Luna Kelly stepped forward and slapped Jessa across the face. She ordered Hanny to take her to the post. Such an infraction could not go unpunished. She turned to Heath and cleared her throat.
"Heath, sweetie, it is for you to decide what you want done with her. As she has rejected you, I suggest you accept it then teach her the proper place for an omega." She said gently.
"I Heath Jackson accept your rejection!" The relief washed over him. He still couldn't understand how he came to be the one in pain, but he wouldn't let her get away with it! "Luna, I would like to hand her over to you for punishment as you see fit! Get this worthless whore out of my face!" He spat in Jessa's direction.
"Very well, Hanny, take her to the post! Strip her to her waist. She will learn her place today! This arrogance will end today! She'll have no food for a week. She will be on the post for two days then moved to the dungeons!" Luna Kelly decreed. "She will remain in the dungeon until she can learn humility and her place."
With that Jessa was dragged out of the house and forced onto the concrete base that raised the post above the ground for all to see. It was meant to make such things completely public. She had been here several times. But never had she been ordered to be stripped! She knew it was just another type of torture she would be subjected to in order to break her. But she was unbreakable. She wouldn't bend to the will of this evil woman. She would make her escape somehow. Some way she'd get herself, Amelia and Caleb out of this place. She just had to remain strong and endure this bit of pain.
While Hanny ruthlessly dragged her up the stairs to the platform, Luna Kelly snapped the chain around her ankle. She was used to the burning of the metal. She gave no reaction at all.
When the Luna slapped her across her face splitting her lip, she remained blank. As her shirt and bra were ripped away from her body she forced herself to stand tall. Her body bared to the pack. She heard the sneers and jeers from the members below her. Heard the gasp and quiet weeping of her best friend as she was forced to watch her go through this. She simply made herself stand tall and face them.
Her milky white skin was marred with scars down her back and few down her chest. She stood there bared and didn't even dare to cover herself. She wanted them to see. To see and hopefully wake up to realize the madness that lived in their beloved Luna, to see the monster beneath the pretty face. But she knew, no matter what, they wouldn't care. They wouldn't betray their Alpha. No matter how many scars her body had received since she was 12 weeping at her mother's grave. As the Luna raised the whip, she clenched her teeth together. She wouldn't give this demon the satisfaction of seeing her pain.
Luna struck out with the whip, once, twice, three times. She was just getting started. She struck her twice more but still the bitch refused to break. She knew it was a game to her. Kelly knew she was doing this on purpose to deny her the satisfaction she craved at knowing she was hurt. She doubled down and swung the whip with more force. This time as the bitches skin split deeper than before. Unable to stop herself, Jessa gasped. Kelly raised her arm to bring it down again when Alpha Mark stopped her.
"That's enough! Kelly, stop it! You've made your point. She has been punished. Leave her be now." He said with authority.
Kelly was outraged that her husband stopped her! She hadn't finished her mission! The bitch was still standing. Not quite as tall, but she still wasn't at her feet where she wanted her! But she couldn't fight the Alpha command. So she reluctantly handed the whip off to Hanny and left the platform. She still had her other plans.
As the Luna left and the crowd dispersed Jessa stood proudly. With the sun burning her fair skin and the blood running down her back, she stood.
Alpha Mark watched her from a distance in the tree line. The child was remarkable. The cruelty she just suffered would bring a lesser wolf to their knees. And this child didn't even have a wolf. As alpha he knew who did and didn't. And whose wolves were strong and which were weak. Still he felt something shimmering inside her. Maybe she was a late bloomer? It wasn't unheard of among those with weak wolves. He studied her frame. She was much shorter than an average she-wolf. Her body was softer and though she had no fat to her stomach, she had hips and breasts that gave her generous curves. She was compact at a height of 5'1. She honestly looked like a woodland fairy more than a wolf.
After some time Jessa finally made a move. She bent to pick up her shirt though the movement caused her great pains. She put on the torn fabric and tied it together around her breasts and back. It would have to do for now. She still stood. She wouldn't bow anymore.
In some show of mercy the sky clouded over. Her burnt skin immediately felt like a parched man finding a well of cool water. As a few stray drops began to fall she silently thanked the Mood Goddess for the cooling rain that fell on her burned and bloodied skin. She felt her willpower double down and she straightened her back and once again stood tall against the rain which had picked up to a decent fall.
From her dressing room window Kelly saw her and smirked at the little bimbo mutt standing in the rain. Tomorrow, she'll know real pain and humiliation. She called her maid and sent for Beta Julien and future Beta Heath. She couldn't help the grin that played on her lips. It looked more frightening than a real grin. It looked like madness.
Around midnight the rain turned into a storm. Jessa worried about the lightning that split the skies with white hot forks. She didn't show her fear. She stayed standing against the storm. She wouldn't allow herself to lay down. Though her legs burned and ached, her body longed to lay against the cool stone. She smelled someone approaching, a scent she knew as well as her own.
"Amelia! Get inside before she sees you! I don't want you whipped too."
"Jessa… I can't. I can't stand seeing you like this. At least take a little food. Everyone in the packhouse is in bed. Even Luna. I checked before I came. I brought you a sandwich and an apple…. Your back looks terrible. She almost got you the a the bone with that last strike." Amelia looked at her sister in ever way but blood's back. She was seething with rage. Luna Kelly was well out of line with this last attack.
Amelia headed back to the house before the night shift made their rounds again. She knew the schedule and the route they'd take. She just prayed that Jessa could get the food down in time.
Around the time the sun was rising again Jessa's legs had given out. She was weak from lack of sleep and little food. Her body was swollen and the wounds on her back still oozed when she moved. She had no doubt that they'd infect. She had no wolf to heal such a great deal of damage. She was simply Jessa. Born a mystery, hated, abused and rejected. She could only wonder what the next round of torture would bring. She knew now that she was of age she was in danger of being abused in a whole new way. She could only hope they'd finish her off.
As the sun turned everything pearlescent in the silvery mists on the ground and air, Jessa marveled in the beauty and serenity. The lights of the pack house windows started coming on more and more as the pack woke up to do their daily duties. Cottages and houses started coming on as well. One window in the pack house stayed dark. Her own. She longed to be in her bed. It was a hard lumpy mattress with a few springs broken but at this point she didn't care. She just wanted to get under her tattered blanket and sleep. Goddess she was tired!