Chapter 119
Halt! Assemble! Attention! At ease!” Bec, gamma of Rush pack, continued to scream his orders from where he stood. The girls, with Zelda, Zita and Brandy in the front row listened to his matching orders. Bec continued to move from one end of the row, to the other, watching the girls as they matched. They had not had intensive training on combat in a long while, but the alpha’s new instructions required that he took the girls on combat lessons, even though they were already trained warriors.
“Attention! At ease!” He screamed again. The girls spread their legs apart and stood straight, heads held up, shoulders high and hands behind their back.
He stood in front of them and fixed his eyes on each and every one of them. The girls were in black sneakers, camouflage pants and matching black bra tops that clung to their chests. Each of them had their hair weaved into a French plait, whatever was left of their hair was tucked with a pin. They stood on the sandy ground, underneath the scorching sound. He saw them turn red from the burning of the sun and he looked up at the sky, before returning his gaze to them.
“We all know how important this mission is. For months, our pack has been terrorized by rogues. They have kidnapped our children, stolen our goods, killed our fathers and mothers, raped our young girls. We did not want war, or did we?”
The girls did not answer. Bec frowned and repeated the question in a sterner tone.
“Or did we?!”
“No sir!” The girls screamed in response.
“So, what do we do?!”
“Attack and conquer!”
“I said what the fuck do we do?!”
“Attack and conquer!” They screamed in response again.
Bec heaved a sigh and stood straight.
“We have planned our course of action. We have gathered all the necessary information about the rogue chief that is needed. Like I said before, you would be required to go to the outlands as strippers. Your aim is to seduce and lure in all the men that matter, especially the rogue chief whose picture you have all seen. Your talent and skill is what has kept you in this army, let your love and loyalty continue to be your fighting force! Am I clear?!”
“Yes, sir!”
“I said am I clear?!”
“Yes, yes, sir!”
Bec tucked his hands into the pocket of his combat shorts.
“Zita and Zelda, I want to see the two of you wrestle. I would be choosing any two random girls next, and you have to impress me. So, if I were you, I’ll begin my personal training immediately.” With that, he dismissed the rest of the girls.
Brandy turned towards the left and headed toward a corner. She stood away from the rest of the girls and watched them work their butts off. The alpha was intent on finding Jesse and running him down, there was no doubt about that.
Bec was right about everything he had accused the rogues off. She had been sad to find out about all the missing children, wrecked shops and stolen goods, rape victims, dead adults, mothers and fathers. She had never imagined Jesse would stoop that low. But how could she have expected any better? The man had been rubbing his face in the mud from the day she knew him.
If the alpha captured him – which was bound to happen – Brandy knew that her siblings would be in grave danger. They would be roped into Jesse’s mess and they would all be punished accordingly. She could not let that happen. She had to think of what to do. Perhaps it was time she turned herself in and exempted herself and her family from Jesse’s downfall. He had used her and her brothers as his puppet for most of their lives, she could not let it go on that way.
What was the worst that could happen? Banishment? Death for treason? It would not matter if she knew that her brothers would be safe and allowed to live their normal lives.
Or she could always take her brothers and run away. They could desert the outlands and Rush pack and leave everyone to crash and burn. She lowered her head to the ground and placed her hands on her knees. She took deep breaths in to calm her nerves, warm sweat broke out of the skin of her forehead. She was confused, but she had to arrive at a decision and she had to do so today.
Now.
Did she really want to live the rest of her life as a coward? Scared that anyone could come after her family from Rush pack or from the outlands. Or did she want to accept her fate with her head held high and a conscience as clear as crystal?
“Hadley and Ashley, you’re up next!” Bec’s voice stole into her thoughts. Brandy flung her head up and stared at the gamma.
She was going to confess her sins and accept her mistake. She would be straight and plain about it and she would accept whatever punishment was to be served to her. But, she would not speak to the alpha or the beta. She did not know what either of them would do. Brandy decided to speak to the gamma, Bec. Of the three leaders of Rush pack, she knew him to be the most reasonable and understanding.
She stood straight, took in deep breaths and began to walk toward the combat circle, where he stood.
Her heart continued to pound in her chest with every step she took. When she stood behind him, she tapped his right shoulder. He spun around, his both fists in front of his face. If he was one second faster, he would have delivered a damaging blow to her nose.
But Brandy did not so much as flinch. She stared down at his fists and Bec sighed as he dropped his hands by his sides.
“Brandy. Goodness, I could have killed you. What is the matter? You’re up next, you do not need to…”
“First of all, your fists would not have killed me, because they can’t.” Brandy cut in. She was not known for many words, but she liked to speak whenever someone undermined her or her strength in the smallest of ways.
Bec stared at her, slightly amused and faintly insulted.
He folded his arms in front of his chest and stared down at her.
“And the second part is?”
Brandy heaved a sigh. She saw how his eyes watched her. She knew his ears were not prepared for what was coming.
Well, here goes nothing – even though she was risking everything.
“I am a spy from the rogues on an undercover mission. I have been supplying the rogues with information about the alpha, this army and this pack in general. The rogue chief, Jesse Wyatt…” She paused her statement there. She was not ready to admit the words that lingered in her head and rested at the tip of her tongue.
“We are related.” She spat out.
As she spoke, she stared straight into the gamma’s eyes, so that she could capture every one of his movements.
Bec arched his right brow at her. If he was in shock, he certainly did not show it.
“Do you realize what you’re saying, Brandy? This is not something to prank with, you could be killed.” He spoke bluntly. His voice held no atom of emotion.
Brandy cleared her throat, fighting back the croak the accompanied fear.
“I have never been one to joke with important matters, or joke at all. This is me submitting myself for the necessary punishment. If I am given a chance to atone for my sins, I would be honored, but whatever penalty is given to me, I intend to take with honor and pride, as long as you give me your word.”
“My word?”
Brandy continued to speak.
“Yes. That my siblings are protected from Jesse’s shame. They are most important to me.”
Bec stared at her, seemingly thoughtful.
He soon inhaled deeply and exhaled almost immediately.
“I’ll relay this information to the alpha myself. I’ll see how we can use your… treachery to our advantage. In the meantime, do not let any of the girls know about your betrayal. I do not wish to split the team at this point. After the mission, if you’re forgiven and allowed the chance to live, then you can decide if they should know, or not…”
“If I should be allowed to live, I do not intend to remain in this pack one more second than I ought to.” Brandy cut in. She had tears behind her eyes, begging to be let out, but she stubbornly forced them back in.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.