Page 23

TWENTY-THREE

ROGUE

As I follow Ghost to his office, I can feel the tension radiating off him. Whatever this is about, it's serious.

"What's going on?" I ask as soon as we're seated.

Ghost's jaw clenches. "We got some new intel about Lochlann," he says grimly. "And Rogue... it's bad. Really fucking bad."

A chill runs down my spine. "What is it?"

Ghost takes a deep breath. "One of our informants overheard Lochlann bragging to some of his men. About... about what he did to Willow five years ago."

For a moment, I can't process what Ghost is saying. "What do you mean, what he did to Willow?"

Ghost's eyes are full of pain and anger. "He raped her, Rogue. That night she left us. Lochlann... he violated her."

The world seems to tilt on its axis. A roaring fills my ears as Ghost's words sink in. Willow was raped. By Lochlann. And I didn't know. I didn't protect her.

"No," I choke out. "No, that can't be true. She would have told me."

“I’m sorry, brother,” Ghost says thickly.

Rage unlike anything I've ever felt before surges through me. My vision goes red as I imagine Lochlann putting his hands on Willow, hurting her in the most intimate way possible.

"I'll kill him," I growl, my hands clenching into fists. "I'll fucking tear him apart with my bare hands."

Ghost puts a hand on my shoulder, his grip tight. "Rogue, I know you're angry. Believe me, we all are. But we need to be smart about this. We can't just go in guns blazing."

I shake off his hand, too consumed by fury to think rationally. "He hurt her, Ghost. He hurt Willow. My Willow. I can't let that stand."

"And we won't," Ghost assures me. "But we need to be careful. For Willow's sake and for Wren's. They need you here, brother. Not locked up or dead because you went after Lochlann half-cocked."

His words penetrate the haze of rage, and I force myself to take a deep breath. He's right. As much as I want to hunt Lochlann down this very second, I have responsibilities now. A family to protect.

"What do we do?" I ask, my voice rough with suppressed emotion.

Ghost's expression hardens. "We plan. We gather more intel.”

I shake my head. “No. We’ve let these cunts get away with so much already. No more.”

“I need you to trust me, to trust your brothers. We won’t let Willow or Wren be harmed. We’re going to get these cunts, and when we do, we’re going to end them once and for all. We’ve just got to make sure we do it right, without casualties on our end.”

He’s right but fuck, I wish he weren’t. There’s no way I can just sit on my ass and let that monster walk free. Fuck, I can’t believe that asshole violated the woman I love. I didn’t stop it. I hurt her so much that she ran away rather than coming to me for help.

I give Ghost a chin lift and leave his office. I need to talk to Willow. I need to make sure that she’s okay.

I grit my teeth as I lead Willow to my bedroom in the clubhouse, my mind still reeling from what Ghost told me. I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to broach this subject.

"Willow," I start, my voice low and serious, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me."

She looks at me warily, sensing the gravity in my tone. "What is it?"

I clench my fists, struggling to keep my anger in check. "Did Lochlann... did he hurt you? When you left here, did that cunt hurt you?"

Willow's face goes pale, her eyes widening in shock and fear. "How... how did you know?"

My heart sinks at her reaction, confirming my worst fears. "Ghost got some intel," I explain, trying to keep my voice steady. "Lochlann's been bragging about it to his men."

Willow turns away, her arms wrapping around herself protectively. I can see her trembling and it takes every ounce of self-control not to pull her into my arms.

"I'm so sorry, Little Flower," I say softly. "I should have been there. I should have protected you."

She shakes her head, still not looking at me. "It's not your fault," she whispers. "You didn't know."

"But I should have," I insist, the guilt eating away at me. "I should have believed you from the start. If I had..."

Willow finally turns back to me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Rogue, please. Don't do this to yourself. What happened... it's in the past."

I step closer, gently taking her hands in mine. "It might be in the past, but it's still affecting you. The nightmares..."

She nods, a single tear escaping down her cheek. "They're usually about that night," she admits. "About... him."

Rage boils inside me at the thought of Lochlann touching her, hurting her. "I'll kill him," I growl. "I swear to you, Willow, I'll make him pay for what he did."

Willow's grip on my hands tightens. "No," she says firmly. "I don't want you risking your life for revenge. Wren needs you. I... I need you."

Her words give me pause. As much as I want to tear Lochlann apart with my bare hands, I know she's right. My family needs me here, safe.

"Okay," I say softly, pulling her into my arms. "But I promise you, he will never hurt you again. I'll die before I let that happen."

Willow leans into me, her body shaking with silent sobs. I hold her tightly, wishing I could take away all her pain and fear. Then she starts to talk, telling me what happened after I left her at the dorm that fucked up day.

Rage boils inside me, but I push it down. Christ... What the fuck was wrong with her sister? Who does that shit? But this isn't about my anger; it's about Willow's pain.

"I'm so sorry, Little Flower," I say, my voice rough with emotion. "I should have protected you."

Willow looks up at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "It wasn't your fault, Rogue. You didn't know."

"But I should have," I insist.

She nods in agreement. “I never gave you any reason to doubt me. You believed the worst about me, and it broke me, Ezra.” She sighs. “My parents showed up and it was just too much. I told them to leave. I needed them gone. They didn’t care about me. They only ever cared about Ivy. Once they left, I packed my stuff and got the first train out of Boston.”

I feel sick to my stomach. God, the shit she’s been through. The thought of Lochlann violating her, of her own sister standing by and watching... it fills me with a murderous rage. But I force myself to stay calm, to be the support that Willow needs right now.

"I'm so sorry you went through that alone," I say softly, pulling her closer. "I can't imagine how scared and betrayed you must have felt."

Willow nods against my chest, her voice muffled. "I was terrified. And so angry—at Lochlann, at Ivy, at my parents for always treating me second best. At you and the club for putting me in that position in the first place."

Her words hit me like a physical blow, but I know I deserve them. "You had every right to be angry," I tell her. "We all failed you. I failed you."

She pulls back slightly to look at me. "I don't blame you anymore, Ezra. Not really. You didn't know what Lochlann had done."

"But I should have believed you from the start," I insist. "I let my loyalty to the club blind me to the truth. And because of that, you suffered alone for years."

Willow is quiet for a moment, then says softly, "Not entirely alone. I had Wren and Natalia."

At the mention of our daughter, I feel a mixture of love and regret wash over me. "She saved you," I realize.

Willow nods, a small smile playing on her lips. "In more ways than one. I found out I was pregnant the morning you returned home to bring me here. It gave me something to live for, to fight for. She's the reason I'm still here."

My gut clenches at the knowledge she was pregnant the day we tortured her. Christ, she could have lost the baby. My heart thumps against my chest. I could have lost everything. I press a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for telling me all this," I say. "I know it couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," she admits. "But I think... I think I needed to say it out loud. To let it out."

We sit in silence for a while, just holding each other. Finally, I speak again, my voice low and intense. "I swear to you, Willow, Lochlann will pay for what he did. He'll never hurt you or anyone else ever again."

Willow tenses slightly in my arms. "Just... be careful, okay? I can't lose you. Wren can't lose you."

I tilt her chin up, meeting her eyes. "You won't lose me, Little Flower. I promise. But I have to do this. For you, for Wren, and for all the other women he might hurt if we don't stop him."

She nods slowly, understanding in her eyes even as fear lingers there. "Okay," she whispers. "Just come back to us."

"Always," I vow, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.