Hi readers,

Once again this chapter is told from Kurt Black’s POV.

Mygypsy.

The rich coppery aroma of blood does nothing to hide the smell of rage, pain and fear as I straighten my back and roll my shoulders to eliminate some of the tension in my body. Before me the naked, bloody body of Wade Williamson is tied spread-eagled and face down to a wooden bench. I still hold the bloody knife in my left hand as I watch him for a minute or so to ensure he is still breathing. Wade's back is a raw mess from the top of his shoulders down to just beneath where his trousers would sit. I doubt there is any skin left beneath the blood covered area. Sam had systematically plied the whip not only to sliced away skin but also in heavy slashes that laid open Wade's back down into the muscles.

Between his legs his scrotum still remains but it is collapsed in on itself, a red slit either side evidence it is empty. Due to blood loss I have been forced to stop short of removing the empty scrotum but his two testicles rest on the bench inches away from his face. I had made sure he saw them before heavy blood loss and pain rendered him unconscious. A werecat is capable of enduring a lot of pain and abuse before passing out or dying and both Sam and I had pushed Wade very close to his limits.

"Is he still alive?" Cantrell asks as he steps forward.

I turn my head slowly to look at him, he is pale and I catch the slight smell that tells me he is one of those I heard retching when I had used the sharp knife I held. I take a deep breath and give a sharp nod.

"He’s alive," I confirm, "But he’s gonna take one hell of a long time to recover from this." I glance past Cantrell to where Mal, Don, Maurice and Martin stand not far in front of Edwin Williamson who is chained to the wall to watch the punishment.

"It’s a shame he’s still breathing," Maurice Donnelly mutters under his breath.

Almost instantly I am standing in front of Maurice snarling as I glare into his face, I can feel my hand clenching around the knife I hold as I choke down my rage at this tom who wants to interfere with the punishment.

"What? Did I deprive the Board of a spate of nice clean executions to sweep this sorbed business under the carpet and from their minds?" I snarl savagely. "What would have been enough?" I step back and glance around the five who felt they held some kind of power.

"Wade and Marissa dead? Him," I jerk the knife I hold in a motion towards Edwin Williamson, "killed by friendly claws on some work assignment? Micah Williamson and the rest of his brothers ambushed and murdered? What of Jasmine Williamson? Kill her too? Or would it be the hysterectomy some of the Board have been pushing for because of her illness?"

I fall silent as Maurice Donnelly drops his eyes slightly to avoid my stare. I can hear Sam growling deep in his throat. An angry, rage filled sound at the threat to the clan that accepted him and his brother as young kitts and raised them. Rage fills me and I fling the knife behind me as I take a huge breath.

"Nooooooooo!" The word comes out more of a roar than a yell and all five toms take at least several steps back from me. Some part of my brain even notes Edwin pressing back against the brick wall behind him.

"You will not … circle like vultures!" I snarl as I step forward, my head tilting forward slightly and my eyes narrowing as my inner cat demands to be released.

"You will not do a single damned thing to hinder that Clan! You forget to what family nearly half of that land actually belongs! I will stand behind Jasmine Williamson and whatever tom she marries. The Board will make no further moves against any of them!" I warn as I pace from side to side.

"Kurt, we are concerned …" Cantrell begins in a serious voice.

"DO NOT PUSH ME ON THIS!" My yell becomes a roar as my inner cat surges forward and into control.

I feel my clothes ripping and my body feels as if it has been blown apart from the inside. The gasps from those in front of me fill my ears and through the blur of my changing sight I catch the slight movements as three of them turn their heads away from the sight of me. My front feet hit the floor and I arch my back slightly as I dig my claws into the wooden floor beneath me. I fling my head up and roar my rage. I wait until all remnants of my roar have faded before I roar again, and again and again.

"You won’t get any arguments from me," Don Curtis says when the room is finally silent.

"It is Mitchell McIntosh who will be marrying Jasmine," Mal Inness says with a faint smile.

"There a problem Dad?" Dave asks from the doorway.

I glance that way to see Blake and several of our warriors behind him, they must have heard my roars from outside. I give my head a brief shake before glancing at Wade then turning my head to look at Dave intently.

"I’ll go get a medic," Dave says interrupting my look correctly.

"Well, since all matters before the Board have been settled we might as well go home." Martin Francis says quietly as if to avoid drawing attention to himself.

I huff slightly and trot to the doorway to stop anyone leaving the room. I take a deep breath and begin the process to change back to human form. Even while I change the speed with which I had became a cat drifts through my mind. I have changed fast before, but always in private and never in front of anyone outside of my own family. Still the speed of my transformation had never taken just a few seconds like it had just minutes earlier. Never. But then my inner cat had never seized control before. Always I had kept a balance between both sides of my nature. When I am once again on two feet and in human form I dust my hands off and glance between the five that had formed the representation of the governing board.

