Alpha Loren novel Chapter 244

December 19th - six months before Cato becomes Alpha

Leo's point of view

It was past midnight, and the forest was deadly dark. Thick clouds covered the moon, but I had the gravelly snarls of my men and the wretched stench of rogues to follow. As rain fell, I pulled my hood over my head, but the water soaked through, oozing into my clothes and sticking to my skin.

"Alpha," Blair said as I emerged from the forest.

A circle of my men in wolf form surrounded six strangers. Their hair was matted, their clothes ripped, and each one shook as my men snarled and growled.

"They were found crossing the Northern border," Blair said, standing next to me and folding his arms, "Rogues for sure."

Terror gripped their faces as rain streamed down their foreheads, dripping from their noses and running over their lips.

What a miserable way to die.

"Bring one to me."

Blair stepped through the circle of Stella soldiers and dragged a woman to her feet. Her hands were bound and her wet hair clung flat on her head. As Blair forced her down in front of me, her knees sunk into the saturated earth and her head dropped low, not daring to look at me.

"Why are you on my territory?"

Her lip quivered as she searched for words. I rolled my eyes and crouched.

"If you can't give me a good reason, I will kill all of you. Spit it out."

"We didn't mean to cross the border. We didn't know."

Her face paled and her heart raced. I narrowed my eyes before standing.

"Search her," I said to Blair.

He delved his hands into her pockets and patted her down before handing me a knife, paper with scrawled writing, and a pouch of herbs.

I ran my finger along the jagged blade of the knife, "Can I assume you aren't carrying this to skin rabbits?"

She kept her eyes fixated on the floor.