Dawn broke by the time we left the caves.

Our trek to the cabin was burdened with thick silence as we navigated our way back.

I hadn't realised that we had taken most of the early morning hours talking to Alpha Bennett.

I wasn't sure how the others would react with the news Jude had.

"Halt. Someone is here." Jude paused mid step, studying the trees. I listened, hearing nothing but the whistle of the wind but I caught a faint tendril of their scent before they appeared in our path.

Three Rogues.

They weren't of the senseless variety either.

They were non amimum.

Or in other words, could not transform into their wolf, hence, lacking spirit.

"It's seriously too early for this shit." Kian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stopped mid step, watching the intruders warily.

Jude eased up when he drew to the same conclusion that they posed no immediate threat. He must've noted that they carried no weapons either. "We're not looking for trouble." Jude warned the men.

They shared familiar features. Thick brows. Arrow straight noses. Pale blue eyes. Wide lips. They made no move to draw closer, but they held themselves tense, prepared to unfurl at the first hint of danger.

"Alpha Slater." The man on the right greeted. It seemed like they recognised him on first sight. Their gazes flickered to the thick metal wrapped around his forearms. They twisted, making a soft clanking noise as he moved his arms. Light reflected off the metal, where it cast shards of light in every direction the sun hit.

"We're not seeking trouble." The tallest man declared. "We caught a scent among you that has gained our attention."

"Who?"

"The woman." He responded. "Your scent carries a familiarity in it."

Me? My scent?

"I don't know you, do I?" I asked.

I had met countless people pre-Elite Syndicate Enforcer life, especially Rogues. One couldn't forget the face of a fellow Rogue, which was why I was baffled by his answer. I would've surely remembered these men.

"No, we have not met but your scent carries a familiar fragrance eerily familiar to the man we dub the Rogue Killer."

Although what he was saying made no sense, I caught the tension in Jude's jaw. It lasted less than a second, but it was enough for me to know that he knew who they were talking about.

"As you can see, there is no one here other than us." Jude supplied.

"We see that. We apologise for hindering your journey." They dipped their heads, preparing to retreat.

"Wait. Are there more of you here? I didn't think Rogues would come this far out, especially here up in the mountains." Jude said.

"There have been whispers of strange activity up here. We took it upon ourselves to check since someone mentioned scenting the Rogue Killer up here. It has caused some anxiety for some of the vulnerable Rogues who wish to not deal with the murderer of our kind. It makes us uneasy being up here. We can only wish he poses no danger to us. He hasn't come for us in years. We assumed he was dead."

"I see. Safe travels." Jude granted them, offered a slight dip of his head.

"Farewell Alpha Slater." They too copied the dip of his head before departing.

Once they left, we continued.

However, their words remained with me like an incessant drumming noise.

Rogue Killer?

What did they mean?

I found it strange that they had called someone 'Rogue Killer'.

Was there someone out there slaughtering Rogues?

Some were harmless, especially the non amimum variant. They just couldn't morph into their wolves. They weren't senseless, or severe troublemakers. They were simply Wanderers. They too usually posed no danger but the way those men had spoken about the Rogue Killer, it was like he didn't discriminate with his victims. Surely, I would've known about this Rogue Killer while I was a Rogue, but I had strictly remained closer to human cities, rather than the towns surrounding the mountains that were mostly populated by shifters. Therefore, it would be no surprise that such gossip would've escaped me.

"You know who they were talking about." I stated, matching my stride with Jude. He had long legs and could've easily strutted away in seconds. Kian was the same. They both had set of long legs. I had to widen my steps so I wouldn't fall behind.

Jude paused mid step, glancing at me from over his shoulder. "Yes."

"Who is it?"

"I'm not the person who should be telling you this."

Confused, I faltered. I had expected a straight answer, not a diversion. "Why?"

"It just isn't." Jude quickened his pace. I had a feeling the man was trying to avoid talking to me. I didn't know how but he just was. I dare say, he was uncomfortable with the topic change.

