Prince Reagan
Chapter 58

His name is Jack Brigham. He used to be a member and warrior of the Lunar pack, but his mate died at a young age at a fatal airplane crash. He has been the one taking care of Gina all by himself ever since. He was strong enough to live healthily even with his mate gone, but that was also when he started losing his mental stability. The loss of his mate may not have affected him physically, but it had mentally. He became more aggressive in the training field and lashed out at anyone for the littlest reason. Even now, I could begin to see the craziness behind those cold eyes as he's been questioned repeatedly, only for him to let out a burst of sinister sounding laughter as an answer.

He used to be a loyal pack member, always following the rules strictly and making sure others did the same as it was his job as a pack soldier.

But one day, he found a rogue, a female rogue, trying to snoop in and steal from the packhouse kitchen. Instead of reporting her to the Alpha, he had taken the law into his own hands, detaining the she-wolf illegally in his own basement. He tortured and abused her day and night, calling it her punishment for trying to steal from his pack. I call it pure psychotic brutality.

When she was found eventually, she had already been dead for some time, her frail body had given up easily. Bruises coated her pale and bony corpse. Alpha Benson had been shocked and should have sentenced Jack to be imprisoned, or worst still, executed, but instead, he was banished from the pack. If other pack members had heard of his crime, they would have caused an uproar demanding a worse punishment to be given to Jack. And because Alpha Benson knew this, he made sure to hide the truth. So no one knew the real reason why Jack had been expelled from the pack, including me, until now.

Jack had tried joining other packs, but no one would receive a rogue who had committed a heinous crime as he had. You see, there are two types of rogues. Those who leave their packs willingly, and those who are banished from theirs. Rogues who leave their packs on their own free will still have a chance of joining and being accepted by others, since they haven't done anything wrong. But those who have done something wrong replace it more difficult. They can't hide the truth since their records will be asked from their former Alpha upon trying to join another pack. And no pack wanted Jack.

So in the end, he had gone full rogue and started building a group of his own, made out of rogues that had been expelled from their packs just like him. Birds of the same feathers flock together. Since they couldn't venture into other pack territories without getting hostile treatment, it was hard for them to replace jobs.

They got into the business of selling she-wolves when they heard about the black market willing to buy them for huge sums. They started with lone female rogues since they were alone and defenseless.

And when they got enough weapons, they started attacking packs, especially the smaller and more vulnerable ones. They had gotten the weapons from werewolf hunters who were extremists, those who don't follow the codes and instead hunt down and kill innocent werewolves for pleasure. They take things too far, but are usually penalized when caught by their fellow hunters.

"Tell us about this black market." The emerald-eyed lady with short black hair whose name, I've come to realize, is Bella, asks Jack. He's silent for a while before chuckling once more, a sound that seems eery.

He slowly lifts up his head with thin strands of wet hair covering his eyes. "And why would I keep giving you all this information for nothing. If you're going to kill me just do it already. I'm not saying s**t no more even if you keep torturing me." He spits on the floor beside him before looking back down.

Alpha Benson attempts to move forward and tighten the ropes once more, but Bella halts him. Bella shares a look with Reagan beside me before he gives her a nod. I wasn't sure what that meant until she turned back to Jack and leaned forward. "Don't forget, Mr. Brigham, that your daughter is also in our custody. And with the charges being laid against you all, she might never get out of a cell and instead spend the rest of her youthful life there." Bella sighs. This catches the attention of Jack as he slowly raises his head back up to glare at Bella.

"But of course, that can be avoided." Bella continues, staring straight at him with a serious expression on. "Usually, she would get twelve to fifteen years for abduction, another twelve for trafficking she-wolves, and let's not forget about the murder of those werewolf warriors trying to protect their packs you ambushed..." Bella narrates with a regrettable sigh, causing a flash of fear to appear on Jack's face. He seems deep in thoughts as he listens on, and one could see the wheels already turning in his head. It's good to know he still has a soft side for Gina.

"What are you proposing?" Jack finally asks, seeming ready to cooperate. Bella shares one more look with Reagan beside me before answering.

"We could reduce her sentence to fifteen years or less. And she won't be chained with wolf's bane nor will she be surrounded by it, which is the usual protocol for werewolves with such high offenses. She will be taken to a pack far away from where no one knows her. And when she completes her time, she will be accepted there as a member, since Lunar pack, nor any other in California, will want her. She won't have to be a rogue and will get her life back on track after a few years." Bella coaxes with a soft voice that could entice anyone. She really was good with interrogation, and I admire her composed pose.

Jack mulls over it for some time with silence filling the room as we all wait in anticipation. I can even feel Reagan's grip on my waist tighten a bit, but his eyes still remain fixed on Jack.

After a while, Jack turns back to Bella with a hard stare once more, as he lets out a dark chuckle. "I'm not stupid. Only the council or our king can change the laws guiding us and guarantee me all that, not you or anybody. You can keep your fake promises because I don't need it."

Bella c***s her head to the side, her gaze pinned on him with her face an unreadable mask.

