Michelle felt it instantly. As soon as the cursed words left Alfa's mouth, Michelle felt the bond break.
"I, Alfa Flowerew, Alpha of Moonsglow pack, break all ties with you, Michelle Greene. From now on, you are no longer part of this pack, and I hereby declare you a rogue!"
First, the pain of the bond breaking. Then the change of her scent, from the mountain and wildflowers, the signature smell of the Moonsglow pack members, to a rotting meat stench, the scent of a rogue.
They had spoken earlier about this and their plans, but the pain was too much. On top of that, every pack member caught a whif of her scent, a rogue, and most were now hiding their children behind their backs.
"All the best," Alfa called out after her as she ran out the gate, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Alfa only hoped that they were doing the right thing and that Michelle would be successful. They both knew that failure wasn't an option, or Rodriguez wouldn't think twice before killing her.
Michelle was lucky that there were no other packs nearby, and she didn't cross paths with any other pack members, as this would have meant a fight to the death.
She reached the festival after everything had started, and Yalandro informed her that Arya was already here with some of the rogues and that a woman and two girls were by her side.
She didn't catch the scent of any other pack members, which was a relief, so she sat at the corner of the ground, waiting for them to catch her scent.
Sure enough, she heard voices talking.
"Did you smell that," said voice one.
"Yeah, a newly turned rogue," said voice number two.
"I think you should take the women and children to the car and wait. We'll go find the rogue. It could be dangerous. Don't wanna risk the children!" Said voice number three.
"What about our mission?" Asked voice number one.
"Let's solve the rogue problem first, then we'll figure out about that," voice three said.
"Yes, and we need to inform our Alpha about this," said voice number four.
"Okay," said voice two.
As if on queue, Michelle started crying. She didn't know why, but natural tears flowed freely. She realized that she wasn't acting. She was genuinely sobbing.
Four men walked towards her, and Michelle slowly looked up and shrank herself as much as she could, looking like she was scared.
"She looks scared."
"Maybe we should get Donna."
"Yes."
One of the men ran off while the other three men stayed, looking at her with pity. As if telling her they'd been there.
Soon enough, two women walked up toward her. One of them was Arya, and the other must be Donna.
"Hey there," Arya said.
Michelle remained quiet. She couldn't catch a scent of her. Arya looked older than she was in her photo; the photo Alfa had shown her.
"My name's Arya. What's your name?"
"M...m...Michelle," she said, through her sobs.
"Michelle, you are safe with us. We belong to the rogue pack, and this is Donna," Arya said, pointing to the other lady. "And these are Alpha Rodriguez men."
Michelle calmed her breathing, which in turn calmed down her heart rate. Arya and these men were buying it. They didn't suspect a thing.
"Look, Michelle, we will not ask you what happened, since it's always painful to explain it, but you can tell us whenever you are ready. But for now, we are all starving. Do you want to eat anything?"
Arya's question made Michelle realize that she hadn't eaten anything from the morning till now.
She had woken up late, and thinking she'd grab something to eat on the way, rushed out to catch the bus. She didn't have time to buy anything, and hours after reaching Moonsglow pack, she was declared a rogue.
No one had even asked her if she wanted to eat anything, till now.
"I'm starving too," Michelle whispered.
The three women walked to the food stalls, while the guards went to get Melvin and the pups.
Soon, they were all eating pizza and hotdogs while listening to the stories told by the humans around the fire.
After eating, the guards went towards the car, and Arya followed them, while Donna and Michelle stayed behind.
"Is everything okay?" Michelle asked Donna while looking towards Arya.
"Oh, yes! She's going to check if our Alpha had been informed about you. We can't take you in without his permission, you know," Donna replied.
Michelle knew this was a lie. Arya had most likely kidnapped her first victim and was going to check on her, but she didn't say it. Instead, she nodded in understanding.
Arya returned back and told them that Alpha Rodriguez had been informed and that he'll be waiting for them.
By now, it was almost ten, and the kids were getting fussy, as it was way past their sleep time.
"I think we all should get going!" Donna said, as she picked up Meldrich and Melvin picked up the twins.
"I think we need to swap vehicles; as we have to use the guards van because of the space," Melvin said to one of the guards.
"That would be great, as I've always wanted to drive your car," the young guard said.
The guards climbed into the car, two in front while two in the back, and Melvin, the three women, and the three pups sat in the van.
There was a mat in the trunk, and Donna spread it out, put the children on it, and as the van moved, they fell asleep.
Arya and Michelle sat in the seat behind the driver's seat, and Melvin was their driver. Donna sat with her children in the trunk.
They reached the rogue pack within an hour, as Melvin was driving slowly, and the men at the gate opened the gate and stared inside the van as it drove by.
They could smell Michelle in it and were curious to know who she was.
Michelle was stunned at the beauty of the place, and although it was nighttime, she could see most of the building and the forest, thanks to her wolf eye sight.
The van stopped in front of a huge mansion, and everyone got out.
Lights were everywhere, and cameras also blinked in the corners. Michelle looked around in awe, and she felt a sense of belonging in this place.
They entered the pack house, and instantly, Michelle caught a scent. The sweet smell of sugar and chocolate, with a hint of lemon. The scent was so overwhelming, that she followed it, leaving the others behind, and without fear, walked straight into the sitting area.
There stood the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, had red piercing eyes, and scars ran across his body and face.
Before she could stop herself, the words flowed out of her lips, "Mate!"