"I trust gentlemen," I say quietly, "that there will be no problems from here on with any members of the Williamson clan. And oh, I’ll give you fair warning now, my niece will not be railroaded into some … convenient marriage."

"Arrangements have already been made between Ray Macintosh and Alan Cummings in regards to Rosy MacIntosh," Cantrell says in an attempt at firmness even though his voice trembles slightly.

"Samuel, do you remember either your opinion, or that of your brother, being asked before this … arrangement was made?" I ask as I smile coldly and curl my top lip without breaking eye contact with Cantrell.

"No," Sam answers in a hard voice.

"She needs guidance and support to raise her kitt, plus she needs to learn proper and correct behaviour." Mal says quietly but firmly. "It is obvious she needs experienced help, not just help from those with the best of intentions."

"I don’t dispute my niece needs help. I am sure Alan Cummings is doubtlessly more than able to provide the help," I say with a slight nod. "But that does not make her have to marry him. The choice is hers,"

"What young tom is going to be willing to get involved with a volatile, psychotic she-kitt who is either pregnant or who not long gave birth?" Cantrell mutters beneath his breath.

I don’t react to his remark even though he sends me a nervous glance. I have to admit to myself I honestly don’t know if my niece can be helped. I don’t know what is causing her to lash out verbally in such a vicious manner when she becomes upset. It could be that the abuse she has suffered at the hands of strays, and then being forced to become pregnant, has unhinged her mind.

"I was told you wanted to see me Kurt,"

I look towards the doorway to see Aaron Farlow who had travelled with Marissa to sedate her if necessary during the hearing. I glance at Wade and am reassured when I see the slight movement of his breathing, it is very weak but he is still alive. I welcome the interruption, hopefully it will keep the others from thinking about my ability to change forms at such a phenomenal speed. I don’t want them asking questions to which I am not sure of the answers as yet.

"He’s been punished," I say, "he’s still alive. Patch him up best you can before Marissa is allowed to see him."

"Just his back?" Aaron asks as he walks towards where Wade is. "He wasn’t whipped on his chest and stomach?" I’m not surprised to see he is carrying a sizeable gym bag that would contain his medical equipment and supplies.

"I castrated him as well. Tied things off so he wouldn’t bleed out," I say levelly. "He only gets pain relief if it is necessary to keep him alive, and that’s only for Marissa’s sake."

"What punishment does Marissa receive?" Aaron asks quietly.

"Marissa was deemed not responsible due to her … stress over her daughter’s illness at the time," Mal Inness cuts in when Cantrell would have spoken.

"And him?" Aaron asks with a jerk of his head to indicate Edwin Williamson.

"He will financially support the kitt he fathered but will be allowed no contact with it or the mother," Martin says calmly.

I watch as Sam stalks over to stand in front of Edwin and glare into his face.

"That means you will never hold your son, you will not get the chance to watch him grow up. You don’t get to hear him call you Daddy," Sam snarls into his face. "And if you ever attempt to so much as glance towards my sister, what Mitchell and I shall do to you will make Wade's punishment look like a slap on the wrist!"

A sense of pride fills me as fear clouds Edwin’s face and I smile as I glance at my nephew.

"Don, I hope you don’t mind Sam and I making use of your shower," I say as I turn my head to look at him. "I don’t wish to upset my niece any more than she already is."

"I’ll take my leave now since everything is settled," Cantrell says stiffly.

"Yeah, sure," I agree amicably. "Just don’t forget that I’ve made myself clear on a few things," I wait until only Mal is left out of the five who composed the committee and follow him from the building knowing Sam will come as well.

"So Mal, what young she-kitts would you recommend for toms like my sons to be interested in?" I ask casually knowing Sam is close enough to hear what is being said.

"Martin’s daughter Adriana," Mal says after a moment. "She’s quiet but sensible, not stand out pretty but she has a nice sweet personality. I had to step in and stop Lotty being a bitch towards her recently."

"Any others?" I ask.

"Donna Stephan is still single but I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts chasing Micah Williamson now your niece isn’t involved with him. They were an item once before. Young Celeste Willoughby is of age, and Laurie Baxter," Mal says with a laugh. "Last week Angela and I were visiting Stan and Lauren, had Edwin and his partner Jacob with us as security. We stayed the night and young Laurie decided to stay in the quarters with her brothers and the warriors. She tried snuggling up to Edwin but he isn’t recovered enough for what she wanted …"

Mal breaks off with a laugh and shakes his head before glancing back over his shoulder at Sam before continuing.

"Apparently Jacob wasn’t backwards in taking the chance, we could hear her squealing from inside the house. First she was squealing it was too big, it wouldn’t be able to fit … that soon changed to shocked squeals. That didn’t last long, and about an hour later she could be heard moaning, Jacob must have mounted her beneath an open window. She was acting real shy when she came out the following morning to say goodbye to Jacob and Edwin."

