The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 38

Greg sprinted to Ivory and shielded the man as he uttered to the police in a cold voice, "He's with me."

Officer Katie snarled, "Step aside, Your Grace. This man has b-"

"Katie, everyone, let them through. He's one of the 98," Lucianne's firm voice cut through the space, and every policeman lowered their pistol or baton in compliance to their queen's order. But their fierce eyes stayed on the rogue and the duke.

As Greg and Ivory approached Lucianne, Greg hissed at his man softly, "What did I say about using contact lenses whenever you aren't in the Den?"

Ivory adjusted his eyepatch as he said, "Well, we are meeting the queen, Your Grace. It didn't seem good to disguise my true face."

"Save those smart answers for the collaboration with less smart creatures, Ivory." Greg muttered after he couldn't argue against him.

The duke looked ahead and snapped his fingers once before Lucianne and Xandar noticed that three lycans in caps with their heads hung low were leaning against the wall a meter away from them. Lucianne even flinched at their presence. She didn't see them there.

Greg gestured the four of them to stand before the rulers as he stood next to Lucianne, and everyone felt the awkwardness of the atmosphere. Lucianne was about to thrust out her hand to start the introduction. But before she could, Greg wiped a hand down his face in embarrassment, and spoke in a low voice, "I thought you four would have at least practiced."

Realization hit them, and they got down on one knee and bowed low before they greeted, "My Queen."

Lucianne's eyes widened and she frantically said, "You really don't have to do that. Please, stand. All of you."

They stood and managed polite smiles before the upward curl of their lips flattened when they glanced at Xandar and then back at Greg. Greg said, "Yes, him too. I promised I'll play nice."

Their sights returned to Xandar. And with a synchronized curt nod, they uttered reluctantly, "Your Highness."

Lucianne felt the coldness in that greeting, maybe even a little hate. She tried her best to mask her discomfort as she suggested they continued the introduction in one of the empty interrogation rooms. Officer Katie and Deputy Chief Laurent requested to join them out of concern, and the rulers graciously thanked them for volunteering to sit in, allowing them to enter.

In the interrogation room, Lucianne smiled and thrusted her hand in Ivory's way first, "Ivory, was it?"

Ivory looked at Lucianne's hand for two whole seconds before Greg sighed. "It's a handshake, Ivory. Seriously, what is wrong with the four of you today?"

Lucianne turned to the duke as she reminded him, "Your Grace, playing nice includes your own people as well. I didn't think I had to tell you that."

Greg's eyes softened as he responded, "I'm sorry about this, My Queen. These four are normally not this...slow." Xandar snorted at that last word, which garnered everyone's attention and earned a glare from Greg himself.

Ivory got to it, and gave Lucianne a firm handshake with the same polite smile. "Ivory Hoffmann, ma'am. Arrested and indicted for involuntary manslaughter after a mining accident, and-"

He stopped at Greg's slight shake of the head. Lucianne ignored the duke and urged, "Go on, Ivory."

"Well, um..." Ivory seemed uncertain, and his three teammates by his side thanked Goddess he went first instead of them.

Lucianne uttered, "Ivory, it's okay. Just say what you're going to say."

Greg closed his eyes and pinched his nose before giving a wave of his hand, the greenlight for Ivory to answer Lucianne. Ivory swallowed a lump in his throat and continued, "And um...after serving the sentence, I've worked under His Grace ever since."

"How long has it been?"

Ivory did a mental count before he said, "Forty-six years, ma'am."

"I see," Lucianne muttered, and asked, "Is it because you've developed an interest in this line of work?"

Ivory scoffed at first, but quickly turned it into an innocent cough when he inadvertently met Greg's glare. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, not at first, My Queen. It's just..." he glanced at Xandar, who was also waiting for him to finish, so he did, "Convicted creatures don't get second chances in this Kingdom. Not in this reign, not in the reigns before. Unless one could fabricate a résumé AND change his face after being found guilty of a crime that grave, there really is no industry out there that would hire."

"I see," Lucianne muttered again, sadness evident in her eyes and uneasiness obvious from her frown.

Greg noticed Xandar's thumb began stroking Lucianne's waist, and the duke coped with the discomfort before his hand gesture signaled Ivory to wrap things up. "Anyway, that's in the past, ma'am. Money was an issue at first when I couldn't replace a job, but after I began working with His Grace, the problem was solved. My ex-fiancé and daughter are doing quite well now, so all is w-"

"I'm sorry. Your ex-fiancé AND daughter?" Lucianne asked in disbelief.

Greg's animal wanted to tear its fur out. What were they thinking? They probably should have made his people rehearse with him before allowing them to meet the queen.

Greg was considering making the introduction session stop at Ivory, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Lucianne if she was adamant about continuing this process with the next three. He prayed to the Goddess that they wouldn't say too much. Whatever happened to the creatures before they were under his supervision was not Lucianne's fault.

The blame lay with his cousin, his uncle, and the kings before them, who all made no effort to change the system to offer second chances. Watching Lucianne's subtle look of guilt and despair now was pure t*****e. She shouldn't be blaming herself. She didn't know about any of this. When she was a wolf, she was subjected to equal, if not worse, discrimination from the entire lycan community.

Ivory gave up trying to guess what to say and what not to say. He was getting more and more confused by the minute. Besides, what was the worst that could happen if he told the queen everything? He was already going to be pardoned as long as he helped.

Ivory smiled and spoke to his heart's content, "Yes, ma'am. She was my chosen mate, and we were scheduled to be married a month after the mining accident. Intercourse was performed but we saved marking for our wedding night, which is rather a relief at hindsight. Her job opportunities would've been narrowed as well if the employer knew she was marked by a

felon."

Xandar then asked, "So, what does she tell her employers?"

Ivory's lilac eyes had faint traces of onyx when he said, "That she slept with an untraceable creature after meeting him at a bar, and became a single mother after that."

"And your daughter?" Lucianne prompted, bringing his attention back to her.

Ivory smiled again as he said, "Well provided for as soon as the duke offered me a job, ma'am. I visit my family once a week, and Iridessa uh...my daughter has been very good at keeping my

anonymity."

"I see," Lucianne said almost inaudibly.

Ivory began to understand what the duke didn't want him to say when Lucianne's voice weakened in volume, so he added as cheerfully as he could, "Dessa graduated many years ago, and is now an associate professor in Shlem University, My Queen. So, everything is really going

well."

Lucianne managed a contented smile. "That's good. What does she teach, if I may ask?"

Ivory grinned like a proud father and said, "Criminal Justice, ma'am. Her approved thesis was on criminal psychology." Only after Ivory said that did he and Greg realize that there was one word that shouldn't have been in that sentence, and they both prayed that Lucianne wouldn't

catch it.