After My Mate Stole My Rogue Kill, I Defied Him Chapter 01

After My Mate Stole My Rogue Kill, I Defied Him Chapter 01

The rain hammered against my skin like tiny daggers as I crouched in the mud of the Northern Territory. My prey was close—I could smell him. Rogue General “Ironclaw” had eluded the Lycan Council for months, but tonight would be his last night breathing.

“Find him,” I whispered to my wolf, Valkyrie.

*He’s behind the fallen oak,* she growled back. *Left flank.*

I adjusted my grip on the silver-edged blade, my muscles coiling like a spring. Three years ago, this would have been just another hunt. Now, it was the final piece of my sacrifice for Colin.

“For you,” I murmured, though he would never know.

The rogue burst from the shadows, his massive form lunging at me with claws extended. I pivoted, letting his momentum carry him past me as I executed a perfect counterstrike—a move that had earned me the name “The Shadow” in my former life.

My blade found his throat with surgical precision. Blood sprayed across my face as his head rolled into the mud. The kill was clean, efficient, and completely invisible to the human world.

“Proof,” I reminded myself, reaching for his right ear—the one with the distinctive scar that would confirm his identity to the Lycan Council.

Valkyrie snarled in satisfaction as I collected my bounty. *One more kill. One more lie.*

“It’s not a lie if it gets us what we need,” I replied, quickly stripping off my blood-soaked clothes and burying them in the mud.

I examined the shallow scratches on my arms—remnants of Ironclaw’s desperate final attack. Without my Alpha healing abilities fully engaged, they would take hours to heal completely. I closed my eyes, allowing just enough of my suppressed power to surface to close the wounds.

“Home before dawn,” I whispered, pulling on fresh clothes and spraying myself with the scent-masking perfume that had become my constant companion.

—

“Freya! Where are you hiding?” Colin’s voice echoed through the Phillips’ house as I slipped in through the servant’s entrance.

I had barely hidden my gear in the hollow space beneath the floorboards when his footsteps approached.

“There you are,” he sneered, adjusting his new Beta sash in the hallway mirror. “Look at you—you’re filthy. And you smell like rain.”

I kept my eyes downcast, the perfect picture of submission. “I’m sorry. I was just—”

“Just what? Being lazy?” He turned to face me fully, his chest puffed out with newfound importance. “Do you have any idea what today means for me? For us?”

*For us?* Valkyrie scoffed inside me. *There is no us.*

“I need you to iron my ceremonial cloak immediately,” Colin continued, tossing the garment at me. “And stop looking so pathetic. You’re embarrassing.”

I caught the cloak, swallowing the growl building in my throat. “Of course, Colin. I’ll have it ready in ten minutes.”

He smirked, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. “That’s better. Remember your place, Freya.”

As he walked away, I felt my nails digging into my palms. Three years of this—three years of hiding who I really was, of letting him believe he was the one earning his way up the ranks.

*He’s nothing without us,* Valkyrie reminded me. *Nothing.*

“But he’s happy,” I whispered back. “And that’s what matters.”

—

The kitchen was my domain—the one place in the pack house where I had any real control. Tonight, I was preparing elaborate hors d’oeuvres for the Pack Gathering that would celebrate Colin’s official induction as Beta.

I reached for the spice cabinet, only to discover we were out of the special herbs needed for the Alpha’s favorite dish.

“Perfect,” I muttered, heading to the pantry.

As I pushed open the heavy wooden door, voices drifted from the other side—Colin and his mother, their tones hushed but clear.

“…and once the rejection is complete, you’ll be free of her,” Mrs. Phillips was saying. “She’s been nothing but dead weight, Colin. A stain on your reputation.”

I froze, my hand still on the door.

“But Mom,” Colin replied, his voice low but eager, “what about the pack? They’ll ask questions.”

“Let them,” she sniffed. “You’re a Beta now. You need a proper mate—someone like Azalea Stone. The Alpha’s daughter will give you the status you deserve.”

Colin laughed—actually laughed. “You’re right. Freya was just a placeholder anyway. A useless one at that.”

I backed away silently, my heart turning to ice in my chest.

*They’re planning to reject us,* Valkyrie growled. *After everything we’ve sacrificed.*

I pressed my hand against my mouth, stifling the sob that threatened to escape. Three years of killing rogues in secret, of funding his training, of enduring their mockery…

All for nothing.

As I retreated from the pantry, something shifted inside me—something cold and final. The Shadow wasn’t dead; she’d just been waiting for the right moment to return.