"Edwin shouldn’t be allowed near any of the she-kitts," Sam growls behind me.

"After news of what has happened gets about I doubt he will be welcome on quite a few territories," Mal says soberly. "I’m not too sure if you done me a favour leaving one of my best warriors alive or if you handed me a liability."

I have to admit to myself that Mal has a valid point with what he said, not too many of the Alphas and their wives are going to want Edwin near their daughters in the future and the younger Alphas will not want him near their wives.

"Where do you stand on this arranged marriage?" I ask Mal in an even voice.

"Your niece definitely needs guidance raising her kitt but I am not sure being forced to marry will make for a satisfactory solution. From all Wade has said of her, and what Malcolm, Christopher and Robby have mentioned trying to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do could send her running for the hills. But certain members here are very old fashioned and believe marriage is the answer." Mal answers after a few moments hesitation.

"Do you mind if I take the first shower Kurt?" Sam cuts in. "I want to get back to Rosy as quick as I can."

I am lathering the shampoo thickly through my hair wanting to eliminate all traces of the smell of blood when heavy pounding on the bathroom door makes me rinse my head hurriedly before stepping from beneath the spray from the shower head.

"Yeah, what is it?" I demand in annoyance.

"There’s big trouble Boss," Dave calls through the door to me. "There’s been some kind of a disagreement and Ray is giving Sam a thrashing!"

I curse under my breath as I step beneath the spray only to turn the shower off before stepping out of the cubicle and reaching for a towel.

"Just give me two minutes and I’ll be there," I yell. "I hope someone is trying to stop it! Do you know what started it?"

I only dry my lower body enough to be able to pull a pair of jeans on without to much resistance and don’t bother with a shirt as I yank the door open and hurry out of the shower room. The shower is attached to the main garage and I exit the building facing the house. The sight that meets my eyes does little to reassure me, Ray and Sam are standing toe to toe trading blows. Ray is clearly on the attack launching a flurry of blows at his son but Sam is holding his own. I break into a run ignoring the fact I am bare footed and dressed only in a pair of denim jeans. I take in those gathered around the two combatants and several figures hurrying towards them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Maurice Donnelly demands as he and Don Curtis reach the fight a few moments before I do.

"Ray! Samuel! Back off now!" I order as I step towards them.

"I’m about to give this whelp the beating he deserves! Disrespect me will you!" Ray yells in barely controlled rage.

"After what I witnessed I have no reason to respect you!" Sam snarls as he takes a step back only to have Ray charge wildly. They go down in a wild tangle. Ray is well known for his dirty street fighting tactics and is using them against his younger, fitter son.

"Come on! Break it up!" I yell as I move forward knowing my warriors will back me up. I grab hold of Ray and know without looking that both of my sons will be catching hold of their cousin. I glance sideways to see both Maurice and Don catching a hold of Ray along with me. It takes all three of us to pull him out of reach of his son and he only stops struggling when Maurice gets a hold on him from behind, one arm around his throat while he twists one of Ray’s arms up behind his back.

"I want charges brought against him!" Ray yells. "Assault for a start!"

"The way I remember it, it wasn’t the tom from the Williamson clan who threw the first punch," A deep husky voice says with a touch of irony.

I glance towards the speaker and recognise Alan Cummings’ chief warrior Jakob Perkins. Tall at close to six foot seven, Perkins is heavily muscled and unusually thick through the body for an Australian werecat. The sunlight catches a blue glint in his curly black hair and his eyes are a rich, almost golden amber, startling in his darkly tanned face. His teeth flash white as he bares them in a sardonic grin.

"You’re lucky I was at the other end of the room or I would have done more than call you a lying mongrel bastard," Perkins states. "I would have seen if I could knock your teeth down your throat in one hit."

"What is this all about?" Maurice, Don and I demand almost in unison.

"If he," Perkins jerks his head towards Sam, "won’t press charges of Cruelty to a She-kitt I will,"

"I was only stating the facts! It is high time someone set Tawny Rosalind straight!" Ray snaps in indignant anger. "She has been fed sugar coated lies for long enough!"

"I was not lying to my sister!" Sam roars in anger.

I am aware of more werecats arriving at the scene on foot and I can hear the faint murmur of Martin and Cantrell’s voices, followed by deeper tones from Mal.

"You know damned well she isn’t welcome on Williamson soil," Ray snaps.

"Would someone care to explain what this is all about?" Don demands sternly.

"I was trying to explain to my sister I was going to be gone tonight and tomorrow, that I would be back with her Sunday morning," Sam says looking towards Don, then glancing towards each Alpha present.

"Then Ray butts in saying I was going to my brother’s wedding but Rosy wasn’t invited. She got upset and I was in the middle of trying to explain to her why when Ray butts in again …" Sam continues in a strained voice.

