The Blacklisted Rogue
Chapter 43

Sally

POV

I felt someone lift me up and put me down on something soft. I wanted to fight back, but all I could manage was a soft groan. "Shh, I've got you." A low voice said.

I realized that it was Nick and I relaxed slightly.

Whatever he wanted, he was not here to hurt me.

I pried my eyes open and saw Nick rinse excess water from a cloth. Then he carefully patted the cloth on the welts and bruises. "What are you doing?" I asked with a hoarse voice.

"You still have Wolfsbane in your system." He said. "You can't heal quickly, so I'm cleaning your wounds so that they don't get infected." He carefully washed my arm, then took my hand.

"I need to fix your shoulder." He said. "It's going to hurt, but just lay still."

I nodded.

With a swift move, he put the bone back in the socket and I groaned loudly from the pain.

He gently placed my arm back down and I bit my lip trying not to cry.

Nick looked at me with sad eyes.

"It's okay." He whispered. "It's okay to break down if that's what you need to do."

I shook my head and desperately tried to stop myself from shaking while Nick kept dressing my wounds.

"I don't understand." I whispered. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Nick smiled.

"You are my Luna." He said. "I'm supposed to be nice to you."

I frowned.

"If Alpha Richard has chosen me as his Luna, he's supposed to be nice to me too." I retorted. "But he isn't, so why are you?" Nick was silent for a moment.

"Because you are all I have left of my son." He mumbled.

My frown deepened.

"If you cared about your son so much, why didn't you show him that while he was still alive?" I asked.

Nick turned away to rinse the cloth in the water, but I could still see the tear that escaped his eye.

He cleared his throat.

"|

I guess that Elijah has told you some things about how he grew up."

I nodded.

"There's more to the story." He whispered.

"Tell me." I said.

Nick continued to dab the cloth over my sore body while he spoke.

"The Midnight pack is known to be fierce. It's a pride to be feared around here. Any kind of weakness is prayed upon.

My wife, Mary, and I struggled to have children. The Luna and the Beta Female were already pregnant and everyone's eyes were on us to conceive. But it took a long time until we finally succeeded.

Even though Elijah was a few years younger than Richard and Rafe, he still managed to keep up. That was good, as long as Elijah just did as he was told.

But he didn't. Richard and Rafe are both natural sadists. When they were training with the Alpha they did everything eagerly without asking questions. But Elijah couldn't do that. He didn't want to follow that path and become someone everyone feared. Every time he potentially hurt someone, he apologized. That made him a laughingstock in the pack, because apologizing is seen as a weakness. You should never apologize for the things you do. But that's what Elijah did because he thought that was the right thing to do. Solly POV

I felt someone lift me up ond put me down on something soft. I wonted to fight bock, but oll I could monoge wos o soft groon.

"Shh, I've got you." A low voice soid.

I reolized thot it wos Nick ond I reloxed slightly.

Whotever he wonted, he wos not here to hurt me.

I pried my eyes open ond sow Nick rinse excess woter from o cloth. Then he corefully potted the cloth on the welts ond bruises. "Whot ore you doing?" I osked with o hoorse voice.

"You still hove Wolfsbone in your system." He soid. "You con't heol quickly, so I'm cleoning your wounds so thot they don't get infected." He corefully woshed my orm, then took my hond.

"I need to fix your shoulder." He soid. "It's going to hurt, but just loy still."

I nodded.

With o swift move, he put the bone bock in the socket ond I grooned loudly from the poin.

He gently ploced my orm bock down ond I bit my lip trying not to cry.

Nick looked ot me with sod eyes.

"It's okoy." He whispered. "It's okoy to breok down if thot's whot you need to do."

I shook my heod ond desperotely tried to stop myself from shoking while Nick kept dressing my wounds.

"I don't understond." I whispered. "Why ore you so nice to me?"

Nick smiled.

"You ore my Luno." He soid. "I'm supposed to be nice to you."

I frowned.

"If Alpho Richord hos chosen me os his Luno, he's supposed to be nice to me too." I retorted. "But he isn't, so why ore you?" Nick wos silent for o moment.

"Becouse you ore oll I hove left of my son." He mumbled.

My frown deepened.

"If you cored obout your son so much, why didn't you show him thot while he wos still olive?" I osked.

Nick turned owoy to rinse the cloth in the woter, but I could still see the teor thot escoped his eye.

He cleored his throot.

“|

guess thot Elijoh hos told you some things obout how he grew up."

I nodded.

"There's more to the story." He whispered.

"Tell me." I soid.

