Chapter 7 Entering Cinder Pack

"Cinder Pack? You're sure that's where she's from?" Eleanor snorted.

Damien briefly glanced at her, calmly nodding his head.

Aurelia lowered her eyes to the floor, her mind flashing back to what happened seven years ago when she first opened her eyes.

The first face she saw was Damien's. After telling her he had barley grabbed from the blood-thirsty tip of the pyramid-shaped rock, she realized she was pregnant.

Heavily pregnant.

Apparently, she had been in coma for six months after he saved her.

According to him, they had a big fight that morning and in anger, she had gone up to the top of the cliff to get away from him.

There, she lost her footing and fell. Thankfully, he had followed her to make sure she was alright and saw her fall.

Otherwise…

She shook the possibility of what could've happened to the back of her mind, her fingers pressing against the side of her neck guiltily.

"I didn't know that."

Damien flashed her a warm smile, holding her hand in his, "You couldn't have known. You came to us as a child after all."

At this, Eleanor pressed her lips into a thin line. She stared at their entwined fingers for several seconds before lowering her eyes back to the map.

"There are limited forests. The longest it'd take them to track us down is a month. So when does she leave for Cinder Pack and what does she do there?"

Her mate shook his head almost immediately.

"It'll be faster. Given how Axton Wolfe operates, he won't rest until he has all of our heads mounted on the spikes outside his residence."

Damien straightened up, pointing at the carved caricatures on the map meant to represent the warriors, he said, "There's only one way to get into Cinder Pack and it's heavily guarded with the best men they have."

"Fighting our way in is pure suicide. So we have to win the trust of members of Cinder Pack. Especially the warriors. And the only way to do so is to work in the alpha's residence."

A rogue huffed at once.

"That is suicide! I hear they do an insane amount of screening before hiring anyone."

Damien's eyes fell on the rogue who spoke as he went ahead to explain, "Seven years ago, Cinder Pack had a little over 100,000 members."

"As their influence grew, so was their alpha able to bring back his subjects who were imprisoned in other packs."

"His father was weak, so he lost 90 percent of his subjects to other packs while he was alive. However, Axton Wolfe got them back, expanded the territory and now we're looking at a city of at least a million people."

"With a population of this size, don't you think it'd be easy to make up an identity? All Aurelia has to do is find people secretly in need of money to vouch for her. Once she gets this credibility, she'd be able to get inside..."

And so they planned until the early hours of morning.

Knowing she'd go weeks, if not months without seeing her children, Aurelia spent the entire day with them.

When it was almost midnight, the entire rogue community walked her out.

While they hid in the bushes around, Damien, Eleanor, her mate and the twins stood in front of her.

"It's only for a few weeks. Once you gain entry, we'll come to meet you." Damien said consolingly.

Denzel handed her a bag whose heavy weight she wasn't expecting.

"This is all the poisonous herbs I've perfected this year. If anyone as much as looks at you the wrong way, just give them a drop of my spider venom and it'll knock them out and slow their heartbeat making them appear dead. If they're lucky, they won't be mistaken for dead and buried alive. If not…"

Aurelia gently cut him off, chuckling softly as she ruffled his hair.

"Alright, I got it. But this is a dangerous poison. You shouldn't make them in the time being."

Beside Denzel, Diego was sulking with his eyes lowered to the floor.

"I would've given you the weapons I made, but you make stronger ones."

Aurelia dropped the bag of herbs on the ground, lowering herself to his level.

"You should try a different tree for your spears, baby. I've come to learn that the sharpness in sharp ends depends on the tree."

"Why don't you take your time choosing a stronger tree to make them then when I return, you give it to me?"

His eyes instantly lit up. "Okay, mommy!"

Eleanor then walked forward as soon as he was done, a hostile gaze in her eyes.

"You killed Finn to save the life of the young alpha. If you return without a positive message, I'll slice your head off."

Aurelia didn't hesitate before she nodded, "I will keep that in mind."

