Aurelia didn't retaliate. She just let the woman push her around.
In the process, the shawl covering her head fell off, revealing a chestnut brown hair.
Clenching her teeth, she exhaled tiredly, "He was going to kill a 6-year-old, was i supposed to stand aside and do nothing?"
The woman slammed her fist on her chest even harder, yelling angrily, "So what? How many of our 6-year-olds have they killed without remorse?"
"Don't you remember how they butchered my 5-year-old? It took me three nights to fetch his littered body parts! So how dare you take pity on the son of that ruthless alpha?"
Aurelia remained unfazed. "He was a child!"
"Screw you!" The woman growled furiously, her fangs and claws protruding at once.
But it was at this moment that a tall and lanky man unhurriedly walked towards them, hands clasped behind his back.
"Eleanor, it's too late for this. Aurelia made a call she found right. As long as her decision didn't affect the mission in any way, I don't see anything wrong."
Eleanor turned to him, her eyes shimmering in rage.
"She killed my brother-in-law. A member of this community. Remind me, has the rules of this community changed?"
Another man immediately emerged from a corner, standing behind her as he nodded in agreement.
"Is the penalty for killing a sworn brother no longer in place, Damien? According to the rescued rogues, she neatly sliced off my brother's head with one of her weapons. And according to our rules, she should be put to death already."
Damien turned to him, his steel green eyes staring him down.
"The purpose of the mission was accomplished. Finn's death is a tragic one and shouldn't have happened. But he had it coming when he decided to harm the young Alpha."
"Aurelia had already made a promise to let the child go, but Finn still tried to kill him. Had he succeeded, Axton Wolfe would personally be on the hunt for our heads right now. Do you still not understand Aurelia's decision benefits us the most?"
The man didn't want to hear any more of it and snickered, but went mute.
However, Eleanor came up in Damien's face, spitting out in disdain, "Rules are still rules! Finn was your brother-in-law as well."
"Are you really willing to make an exception for a rule we've all been following for a woman without a wolf? A woman who has no trait of a werewolf and shouldn't even be here with us?"
Damien stepped toward her, sizing her up coldly, "Eleanor, whatever you say next, I assure you I will pick offense with it."
At that warning, she gritted her teeth in silence, threw a glare Aurelia's way and stormed off with her husband.
Damien's eyes then settled on the rogues standing around as he spoke in a raised voice, "We're having a meeting in five minutes. Everyone should be at the cave by then."
The crowd around dispersed before he turned his attention to Aurelia, a small smile easing into his hard face.
"Don't just stand there, you were gone for an entire day. The twins are losing their minds waiting for you."
However, she remained rooted to the spot for several seconds before she followed after him, eyes lowered to the ground as she mumbled, "If I went back in time, I'll still kill Finn if he made the same decision."
The man was silent for a moment before he sighed softly, "The young Alpha reminded you of our children, didn't he?"
Her shoulders slumped as she solemnly apologized without lifting her head.
"Forgive me, Damien. I ruined the plan. Now you have to think of another all over again."
He smiled and reached to feel her face when two identical faces popped out of the tent in front of them.
When their eyes settled on Aurelia's face, their litte legs ran forward to hug her.
Then they raised their eyes to look at her happily.
Gently stroking their face, Aurelia sniffled, "Mommy missed Denzel and Diego so much."
The twins were identical, with nothing, but their brooding and bright countenance telling them apart.
Denzel, the older of the twin, had a bright contenance. He laughed the most when he was angry.
Diego, on the other hand, had a brooding countenance. According to him, there was nothing to laugh or smile about. But he always laughed and smiled whenever Aurelia was with them.
Just like he was doing now.
While Denzel had long disengaged from the hug, he still held onto her tightly.
"You're back, mommy!"
Denzel stared up at her with a small smile.
"Daddy said you went on an important mission. Was it to see that Alpha of Cinder Pack?"
Aurelia tilted her head to the side slightly.
"Have you been snooping around or your ears have been picking up conversations it shouldn't?"
Unaware it was a trap question, Denzel hurriedly replied, "My ears have been been picking up conversations."
She chuckled, ruffling his hair as she hummed, "You've been snooping around then."
