Vaughn walked with Torah for a few minutes after she'd fought him to stop carrying her.
"Are you okay?" It was the first time Vaughn had said anything apart from swearing when she clawed at his back in an attempt to get him to drop her. She didn't say anything but gave him a look that would cause a submissive leopard to run a mile. "That probably wasn't a good question." He admitted nodding his head. "It's going to be taken seriously; we'll take you to Tamsyn's to check you're all okay and then hopefully when you feel comfortable tell one of them what happened."
Torah seemed completely disinterested in what Vaughn had to say, crossing her arms against her chest she was beginning to feel slightly conscious about being totally nude.
"We'll look for some clothes when we're back in DarkRiver territory" Vaughn noticed she was uncomfortable.
"Thanks." Vaughn wasn't sure whether to ask Torah about the incident, to make casual conversation or just walk in silence.
"Can't everyone forget it ever happened?" Torah stared at the ground in front of her.
"I don't think that's likely, or a decision you can make."
"It should be, I don't want to have to think about it, go through it again!" She gripped her arms leaving white marks.
"We've had the occasional sexual harassment incident within DarkRiver and usually it was just a male being an idiot, Torah, if we had not been there he would have raped you."
"Oh thanks I didn't realise!" She shouted at him her cheeks reddening humiliated "I should have been able to handle it, I should never have put myself in that position! "
"You did not put yourself in any position, you cannot blame yourself for this."
"I'm not blaming myself for what he did I'm upset-" She sighed "I'm upset I couldn't defend myself, I've fought against far more dangerous and stronger enemies, but I froze, I couldn't think, every move I made was sloppy and panicked I fought like a novice!" Vaughn looked at her, he'd forgotten that in IceChaser she hadn't been a novice but a fully-fledged soldier, she was strong she'd given him some bruises, she wasn't a little girl, a woman who felt she'd let herself down and was ashamed. "I'm a soldier, this shouldn't happen to me, it should happen to a submissive who can't defend themselves."
"Torah, it should not happen to anybody!" Vaughn corrected her, she bowed her head, he was right it should happen to no one regardless of who they were. "He has alpha in him; his mental state clearly made him stronger, more predatory."
"Please don't make excuses for me." They continued walking. All of a sudden Torah got an influx of messages through the web. Sascha's was first checking she was okay and then Hebe's. Hebe didn't send words but she could sense waves of comfort, worry and love. "They know."
"Lucas would have told Sascha, your fear ran through the web it's how we found you actually, Sascha sent Lucas a worried message and then we smelt you."
"Sheer luck." It made her sick to her stomach that had she not run into wolf territory she wouldn't be safe with Vaughn right now, if she wasn't connected to the net. It's difficult not to believe in fate she supposed…but why would fate want her to have undergone that? "What's going to happen to Kaleb?" She didn't hate him, she thought she should but she didn't.
"Well it depends on your account; he'll be formally punished-hard labour, solitary etc and probably be shunned by the pack for a good few years." Torah felt sick to her stomach.
"That'll kill him." Kaleb was an incredibly social member of the pack, he loved his friends, he loved girls and she'd even seen him volunteer at the nursery. Vaughn looked shocked.
"Torah…"
"I know, I know." She raised one of her hands to stop him from saying whatever he was going to say "I just don't want that to happen to him."
"He's been stellar before this incident, never got in trouble always helped out, that side of him won't be forgotten."
"Good." She didn't understand how she felt, she'd never known where to place Kaleb to say she'd always hated him was a lie, she gritted her teeth at the realisation that hate may have been the exact opposite of what she felt for him even after what had happened. She rubbed her neck where he'd bitten her, a clear mark had been left, and she closed her hand over it. In a deep corner of her mind she thought it felt right his mark on her, for the most part she ignored it but in no corner did she resent it like she should have.

Tamsyn ran to the girl the moment she scented her.
"I'm fine, I really don't need to be here." Torah brushed off her prying hands, but Tamsyn dragged her into the house and gasped when she saw her neck. "It's not bad, really."
"It's bruising, he pierced the skin" she wiped off some dried blood no one had previously noticed. Sascha walked into the kitchen holding cups of tea and placed them on the table.
"I should have got to you sooner, Torah I felt your fear in the net but I was so busy with Roman and I…"
"No it happened so suddenly you wouldn't have felt it…I'm fine though."
"You could have called for help but I have you mentally contained, I feel so guilty."
"Sascha you couldn't have known, please calm down." Torah hated seeing Sascha distressed, she didn't let many people in but those she did she gave them all of her and Sascha had become one of those people.
"You can stay here tonight."
"No really, I'm fine."