Perkins steps between father and son to give Ray a disgusted sneer.

" ‘Your brother doesn’t want you at his wedding, his bride doesn’t want you at her wedding, Micah Williamson doesn’t want you to so much as set foot on Williamson land. Hell! None of the clan want you there! All of them would be happy to never see you again.’ I believe those were the exact words the bastard used." Perkins cuts in sharply. "That poor little she-kitt, she just stood there. She stopped trying to get her brother to take her with him, stopped arguing it was all a misunderstanding and stumbled to a chair where she just sank into it. Every shred of fight gone out of her."

"Take him straight to the shed," Maurice growls amid the sharply indrawn breaths from different toms gathered around.

"No matter the provocation that was an extremely cruel thing to say!" Mal spits in disgust.

"As her father I got every right …" Ray begins furiously.

"You have never been a father to that girl," Cantrell says tightly as he moves into my field of vision. "If I remember correctly it took the Board ordering you to submit to a blood test to prove she was your daughter, and since then you have been scheming to use her to your advantage. Once we have dealt with you we will be looking closely at the arrangements you have made with Alan Cummings."

"I need to go and check on my niece immediately," I state sharply and Cantrell gives a curt nod.

"Five, no more than ten minutes or we start this hearing without you," Don warns.

I head towards the front door trying to ignore the cold feeling of dread that has formed in my chest. Perkins description of Rosy’s reaction doesn’t sound good. I don’t have to look behind me to know that one set of the footsteps following me belong to Sam. I pause outside the door to the room where Rosy had been left while Wade was punished and glance over my shoulder at Sam with a grave face before turning the handle and opening the door. Rosy is sitting sideways in an armchair, her legs pulled up onto the seat and her face buried against the back of the seat. Alan is squatting beside the chair talking in a low murmur but he stops as we step in the door. I watch as Alan gets to his feet stiffly, takes one slow glance at Rosy and then moves towards us as I hear the door shut behind me.

"How is she?" Sam demands before either Alan or I can say a word.

Alan glances back at Rosy as if expecting her to make a reply but there is no reaction from her and he looks back towards Sam and I with a worried frown.

"I think it would be accurate to say totally withdrawn," Alan says with concern.

"Rosy, you can’t believe the fucking bull…" Sam begins upset only to have Alan move quickly to grab him by the upper arm and spin him around and shove him towards the door.

"Stop it!" Alan orders firmly. "Outside now!"

I catch hold of Sam as he goes to swing around and face Alan and jerk my head towards the door as my nephew looks at me startled.

"Outside." I say firmly. Sam jerks free of my hold but heads outside and the three of us stop not far from the door when Alan clears his throat. I turn to face him and Alan glances between Sam and I with a very serious look on his face.

"It is no good trying to talk to her at the moment," Alan says firmly. "Either mentally or emotionally she has taken all she can and her mind has just went ‘Enough, I’m not listening anymore’."

"Rosy will pretend not to listen when it suits her, she will ignore whoever is speaking to her or refuse to react." Sam snaps tightly.

"I wish I could say it was something like that," Alan says sounding tired. "But there’s not even the slightest physical reaction when I speak to her, or when I put my hand on her shoulder. Nothing. No involuntary reaction even."

"She always assumes the worst when things don’t go her way," Sam snaps with a touch of anger.

"Listen to what I have to say before you say anymore," Alan says firmly. "Listen and think about it." He takes several deep breaths before glancing back at the door as if weighing up his words.

"Something happens, like this argument and she begins with you can’t do this to me or something like that?" Alan asks.

"No she always reacts like she expects the worst to happen to her," Sam says sounding annoyed.

"So she accepted being sent away from everyone she knows, trusts and cares about," Alan states.

"Rosy blamed her brothers and the rest of them to a certain degree for finding her, rescuing her and making her feel at home. All against her will from her point of view," I tell him. "She was quite vocal about it."

I suddenly realise what Alan must have seen the moment Rosy started reacting the way she did.

"She can be so stupid a lot of the time!" Sam says in disgust.

"Think about it. She didn’t expect to be rescued, or to find her rescuers would treat her right. It’s easier to expected to be mistreated and find out she had it right, than to expect only good things and be let down in a big way." Alan says firmly. "So it follows she doesn’t expect to be allowed back with her family. She said some terrible things I take it, insults hurled in the heat of the moment …"

"No," I cut in sharply and Alan looks at me with a frown. "Mitchell, her closest brother from what I’ve heard, was about to choose to remain at her side rather than with Jasmine Williamson…"

"Mitchell chose his fiancé!" Sam snaps.

"No Sam, Rosy saw what he was about to do." I tell him gently.

