Marcus's POV [Rogue Alpha].

I didn't dream of being with her anymore, though I used to dream about it every single night for months. I did have those dreams once, vivid and passionate dreams where she chose me over everyone else, but I didn't have high hopes of them ever coming true. At the start of this whole mess, I thought what angered me the most was seeing her with Juan, watching her sacrifice her entire childhood to be next to him hopelessly, waiting for a man who already had a family.

"Why does she waste her life on him?" I had asked myself countless times, pacing in my chambers. "Why can't she see that he'll never choose her over his responsibilities?"

"My king," one of my advisors had said during one of our meetings, "perhaps it's time to move on from this obsession. There are other women, other possibilities."

"You don't understand," I had snapped back at him. "This isn't just about wanting any woman. This is about her specifically."

I had no idea what was happening to me, what strange transformation was taking place in my heart. But I couldn't call it weakness toward her anymore - it was something deeper, something more genuine. It was caring for her, truly caring about her happiness and well-being above my own desires.

All I cared about when she disappeared was finding her and getting her back to safety, making sure no harm came to her. I didn't even care anymore if she chose me or not - I just wanted her to be safe and protected.

"Sir, we've searched every territory," my beta reported after weeks of looking. "There's no trace of her anywhere in the werewolf lands."

"Then expand the search," I commanded firmly. "Check the human cities, check the vampire territories. I don't care how dangerous it is."

"But Alpha, if we enter vampire territory without permission, it could mean war."

"I don't give a damn about war!" I roared. "Find her!"

I was the King of the rogues, yes, but I would never kill anyone who didn't do anything wrong to me or my people. I only killed guilty creatures who deserved death for their crimes against innocent people.

I admit that I had done a lot of bad things in my past, things I wasn't proud of, things that haunted my dreams. I had killed, I had destroyed, I had taken what wasn't mine. But when it came to Sunny, all I wanted was for her to be happy and free.

"You've changed, Marcus," my closest friend and advisor had told me one evening. "This girl has changed something fundamental in you."

"Maybe that's not such a bad thing," I had replied, staring out the window. "Maybe I needed to change."

And I was absolutely sure that even if the King of vampires claimed to love her, he would never truly end up with her in the way she deserved. She wasn't immortal like him - to him, she was going to live with him for only a tiny part of his endless life. He would watch her age and die while he remained young forever.

But for Juan, or for me, she was going to live until the end of our lives. We could grow old together, experience every stage of life side by side, create a real partnership that would last.

I was determined to find her first before anyone else could claim her. I was stubborn about this mission, and I would never back down from my plans easily, no matter what obstacles stood in my way.

"My king, this is dangerous," my lieutenant warned me. "The vampire king has power we can barely comprehend."

"I don't care about his power," I shot back. "I care about getting her away from him safely."

So I did my absolute best to find her, putting all my resources into the search. My men helped me tirelessly, and surprisingly, the mission turned out to be easier than I had expected.

I had a part of me that connected with vampire instincts, which was my enhanced sense of smell, particularly for blood. We both could smell blood from a very far distance, and her blood had a unique, unmistakable scent that I could recognize anywhere.

"There," I said to my men as we crouched in the forest outside a massive mansion. "I can smell her. She's definitely in there."

"Should we attack now, sir?" one of them asked eagerly.

"No, not yet. We need a solid plan first."

I successfully located her exact position and kept my men's eyes on her constantly, watching the mansion day and night. We waited patiently until I could find the perfect plan to barge into the mansion and take her away safely.

But the only major issue that made me hesitate was seeing her wrapped in King Calum's arms through the windows, seeing them together in what looked like an intimate embrace.

"Sir, what are your orders?" my beta whispered as we watched from the treeline.

"Hold your positions," I whispered back, my heart sinking. "Something's not right here."

Yes, that single sight made me step back completely from my original plan. I thought she had willingly surrendered to him, that she had chosen to become one of them, one of his vampire subjects or lovers.

I would never marry a vampire, ever. The thought disgusted me to my core - they were unnatural creatures, abominations that shouldn't exist.

"If she's chosen to be with him willingly," I told my men as we retreated, "then there's nothing more we can do."

So my mission ended right there, as if I had never met her or searched for her at all. I decided to close this chapter of my life permanently.

The only thing I did before completely getting out of this situation was sending my final message to Juan. I thought I owed him at least that much - a warning not to waste his time searching for something that was already lost.

And that was my last message to him: "Dear enemy, this is my final message, and I hope you can take it with a wide chest and an open mind. Don't look for Sunny anymore. She isn't for us anymore, not for you and not for me. She's one of them now. She's his. King Calum's Queen. Save yourself the heartbreak."

And I wrapped up this painful chapter of my life like folding an old newspaper, deciding to forget about her entirely as if I had never met her, never fallen for her, never dreamed of a life with her.

Or at least, that's what I thought I could do until Juan visited me that same night, appearing at my territory like an avenging angel.

I was in the middle of an important meeting with my pack elders, discussing territory disputes and resource allocation. All of a sudden, my men hurried up, bursting through the doors and interrupting us rudely.

"King! Your highness! It's urgent!" my lieutenant gasped, clearly out of breath.

I raised my head, annoyed by the interruption, "What's the matter? This better be important."

And before any of them could explain the situation properly, I heard Juan's unmistakable voice echoing through my halls, "Where is she? I know you know where she is!"

I immediately stood up and dismissed all my men, gesturing for them to leave us alone. I sighed deeply, preparing for a confrontation I had been dreading. "I can't tell you where she is, Juan. I hate you, yes, but not to the degree that I would let you waste your life and risk all the werewolves' lives on a hopeless mission."

And yes, I was completely sincere about what I was saying, even though it pained me to say it.

I had always wanted to be the alpha king of all the alphas, to rule over every pack and territory. But I had to admit that without being mated to Sunny, I was nothing compared to Juan in terms of strength or supernatural powers. He was unique among our kind, gifted with abilities that made him nearly unstoppable in battle.

"Marcus," he said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority, "I command you as the rightful king of all the werewolves to tell me exactly where she is."

The command hit me like a physical force, and I knew I would have to submit to his authority whether I wanted to or not. I bowed my head slightly in respect, acknowledging his superior position. "Okay, I'll tell you. But I have to warn you first - you might see something you're not ready to see. She's with him, and they looked... close."

He gulped nervously, his jaw tightening, but he gestured firmly for me to continue with the information.

I shrugged, accepting the inevitable, and pulled out a piece of paper. I wrote down the exact address carefully, then walked closer and handed it to him personally. "Take it. And be very careful. The vampire king is more dangerous than you know."

He nodded grimly, clutching the paper like it was his lifeline. Then he dashed off into the night without another word.