Jasmin

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

No school in as the school area was quiet of children voices, yet only nine people already in the Council room. Must be Holidays but still a weekday. I lost track of days in the woods. I knew how to keep my scent from the trackers. Knew how to hide in the trees I ran in for years.

This is a big deal for such a small group. Its also early in the morning. I see Segenam and Eric behind him, not quite in the circle as he is still in training and will be for some time. I am happy to see him here though. Owen, a warrior is beside the older Levi on my left, my parents with Elder Charles Noskey are sitting in the center. Ruth sits with Samuel on the right. Samuel smiles at me and nods at Jasmin. I guess he was there last night too. Jasmin takes a deep breath and straightens her back and pulls her shoulders out. A sign that she is ready for anything they can throw at her.

She is so strong. How she got to town, had a council meeting? The whole thing is absurd. She is my mate but she is not pack, they have no pull on her. Why did she come. What did my father tell her. She said she loves me, yet knows I am marked Rogue for killing a man. She remembers me from the forest, yet how does she know, how does she know it was me? So many things we must talk about. But here, we start here by letting her past out to these strangers, to my parents. They didn't understand when I was young.

I told them I had to go to my mate, had to help her. They never listened, they said I was wrong and needed to be punished for running, for showing myself in the large town. For getting caught. Why would they be here now, why would they care.

I was careful to keep my eyes averted and down, looking at everyone through my lashes. We sit in the circle. Closing it to start the ceremony. To go through the issues that need to be addressed. My issues, again. My father loudly clears his throat.

"Marcus, you are causing trouble again." His voice hard. Like I have always been trouble for the old man. Well alright I have been, but he never understood.

"I believe its all the same trouble, Dad." I remind him. I find it hard to be respectful to the man who locked me in a cage, or beat me with a cane. My years before I found a way to dull the ache with I felt for the loss of my mate were harsh. Locked up or always closely followed should I run again. Always told that I was bad wrong; getting caught in the town by another pack showed ridicule to my father and I was not allowed to forget that. My heart aching for someone who was hurting and I could not get to her. I could not explain it to my father, and whenever I tried he would tell me I was wrong. He just wouldn't listen.

When I had finally gotten to the man, the evil that had hurt her, finally escaped long enough to track him down, I killed him. I memorized the scent from her in the first few minutes of meeting her, could smell his seed on her, the small child with a mans seed. So wrong.

After the death came the mark. Then came the physical punishments, ruled down by the pack but carried out by my father. Every month for two years, to cleanse me of my evil, they said. After the first one I quit talking about her, quit trying to explain why. I did what I could, I will face the punishments. Yet I do not belong to that pack, I haven't since that first month, since the death of the evil one.

We are waiting. Silence in the Council room so common. Finally broken by a soft voice.

"It was my eight birthday." She starts. I grip her hand, I know this will be hard for her, in front of strangers no less. The council is quiet. "Eight was old enough, he had been preparing me for over two years, making me ready, and decided that eight was the perfect age. He had married my mother, he was not really my father, different last name. I knew that yet never saw him as anyone other than Daddy. The night before my birthday he quietly entered my room, mom sleeping already as she worked so early. He told me it would hurt, but to be quiet. I was good at being quiet. He taught me how to face the pain in silence. It still felt like I was being ripped in half." The silence is hard to hear now. I move her hand to my lap.

She takes a bit to calm her breathing and I squeeze her hand in mine and use my other to rub her back, anything to take away her pain, as we sit and stare at the floor in front of us. "I didn't sleep that night. It took forever to be able to move. I noticed the wet mess on my bed. Tried to wipe the stain I could see on my legs, but realized it was bruises. When I could I slowly got dressed and packed a bag, it took most of the night. My mother awoke and went to work and I told the neighbour I could not go to school. I stepped into the trees and never looked back. I lived a lifetime in the forest in January. I was always so cold and hungry. I kept moving. I had dreams of a beautiful wolf who would walk with me. Keep me warm at night. My gray wolf."

"Eventually it was sunny again, warm. The wolf had walked me away from my past and I was in a large town. I had found food in dumpsters and places to hide. I somewhere lost my wolf in that town. He left me. When it started to get cold again I didn't know what to do. I met an older man, his name is Chet, who held my hand and got me into warm places, places with food. He would call me his sister, no one asked questions. He pulled me along to the city here and worked the same angle. Eventually I started being too much for him, I started wandering away and actually talking again, so we parted ways. I have been in the city ever since, finding people to help me and even to get me into school, though I am now listed at 15 I will turn 17 next month. I did look up my name a while ago, to see what happened, I am listed as deceased, a victim of exposure who's body was never found. My name was Tina Frisen. My step father was Steven Boiko."

After the last was out I knew it was done. She had cleaned her soul of the taint that covered her. I picked Jasmin up and pulled her on my lap. She fit, so small but so strong, Held her as her tears fell. I rock her on my lap murmuring anything I can think of. No one else in the room moves.

...

When Jasmin starts to come down from her cry Segenam has moved beside us and has a glass of water. I pass it to Jasmin as I can not let anyone touch her just yet. I nod to Segenam a thank you. His eyes widen, and I remember the reason I hid. My eyes are still not human.