4

Warning: This story will contain violence and abusive imagery. Read with caution and at your own discretion.

When Ada woke again, the window across from her showed that it was dark. She pushed herself up a little with her right arm and tested her left. It still hurt a lot but the pain had subsided quite a bit. She slowly rotated her left arm, stopping when tee he pain was too much and she felt she might further injure herself.

The scent of food caught her attention and she turned her head to look at the tray left in the stand beside her bed. She pulled it onto her lap carefully and ate as quickly as she could. Her body was craving the food and she was not sure when or if her next meal was going to come. She didn't care that the meal was cold. It was food and she needed food to recover.

Ada could still smell a lot of wolves around and she had to wonder if they were coming for her, or if they were here to visit those that the other rogues had injured in the fight back on the trail.

Surrounded by all of the smells of these wolves, Ada felt more alone than ever. They were all a pack. They loved one another and cared for one another. They would all fight and die for each other. It was a bond she'd not had in a very long time. She missed the love of her pack and her parents.

Feeling tears sting her eyes she shook her head closed her eyelids tightly, forcing the tears and feelings away. She had more important things to worry about at the moment. She had no time to dwell in her own pitiful pain.

Another shake of her head and she was composed as she heard footsteps outside the door. She sucked in a slow deep breath threw her nose and blew it easily between her lips. When the door opened, Emily entered and greeted Ada with a smile. The smile was strained and Emily's posture was tense. Whether it was do to her knowing what Ada was or something else, she could not tell.

"I'm glad to see you awake! And that you are eating. Good. It will help you heal." She said as she moved a stool over to sit beside Ada and began taking her vitals.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked, Ada staring at her for a few moments, but the smile and her eyes gave nothing away. She was keeping her secrets.

"I'm not in as much pain and I can move my arm." She replied truthfully. Emily seemed pleased with this and had Ada show her the movement in her arm.

"You're recovering quickly, even for us wolves. You must spend a lot of time as a wolf." She seemed to be trying to give Ada a compliment, but Ada turned her head away as she tried to hide the shame in her eyes. She did spend a lot of time as a wolf. Most of the time hunting other wolves or stealing from packs. Just as much an animal as a person.

Emily could see that her compliment had fallen flat and her smile faltered but did not yet fall.

"How about we see how you deal with standing and I can change your bandages, hm?" Emily offered. Ada nodded and pulled back the blanket, lowering her legs off the bed and put her bare feet once more on the cold tile floor.

Emily helped Ada take off the hospital gown, grabbing another and laying it on the bed as she set to taking the bandages off her shoulder. Ada didn't want to look at it as Emily cleaned the wound and applied a gel to it before putting on new bandages. She did the same with her chest before checking the bruising on her side and helped Ada back into a gown. She then climbed back in the bed and lay down.

Ada pulled the blanket back over herself and Emily looked at her in silence for a moment.

"Why did you stay with them?" She asked. She did not say who, but Ada knew that she meant the rogue group.

"I had no choice." She replied, not giving Emily time for a rebuttle as she continued talking.

"I was taken far from my home and forced to kill other wolves. We were trained to fight and kill and always reminded that we were easily replaced. If we did not do as we were told we would be killed or worse. Fear and pain were used to keep us in line as children and by the time we reached the age of our first shift most of us had forgotten our packs and family. The life of a rogue is all we have known." She stopped there, able to see the horrified expression on Emily's face out of the corner of her eyes.

"How could... Someone do such a thing to children?" Her voice was soft and Ada was not sure if it shook from fear or rage. Children were important in packs as they were the future of the pack. They were protected and loved so they they could grow up strong and bring more love to the pack.

"Its what we are taught." Ada replied. She could see the look on her face and spoke up quickly before Emily could ask.

"I've never taken a child." She said and Emily visibly relaxed next to her. Ada was not sure if Emily was hating her more, or liking her more. She always put on a brave face but she was tense when she was in the room. She was kind and respectful but Ada could read her body language. She didn't want to be there.

"Have they decided what to do with me?" Ada asked, Emily tensing up at the question. She was silent for a moment before she placed a hand hesitantly on Ada's arm, presumably to comfort her.

"It's complicated." Emily replied. Ada knew it was not complicated. They wanted her dead but Emily was making sure they did not. Closing her eyes, Ada leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"That bad, huh..." It was not a question. She felt Emily shift beside her but she didn't open her eyes.

"They think you killed some of our pack members. They think you're a wolf they call Valkyrie." Enily said, sounding as if she thought the while thing was silly.

"I might have, and I am." Ada replied as her dark eyes opened and she slowly turned her head to see the tense expression.

"I dont know who is from what pack. Most of the time we are told where to go and to take down everyone in a group. Sometimes there are a few different wolves from different packs. Sometimes we just infiltrate pack grounds to steal supplies." She had to pull her eyes from Emily's expression. It was a mix of anger, pity and anguish. Ada could not stand to see it.

