A/N: Thanks to all who left reviews. Words motivate. Well... enough of my blathering for now. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter.

Beauty Is Scarred Deep

By

SupeSympathizer

Chapter Fourteen: Friction

Her laughter. Music to his ears.

As the low raspy barks of laughter filled the room, Alcide had an odd sense of deja vu. For a moment, he swore he's heard Jannalyn's unique laugh a thousand times...it was so familiar, but not, like a cloudy recollection from a long forgotten childhood, or a whisper of memory from a dream.

But he couldn't recall an actual time or place, when he's heard her sweet raspy laughter before.

A specific mental image came rushing back into his mind. On the forest floor. Side by side. Holding hands and laughing. Yes. That's where he'd seen it, that's where he'd heard it- in his imagination, shortly after puking his brains out.

In his mind's eye, a clearer picture came to mind- of looking up to a star-filled night sky, past barren branches of pines... of her body glistening with sweat, her scars shining bright under the pale gray glow of moonlight... of her gun metal eyes wild with mischievous humor...laughing just like this.

Beautiful.

Fascinating.

Alarmingly familiar.

A rapid succession of pictures filtered through his mind, too fast to focus on just one. Blurs of landscape, pine, oak, and spruce forests, hills, lakes, drought ridden plains, and mountains... Blurs of changing skies- day, night, winter, spring... But in every picture, there was one constant. Jannalyn's black wolf standing alone, looking to the horizon.

Alcide was ejected out of superspeed wolfy lalaland when Jannalyn nuzzled him, her cheek slowly dragging against his beard.

"Later," Jannalyn whispered. She planned to kiss him again, and soon, before he left for work.

And again, he found himself staring at her, this time with furrowed brows. Alcide had never been to the remote places he saw in his head; had barely traveled beyond Mississippi and Louisiana in all of his thirty-five years, but Jannalyn is well traveled and maybe...just maybe...

Nah, his mind is fuckin' with him. Bert's Third Pair supernatural mumbo jumbo's got me spooked- he thought.

After a quick peek down at his crotch, Jannalyn promptly removed herself from his lap. As she maneuvered around Abby's protruding belly, she kissed her cheek in greeting.

"I suppose you two need to talk. Cody and I will be upstairs." Jannalyn announced.

"Aww, c'mon! I'm hungry!" Cody complained with a full on pout, his hands gripping at his stomach as if unreasonably malnourished.

"You can wait a few minutes. Let's go." Jannalyn motioned for Cody to lead the way and he dragged his feet, rather dramatically, as he walked out of the kitchen.

Abby giggled at Alcide's put-out expression, his eyes following Jannalyn as she left the room. Alcide sat up straighter, discreetly adjusted himself, and took a deep breath to regain some composure.

"Good mornin', Abby." He scooped a spoonful of sausage gravy into a bowl and took his first bite.

"Uh-huh. Good mornin' it is. I suppose your promise of 'no funny business' is null and void, if she does all the pursuing?" Abby teased, while helping herself to a bowl.

"Mmm," it was partial answer and a partial response to a mouthful of biscuit. A change of subject was due- he had no intention of speaking about his love life/sex life with any woman who wasn't the object of his affections. "I see you two are getting along," he managed between bites. The sausage gravy was incredibly thick and the biscuits were to die for, extra buttery and all kinds of flavorful.

"We talked last night, about a lot of things. Things that were bothering her, bothering me. We talked about you too, so naturally, I gave the obligatory 'I'll try to kick your ass if you hurt my brother' talk, but then, I guaranteed I'd kick your ass if you hurt her so-"

"Brother?" he asked, after swallowing a mouthful. Last he knew, Abby didn't want anyone to know, but now she was practically announcing it to the pack with a youngin' in the house. His grin grew wide as his arm reached across the table to hold Abby's hand. "Your mother confirmed?"

"Yeah, she remembered Jackson's last name from the check he handed her, all those years ago. Megan and Ludwig confirmed in a way, too."

Hearing Ludwig's name thrown in the mix worried Alcide. As far as he knew, Ludwig generally answered to supernatural emergencies. "Oh? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, better than alright. Megan was the first to suspect, but Ludwig confirmed this is an Alpha blood pregnancy. Tony doesn't come from Alpha blood, neither does my mother, so that means the baby got it from me. But if you want, we can still do a blood test through Ludwig, just to be-"

"Not necessary. I doubt your mother would lie and like I said, we look alike for cryin' out loud. Plenty enough proof for me."

