Sold To The Alpha
Hated Ties That Bind Chapter 17

'Rowan, where are you taking him?' Daniel demanded as he kept looking around them apprehensively, sticking close to the Luna in case of an ambush.

Ignoring him, the warrior ploughed onwards pushing his way through the long grass that scratched at their clothing, moving deeper and deeper into the wilderness that surrounded them until they came to a corpse of gnarly, blackened trees. Ignoring the ominous feeling, Rowan pushed through the branches, hunching his body to protect the Alpha from the wooden limbs, tripping over roots as he struggled to maintain his speed.

A loud growl sounded from ahead, finally slowing the warrior before he came to a halt in a small clearing. Four Rogue wolves stepped out of the shadows, their teeth bared as they circled the group warily, a dozen other pairs of eyes peeking out at them from the blackness.

'Stand down' Rowan shouted loudly, his voice authoritative, 'I am here to see Alpha Archer, please tell him that the Ghost is here and requires his assistance, I vouch for my comrades that no harm will befall any Rogue from their hands. Please summon Galena, tell her it is an emergency, we will meet her in her office.'

The Rogue's halted at the sound of his voice, the leader taking a tentative step toward him, sniffing him suspiciously before letting out a howl and bowing, the other Rogue's following their warrior's lead.

Two Rogue's peeled off rushing ahead as the other two walked either side of Rowan as a guard. Heading deeper into the trees, they finally found their way to what looked like an opening to an old mine shaft. Ignoring the derelict and dangerous feel of the structure, the warrior ducked his head and entered, striding quickly down the twists and turns of an endless black tunnel until he reached a faint light.

Following the glow, the group soon found themselves in a brightly lit entrance, another tunnel continuing ahead of them whilst a closed door was set into the beam work to their right.

Pushing open the door, Rowan stepped into a room that was set up like a clinic, placing the Alpha down on the table he tapped his foot impatiently waving his hand at the others when they tried to question him. Moments later a small stern looking woman wearing a white lab coat bustled into the room. Making her way to the lifeless warrior, she began running her hands over his body a few centimetres from his skin.

'What are you doing?' Riley started in agitation as Rowan glared at him, shaking his head silently. Falling silent, the Luna watched helplessly as the woman continued to concentrate, a deep frown etched onto her face. Finally, she looked up, 'this is some powerful work Rowan, who did you piss off this time? Normally it's you I am stitching up!'

Rowan scowled, 'Ariana' he gritted out angrily as his eyes strayed to Nathaniel, 'can you fix him Lena? He's my mate's brother, I can't go back and tell her he died under my care!

Galena raised an eyebrow, 'you found your mate? Is this why I haven't seen you in years? Finally found someone to keep your a*s out of trouble?' she scoffed.

'Galena! Focus!' Rowan moaned, 'can you fix him?'

Huffing, Galena returned her gaze to the warrior on her table, 'fine, but this conversation is not over' she muttered distractedly. 'I can help him, but it's going to be hard work so you all need to get the hell out of my hair so I can do what I need to do!

'No chance, that is my son, I'm not leaving him alone with some blood thirsty Rogue' Riley growled dangerously, 'Is that even a doctor?'

Raising an eyebrow, Rowan replies, 'this is a Rogue pack, do you think they went to medical school?'

'Then why are we . 'Riley started angrily as Rowan held up a hand to silence him.

'They have had to learn a lot to survive, if Lena cannot help him then he was already dead' he replied before looking over at the she wolf.

Galena quirked an eyebrow at Rowan as she started to move around the room, collecting vials and herbs, 'friend of yours?' she muttered as she passed.

'Father in law' the warrior mumbled back causing the she wolf to chuckle.

'His animosity to our kind is understandable then, you are not really an ideal poster boy for us are you, a*****e?' she replied as Landen and Daniel both sniggered. Rolling his eyes, Rowan hissed something under his breath before starting to herd the others out of the room.

'I'm staying' Riley growled darkly.

'No you are not' Rowan replied, meeting his gaze full on, 'if you want Nate to survive then you want the best medic to deal with him, and that is her' he added as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the woman who was now starting to cut away his clothes from his chest, exposing the black charred mess of the wound.

'Aww Ro, I didn't know you cared so much' the Rogue doctor called out as she waited for him to turn around so she could flip him her middle finger.

Riley snorted with laughter before he could stop himself, 'fine, I'll trust her' he conceded, 'but only because she obviously knows what an a*****e you are so she must be alright' he added before turning on his heel and heading out of the room.

Looking back at Galena, Rowan finally let his mask slip slightly, 'fix him Lena, please' he whispered, the she wolf nodding at him briefly before waving her hand at him to leave.

A tall muscular man with black hair and a slightly greying goatee was striding toward them his face beaming as he reached out a hand to Rowan who grasped it firmly and allowed the Alpha to pull him into a tight hug.

Releasing him, he smiled brightly, 'my friend, it has been too long, and do I see a mark? The great Ghost, the feared immortal of our world actually found a woman?' he boomed.

Rowan laughed as he rubbed his neck self consciously, 'good to see you Archer, and yes, I found my mate plus I have a kid to boot, a little boy. We currently also have one on the way, not to mention the fact that I became a pack man' he replied ignoring the growl of annoyance behind him.