"I phrased it as an offer, it's a command." Tamsyn went to the counter and grabbed some freshly baked cookies "Here, eat."
"I'm not really in the mood, thanks though." Tamsyn looked at her sternly and Torah realised this was also an order and not an offer, she took one and reluctantly bit into it.
"Lucas called Sascha not too long ago about the incident so I haven't had time to get rid of Jules and Roman I hope that's okay."
"Oh don't be silly, they're adorable."
"Not when you're praying for peace and quiet." Tamsyn laughed her boys were evidently her pride and joy.
"I'm going to go back to the den." Vaughn grabbed two of the cookies "Torah, is there anyone you'd like me to contact?" Torah questioned telling Hebe but she'd sent worried messages and even though they had fought Torah knew deep down she came first to Hebe
"Hebe, she'll want to know what happened."
"Of course, if you ladies need anything let me or Faith know."
"Actually" Torah perked up "I wouldn't mind talking to Faith." To her surprise no one questioned the request.
"I'll go get her." Vaughn smiled.
"Tamsyn, could you give Torah and me a moment?" Sascha sat beside the healer.
"Certainly, I'll check on the boys." She took the cookies with her. Once she left the room Sascha moved to the chair closest to the changeling.
"Torah, please tell me how you feel, I trust you can be honest with me, it's important."
"I don't know, just do your thing I'm too tired to explain."
"I have, I can't make full sense of them." Torah raised her eyebrows it was unlike Sascha to intentionally pry.
"You think I can? I'm not angry or scared anymore, I just feel a little bit blank… empty."
"Sad?"
"Yeah, sad. Weird huh?"
"You're probably in shock, I read somewhere that after a trauma it's not uncommon for there to be no immediate emotions ,they kick in once your brain has had time to process the event fully."
"Maybe." Torah looked at the floor; she didn't think that was the case. "How angry is Lucas at Kaleb?" She'd asked the question so quietly Sascha wasn't sure she'd heard right.
"Very, Lucas has never had to deal with a situation like this before as far as I know. In a pack environment this breach of trust is unforgivable, so don't worry Kaleb will be made an example of."
"Sascha," Torah swallowed hard looking down at her lap where she played with her fingers "I don't want" She sighed raised her head and shut her eyes not sure of anything anymore "I don't want Kaleb to be punished." Sascha sat back into her chair as she tried to process what Torah was saying.
"Was the situation not what it seemed?"
"No it was, I didn't lie." Torah was horrified at the thought.
"Then I don't understand-"
"It would destroy him, he works so hard and he's so loved I couldn't bear to take that away from him."
"Torah, he tried to rape you."
"I know, Jesus, don't say that." The thought made her shudder.
"I apologise that was insensitive."
"I don't want to see him suffer, don't ask me why but to be honest that'll make me feel a whole lot worse than I currently do."
"I don't really think it's up to you."
"Vaughn said as much." Torah sighed "What if I said it was my fault, you know like that I lead him on."
"Torah its 2080 men have come to terms with the fact they have a degree of self-control, long gone are the days where women's underwear are shown in court as defence for a rapist." Sascha took one of Torah's hands. "He's going to have to suffer the consequences it's better for everyone."
"How? This doesn't involve anyone else!" She pulled away her hand and stood up pacing the room.
"It does, strict rules are in place to keep order in the pack. It's not just about you and him." Torah leant over the counter staring out the window and raising a shaking hand to her mouth she began to cry. The Empath walked over to the crying girl and took her in her arms, using her gift she sought to comfort her.
"He didn't mean it, I know he didn't."
"What do you mean?"
"He wasn't in control I could tell he was fighting himself, his leopard took over."
"That doesn't make a difference; his leopard must be punished too." Torah knew what that meant no physical contact not even the most basic of kinds, the thought caused another wave of sobs.
"Torah, I hate to ask this question and please don't answer it if you don't want to."
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you? I mean I don't know how the events panned out but let's say he made a move and your rejected him, why? I'm not saying you shouldn't have I'm trying to understand your relationship with him. He's attractive, charismatic all the girls love him."
"Because, it wasn't him and he's never bothered to work any of his charm on me anyway, we've always had a volatile relationship. I pulled his arm out of its socket remember?" Sascha laughed at the memory.
"You've never hated him?"
"No, not really." Torah smiled to herself not able to believe what she was about to say, Sascha could get you to tell her anything "I actually wanted to like him; I tried to get him to let me like him he has walls higher than mine." Sascha blew out some air sounding amazed
"Those are some pretty high walls." She joked and squeezed the changeling tighter. "What made him come after you?"
"I don't know."