Page 4 of Rogue If You Want To (Fur-Ever Mountain Pack #2)

OTTO

I should’ve suspected immediately that he was up to no good, but I didn’t. Instead, I accepted it as the gift I thought it was. What a fool I’d been.

It was my day off from “pack duties.” Father was careful not to give us too many breaks. He said they led to laziness and that when one of us took over the pack, we’d have no days off. This month I was granted three, which was pretty good. Usually, one every couple of weeks was considered great.

“Where are you off to today?” Lutris asked as I was slipping on my shoes at the front door of the Alpha house.

I had a pile of books in my hand. It was pretty obvious, but still, I answered, careful to keep all sarcasm at bay. He’d been nice to me, after all.

“Heading to the library. Gonna swap some of these out, pick up my hold, and attend a local author meet-and-greet. Why?”

I went to the library every couple of weeks. I didn’t love going into the land of the humans. I always felt awkward and like I didn’t know how to act. But I loved books, and this author was one I’d read a few books from, so why not?

“Excellent.” Lutris opened the door for me. “Text me when you’re done and we’ll go get coffee.”

“Coffee? Can’t we just have coffee here?”

He shook his head and pulled out his phone. He tapped away and turned it to me, on the screen was an advertisement for a new coffee place that had cinnamon rolls the size of dinner plates.

“They remind me of the ones Grams used to make us,” he said.

He was right. They did, and I already wanted one… or five.

“Deal. I’ll let you know. I’m probably gonna be at least a couple hours, though.”

“Sounds like a plan.” His smile never reached his eyes, and I should’ve taken it as the warning it was.

I didn’t.

Instead, I went to the library, switched the books, listened to the author who was there to speak, and then stayed for a session about upcoming events where we could sign up for ones that had limited space.

It was a great afternoon, and on my way out, I texted my brother and then headed over to the coffee shop.

He wasn’t there. I waited five minutes. Then ten. And at twenty I texted him. Where are you?

In reply, he sent me a picture of my favorite place. It was along the river, just as it curved, where it was peaceful and calm and as close as I could envision life with the goddess might be like.

It was outside our territory, a nature preserve owned by the humans, but there was something about it I just loved.

Maybe it was the lack of having some sort of responsibility attached to me, which was always the case when I was on pack lands.

And maybe it was the gentle current at the river’s bend that was so much fun to swim in.

But I’d been going there for years, usually alone.

My brother had only come with me once, and I was surprised he even remembered it.

I grabbed a couple cinnamon buns, leaving the coffee there. The menu was overwhelming, and my brother and I didn’t tend to go for fancy drinks.

The car smelled delicious as I drove the short distance to meet Lutris. He must’ve been there longer than I realized, his otter swimming in the river, and by the looks of it, having a good time.

“We should eat before the bugs get these.” I held up the box as exhibit A.

I sat on the river’s edge, bakery box in my hand, and he dove under the water. So much for listening to me. That was more like the twin I knew.

“Fine, I’ll eat this on my own.” Probably not. The two buns filled nearly the entirety of the bakery box.

I should’ve been paying attention to my surroundings instead of focusing on unpacking our afternoon sweets, because the next thing I knew, there was a slash in my back. The searing pain had me dropping the box. The wound felt huge, like it was done by a dinosaur and not a local animal.

It took all I had to twist around, to look for who or what had done it, but they were already gone.

I scented the air… Nothing. But not the normal nothing of not being able to scent what creature it was. I scented absolutely nothing. Not the grass, not the cinnamon roll, not even my blood.

My scent was gone.

“Fuck.” I somehow managed to stand… barely. “Lutris, come on, we have to go. We’re in danger.”

I went to run for the car and was tackled to the ground, another slash going through my chest. Only this time I saw the shifter attacking me.

It was a bear. A fucking bear. What could he possibly want with an otter?

I quickly discovered when my brother’s voice boomed through the forest. “Don’t kill him. I need to mark him first.”

“Lutris?” My voice cracked, barely audible. “Why?”

My brother had never been up for best brother of the year nominations, but this… this was…

“You know why,” he seethed.

Lutris was now hovering over me, disdain pouring off of him. I might not have been able to scent his anger, but it was hitting me in waves. Was he trying to take over our pack using bears? How could that possibly end well?

“Can’t have me be the one to kill you, can I?”

Another slash, this time down my thigh. I tried to shift, but I couldn’t. Whatever was blocking my scent was preventing it. I reached for my otter. He was gone. I tried again… nothing.

This was no spontaneous action. My brother had planned this out well. How could we be so different? I was actively trying to save us both while he was gleefully trying to end my life. Sharing a womb meant nothing to him. Only the fact that I might stand in the way of him gaining power.

I wanted us both to walk away with what we wanted, but instead, this was how it was gonna end. Me at my favorite place, being sabotaged by my brother, my own fucking twin, for what? Power. Power he thought he was taking from me. Power I never wanted.

“I always planned to let you be Alpha,” I told him as the darkness started to come, “I’m an omega, what would make you think I want that?”

And right before it did, he said the words of our pack, the ones that made me rogue.

“Can’t have any shifters stumbling upon you and trying to save you, can we,” he cackled.

And then the pain, the pain that came from him marking me as discarded trash, seeped through me. It was a thousand times worse than anything from that bear.

This was my brother.

My own twin was doing this to me. And he was making sure I suffered beyond understanding, not even letting me go quickly. No, he was making me die a slow death, with no hope of assistance.

He was leaving me to die.

The last thing I heard him say was, “I’ve got new plates for you. Here are the keys. And don’t forget this bakery shit and his phone.”

Not even a good bye or I’m sorry, bro. He was settling his deal with the bear. Did he trade my life for my car?

If some human found me, they’d never know how I got here or why I was here in the first place. They’d probably assume I was just out for a stroll or some shit and a wild animal attacked me. And if it was a shifter, they would assume I deserved it and move along.

There had to be some way out of this. I refused to believe this was the end of me. But before I could even think of a possible answer, everything went black.

The goddess was coming for me.

My head!

My head was pounding like someone was smacking it over and over again with a two-by-four.

I tried to move.

I couldn’t move. Was this what happened if you displeased the goddess? Was this where you went… a land of pain and darkness?

“You’re awake.” The voice… I didn’t recognize it, not even close, and at the same time it felt so familiar… so safe.

I cracked my eyes open, the light too much to bear. I closed them again, and this time, when I opened them, there was a man there, holding me close, looking down at my face, his eyes showing more empathy than I’d seen in years… combined.

And he was a naked man, holding me like I was precious.

The scent of iron hit my nose.

My scent was back, and what did I smell first? My own blood.

Did that mean I could shift? I reached for my otter. He felt so far away, but he was there. I inhaled deeply again. This time I scented him—the man holding me.

Amber and lavender and cedar, all mixed together in this beautiful scent that called to me.

Oh, fuck.

He’s my mate.

And I’m rogue.

And my brother thinks I’m dead.

Now what?