Chapter 4 - Bloodied and bruised

Jessa got up to her feet again, she wouldn't bow. Even now, bloodied and bruised, with wounds she was sure were starting to infect, she stood. It cost her greatly to stand straight, the wound continued to bleed, but she squared her shoulders and stayed like a marbled statue. Luna Kelly looked out her dressing room windows expecting to see the mutt broken and laying on the concrete, perhaps even dead, but when she pulled back the heavy velvet curtains she was greeted by the sight of the little bitch standing straight as she had before. Kelly was seething with rage! Her blood boiled in an instant. How dare that little nothing defy her? She had no wolf, how was she still standing? The concrete around her showed a significant amount of blood loss , yet the bitch was alive and still defiant. This wouldn't do! She'd just rung for Hanny when her lady in waiting came to the door with an ornate envelope in hand. It bore the wax seal of the Lycan royals! She grabbed it at once breaking the seal and removing the card within, it read: Dear Luna Kelly, We will be passing through in three days time, my husband, son, our guards and a few prominent families. We're going among packs searching for mates for Prince Kai, and our Beta's twins Liam and Lia. We haven't checked in with your pack in a long while, it's simply inexcusable! Please prepare space for us. We'll be staying a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to catching up! With regards: Queen Annalise Luna Kelly nearly tore the paper she was shaking so hard! My what excitement! The Lycan Royals! They haven't left their palace and protected fortress in some time. Rumors were that Queen Annalise was ill. She suffered greatly after the birth of Prince Kai. But now that he's of age, they must be searching out his future Luna. Luna Kelly went straight to the Alpha's office with the letter and in her excitement she forgot to knock and as a result she walked straight into a meeting with the Alpha and Beta of their neighbor pack Rising Moon. Alpha Mark was livid. Even a Luna couldn't just barge into a meeting so important! What was she thinking? He'd have to punish her to save face, lest he look weak and whipped in front of their visitors. "Alpha Mark, you allow your Luna to just barge into meetings of males?" Alpha James asked looking at his Beta Sam "Of course not! Kelly, come here right now!" He ordered He used his alpha command to make her come to his side, he promptly slapped her. He couldn't feel sorry. She'd brought this on herself! Luna Kelly's eyes widened in shock. He'd actually struck her! She was not accustomed to this type of treatment. Her shock turned to rage. He. Hit. Her! Of all the lowly despicable things! She'd been slapped as if she were a mere omega! "You'll go to your quarters and you will not step out again until I've dealt with you properly!" He roared at her. She felt her anger rising, she was a Luna! Why was he treating her as if she were a child? She was outraged! She cursed him and said as much through her mindlink with him. 'How dare you strike me and order me about as if I'm a child or an omega? I'm Luna here, second in command only to you, I won't tolerate this!' She said viciously. 'You have shamed me in the face of our neighboring pack! How could I not punish you? Even as Luna there are rules you must follow Kelly, do not mistake our mate bond as permission to ignore duties and protocols! I'm still in charge of this pack and your behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable!' He shot back 'But we have more issues than that! We have to prepare, we don't have time to get into whatever conflict this troublesome pack has gotten themselves into now!' She said. 'The Royal Family and guests are coming! Three days time!' Alpha Mark cleared his throat and said aloud "Forgive my mate gentlemen, she actually had good reason to barge in. It seems she received a letter from Queen Annalise. It appears that she, the king, prince and other important Lycan officials will be visiting our pack in three days time. In her excitement and haste, she rushed in to inform me. Gentlemen I would suggest you to return to your pack and get your affairs in order as I've no doubt that you'll likely get a visit from the Royals as well. We will discuss the topic at hand again soon." With that he strode from the room with the Luna in tow. Left dumbfounded by the news and the pack Alpha's quick departure Sam turned to his Alpha and best friend since childhood and shook his head. He was shocked at how this pack ran their business. In all his years as a Beta, he'd never seen such idiocy as this. He a Beta could run this pack more efficiently than that clown ever could. It wasn't as if they were discussing the weather! This was life and death! Their pack was the only other around that was nearly as big as theirs. Other smaller packs were being picked off by rogues! And just because a silly Luna was overly excited about a visit from the Royals he walked away! Outrageous! 'Let's go Alpha, I don't think he was all the interested in helping anyways' he mind linked James. 'What a waste of a pack!' James said. As they stepped out the packhouse James's head suddenly snapped up. 'Do you smell blood?' He asked through the mindlink 'Yes Alpha! I do smell it! How strange. I smell wolvesbane too. Ah jeez just what kinda pack is this?' 'I don't know but I'm following it. Someone could be in trouble' Alpha James said as he strode around the side of the house and stopped in his tracks. 'Ah Goddess! What in the hell?' There before them was Jessa bloodied and bruised before their eyes. Her body so heavily scarred and burnt. Her auburn curls tumbling wildly around her face. Such an exquisite face! She looked like a child with her small stature but her body had all the curves of a woman. She was beautiful. As they stood there a young warrior passed by. Alphas James snapped out at him "You, boy! Tell me, who is that? Why is she chained to that slab?'' He demanded ''She's a nobody sir. A lowly omega and a troublemaker! She's the cause of the Luna's sisters death." The boy replied as if they were talking about a deer in the woods and not a human being. "And how exactly did she kill the Luna's sister?" James asked "She was found in a pack of rogues that attacked our border patrol. Mrs. Jane was one of our female warriors. She was magnificent. She spotted this trash in the arms of a female rogue and took her. Killing the rogue. But her mate threw a silver knife and it struck her through the heart from the back. She died saving this wretch!" He replied. "She was an infant?" He questioned "Yes sir." "Then how could she have murdered anyone? Did she belong to the rogue?" "N-n-no sir" the young man stuttered "So she was just as innocent in all this as Jane then? She should be punished for someone else's sins? She deserves what was done to her when even Jane herself lost her life to protect her?" He asked glaring at the boy with fierce blue eyes and a face of steel and a scowl that could freeze boiling water instantly. "I…I..I don't know!" The boy cried. "Luna Kelly just hates her! And so does Hanny. They always tie her up or beat her for causing trouble! She goes to the dungeon in a day, no one will have to ever see her again. All I know is she's always making trouble from what I've heard!" With that he turned and ran off. James was stunned hearing this. The dungeon? Really? For what crime? Existing? What kind of pack allows such horrible behaviors? What alpha would allow such treatment of anyone? Even an omega? This pack as a insult to all werewolf kind! A disgrace! James walked over to the concrete slab. He looked at the woman standing there. She was still standing tall as if she wasn't mortally injured. She must have some fire in her soul to stand there with her body exposed to the beating sun and her wounds scoring her milky flesh. She reminded him of Joan of Arc, standing before her captors calmly facing torment and surely death with her righteousness as her shield and her fire her sword. In his years he'd never seen such a brave and fearless female. Her wounds however. They were indeed serious. They still bled slightly and showed signs of reddening and infection. He assessed her condition as her strange colored eyes assessed him. He'd rarely seen eyes that color. She must have come from a far off tribe. Strangely she didn't smell of a wolf. She must be wolfless. How sad. But there was something about her. James just couldn't place it. Something was different with her. Jessa stood watching the strange wolf staring at her. Her eyes taking in every detail. His rugged chin, his brilliant blue eyes, the scar across his right eyebrow, the chiseling of his chin, he was quite tall. His nose had been broken and healed back a slight bit crooked, pity, but somehow it added character to his face. His dark black hair was banded in a braid at the nape of his neck. It reached the length of his back. He exuded danger but she brazenly looked him in the eye.