Page 51 of Chained By the Alpha (Claimed Duet #1)

Zayn’s silver eyes lock onto mine, searching, probing, before he exhales sharply, the tension uncoiling from his frame.

“Fine,” Zayn grunts. “But if he tries anything—”

“He won’t,” I interject quickly, giving the rogue an encouraging nod. “Will you?” The rogue man looks between us, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “No, Alpha… I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. We just needed help; our pack is starving.”

“Pack?” Zayn raises a skeptical eyebrow, his Alpha aura dominating the room.

“Other rogues, like me. I guess we aren’t a pack, but by remaining together we haven’t lost our minds, or I hope we haven’t, maybe we have? We aren’t like the other rogues.” Zayn watches him carefully, cautiously.

“Other rogues?” I repeat.

“Alpha Dane and Alpha Samuel, they got rogues doing their dirty work. They ordered the attack at that hotel Council meeting a couple of months back. We don’t associate with them; they’re not safe, they have mostly lost their humanity.”

Zayn’s jaw clenches, the mention of Alpha Samuel and Alpha Dane sparking a dark fire behind his eyes.

“Come on,” I tell the rogue man, leading him toward the kitchen, so I can make him something to eat.

I motion for the man to sit on the stool at the island and open the fridge, looking for something to make him.

I pull out ingredients for a sandwich. Zayn leans against the door watching me, his aura isn’t as angry and violent anymore, although I can tell he doesn’t trust the rogue at all, refusing to take his eyes off the man.

The rogue’s eyes dart around the kitchen, his posture tense, like a cornered animal.

His gaze settles on Zayn, and I can see the flicker of recognition in those haunted depths, a silent plea for some semblance of mercy.

I add layers of turkey and cheese, tomato slices, cucumber, lettuce - everything I can think of not knowing what he likes.

Maybe I should have asked if he has allergies, I think to myself.

Surely, he would have mentioned he was allergic to these things, since he is watching me.

Glancing at the man, he doesn’t seem comfortable around us, which I can’t blame him for when Zayn was only threatening to kill him moments ago.

When the sandwich is ready; I slide it across the counter to him, he hesitates for a second, so I grab him a bottle of water from the fridge, all while being very aware of Zayn’s eyes watching me.

His hands shake as he tries to open the bottle of water, taking huge gulps of it down like he hasn’t had anything in days.

“Thank you,” he mumbles around a mouthful of food, staring at his sandwich.

“Eat, we’ll talk after,” I tell him before feeling Zayn’s chest press to my back. The rogue’s eyes dart to him behind me when he speaks.

“Eat, I won’t hurt you,” Zayn tells him before pressing his lips to my shoulder. The man takes a bite, and eats slowly like he is savoring every bite.

“So, what’s your name?” I ask

“Blake,” he mumbles around food. “Cleo, right?” he asks before taking another bite.

“Correct,” I tell him

“How long since your last meal?” Zayn asks Blake.

“Three days,” he admits, and I chew my lip.

“So why did you agree? You had to know it was suicide?” Zayn coaxes out.

The rogue man swallows his food before answering, “Mitchel the Alpha’s Beta said our Alpha would take us back, that we could come home. I haven’t met him, but Mom didn’t want us to go, she said she won’t ever bow to him.”

“Him? You mean Alpha Joseph?” Zayn asks when I point to the other half of the sandwich, telling him to eat. He shakes his head. “I’ll save it for my sister,” he murmurs.

I look at Zayn, but he doesn’t comment about Blake’s sister. “You said you didn’t know who sent you?” Zayn states.

“I don’t, it was the first time I had seen the Alpha. I only know the Beta’s name because of Jamie,” he states.

“And Jamie accepted the deal? Where is Jamie?”

The man looks away. “Dead. Your Beta killed him when we were trying to escape.” Zayn points to the sandwich. “Eat, you’ll have food to take home,” Zayn tells him.

“Tell us about the other rogues, the ones you’re scared of,” Zayn demands, his voice a low rumble that resonates.

“We call them The Bandits,” the rogue murmurs, his voice hollow. “They come, killing our people, taking what little we have.” He shudders, the fear palpable in each word. “We’re not safe even from our kind.”