"As for what set her into this total shut down, I don’t doubt that Rosy expects both you and your brother blame her for the trouble that has occurred. That of course Micah Williamson has custody, so to speak, of his friends and home after their break up. But there’s this little part of her that, while it still expects the worst, has started to hope for something good. All along she has expected the worst, and sometimes, only sometimes, things have worked out for the better." Alan says and gives a tired sounding sigh. "Now when she is at her most vulnerable, and needs that good the most, Ray tells her she has no chance or hope of anything good happening."

"Rosy expects only bad things, that way when the bad happens it’s not a shock and she’s not let down. And when good has happened instead it’s a bonus, a very pleasant surprise." I tell Sam in simple turns. "Ray just destroyed any shadow of a doubt in her mind that nothing but bad will come to her. He told her no one wants her, no one loves her and she believed him."

"That’s not right! Both Mitchell and I care about her! Mitchell even wanted her to be able to stay but he needed time to smooth things over with Jazzy and to convince Micah not to walk out on his sister!" Sam says distraught. "I’ll explain it to Rosy, make her understand!"

"The kindest thing you can do for her at the moment is back off, but keep telling her you love her, and will support her in whatever she decides to do." Alan says firmly. "Don’t go making promises that circumstances might make it impossible for you to keep. And don’t tell her she’s silly for thinking or imagining the worst. You’ll probably find life has dealt her a pretty rotten deal on being a female werecat with no clan growing up."

"Alan’s right Sam," I admit reluctantly. "We can’t make promises for other people. Just keep letting her know you will be there for her if she needs you," I glance at my watch, I don’t want to miss having a say in the charges against my brother-in-law.

"Sam, we need to go see to this with Ray," I say with a glance at my nephew. "We will come back here."

Sam looks towards the door to the room where his sister is, worry pulls his brow down in a heavy frown and finally he gives a reluctant nod.

"I’ll be back to see my sister," Sam mutters tightly, "and she had better still be here."

I lead the way back outside and head for the solidly constructed brick shed where Ray has been taken. There are toms and warriors in small clusters standing close to the main doorway and they move aside as I approach. I can hear Ray arguing as I walk inside and make my way to a large room.

"Do you deny the things Jakob Perkins told us are true?" Don asks coldly. "Are you denying you spoke to your own daughter in a harsh and needlessly cruel manner?"

"Someone had to tell her the cold hard truth!" Ray snaps angrily. "He is making it sound a lot harsher than it was! I simply didn’t sugar coat the truth or try to fool her into thinking she could get away with going to a wedding where she was not invited and the bride had in fact forbidden her to trespass on the family property!"

"Samuel MacIntosh," Mal says with authority. "Would you care to give us your version of the event? Who said or done what?"

Sam clears his throat and steps forward. I watch as he takes his time looking from Alpha to Alpha, and taking time to look at each individual in the room except for his own father. When he begins to speak I can picture what happened according to him from his words, gestures and body language as he speaks.

In my mind I see Rosy pleading with Sam, wanting to be allowed to attend her brother’s wedding. Then Ray intervenes, his words harsh and cutting as he stands close to Rosy glowering down into her face as he berates her. Ray shrugs Sam off when Sam tries to stop him and as a parting shot Ray reaches out to grasp Rosy’s by the lower jaw. He steps close as he growls ‘Hell! None of the clan want you there! All of them would be happy to never see you again,’ into her face.

"I admit I called him a lying mongrel bastard," Sam says tightly, "and I would have said a lot worse if he hadn’t started punching."

"Both Jakob Perkins and Samuel MacIntosh’s versions match," Maurice states. "And MacIntosh wasn’t here to hear Perkins speak,"

Mal, Don and Martin murmur agreement along with several high-ranking warriors.

"What punishment would you recommend for someone who has done this to your sister?" Cantrell asks evenly.

"For a start look at the agreement he made with Alan Cummings and revoke whatever conditions he set to his agreement with him. Don’t let him profit in any way or form from the arrangement, in fact make it null and void." Sam says with a nasty sneer towards Ray.

"I have a few questions for you before punishment is decided," Cantrell says seriously. "Wade Williamson raised you and your brother as if youse were his own blood, is that not true?"

"Yes Sir, he did," Sam admits after a moments thought.

"And how would you say he treated you two within the clan? Did you receive the same support as his own sons or did he support them more than he did you and your brother?" Mal asks.

I glance at Mal but he has his gaze fixed on Sam and I look at my nephew as he clears his throat.

"Wade supports us all depending on our strengths. When Micah defeated his oldest brother for Chief warrior Wade supported Micah’s request I be made his second in command. Wade agreed with Micah that I was better suited to the job than either of his two eldest sons Edwin and Dwayne, both of who are older than me." Sam replies evenly.

"And I understand when your younger brother became more dominant than those same warriors Wade supported that as well?" Mal asks with a lift of one eyebrow.

"Yes, that is true," Sam confirms. "But when a new surveillance expert was needed Wade looked to his son Dwayne who is better in that area than both myself and Edwin who also applied for the position."

