A/N:
First and foremost I'd like to thank all of my readers who have waited patiently for this chapter. Thank you for sending all your encouraging feedbacks and messages. It helped me get off my butt and continue Rance and Alex story.
And of course, I want to thank my ever helpful and awesome editor Lunarosa. Thanks for your time and help with the story, and for injecting your own brand of humor.
Thank you Willie for proofing SOTW.
Enjoy!
-BD
Chapter Eleven
Even the dark of night could not hide the wretched appearance of the ramshackle house that might have been a large homestead, had neglect and nature not taken its toll on the property. The house, or what was left of it, stood almost fully covered by ivy, thick weeds, and small trees. Several sections of the roof had caved in and one side had a large, gaping hole. Some previous owner had added pillars to the front of it, probably an attempt to make it look more like an Antebellum plantation house. However, just like the rest of the house, the verandah was rotting and barely holding up the roof to which it was precariously attached. The outlying barn and buildings were overgrown with vegetation and looked as dilapidated as the house.
The place looked abandoned. Only the unmistakable stench and the sickly miasma of evil that permeated the location and the worn trail in the tall grass indicated it was inhabited by the rogues. Rance was confident, however, in the accuracy of the information the captured rogue spilled in the face of his, Alex's and the baby's combined essence and the power of the
Promised One
exuded by his pup
in utero
.
Rance and Damian waited at the edge of the forest as the betas and enforcers got into position. His scouts had counted at least ten different rogues come and go in the past two hours prior to them getting there. He was alarmed at the proximity of this lair to the Estate. Admittedly, thousands of acres separated the properties, but still, Rance's previous ignorance of the rogues' place, so close to his family and his Pack, grated on him.
The occasional call of the nocturnal birds and animals foraging in the forest were the only sounds to be heard. The
weres
moved stealthily and quietly as they waited for the signal to swarm the place and commence their attack.
The scents carried by the slight breeze confirmed that the rogues held female humans. The strong metallic smell of human blood worried Rance. He hoped like hell that the female humans were not too far gone to rescue. Based on Grace's condition when she first reached the Estate, these rogues did not deserve any leniency. For her grevious injuries, physical and emotional, they merited the just desserts he and his Packmates was eager to mete out.
Knowing that the element of surprise was on their side, the Pack soldiers made sure they approached the isolated house downwind. Rance didn't want them to be sniffed out by the rogues even before they were in position, making it more dangerous to the female human captives. After ascertaining that everyone was in position, Rance looked up. Above them, Jake and Andrew were perched on a tree branch. Alex's brothers were camouflaged and ready with powerful rifles to pick out rogues who might try to flee. Jake gave Rance and Damian a thumbs-up, while Andrew tilted his head in acknowledgement.
Giving the signal, they swarmed the building. Running with fleet and sure feet, they made their way down to the basement. Most had already shifted in hybrid form in preparation for battle. Rance and Damian remained in their human form. Being the Alpha and Prime, they were powerful enough to partially shift when needed.
Rance led the attack, followed closely by Damian. Encountering two rogues immediately after entering the house, Rance dispatched them quickly with a slash of his shifted hands, severing their jugulars in a spray of blood.
Not even slowing down, Rance ran down the rickety stairs that led to the bowels of the house.
The basement was empty and dark as night, but it was not a deterrent for the shifters who could see clearly, even in the dark. Rance saw a narrow tunnel dug on one of the basement walls on the far side of the room, leading away from under the house. Using his senses and tracking the stench of unwashed bodies and cloying air of misery, he signaled his betas to follow as they broke into a fast lope.
Soon enough, after rounding a corner, the tunnel branched into two. The smell of human despair was strong on the left, mixed with the faint scent of the rogues, while the stench of rogues came from their right. Not wasting precious time, Rance instructed three of his betas to free the frail female humans and escort them safely out of the lair, while the rest of them continued on to confront the rogues.
As they got nearer to the heart of the den, Rance's acute hearing picked up an argument between the rogues.
"...that is bullshit! How much longer do we need to wait?" one rogue growled in anger.
"We wait as long as we need to until the right time presents itself!" another answered brusquely.
"We've been in this shit hole forever! I want what was promised to us! We were promised money, pussy galore and freedom to do what we want against those who think they are better than us," yet another broke out aloud.
"If he was truly the Promised One, why have our attempts to snatch those female mates been a complete failure?" another continued, snidely. "We've lost a lot of our soldiers. And now there are only a handful of us left."
"Shut your mouth!" the second rogue continued. "All you are concerned about is your damned promised money!" He spat in disgust. "Why do you complain so much when you get to fuck those sniveling females anyway?"
"There's no satisfaction in dipping your dick in holes already soiled by another," another interjected. "There's no challenge when all they do is whimper and cower! It's like fucking your own hands. Human females don't give us the fight we want like
Were
bitches do."
Someone snickered nastily, "Yeah, no challenge in pounding into a bitch who lays limply on her back. I'd rather fuck one of the wild real wolf bitches while in my pelt anytime."
Laughter broke out among the rogues.
"Our Alpha has enhanced us. We are stronger and more lethal than an average shifter. And there's more of us...more and more are joining our ranks in our quest. We just need to have more faith in our Alpha."
"You're delusional if you think that," another muttered snidely.
"Not all of us like what we've become," another voice broke in, "we look like freaks! We've become a mishmash of parts that neither resembled any known animal, who'd want that?"