"Tell me... Truthfully." Emily began, her voice shaking a little. She stopped and swallowed hard.

"Did you want to kill anyone? Did you enjoy it?" She asked. Ada could not help the disgusted look that came to her face for a brief moment before she buried it under a look of indifference.

"No. I managed to hold onto the memory of my parents and my pack. I remember the love I once had and the safety of the pack. Most of us stolen lose that in the misery of our training and the abuse we suffer. It's hard to hold into a light when in such a dark place." Ada left out a sigh and closed her eyes.

"I only ever killed when I had to. We were forced to fight or the teeth of those with us would be found in our hides." She explained, hearing the even tone of her voice slip up and crack. She swallowed hard and pushed away what she was feeling. No weakness.

Emily seemed skeptical as she stared at Ada, but she could not see anything in the injured woman's body language, face or eyes that would suggest she was lying or not giving her the full truth. Emily was becoming uncomfortable with how ho est Ada was being. Rogues normally did not give them the answers they asked for.

"What do you think they are planning to do?" Emily asked slowly, almost as if she was worried that it might set Ada off.

"Kill me, obviously. I'm a rogue and I was present in the attack on the son of the alpha of this pack." She replied and Enily tensed again.

"Did you know which one was his son?" Emily asked, her only answer was a shake of the head. It didn't seem to ease Emily's tension. She stood suddenly and headed for the door.

"Emily." Ada said suddenly, stopping the older woman in her tracks.

"How many died?" Ada asked. Emily looked down at the floor as her hand remained in the doorknob.

"Just one. James. He was killed in the attack on the group. No one died in the fight to get you." She replied, seeming to hesitate at the door, her own question burning on her tongue.

"Why did he save you?" Emily asked, looking over at Ada as she remained in the bed. Ada lifted her dark eyes and looked at Emily.

"Who?" She asked back, a look of confusion flashing across her face before it was replaced with a determined one and she dropped her hand from the door.

"Vincent. The son of the alpha. He led a rescue group into the forest after your group and they came on you are your group was just about to kill you. They killed two in that group and Vincent carried you back here in his arms and would not let anyone touch you. Why would he do that?" She demanded, her voice holding a sharp edge to it.

"If he was the Male with dark hair and gold eyes, then to repay a debt I guess." Ada replied as she turned her head to the side and look away from Emily.

"During the attack I got him out of the view of the others and pulled the group away before they could find out what I did." She replied. When Emily said nothing Ada continued.

"I saved his life so he saved mine. Debt repaid." Ada said, though Emily did not seem convinced and she stormed over. She finally looked angry as she stared down at Ada.

"If killing him was your mission why did you save him? Why would your risk your life to make sure that your group did not hurt him? What made you save this one wolf without knowing who he was?" She demanded.

Ada understood her anger and did not look at her. When she didn't answer right away Emily rose her voice.

"Why?!" She snapped. Ada sighed and turned her head to look at the woman.

"I knew who he was. Not the son of an alpha of your pack, but I knew." She explained. Enily was co fused and Ada brought her eyes to lock with Emily's.

"He's my mate." Ada said, an incredulous look coming over Emily's countenance. Ada laughed bitterly, feeling tears stinging her eyes.

"What a cruel joke, right? A roger stripped of her life, her pack and her family. Forced to the other side of the world and when she is sent to kill, she finds her mate. I had no idea who he was but I knew I didn't want him to die." Ada could not stop the words from leaving her mouth, and she could no longer swallow the build up of emotions that she had been forcing down.

"He was there and all I could think of how unfair it was for him to me for a mate. I'm a rogue! He is supposed to find his mate from a pack! He's not supposed to have a mate that that is hated and kills members of his pack!" She brought her hands up and pressed them hard to her face, sucking in an unsteady breath.

"We dont choose who are mates are." Her voice was full of sympathy and Ada shook her head at her responce.

"After all of the time I have spent out there, after everything I've done... I don't deserve that." Ada said to Emily, lowering her hands now. She could not stop the tears and they streamed down her face. Emily looked almost heartbroken.

"We all deserve a chance to be happy with our mates." She reassured and Ada snapped a hard look on her.

"Would you say that to every other rogue out there?" Ada demanded. Emily's silence was the answer she needed.

"You are not like most other rogues-" Ada cut her off.

"Yes I am. All the ones I know were taken from their pack and family, exiled, or rejected. We are all forced to kill and fight for our lives. We all have to struggle and we are all hated. That is the life of a rogue." Ada said bitterly, closing her eyes tightly, but the tears still streamed down her face. She was able to swallow back her sobs, but that was all.

Emily seemed as if she wanted to say something, but she stood instead and walked out without another word. Ada rolled into her uninjured side and wrapped her arms around herself, sobbing silently to herself.