"Was this before or after you and your brother rose within the ranks?" Cantrell asks and I wonder where this line of questioning is heading.

"It was before Edwin became Chief Warrior, Dwayne was promoted over his older brother." Sam admits with a quick glance towards me. Obviously he feels this questioning is leading towards something as well.

"So it is fair to say Wade has been a father figure in your life as well as Ray MacIntosh?" Cantrell asks.

"Wade has been more of a father to us than Ray ever was," Sam says without hesitation.

"So it’s okay to nearly kill the tom who raised you as one of his own, and let the tom that sired you get away with mental cruelty that is nearly on an equal to what was physically done to your sister?" Cantrell asks mildly.

"I recommend a flogging that will leave MacIntosh with physical scars as bad as the mental scars he inflicted on the She-kitt he now has seen fit to claim as his daughter. Though it does strike me he is not interested in her as a daughter so much as a way to gain more power or influence for himself," Don says with a glance each for Mal, Maurice, Cantrell, Martin and myself.

"Seconded," Martin says firmly.

"You can’t do that…" Ray starts yelling in indignation and fear.

"Someone shut him the hell up," Mal says sounding bored.

There are the sounds of a scuffle and Ray’s voice is quickly reduced to a faint series of muffled yells.

"Anyone opposed?" I ask glancing around. All ready several toms are preparing restraints to hold Ray while punishment is given.

"Perkins do you want to swing the whip?" Cantrell asks.

"As much as I would like to, I think I’d best go and see if Alan needs any help," Perkins says regretfully.

"Kurt, do you think you are better qualified to help your niece than Cummings is?" Cantrell asks.

I glance at Sam and find him watching me hopefully but I have to shake my head.

"Unfortunately I have to admit Alan Cummings seems much more attuned to how Rosy is thinking and why she acts the way she does than I do." I say with regret. "He undertook extensive studies to help his late wife and has a lot of practical experience to back up his education. My expertise is in grief and reconciliation counselling."

"So Rosy MacIntosh is best staying with Alan Cummings at this stage?" Cantrell queries.

"For the time being," I agree, "but this does not infer her brothers or I agree she should marry him."

"She needs to be in a stable and supportive relationship to raise that kitt she carries." Cantrell says in a tone that defies argument.

"Rosy is very strong willed and has a mind of her own," Sam says firmly.

"So did your mother young man," Don cuts in with a frown. "But there is no knowing what happened to her or what she went through in the time between her leaving your father and her death. A female werecat by herself generally has a hard and short life."

"I don’t believe being forced into a relationship will help my niece," I state firmly. Both Cantrell and Don make slight noises in their throats but neither have anything further to say.

"Who is willing to swing the whip for this punishment?" Mal asks changing the subject.

"I’ll do it," Blake says stepping forward. There is silence for a few moments as glances are exchanged between Mal, Cantrell, Don and myself. I give a slight nod to indicate my approval and Mal clears his throat silencing the low murmurs of conversation between toms.

"The whip used earlier is in here I believe," Mal says solemnly. "It has been washed and hung up to dry. Is that whip suitable for your use?"

"Yes I am familiar with the whip," Blake says seriously. "It is one borrowed from me to be used earlier."

Ray struggles and screams behind his gag as he is dragged to the wall where Edwin Williamson is still chained. The toms hesitate for a moment as they eye Edwin but Sam quickly steps forward to release him from his restraints. Edwin moves aside stiffly, it is clear he is in some pain in the groin region but he makes no complaint and waves his partner aside when he offers a helping hand.

"No, the other way," I order as Ray is moved into place facing the wall.

One of the toms reaching for a chain and manacle glances over his shoulder at me.

"String him up facing the room," I order firmly. "The lashes go on the front of his body where he will be able to see the scars every day to remind him of what he done to his own flesh and blood." I watch as Ray’s screams and struggles intensify as he is turned to face the room and shackled into place. One tom takes the time to rip the shirt and vest from Ray’s upper body before removing the gag. Everyone moves out of the way as Blake steps forward, he lets the leather tail of the whip fall from his fingers and flicks his left wrist to lay the lash out on the ground behind himself.

"You can’t do this! This is …" Ray yells as he pulls frantically at his restraints. There is a faint hiss and then Ray screams as the first stroke hits across his chest. Hiss

– scream – hiss – scream. It goes on and on until Ray passes out and hangs limply by his arms.

"Enough," Mal orders firmly.

Blake stops swinging the whip and glances my way, I give a nod of agreement and he relaxes his stance. I swing my gaze back to Ray and take in the bleeding stripes that crisscross his chest randomly. His chest will scar heavily leaving him a lasting reminder of his cruelty.

"Kurt Black! Alpha Black!" Perkins voice can be heard calling and coming closer to the room. There is movement in the doorway and he pushes past several toms standing there.

