Chapter 17
I'm not here to fit into your world, I'm here to make my own.
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THE MESSAGE
WARNING: Violence, and a disturbing scene ahead. If it's not your cup of tea, please do not read. You've been warned.
Luca
Fighting against the restrictions, the metal clanking of the chains sends dreadful shivers down my spine. As the wailing belonging to the naked girl on the ground makes me want to puke, but there's nothing we can do.
“Citizens of Rosewood, this slave has violated the terms of her purchase.” The beefy enforcer bellowed, grabbing a fist full of the girl's red hair with his thick fingers. “Seducing this warrior with her wicked ways, turning him against his alpha.” He pointed to the chained up sandy-brown wolf, who continued to snarl and fight against his restrictions.
“Alpha Jones Hunter was viciously attacked by his own man, fortunately, he survived.” He informs the crowd as a collective gasp goes around like wildfire. “SLAVE! State your crimes against your alpha,” the man barked, kicking the girl right in the stomach.
I've seen her around town before, she barely looks older than us with her petite figure.
“Pp-please,” she croaked, positioning herself into an odd-ball-like position. It's as if she is protecting herself from the inside.
“That's right, beg for your worthless life!” The enforcer snarled, right before he whips her, the blow so severe—the wound oozed blood.
“Ancestors, help us!” She yelled, clutching at her stomach.
“Zane!” One out of the five men suppressing the restricted wolf shouts, drawing everyone's attention.
The wolf's behaving as if it was crazy and feral. Snarling in rage, saliva flying everywhere, his eyes becoming pitch black without a shred of humanity left in them.
“You see! This is what these things do to a good, loyal, and obedient soldier,” the enforcer accused kicking the girl again. This time she started coughing up blood.
“Dad, can't you stop this!” I whisper-yelled, finding it unbearable to watch anymore.
“I'm sorry son,” he apologized, shaking his head. “This is council business if we intervene, it's a clear declaration of war—one we're not ready for.” He remained me.
Why can't there be equality? Everyone deserves love, affection, and care.
As one of the supreme packs of Rosewood, it's required for all of us to be here. However, Brandon and Tyler had other commitments since they'll be crowned alphas a week apart—Brandon being the first. It makes sense for their absence. As for Dante, well he just flat out declined. I think it's because of his conflicting relationship with a witch in the past.
The enforcer raised his hand to whip the almost lifeless girl again, but I turned my head not able to stomach the scene anymore. But the smacking sound of leather against flesh never came.
“Pick on someone your size, asshole.” The voice belonging to Destiny growled.
Whipping my head around, sure enough, it's her—holding onto the whip, with Alexis and Demon by her side.
“Ahh, another slave,” he taunts.
“Demon, see if both mother and child are doing okay,” Destiny ordered the German Shepherd without breaking eye contact with the enforcer.
Mother and child?
Trotting over the motionless woman, Demon sniffs her from head to toe with a whine at first, only to bark.
“Good boy, bring her back to Uncle Blue.” With that command from Destiny, the dog gently rolled over the girl with his snot—that's when we see her huge stomach filled with ugly purple bruises.
She's been using an illusion spell this entire time, no wonder the wolf's reaction is so crazy and feral!
A weak groan is heard when the girl grabs into Demon's fur. With his assistance, she makes it safely on his back. And without delay, he takes off.
“Metric, get that dog!” Zane, the beefy enforcer ordered his much muscular, and younger partner.
“Alexis!” Destiny shouts.
“On it!” Alexis replies, stomping the ground, creating a mini earthquake—the aftershock waves blast the enforcer in the air before crashing flat on his face. However, she wasn't done. Slapping the concrete, a wall is created.
“To get through that wall, you need to go through me,” Destiny warned with a sinister smirk.
“That girl is the property of the Hunters!”
I'm not sure what happened, and I don't think anyone else does either. The only thing I know, the moment the words left the enforcer's lips, they were kissing Destiny's fist.
“She's no one's property!” She growled, “only a member of my coven.”
“What coven might that be?” He wheezed out with busted lips. “The law is clear, every coven should be registered under a pack. If not, it's illegal.”
“Those laws you're so quick to repeat, are against humanity and a witch’s rights,” Destiny replied glaring down at the man.
“Witches have no right,” he spits out. “The only thing your kind is good for is making someone happy in bed,” he teased, laughing.
Anger bubbles inside of me, and I make a move to step forward but I'm grabbed by the wrist. “Don't you dare Luca! This is between them only, any interference from us will be the end of our pack.” Dad proclaimed.
With a frustrated huff of breath, I stand down.
“I need you to send the council a message for me,” Destiny surprisingly says, calmly, walking up to the enforcer.
“What might that be,” he retorts, sarcasm laced with his words.
“Firstly, purchase of any witch is illegal, and the punishment is death—which includes whipping out your entire family. Secondly, abuse against a witch is forbidden, the punishment is an unbreakable curse. And finally, a witch is not obligated to any pack unless he or she so desires.” Destiny stated making the crowd murmur.
“Who do you think you are blabbering such nonsense!”
“Lady Destiny, leader of the Hawthorne Coven.” That is the last thing she says with a quick swipe of her right hand.
“Zane!”
