© Amber Kalkes 2015
Song: "I Walk The Line" By Halsey
C h a p t e r F o u r t e e n >
The punishment is not one often seen.
Cassidy had asked about it to both Connor and Rae after leaving Poppy's room the night before and both of her answers were grim. Though the punishment this Alpha's son was putting on their sister was legal by pack standards, it was frowned upon. Most packs never even implemented the clause but as Cassidy had learned from Rae the night before, Samuel's pack was not like others.
His father was an Alpha not by blood but by challenge. According to rumor he had been raised a rogue and lived a rogues life until his thirtieth birthday. The man who would become Alpha was crafty and after working his way into the inner circle looked for a weakness in the ranks to exploit. He found it in the lack of heir between the Alpha couple. He already had Samuel at that point and as Rae was quick to tell Cassidy, Alpha Manuel Cortez was not a man to waste a chance at advancement.
His rule was without question and after twenty years of dictatorship, the pack had risen to great power. Colton's pack was the only one that could rival it and Rae admitted that he was starting to feel Cortez's searching gaze on his land for the past few years now.
Still, Cassidy can't think of any excuse for what she's witnessing, a cruel father included. Tears have been present in her dark colored eyes since Poppy was dragged from the house and into the hotbox. Connor has been with her every moment he can but he's also been busy trying to figure a way to get Poppy out of this mess.
It didn't work.
She's not supposed to be here. Connor made her promise she wouldn't come but she disobeyed him. What other choice did she have? Her sister could be killed because of this asshole's idea of justice! She couldn't just sit in her room and twiddle her thumbs knowing that! So, she snuck down into the crowd and hid behind a tree as the whole surreal scene unfolded before her.
"You approve of her behavior?" She hears Samuel snarl as she approaches the tree.
The sound of her sister's voice heightens her anxiety as she answers, "I approve of her defending herself against someone who pushed her too far."
"You want my blood for revenge Alpha? You think you are owed it? What do you think I am owed then? For the pain and suffering of my mate, what am I owed?"
"You are owed nothing!"
"Then we have nothing more to discuss." He says tightly before turning to the man with something cradled in his hands, "Fergus give me the whip."
A whip?! Cassidy can't believe her ears. She knew it would be something brutal but she never thought it would be something as sick as this! Cassidy's eyes fill with tears as they move to her sister on the ground before Samuel. Her hair is matted and greasy, her clothes dirty and soiled. She doesn't look like Cassidy's sister anymore. She looks like a shell of that young woman Cassidy has always looked up to, even after the incident.
And that is the most heartbreaking part of all of it.
Rae's growl has Cassidy ripping her eyes away to look at her pissed off oldest sister, "Poppy never attacks without reason."
Samuel ignores her, "Fergus give me the whip."
"She'd never kill anyone!"
"This is none of your concern Alpha."
"This is my land!"
Samuel's snarl makes her jump before he snaps his cold gaze to the man a few feet away, "Give me the whip!"
Cassidy stares at her sister through teary eyes and begs for Poppy to acknowledge her. She wants to see that her sister hasn't given up. She needs that reassurance but she also knows she won't get it. Poppy doesn't seem to even notice Rae screaming out in her defense, let alone noticing the presence of someone who isn't supposed to be here. Still, Cassidy wishes there was a way she could stop this or at the very least let Poppy know that she's not alone.
"Please, don't do this!"
Cassidy lets out a sob as Samuel steps closer to Poppy with the flogger in hand but covers her mouth to stop the sound. She doesn't think she can watch this. She doesn't think she can watch this man rip her sister to shreds right before her eyes but she can't leave Poppy. She can't will herself to just abandon her sister, even if it's an empty unseen gesture.
Samuel pulls back his arm and Cassidy can't bear to look at the last minute. She closes her eyes but that doesn't stop the loud snap of the whip on her sister's flesh. Cassidy lets out another sob against her hand and forces her eyes open to watch the horror before her eyes.