"Alan needs to talk to you, it’s urgent," Perkins says forcefully as he sees me. "It can’t wait,"

"I’m finished here," I say and head for the door.

"Your nephew had best come too," Perkins says before turning and hurrying ahead of me.

Sam follows closely on my heels and as we exit the building I find Perkins is jogging towards the house as if in a hurry. I break into a jog only to speed up as Sam runs past me. I can hear the rise and fall of arguing even before I reach the door to the room where we left Rosy. Sam glances back at me with a worried frown as Perkins opens the door and we clearly hear Rosy arguing heatedly. Sam pushes past Perkins who steps aside and waits for me to enter first before following us into the room.

What I find in the room shocks me. Alan is standing back by the door and glances my way worriedly before focusing his attention back on Rosy – she paces back and forth on a rug on the floor. Her steps are measured and each foot is placed in nearly exactly the same spot as she repeatedly paces the length of the rug. Her movements are jerky, her uninjured hand pulling at the hair on the side of her head and her eyes wild as she talks. It takes me a few moments to realise she is arguing with herself. Her voice changes slightly, almost as if from a different person and I look at Alan with alarm before glancing at Sam who is standing watching her with a stunned expression on her face. Alan jerks his head towards the door and I nod, catch Sam by the upper arm and head for the door.

"Watch she doesn’t hurt herself," I hear Alan order and am not surprised when only Alan leaves the room with us.

"What did you do to my sister?" Sam demands frantically as he stalks towards Alan. I grab Sam by the upper arm and he comes around to face me rapidly as I stop him reaching Alan.

"Calm down Sam!" I order as I eye the cocked fist he has raised.

"Everything okay?" Dave asks just behind me.

"Can you tell us what happened?" I ask without taking my eyes off Sam who is glaring at me.

"He’s obviously done something to my sister!" Sam yells aggressively. A scream of fear almost immediately comes from Rosy within the room and Sam goes to turn and rush towards the door but I keep hold of him twisting his arm up behind his back.

"Outside where any raised voice won’t upset her!" Alan orders and pushes past us leaving Dave and me to head Sam after him.

"I want to go to my sister," Sam hisses between clenched teeth as he tries to stop me pushing him ahead of us.

"There’s a good chance she wouldn’t even acknowledge you, or maybe even recognise you," I admit tightly. Sam stops resisting for a moment before stopping, he sends me a fleeting glance and then follows Alan’s retreating form.

"Stay here in case Perkins needs help or wants Alan back in the room," I tell Dave before hurrying after the other two.

"What did you do to my sister?" Sam demands as I come out of the house to see Sam approaching Alan aggressively.

"Sam stand down!" I order using all my authority to enforce the order.

I watch as Sam hesitates and moves forward a couple of steps before stopping with an angry snarl. He glances back at me with a scowl before turning his attention back to Alan.

"I’d like to know what the hell happened," I find myself saying.

"Jake was with me, we were discussing heading back to my sons and she started moving," Alan says with a sigh. "She was starting to come out of that state she was in, sneaking glances our way so I figured, introduce Jake. She didn’t respond when he said hallo, but hey, no real problem …"

"Rosy always takes time to interact with anyone she doesn’t know. It takes her a while before she feels comfortable enough to speak to them," Sam says firmly.

"You say she’s always been slow to interact with werecats she doesn’t know?" Alan asks with a frown.

"For as long as I’ve known her," Sam confirms. "And even before that according to someone who knew her before any of us were aware she was a werecat."

Alan groans and closes his eyes as he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger for nearly a minute before letting go, shaking his head and opening his eyes to look at us.

"Jake and I had been talking a few minutes when we start hearing her whispering, ‘He’s a cat. What’s he want? What do they both want? Shhh, stop it, be quiet, leave me alone! Don’t talk to me! Go away, no you shut up, you!’ It sounded weird, like there were two different people talking not one," Alan says heavily.

"What are you saying?" I ask with dread. "Multiple personalities? Paranoia?"

"No, something we usually see in strays that can’t adjust to becoming a werecat. Either split personality or they are simply unable to reconcile both sides of their nature. The human side, and the cat side," Alan says unhappily.

"No!" Sam exclaims angrily. "Rosy has some trouble with the cat aspect of life at times but she manages!"

"I understand she was raised in a human family. The more I hear, the more certain I am she has had trouble with the differences in being Were to being human. The physical contact, interacting, socialising, all things Were." Alan says quietly.

"Rosy is learning to communicate as a cat, she is learning the language! She doesn’t like to be touched but she is getting better!" Sam denies.

"Even a stray just needs ‘reminding’ of our language in cat form," I tell Sam with a sinking feeling. The more Sam says, the more Alan says, the more it sounds like Rosy has been unable to adjust to life as a werecat.

"You hear your sister in there before? Arguing with herself?" Alan asks slowly.

"You got a point to make?" Sam asks tightly.

