CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Knowing Where You Stand

Lycan Headquarters

Michael watched the lycans take Alex out of the room, thinking Lucian had just made a huge mistake. Though Alex left quietly, she had squared her shoulders and walked out with pride stamped on every feature.

Michael had seen Alex go up to Raze and start a conversation with him. It had been a short-lived discussion though, when Raze hauled off and slugged Alex. Michael had seen no provocation for the violence. But, he wasn't sure Lucian had seen what had provoked Alex's attack on Raze.

Lucian was interrogating Raze over in a corner of the room. He knew Alex and Selene didn't have any allies in the room, but he'd be damned if Alex would be held responsible for the disturbance. Someone had to back her up, and it appeared he was the only one willing to step up.

He looked to Selene, ready to let her know what he had planned, when she spoke up, "He's not going to listen to you Michael."

"Lucian didn't see what happened. He didn't even look at Alex, so he had no idea she had been struck by Raze. He needs to be told", Michael stated emphatically.

"I agree, but I don't think he's willing to listen. He is getting Raze's version right now, along with four other lycans who are without a doubt confirming Raze's story. It's going to be their word against ours. Who do you think Lucian is going to believe?" she asked him.

"All he has to do is look at Alex's face to see that Raze took a swing at her. And do you really think Alex is going to keep quiet about this? No way, I'm betting she's gonna lay into Lucian as soon as he steps foot in that room", Michael said voicing his opinion.

Selene looked down the hall Alex had been taken down just a few moments before. "No, I don't believe she'll a word." She was right.

Alex paced about Lucian's room. Running the various scenarios through her mind. But no matter which way she looked at it, she was the guilty party. Even if Lucian listened to her side of the story, it was a no win situation. Though honestly, she didn't believe Lucian would hear her out. She knew he had made up his mind as to who was at fault, as soon as she refused to give up her weapons. Oh well, she'd known from the minute she formulated her plan it wasn't going to be easy. She had hoped she could gather her information, and get out before the inevitable trouble could begin. Now, she just hoped she could get out before she got seriously hurt.

Her pacing came to an abrupt halt when she heard footsteps approaching. She sat down in an antique looking wingback chair and willed herself to remain calm. Then she waited.

Lucian knew he should calm down before he confronted Alexandra. But he couldn't afford to waste time. His pack would be expecting him to mete out punishment as it had always been done: swift and harsh. The penalty for all of the lycan laws Alexandra had just broken would be severe; and it wasn't one he looked forward to enacting. He couldn't afford to show her, Michael, or Selene preferential treatment. If they were to work side by side with the lycans, they would have to be treated the same as any other pack member. But the thought of punishing Alex made him ill.

Why did she have to jeopardize the already tenuous situation? By attacking Raze, she had not only grossly overstepped herself she had also put everything he was trying to establish at risk. But when she refused to surrender her weapons to him, she had blatantly defied her leader in front of every lycan in the room. She left him little choice but to discipline her.

Damnit, he had expected better from her. She seemed to have such control over her emotions and reactions. But according to Raze and the other witnesses, Alexandra had been the one to confront the big lycan. And though Raze had hit her, it was only after she had stolen his knife.

Lucian quickly made his way to his room. He stood in front of the door, taking several deep breaths, trying to tamp down the anger he felt racing through his body. When he felt somewhat under control, he rapped on the door once, then opened it and walked in.

As he walked through the door, Alex could see this wasn't going to be pleasant. She knew he was angry, she could tell by the way his hands were fisted at his side and the murderous look on his expressive face. Here we go, she thought to herself.

He wasn't as calm as he had hoped he would be. Just being in the same room as the obstinate woman made him want to throttle her. He had to work off some of the excess energy, so he began pacing the room.

After a few moments of silence, he stopped pacing and spoke. "Just what were you trying to accomplish Alexandra", he asked her finally looking her in the eyes.

He winced when he saw her. Raze had told him he had struck her, but he swore he had held back. Since she hadn't fallen down, Lucian assumed Raze hadn't hit her with any kind of strength. His assumption had been incorrect. Raze had to have used considerable force to cause the damage already showing on her beautiful face. The fact that Alex held her ground, just confirmed his belief that she was like Michael and himself. His Alex was strong.

Her left cheek was swollen and a dark purple bruise was blossoming across her golden skin. Blood was trickling down from the corner of her mouth and dripping off her chin. Even though her shirt was black, he could see the blood was seeping into the material. She hadn't bothered to clean up.

She waited a minute before she answered him. She didn't know what Raze had told him, but she was pretty sure it was nowhere near the truth. So, she was going to stick to the facts.

"I went looking for some answers", she finally told him. Now that the adrenaline had begun to wear off, her jaw was hurting something awful. When Raze had hit her, the inside of her mouth had been sliced open and the taste of blood filled her mouth. At any other point and time, she would be spitting it out and trying to stop the bleeding. But surprisingly, it didn't bother her at all. She figured she must be in shock.

He watched her as she tried to speak. She had winced when she formed the words, but never issued a complaint. "I told you I would answer your questions for you later tonight. Why couldn't you wait?" he asked.

"The answers I would get from you were conditional. If I answered your questions first, and if they were answered to your satisfaction, then you might answer mine. I was hoping to find someone with fewer expectations", she told him honestly.

"So you would rather throw yourself at someone you considered an enemy, then answer a few of my questions?" he spat out in disgust.

