The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 97

In the new hideout, Gerella had just explained to the kids (again) that they couldn't go out to play yet because the weather wasn't good. The truth was they were never going out to play now that they were hatching yet another escape route. After reporting to Saxum about the food supply, Gerella went for a stroll in the forest. She was enjoying the coolness and the peace of the greenery in her invisible form. Then, she heard something. A rhythm. Lup-di-duh-di-dup. Over and over again. It was the most beautiful sound that she'd ever heard. But where was it coming from? There wasn't a soul in sight, unless this was another discretus? Was she hearing the bodily fluid of the mate their Lord had bonded her to?

Gerella was excited but also nervous. She followed the sound, and found herself walking towards the beach, the very location Saxum had told everyone to steer clear of because there was no cover. The sunset was blinding, and she was nearing the sand when she noticed someone on one of the boulders. He appeared to be talking to himself. Her eyes moved away from him until she realized that the beautiful rhythm was from this creature.

Who was he? Why was he sitting out in the open like that? Wasn't he afraid of getting caught or killed with proditors and rogues nearby? Was he a local?

Her shoes hit the sand and she started noticing his features. When she registered his tanned skin and onyx eyes, her footsteps paused and her excitement was put to an abrupt halt. He wasn't a hybrid like her. He was a pure wolf. She doubted he was a rogue. He'd be with Klementine if he were. This was her turf.

Gerella racked her brain for what to do next. Before she could decide, Toby's talking stopped and he started sniffing the air. Gerella's heart raced, and while her invisibility powers would normally hide her when she felt scared, it revealed her this time instead even though she was terrified.

She couldn't move even when Toby was right in front of her. The way he said her name when he towered over her melted her entire being. They stared into each other's eyes for the next few moments, and Gerella couldn't believe that the Lord and Goddess would bond someone this handsome to her. She craved to trace his bushy eyebrows and Greek nose, to run her fingers through his dark hair.

Toby, on the other hand, wanted to take her hands and feel her fingers, to feel what it was like to have her bury herself in his chest. His animal, like the uncivilized animal that it was, encouraged him to go for it but Toby knew better than to scare off his mate by doing something that spontaneous.

Very carefully, he took out the leaf from his jacket and handed it to Gerella when he whispered, "I think this is yours, Ella.”

She stared in disbelief at the leaf she used as a bookmark before she cleared her throat and managed to utter, "T-Thank you."

Her voice was as delicate as it was alluring. It made him forget about the present threats, troubles and problems of the kingdom for a while. At that moment, he just felt at peace. "Um..." Gerella hesitated.

"Yeah?" Toby closed their distance and prompted in a gentle whisper.

"Wh-What do I call you?"

Oh. He got so caught up in her that he forgot that he hadn't introduced himself. His smile turned into a short, soft chuckle, and then a grin when he said, "It's Toby, Ella." "Toby," she repeated, sending a spark that travelled throughout his bloodstream. "S-So, you...don't mind?"

"Mind what?" He took her hand, and found that it was a little colder than the average creature.

Gerella could see that he was slowly coming to realize she wasn't like him, so she answered, "That I'm a hybrid, born from the union of a wolf and a vampire."

Toby's eyes widened as his mind shut down. All that came out of his mouth was, "Oh. I definitely didn't expect you to say that."

Gerella would've been discouraged but the fact that he didn't look disappointed or upset made her hopeful. He just looked shocked and confused, and he explained why, "Not that I don't like the idea of...that but...I just didn't know hybrids existed. Like how do you operate? When do you sleep? Do you drink blood seeing that you're technically...half a vampire?"

She felt his warmth, his curiosity, his genuine effort of wanting to know her kind, and that was what touched her. She couldn't help but find his way of asking questions humorous, even charming. Life as a proditor under Saxum's command had very little laughter, if any. Gerella herself was only smiley around the kids to cheer them up but it would have been nice to have someone make her smile and laugh for a change.

Gerella chuckled lightly before she replied, "Those things are different for each hybrid. It all depends on which genes our bodies are inclined to adopt. Personally, I sleep at night. I find more beauty and life in the morning, so it's sad to just be sleeping throughout the day." "That's good to know," he whispered affectionately as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

Gerella felt an unfamiliar warmth creep up her cheeks. No one ever had this effect on her. Then again, she lived underground. There weren't really any opportunities to meet creatures who weren't in hiding.

She tried to stay focused despite how hard it was to do so with Toby looking at her like he just got a new pair of eyes and was seeing for the first time, and she continued, "I do drink blood but it's not my staple. I mean, I don't vomit when I drink it, but I wouldn't say that I crave it every single meal. It's just another food option for me.”

Toby weighed in this fact and mumbled, "That does make sense, actually. So...when you guys hunt, do you drink its blood first or eat it first?"

Gerella pressed her lips together to rein in her laughter from his random question before she answered, "Blood first, then eat. It's less messy. And we don't hunt. The Forest of Oderem spoils us, and exudes scents to lure animals in. We're practically killing what's being brought to us. Toby scoffed in amusement. "And here I was feeling sorry for you guys that you'd have to eat nothing but those fruits in the trees and fish in the water."

"Oh, those fish can't be caught or eaten. They're like the forest's pets and have been there for centuries. Someone tried to catch them once. He got a fever for a week."

"Huh, pets."

He wondered if his next question was going to be offensive, and Gerella made their eyes lock when she asked, "What is it?"

Toby ran through how he was going to ask his next question three times in his head before he put it out there, "Do hybrids...age?"

Gerella found it funny that Toby looked so nervous to ask about aging. "If you're asking how old I am, Toby, I'm 45. Hybrids do age, and it differs from one hybrid to the next, but for some reason, our appearance always adopts the slow-aging one of vampires. It's not an accurate indicator of how long we'll live though. Some live up to 300 years old like wolves; some up to 500 like lycans; and a handful live up to around 2,000 like our leader, Saxum."

Gerella realized she just steered their light conversation towards a serious, melancholic one. There was something about Toby that just made her feel safe to say anything that came to mind. She then recalled the leaf he gave her. Their hideout had been found by the authorities. Toby also came back to reality at the mention of a leader. He was the kingdom's defense minister, the queen's best friend, one of the strongest and most trusted allies. Now, the Moon Goddess saw it fit to bond him to a proditor. The worst part was he didn't even mind. He would take her on a date right now if she let him. But circumstances and responsibilities had to get in the way.

"Ella," Toby began uneasily, his hands held hers so that she wouldn't run away when he said, "I think you know who I am, and I'm sure you know how and where I found that leaf. Please, I don't want to hurt you or anyone. But I need to know about the creatures trying to challenge the Queen's Authority."