I could see the gears turning in Nadia’s head, but she said nothing.
“There is a special name for us. We are not ordinary shifters, Nadia. It is best to tell you now. We are called rogues in our world. We are the rejected shifters, vampires, witches, and all. Rejected by our soulmates who didn’t want us. They chose another, and they get to live while our soul withers.”
Nadia’s face paled when she gasped.
“I know, right?” I scoffed. “And when that happens… we slowly die. We lose control of our animals. We can hurt people, so we have to hide them, tuck them away, can’t shift.”
Tears welled up in my mate’s eyes, and her lips quivered.
“Yeah.” I tried to hide the emotion of my past betrayal. I looked away from her and gazed out into the forest. I didn’t want Nadia to pity me for my past. I wanted her to be happy that she was here with me now.
My mate shook my arm for me to continue when I was silent for too long. It was just so hard to form the right words for what I was about to say.
Nadia mouths Hawke’s name.
“He’s got Delilah.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Oh right, Delilah and Hawke.” I cleared my throat. “And we weren’t supposed to have a second chance. We were just supposed to die, and many did. But Hawke and Delilah are mates. That is why they are together.”
“How?” Nadia whispered excitedly. Her eyes shone with such curiosity.
I smiled, seeing how worked up my mate was getting and that she spoke. My claws broke free and lengthened. She gasped, seeing them over her thighs, and traced them with her finger.
“Journey, the one with the crescent moon on her head”—I tapped on my forehead—“came along. She was a human that prayed to the Moon Goddess. She’s the goddess that matches souls to the supernaturals of our world and got her to help the rogues.”
Nadia hummed and continued to stare down at the cabins and houses below.
“No one wants to stay in the Iron Fang bar forever. They want to have their own homes, their own places to live. It’s no way to have a family.” I shook my head. “We’re part animal, demon, fae—we are best in nature. Once we have that part of ourselves back, we want to stay deeper into nature.”
Nadia motioned for paper. I reached over to the coffee table and handed it to her.
Everyone will get a mate now then?She wrote.
“Yes, hopefully. If they aren’t too far gone.” I sighed. “Sometimes we have had to put members down because they have gone rabid. That means their animal takes over, and the human part of themselves is gone.” I scratched my beard. “We stay together as a pack or club to help each other out. Being in a group seems to slow down the process of going rabid. Locke is our acting alpha or president. However, he isn’t doing very well these days.”
My mate frowned.
How is your grizzly? Will he go rabid soon?She gazed up at me with a worried look.
I shook my head and rubbed my hand through her hair. “No, mine is getting stronger now. I don’t think I will have any troubles from now on.”
Nadia blinked, tilting her head.Why?
Her stomach growled at that moment, and I took that as a sign that we should cease our questions for the day.
“Let’s feed you first, and we can come back to questions, hmm?”
Nadia narrowed her eyes and pointed back at the paper. I smirked and playfully growled at her and set her on the floor.
“Later, come on, little bee, it’s time to feed you.”
Nadia raised a brow.
“Because you are small but mighty. You hit Shane where it hurt him the most, a powerful sting to the heart.”
My mate’s lip curled. “Just so you know, a bee’s sting will not penetrate a bear’s skin,” I joked. She playfully punched me in my chest and jumped off my lap.
I watched her walk away and bit my lip as I stood.