Surprise flickered briefly in those amethyst colored eyes. Ah, Raze must have told Lucian she was coming on to him. Pig. But the surprise quickly faded away, and she sat there, refusing to respond to his question.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" he asked hoping she would utter something, anything.

But Alex sat there quietly, knowing it didn't matter what she said.

Lucian was no longer sure Raze had told him the complete truth. He couldn't entirely believe the witnesses either. They weren't happy about Alexandra and Selenes' presence, and they were loyal to Raze. He could now admit that they would lie to him if it meant keeping Raze out of trouble and hurting the outsiders. But if Alex didn't refute their stories, then pack rules demanded punishment. There was no way around it.

He walked over and squatted down in front of her. He grabbed her hands and held them loosely in his own, looking at them as if they could provide answers. Sighing he looked up and found her watching him, confusion showing in her eyes. A piece of long, red-gold hair had worked its way out of the braid she had worn since he first saw her. He pushed the errant lock of hair back behind her ear, accidentally brushing her injured face. She grimaced slightly at the pain, but otherwise she didn't make a move.

"Princess, I need to hear your side of the story", he told her gently. "If not, then I will be forced to find you guilty and have to exact punishment", he said waiting for a response.

"Would anything I say truly make a difference?" she asked.

She looked him squarely in the eye, expecting him to give her an honest answer. He sighed again, wishing there was another way. "Fighting is allowed between members of the pack, but only in an official challenge, and only in our other form. It is the only way to maintain control and order amongst the pack; and to ensure any injuries sustained can be quickly healed", he explained. "So, when a random fight breaks out, the parties involved are punished accordingly, with the party responsible for starting the fight receiving the harshest punishment."

"So you're telling me Raze will be punished as well?" she questioned him.

His gaze looked over her face, took in the swelling and bruises, the busted lip, and those jewel colored eyes with hope flickering in their depths, "Raze and others contend he was acting in self defense", he told her.

"I see", was her response. And she did. If she were to call Raze a liar, Lucian might believe her. But, in doing so, it meant Raze would be called on the lie and that would only cause more resentment in the pack. Not to mention that Lucian would be seen as a traitor for taking her side. This would cause dissention between him and the pack at a time when it was apparently crucial the lycans stick together. If there was a war brewing between them and the vampires, then it was imperative the pack stay true to each other and their leader.

"Help me", he pleaded quietly. He watched the tiny spark of hope extinguish itself before she answered.

"There's nothing to say. Raze and the others are right. I walked over with the intention of provoking Raze, and when that didn't go as planned, I pulled the knife on him", she told him woodenly.

"This is not an offense that carries a slap on the hand as punishment, Alexandra. You pulled a deadly weapon on him, and threatened to emasculate him. We cannot regenerate that part of our anatomy, so it is considered worse than shooting a lycan." Lucian tried to explain. "And with your refusal to listen and obey your pack leader, it only added to the consequences of your actions."

"Rules are rules; I can't expect special attention just because I'm a woman and the newest member of your pack" Alex said, echoing his earlier sentiments. You have to treat me just as you would any of the others", she told him.

Lucian jumped to his feet, and began pacing again, with his arms locked behind his back. "Damnit Alexandra, the punishment for this crime is a lashing".

It was worse than she had anticipated. She had withstood torture before; it wasn't uncommon in her line of work, though she had never been whipped. She wouldn't like it, but she would live.

"Did you hear me, woman?" Lucian said stopping in front of her and jerking her out of the chair.

He had pulled her close; she could feel his anger and confusion as he looked at her. "Yes Lucian, I understand", was her reply.

Her scent filled his senses. She was bleeding and hadn't had a shower in a good while, but her essence engulfed him and it made him think of things forgotten long ago.

"The rules state that either the injured party or pack leader will be the one to implement the punishment", he told her.

She figured Raze would want the honor of flaying the skin from her back, so she didn't think Lucian would have to worry about being the one responsible. "When?" she asked.

"Soon", he answered.

He hadn't let her go yet. He still held her hands, keeping them imprisoned between them. It was the only thing that kept her from being completely pressed up against his body. She looked into his eyes and felt a tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach. The longer she stayed there, the stronger the feeling became, until she felt as if every nerve in her body was on fire. She stepped back, putting distance between them.

"Then let's get this over with", she told him stepping towards the door.

"Alexandra", Lucian said stopping her. "The first time you make the change is painful, and may leave you vulnerable. I thought you would rather change here, while it's just the two of us, instead of allowing the pack to witness it", he said hoping to help her through this as much as possible.

Alex had no intention of changing, ever. She knew Lucian wouldn't be happy with her decision, but it didn't matter. It was her choice and one she made the second she decided she wanted to live.

"That won't be necessary", she informed him and continued on her way out.

Lucian grabbed her arm and spun her around. "What do you mean?" he asked her, sighing inwardly, when she raised that stubborn chin of hers. Lucian knew this was a sure sign that she whatever she had to say he wasn't going to like.

"I'm not sure who you think you are, but no man has the right to grab me and make demands of any kind", she informed him, her words spoken through clenched teeth. "You aren't my father, my husband, and just so there are no misunderstandings later, you aren't my pack leader either. I haven't joined your pack, nor do I have any intentions of doing so. I am here strictly because I need answers from you. Once I have those answers I'm gone. So you can keep your pack and it's asinine rules. I'm here on your turf amongst your people; therefore I am at your mercy. Your lycans say I broke pack rules, fine punish me. But you cannot force me to change my form. You may have taken my humanity, but you can't take my will", she finished then turned and stomped out of the room.