According to his no good father, the Herveauxs have a long history of being Alpha bloods, since the sixteenth century, going back to their roots in France long before the Creole/ Cajun mixing in the early 1800's. Were's born of Alpha blood, meant their wolves are slightly faster, larger, and stronger, and these qualities rarely skipped generations- a sound explanation for Abby's speed. Although Alcide hasn't seen her wolf yet, he was positive it was larger than the average female.

When Alcide became a man, his mother told him what to expect from Debbie if she were to carry. In gestating females, adrenaline is present throughout, as an added measure to better protect the pup. Which also means the early onset of erratic, impulsive, and temperamental behavior - a sound explanation for his sister's antics lately.

"This baby is huge too. Ludwig guessed five pounds already. At this rate, he's gonna be a nine or ten pounder by the time he's born."

"He?" Abby giggled again, when she heard him test an upcoming title, "Uncle...Uncle Alcide."

3 p.m.

Kenneth Delacroix wasn't five minutes into being back home, before his father, Julien, informed him about a possible war with the Blood Claws. Never mind the fact that his Dad had finally been acknowledged for years of service to the Long Tooth behind Marcus' back. Never mind the fact that his Dad was now the acting Beta, a title he felt Julien rightfully deserved without a provisional status.

The women are training, he said, his Momma and Meg were training... for war.

As a child, Kenny endured relentless teasing in school, for being a black kid with a lily white Momma and sister, but in middle school, Cody McCoy was his worst antagonist. Later on, when Cody joined the pack, Marcus backed up Cody's prejudices and bigotry with his own snide comments. They were two racist peas in a pod. Eventually, he began to feel out of place within his own pack, so Kenny resigned and left the territory to live with an aunt in Georgia.

And now he's returned to find the same dumbass wolf he's hated for most of his life, started the single event that could rip his family away.

"You dumb motherfucker!" Kenneth's dark fist connected with Cody's jaw, putting the younger wolf on his ass. "This is your fault!"

From Bert's farmhouse, the women heard the commotion and went running to put an end to the fighting. "Stay Abby, don't go out there," the women heard the old man say, as they double-timed it to the barn.

Jannalyn was the first to come upon the scene and saw Cody on the ground, taking punch after punch to the face. He wasn't fighting back nor was he attempting to block the onslaught of raining fists. He just laid there and took the abuse, like a cur, not the young man who came to her defense at Fangtasia.

With a growl, Jannalyn grabbed the stranger by waist and threw him several feet away. She crouched over Cody's collapsed form, hovered over him like a mother wolf over an injured pup. A low continuous growl of warning erupted from her chest, making it clear the stranger would have to go through her to get at Cody. Kenneth got up from the ground and came charging, undeterred by Jannalyn's appearance or was too enraged to notice. With blazing white irises and every muscle tensely coiled, she prepared for the collision.

"Kenny! Don't!" Melinda screamed, tackling her son in middle of the charge. With an 'oomph' he hit the dirt, but he didn't stay down long. Melinda and Kenny were up again within seconds.

"I'll kill him! I'll fuckin' kill him!" Kenneth struggled to get around Melinda, who kept shoving against him and wouldn't let him pass.

"Stop, Kenny. We can't let you through." Megan came into Melinda's periphery, along with Tracy and Natalie.

A mother had never been so grateful for the assistance. Jannalyn's protective positioning over Cody left no doubt that Jannalyn would fight tooth and nail...and Kenny would lose.

"What's the meaning of this?" Jannalyn growled out to the rest of the boys, who sat around idle as their pack brother took a beating. Most cowered back and none spoke up.

"None of your business, outsider!" Kenneth growled, peering around his mother's head to stare Jannalyn in the eyes. She stood from the crouch and stepped away from Cody.

"Stop while you're ahead, stranger. You won't last ten seconds with me."

"He's no stranger. This is my son, Kenneth." Melinda wrapped her arms around Kenny, for a better hold. "Avert your eyes, boy!" Melinda growled into his ear, annoyed by Kenny's idiocy and hot temperament. Kenny's challenging gaze didn't drop so as a last resort, she squeezed his shoulder hard enough to make him flinch. "You won't win, son. Please, take a good look."

