Carefully as possible, James lifted Jessa out of the water and her eyes fluttered open. She was chilled from her nap, and he felt so warm. She snuggled into his chest purring in appreciation of his warmth. She placed a kiss on his bare chest and smiled as she felt his breath hitch in his throat. She knew he caught her hints.
A few hours later they emerged from the bedroom and James pulled her down to a waiting car to take them to the pack spa. He had arranged for a couples massage and a hot stone therapy for Jessa. They'd have a snack there and then go out to dinner before going back to the packhouse to rest before the dawn and their part in getting the whole charade started.
Jessa mulled over in her mind what she'd say when they answered the door, she was prepared for whoever it was. She had every idea they wouldn't react kindly. In that case the attack was to start immediately. If they actually gave her any indication that they'd try to pull something she'd give the signal. She had every idea that was likely the route that would occur.
She couldn't focus on battle plans when the woman who was rubbing her back made her feel like a lump of clay and working out knots Jessa didn't even know she carried in her shoulders. She was all but purring from the relaxation. Her body felt like pure gold. She felt like she was all but glowing. The hot spring soak afterwards was absolute bliss. Every kink and knot in her body unwound itself and she could finally breathe deeply.
She sat sipping a smoothie and revising her battle plan in her mind while James waited on their sushi rolls. She wasn't so sure on their plan of knocking on the door. It seemed like an opportunity for a guard to tip them off and they would have time to spring a trap. She had been toying with a gift she had noticed and was prepared to test it out, but she definitely didn't think James would be at all comfortable with it. So, while he was distracted with the ordering, she summoned up the power and slipped away masking herself from the world. She did not know if it worked just for sight or if it completely removed her from anyone knowing she existed. She and James were mates, if he could not find her, then surely no one could.
She sat perched on top of a railing in the café feeling a little foolish but nonetheless she had to see what would happen without someone accidentally brushing her or bumping into her. She noted the exact moment that James noticed her absence. His nostrils flared and she could see his eyes shifting rapidly between himself and Jax. He was sniffing around where she was sitting right up to the point she masked herself and could see the confusion when he could no longer smell her. He looked panicked as he frantically looked around passing her several times. Now, she decided to test if she could be heard.
"James!" she said aloud and nothing. He didn't react. At all. So, she thought for a moment and willed herself to be heard. "James!"
He jumped and turned in the direction he heard her voice. He could swear he heard her like she was standing beside him, but she wasn't there! What on earth was going on? Something just poked him. What?
Jessa giggled and poked him on his side again then she scrambled up his back. She dropped her masking and kissed his stunned face.
"Hey babe, guess what I can do!" she teased.
'He does not look amused. Uh oh.' She thought to herself.
"Jessa! What the hell was the meaning of this! Do you know how worried I was? I thought… I thought something had happened to you, I couldn't hear you or smell you or anything." He said with the edge of anger still in his voice making it evident that he was not okay with her little prank.
"I know, and I am sorry. But I had to test it out love, and I figured if YOU couldn't find me, then obviously NO ONE could. I couldn't tell you I was testing it, because I needed to know it worked. If you knew, then I couldn't know." She said her voice placating and full of logic he couldn't ignore.
"Damnit Jessa, you nearly gave me a heart attack! I was this close to calling out all the guard and storming that shithole pack thinking they had somehow gotten to you."
"We can use this to our advantage love, listen, if I can use this to sneak past the guards, I can get intel and make it so we have even more of an advantage. We can…." She didn't get to finish her sentence before her mouth was covered.
"Absolutely not! You will NOT be going in alone. Out of the question!" he all but roared at her.
"But…"
"NO!"
Jessa let it go for the moment. She would have her say later when she presented it at the meeting. She would pull her stunt again on them to make it clear she was completely undetectable. This was important. She just knew it. And she also didn't care to be told what she could and could not do. She was a grown woman and certainly stronger than most the others in that pack. She could do this. This would help.
Later on, when the pack leaders all gathered everyone sat around the large conference table and began adding their positions and how many men they had with them. The bears had the caves covered, the panthers the trees, the lions the woods and the rest of the wolves would be in Alpha, Beta, Charlie, and Delta teams waiting just beyond the pack borders. They'd pair with the panthers to take out as many of the guards as they could on the borders, anyone who wanted to surrender would be placed in a protected barrier. The witches would handle that. Anyone who enters the circle with no intention of actually surrendering would be rendered incapacitated with immense pain. They could take no chances with the safety of the others. From the information given by Seth, most of the pack had a lot of distrust in the alpha and luna as well as the future alpha. A lot of talking of people leaving and families preparing to get out of the pack and seek new ones. Many were using mated offspring to those in other packs as their way out. They were pulling up their entire families in some cases. Anything to escape.
Kelly wasn't stupid, she'd have her spies amongst the community. No one knew who was or wasn't on her roster. She would know all of this. So, there would be those willing to do whatever it took to stop anyone from leaving. Alpha commands to flat out murdering them. What she didn't know is that there was no chance of anyone at all remaining in "her pack" after today. Her pack wouldn't exist and she'd either be dead or in the nastiest dungeon cell Jess could find.
Jess sat listening to the other Alphas and Betas debating what to do about her new found gift and when to bring it up when the moment presented itself in the form of a floating white ball of lights that came from no where and settled along the middle of the table.
Jess could hear Celene's voice. This was the Moon Goddess! All in the room, wolf, witch, bear and cat bowed before the orb.
"My children and nieces and nephews, I come to greet you and send all my love and blessings with you as you go into battle today. You will not fail if you do this right. Some of you today will be physically tested beyond what you could imagine, some of you will need to test your own wills and impulses. You will not fail if you do this right today. If you can't let things take their courses as it must, you'll lose much more than you can imagine."
"Jess, my child." She continued. "Jess, you know what you must do. I have given you the gift to do so. James, you may not like it, but it has to be so. Jessa knows what she is about. You have to fight the urges. She needs a partner beside her, not in front of her. Brute strength isn't hers, and that is true for anyone to see, but power, ah power, that IS hers. Do not fail me my son, as more than your own destiny lies within your decision and actions."
With that the orb was gone and all eyes turned to Jessa and James. Jessa felt a wave of nerves and swallowed it down. She took a deep breath and summoned her gift.
Everyone in the room gasped. She vanished! Where had she gone? How was this even possible? And then, one by one startled gasps began sounding all around as Jess went among the crowd touching the gathered alphas and betas all around. There were many "whose that?" and plenty of cursing and then they all heard Jessa giggle.
She walked over to Drayven and scampered up his back tugging Amelia's short ponytail affectionately.
"Uh, there is some kinda monkey on my back…" Drayven said with a slight smirk on his face. Jessa knew he knew it was her so she let her gift fade and became visible to all.