005_What's Going On?

Jessica's POV

With one attempt, Richard ripped my hoodie off of me, revealing my bra. He did the same to my pants. I tried to scream, but he covered my mouth with his left arm and tugged at my underwear with his other arm.

"You made Dad do that to me in front of the whole pack, huh? I'm going to make you pay!"

I tried to fight back, but I wasn't strong enough. I didn't know what to do but utter the words "Help! Help!" in my head as loud as I could. But who was I kidding? We were deep in the woods, so even if I could communicate through the mind link, there was no one to hear me.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I kept fighting, holding onto my underwear. This upset Richard. Without a warning, he grabbed my hand and snapped my bone in two. Before I could scream, he covered up my mouth once more. This allowed me to bite his arm.

"Argh!" He screamed as he let go of me, holding onto his wounded arm. The taste of his blood made me feel weird. But I couldn't bother about that—I had to escape.

I turned and was about to get on my feet, wincing as I tried to raise my broken arm. But before I could stand completely, Richard's fingers dug into my scalp. A growl escaped his lips as he pushed my head, making my forehead hit the ground hard. He repeated it three more times, leaving me fighting for consciousness.

"How dare you?!" He yelled as he spun me, pressing my back to the ground. "You are going to pay for that!"

He was about to take off the rest of my covering when a loud growl was heard. All of a sudden a huge black wolf appeared out of nowhere, dragging Richard off of me with his fangs. Richard's screams filled the night, and so did the sounds of broken bones and torn flesh.

I tilted my head, trying to see what was going on. Hot blood splashed on me, and then everything went dark.

***

"Argh!" I yelled as I jerked up from sleep. When I realized I was in the basement, I let out a sigh. But then, that was weird. The last thing I remembered was Richard and the black wolf and then nothing else.

'How the heck did I get here?' I asked as I stood up.

When I turned to the broken mirror by the side of the room wall, my eyes widened in shock. I moved forward, analyzing my body. There was no scar on my body. Not on my forehead, and my arm was perfectly fine.

I had one of my nightgowns on, and there was no trace of anything I wore last night or any dirt in sight. Then I remembered my chores. I had to hurry up before Beatrice made a scene. I rushed into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I picked a pair of denim trousers and a T-shirt to wear.

Just then a knock came to the door. Without another warning, the door flung open.

"I can't believe you're still in here!" Lisa yelled as she walked in. She froze as she noticed the look of shock I had on. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Um... Well, um..." I stammered. "You just look so beautiful it's blinding," I teased with a smile on my face, covering my eyes. I couldn't tell her what happened last night, and that I was still shaken up by it.

Lisa pressed her hands into her cheeks as she blushed.

"Yeah, It's like the moon goddess poured out all her beauty on you and—"

"—Okay, now I'm sure you're just messing with me, but we don't have time for that now," She cut me off, unpacking the bag she was holding on my bed. "I figured the reason you weren't in the meeting room was because you don't have anything to wear, so I got you something."

I was a little bit confused. "Why should I be in the meeting room?"

Lisa was shocked. "You gotta be kidding me," She slapped her forehead slightly. "The meeting with the other Alphas. They are all in the meeting room."

"Oh," I muttered. "I guess that was what the meeting yesterday was about."

"Yeah. Here." She handed me a black dress. "Try this."

I rolled my eyes as I took it from her and started putting it on.

"You know, I might be the only person who truly cares about you in this pack," She said as she lay on my bed.

I couldn't help but chuckle. There was Rose in the kitchen who always stood up for me, but I didn't tell her that. It was nice seeing her bask in her glory. Besides she had been a true friend to me.

"Also, think about this... A lot of new male wolves will be around for the meeting. If you can get your mate or even a lover, you will finally get to leave the Pack and never be treated badly again."

Though she sounded calm and bold, I could still sense a hint of sadness hidden in each word she said. If I ever got to leave, I'm sure she would miss me a lot.

I turned to her. "What do you think?"

The smile on her face got wider. "You look stunning, Jess,"

"Really?" I walked towards the mirror and stared at myself. "Are you sure it's okay? I mean, I don't think I have enough flesh to fill up the dress."

"Are you kidding me?" She stood up from the bed and walked towards me, taking a spot behind me. "You look beautiful, Jess. Besides, you have enough flesh, and at the right places, too," She teased.

I let out a chuckle. Before I could say anything else, we heard the bell rang. We gave each other shocked looks and then ran out of the room—giggling. In less than a few minutes, we were in the meeting room.

Lisa was right. There were a lot of new faces in the room. I caught a guy with silver eyes and black long hair staring at me, but I looked away. Though Lisa was also right about me finding a lover, I didn't want anything to do with someone with a huge position. From where the silver-eyed guy was sitting, I could tell he was either an Alpha or a Beta.

Just then, Alpha Raymond made his way through the door. Like the other Redwood Pack members, I stood up to greet our Alpha. But my eyes widened when I saw who walked in with him and the others. His eyes found mine, and he grinned. My insides twisted.

I knew our kind healed fast, but Richard looked perfectly fine—like he hadn't been attacked last night.