"In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Brigham, you're in the presence of royalty. Right there is the second Lycan Prince," She gestures to Reagan, who sends him an icy glare, and he looks away quickly. "And his brother, the First Prince, is my mate and very soon to be King. So you see, all I need is a few words with the head council, and he will comply with my request." She pauses to take in Jack's reaction.

Sighing, she continues with a bored tone. "But of course, if you don't think it's a good deal, we can always interrogate the other rogues in our custody, and they'll be more than happy to help with our offer. Have a good day, Mr. Brigham." She was already on her feet and turning to leave when he suddenly called out. "Wait!"

For the first time, I finally took a good look at her. Her hair wasn't black, but a dark brown, and only when the torches on the wall shine on it was the brown visible. Her green round eyes are a unique feature that can be easily spotted on her oval face, and her high cheekbones stood proud and prominent as a smug smirk graced her lip, one I was sure she wiped off as soon as she turned back around to face Jack.

Reluctantly, he sighs, "I'll tell you what you want to know. But promise me Gina won't spend long in some underground cell, nor will her wolf be locked up with wolf's bane."

Bella takes back her seat. "I already assured you this, Mr. Brigham. But not only will you be giving us information about the black market, you will also be giving us the names of the werewolf hunters sponsoring your group with weapons. They will, of course, also face their own share of punishment from their fellow hunters. And we both know there are more rogues who are accomplices also in hiding. We will, of course, need their names and possible locations."

It took some time, but Jack started talking, grumbling to us the information we needed about the black market and treacherous werewolf hunters. Alpha Benson immediately began documenting down the information on paper while Bella used a recorder. He didn't even know much about the black market. Turns out, he was just a supplier to an anonymous buyer who purchases the she-wolves at a different location.

I stare back at the man who had a bit of resemblance to his daughter, Gina. It was such a shame that he had dragged her into all this. But then again, she had looked willing when I met her at the warehouse. I don't get how a she-wolf would be okay selling her own kind. And only God knows how many they had abducted and sold before we caught them. Those poor girls might be in some cruel man's basement, chained up like dogs, and used in whatever way they pleased.

People like Gina, who was the cause of this, don't deserve mercy. They shouldn't be given freedom in exchange for information. It is a bit upsetting that Bella had negotiated for Gina's sentence to be reduced when they could have gotten this information from the other rogues imprisoned, with lesser promises made. They might even start talking after they're bound by their wrist with wolf's bane ropes.

I sigh, staring up at Reagan as we walk out of the cave hand in hand. It is only when I see the sun setting, that I realize how long we had stayed in there. Lexi had even left earlier, leaving us behind; I noticed she held little to no interest in things like this and didn't waste time to bolt when she got the opportunity.

"I don't get why we had to promise reducing Gina's punishment when she's just as bad as the rest." I voice out my thoughts to my mate, who stops to stare at me. "We could have just gotten the information from the other rogues after we, you know...persuading them a bit." I shrug. This is the world of the beasts, and it is different from that of humans. Humans might think torture is barbaric, but we think it to be a very efficient way to get information. Though we don't do that to suspects that are not yet proven guilty. "It's because he's the only one having all the answers we need." I hear a feminine voice answer behind us, surprising me, and I turn to see Bella walking towards us.

"Werewolf hunters are smarter than you think." She continues as she comes to stand in front of us. "They won't be dumb enough to reveal their true identity to everyone except the leader in case of situations like this, when they get caught. And let's not forget their anonymous buyer of she-wolves. He's the one who has contacted him the most."

I'm staring at her confused, while also diverting my gaze at Reagan.

"I'm Bella. Nice to meet you." She stretches her hand out for a handshake, and I cautiously take it while forcing a smile out.

"I'm Ellie." She was beautiful and confident too, with the way she had handled Mr. Brigham back there. I envy not only her looks but her attitude, making me feel insecure with my mate being in the same vicinity as her. I shuffle closer to him even though we already are, maintaining my smile while also sending a secret message through my eyes that he's mine. Call me possessive.

An amused smile graces her lips as she studies my action. "It's nice to meet you, Ellie. I wish we could talk more, but I have some business to attend to. Maybe we can get to know each other when we get back to the Palace." She suggests before waving us goodbye. Still holding my mate's hand, we turn to walk towards the waiting car with Adrian patiently in the driver's seat.

"Aren't you going to help with replaceing and investigating the black market?" I ask, guessing that's what Bella is up to now. She seems determined to get to the bottom of it all.

Reagan c*****g a perfect eyebrow at me only makes me swoon for him the more, with his blonde hair flowing with the wind. "Are you kidding me? I just marked my mate yesterday. It's a wonder I even allowed you out of bed." I try to hide my blush with his penetrating gaze fixed on me.

"Besides, my job here was to replace the rogues and hand them over to the council. The black market is another huge case which I'm not in charge of. Today isn't the first day we've been trying to get a hold of them, and Brigham's information won't be able to get us anywhere. So that's not for today. Today," He sighs, cupping both my cheeks and raise my head up so I'm staring into his warm and soft eyes. "I wanna take my mate back home and show her how much I really love her."

My heart flutters in my chest, skipping a beat at my mate's touch and words. How could I have been so lucky to have someone like him?