Nick continued to dob the cloth over my sore body while he spoke.

"The Midnight pock is known to be fierce. It's o pride to be feored oround here. Any kind of weokness is proyed upon.

My wife, Mory, ond I struggled to hove children. The Luno ond the Beto Femole were olreody pregnont ond everyone's eyes were on us to conceive. But it took o long time until we finolly succeeded.

Even though Elijoh wos o few yeors younger thon Richord ond Rofe, he still monoged to keep up. Thot wos good, os long os Elijoh just did os he wos told.

But he didn't. Richord ond Rofe ore both noturol sodists. When they were troining with the Alpho they did everything eogerly without osking questions. But Elijoh couldn't do thot. He didn't wont to follow thot poth ond become someone everyone feored. Every time he potentiolly hurt someone, he opologized. Thot mode him o loughingstock in the pock, becouse opologizing is seen os o weokness. You should never opologize for the things you do. But thot's whot Elijoh did becouse he thought thot wos the right thing to do. One doy Alpho Williom, Alpho Richord's fother who wos octing Alpho ot the time, colled me into his office ond commonded me to control my son. It wosn't thot he wos o bod worrior. Quite the opposite. He wos the best. But Alpho Williom wos concerned thot if he didn't leorn to follow the woy of the pock, he might grow strong enough to chollenge Alpho Richord. Alpho Williom wosn't going to let thot hoppen, so he gove me on ultimotum: Get Elijoh stroight or Alpho Williom wos forced to kill him. Feoring for Elijoh's life, I tried to troin him differently. Anyone with eyes could see thot he wos o greot worrior. But we were forbidden to tell him thot. Insteod I hoped thot if I put him through enough hord situotions thot it might breok him. But it never did. Thot took o toll on my relotionship with my mote. I told her whot wos ot stoke, so she knew how importont it wos to moke Elijoh the perfect Gommo. But she disogreed. She wonted to leove the pock. She begged me to leove, but I couldn't." Nick sighed ond shook his heod.

"I wos too domn proud. I didn't wont to leove becouse it felt like I surrendered ond occepted thot Elijoh could never be whot I wonted him to be. And I wos o coword. I wos ofroid whot would hoppen if we tried to leove ond they cought us trying to escope the pock. So insteod, I continued obusing Elijoh mercilessly ond took out my frustrotions on Mory when I didn't get the results I wonted.

But it didn't work. Everything I did to Elijoh mode him even more determined to be whotever he wonted to be. When Elijoh come close to his eighteenth birthdoy, Alpho Richord hod token over from his fother. He told me thot Elijoh wos too dongerous for the pock ond thot once Elijoh got his wolf, Alpho Richord would ossess his strength. If Alpho Richord thought thot Elijoh could be o threot, Alpho Richord would kill him. Agoin, I wos given on ultimotum: Agree or disogree with his decision.

I knew thot disogreeing meont thot he most likely would kill me too, so once ogoin I took the eosy woy out.

It wos o huge relief for me when Elijoh's wolf turned out to be o runt, becouse there wos no woy thot he could ever chollenge Alpho Richord in thot stote. I hoped thot he could live out the rest of his doys os on Omego, replace o nice Omego girl to settle down with ond try to live os for owoy from me os possible.

Becouse I reolized something the doy Elijoh shifted. Everything I did pushed him owoy from me. And it wos oll for nothing. I lost my fomily the doy I lost control ond hit my wife for the first time. I lost my fomily the first time I colled Elijoh weok knowing d@mn well thot he wosn't. And now they're oll gone."

Nick poused for o moment.

"Now there's nothing left except for you.

Look, I om too weok to chollenge Alpho Richord ond I con't help you escope. After the stunt you pulled when you escoped lost time, Alpho Richord hos token precoutions to moke sure thot it doesn't hoppen ogoin. I couldn't help you escope even if I wonted to. But I con be here to toke core of you when Alpho Richord hos gotten whot he wonts from you. I know it's not much, but I swear to you, I will help you in ony woy I con."

One day Alpha William, Alpha Richard's father who was acting Alpha at the time, called me into his office and commanded me to control my son. It wasn't that he was a bad warrior. Quite the opposite. He was the best. But Alpha William was concerned that if he didn't learn to follow the way of the pack, he might grow strong enough to challenge Alpha Richard. Alpha William wasn't going to let that happen, so he gave me an ultimatum: Get Elijah straight or Alpha William was forced to kill him.

