Page 55 of Fated to the Rogue

“Youthink?” she growled. “You don’t even know the number?!”

“Was I supposed to be counting?” I yelled back in a terrible attempt of defending myself, which only made me sound like more of an idiot. Why couldn’t I keep my damn mouth shut?

“Unbelievable!” She shoved both hands against my chest, pushing me off her. Before I could protest, she used her werewolf speed to get up, wasting no time to fetch her clothes from one of the branches. “You might look like Dusk, but you’re nothing like each other. He’s sweet, and caring; definitely not a manwhore like you!” Her words shot like an arrow going through my heart, tearing it apart.

“Wait, Tina!” I tried, but it was useless. She was already gone.

And I was left alone, lying naked in the dandelion fields like the fool I was.

“I told you she’d get mad,” Dawn kindly reminded me.

Shit! How do I even fix this?

Interlude IV

Valentina

Icould still remember the heavy rain on the night of my first shift. It was hard to tell the difference between the roaring thunder and the drum beating inside my chest as panic overtook me. I had never been more scared than at the moment I discovered the truth about my counterpart’s identity. A girl tied to a male wolf… I felt like an aberration.

Even then, Dusk vowed to protect me.

Despite our incomprehensible gender difference, a situation unheard of in the werewolf world, we had always gotten along well. With his size and strength, he was a menace; an unstoppable beast. It had been terrifying to watch him tear the rogues we came across to shreds. However, even when his dark fur was covered in blood, the way his eyes melted into a serene shade of lilac-blue made me feel safe. To my enemies, he was a demon, but with me, he was an angel. He never showed interest in any other females. To him, I was his world.

When my so-called mate revealed the truth about his manwhore ways, there was only one thought inside my head: if he and my wolf were supposed to be the same, how could they be so different?

As I made my way back to the village in the quiet of the night, I had to fight back the tears already misting my eyes. Not at all out of sadness, just seething anger. Ever since my mother and father were executed for treason, I swore to myself that I would never cry again, as I thought nothing could be more heartbreaking than losing your parents. I was kicked around a lot in my miserable pack growing up, but Vincent had taught me to keep my head high and ignore the things that were out of my control. Yet here I was, pathetically struggling to keep a straight face because of the poor decisions made by a man I had just met.

Good job, Zephyr Wyndham - you were the first one who managed to get to me.

“I’m so sorry,” Dusk kept whining on repeat inside my head, a mix of regret, despair, and anger in his voice. “If it’s true… If I really am Zephyr’s counterpart, it means his actions are my own. I’m sorry for what he’s done. I never wanted to hurt you, Tina. I’m so sorry. If I had been with him instead, I would’ve stopped him.”

“Whatever craziness is going on between our four souls, I don’t blame you, Dusk. Whether you’re his wolf or not, he made his own choices,” I reassured him. “Besides, I’m grateful for having you as my counterpart.”

“I’m the reason why your life has turned into a living hell,” he whispered, lowering his ears in shame. “You had no other choice but to hide because of me. The lies you had to tell forced you to leave your home and go rogue.”

“They hated me even before you came along. Silent Rivers was never my home,” I insisted. “Sooner or later, they would’ve found a reason to banish me. It’s because of you that I survived.”

“You never needed me for that.” For a moment, his sorrow was gone as a proud smile played on his lips. “You’re strongerthan you know, Tina. You were bound to blossom into the Alpha you were always meant to be.”

His words confused me. “Don’t you mean Luna?” But before he could reply, our conversation was interrupted.

“Tina, wait!” The voice that usually sent tingles through my body now made my skin crawl. The Alpha must have used his werewolf speed to get to me, because I didn’t notice him approaching me until he wrapped his fist around my wrist. “Where are you going?”

“That’s none of your business!” I Immediately struggled away from his grasp. I could feel his pain at my rejection even without looking at him. Stupid mate bond.

“Please, go back to our room. I won’t stay there if you don’t want me to, I just… I just don’t want you to feel like you don’t have anywhere to go, especially when I was the one who hurt you.” The truth in his words soothed my heart, but the anger boiling inside of me still spoke louder.

“I don’t need your damn pity!” I growled at him with a boldness I didn’t know I had; Dusk’s fury was probably mixing with my own. “And I might be an orphan, but I do have a place to go,” I concluded before turning away. This time, he didn’t dare say anything else.

When I couldn’t hear his footsteps behind me anymore, I assumed he had finally stopped following me. It took me a few more minutes to get to my destination - a small wooden cottage located a little further away from the town square. By the time the older man opened the door, I was shaking.

“Tina?” Vincent’s tone was filled with concern as his eyes landed on me, taking in my poor condition. He didn’t hesitate to move out of the way, inviting me in. “What happened? Where’s your ma- the Alpha?”

“I couldn’t care less,” I spat, heading straight to one of the chairs around the small table placed in the center of the combined kitchen and living room.

“Has he…hurt you?” he murmured fearfully, carefully closing the door behind him. Considering how our former Alpha treated Omegas, I could understand his worry.

“Not in the way you’re thinking.” A heavy sigh broke through my parted lips. I crossed my arms over the table, leaning forward a little as I supported my own weight. “I’m just disappointed. He’s not who I thought he was.”

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