Chapter 48: Ayla
After taking care of me, I coaxed Theo to join me in the bath, where we took care of each other before collapsing in the half–filled tub. I looked over the edge and laughed, realizing we had flooded the bathroom. But I couldn’t be bothered to care.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Time to go,” Theo sighed. “Are you feeling better?”
I nodded with a smile. “That was just what I needed.”
“Good,” he said, nuzzling my n*eck. “You had me worried earlier.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I was just in a bad mood.”
“Regardless, we’re taking some things off your plate,” he said. “After tonight, no more worrying about rogues or the Waar Pak.”
“Alright,” I replied. “I’ll try. I can’t make any promises about the worrying part, but I can take a step back for a while. As long as you promise to keep me updated.”
“Wouldn’t dream of keeping anything from you,” he insisted, k*ssing my temple.
We moved to get out of the bath. I had put towels down on the floor so we wouldn’t sl*p. We quickly got dressed and headed out of the apartment hand–in–hand. It was comforting. I did feel calmer and more collected now that we had a plan. I didn’t feel like I was letting everyone down anymore.
Kingsto
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with him this time, though. I had talked to him that morning, and he said Gamma Luis would help Jimmy with his Waar Pak project. Luis had been working alongside Kingston in tracking them down the last few months, so he had a good idea of what to look for.
We made our way to the cellar and down to the cell. I stopped in to say hello to Denny and ensure he was being treated well. We planned to move him somewhere else later, but settling everything would take a week or two. Plus, we wanted to ch*ck his intel first. Not that we thought he was lying. He wouldn’t be able to while I was commanding him, especially not with Theo’s and Kingston’s Alpha energies also in the room. But we wanted to ensure it was usable and still protect him.
When I was done speaking with him, I prepared myself for the next interrogation. As we went over touching points, Theo’s cousin Will joined us.
“Luna, it’s good to see you again,” he said to me with a smile after making introductions.
“It’s good to see you, too,” I said, giving him a hug. “Although, you really need to stop making a habit of showing up at times like these. I‘ m sure Beth would appreciate a more social visit.”
“I’ll be sure to make that happen soon,” he chuckled.
“So, what do we know about this one?” Kingston spoke up, moving things along.
“The guards said he’s been more difficult,” Theo said. “At first, he was aggressive, but after a few days, when he realized there was no escaping, he became less violent but still belligerent — throwing food, tearing apart the cell, purposely injuring himself to the point he was nearly always restrained, etc. Apparently, he must be able to sense when we come down because it’s the only time he’s quiet.”
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I didn’t know why, but that made me feel a little uneasy.
“They said that to me, too,” Will said. “However, it must only be with you guys because he was a right asshole when I paid him a visit.”
“Did you get anything out of him?” Theo asked.
“Not really,” he said. “Just some ramblings about a rogue pack taking what’s owed to them.”
“That must be what Grogan is promising them,” Kingston said. “He’s convinced them they can create their own pack if they push us out far enough.”
“Sounds like it,” Will confirmed.
“Well, that’s a good place to start, then,” I said. “And you think he’s under the command like Denny was?”
Will nodded.
“Alright, then, let’s get this over with,” I said.
We walked into the cell and the stench was overwhelming. He had also been refusing to clean himself as well as neglecting to use the toilet in the corner of the cell. But it was more than that. The bodily odors were nearly drowned out by the pungent odor of a rogue.
Denny’s scent hadn’t had the same intensity as this. I had to swallow the bile that threatened to come up with whatever contents were in my stomach. I glanced at Theo and Kingston. They weren’t impressed by the smell either, but it didn’t seem to bother them the same way.
Finally, I took in the man in front of me,
He was chained to the chair like Denny had been. He was older than
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Denny, with dark brown hair that was greying along the sides and a filthy beard. He was bigger, too. Both taller and wider. I wasn’t surprised he was able to terrorize the other rogues. The various scars that were visible were a testament to the battles he had picked and
won.
He was looking at the floor, refusing to acknowledge our presence. Theo set another chair that had been brought in a few feet away from him for me to sit in. This time, Theo stayed right by my side while Kingston instinctively moved behind him. They sensed something off about him, too.
He finally looked up at me. His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly masked his expression. Instead, he started laughing.
It was a sinister, maniacal laugh. I suppressed a shiver as my skin began to crawl. I waited until he slowly fell silent again. I wanted to see if he would start talking first, but I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. The smell was getting to be too much to handle.
“It’s Lloyd, isn’t it?” I finally asked.
The corner of his l*p twitched. “I knew that little runt would squeal. It’s a wonder the weakling survived so long as a rogue.”
“Whereas you seem perfectly suited to the title,” I replied. “I can’t imagine you being anything else.”