He took in Jannalyn's appearance, looked from head to toe and noted the scars, but was undeterred.

"She doesn't scare me, let me go!"

Melinda was struggling now, even with the added help. Kenny had grown stronger since the last time she had to hold him back from fighting. He almost matched Julien in strength now, and she could feel her son slipping from her hold.

"Let him go, Melinda. I'll oblige. We need a demonstration anyway."

"Please! No, I'm-" Melinda was prepared to beg for a pardon, for the life of the young man she raised as her own, but Jannalyn put her hand up, gesturing for Melinda to stop.

"I promised Alcide no permanent injuries." Jannalyn rasped as loud as possible. "Now, step out of the way and let him through."

Melinda had no choice but to comply. Her son made a challenge and the other wolf accepted. If Kenny survived this, she was gonna kick his ass all over Shreveport, and then she'd demand Julien to do the same. Slowly, Melinda and the women backed away from Kenny, their eyes shifting from Kenny to Jannalyn and back again.

"Stupid move, Kenny." Megan mumbled with worried watery eyes, eyes that matched their mother's.

Kenny looked around. Everyone had backed away, far enough to form a wide circle.

"Come get some, pup." Jannalyn smirked.

Kenny's insides boiled with rage at her cocky demeanor and his eyes burned fiery orange, the color of wildfire.

With a roar, Kenny ran forward and snapped his arm back to deliver a punch. Jannalyn didn't move until the last possible second, turning into the punch to catch his arm with both hands. With her back to his chest, she bent over and in one fluid motion, she threw him over her shoulder while holding on to the offending arm. She stomped a foot to his chest, near the armpit, pressing his body to the ground. His wrist was bent into a painful hold, almost to the breaking point but Jannalyn stopped when his face contorted in pain. She maintained control over the younger male, by applying just enough pressure, so the threat of a broken bone still loomed.

"I gave you too much credit. That was four seconds," she whispered down to Kenny. While keeping both eyes on the downed male in a firm hold, she addressed the others.

"The momentum from a sloppy charge, can be used to your advantage. It seems unnatural to give the enemy your back, but most throws require it. Once you get your opponent down, this foot," she pressed down into his armpit, hard enough to cause Kenny to hiss in pain, "is important. Remember this foot.

Control the wrist, bend it upwards to keep the arm straight, and with a sharp knee here," her other leg bent enough to connect with Kenny's elbow, "the elbow is hyper-extended and finally, with a hard pull, the arm separates from the socket. Lack of upper body strength is the issue here- for all of you. Use the power in your legs. You may not be able to pull the arm away completely, but the shoulder will dislodge.

Now... back to the important foot," she pressed down with her foot again, "This foot is your anchor. If your opponent tries to kick your other leg out from under you, if the wrist is properly gripped, a fall in any direction also dislocates the shoulder."

Still staring at Kenny, who had the sense to look away now, she asked a question. "Megan, confirm for everyone. Can one shift with these hypothetical injuries?"

Megan moved forward to speak, with an apologetic look to her brother who was still in a painful hold. "It would be extremely difficult. Bones could be broken, but the tendons in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder would be torn. The body would fight to stay switched because a shift would make it worse, causing the injuries to extend and move around, possibly heal incorrectly." Megan ignored the incredulous eyes of her mother, boring holes into her temple, and chose to focus on Jannalyn instead.

"And if the arm is ripped away, how long will it take for the enemy to bleed out?"

Kenny's heart picked up speed, despite the quiet tone and calmness of Jannalyn's voice. He wasn't looking at her, but he could almost sense the smirk on her face.

Megan gagged a little but gulped it down. "Three minutes, tops."

"And if you figure in an accelerated heart rate, from a thirty foot dash across the neutral zone?"

"Two minutes. Maybe less."

Sensing submission, Jannalyn let go of Kenny and extended a hand to help him up.

Her hand was a choice. If Kenny took it, it would mean acceptance of subordination and it also showed a level of trust to freely give back an appendage she could easily rip away; but if he didn't take her hand, it meant the opposite. Jannalyn kept her hand out, giving him plenty of time to think it over and choose.

