The Luna Phoenix

Punishment

Stacy didn't let the fact her sister was essentially arrested at the party bring her down any, especially after what she had done to her without even saying hello. What surprised her was that right after her sister was taken away, Tanner was the one asking her to dance now. He essentially drug her out to the middle of the floor and pulled her in as the faint tingling sensation traveled between their hands as he turned her on the floor.

"My mom says the tingling could be a sign you are my Mate." he said as they were surrounded by others who were dancing from their class.

Stacy had suspected as much as well, because she had read extensively on the Mate bond during school for one of her many projects. "Possibly." she replied before he twirled her and pulled her back in. "We all know about the contract though. Could you even get out of it if you wanted?" she asked him genuinely curious.

"Yes, there is a Fated Mate clause in it that cancels the contract if either of us should find our Mate." he said confident as their dance ended and a slow one started next and he made the transition seamlessly.

"I guess that makes the question what do we do than? I have no desire to be a Luna that just throws fancy parties and does almost nothing to protect the Pack. I want to use my skills and talents to make it a better place, protect it and ensure the people who follow us never have to worry about Rogues again." she told him as they circled on the dance floor. "Besides, it could just as easily turn out we are not, and I would prefer not to get my Hope's up." she told him honestly.

Tanner laughed as they slowly turned on the dance floor. "You mean if we are will I stop you from going to University and not allow you to kick my ass anymore?" he asked and she smirked before nodding. "I think if we are, the Moon Goddess has done it for a reason. Besides, it will just push me harder to learn what you know as well, so that you stop kicking my ass as often. Plus if you trained our warriors in what you know, it would almost guarantee the Rogues would quit attacking us." he said with a smile.

Stacy however was still nervous, especially as they only knew part of what had happened to her under the care if her parents. She had plenty of scars from her time with them, and had no desire to be part of their lives. "I don't know if Incan stay here if my parents and siblings remain part of this Pack. You saw what she did just because I was here, and I have no desire to be reminded of that part of my past." she told him as he nodded.

"I am guessing after that display it was far worse than any of us could imagine. It however would be easy to have them transferred to another Pack, even if it is just so you can have peace of mind." he said as the song ended and she pulled away.

"I will think on it Tanner, and let you know what my decision is later." she said before running to her new room leaving the party behind.

At exactly noon the next day, most of the Pack had assembled as called into the public square, where the Matthews Family had a front row seat to the spectacle. None of them had been informed of who was being punished, and those who knew weren't saying anything about what had happened either.

Alpha Alexander took the stage and looked at the Pack. "One of our own has taken it upon themselves to injure another without cause. Furthermore this incident happened at a Pack sanctioned graduation party for those who graduated just yesterday, to make it worse, it was one of the graduates who was attacked. As such the perpetrator has been sentenced to 10 lashes, and has been banned from all Pack functions for the next 6 months. Never is what she did acceptable, especially to a former member of ones own family. Bring out the prisoner!" he ordered as a bound and gagged Emilia Matthews was drug from the back of the crowd and forced onto the stage and tied to the wipping post her arms raised and stretched out before they cut the shirt from her back.

As the crowd watched the Beta came out with a whip coated in diluted Wolfsbane, to ensure the wounds would not be able to be healed immediately by her Wolf. Without another word he began the punishment, the crack of the whip as she screamed through the gag all that could be heard as most of the Pack saw her back split open and start bleeding. Her family was stunned beyond belief when they saw this, as her tears fell freely.

The gag was removed after the first strike, and as soon as the person removing it cleared the area Benjamin lashed out expertly with the whip again, as it cracked the second mark across her back as the scream filled the air shortly after.

"Put your hands down and open your eyes Margaret. You have been ordered to watch this punishment, so your entire family may learn the consequences if any of you repeat what your daughter did!" Alpha Alexander demanded with his Alpha Aura making it an order none of them could refuse as they continued watching helpless as Emilia was indeed whipped all 10 times. The Beta waiting long enough for the pain and screams to subside between lashes, each one of them done with his full force and the whip breaking the sound barrier as it opened up long streaks on her unscathed back.

As soon as she finished screaming from the last strike her arms were unbound and she was finally allowed to collapse onto the stage as Alpha Alexander stood over her.

"The next one of your family to attack Stacy Todd will receive double the punishment you just received, and it will be doubled each time until all of you learn that attacking ANYONE in my Pack is unforgivable. For too long has the ways of my father gone on, and we have ignored the infighting between family members. That ends today, as I will not hesitate to punish those who cannot follow our laws. A parent disciplining a child is one thing, but a sister attacking another who has been recognized as legal age to make her own choices, is an entirely different matter. Anyone found guilty of similar attacks, will face the punishment they just witnessed. 10 lashes and a 6 month ban from ALL Pack functions. Emilia Matthews, you are hereby demoted in rank to Omega until such time as you can prove you have learned the lesson. You however have the protection of knowing that you have the protection of the rule that was just announced. No Pack Member shall attack another, regardless of Rank within our Pack." Alexander ordered before he stormed from the stage to go to the Pack House.

Stacy had watched it from the balcony at the Pack House, well away from where it all happened as she knew well the effects of being whipped like that. She had felt the effects of the nine tail more times than she cared to count opening up her back, the silver and Wolfsbane stinging and burning until her body was so numb that she could no longer feel it.

She however was somewhat thankful to her father for that, as anything but pure Wolfsbane had absolutely no affect on her, and she was completely immune to the effects of silver because of how many times she had been exposed. For 6 years it had been atleast a weekly occurence, before she took the whip from her father and nearly whipped him to death with it. He had gotten lucky the Wolfsbane had run out when it did, because she had not stopped until she could no longer lift her arm, and had barely held onto the nine tail until she got to her hiding spot far away from the house.

"Stacy, why don't you come have lunch with me?" Amanda asked her as she was one if the few women who used the Pack House fornsingles housing. There were plenty of single men, but only 2 or 3 women and all of the others had jobs that kept them from the Pack House for the entire day.

"Yes Luna, I would be delighted to." Stacy said as she saw Alpha Alexander walking up the lane as most of the Pack made their way away from the public square and his announcement.

The two women had just sat down when Alexander and Tanner entered the room and took their seats at the table. "What's this?" Alex asked as he entered the room and sat down at his customary seat.

"Oh, I have my reasons dear Mate." Amanda said with a smile as the kitchen staff brought their meal to them and left knowing it was a private affair.

"What might those be?" Alex asked as Tanner blushed.

"It seems we may have to prepare to ask the White Shadow Pack to cancel the marriage contract. Unless my little birdy is proven wrong in two months, our son has found his Fated Mate." Amanda said before taking a bite of her salad.

"Mom, who told you that?" Tanner asked carefully between bites as he had nearly choked.

"Dear, if we go to them with suspicions before he is 18, they will accuse us of attempting to break the contract in bad faith. If it turns out to be true in two months and it is someone that Tanner believes will make a better Luna for our Pack than our two Paxks joining, that is his decision." Alexander said looking at his wife pointedly.

Stacy had yet to say a word as she found the conversation informative, as she knew it was an issue if they truly were Mates.

"Stacy, what do you think about it?" Amanda asked her.

"I think if he has found his Fated Mate, he should clear the issue with the contract before he makes any promises. We all know that cancelling these contracts in good faith can have unforeseen consequences, and he should carefully think about what he wants for the future of his Pack." Stacy said diplomatically wondering how Amanda had figured out it was her.