I feel a surge of pity for these outcasts, their eyes reflecting a mix of hope and dread as they watch us from a distance. Families huddle together, their children peering out with wide, curious eyes. I couldn’t imagine having to live like that.

“What else?” Zayn asks

The rogue swallows quickly. “They… they don’t take prisoners,” he rasps. “They’ve killed some of us. It’s a sort of warning—to stay in line or else.”

“Or else what?” Zayn prods, moving closer so his entire chest lines my back.

“Death isn’t the worst thing they threaten us with; they’ve taken a few of the women when we’ve refused them,” the rogue whispers, casting a wary glance at Cleo before returning his focus to Zayn.

“We live like ghosts; most of us are banished families clinging to the fringes of Nightshade City; the majority of us were from his pack or so mom says. I don’t remember not being rogue.

That Alpha… Joseph? He gave us an ultimatum; scare your pack or remain exiled forever. ”

“Banished? Why?” I ask, stepping forward with a creased brow, only Zayn tugs me back against him and I sigh. “You said you’re from my father’s pack?” I ask.

The man’s face drains of color, and he stumbles back a step, as if the very ground beneath him had shifted. “You’re… you’re the Alpha’s daughter?”

“Your father…” The rogue hesitates, his eyes widening as if he’d just pieced together a puzzle. “When his mate—your mother—was killed, he banished my mother for not submitting to him along with those who refused.”

“Submission is not loyalty,” Zayn growls. “It’s control, fear. That’s not how you lead a pack.”

“Wait,” I say, my voice quivering with a mix of anger and curiosity. “You knew my mother was killed. Why would my father banish you for not submitting?”

“Because we refused to be his pawns,” the rogue states, his own anger surfacing.

“Just like he’s using Alpha Dane and Samuel to manipulate the packs now.”

The rogue’s revelation hits me like a physical blow, my breath catching in my chest as I struggle to reconcile this new piece of the puzzle. Zayn’s grip on my shoulder tightens.

“Tell us more,” I demand, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you know about my mother’s death?”

The rogue man looks between Zayn and me, his eyes darting nervously, as if the truth he harbors is a dangerous secret itching to break free. “I only know what my mother told me; I had a head injury a few years ago, and lost all earlier memories.”

“What did your mother tell you, then?” Zayn asks, his curiosity now piqued.

“Her mother… she was a visionary,” he began, his voice a husky whisper. “She saw the potential for peace, for unity between packs. She and Alpha Greyson had been discussing a merger, one that would have strengthened both packs against enemies; my mother believed Greyson was her true mate.”

“Did your mother tell you anything about my father?” The question spills from my lips before I can stop it.

“Alpha Joseph,” He hesitates, swallowing hard.

“He didn’t take kindly to the idea. Said he was Alpha, and that if your mother wanted to leave he expected her to give up her pack for him and his new Luna; something about her owing him for something?

” the man asks, his brows creasing like he isn’t sure on the last part.

My heart races, pounding against my rib cage like a caged animal desperate for release. The implications are staggering. My mother’s death, the banishment of these rogues—how much of it was orchestrated by my own father? It now has me questioning if he had something to do with her death.

“Did he kill her?” The words tasted bitter on my tongue, I can feel Zayn’s silent growl vibrating through his chest, the sound feral and protective.

“No,” The rogue shakes his head, adamant yet somber.

“But when she died, he seized the chance to tighten his grip, to make sure no such union could threaten his rule again. That’s why we refused to submit—my mother was one of her warriors.

She also said those rogues killed her. The ones who attacked the city a couple of months back.

If you need information, you can meet her. ”

“You said they answer to Alpha Samuel?” I ask. The man nods, and I glance at Zayn, trying to make sense of this mess.

“Well then, I guess you need to take us back to your mother,” Zayn states.

“You won’t hurt them?” Blake asks.

Zayn shakes his head. “I’ll do one better, your rogues help me, I’ll help them,” Zayn offers and the man glances at me nervously.

“He’s telling the truth?” he asks, and I look at Zayn.

“His word is good,” I tell the man, and he nods slowly before pushing out his stool to stand.

“Okay, I will take you to them, but you can’t hurt them. We are mostly families there, women, children, the only men left were sent here, and your people killed most of us off,” he admits, his lips quivering.

“I’m not about to hurt women and children. I may be an asshole, but I’m not a monster,” Zayn tells him.