The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 132

When Toby visited Gerella in prison for the first time, his leg fidgetted as he prayed that he wouldn't see that she had been battered or anything like that. The empress and consort assured him many times that Gerella was going to be safe, and that the prison guards always had things under control so violence and bullying seldom happened behind those walls.

He was waiting for her in the private visitation room for two painful minutes before Gerella entered with the policewoman, who then took off the keratin and silver cuffs that bound her wrists while reminding her about the usual procedure and the two hours that she was allowed. Gerella was dressed in the teal green uniform that everyone else wore, her hair up in a ponytail, and Toby sighed in relief that she still looked perfect. Gerella's brows arched in confusion when she took her seat in front of him and skipped over the usual 'hi' or 'hey' by asking, "You think I was going to refuse meeting you?"

He saw the humor swimming in those gorgeous eyes, and his hands reflexively reached out to hold her fingers, his thumb stroking the back of her hand when he confessed in a distressed whisper, "I was just worried. I wasn't sure if you were safe in here." Gerella carefully slid her fingers between his when she uttered with a smile, "I am. We all are. They're really strict about not touching another inmate here, especially if voices start to raise."

"Oh no." Toby muttered in dismay at the last part.

"It's a good thing, Toby."

"Were they raised at you?"

With a gentle shake of her head, she replied, "No."

"Okay." He sighed in relief. "It's just twelve months. Six months if we get lucky." As hard as Toby was trying to be here for his mate, his demeanor showed that he was assuring himself more than he was trying to comfort her when he said that. He and his wolf were more worried about their mate's situation than Gerella was herself. Despite being the one in custody, she seemed as calm as clear skies.

Gerella gave his hand a gentle squeeze when she met his eyes and spoke in an affectionate whisper, "Hey," the worry in his eyes melted away with the tranquil blue orbs that held him captive, and Gerella continued, "We're going to be okay. Thank you for coming to see me." Toby scoffed as his mood improved by the sound of her voice and the way she spoke to him. With a wide smile, he confessed, "Ella, don't thank me for this. I never want to NOT see you. If possible, I want to stay with you in there until they let you out."

Gerella felt her heart swell at his declaration, yet she still chose to state the obvious, "Inmates are separated by gender, Toby. We won't see each other or be together even if you were in there. You'd be in the other block." Toby groaned and complained, "Can't you let a guy dream for once, Ella?"

Ella chuckled. "This might be the first time I'm hearing about a dream that curtails liberty."

"When my mate is in prison, I feel as trapped as she is. It might feel a little more liberating if I could see her more than twice a day, or hold her longer than a few seconds each time." Toby felt his wolf nodding in agreement.

His animal had really been an animal lately. After the judge sentenced Gerella and the others, his wolf kept asking its human to replace ways to break into prison to see their mate, pestering him to ask Gerella which cell was she in so that it could save time sniffing her out. It even encouraged Toby to ask for Greg's help so that they wouldn't get caught. As tempting as that was, Toby decided against it. There was no telling what would happen if he did get caught, especially if the prison guards found his scent in corridors or parts of the prison where he shouldn't have been in.

A tinge of pink slowly appeared on Gerella's cheeks at how smoothly Toby said what he did, the way he looked at her when he said it. There was no hesitation, no need to think. It was like he just...knew that that was what he truly wanted. Being an administrator, Gerella had always been seen and heard, and knew what it was like to feel important.

But Toby seemed to have taken it on a whole new level, or a different spectrum altogether. He didn't just see and hear her. In his visits and when they spent time together, she could tell that he wanted to see things that she wasn't showing, hear things that she wasn't saying. He didn't just make her feel important, he made her feel like a special puzzle that he was more than happy to solve.

"What have you been up to lately?" He asked gently, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Uh...making friends, mostly." A thought came to her, and her eyes sparkled in joy when she shared enthusiastically, "I reconnected with a few of those forest messengers. Most of them are here for petty theft. They recognized me and welcomed me into their circle. We're getting along very well. What was interesting to me though was that they said they've been in prison before, like it wasn't a big deal. Some have been in and out for more than ten times. Can you believe it, Toby? They know these walls and hallways like it was their other home or something." Toby was definitely not expecting to hear that. He blinked before responding, "As unexpected as that was, it's definitely good news. At least you have company, but these messengers....they can't read the codes, right?"

She nodded when she said, "That's right," and added with a smile, "They've been complaining a lot lately, saying that one of their sources of income has been depleted now that none of us live there anymore. They like me, but...they hate you." "Wait, what?" Toby's eyes bulged wide in disbelief.