"What aren't you telling me?" I couldn't help but demand. In the back of my mind, I replayed what the Rogue men shared. They had spoken about my scent. The familiarity of it. My scent had changed because it had mingled with Alexei's. His scent was part of me now and the Rogues had sniffed it out, despite the novelty of it.

The cabin appeared in front of us, but I wasn't focusing on it. I was determined to find an answer.

They must have recognised Alexei's scent on me.

They had been looking for him.

Once we drew closer, the door to the cabin opened. Aella, Tatum, Allison, and Alexei spilled out the door, their expressions relieved upon seeing us all safe and in one piece as we approached.

"We caught the mountain lion, just before the chip was released in its bowels." Tatum informed us when we were close enough. Triumph made him grin wider. "We had to give it sedatives because it was a nasty thing that couldn't sheath its claws. It's in the back of the truck, tied and covered in a blanket to reduce suspicion when we drive it out of here through the towns."

"Excellent." Jude replied.

"How about you? Any luck?" Aella asked, rounding Tatum so she was at Jude's side. Jude already had an arm opened for her, which she instantly filled with a pleased smile.

"We have a lot to discuss." Jude said. "In fact, I need to speak with Aella, Tatum and Allison."

Sensing the urgency in his tone, the four of them disappeared into the cabin with Jude leading the conversation once they were all inside. Their voices faded as they moved further away.

Kian glanced between Alexei and I with caution and a hint of awkwardness. He must have felt the tension because he was a smart man, pulling an excuse from his ass to escape us. "I'm just going to take a shit somewhere in the bushes. Don't come looking for me. I will be a while." He announced forcefully as he sped away without a glance back. I couldn't even get a word out before he was gone from sight.

Once Kian left, Alexei took my shoulders, grinning down at me. His smile still caught me off-guard, especially when he looked at me like the way he was. His smile lasted a few seconds before he got a read on my expression. I wasn't even trying to hide it. His grin died a quick death. "Hey, what's wrong?" His palms squeezed the spot just above my collarbones. His thumbs stroked a straight line, back and forth, where my shoulder and neck met.

I kept my eyes level with his, searching those dark eyes, framed with inky lashes. "Have you heard of the Rogue Killer?"

He flinched hard, releasing me like I'd just seared him with my words.

I caught my footing before I stumbled. My gaze however focused on his expression.

Something heavy settled in my stomach. It was a feeling I didn't want to name.

This new Alexei didn't resemble the Alexei I was slowly warming up to. No, this version reminded me of the Alexei who had wanted to keep his distance from me.

The Alexei standing in front of me was the same Alexei who made it clear that we were nothing but mere Pack members.

"Are you the Rogue Killer Alexei?" I asked quietly.

"Where did you hear this from?" He asked, his expression carefully blank. It bothered me more that he was blatantly keeping his emotions locked up, rather than allowing me to see the real extent of his feelings.

I immediately didn't like it. His cool tone provoked cool shivers along the back of my neck and down my arms. "We came across Rogues. They were non amimum. They only approached us because they caught my scent. They recognised something in it, saying I carried a familiar scent of the Rogue Killer. I didn't realise they meant you."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked. Despite his stoic façade, a tinge of concern laced through his question. From the downward dip of his mouth, I knew he didn't mean for the emotion to leak into his words.

"No, they didn't. Why would they? They weren't the dangerous Rogues. They didn't hurt me."

"All Rogues are dangerous Penelope." He stated.

I couldn't hide my gasp quick enough. Alexei caught his words, squeezing his eyes shut when he made sense of them a little too late. "That was not how I wanted to word that."

"You don't think all Rogues are dangerous then?"

"All the Rogues I've met have been nothing but dangerous and stubborn pains in the ass. They all deserved the endings they got, especially those by my hands." He couldn't hide the disgust in his face quickly enough.

