The Devils Bargain

“I hereby brand you, rogue, and forbid you from returning, step foot on my land again and you will pay with your life.”

The words stabbed me like a knife in my gut, whilst the bond that connected me to my Alpha and the pack started to shatter inside of me, ripping away any sense of family that I had left, until I was left with nothing but emptiness.

I couldn’t speak, by doing so I’d be asking for a quick death, so without another word, I didn’t fight back.

I picked up the things that had been packed for me, which all fit into one lousy backpack, and then I took one last look at the family that I had only ever known, staring back at me like I was nothing more than a common rogue mutt.

Rogue.

The one thing my kind don’t look twice at, and the only thing that now separated me from a healthy and stable life.

I was now thrown away and alone for the second time in my life, and what was crazy to me was that I didn’t deserve this.

Not looking at any of the pack member’s faces, I kept my head high and tightened the hold of my backpack as I got escorted by the pack warriors outside of their territory, to the edge of the large dense forest that surrounded the pack.

My so-called friends had abandoned me the moment it was made clear that I would be rogue, and not one of them came to see me off, or even to apologize for what they’ve done to me.

I had known the dangers of what we did, but not once did I think they would put the blame all on me to save the fur on their backs, but here I was, a new rogue, without a pack or any family to speak of.

All this, because I agreed to break the rules with them, and befriended a human.

We were the only ones within the pack who saw the flaw of breeding within our species, and I thought that connecting to species should be a right, not a forbidden rule that must be obeyed.

In the end, all I did was cause pain, and loss, but not just for me.

He killed them all... my human friends... all because they chose to accept me for who I was, a child of the moon and creature of the forest.

The humans already hated us, but now, because of me, the hunters have become even more bloodthirsty for my head than ever before, and now that I was rogue, I was unprotected and fair game.

“This is as far as we go.” One pack warrior said while the other one pushed me forward.

I felt the gust of wind knocking into my body as I fell over the border of the pack lands, the last and only connection that separates me from this pack, making me now officially rogue, a wolf without a pack.

I picked myself up and glared back at them, and watched as they both shifted and then ran back to where we came from, the pack base where I was now forbidden to go, for as long as I lived.

This was it, I was now officially fucked.

The forest was quiet, more quiet than usual, and with the fear now sinking in that it was open season for wolves, I ran as fast as my legs could take me as I sprinted deep into the forest, my heart throbbing against my chest as the thick dense fog filled my lungs.

I ran until my feet began to hurt, and until I could taste my blood in my mouth, despite being a wolf, there was no way of shifting into my wolf without a pack, so running was the only ability I had.

That and my senses, which didn’t seem to be working.

I had heard of wolves being made rogue, and in every one of those stories, those wolves don’t make it a single day without being hunted down and killed by humans, or other species in this world.

That wasn’t going to happen to me.

I refused to die like that, giving up before I even had a chance to live a happy life, but where could I go?

By now every pack has heard the news, and I’m now most likely marked ‘outcast’ from the moment I passed the pack lines, making it visible to every other wolf that I was a traitor to my kind.

Traitor... after everything I had done for that pack...

The shy was losing its light and in a few moments it was going to be night, and while in the pack I wouldn’t be as worried, I’m a rogue now, and nighttime was prime hunting hours.

In other words, I will die tonight, unless I find shelter.

Luckily I had one thing in my bag that would help conceal me for one night, and one night only, as the magic effects are only strong enough for six hours, which was more than enough time for me to get rest.

The liquid vial swirled a bright orange in my hands as I took the cap of the vial, and with one last look around to see if the forest was clear, I swallowed every drop of the vial until nothing was left.

This should help with my scent, and hide me from enemies... at least for now.

I was tired, and I was struggling to stand up on my sore feet after running for hours in the forest in my human body, so before my exhaustion won, I found a den that was sheltered by a bending tree and climbed under it.

The creatures of the night had started to come alive, as the light dimmed behind the large trees of the forest, disappearing completely as I curled into a ball to keep myself warm under the small den, hidden by the bent tree I found.

The moment I was pushed out, I swore to myself two things.

I wasn’t going to cry, and I wasn’t going to pity myself... I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.

This wasn’t going to break me, life wasn’t always easy for me and I knew how to survive... but as a rogue, I wonder how long that confidence would last?

I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

I kept my eyes open for a brief moment and just stared out at the small gap that separated me from the large forest and the hole I hid in, and with one last thought of what I was going to do in the morning, I closed my eyes, and let darkness comfort me, and relief my tired body.

I’ll do whatever I can to survive, even if I have to fall... I will not die a rogue...