Free Betrayed: Days of the Rogue by Nicky Charles

if
expecting him to attack. It stared at him, then glanced around
before slipping away into the shadows. “Yeah, we’re two of kind,”
he murmured. “Never let your guard down, never trust anyone.”
    Taking his cue from the cat, he
studied his surroundings intently. He was off the main street now
but that didn’t necessarily mean there weren’t Trackers around;
they knew ways to hide their presence. And after over a year and
half on the run, his luck was due to run out. Had someone been
plotting his movements and realized he’d end up here? It was
possible.
    He thought about the werewolf he’d
scented earlier. This was supposed to be an unclaimed territory.
Had they planted someone in the area in the hopes of luring him
into a trap? Cross and double-cross, wasn’t that how Lycan Link
worked?
    A growl rumbled in his throat as
his wolf considered the idea. Lycan Link is the source of our
sorrow. If we hadn’t worked for them, our mate would still be
alive .
    He gave his head a shake. His wolf
hadn’t spoken in weeks. It almost felt…odd…to hear another voice in
his head. Was the animal correct? Would things have worked out
differently if he’d never worked for Lycan Link? Or was he being
paranoid, jumping to conclusions that had no basis in reality?
There were times when his whole life seemed surreal, as if he were
watching a movie playing out before him. Months and months of being
alone were chipping away at his sanity, yet there was no other
option. The path he’d chosen was set.
    Giving the persistent ache in his
right leg a rub, he headed out of town.

Chapter 5

    Rafe paced in front of the cabin
he’d rented to Eve. He gave no notice to the way the sun shimmered
on the calm surface of the nearby lake or how the fresh spring
grass was dotted with a few early violets. The chirping of birds in
the nearby trees and the delicate buds that housed as yet unfurled
leaves held no interest to him either.
    The woman wasn’t there, after he’d
expressly told her to stay inside until the wolf issue had been
dealt with. He’d been in the shower when she’d called this morning,
having spent the night patrolling the countryside looking for
further signs of the rogue. Annette had sent him a short list of
possible lone wolves in the area, with the promise of a more
complete one when she got to work on Monday.
    None were deemed particularly
dangerous so he’d set out to try and make contact. Of course, after
hours of searching all he’d found was an empty den. If the creature
wasn’t consistently living rough, it gave some hope that it wasn’t
too far gone. He’d been thinking that he could safely grab a few
hours of rest before checking on his tenant when he’d noticed the
missed call. Unfortunately, Eve hadn’t left a message and when he
tried to return the call she hadn’t answered.
    A wave of worry had washed over
him—likely ill-founded and needless—but there just the same. Why
had she phoned, and why hadn’t she answered when he’d returned her
call? Had he made an error in judgement? Was the rogue more
dangerous than the reports indicated?
    He’d flashed back to his last case;
the partially rehabilitated rogue unexpectedly shifting and
attacking him and his assistant. The girl’s terrified cries, his
own shift to defend her; the pain as the wolf had ripped at his
flesh before he’d subdued it.
    Fear that history was repeating
itself—that the rogue had been breaking into the cabin while Eve
placed a tearful distress call—had immediately come to his sleep
deprived mind.
    Without thinking, he’d shifted
forms and raced cross-country to her cabin, pounding on her door
and calling her name. When she failed to respond, he’d checked the
windows for signs of a break-in, and then had done a frantic search
of the immediate area. The only scent was Eve’s and—once he forced
himself to calm down—he realized her car was missing. Relief that
she was all right was quickly followed by exasperation that