Page 10

Scarlett

“ W hat is that?” an older male asks. Grandma Amelia raises an eyebrow.

“What does it look like?” she asks bitingly.

“It’s a mark,” Elijah says curtly, his eyes burning with rage even if his voice remains level. “Scarlett was forcefully marked by an alpha when we were out of town on a trip. As you can see, her body is rejecting it.”

“That’s impossible. There’s no such thing as a body rejecting a mark! Even if she didn’t agree, the mark would not be like that!” the man sneers.

“What are you insinuating? That we’re lying? What if it’s a mark that goes against the very fucking laws of nature?” Elijah hisses, glaring venomously at the man. He visibly flinches and swallows nervously, not daring to disrespect the future Alpha any further.

“What do you mean by ‘against the laws of nature’?” someone else asks curiously.

“She was marked by someone who should never have marked her… for her abilities, but we won’t delve into that.”

“Someone who shouldn’t have marked her?” The whispered question spreads a murmur through the room, but they fall silent the moment Elijah emits a bit of his aura.

“We are here for other reasons. On the night of Hank’s death, Scarlett went into heat.” The atmosphere in the room changes as unease and tension settle in. I feel like I’m about to be sick, my stomach churning with nerves. “That night Fiona was attacked by a rogue at the club. Fiona, care to explain everything that happened?” Elijah asks without even looking at her. She stands up and scans the crowd before looking across at Elijah with doe eyes.

“Alpha Elijah saved me from a rogue and then he asked H-Hank to come and take the rogue for questioning whilst the Alpha comforted me,” she says, her voice soft and pitiful.

If only we were all able to win sympathy like that, I think bitterly. Elijah clenches his jaw, staring straight ahead.

“That’s all Fiona,” he says curtly, turning back to the room. “He never showed up to take the rogue in for questioning. When Scarlett went into heat, she headed to Grandma Amelia’s cottage. Grandma Amelia went to get ice, and on her return, I was with her. We saw that Scarlett was gone and there was another scent present. It was subtle, but it was there. I knew it was Hank’s scent. I tried to contact him, but he had the mind-link blocked off.”

He now turns to me. “Scarlett, will you tell us what happened next?” he asks, his voice now ten times softer as he looks at me. I take a deep breath, nodding. My heart is thundering. I can feel every single pair of eyes now trained on me: judging, curious, sympathetic, sceptical, angry…

I try not to think about them, knowing I have to do this.

“I was in the bathtub when I thought Grandma had returned, but only for it to be Hank who entered the cottage forcibly. He made a couple disgusting remarks before he knocked me unconscious and took me to a cave just outside of the pack territory.” I take a deep breath before continuing. “When we got there, and I regained consciousness, he tried to blackmail me. That if I didn’t comply, he would ruin me,” I say hesitantly.

Although it was Elijah he wanted to ruin, it is close enough to the truth. I can sense Elijah’s eyes burning into me and I glance at him, seeing the deep frown that is on his face. “And that’s when he tried to rape me,” I say loud and clear, my voice devoid of emotion. A ripple of unease crosses through the room, causing the air to tighten with tension.

“He is not to blame! You didn’t have to kill him! You were in heat, you are the one at fault for letting someone mark you! My son was only following instinct!” Meredith cries. My eyes flash as rage fills me. I don’t care what anyone thinks, this was not my fault!

Elijah glares at the woman, his anger rolling off him in waves. I stop him from speaking by placing a hand on his arm.

“What did you want me to do exactly? Scream and shout for help and let him win? I was in heat. I could barely handle myself. I was in immeasurable pain. If I tried to run away, I wouldn’t have gotten far. He was too strong, and he was hell-bent on succeeding… So, I did what any rapist deserves to have done to them. I castrated that dog, and I don’t regret it for a second,” I finish icily, my eyes flashing with burning rage as a shocked whispers fills the room.

“It was the heat that got to him, you are a murderer! You seduced my son! You always have!” his mother shrieks. Elijah glares at her.

“There is no excuse for rape!” he snarls as Dad nods, glaring at his Delta, anger raging in his eyes.

“Keep her quiet or you can both go to the cells until I’m ready to deal with her,” he growls in warning.

