Chapter 82
Steven shouted out the question that everyone had at heart.
Why?
Why did Glen betray them and choose the rogueâs side?
Glen stood on his spot and let Steven punch him. He groaned lowly after the first punch but didnât choose to move away from the upcoming attack.
Steven grabbed Glenâs collar and kept hitting his former friend.
His knuckles were white with anger.
A storm of emotions brewed in his eyes.
Steven thought that they used to be friends. If not friends, at least they were on the same side.
Yet their bond was now shattered with betrayal.
Steven felt stupid for defending Glen fiercely in front of everyone before!
âYouâ¦f**king bastard! Why!â
Steven growled, throwing another punch directly at Glenâs nose, knocking him to the ground.
âJust f**king give me a reason! Are you a rogue? How did you manage to become a Gamma if you are a rogue!â
Glen knelt on the ground and coughed. The corners of his mouth were ripped with blood.
âNo, I am not a rogue.â
He wiped away the blood and answered coolly.
âAs for my reasonsâ¦Well, it doesnât matter now, does it? I lost and you caught me. And thatâs it. I am ready for whatever punishment that you have in mind.â
Glen raised his head and looked at Daran. There was no fear nor regret on his face. âYou can execute me right now, Alpha Daran. I have nothing else to say,â he said calmly.
Glenâs attitude rendered everyone speechless.
They just got betrayed by one of their closest friends!
How could they let this slide?
âAt least give us an excuse or make one up for f**kâs sake!â Jeff cried loudly, âI donât believe that you would choose the rogueâs side without a reason! You saw clearly how they slaughtered those civilians! So what is it? Did they blackmail you? Did they threaten you?â
Glen shrugged.
âMaybe there is no reason,â he said with an indifferent tone. âMaybe I am just purely evil.â
Jeff let out a frustrated growl. Apparently, he found this hard to accept.
âI think I know about his reasons,â Janet said abruptly.
Glen frowned at her.
His eyes gleamed with suspicion.
Janet walked to the tent entrance and talked briefly to the soldiers outside, âThe girl that you caught last nightâ¦.Yes, bring her here.â
Moments later, a slim figure appeared by the tent entrance.
It was a pretty girl in her early twenties.
She looked tired and messy. Her hair was all tangled, and her eyes were red and puffy from the tears. Her clothes were dirty and worn out from running.
Yet even though she looked rough, you could still see in her eyes that she was determined to keep going despite everything.
âVeronica!â
Glen swooped up and rushed towards the girl. She burst into tears and rushed towards him as well.
They hugged each other tightly, like holding on to the most precious thing in their lives.
âVeronicaâ¦what are you doing here?â Glen gasped, âI told you to head south and never come back. Why didnât you listen to me!â
The girl named Veronica sobbed, âHow can I leave by myself knowing that you are risking your life for me? Iâ¦I have to check on youâ¦and make sure that you are OKâ¦â
âWe caught her in the woods last night. She was sneaking and poking around. My men thought that she looked suspicious and bought her back,â Janet said.
Glen held Veronica in his arms and stroked her messy hair, whispering some comforting words into her ears.
Steven, Jeff, and Maxie exchanged a look of perplexation.
âUmm⦠what is going on here?â Jeff starched his head and asked, âWho is this girl again?â
âShe is a rogue. And Glenâs lover. I think that she is also the reason that Glen brought us,â Janet said.
âIs that true, Glen?â Maxie asked.
Glenâs face was pale.
Veronica wiped her tears on Glenâs shoulder and turned around to face everyone.
âIt is true. Glen did everythingâ¦all because of me.
She was quivering with strong emotions.
âWe met each other at the border when Glen came to fight back rogues⦠It was love at first sight. Glen wanted to take me away to his packâ¦but I canât go. Not with my family still in the Rogue Kingâs hand.â
She took in a deep breath before continuing:
âSo I went to see the Rogue King and ask for his mercy to set my families free-
âWait!â
Janet gasped.
âYou have met the Rogue King?â
Veronica shook her head, âNoâ¦.not in person. The Rogue King was giving orders behind a curtain. But I can tell from his voice that he is a man.â
A man.
Janet and the others exchanged a look of frustration.
Well, at least now they knew about the Rogue Kingâs gender.
But that didnât help to narrow it down.
âSo what did the Rogue King say?â Janet pursued, âI bet that he didnât let you go without a cost.â
âYou are right.â
Veronica let out a bitter laugh.
âHe heard that I was in love with a Gamma, and he was thrilledâ¦He made me an offer. He promised to set my entire family free if Glen agreed to be his source of information during the war.â
Glen dropped his eyes.
It was the first time that a look of shame appeared on his face.
Veronica continued in a low voice, âSo with my family still in the Rogue Kingâs hand,
I traveled to Riverside Pack and became a waitress at a local strip club. Glen would come to my club and pass on the information, and I would send it back to the Rogue Kingâ¦â
Janet suddenly remembered something.
Before the war broke out, the 5 Gammas had many long meetings in Riverside Pack. They were all exhausted after those meetings.
Yet somehow, Glen could always find the time and energy to go to the bars after the meetings.
They thought that Glen was just a hyper guy.
But the truth was, he went to see Veronica at those times.
âSo thatâs it?â
Steven cried out abruptly,
âThat is your big reason? You betrayed all of us for a woman?!â
âStevenâ¦â
Maxie tried to calm Steven down. But he shook her hand off roughly.
âWe lost lives in this war! Countless lives! Have you f**king thought about that?! And what about your Alpha? Your own soldiers? They trusted you! And what did you do in return? You were f**king leading them to hell! Your piece of shit!â
Steven was losing his temper again.
Steven was losing his temper again.
He raised a leg and kicked Glenâs stomach fiercely, Glen groaned and staggered back. Veronica shrieked covering her mouth. She wanted to come forward and help Glen. Yet Janet stopped her.
âYou will make it worse by going in there,â Janet said to her. âNow, Calm down. It is OK now. Can you tell me more about the Rogue King?â
They found out about the mole.
But that was so not enough.
If the Rogue King could implant the first mole among them, he could very well do it again.
He was cunning and calculating beyond imagination.
To win this war, they needed to gather more information about this man.
Janet could tell that Veronica knew more about the Rogue King besides his gender.
âTell me, Veronica. This is important,â Janet demanded. âWe will help you rescue your families back. As long as you give me the truth.â
Veronicaâs lips trembled.
âThe Rogue King isâ¦cruel, powerfulâ¦almost charismatic. He has a certain quality that can make you obey his order automaticallyâ¦And he is also a man of his own wordsâ¦â
Veronica stared deep into Janetâs eyes, with tears welling up.
âHe told me that if we failed, he would skin my family aliveâ¦He meant itâ¦So I am sorryâ¦I canât fail himâ¦â she sobbed desperately.
Janet took a small step back.
A sudden thrill of foreboding hit her.
But it was too late.
A dagger appeared in Veronicaâs hand. The blade shone with a greenish light, indicating that it was poisoned.
With a sharp cry, Veronica raised the dagger and stabbed Janet!
In a split second, someone shoved Janet aside.
Janet stumbled sideward and jerked around in panic.
Her eyes fixed upon the dagger.
It had sunk deep into Daranâs chest.