her story, my heart was aching. This time, I couldn’t resist the urge to take her hand in mine. She stiffened, probably surprised by the electricity that erupted from our contact, but I soon felt her relax. “What pack were you from?”

“Silent Rivers.”

Her answer made my skin crawl. I was sure my eyes flickered black for a moment before I looked back at her. “So, Ryder forced you to go rogue,” I spat the name as if it was poison. “You might find some peace in knowing I defeated the bastard after hechallenged me and have given him the same punishment he gave you. Only, he deserved it.” I shook my head, trying to clear it of the rage I felt. “Either way, you’re safe now. Wind Howlers will be your new home.”

She suddenly pulled away, a shocked expression staining her beautiful face. I was afraid I had said something wrong, until she spoke again, “You’re letting me…stay?”

“Of course.” I furrowed my brows. Wasn’t it obvious? Then, my face fell as a consideration crossed my mind. I couldn’t hide the hurt in my voice as I whispered, “I mean, unless you don’t want to.”

“I do. It’s just… You’re an Alpha.” I cocked my head to the side, not fully understanding her statement. “I…I thought you wouldn’t want an Omega as your mate,” she clarified, lowering her head. Her insecurity broke my heart. “Let alone a freak like me.”

“Whoa. Hey.” I had to rise from my seat to get just a little bit closer to her. Stretching my arm, I let my fingertips gently touch her cheek. My heart skipped a bit when she closed her eyes, leaning into my hand until I was fully cupping the side of her face. “I don’t know what life was like at Silent Rivers, but here, members are treated equally regardless of their position. My Beta is a born Omega, for example. You’ll have a chance to meet him tomorrow when he returns from visiting his parents. I definitely don’t have a problem with you being my Luna either, especially when I know you were made for me.” Her eyes burst open to stare into mine as the honesty behind my words clearly stunned her. “And don’t ever call yourself that again. You’re not a freak, Valentina.”

“I am,” she insisted, her voice barely a whisper as she looked away. “Who else do you know that has an opposite-gender counterpart?”

“Me,” I replied without hesitation. My revelation caught her attention. “I know it’s late, and you must be tired, but…there’s something I need to talk to you about. Can you come outside with me for a moment?”

When she nodded, I led her downstairs, grabbing a robe from a box near the entrance before walking outside. There was no one in sight, probably because most wolves were already asleep. With a deep breath, I reluctantly let go of her hand, taking a few steps back.

“Dawn? You there?” I tried to reach out to my wolf. She hadn’t uttered a word since Valentina showed up, but I could still feel her presence in my mind. “I need you to come out.”

“You’ve figured it out already, haven’t you?”There was confusion in her voice, but also clarity. She could read my thoughts, so she knew what I was thinking. “She’s me, Zephyr. I have no doubt about it.”

“I just need to make sure she feels the same way.”

Dawn lowered her ears in understanding. I braced myself as I allowed her to come forward, and she hesitantly took control. The second our transformation was over, she opened her sunrise eyes; through them, I saw Valentina’s flabbergasted expression. For the first minute, the girl just stood there, frozen. Little by little, her courage built up, and she stepped closer to my she-wolf. Her hand slowly reached out to touch my counterpart’s forehead. She only made contact for a brief instant before pulling away with a terrified gasp.

“She’s…she’s me. B-but how?” Her voice was shaking just as much as she was.

I didn’t have to ask Dawn to give me back control; she knew she needed to retreat. I quickly put on the robe before approaching my petrified mate.

“I thought the same when I saw your wolf,” I revealed calmly.

Her eyes widened even more. “This is why you feel so familiar. This is why everything here looks so familiar.” She took 360 spin, analyzing her surroundings carefully. “I’ve visited this place before…in my visions.”

It was my turn to be surprised. “What visions?”

“I’ve been having this thing where… It’s like I’m daydreaming, but it feels so real. They took me here, and to a beautiful dandelion field…”

I grabbed both her shoulders, forcing her to look into my eyes. “When did they start?”

“About three weeks ago.” Around the time I first shifted.

“When did you say you turned eighteen again?” I had to ask.

“Uh…two weeks ago.” Around the timemyvisions started.

Could we have been seeing through each other’s eyes?

“Listen, Tina, this is gonna sound insane.” I tried to keep my voice low and calm, but that was hard when I was finally getting some answers for the first time in three weeks. “I think we have each other’s wolves.”

“W-what do you mean? How…how is that even possible?” Her eyebrows shot up in shock, although her tone wasn’t filled with confusion; it was filled with fear.

“A witch was sent here to shine a light on my situation. She said there’s a prophecy about two shifters having their wolves switched after birth.”

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