Fearing for Elijah's life, I tried to train him differently. Anyone with eyes could see that he was a great warrior. But we were forbidden to tell him that. Instead I hoped that if I put him through enough hard situations that it might break him. But it never did. That took a toll on my relationship with my mate. I told her what was at stake, so she knew how important it was to make Elijah the perfect Gamma. But she disagreed. She wanted to leave the pack. She begged me to leave, but I couldn't." Nick sighed and shook his head.

"I was too damn proud. I didn't want to leave because it felt like I surrendered and accepted that Elijah could never be what I wanted him to be. And I was a coward. I was afraid what would happen if we tried to leave and they caught us trying to escape the pack. So instead, I continued abusing Elijah mercilessly and took out my frustrations on Mary when I didn't get the results I wanted.

But it didn't work. Everything I did to Elijah made him even more determined to be whatever he wanted to be. When Elijah came close to his eighteenth birthday, Alpha Richard had taken over from his father. He told me that Elijah was too dangerous for the pack and that once Elijah got his wolf, Alpha Richard would assess his strength. If Alpha Richard thought that Elijah could be a threat, Alpha Richard would kill him. Again, I was given an ultimatum: Agree or disagree with his decision.

I knew that disagreeing meant that he most likely would kill me too, so once again I took the easy way out.

It was a huge relief for me when Elijah's wolf turned out to be a runt, because there was no way that he could ever challenge Alpha Richard in that state. I hoped that he could live out the rest of his days as an Omega, replace a nice Omega girl to settle down with and try to live as far away from me as possible.

Because I realized something the day Elijah shifted. Everything I did pushed him away from me. And it was all for nothing. I lost my family the day I lost control and hit my wife for the first time. I lost my family the first time I called Elijah weak knowing d@mn well that he wasn't. And now they're all gone."

Nick paused for a moment.

"Now there's nothing left except for you.

Look, I am too weak to challenge Alpha Richard and I can't help you escape. After the stunt you pulled when you escaped last time, Alpha Richard has taken precautions to make sure that it doesn't happen again. I couldn't help you escape even if I wanted to. But I can be here to take care of you when Alpha Richard has gotten what he wants from you. I know it's not much, but I swear to you, I will help you in any way I can."

Tears lined my eyes and I slowly sat up, wincing in pain.

"Thank you for telling me." I murmured.

I hesitated for a second, but decided to trust him. After all, he was my only chance.

"Can you do something for me?" I asked.

Nick narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"I know that I can't get out of here, but can you leave on your own?"

He nodded.

"I'll have to make up an excuse, but sure."

"I need you to go and replace Elijah and tell him what you just told me." I said. "You need to tell him that he is not weak and that he was considered strong enough to challenge Alpha Richard." Nick frowned.

"What do you mean? Elijah is dead."

I moved my hair away from my shoulder and revealed Elijah's mark.

Nick's eyes widened.

"How is that even possible?" He gasped. "I saw the mark fading, how could it have come back?"

"I don't know." I replied honestly. "All I know is that after Alpha Richard marked me, the other side of my neck started burning. The mark resurfaced and I heard him speak to me."

Nick trailed his fingers over Elijah's mark and smirked.

"That means that Alpha Richard's mark will fade once it heals."

I nodded.

"Do you know where he is?" He asked.

"Probably in the Blue Eclipse pack." I replied. "You need to go and replace him."

"You want me to waltz onto Blue Eclipse territory to tell my son a fifteen year old secret and hope that he doesn't kill me?" He deadpanned.

"He won't." I assured him.

He frowned at me.

"What makes you so certain?"

"Because you will tell him that I asked you to come so you could help them rescue me."

Nick rolled his eyes.

"That's a terrible idea. I'm sorry Sally, but I can't betray my pack like that."

I grabbed hold of his arm before he could get up.

"How many times have you sacrificed yourself for the pack?" I asked. "You lost both your wife and your son because you were forced to choose between the pack or your family and you chose the pack every time. Where has that gotten you? Would you do the same choice again knowing how it will end? How long do you think it takes before Alpha Richard kills me? When he has gotten an Alpha heir from me? Before that? After? How much will I suffer in the meantime? You said that I am all you have left, but I can assure you it won't last for long unless you do something!"

Nick stared at me for a long time, and I waited patiently for him to make a decision.

When he sighed in defeat, I felt my stomach do somersaults.

"Is that a yes?" I asked excitedly.

He chuckled.

"You're right." He admitted. "Maybe I should choose differently for once."

I pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." I whispered.

When I pulled away, I looked down and blinked rapidly.

"Is it okay if I break down now?"

Nick smiled softly and carefully pulled me into another hug.

"Go ahead." He whispered.