You've Got to be Kidding me

35

The fight is short and savage. Between the guns the mafia brings and the animal attacks of the cat people the hunters are decimated in minutes. By the time they are done with clearing out the hunters and can go looking for the prisoners they find them coming out slowly with their hands up.

Christopher is the one to tell the others that it is the prisoners coming out. With those words the mafia put away their weapons and the witches do the rest of their healing spells.

Sky is looking over the newly released prisoner and talks to them as they are resting. She sends the mountain lions over to Christopher and continues on.

She is pleased to find that there is more than one kind of animal there. She finds several bird shifters, some bear shifters and even several different snake shifters. All told there are more than two hundred prisoners.

"How are there so many shifters with these hunters?" Sky demands going over to the alphas and intruding in their conversation.

Kacey shakes his head. "I don't know unless they've kept them for years. Usually hunters kill their captives within a short time."

"Excuse me? I can answer that question my queen." One of the male captives says coming over to them.

At their invitation he makes himself comfortable next to Sky. The others aren't too pleased but since he titled her as queen they figure that he's going to be one of her knights so they don't say anything.

"Okay, so why did they have so many prisoners?"

"They were doing experiments on us. Honestly, you really don't want to know what they've done. I hope that someone has a therapist that is also a super or is aware of the supernatural community and is willing to help. I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life. I've gotten off lucky, some of them, especially the females won't have gotten so lucky."

Sky lowers her head to hide her tears his words bring her. Honestly it isn't anything she hadn't expected. It seems that males the world over think that females are their play things.

"Hey, Sky," Kacey starts to say putting a hand on her arm.

"No, Kacey, I'll be fine. Why do males think that females are their play things? What has ever given them that right? Just because they are physically stronger? That's bullshit."

"Sky," Leroy says stricken at how hard Sky is taking this. "Females are fucking strong. We wouldn't be able to handle carrying a child let alone give birth to one. My mother was far too strong for her own good. Had she been weaker her pain would have ended far sooner. I've never heard of a male being cheated on lasting any where near as long."

Sky turns her tear streaked face to him and demands, "Then why the fuck do they do that to the females?"

"Because they are cowards, bullies and fools. They need to be able to do that to make them feel like men. Real men don't need to do that because they know their worth. The best know and understand the worth of the females even more." Kacey tells her doing his best to comfort her without touching her since she is rejecting all of their touches.

Sky sighs and visibly pulls herself together. "We have at least ten or more animal groups represented here. Some have been here for years and don't know where or even if they have any family or pack or whatever they term it, left."

"All are welcome to the pack, Sky." Kacey tells her gently. "Are any of them going to be knights to you?" Kacey asks her once she has wiped her face clear of the tears stains.

"I'm not sure. It will depend on them whether or not they will accept her calling since they've been imprisoned and tortured like they have." Sky says sadly before returning to the prisoners talking to them and reassuring them.

"She is truly hurt by this." Leroy says softly watching his mate as she moves around the shifters that are marveling at their freedom. 

"Yes, but I think she's most hurt by her knights possibly turning down their calling due to being tortured here."

Seamus snorts as he hears what the alphas are saying. "They will accept it."

"Shouldn't you be with Sky?" Kacey says tensing up.

"She sent me here to tell you that we should head on out unless you wish to look things over before we go?"

Kacey nods. "I'll have the witches send Sky and the freed shifters to the pack. She'll be able to get them sorted and fed while we look things over here and then destroy what needs to be destroyed." Kacey had already gotten the witches okay on  this. They were thrilled at being able to send groups back rather than trying to do it all at once. Apparently sending three hundred people at once was rather draining. Far more so than doing it in groups.

Kacey heads over to Sky and tells her to organize the people into groups. Those still needing health care to go first. Then those the most in need of food to go second. She was to go with the last group and make sure that everyone has a room and a meal. Clothes will be provided from pack stores until they are able to go shopping.

Sky nods and starts doing just that. She had already looked over the group. There are several females that are pregnant and a few others that are still in pain. Those will be the first to go she sends Seamus with that group. She has a second group formed even before the last one of the first group leaves.

The alphas watch and are satisfied that Chang and Wyatt are staying near her side and making sure that she is protected. With that they go inside and start tossing the place looking for all the information they can on what the hell the hunters were doing and wanting to accomplish. They find far more than they expected and are soon boxing things up to look over later. By the time they are done all the exprisoners and Sky are gone and so too are most of the witches.

"Are you ready now alphas?" The last of the witches asks the alphas as they set the last of the boxes next to the others.

"Yes, thank you for your patience." Kacey says standing up and stretching his tired back. At least back at the pack there will be others to do the lifting and carrying for him.

"It is little enough, alpha." The unnamed witch says before saying her spell and sending all the boxes and the four alphas back to the Legrand pack house.