Eleanor's mate had never liked Aurelia. Now that she was responsible for his brother's death, the space for any likeness towards her in his heart had hardened.

So he merely turned his face to the side and said nothing.

Damien closed the distance between them, gently moving the fringes of hair scattered on her face behind her ears.

"If you have the feeling that they're onto you, run and hide at our marked spot. I'll go everyday to see if you're there."

"Okay."

She hugged her children one last time and left.

Cinder Pack wasn't a long walk from where they were camped, but to protect herself from possible rogue hunters in the woods, she walked as slowly as possible, looking around to be sure she wasn't followed until she could see the pack's border guards.

Despite being hundreds of meters away, she could hear the jubilating voices of the pack members.

She hid behind one of the trees, held the bag of herbs under her armpit and poured the wine she had brought with her all over her body.

Then she drunkenly sauntered forward, running past the borders and running right out almost immediately.

This sudden entrance caught the attention of the two border guards there.

They walked up to her almost immediately to search her body for the pack's insignia.

Usually, it was either on the arm, at the back of the neck or just below the collarbone.

When he didn't see it anywhere, one of them roughly grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close to him threateningly.

"A rogue. You must have no regard for your life! How did you get into the pack in the first place?"

"R-rogue? What are you talking about? I was going to the market square and missed my way. Ro-Rogue? Why do you think I'm a rogue? Do I look like one?" She slurred drunkenly, her eyes half-closed.

The second guard glared hostilely at her.

"This crazy wench! What nonsense are you saying? Had the alpha not asked for your kind to be brought to him alive, I'd claw out your brain right here and now!"

But in return, she weakly grabbed him by the collar, moving away the hair behind her right ear as she shoved it in his face.

"The pack insignia is right behind my left ear. How dare you accuse me of being a rogue? Do I look like one of those sick bastards?"

Seeing it, the warriors instantly realized they had made a mistake. The one holding her quickly released his grip on her and they both lowered their head in apology.

However, Aurelia didn't release her grip on his collar. She moved closer to his face, making sure he could smell tbe alcohol on her as she scoffed irritatedly.

"You get paid because of the taxes I pay. How could you treat me like one of those lowly animals! I ought to scratch off your eyes!"

"Forgive me."

"This will never happen again."

The duo apologized one after the other.

She hissed, released her grip on him and sauntered forward.

"Just because I'm drunk you think you can walk all over me. I'm going to report you to the… I'm going to report you to Alpha Axton!" She yelled drunkenly, her words coming out in a slur as she swayed into the pack.

Once she was out of their sight, she straightened up and swept her eyes across the place.

It was no different from what it looked like yesterday.

For a pack with such lousy pack members, they were prospering a little too well.

Whatever they did in their past life must've pleased the moon goddess so much that she made them so carefree, but gave them a strong, competent and ruthless leader.

As she leaned on a wall observing the people; her attention was suddenly drawn to a man dragging a middle-aged woman by the hair.

He stopped just a few meters away from her and roughly shoved the woman to the ground, sneering, "You come here to act all high and mighty, whereas you've been owing me 100 coins since the 5th of last month! Do you have no shame?"

The woman tried to get up, but he kicked her on the back of the knee, sending her sprawling to the ground again.

Gritting her teeth, she huffed, "I said I'd pay you. All I need is more time!"

His lips hooked up in contempt, "More time, eh? How long have you been asking for more time?"

"Your business went under last month and you sold all your properties, where is the money you got from the sales?"

Maintaining her poise, she stared up at him coldly.

"You promised to give me a few more days to get you your money. So why are you doing this?"

He smiled mockingly.

"It's my money so I can change my mind whenever I want. Now, are you giving me the money or should I beat you a little more?"

The corners of Aurelia's lips twitched.

A proud woman desperately in need of money. Just who she needed.

Covering her face with her hair, she abruptly strutted towards him.

As he raised his foot to hit the woman, Aurelia threw herself at her, crying at the top of her voice.

"Don't hit my mother! Leave her alone!"