Trigger warning - 'Mention of rape.'
Alexa's POV:
"What the hell was that?" Rachel struggled speaking clearly due to the few ice cubes still in her mouth. Her taste buds would be burnt for a while, but I thought it matched the three burnt claw marks that lingered on her cheeks quite well.
I smiled. "Didn't you say your wolf is your strength and if you would like to change halfway through we should have that option? Even if one of us out strengthens the other, it's the best way to learn?" I spat her words back at her mockingly as her face turned bright red.
"Well thanks for an entertaining fight ladies, I think everyone has no doubt now who my true Luna is, so if I hear anyone mention Alexa not being worthy I will deal with them personally. Now pair up and practice sparring in wolf form. I also want to see how fast you all can phase and work on increasing your speed." Zander's strong voice boomed reaching all areas in the training grounds.
There was no resistance or delay from his warriors, as they all began to phase. Rachel stormed off towards the pack house and I was desperate for another shower. Not that I was covered in sweat but I did want to rinse the dirt and dry blood off me from my small neck wound that had already healed.
Ella followed closely behind. "That was the coolest thing ever! I should have brought some popcorn! Hey, before I forget, what happened between you and Jax last night?
"Oh yeah, I have something back at the mansion to show you and your parents, just let me get cleaned up and eat something first, I'm starving." I say to Ella.
...
I took my time in the shower contemplating how much information to give everyone. Glimmer stressed the importance of keeping the place we found a secret. We both just had a gut feeling about this cave being important.
After drying my hair and putting on some make up, I went through my closet. A comfortable pair of grey leggings hugged my thighs, and a cute white crop top finished off my look. My strong stomach muscles were on view at the right angle. It was still shocking to see how much my body had changed ever since I began training and phasing.
I took my time getting ready knowing the others were finishing off training and when I made my way downstairs I saw Ella, Mike, Vivian, Zander, Jax and Ed were seated around the dining table. There was a seat saved next to Zander and glasses of orange juice and platters of pancakes lined the centre.
Everyone's plates were empty and I realised they were all waiting for me. "I'm so sorry, you guys shouldn't have waited for me! Please never do that again, eat while it's hot." At my words Jax and Ed began filling their plates as the others just smiled towards me only starting once I was seated.
"Well we kind of had no choice, Zander ordered us to wait until our Luna was ready."Jax imitated Zander in a deep commanding voice mockingly. This made everyone apart from Zander laugh.
"Well Jax, you have my permission to not wait for me unless it is a planned meal and I am aware you are waiting." Jax and Ed smile as Zander furrowed his brows.
"What's wrapped in the purple silk material?" Ella asked with a mouthful of pancake. She pointed to the rolled up piece of silk I had left beside me on the table. It was tied up with a pink ribbon.
I reached for some pancakes adding Nutella, coconut and strawberries on mine. It's not traditional but it's my favourite! "That's something I wanted to talk to you all about, but I need to explain something first. What I am about to tell you needs to stay in this room. I also will not being disclosing the location I found it, only what I have found." I say before taking a bite before continuing. I moan out loud at the chocolaty goodness and immediately stiffen. Zander's black eyes were focused straight on me. I felt a light blush spread along my cheeks before trying to change everyone's train of thought.
"I'm sure there will be a time in the future I may disclose this information to a selected few, however my gut and wolf is warning me to keep it a secret for now. Until then please do not ask questions." Everyone's curiosity peeked. Everyone apart from Zander and Jax who already knew about the beautiful flowers hidden in silk.
I carefully unravel the silk. Everyone looked at the flowers unsure of their importance. Guess this was a different looking wolfsbane to the ones they were used to seeing.
"I stepped on a few flowers in a very strange hidden location that I can assure you no one has stumbled across yet. I instantly reverted back to my human form and lost all ability to mink link the pack."
"Wolfsbane." Vivian murmured analysing the purple flowers from where she sat a few chairs away.
"Not just any Wolfsbane, I think this one is different." Jax replied.
"How so?" Ed asked.
"Well normally a wolf needs to ingest it or breath it in if it's in a gas form, it only works by touch if it's in liquid form. When I was in wolf form my tail accidentally knocked it out of Alexa's hand who was walking slightly behind me. It instantly turned me human. I was also in the middle on mind linking Zander and was unable the second I touched it."
"Wicked!" Said Ella walking over to me. "Can I try smell them to see if that works?" She asked me.
"Sure, I don't think sniffing it will effect you as I would have reacted sooner with the amount that surrounded me."
Ella looked surprised but leaned forward sniffing the flowers from a small distance away. "The smell is almost non existent. The others I have come in contact with are usually a wet earthy smell that is easy to distinguish once identified, but I wouldn't be able to sniff this one out?"
