Her Shadow Rogue Mate

True Colors

Standing in the entrance of the lavish gathering hall of Greenvale was something I didn’t think I’d be doing the day I ran from home. I also didn’t think I’d be standing in a beautiful gown, nor did I expect to be welcomed with open arms, but I did hope of it.

I hoped that the Alpha and Luna would be kind, and they were.

But as I stand here, dressed in a floral pink dress, staring into the gathering hall that’s been decorated beautifully with drapes and blue curtains, there’s one thing that itches my brain. The candles. The beautifully placed candles that glow like little lights, all set at different heights on steel poles, all of them scattered among the room, but they look like tiny fires.

My eyes bounce around the lot, some put together in a group of three, others in a group of six, but there are so many tiny fires that I can’t manage to move my feet as the memories of my burning pack flashes through my mind.

They’re just candles, I tell myself. This is Rust’s Alpha ceremony, just move. One foot before the other, that’s all. Just one step.

Just one, I beg myself.

My problem of being frozen in the place is resolved when someone knocks into me, hard enough to make me move forward two steps.

“Sorry,” Viola’s voice chirps amid a laugh, that’s until I turn to look at her, and her cheerful smile falters into a forced one. “Ah, hello Bree.” Viola mutters with distaste, her eyes venomous, and she stares at me like I’ve personally offended her by just existing, but that isn’t anything new. “Briar,” I correct her with a smile so bright that she becomes invisibly annoyed.

There’s no hiding the obvious fact that she hates me, and the reason? Because Rust chose me.

The day I showed up, Viola hated me because she was the highest ranking female around and was sure Rust would choose her as his Luna, and then he chose me, and she lost her marbles more than once because of it.

“Ah, yes.” Viola tuts, nodding like she’s just remembering, and her gaze drops down the length of me, assessing, judging, and her lips form this tight little smile, “Bold choice,” She blinks once, twice, and meets my gaze with this empathetic look on her face.

Inhaling air through my nose, I soothe that raging side of me, and smile as I step backward, giving her the same assessment, my eyes dragging down her pale yellow gown that’s actually pretty. I meet her gaze, head tilting slightly, “I wish I could say the same, but your dress is very bland,” I sigh and I watch her eyes harden, her lips forming a very tight line.

Fuck, I hate this. I hate being so cruel, so mean…I hate negativity and this awful feeling gnawing at my chest, but I physically can’t help it. Viola makes it necessary to be like this, to be evil.

“Stop being a wuss and rip her f*****g head off,” Cora growls, making a unexpected appearance.

She’s been distant since we arrived her, but whenever Viola’s around, she comes out with her claws, ready to pounce, as if this anger I have for this girl is the only reason why Cora’s still around.

“Stop being a beast,” I tell my vicious, distant wolf and I can feel the mimic of an eye roll from her as she retreats.

“Briar,” Rust’s voice breaks the tension between Viola and I.Turning to face him as he walks over, wearing a gorgeous navy suit, his light brown hair combed back, his honey eyes sparkling as he takes her in, “You look…” His eyes softened as they roamed over me in appreciation, and that look alone was a gentle caress, “Utterly breathtaking?” I tease, grinning at him as I take his outstretched hand. Rust’s shoulders visibly relaxed as he let out a shuddering breath, “Always breathtaking,” He lifted my hand to his lips, and placed a chaste kiss upon my knuckles.

My heart hammered in my tight chest as I stared into his kind eyes, and in this moment, something just pulled into place.

I can live here, not just survive, but actually live and love here, and maybe…just maybe, let go of the past that’s threatening to pull me under. “Dance with me,” Rust grinned, nodding to behind him.

Nodding, he led me into the heart of the hall, and spun me wide before gracefully pulling me towards himself, our hands linking, my other hand on his shoulder and his on my waist, and he led me into a waltz. My cheeks hurt from how wide I was smiling, and a giggle pulled out of me with every turn and twirl, and soon, others starting to join us too.

Rust pulled me close, and we danced that way, chest to chest, heart to heart, and I peered over his shoulder, my gaze flicking across the room as we danced in a circle, the bodies moving before my vision a moving blur and more people gathered into the hall.

I heard Rust say there were packs coming to negotiate a treaty with him as the new Alpha, and I could sense all the strangers piling in and watching us. An unsettling weight pushed down on my chest suddenly. Something is wrong, my mind seems to whisper. But what could be wrong?

My eye catches the light of every candle, every flicker of that tiny flame that makes me nervous. Something is wrong, a little voice in my head said again. The warning was inside of me, my intuition was all it could be.

Feeling the tension in my body, Rust whispered, “Smile, Briar. It’s a party and we have guests.” His smile was wide and tight, but on him, it looked natural.

