billion book
Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Janet looked at him blankly. It took her a long moment to process what he just said.
After what felt like an eternity to Kass, Janet finally muttered with a dry voice, “…This joke isn’t funny,
Kass.”
“I wish it were a joke. But it wasn’t,” Kass said breathing heavily. “I–I can’t keep this from you any
longer, knowing that you trust me this much… You deserve to know-”
“But you said your parents died in the rogue’s hand!” Janet snapped harshly, “Was that a lie as well?!”
“NO! That’s true! Listen…”
Kass took a deep breath before continuing. He kept his voice low the whole time in case anyone would
hear them.
“I grew up among the rogues. But my family never identified us with those ravagers. We never hurt an
innocent person’s life, nor did we ever take pleasure from all the killings and robbing. So they looked
down upon us, bullied us, and made our lives miserable. One day, a senior rogue named Sterning-”
“You know Sterning?” Janet gritted.
“Yes. He is the rogue king’s right hand. Does all kinds of dirty work for him.” Kass said lowly, “Sterning
came into our house and asked my parents to join them in the next attack on a nearby village. My
parents resisted fiercely…So they cut my mother’s belly open and hung my father on a flagpole as an
example.”
A cold sensation surged up in Janet’s chest.
“…Where were you when that happened?” she asked.
“Hiding in the closet. As my mother told me to. I witnessed the whole thing…but was lucky enough to
survive them. And after that, I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew I had to run…as far away as possible.
Blood Moon defeated them during that attack, so
I knew it was my chance-”
“So you pretended to be an orphan and enlisted in the army,” Janet murmured.
She couldn’t believe this.
She was so convinced that Kass was one hundred percent innocent! She defended him harshly in front
of all the Gammas.
Yet now he was telling her that he had been lying to her all along?!
“…So that’s why you know the rogue’s tone,” she snarled as her chest tightened in the horrible feeling
of betrayal. “Because you are one of them all along-
“NO! I am not! I might have lied about my identity but my hatred towards them is real-”
“But how do you expect me to believe you again?!”
Janet snapped her head up and glared at Kass.
“You lied right into my face. To everyone! Why didn’t you tell the truth when Daran and the others asked
about it earlier?”
‘Because I knew if I told them, they would send me away!”
Kass grabbed Janet’s wrist and begged with a trembling voice, “Please, Janet…I am not scared of
dying. I am just afraid that…I will be separated…from you.”
Janet looked away from him.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly in anger.
“So what do you want me to do then?” she asked gritting her teeth, “Do you want me to hide this from
everyone else while still keeping you in this army?”
“I just want to stay by your side.”
“But how do I know if everything you just told me is another lie of yours? How can I ever trust you again
with any battle plans? How can I trust you to lead my soldiers?!”
“But you just said it yourself” Kass cried, raising his voice, “–that you will trust me no matter what!”
“That is before you told me that you are my biggest nemesis!” Janet bellowed.
They glared at each other, both panting roughly.
Kass took a step back. The next second, he shifted into a brown wolf.
Janet watched him stiffly.
What was he doing? she asked herself internally. Did he get mad and want to bite her
head off?
Janet was sad to realize that she couldn’t stop thinking about the worst of Kass right
now.
Yet instead of attacking her, the brown wolf lay down on the ground and rolled around, exposing its
belly area to Janet.
“See that thunder–shaped mark?” he asked.
There was indeed a thunder–shaped imprint on his upper belly region, which looked like a brand left by
a hot iron. It burned so deeply into his flesh that it was still there even after years.
“All rogue’s kids got one of those on the day of their birth,” Kass said lowly. “There were times when I
wanted to grab a knife and gouge it out…I can’t choose who I am or where I came from. But does my
identity matter more than my own will?”
Janet stared at his ugly–shaped brand.
Her chest contracted with the cold feeling of sadness and despair.
Then, without saying anything else to Kass, she turned on her heel and walked away. The daylight
broke from the horizon, calling the dark forest back to life. Daran left a group of soldiers at Fox Town
helping the people there to clear up the mess. The rest of them all headed back to the packhouse.
The group was exceptionally quiet on the way back.
Janet knew that everyone was thinking about the mole. Suspicion and doubt were spreading like a
plague and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Plus, she was carrying a dark secret with her, which could potentially get all of them killed in the future.
When they arrived back at the packhouse, Daran asked them to catch a rest. Janet did
as he said and went back to her own room.
But she couldn’t sleep.
Kass’s identity was like a clog in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.
Should she break it to the others?
If she did that, Kass would definitely be executed. Even worse, Casper and the entire Blood Moon Pack
would be in trouble because they took in a rogue…
But if she kept the secret, what if the mole acted again?
Could she be sure that Kass was not the mole?
These questions weighed on Janet’s heart as she tossed and turned through the night. When she
finally woke up the next morning, feeling worn out and exhausted, she got a message from Daran
asking her to meet them in his office.
All 5 Gammas were in the room when Janet arrived.
Steven was clearly still holding the grudge from yesterday. He snorted coldly when Janet entered the
room and snapped his head towards the other side.
Maxie pulled out a chair and gestured for Janet to sit with her.
An urgent message came in last night.”
Gasps filled with disbelief and frustration could be heard in the room.
The war hadn’t even started yet and the rogues had won two rounds in a row.
“This can’t wait,” Daran said darkly. “We should dispatch troops today.”
Gammas looked at each other in silence.
“They have taken Crimson Fortress. We don’t have time to dig the mole out!” Maxie said.
“So we hurried off to the battlefield and put everyone’s life at risk? Listen to yourself!”
Just then, a knock came from the door.
“Come in,” Daran raised his voice.
The door opened up and an armless woman stepped inside.
It was Angelina.
“Who is she?” Jeff leered at her
“Meet Angelina,” Daran said. “She had spent some time with the rogues. Her experience could be
helpful.”
Steven jeered loudly, “Inviting another suspicious person into our group? Really? Like we don’t have
enough troubles already?”
Angelina’s eyes scanned the room. Her face was somber.
“I see that you are already fighting among yourselves,” she said. “And this is exactly what the Rogue
King wants.”