Kenny reluctantly placed his hand onto her waiting one, and was promptly yanked to his feet.

Julien and Melinda raised Kenny to be a proper he-wolf and he readied his mouth to apologize for his brash behavior, but Jannalyn narrowed her eyes and nodded for him to join the others. As far as she was concerned, Kenny chose to take her hand- that was the end of it. Dragging it out with a drawn out apology was unnecessary and they didn't have time for the unnecessary.

As Kenny took his place between Melinda and Megan, his little sister slapped his sore arm and muttered 'idiot' in his direction.

"Cody. Come here." Jannalyn waited until Cody came to stand in front of her, but in his dazed state, he forgot the ruse and went to bended knee.

Kenny turned to his mother with questioning eyes. No one went to bended knee unless... Holy fuckin' shit- he thought.

Melinda lifted both brows and pursed her lips, a silent 'I told you so'. "Not a word," she shushed.

Jannalyn attributed Cody's position to seeing stars from a near knockout, so with a secure arm around his waist, she moved him several feet away to rest on a bale of straw. There was a cut to Cody's cheek and brow, but Jannalyn couldn't tell if anything was cracked or broken. "Megan?"

Megan assessed the damage with a few quick tugs and pulls at Cody's face. "Pressure cuts. Nothing's broken. He's just dazed."

"Look at me," Jannalyn gave the boy a few gentle slaps to the face. Cody's eyes landed on her cheek. "In the eyes." He cast his eyes downwards and shook his head submissively, and it irked her in a seriously foul way. For the second time in two days, she forced his chin up. "Last night, you were prepared to attack a vampire for scratching me, so I know you are no coward. Explain to me, why you didn't defend yourself."

Her voice was stern and once again, her expression was of anger, but Cody could see the genuine concern for him in those crazy, telling eyes of hers. They were scrutinizing him, analyzing him, looking into his soul again, and he couldn't lie. He suspected she would know if he did.

With a shaky breath, he answered. "Kenny's right. I've endangered everyone. This is my fault."

"Yes," she hissed. "This is your fault... but your Packmaster has decided to prepare for war, instead of handing you over to be mauled. He knows it was a mistake and his opinion is the only one that matters."

Jannalyn's head turned and her heated glare zoomed in on Kenny. "You will obey Alcide's decision. No more attacks on Cody." She didn't look away until Kenny nodded in compliance.

"Rest a moment, Cody. Get your bearings and wits back. When it's time to spar, I require you to man up."

As Jannalyn straightened, she also adjusted her white tank top and smoothed out her khaki capris. She chose her attire that morning with purpose- despite personal discomfort with showing so much skin around inquisitive youngsters. Her aim was to desensitize the group. Hopefully, by the end of the day, a few scars on a stranger would still set off cautionary alarms, but not cause them to run from a fight.

Jannalyn showed the group four more moves, all designed to quickly incapacitate.

"The goal is to rip limbs away, or at the very least, break bones and tear tendons, then move to the next threat."

For the next two hours, the sound of bodies hitting hard soil could be heard, as the group practiced on each other, over and over again. Partners were rotated often, so all could learn to quickly adapt to changes in height and weight.

Everyone had bruises and sore muscles, and most wanted to quit from exhaustion...and then Jannalyn wanted to see how their wolves fared.

Shift and switch, shift and switch- she wanted to see how fast they could do it at will. Run, sprint, run- she ran along side their wolves, barking for them to move faster. Run, shift, sprint, jump, switch- she observed like a general would an army and made corrections when necessary.

Everyone agreed. Training under Jannalyn was Hell- the ninth circle of Hell. 'Fuck my life' was the general sentiment muttered among the adolescents and in consensus, the group asked for a break.

The last rays of the day were disappearing. It was roughly 7 p.m., dinner time for most, but under the time constraints of possible war, they didn't have time to go home and eat. The group needed to learn quickly but all looked tired and famished.

"Fine... twenty minutes." She made a shooing motion with her hands and leaned against the barn.

The women threw on loose dresses and high tailed it to the farmhouse for iced drinks and deli sandwiches, courtesy of Bert.

But the males didn't bother to cover themselves. They drank copious amounts of water from a garden hose in the yard, drenching themselves as they did so. Steam rolled off their bodies as the water evaporated on contact, like droplets of water sprinkled on a hot skillet. Their bodies had been pushed too far without proper hydration, so she made amendments on how the remainder of training would be carried out.