"The wolfsbane we order is rare and expensive, so it is evenly distributed to all the packs and used on rogues or threats. If you have found a lot of it, it might help us with the upcoming war with the witch. She is bound to be controlling the rogues trying to stumble onto our territory. We finally have something that may give us an unexpected edge." Mike said thoughtfully looking around the table.
"Exactly. The wolfsbane we have currently, doesn't interfere with the mind link, and only makes you unable to shift or use your wolves abilities." Zander added.
"I also have a plan but I'm not ready to discuss it as yet. I still need to fine tune some details." I say.
"If you don't mind, can I take these and make them into a gas or liquid form? One flower equals one vial and you have four. Every pack is only allocated two per year." Ella said gathering the silk as I nodded approvingly.
"I can get you more once you play around with these samples." I say to Ella finishing my last bite. I stand up and gather everyone's dishes. Zander follows my lead as everyone else disperses getting on with their day.
Mike looked like a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. I guess I hadn't realised how much extra stress this situation has put on everyone now that they are choosing to fight with me.
Zander stayed back to dry the dishes as I began washing. "No one else is in the house right now, can we please finish our conversation from last night. There is so much more I need to tell you." Zander's quiet voice echoed against the white tiles.
"Guess now is as good a time as any." I shrugged knowing we needed to get everything out in the open, so we could move forward.
"Last night you told me what hurts you most is that you were waiting for your mate, but then in the very next sentence you said you have gone all the way. How did you expect me to react or process that information?" I asked watching the soap cover the white plate until it could no longer be seen.
"I guess I was hoping you'd hear me out, but understand you were hurt and needed some time." Zander said drying another plate that was in the dish rack.
"Rachel tried to get me to go that extra step. I told her no many times, and that I wasn't ready. She always looked disappointed but never pushed me more than once a week for a few months." Zander said grabbing another plate before continuing.
"At the time I wasn't sure if I should wait for my mate or pick a Luna, her parents were always in my ear talking about how I would be endangering the pack if I became Alpha without a Luna.
"What? That's crazy you can still run a pack without a mate, at least until the council start putting pressure. That still buys you six months to go looking for her!" I said getting annoyed at what I was hearing.
"Yes, I agree but at the time they filled my mind with so much doubt I began to believe them. Even so, I knew I wasn't in love with Rachel and that what we had was a mix between lust and friendship. One night before going to a party with Rachel, Ed, Jax and I told her I made a decision. I told her I was happy to continue dating if that's something she also wanted but that when the time came I would choose my mate to be my Luna and my mate to take my virginity."
"Okay, so as honourable as that sounds, clearly something changed?" I said now drying my hands on the towel Zander held out to me.
He gave me a nod before continuing. "That night we were drinking. The alcohol had small traces of wolfsbane in it to help us wolves feel the buzz without the need to consume as much. That night was different, my drinks must have been laced with much more than usual and without realising I quickly passed my limit. I could no longer hear Shadows warnings ringing in my ears and began ignoring my mind link from my parents."
"Wait that kind of sounds like he was drugged?" Glim said to me taking my attention away from Zander for a second.
"I remember Jax telling me he will take me home, as he noticed the state I was in, but Rachel said she hadn't been drinking at all and that she was in a better condition to drive. Jax gave her the keys and I must have blacked out in the car.
"The next thing I know I wake up to a pounding headache. It took me a while to realise I wasn't in my room and was sleeping naked next to Rachel. She said something along the lines of 'last night was amazing. Now that you finally gave in we can do it more often.' Shadow growled at me, still not strong enough to force the shift after all the wolfsbane we consumed, and stopped talking to me for a week after that." He let his words sink in before continuing.
"I broke it off with Rachel that morning and told her we were never going to be together again. Shadows anger clouded everything for a while and it took us a while to move past it."
I could feel his regret and sorrow consume me. His honesty was evident and shone brightly in his blue eyes. I wished now that I had heard him out last night, but glad I now understood the situation.
My hand wrapped around his biceps as I stood on the tips of my toes to place a kiss on his cheek. I looked deep into his eyes before replying. "I'm so sorry that happened to you Zander. Are you sure she didn't just say that to make you guys start having.." the words were there but Glimmer and I couldn't finish them while speaking about her with Zander.
"I thought that too at first, but the room smelt of sex and her arousal and scent was all over me and the sheets. She also had a satisfied look in her eyes."
"Why didn't you punish her! Tell people what she did. Zander, that's as good as rape." My fists we're clenched as I spoke, anger rolling off me as I tried my best to hold it back.
"If I wasn't an Alpha I would have punished her. Imagine if the pack saw how easily she took advantage of me. Besides we had been dating for a few months, they wouldn't have seen it as rape, just a misunderstanding, and no one would respect me as their Alpha if I had been taken advantage of so easily. It changed me. I became more guarded and Shadow didn't trust as easily after that."