It was at this moment that Diego lifted his head to ask, "Are the locked rogues back? Will that Alpha leave us alone now?"
She poked his cheek with a finger, proceeding to chide, "That is for us adults to worry about."
When the rogues around began trooping toward the cave, Damien strolled to stand beside Aurelia.
"Denzel, Diego, your mother and I have something important to do. Why don't you wait for us in your tent?"
"Okay, daddy." The children obediently chorused and went inside.
Once they were in, Damien and Aurelia walked toward the cave.
The other rogues had long arrived and had properly lighted the place.
In the middle of the cave was a gigantic stone carved in the shape of a table and on it was a well-carved map of routes to every pack.
Feigning ignorance to the hostile gazes being directed at her, Aurelia stood beside Damien.
Running his eyes through the map, Damien began, "So many packs were created and got crushed within the past hundreds of years."
"But until seven years ago, we had nine widely recognized packs in total until two went against Cinder Pack and got crushed by Axton Wolfe. Leaving only seven. The big seven."
"Over the years, none has proven to be the weakest nor strongest. They've never gone to war with each other and they don't plan to go anytime soon."
"Their primary focus is strengthening their borders and equipping their soldiers to ward off possible attacks from other packs."
He paused briefly, giving Eleanor the chance to butt in.
"Cinder Pack isn't the only pack rogues are being held captive. Thanks to the ruckus we caused today, other packs will tighten their security."
As soon as her words fell, the eyes of everyone in attendance darted towards Aurelia.
The woman clenched her jaw tightly, looking away apologetically.
Damien threw a stern glance Eleanor's way, prompting her to go silent. Then he continued.
"News of what happened in Cinder Pack should be all over by now. Axton Wolfe hasn't been in the battle field for over seven years."
"Just to make it clear that his abstinence from the battle field doesn't mean he has grown weak, he'll lead the hunt himself."
"Members of other pack and literally everyone who wants fast money will set out to find and capture a rogue."
Eleanor's eyes fell on Aurelia a second time.
"So basically, we're mice caught in a trap. We're being hunted when all we did was free our friends that were being held captive as slaves. Do you still think it was in our best interest not to kill the young Alpha?"
Aurelia met her eyes and nodded, "I do."
A ripple went through the other rogues almost immediately.
"She isn't one of us. No wonder she doesn't think like us."
"Is it until they take her children before she'd learn not to show mercy to the enemy?"
Damien raised his eyes to look at them and sneered, "We staged such a groundbreaking attack, made it into the town square and held the young Alpga at knife point to get the alpha to release our friends. Did you really not expect a reaction like this?"
The place naturally fell silent.
Indeed, they were being shallow-minded.
They hadn't thought of it before, but holding the Alpha's long as hostage was bound to a hostile reaction.
Seeing the look of realization on their faces, Damien lowered his eyes to the stone again.
"They hunt us down even when we do nothing just because we're rogues. They don't see us as people like them and will obviously feel challenged at an attack like this."
Eleanor instantly narrowed her eyes at him in another realization. "You expected it. If you expected it, does that mean you prepared a counter measure?"
Thinning his lips, he leaned away from the stone, "What do you think?"
Eleanor's tense shoulders relaxed and she smiled.
"What is it?"
"We need to infiltrate Cinder Pack again."
The words were yet out of his mouth when the other rogues hissed. And rightfully.
"What are you saying? We may have done it the first time, but that'll be nearly impossible this time."
"Every one of us here were either born outside a pack or were accused of a crime and had to be banished for it."
"In case you've forgotten, the crossed out insignias on our body identifies us as rogues. And they are all in places that can easily be seen."
"To simplify, we'll lose our heads the moment we step through the borders. What you're suggesting is suicide."
While they clamored like this, Eleanor watched her brother's expression for a break, but saw nothing.
At the same time, her eyes couldn't help shifting to the woman beside him.
A second later, she pointed at Aurelia in disbelief.
"We can be identified as rogues, but she can't. She doesn't have an insignia to begin with!"
But to everyone's surprise, Damien shook his head, "She does."
Even Aurelia glanced at him in surprise.
"I do?"
"You have the insignia of Cinder Pack hidden behind your left ear."