Predator: Huntress - Alpha

Chapter 18

The night air was thick and warm as the gathering of hunters stood silently in the throne room. With a crashing bang the heavy doors to the throne room flew open. Letting out a bellowing roar of anger, Koga dragged in the struggling yautja by his bound feet and yanked him forward with all of his strength until the yautja's tied body slid halfway down the throne room's middle aisle.

Silently all the yautja in attendance stepped forward. Nearly every resident of Ojibwe was here tonight. Reclusive yautja that resided far on the other side of the planet stood dressed in their armor, watching the display. Younger un-blooded yautja stood near their parents as they watched in silent judgment as Koga walked next to the bound and disgraced hunter--Innik. Grabbing Innik by his spines, Koga dragged the thrashing hunter and drug him closer to the dais before dropping him.

"Release him," Rakkah's growling voice was like a whisper as he stood in front of his throne looking down at them.

Extending his twin blades from his gauntlet, Koga sliced the ties holding Innik's arms and legs.

With an explosion of energy, the yautja got to his feet letting out a threatening snarl towards Koga. But Koga did not rise to the bait, he simply stood and stared at Innik in silence along with everyone else in the crowded room.

With a tap of his spear, Iko stepped forward. "Your transgressions," he called out.

Ookla crossed her arms and regarded Innik as if she was staring at a piece of filth. "You attacked an unarmed mother with her child."

"You tried to murder the same woman while risking the lives of Akur's and Rakkah's mates and children," Tyrn growled out loudly, his body vibrating with the need to retaliate.

"You disrupted the frequency to all of our communications to prevent anyone from coming to their aid," Ravki said calmly.

"The pups given to my niece and Rakkah's daughters are dead," Koga snarled, his clawed hands flexing restlessly at his sides. "They watched as their hounds tried to protect them and died for it."

"All of this to hide your past failings," Rakkah said.

"She was-" Innik tried to argue.

Faster than anyone could expect, Jarak moved from his spot next to the dais and appeared before the hunter his clawed hand covering his mandibles and digging into his flesh. Innik tried to swipe at Jarak with his claws but Jarak ignored him and grabbed at the back of the hunter's head with his other hand lifting him off the ground.

"I will have your skull," Jarak promised, his eyes glowing with a savagery he had not felt in years.

Three sets of footsteps stepped forward and Jarak turned to see Koga, Tyrn, and Akur look at him in angry defiance.

"We deserve the right to kill him just as you, Jarak," Akur declared with barely suppressed rage as he stared at the struggling hunter in Jarak's grip.

"The right to kill him belongs to all of us," Rakkah's golden eyes narrowed at Innik, the deadly rage still simmering just below the surface of his calm demeanor. "But the decision will lie with the one you tried to kill."

Waving a hand over the throne's armrest his claws clicked at the controls and a holographic screen floated above them all. The image of Justice's face displayed back at them, and Jarak let go of the hunter. He looked at his mate, half of her face covered by the breathing mask of the medical sarcophagus and he watched as her hair floated softly in the healing gel surrounding her. It took nearly all his strength to get her inside the medical unit. She had yelled and clawed at him telling him the nanites in her blood would heal her, but Jarak had seen the shake of Ravki's head over her shoulder and knew she was wrong. She had been damaged too badly in her fight. Gashes and punctures from the Kurn's tusk riddled her body from front to back. By the time he had gotten to her, hearing Larsa's wails and the savage snarls of the tusked beast his mate was three shades paler and covered in blood. Ignoring her commands, he had placed her in the healing sarcophagus. Angry and cursing his name, Justice had watched him leave the medical bay only an hour ago, watching him through the glass top of the sarcophagus.