The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 117

Pellethia blinked for a second before she skipped over the formalities to the more pressing matter at hand, 'Aunt Lucy, Ella is here. In the castle. She said the next location the hybrids are planning to move to is most likely Bordure.'

Lucianne held her breath as Pellethia continued, 'She doesn't seem to be lying. And she's probably betraying the hybrids because the children are falling ill. She kept emphasizing the need to end this before any little ones die. Octavia and I are leaving for Bordure now. We're bringing Rafael, Amber and anyone else at our disposal. Aunt Lucy, should you see the hybrids first...please don't engage in battle until we get there!

A sudden howl echoed through the air, the kind of howl that wolves and lycans used to warn each other about an incoming attack. Lucianne's head turned to where the team of ten was sent where she saw the vigils, shifted wolves and lycans retreating.

When Lucianne noticed a few foreign faces, she ran towards them as she linked Pellethia as calmly as she could, 'Pelly, get here as soon as you can. We might be able to slow this down, but there's no doubt that the battle is starting soon!

Pellthia cursed before Lucianne ended the link as she growled in a way that made the new faces halt. Some of them even took a few steps back. She placed herself between them and her people, as did Xandar, Greg, Christian, Phelton and the alliance members, who stood by her side, claws already out.

Xandar's hand at Lucianne's abdomen made sure she didn't take another step further as they assessed the situation.

Lucianne linked the vigils by her side, 'Anyone familiar besides Rudolpho?'

'Not at the moment, Your Highness.'

Everyone couldn't help but take a slightly longer look at Rudolpho, who was scanning faces, undoubtedly looking for the only one that mattered to him.

Lucianne put his search to a stop when she said, "Kate isn't here."

Rudolpho was getting muttering questions which basically was, "Who's Kate?" It was surprising for all those on Lucianne's side to see Rudolpho mouth, "My contact."

Your contact? That was it? A few hybrids began asking him whether someone called Hilda knew about Kate, and what she thought about him having 'contact' with another female. They all knew he had a contact in wolf territory, but they assumed it was a man.

Alissa shook her head when she saw the traits of a cheater who had been caught red-handed. Lucianne and Greg locked a brief gaze when they too understood the game that had been played against Kate.

Lucianne felt sorry for Kate, but Greg's animal was scoffing at how Kate just got double-crossed after double-crossing Howard and betraying everyone who gave her a chance at redemption. ‘Karma at its finest,' the duke thought.

Saxum linked his people to get them to stop interrogating Rudolpho, and claimed that Rudolpho was given full authorization to do what he did. Although the hybrids obeyed their leader's command, their mental gears were still turning. Some even began linking Hilda in secret, only to find out that Rudolpho's partner of three decades had never heard of Kate.

The moment Saxum's eyes cleared, he was pulled into the penetrating gaze from a pair of black-and-lilac orbs. Lucianne asked, "Are you Saxum?"

Saxum registered Xandar's aura and then Lucianne's own before the leader noted, "You must be the queen."

He would've guessed who she was even without her aura announcing so since she truly was as beautiful as the rumors went. Even Saxum, who had seen so many females in his lifetime, had to admit that Lucianne's beauty was only second to Delancy's. It w as a pity that they were or opposite sides.

Lucianne got to the point, "We are not out to kill hybrids, neither are the rulers of vampire territory. End this. We can give you a place. You don't have to kill to secure yours or your people's safety."

Many were shocked by whatever they just heard. How did she know so much? Saxum connected the dots and linked it to the still-missing and unreachable Gerella. He scoffed darkly while everyone behind him started calling bullshit on whatever Lucianne just said, thinking that she was simply trying to see if they were naïve enough to fall into her trap.

Lucianne and those on her side knew for a fact that their opponents were going to attack soon, and Lucianne began to wonder whether her Authority would work on hybrids. They were technically half of the species that she could control. She was thankful that there weren't any children present...unless they were all already dead? The thought sent a surge of sadness into her heart.

Xandar retracted his claws and stroked her hand as he issued a low warning to the hybrid leader, "Whatever you've been told about a hybrid massacre, Saxum, there has to be a flip side of the coin that you don't know about. The empress was given a different set of facts. Ask your people to stand down and let's discuss this."

"Discuss?" Saxum uttered the word like it was a strange term to use when he scoffed darkly and said, "You think you can discuss a slaughter that happened before you existed?"

Xandar countered, "If you are right about what happened, you should consider the fact that we are not our ancestors. Just because our predecessors didn't treat your kind right, it doesn't mean we won't. We have nothing against hybrids. There is no need to challenge us to feel safe. The rogues you're collaborating with aren't worth the..."

Saxum's chuckles intending to humiliate Xandar cut him off mid-way, which made Lucianne's eyes flare with rage as she attempted to step forward, only to be pushed back by her overprotective husband. Those by the king's side took their positions, ready to charge. Saxum spoke, "For a king, I expected a little more...ferocity, if I were being honest."

Lucianne took over, "We have a separate term called 'cold-blooded' if that's what you mean, Saxum. And for a leader, I expected you to possess more common sense if I were being honest."

The leader's taunting sights turned into ones of fury when he glared at the petite queen. Before he could get a word in, Lucianne proceeded to say, "If you do this, what makes you better than the ones who you think killed your family?" Saxum noted with a cocky smirk, "I will win."

"No, you won't. At least not without a price." Although Lucianne looked confident on the outside, she was struggling to remain calm within, wondering how much longer she could delay the hybrids before Pellethia arrived.

What Lucianne said caught Saxum's attention, and his eyes showed that she had his full attention, so she continued, "You already know how we know so much. She came to us because she didn't want another hybrid to die from your expedition of trying to kill me. How many hybrids are you willing to sacrifice before calling it quits, Saxum? Is losing the creatures closest to you really worth all of this?"

Saxum swallowed a lump in his throat and bit his teeth to hold back the tears before he spat, "The one closest to me is already dead. I will fight this because I will not let her sacrifice be in vain."

"Did she sacrifice FOR the quest, or was she sacrificed BECAUSE of the quest, Saxum?"

This didn't just get Saxum thinking, it made every other hybrid grow contemplative.

Xandar stole a glance at his mate before keeping his eyes forward once more, thanking Goddess for spoiling him when she decided to bond him to this impeccable creature that was capable of influencing an entire population with nothing more than a few words. Saxum's train of thoughts were pulled to a stop when he looked at Lucianne with intense hate as he said, "You're playing with me. You're tricking me into surrendering."

Lucianne simply responded, "I do want you to surrender, Saxum. But none of what I said was trickery. Your own logic can tell you that whatever I said is the truth. This is going to cost lives. It's going to sacrifice not just my people but yours as well. Don't do this."

Chong started having second thoughts. Regina and their toddler were still at Neptune's warehouse because their child was too sick to travel. All the children were. Those who came to Bordure were just here to scout the site after Gerella expressed her skepticism, so not all of them came. They didn't expect to run into anyone.

Chong had been with Regina for almost a century before they were blessed with a child. He didn't want to leave without watching his little boy grow. He was confident about their plan at first, but now he wondered if what the queen said was true, that some of them really might end up dead. And it was odd to him that neither the queen nor king had used their Authorities on him, a pure-bred wolf, yet.

With much hesitance, he linked Saxum, 'What if they're right?'