"I think we just got an idea of what is happening in her mind. And it is eroding any progress she makes whenever doubt raises its head." Alan says regretfully.

Sam turns away as he raises both hands to the back of his head, he lowers his chin to his chest then tips his head back so his face is turned up towards the sky. He repeats this several times and I can hear his laboured breathing, he is fighting with everything he’s got not to give in to the despair that has to be swamping him.

"Medication?" I ask Alan quietly.

"I can’t think of anything powerful enough to use considering there is two sides to her personality, her very nature. Nothing we can use while she is pregnant without running some kind of risk to the kitt," Alan says with a worried frown. "And most medication would go through the breast milk once the kitt is born and she is feeding it."

"Wean the kitt, put her on contraception for a year, and see if she can be stabilised." I suggest thought I know he would be hoping to get her pregnant with his own kitt as soon as possible.

"We could try counselling of a kind," Alan says with a bit of optimism. "See if her human side can be coaxed to accept enough of what her feline side needs to make her more balanced,"

"And what if it doesn’t work? Rosy has been trying to live with what she is for over eight years. If she hasn’t come to accept it by now …" Sam trails off as he turns to face Alan. "I won’t allow you to murder my sister!"

"As far as I am concerned that is not an option," Alan says gently. "I don’t expect her to adapt to life as one of us. We will have to make things around her the way she needs them so that she can function…"

"Hey Boss, Kurt!" Dave’s voice interrupts and I look towards my son where he is hurrying from the building.

"Trouble?" I ask with a frown.

"Jake Perkins wants you all back inside, she’s calmed down a little bit and is asking for her brother." Dave says seriously.

"No fast movements, no arguing and above all no raised voices," Alan orders as soon as Dave has spoken. Sam heads inside at a run and we follow swiftly. I guess Alan wants to be sure his instructions are followed and I am concerned about the state of mind my niece may be in. When I enter the room behind Alan I am relieved to see Sam is hugging Rosy who has her face buried against his chest.

"…Please Sam, I need to get out of here, please, please. Please take me away from here. I can’t stand it," Rosy is begging.

"I’m not allowed to Rosy. I would if I was able to," Sam says gently.

"Take me home with you Sam!" Rosy implores with a sob.

"Excuse me," Alan breaks in and Sam sends him a savage look but remains silent as Alan ignores him to move closer.

"Hey Rosy, maybe I can help," Alan says to her in a gentle tone.

"Piss off you pervert! Keep away from me!" Rosy spits savagely and turns her head to glare at Alan. The way she speaks, her pronunciation of the words is slightly different to when she was imploring her brother, definitely a difference in personality.

"Tell me what’s troubling you and I’ll tell you if I can help," Alan says in that same gentle tone.

"Go away and leave me alone!" Rosy hisses before rubbing her face against Sam’s chest. "Take me away from here Sam! I can’t stand it! I hafta get away, I just hafta!"

"Are there too many strangers Rosy? Is that it? Do you need somewhere nice and quiet and peaceful? Somewhere you can be by yourself for a while?" Alan asks softly as he takes several steps towards them.

Rosy goes still in Sam’s arms but her head is cocked to one side slightly and I suspect she is listening to Alan.

"My wife couldn’t take too many strangers for very long," Alan says softly with a touch of sadness in his voice. "There were times she couldn’t stand anyone around. I had a special wing built onto my house for her where she could lock herself away. It’s nice and quiet there, virtually a two bedroom unit with views of some forest that is on my land."

"Darcy used to lock us all out, then when she was ready she would come to the living room in the main part of the house," Perkins says levelly.

"There’s a pool in the smaller forest, a one room hut. A fresh water spring and several tall rock outcrops she used to love sunbathing on," Alan says in a low tone.

No one speaks for several minutes, even Rosy is silent not crying or sniffling.

"I know I am a stranger to you but I am offering you the use of these places my wife used to enjoy so much. Your brother can go do what he has to do and then come stay with you," Alan coaxes quietly.

Rosy turns her head to look at Alan suspiciously, her eyes are narrowed and I can see her nostrils flaring with each breath as she lifts her chin slightly.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Rosy asks suspiciously.

"Because I loved my wife dearly and I wouldn’t do anything to sully her memory or the memory of the times she spent where she was the happiest," Alan says and there is no mistaking the sincerity in his voice.

I can only hope Rosy will take Alan up on his offer peaceably. I am not sure I will be able to prevent the arranged marriage the Board has allowed, I am not sure it would be a bad thing but I am a firm believer in my niece’s right to choose.

Authors note:

For all my faithful readers please do not despair. I do need Micah for this story to reach its conclusion. I hope this chapter has made it clear why the story has taken the turn it has.

I hope Rosy’s character does not come across as a weak hysterical wreak. She is a strong individual; she has had to be to survive. That said please feel free to comment.