Chapter 3 -The Secret Necklace

The funeral was exactly how Jessica remembered the Moonfury Packs gatherings. Cold faces, fake smiles, and whispers behind her back. Their eyes were on the she-wolf, cold and dead, as she could sense they had no feeling or sympathy for her. Jessica had never felt comfortable here, and even more so now. She just wanted this to be over quickly. Say goodbye to Granny one last time, and then leave.

Jessica’s grandmother’s coffin rested in the center of the clearing, a polished wooden box surrounded by roses and the smell of herbs and spices. She despised it. The flowers had hidden the scent of her granny’s wolf scent, and Jessica knew for a fact she hated roses! This service felt formal; there were no personal touches, and she felt rushed to say goodbye to her one final time.

The entire pack was there. Jessica recalled each one of their faces. She never forgot anyone who did her dirty, and their cruel taunts flooded back to her.

Of course, being here again made Jessica feel self-conscious about her weight. Jessica pulled her cardigan around her body, trying to hide her figure from the judgmental onlookers. Jessica would be a target once more, which is why she wasn’t in any rush to hang around once this service was over. Moving to a city had enabled Jessica to gain more confidence. There were people of all sizes there, and she was able to buy clothes that suited her fuller figure. Jessica was able to gain the confidence to fake it.

Jessica just knew after all this, she wouldn’t let them toss her out again. She refused to allow the pack to treat her like trash, so Jessica would leave with her head held high.

As Jessica’s eyes shifted around the pack, she caught sight of Kurt slumped down at the base of a thick tree. She couldn’t help but smirk; the angry red bruise on his throat where Jack had choked him looked painful. Jessica could tell by the look in Kurt’s eyes that he was making out like the pain didn’t affect him, but it did. Their gaze met suddenly, and Kurt stood to his feet and slinked away with his tail between his legs, further into the clearing to escape her. Jack had caused Kurt so much pain that he had awoken fear inside as well. Jessica chuckled to herself, enjoying the fact that Kurt was hurting so much. Jessica knew she had to be the bigger person here, but she also had to enjoy his sadness for a little. Turning back to the coffin, Jessica took one last glance down at her grandmother lying so peacefully inside. Her skin had been slightly seared from the flames, but she could still recognise her from her round, friendly face. Jessica wore the beads she had left with her. Ever since she was very young, Granny had told her that when she was no longer there, her favourite beaded necklace would belong to her granddaughter. Thankfully, it was something Granny chose to have locked away in possession somewhere else, and Jessica had managed to recover them.

Jessica touched the beads around her neck as she whispered, “I miss you, Granny. Say hi to Grandad for me.”

As Jessica’s fingers touched the soft wood, she felt a strange pulsing sensation ripple up her arm. It felt like electricity beneath the redhead’s skin. Straight after, Jessica began to feel warm. Which led to heat, which led to searing burning her flesh like fire. Before Jessica could scream out in pain, it was gone.

Jessica’s wolf started to awaken and stir inside her.

“What a pretty necklace,” a voice sounded behind Jessica, its tone cruel as she would expect from a pack member. “It’s a shame it’s wasted on your fat neck. I’m surprised you got it fastened with those chubby fingers.”

Jessica knew the voice. Ethan Moore, one of Kurt’s biggest fanboys. He used to always join in the most with Kurt’s cruel taunts. She felt a cold shiver trail down her spine after she turned to face him. Ethan had aged progressively, his skin looking leathery as his eyes bulged more from his head than they used to.

“So you’re still around,” Jessica said nonchalantly. “I’m surprised Kurt hasn’t gotten bored by your ass licking yet.”

Ethan laughed as he mocked Jessica, “Some of us have loyalty.”

Jessica stood her ground as she held her chin up. “Some of us have spines too, but I guess you wouldn’t know what that feels like.”

Ethan’s smirk fell from his lips, and Jessica knew he wasn’t expecting a witty retort from her. He was so used to Jessica running away from his awful words, and she caught him off guard. Jessica could see that Ethan was about to respond when a strong gust of wind stopped his words. A sweet, wild scent hit Jessica first. Like the smell of hill tops and a river running through a valley. It was so refreshing to my senses that she took another gentle inhale and enjoyed the experience. Tall, lean, with blonde, messy hair, as though he had run through and battled the wind he brought with him. His eyes were stunningly blue, which pierced Jessica as they took her in. A leather jacket shaped his broad shoulders, and his eyes studied Jessica as though she were the only important person to him in the world. The pack began to shift uneasily on their feet, and for once, their eyes moved from Jessica and onto the stranger.

“Elias Leo,” Ethan muttered under his breath. “What the hell is he doing here? Little shit needs to fuck off.”

Jessica’s wolf began to push to the forefront of her mind, and she could feel her excitement rise inside. Heat flared inside as the sensation of tumbling appeared in Jessica’s tummy.

“A friend of yours, Ethan?” Jessica asked curiously, her eyes still fixed on this godly-shaped man standing before her.

“He wishes,” Ethan said, “He’s just a prick.”

Ethan wasn’t spared a second glance from Elias. As he walked toward Jessica, she watched as Elias pushed Ethan to the side, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Each step Elias took was keen, as though he was hurrying to get to her.

Jessica could feel all eyes on them now, some on her to watch the reaction to this man, and others on Elias to see what his intentions with Jessica were.

When Elias reached Jessica, he was close enough that her nostrils were completely flooded by his gorgeous scent. Everything else was drowned out, and she welcomed anyone who could distract her enough to forget about the awful Moonfury Pack.