Rushing to their fellow enforcer, we're confused at the urgency until we see the man choking on his blood. His throat is slit and they desperately try to stop the bleeding wound. In their rush to help their fallen man, they forgot about the restrained wolf, who's now free with white eyes—the feature stating the guy's more animal than human now.
“Calm yourself, and shift.” Destiny coaxed, but the wolf kept on advancing towards her. Sighing, she traps him in an air bubble with the wave of her hands.
Amazing, I've never seen air used in such a manner before.
Thrashing around inside the bubble, the wolf finally gives up, tiring himself out.
“Now, shift,” Destiny repeated the command.
And I watched in amazement, the wolf started shifting back into his human form.
“Destiny, watch out!” Alexis warned, grabbing our attention towards the charging enforcer with a sword.
However, it was a foolish attempt. The moment he was in striking range, an unforeseen force drove him backward, knocking him to the ground. Before the others can counterattack, German in wolf form swipes at the nearest enforcer with his left paw—gauging the man's eye out. Just then Sara, Blue, and Dante appeared out of nowhere.
“Alpha DeLuca!” the last unharmed enforcer yelled in relief. “By order of the council, detain that girl. She's a murderer,” he spits out.
“That may be so, but she's also a DeLuca,” Dante informs the man, making his mouth gap wide open.
“The council will hear about your disobedience, you've just declared war DeLuca!”
“I don't think so-”
“No, don't harm him,” Destiny interrupts Dante, and he frowns. “He has a message to deliver,” she says smirking as the enforcer pales.
“Run along.” Sara snapped with a wave of her hands, the enforcers disappearing. Releasing the guy that was still in the bubble, Dante helps him to stand and with another wave of her hands—the entire group disappeared leaving us onlookers flabbergasted.
*******
Looking ahead, the glowing lights of the city look like twinkling stars from this distance. Whenever I need to get away from the world, this is my spot; there's always an odd comforting sensation the grassy hill provided.
“Hey,” she said softly but I refused to answer. Taking a seat beside me, she bumps my shoulder before intertwining our fingers.
“How are they?” I questioned, not looking her in the eye.
“If you want me to answer that, you'll need to look me in the eye, Parker.” She retorts with a heavy sigh.
“We all stood there and watched, not doing anything to help,” I mumbled, turning around to be confronted by stormy-silver eyes.
“Luca, we grew up in a different environment,” Destiny began. “You were taught that a witch is nothing more than a bed partner or power booster for a pack. While I grew up to fight for what I want, have a mind of my own, and the fact that I make my world and not accept the shitty one I was born in.”
“I did nothing Destiny, I'm just as bad as them,” I argued, feeling utterly ashamed that we did nothing.
“Brandon is the next alpha, not you. Furthermore, I don't have a pack to protect or a governing body to answer to with my actions.”
“But your dad stepped up, which includes German. And let's not forget you've got the mark which represents an alpha,” I insisted.
“Don't even go there, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.” She mumbled, resting her head on my shoulder. “They're going to be fine by the way,” she added, referring to my earlier question.
“So, your coven huh?”
Destiny laughs out loud and I join her until we die down into chuckles. “It was the only thing I could think of on spot,” she proclaimed snickering.
“Have you ever thought about it though?” I am genuinely interested.
“My family was enslaved by werewolves, they were pure witches. And I'm only half-witch, who'd follow me exactly. No matter how badly I want to rebuild what my family once was, I'm just not fit to rule it.”
“You're right, maybe you're not the right person to rule it.” I half agreed. “But you are the perfect person to restart the foundation for future generations.”
“You think so?”
“No, I know so. It's easy to see you're not like your previous successors,” I point out.
“Thanks, cutie,” she muttered, kissing my cheek.
Huffing, “you're annoying. But I love you anyway,” I confessed.
“I'm a virgin,” Destiny declared out of the blue and quite random.
“Not for long,” I replied.
“How do you know?” She asked making me look at her like she's stupid. “Ugh, how is it, sex I mean?”
“Are we seriously going to discuss sex?”
“I can't ask German, he'll probably kill Tyler. Plus I wanted your opinion since you grew up with him.” She whispered at the end as though anyone will hear us.
“Sex is amazing depending on who you're doing it with,” I say shrugging as if my one-time experience counts.
“Luca, be honest with me. Who was there before me?”
“There were a few, but the only one he ever paid attention to. Well, she's not you just to say.” I reassure my friend.
“Why are we friends,” she retorts with a chuckle.
“How are you doing though and don't lie to me. You and Tyler have been intimate enough for you to know he won't hurt you, so why are you distracting your mind?”
Sighing, “I'm tired, Luca.” Destiny replies, snuggling into my side and I wrap my arms around her.
“You don't need to say anything, I just want you to listen.” I begin my heart-to-heart. “What you did today was reckless, selfless, brave, and downright badass. I believe there's a reason why you're not a pure witch so to say, it's because you're meant to pave the way for a better future for the next generation just like your mother did for you.”
Nothing is said, that's until I feel a small vibration coming from her body. “Thank y-you.” She whispered with a sniffle.
“Come on, we better get home, it's getting pretty late,” I inform her, yet neither one of us made an attempt to move.
We both know what happened today is far from over, but that's tomorrow's problem. For now, we just enjoy each other's company while watching our beautiful town. No matter how jacked up the people are, Rosewood is home.
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That was some message, don't you think 😌.
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