"Is that what you thought of me before I became an Enforcer?" I felt my anger vibrate beneath my skin, replacing my initial shock and hurt. "You thought I was a pain the ass and dangerous? Did you want to kill me too?

"Goddess no!" His stony façade shattered instantly as he shook his head, "No, I think Rogues are-"

"Not all Rogues are dangerous."

"You're not a Rogue anymore Penelope! This doesn't have anything to do with you. You know what I'm trying to say."

"So what? What am I then?"

"You're a Shadow Hunter Solnishko." He softened his voice, moving closer. He reached out, squeezing my biceps. "You are a Shadow Hunter. You have a Pack now. You're not a Rogue. Not anymore."

"Yeah, and before I was a Shadow Hunter, I was a Rogue! I was a fucking Rogue!" I screamed. My blood pumped rapidly; I could hear the flow of it rush in my ears. I had been a Rogue and that was the truth. I couldn't hide it and I didn't want to.

I was not ashamed of what I had been.

It hadn't been my fault.

Life happened.

There wasn't much I could add to that.

I told Alexei this as my voice turned into a rough admission. The bridge of my nose stung as my eyes blurred. "I'm not ashamed that I was a Rogue Alexei. I don't want to hide that part of me. I've accepted it. I know I'm a Shadow Hunter now. I know and the truth is, I wouldn't have been here if I hadn't walked that path alone as a Rogue. I've lived an isolated life but, in that time, where it was only me, I grew. I learned. I experienced life from the bottom rung of the ladder. I did all that. However, I did all that alone."

"Solnishko-"

"You want to know something Alexei?"

He didn't respond but his eyes flickered with emotion.

"All the hardships I've ever faced, I overcame alone. No one was ever at my side. I was my own band aid, my own safety net. No one else. Just me, Penelope. I'm not even telling you this so you can feel sorry for me. I'm just stating facts. I'm not ashamed of the me before I met you."

"Come here." He demanded, taking a step forward. "You're putting words in my mouth, and you know it. I'm not ashamed of you. Not one fucking bit Solnishko."

I took a step back. He froze, startled by my resistance to fall into his arms. "There's something else I want to say. I have to say it now or I won't be able to say it later."

By now, Alexei's face had softened. "Tell me Penelope."

"I know you're my mate Alexei. I can feel it. You feel right standing beside me." I confessed, feeling vulnerable.

"Good. I should feel like home to you."

This man. I pursed my lips, doing a poor job at trying to regain control of my emotions. "Does it bother you that I was a Rogue? I saw your face earlier, you looked disgusted when you said Rogues."

"I don't associate you with Rogues Pen. All I think of when I see you is Mine. Even if you were still a Rogue, I wouldn't give a shit because the Moon Goddess declared you mine. That's all I need."

"It really doesn't bother you?"

"Fuck no and if you keep repeating this shit, I'm going to think you're trying to find a way to piss me off."

"Oh."

"Does it bother you some fuckface came to you and called me the Rogue Killer?"

"Why do they call you the Rogue Killer? Did you just hunt random Rogues, and I don't know, slayed them?"

Alexei blinked, "You're fucking with me."

"You swear a lot."

"No, this topic of conversation is making me spew all the Fs I want. Do you think I was that disturbed I would go seeking for any random Rogue and kill them?"

"No."

"Damn right. I didn't do any of that. I only went after the senseless ones that made it their intent to harass the weaker wolves. It wouldn't have mattered if they were Rogue or not, I would've gone for them. Therefore, they gave me that name. No one else calls me that but them. I never cared for it but then someone perpetuated it and added some embellishments to the things I've supposedly done."

"Then, I don't have an issue with you."

"Good, we done going in circles then?"

"Yes."

"Then come here." He grumbled.

I didn't end up going to him because he impatiently closed the gap between us, tugging me into his chest. "If you have any questions or doubts about me, you come straight to me. You know I won't lie to you."

"Ok. Same thing applies to you. If you hear something about me, I want you to come to me."

A broad smile broke across his lips. "Good. Now fucking kiss me."