Abby came out of the house, carrying a glass of tea complete with a garnish of lemon, and headed straight to Jannalyn. Kenny tried to take the glass from her hands to deliver it to Jannalyn, but Abby batted his hands away. Her very pregnant form, made the trek to the barn, wobbling the whole way.

"You didn't have to-" Jannalyn started.

"Yes, I did." Abby held out the glass and Jannalyn couldn't turn it down. "It was a fine excuse to get out and stretch for a minute. Being cooped up all day doesn't suit me."

"Mmm." Jannalyn agreed. She could relate. "Thank you."

"How're ya holdin' up?" Abby asked, and Jannalyn raised a brow. "Bert told me." Abby said simply.

"So everyone knows now." Abby nodded. "It's true. The Ripper is a former moniker. Is that why you came out here? Needed to confirm for yourself?" Jannalyn asked defensively.

"No, silly. It doesn't matter. Not to me." Abby closed the distance between them, her belly in the way the entire time, an obvious and blatant show of trust. "I asked how you were holdin' up, because I'm guessing all of this," she wildly gestured all around with her arms, "is putting you into a nasty mindset."

Jannalyn sighed. Too damn observant, that one. "It is, a little, but I can handle it."

"Good. Now, come pet this baby. I worry when he doesn't move, but he seems to wake when you're near." Without futher suggestion, Jannalyn placed a hand on Abby's stomach, immediately feeling an arm or leg pressing back. "Ahh, there he is."

For several moments, both silently communed with the life growing in Abby's stomach. A tiny life who seemed to follow Jannalyn's hand, no matter where she placed it. It was strange and beautiful and for a moment, she wished...

No, it's not an option. There was absolutely no part of Jannalyn that could justify birthing any dark haired, grey eyed children, nor could she allow any romanticized thoughts to linger too long. She would never condemn a child to having the Ripper or the Beast as a parent.

"Time's almost up. I better go, gotta pee again."

"She's fine, Alcide." Abby said over the phone line for what seemed like the hundredth time. Bert tried to listen in as Abby rolled her eyes for the fifth time in a row. "Uh-uh. Nope. She's fine. Everyone's fine. Everything is fine."

"You better not! Show up and she'll think you don't trust her to do right by you." Alcide said something else and Abby's fist came down on the table, rattling dishes and silverware into the receiver. "Fine, ruin your chances. Nothing says I trust you better than spying. You'll drive her away with this lovesick puppy shit!"

Abby huffed loudly. "Fine, act like a lunatic stalker. See ya in a few." Abby hung up. Ten seconds later her phone rang again. Alcide again. "Brother, I'mma kick your ass. Do you wanna speak to her? I could holler... Then stop calling. I'll drop her off when she's done."

Two hours after sunset, Julien had arrived on the Monroe property, with the group for the night's run. He could hear the commotion of shuffling feet, low growls, and muffled orders from the barn, so he went to investigate. He found the women and adolescents naked, silently standing in a ring, watching in rapt attention. The sounds that drew his attention continued. They were watching a fight.

He moved closer and found his shifted daughter squaring off with Cody's much larger wolf, as a heavily scarred woman, Jannalyn he presumed, crouched down like a referee in a wrestling match. She was on all fours, at floor level to carefully watch their movements. In a flash, Jannalyn jumped between the wolves to grab both Megan and Cody by the snouts. The switched usually don't jump between fighting or sparring wolves, no matter how young, but she stared him in the eyes, showed no fear whatsoever as she spoke menacingly.

"You're holding back."

She then turned to the sandy colored wolf of his Nutmeg.

"The goal is to go for the throat. If you can't find an opening, bite him in the fucking face until he gives you one." Megan's wolf nodded and her shoulders squared, to prepare for another attack.

Jannalyn sniffed and her eyes drifted over to the new presence in the barn- the group of men, standing aghast with open mouths. Her greys moved to Melinda, a silent inquiry if the men were welcome.

"My mate, the Beta. They're preparing for the run."

Jannalyn let go of snouts and stood between the two wolves, still staring each other down and growling. "Which one is the Beta?"

