Arise

Two and a half weeks. Ten days. That’s how long it took me to get over Logan Miller.

Caleb had his men search the entire state, my home state, and neighboring packs and the response was all the same. There had been no sights of Logan or any rogue activity since he left. It was like he disappeared. Vanished into thin air, leaving without a trace.

I refused to let him haunt my thoughts anymore.

But even when I trained, the thoughts and memories of Logan would flood my mind. It fueled my anger. It made me work harder, train harder. It made me stronger. And with all of this in mind, I wanted to go home. I missed my friends, my job, and my family. Now that Logan was gone, there was no point in me staying here, but I couldn’t leave. Whoever targeted Logan would soon come after me, especially if I left.

Stronger or not, my best bet for safety was to remain in the pack.

My time was divided. I went to work with Johnson five days a week, and sometimes I would help CeCe with the pups or help around the kitchen. With the position as Beta open, Caleb allowed me to help in any way I could. With my knowledge of the law, I helped in a lot of ways. The local school even let me substitute teach history. Two weeks quickly turned into two months.

Currently, I was leaving Johnson’s and heading straight to Caleb’s office. He had called me for an emergency. I walked down the steps, holding onto the railing. My heels clattered loud against the cement as I made my way to the car. The only good thing about Logan leaving was that he left his car, and I took full advantage of it.

Turning on the ignition, I left the parking lot and headed over to the pack house. Once inside, I greeted people until I reached the elevator, taking it to the basement where the Vault laid. The Vault resided inside Caleb’s office behind the bookshelf.

Pulling my skirt down, I knocked on the door twice before opening it.

“You wanted to see me.” I popped my head through the door. Caleb was standing behind his desk, his back to me staring at a map on the wall. He nodded at me and gestured with his hand for me to enter. Once inside, I realized just how many people were here. Val was beside Caleb with his parents next to her. Shaw was on the couch next to his father who was idly chatting with CeCe and Travis on her other side. Sebastian was in the corner talking to people I didn’t recognize. I tilted my head in confusion. I had never seen this office filled with so many people. “Is something wrong?”

Caleb turned around and placed his hands on his desk, leaning forward. “We have a problem.” He turned back around and pointed to certain areas on the map. “We’ve been hearing of a lot of rogue activity in these regions and territories.”

My heart thudded. I stepped closer to the map. “What kind of activity?”

Caleb’s father spoke. “Some packs have said they’ve seen a couple rogues standing right outside their border just watching, while other packs are saying the rogues are causing small scenes.”

I rubbed my neck. It was getting harder to breath. “Is he with them?” I didn’t dare say his name.

He shook his head. “No.”

Caleb interceded. “But Val figured something out.”

I shifted my gaze to Val. She started to mark points on the map. I moved even closer for a better look. “These are the packs that have reported rogue sightings.” She circled each area and connected them with arrows using black marker. “What do you see?”

“An oval.”

She dotted a couple other areas. “These towns around the pack have recently had an uptake in robberies.” She then put a circle around a territory. “This is our pack. What do you see now?”

I sighed, rubbing my neck. If the dots connect, it would form an X with us in the middle. “An infinity sign.”

Caleb said, “Some rogues tend to stay to themselves, but there’s always a desire to be in a pack. Those who want that group up. They can’t form an official pack or bond but they stay together. Strength in numbers.”

“Do they have a name?”

“A group of rogues is named after what they do.” He started naming them off his hand. “Resistance, Rebellion, Dissent, Insurgent to name a few in the country.” He tapped the map. “This particular group is called Defiance. The infinity sign is their insignia. They tag packs like this as a warning. Every pack in the state has been trying to track them down for the past decade.”

“By the looks of it, they want to scare us,” I said.

“They’ve done so already,” I turned to hear Shaw’s father. “Border patrol spotted a lone wolf prowling near the farm. Her parents had three unexpected visitors last night.”

My eyes widened. That’s why CeCe was here. The rogues were near her parents.

“Are they okay?”

CeCe answered but her voice was hoarse. “They’re fine. Patrol scared it off. They don’t want to leave the farm unattended, but I know that mutt will be back with its friends.” She put her head in her hands. Her body started to shake. “I need to go there but none of them will let me go.”

“You’re safer here with your mate.” Shaw’s father made soothing circles on her back.

“The safety of my parents comes before mine. I know how to protect them.”

“You’re needed here.” Shaw’s father reasoned.

“No. I am not.” Her voice hardened.

“You are staying here. End of discussion.” It was Shaw who spoke. CeCe glared at him with a look that could have buried him six feet under before turning away. To Travis. Leaning her head on his shoulder, sniffing.

“I’ve stationed guards strategically around the farm. Your parents are safe.” Caleb lifted an envelope off his desk. “But that’s not the main reason I gathered you all here.” He held it out for me to take.

I contained my gasp to be inaudible. Just by looking at the handwriting on the envelope I knew who it was from. I reached for it slowly and blinked when I saw what was written. In absolutely poor penmanship was the word Doll. My head felt lightheaded.

My hands started to tremor as I ripped the flap open. The last time I opened an envelope, it had started a huge downward spiral. In it was a photograph. The photo was of the two of us smiling side by side at the wedding. I turned it over.

Don’t look for me, doll. I’m trying to protect you. I’m so sorry.

Hey guys! I haven't talk to you guys at all and I really should. Thank you for reading my story! I am new here and it means a lot to see so many people reading it. I really hope you've enjoyed it thus far and continue to do so.

Over 500 reads! It's incredible! Thank you all so much for taking an interest!

I will be posting one more chapter tomorrow and then I will be going on a short hiatus. Finals are in two weeks and I need to hunker down and get my life together. And as soon as that is over, I will be back with more!

-Gemini