Silence fills the clearing, not even Poppy has uttered a noise but Cassidy sees the tears in everyone's eyes. Cassidy almost scoffs at the sight. For people who shunned her sister they sure seem sympathetic now. A second snap of the whip makes Cassidy looks back at her sister and this time she hears a gasp from Poppy that has her guy churning. She doesn't know how much more of this she can watch without vomiting.
She doesn't even know how much more of this her very soul can take.
"Stop," Cassidy hears a voice cry out and looks for the source.
Laura steps forward and rushes towards Samuel just before he's about to land the third blow but he holds her back. Cassidy can't hear what they're saying but she does watch Poppy as she sways on her knees on the ground below. Blood is seeping into her shirt and staining the torn open skin of her back. It's too much for Cassidy and she has to look away as bile rises up in her throat.
"She attacked you," Samuel suddenly yells, getting everyone's attention, "She could have killed you and yet you want me to let her go?"
"I provoked her!"
"She doesn't need provoking Laura! She's a monster among beasts! Her wolf is unpredictable! You said so yourself!"
Laura runs a frustrated hand through her blonde hair before yelling back, "She doesn't deserve this!"
Samuel's face closes down and he narrows his hazel eyes at his mate, "You feel pity for her?"
"Yes!"
"Then you're weaker than I thought you were."
Laura's eyes widen and her mouth drops but nothing comes out. Samuel doesn't seem interested in hearing it anyway because he turns to face Poppy again with his hand tightening around the flogger's handle. Poppy is breathing loudly and it speeds up even more as Samuel pulls back his arm to strike again. He doesn't get the chance to complete the blow.
A loud deafening growl fills the clearing and Cassidy watches as Poppy's head turns to look at Samuel through glowing yellow eyes. Her wolf, she thinks, her wolf is pushing through. Cassidy can't decide if this is a good or bad thing but in some ways she's relieved. Poppy wasn't going to defend herself, that much was clear so it's only natural her wolf tries to protect her host.
"You think yourself an Alpha?" Poppy's mouth snarls at him, "You think yourself strong by injuring the different and weak? You think yourself willing to insult those better than you to win favor?"
Samuel seems shocked speechless for a few seconds before he glares at the pale looking Poppy before him, "Shut up!"
Poppy smirks, "It is you who are weak Samuel Cortez and it is I who will show you how quickly the mighty will fall."
Samuel's face goes red in anger and he pulls back the whip to strike her again. She doesn't move out of the way and end cuts across Poppy's right cheek. Blood spills down her skin but Poppy only smirks. She reaches up and touches the blood leaking down her face and licks it from her fingers with a growing grin. Samuel strikes again and this time Poppy lifts up her arm to catch it. It wraps around her forearm and hand, splitting the skin and making more blood seep out of her skin.
"I am stronger than my host," Poppy says in a bored tone, "I am strong than any Alpha heir. I am stronger than any living Alpha. I am stronger than you can even imagine and I will destroy you."
Poppy pulls at the whip and Samuel falls to his knees before her with wide disbelieving eyes. Cassidy's jaw is practically on the floor as she watches all this. She doesn't know if what Poppy's wolf is saying is true but with the sight before her, Cassidy is having a hard time thinking why it wouldn't be.
"I'll find you," Samuel says in a tight voice that Cassidy can barely make out, "I'll find you and I will watch everything you love burn."
"And when I rise from the ashes," Poppy says in an equally hard to hear tone, "I will return that favor."
Poppy then lets out a loud snarl before she attacks Samuel with already shifted claws on her hands. She tries to get at this neck but Samuel holds her back with the silver tipped whip which burns into Poppy's wrists. Poppy snarls loud enough that spit drips from her mouth and onto Samuel's face as he tries to hold her back enough to stop her from ripping his throat out.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cassidy sees Rae start to rush forward and runs over to stop her. Rae's eyes widen at the sight of Cassidy and Cassidy sees how distraught Rae is under her mask of authority. She looks ashen and broken making Cassidy's heart clench but it doesn't last long. A screech from Poppy has both of them turning to watch Samuel pushing Poppy down onto the ground and pulling his arm back to strike her with the whip again. Poppy flips him off of her and starts scrambling to her feet but not before Samuel lands another blow.