"I am, Julien Delacroix." Julien answered, throwing a quick glance at his mate to check for injuries. Melinda winked at him, their personal sign to each other, that all was alright. His eyes went over to Kenny, who nodded in greeting, but quickly avoided his gaze. Call it father's intuition, but he knew his son screwed up today.

"I think we're done for the night. Tomorrow, same time." Jannalyn said to the group. "A few words?" she asked in Julien's direction.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Beyond earshot and please, call me Jannalyn." Jannalyn walked out of the barn as Julien followed, ignoring the murmurs of the pack greeting one another. They walked passed the cornfield, passed a soybean crop, and disappeared into the dense tree line. Finally, she leaned against a tree and observed Julien for a minute.

"Do the boys know what happens to captured females?"

"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

"I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to disclose the details to the young ones, for motivational purposes."

"If they need motivation, tell them. They're all old enough to be told."

She nodded and an awkward silence filled the air, almost deafening with the weight of whatever was on her mind. Julien knew there was more she wanted to say or ask, but was probably trying to find the best way to broach the subject.

"How was training?" he asked, knowing whatever it was, had to be training related.

"The women are faring better, all across the board. They're learning quickly, gaining confidence in their abilities." There was another significant pause that indicated there was an issue.

"And the boys?" he prompted.

"The eldest ones have... issues. Kenneth is hot-headed. Cody is impulsive. Johnny Matthews seems to be the most balanced but he's a strict follower, he doesn't think for himself. Otherwise, the three seem to be devoted to pack."

"And the rest?"

"The youngest five... they follow orders, but I see many shortcomings and no real desire to protect one another."

"I have to ask, why are you telling me instead of Alcide?"

"Because you know them, far better than I do, far better than Alcide. I suppose, I'm asking for your insight, before I go to Alcide with these concerns."

"Alright, tell me what you observed today." Julien also leaned against a tree, getting himself comfortable while he heard her out.

"As a group, they are far from cohesive. They lack any confidence whatsoever, in themselves, of their pack brothers. I know my appearance is a factor, but one growl and they cower, especially the youngest, Troy..." Jannalyn went on to tell Julien of any note worthy observations during the last six hours, concerning the youngest five.

In turn, Julien asked she give the boys another chance, due to the extreme lack of education under Marcus. And so it was decided, one more day of training and observations, before going to Alcide.

Going home to a silent and empty house was nothing new. He'd been here before, the many times Debbie left for a week long binge on V, or the numerous times she left for some asshole who promised a mark and babies.

But this was different. Coming home to a silent and empty house never felt like this before.

Alcide's first instinct was to go to the Monroe property, but Abby was right. His appearance on the first day of training would be construed as a lack of trust, so he stayed put.

He showered and dressed, prepared dinner and ate, but his mind and body screamed to be near her, to see her, to make sure she was okay. He even went so far as to sit in the truck for a few minutes to debate the matter, almost turning the ignition, but at the last second, decided against it.

So he cleaned. He tidied up the entire lower level, washed every stitch of his laundry, vacuumed every square inch of carpet, only to go running to his bed where her scent still lingered. Aww, fuck no. Her scent was beginning to fade a little.

He eyed Jannalyn's little white plastic hamper with a few items to be laundered. No, don't be a freak. Don't go over there to sniff. Fuck!

Again, he went outside to the truck (dressed in a white tank, pajamas pants, and house slippers- the standard uniform of slightly pissed or deranged husbands across the U.S. of A) only to end up in a kitchen chair, listening to the slow tick-tocks of a clock to wait.

Fourteen hours. Fourteen hours and twenty seven minutes since he last saw Jannalyn.

Go, go to mate. -His wolf commanded.

No. No, I won't. -The man argued back.

Alcide heard a car pulling into the driveway, and he tried, tried to stay seated. The door knob jingled and he was up, moving towards the door to greet her.

"Finally," he muttered, as his arms went around Jannalyn's waist to lift her from the floor in a hug, his nose automatically seeking the pulse point in her neck for a long needed sniff. Her arms tightened around his neck and shoulders... and he could finally breath in relief.

She pulled back a little to look at his face. "You alright?" she asked in concern, her nails lightly scratched from his neck to back in an attempt to soothe.

"I was gonna ask you the same."

A/N: Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know.