“Sorry, Alpha,” Hank’s father says quietly. “With respect, I do want to say that there’s no proof of this. It’s possible the girl is lying to save her own skin-” He is cut off when Elijah throws the medical file in his face, making the rest gasp. He catches it clumsily as he flips it open and scans it, his face turning ashen.

“There’s your fucking proof.”

“B-but it could have been consensual!” he tries. I am about to speak, but before I can, Elijah slams him against the wall with immense force. The sickening crunch tells me something broke.

“If it was fucking consensual, care to share why the fuck she castrated him?” he thunders venomously. Adam coughs up a bit of blood, but the look of defeat on his face is a clear sign he knows there’s no way out.

“She was very distraught when we reached her,” Uncle Nick says quietly.

“But there wasn’t even an injury on her, I know that!” Adam hisses, frustrated.

“I will show you why there wasn’t a mark on me, why there never is… But you should know that this was not the first time Hank has tried to assault me,” I say, the words leaving my mouth before I can even change my mind. All eyes turn on me once again, and I feel like something under a microscope, feeling as if they can see right into my soul.

“What lies?! Why are you saying this now? Why did you stay silent for so long if this happened before?” a woman asks.

“Because I didn’t want to trouble my family… There were others involved that the first time. I am willing to give names. Under Alpha command, the truth will come out,” I say quietly, realising it’s now or never.

I am done hiding. I will stand up for myself no matter what.

“Care to explain, Scarlett?” Dad asks quietly. I look at him, seeing the worry, sadness and something more in his eyes. Is he disappointed I hid it?

It’s not easy. No matter how brave I am acting, I feel weak. As if sensing my emotions, Elijah guides me to a chair, and Goddess, I need it.

“Tell us everything, dear,” Dad encourages gently.

“Damn…” I hear Liam whisper. He had asked me when I refused to go to training if everything was ok, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him.

“Back when I first shifted, seeing the size of my wolf, six boys from our pack, including Hank, wanted to see if maybe I was born a male, mocking me for my size. They pinned me down in wolf form to take a look,” I say with disgust. Elijah’s hands on my shoulders feel comforting, although his anger is rolling off him in waves. I continue, not daring to look at my family, hearing Mama’s small gasp and sensing Dad’s anger.

I focus ahead on a blank spot on the wall, ignoring all the people in the room, not wanting to see their pity, surprise, or disgust. “After making sure I definitely was not a male, they laughed and joked that they should test out if I really felt like a woman. But before they could do anything more, I managed to get away.”

“Names,” Elijah orders, his anger pulsing around him dangerously. He’s beyond pissed off. I take a deep breath, ready to say the names of the 5 remaining young men, my heart thudding loudly.

“Kyle Sanders, Andrew Black, Callum Jones, Derek Adams, and Logan Hanston,” I say. And with each name, I can feel Elijah getting angrier. Apart from Derek, the rest are some of the strongest warriors in the pack. Men who are on good terms with everyone, including Liam and Aaron. Maybe that’s why I didn’t tell anyone, in fear no one would believe me.

“Men who are meant to lead and protect our pack,” Elijah says with disgust.

I glance at him, then across at Dad and Liam, both who look beyond pissed.

“That’s not possible…” Dwayne Hanston whispers. That’s when I realise a few of the fathers of those I mentioned are present, and although two look shocked, even concerned maybe, Dwayne appears rather uneasy.

“Can I also get a knife drenched in wolfsbane?” I ask suddenly. I’ll show them what I am capable of.

“What for?” Elijah asks me sharply.

“To show them why I have no marks on me,” I explain, looking up into his eyes. He shakes his head.

“You don’t have anything to prove.”

“Please…” I ask quietly, giving him a glare.

“Oh, I’ll get that,” Harry Black says. I don’t miss the venom in his eyes, and know he will make sure it is coated in wolfsbane. He’ll get the job done.

“No. Liam, you go. Bring me a vial of wolfsbane and a dagger. I will add the wolfsbane in front of everyone myself,” Elijah says, his eyes flashing dangerously at Harry. Liam nods before he leaves the room quickly as the rest wait for the five men to enter.