Poppy's feet stumble underneath her but she catches herself on her hands and knees before she can hit the ground. Poppy's back is arching with each of her labored breathes but Cassidy can see the shimmers of wolf skin slide across Poppy's skin. She wants to shift but something is holding her back, the silver maybe?
"Run!" Rae screams suddenly, making everyone turn to look at her, "Poppy just run!"
Poppy's head turns sharply and she looks at not only Rae but Cassidy. Poppy's golden eyes narrow at the sight of Cassidy and her lips curl up to show sharp fangs protruding from her mouth. She's on the verge of a shift, Cassidy realizes, but why won't she run?
"Please," Cassidy adds in a whisper and she sees Poppy's glare soften a little, "Please Poppy...just run."
The smack of the whip again has Poppy falling to the ground and screaming in pain as the silver again rips through her skin. Cassidy and Rae both gasp out in pain and shock as Rae grips Cassidy tight in her arms. Tears flow freely down both their faces as they watch Poppy struggle to get to her knees.
"I'm not done with you yet!"
"Yes," Poppy pants as she get shakily to her feet, "but I am done with you."
Turning to face Samuel, Poppy's face is contorted into a more wolf like shape and her lips are curled back to show her fangs. Cassidy gasps at the sight. Partial shifts are hard for most shifters but here Poppy is, doing it almost effortlessly. Samuel's eyes widen as he too stumbles back from Poppy who lets out a deafening snarl. Samuel falls back, onto the ground and Poppy turns on a heel and runs in the opposite direction.
All watch her escape but no one stops her. The clearing is silent and no one says a word as time stretches on. Rae holds Cassidy tighter to her chest as they look out towards the path Poppy's escape route and Cassidy is greeted with a sense of growing doom.
Samuel suddenly snarls loudly as he jumps to his feet and stalks towards his small group of pack members who accompanied him. He says something lowly that Cassidy can't here but she feels Rae's reaction to the words. Looking up at Rae, Cassidy frowns and Rae's face turns down with a grim expression.
"What's happening?"
"He'll go looking for her."
Cassidy's heart skips a beat, "Will he find her?"
"I hope not," Rae says distantly, "For her sake...and ours."
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Nick lets out a grunt as he kicks open his trailer door with the wounded blonde forest girl in his arms. She's filthy and he doesn't doubt she's lost more blood than humanly possible. He's relieved by the steady rising and falling of her chest but that doesn't always mean everything okay...right?
Walking through his small trailer home, he tries to think of his next move. Should he clean her wounds? Lay her down? Call an ambulance? Call the police? What the hell is he supposed to do in a situation like this? He figured he should at least lay her down until he can figure out a plan. She's breathing fine and her wounds aren't bleeding as much as he thought they were. She looks pale but alive and oddly enough...beautiful but not healthy. Nothing about her right now screams that word, that's for damn sure.
Nick walks to the back of the trailer and pushes aside his cheap ass door beads out of the way as he sets her down on his queen sized bed. He'll ruin his only clean sheets for life but to hell with it, he thinks. This girl could be dying and a new pair of sheets should be the least of his worries right now.
Running a hand through his hair, he tries to think of what to do next. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he thinks. What the hell is he supposed to do? Poppy moans loudly as she shifts on the bed and Nick freezes at the sound. Shit. Is she in pain? How much pain? What should he do? What the fuck should he do?
Suddenly, Nick feels a cold hand wrap around his wrist lightly and looks down with wide dark eyes. The hand is pale and covered with blood but the tingles that move up his arm mute his panic more than it probably should. Glancing up to look at her face he finds bright blue eyes look at him with pain and desperation lingering in their depths.
"Poppy..."
"Don't go," She begs in a broken voice, "Don't leave me."
Fuck, he thinks, I guess he knows one thing he's not going to do.
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So sorry for the wait on this guys! You know how much I hate making you wait but I got a new job and been super busy lately. That and inspiration has been elusive which is why this chapter may be a little short. Now we're all caught up on the time line though. Nick and Poppy are on the same time schedule now and you'll get a full chapter of them next update :}
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