Looking over his shoulder surprised, Archer leaned his face forward to Rowan's ear and muttered, 'who is the Rogue hater behind you? it's not like you to bring pack members to our door'

Rolling his eyes, Rowan replied, 'that is my father in law, let's just say he not so secretly wishes that his daughter had rejected me!'

Archer growled angrily as his eyes flashing black momentarily as he glared at the Luna who met his gaze easily, not disguising his distrust of the people around him.

'Let us go to my office Rowan, Lena has informed me already about your friend and has said that he should be fine, she will patch him up for you and let us know when he wakes up.'

'I'm coming with you' Riley butted in rudely, stepping forward to glare at the pair, 'I like to know what's going on around me.'

'Fine, but try to keep your foot out of your mouth when you are with us' Rowan grumbled before making to follow the Alpha.

Archer turned to the rest of the warriors who seemed unsure what to do, 'Gentlemen, young lady' he called with a smile, 'we have an excellent mess hall if you are hungry. I have arranged for the Omega's to prepare a meal and some drinks for you and then they will show you to a couple of rooms so that you can rest and freshen up if you wish!

Landen and Daniel nodded after looking over to Rowan and Riley who both nodded in agreement. Alessia shuffled from foot to foot for a moment before tentatively addressing the Rogue, 'Alpha?' she called hesitantly.

Archer smiled down at her indulgently, 'please miss, call me Archer, I am no Alpha' he replied as Rowan coughed loudly trying to hide a laugh.

Casting the ex Rogue an exasperated look, Archer returned his gaze to the she wolf who was still watching him apprehensively.

'What would you like young lady?' he asked kindly.

Taking a deep breath, Alessia mumbled, 'would you mind if I waited here for the doctor to finish caring for the Alpha?' she asked, 'he may feel disorientated when he awakes so it might be good to Galena to have someone he knows right outside to calm him if needed.

The Rogue warrior nodded immediately, 'of course, I fully understand and that is an excellent idea, most of our injured are Rogues so I forget how uncomfortable it might be for pack wolves to awaken surrounded by our kind. I will summon one of the pack to bring you a chair to sit in and arrange for your meal to be brought to you, I have also let Galena know that you will be outside.'

Bowing her head, Alessia muttered her thanks just as a broadly built Rogue rushed up beside Archer carrying a plushly upholstered chair and looked up at him expectantly. Indicating to the she wolf, the lead warrior growled, 'for the young lady Kurt, please make sure that she has everything she needs and get some food and a drink for her.'

'Yes Alpha' the Rogue replied before placing the chair beside the closed clinic door and running back the way he had came.

'Thought you weren't the Alpha?' Riley grumbled under his breath, though Archer heard him.

'A complicated story my man, one I doubt you wish to hear' he replied jovially before turning to Rowan and adding, 'shall we retreat to my office? I have a nice scotch you will like!'

Nodding, Rowan looked over at the two beta's and said, 'follow us, we'll take you to the mess hall on our way!

Falling into step beside the huge Rogue warrior, the pair chatted in low tones, Archer's voice deep and friendly as he ribbed the warrior about his mate and being gone so long.

Finally they paused by an offshoot, Rowan indicating down it to Landen and Daniel, 'follow this corridor, third door on your right, the Omega's will sort you out with food, just take a seat at one of the tables!

'Shouldn't we introduce ourselves?' Landen asked in concern.

Rowan laughed, 'trust me, your scent of authority and the general aura of distrust will tell them exactly who you are' he replied with a grin. Laughing as well, Landen rolled his eyes and made his way down the corridor, his father walking beside him. Once they saw them turn into the room, Archer beckoned the two men to continue to follow him and leads them further into the tunnels until they reached an antiquated wooden door with iron hinges and a crudely made plaque that had the word 'Alpha' carved into it. 'Still ignoring you about the Alpha thing then?' Rowan asked with a smirk as Archer growled.

'Yes, I've given up removing it, they just put another one up when I'm not looking' the Rogue warrior replied.

Once inside, Archer pours them all a drink before taking a seat, 'Thank you for allowing us entrance Arch, I know I promised I would keep your location a secret, but Nate is my mate's brother, so one of the few people I would break my word for' Rowan explained. Waving his hand dismissively, Archer replied, 'no need, I still owe you and I know you would not put my pack in danger!'

Riley snorted derisively at his words, bringing both warrior's eyes to him.

'I see you are one of those pack members who believes all Rogues are the enemy' Archer said coldly.

'They all attack peaceful packs so yes' Riley replied loftily.

Rowan turned on the Luna angrily, 'you can be rude as you like to me Riley, I take it because of Gabby, but you will not disrespect the Alpha in front of me, I will put you in your place' he warned.

Riley laughed mirthlessly, 'I'd like to see you try' he retorted his fists clenching, 'don't forget I'm from Alpha stock myself' he sneered.

'And I spent 25 years as an assassin for the council, don't YOU forget that' Rowan retorted.

Placing a calming hand up to his friend's, Archer turned to the Luna, his piercing eyes studying the man in front of him. 'It is not his fault Rowan, when you are born into a world of safety and love you don't understand that others are not so fortunate' he said softly. 'Tell me Luna Riley, what do you know of Rogues?'