“Rust,” I whisper his name when the tightness moves up into my throat. “Briar,” He chirped my name with glee, still smiling. I couldn’t focus on his happiness as my mind jumbled together, scrambling to make sense of the feeling that was busy crushing my chest. “Something…something is wrong.” I managed, my breath catching in my throat, and I swear the candle’s flames were getting taller with every passing second. I began to feel smaller and smaller, and suddenly, I was dragged back to that night…the night my home turned to ashes and my family was no longer there.

“Nonsense,” Rust brushed off, shaking his head, “You’re safe here,” He reassured, like he’s done since the night I showed up. “No,” My fingers dug into his shoulders, my heels finding grip on the floor and I force us to stop dancing, even though the rest around us continue.

Through the crowd, my eyes met those of the iciest blue, and I watched as the dark haired male stretched his arm out while holding my gaze.

“Briar, what is it?” Rust tugged on my arm, but his voice drowned out with the music, and I found myself unable to look away from the male with the midnight black hair, and to my horror, I watched as he knocked over a candle holder.

In slow motion, the candle wobbled and fell over, and that tiny flame grew long before it collapsed right into the curtains, and I watched the flame eat at the material, growing with a hunger I’ve only ever seen once.

“Mom! Dad!” I could hear my sixteen year old voice cry out as I coughed through the smoke of our house.

But I wasn’t sixteen, I was twenty, and someone yelled, “Fire!” Over the music, and then it was like a choir as everyone started screaming, chaos erupting all around, staff running to get water, members of the pack fleeing for the exit, others searching and grabbing their children to run.

“f**k!” Rust ground out, grabbing my hand to drag me towards the exit, the only exit, the same exit that was packed with bodies, shoving and shouting. “Open the f*****g doors!” Rust commanded over the noise, and I turned my head, looking for that stranger, looking for the male who started this, just to point him out, and there, near another set of curtains, he stood, hands tucked into his pockets, grinning at me with a knowing look, and then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

“Rust,” I tugged on his hand, wanting to show him who did this, but then someone yelled, “The doors won’t open!” Their voice panicked, children’s cries echoing throughout, the fire starting to devour anything and everything— and that’s when it dawned on me..,

They’ve come. They came here, the same people who took everything from me.

Shit— that male…

My head snaps back as I search for him, but he’s nowhere to be seen, and it dawns on me-- He’s one of them.

“Rust.” I grit out, tugging on his arm, “They found me,” I say when he looks at me, and my heart drops when his head tilts and he gives me a look of pure annoyance. “Who?” He demands to know, “I…I don’t know. They people who destroyed my home…they..they sent it on fire too.” Rust didn’t look pleased, and he shook his head, “No, we have no enemies, Briar.” He said with confidence, but I could feel it in my chest.

It was them. I know it was.

“Son,” Alpha Johnathan and Luna Fray grabbed Rust and I, “This way, come.” He demanded, his voice cold. They led us to the back of the hall, all the while I turned, looking for that male, but then my vision was cut off as I was pulled into a dark tunnel, “Move!” Alpha Johnathan seethed, pushing us…pushing us towards outside. The smell of the forest hit me, and I dug my heels in, “The people…” I turned when Alpha Johnathan grabbed me, “I will get them, you three, out. Now.” He demanded, and Rust pulled me along as I protested. I can’t leave them. I have to go back. I have to save them.

“Briar,” Luna Fray fought me, and Rust grabbed me, picking me up, his arm wrapped around my middle, “Go, I’ll get them out, you two are the future of this pack. Go now, take the trail, I’ll find you when its safe.” Alpha Johnathan demanded, and then disappeared back into the secret passageway.

Rust stared at his mother as I tried to peel his arm away, “Go, I’ll wait for him.” She nodded, portraying the fierce and loyal female she is. “Don’t.” I protest, “He won’t come back out. Go get him!” My voice grew frantic, “My mate is capable of holding his own fort,” She sneered at me, and then looked at Rust, “Leave. Now.” She demanded, and it reminded me of my mother.

I fought and cried all the way, begging him to go back, to save them, to save his parents.

Halfway up the trail, he set me down, growling, “Stop being such a brat, Briar!” He yelled in my face, “This isn’t your pack!” His voice grew angrier with every word. “We are together because you’re an Alpha’s daughter and we work, so stop acting like you know everything. You were sixteen and all of this can be a coincidence.” If you continue to fight me, I will make you stop, got it?” He sneered, his face contorted with disgust and hatred.

I stare at him wide-eyed, his words replaying in my mind.

“We’re together because we work.” Not because he loves me— but because we work.

With a trembling chin, I breathe, “But I saw…” I blinked as he raised a hand and struck me through the face, grabbing my throat, my heels lifting off the ground, “You saw nothing, Briar. You think you saw because your brain is f*****g damaged.”