He saw her.
Jexanna's eyes narrowed for a moment before feigning interest in the shocked faces of the room. It looked like he was the only one who noticed. That was both good and bad, but nothing she could focus on at the moment. Her shoulders rolled back as a giggle escaped from her lips.
"Well, now that Shou-Shou is gone, why don't we get started?" It took everything in her to not clench her fists at the chirp she released. Jexanna inwardly groaned, hating this facade. But it was necessary. After all, she was Dr. Jess Lewis, the hot mess.
"We could have gotten started if we weren't waiting for someone." A familiar bite came across the room. Great. Jexanna found the owner easily. Hamma Katharin, the head of both the FLA's medical research division and Jexanna's witch hunt. Jexanna's eyes narrowed at the faire across the room. She sat upright as always, with her dark emerald hair tied back into a bun. There was not a single imperfection on her, from the tip of her head to the ends of her fingernails, everything was immaculate. Hamma was always a pleasure, even in the days that she apprenticed under Dr. Jonathan Lewis. The woman was intelligent, cunning, and cruel. It helped her jump from a simple apprentice position to the head of the research division in less than seven years.
"Hamma," Jexanna smiled gently. "If I had known you were going to be here, I would have made sure to be here on time. I hope that you can excuse the earlier entrance. Captain Shou was kind enough to retrieve me from the airport..." Jexanna paused to meet Hamma's narrowed brown eyes. "and you know that I can't resist an offer to return," She trailed off to find the right word, "kindness. After all, isn't that what my father taught all of his apprentices, to repay kindness?"
Hamma's lips twitched down for a second. Jexanna's lips curved into a smirk, recognizing that bringing her father into the conversation would shut down any remarks from Hamma. Hamma owed her father a debt, one that could never be paid. Unless she wanted her reputation ruined, Hamma would play it off. But Jexanna could tell Hamma was weighing the two options. She looked back with a blank stare at Jexanna, obviously thinking it over. Jexanna waited in anticipation, for the woman to either bite back or to play it off.
"I'm sure that your father didn't mean that." Ah, so Hamma bit back.
"I guess we both disappointed him greatly." Jexanna gave Hamma another warning, shrugging off her accusation. "But regardless of how I behave, that's not the reason we are here, right? If you have a grievance as to how I conduct my private affairs, then tell me on your own time. " Jexanna didn't wait for Hamma to respond before waving her hand at the woman. "You're the head of research, Hamma. You could have started the debrief, but you decided to wait for me. I'm hardly a reason to prevent this force from saving lives, considering the differences in our positions and the other specialists in the room. So why don't you please start the debrief before you accuse me of wasting these experts' time?"
Hamma's lips curled into a deep frown, the most emotion the woman would ever show in front of a crowd. Jexanna simply raised a brow at the woman as she crossed her arms, trying to maintain her image in front of the task force. Jexanna never cared for politics, particularly those in the medical field. She had to tango carefully with every single person in the field while trusting them not to drop her but also anticipate a stab in the back at any point. Being a bounty hunter was much cleaner. It involved much less deception and she could punch the person in front of her, or drop them into a hole. But that wasn't an option here, of course. Jexanna tried to hide a smile as Hamma stood up, brushing the dust off her uniform, and slowly made her way to the center of the room.
"Well, now that we can begin." Hamma's tone stayed even as she addressed the room. "I'd like to thank everyone for gathering so quickly. I know that the communities affected appreciate your fast and ready response to our call. We want to make sure that this disease is contained and does not spread outside of their kind."
Oh, that wasn't the right thing to say at all. Jexanna's body stiffened at Hamma's words. She just had to say that.
It didn't take long for the werewolf representatives to react. Within seconds, Jexanna heard a small growl from behind. Hamma's figure froze in mid-sentence, unaware of the ignorant comment she just laid in front of the task force. Jexanna could sense the power rolling off the two Alphas in the room. Her eyes went behind both of them. She anticipated this response since werewolves were a very prideful species.
There sat Alpha Brothe next to Alpha Stone. Alpha Brothe was one of the Alphas whose packs had been directly affected by the virus, according to the background information. He was elected to be their representative since most of the other Alphas didn't want to leave their packs at all right now. He was middle-aged for a werewolf, being only 60 years old. He had a small streak of gray peaking at the sides of his black hair. The man was massive as most Alphas typically were. It was very apparent that the Alpha was upset. His face contorted into a snout, eyes deep ebony black. It wasn't just him that emitted anger, however.
Alpha Raphael Stone's signature stormy gray eyes were a deep black as well. Granted, his posture wasn't ready to lunge like Alpha Brothe's but it was tense. Jexanna didn't know who was more frightening, the one ready to get physical or the one whose eyes only changed.
"Is there a problem, Alpha Brothe?" Hamma looked genuinely confused. Goddess. Jexanna's teeth gritted together. None of the fae people in the room saw a problem with Hamma's statement. Meanwhile, the humans all picked up the danger. They were shaking, afraid to move for fear of being caught in whatever crossfire. It was embedded as a fight or flight response into their bodies. The fae species were just as powerful as werewolves, so they didn't sense the danger lurking underneath. Plus they were typically logically creatures and didn't care to recognize emotions.
This task force was a shit show waiting to happen. Hamma was the worst person to lead it, being tactless, cruel, self-serving, and prejudiced. That was when Jexanna realized it was a part of a plan to ensure it would fail. Whoever placed these individuals together intended it to be. And it was her job to make sure it got steered in the right direction while finding the culprit. Otherwise, the world was going to fall.
"He has a problem with you Hamma." Jexanna hissed, standing up, ready to intervene in the situation if it called for it. Granted, if both Alphas transformed, she wouldn't be able to take them easily without calling attention. But one? One she could handle.
"Excuse me?" Hamma raised a brow at her. Jexanna resisted the urge to punch Hamma in the face. She had forgotten how much self-absorbed faire healers had been.
"You're the stupidest person in the room," Jexanna muttered under her breath, not caring that every single supernatural being could hear. Hamma's lips curled down once again.
"Jess you're-"
"Answer me this: you are a light faire, right?" Jexanna cut Hamma off as she strolled over to the center of the room.
"Yes." Hamma nodded slowly, watching Jexanna as she continued to walk closer.
"As are the rest of the healers, correct? It's a requirement for all fae physicians and healers to be light within the FLA." Jexanna motioned to the other healers in the room, whose brows furrowed down. "The disease affects all dark species creatures. Don't you all get it? This isn't about a simple illness. This is a matter of survival, not just for these beings but for the world. You are aware that the moon's children all help maintain a balance to life. By acting like it's just a werewolf problem, you've insulted these representatives' pride. Wolves are a proud species. " Jexanna glanced over at the Alphas in the room. Alpha Stone's stare was intent on her. "Rightfully so. They are the Moon's beloved children. Now, if you want the task force to get anywhere, you should apologize immediately to both of these men."
"But-" Hamma's words were cut off by a loud growl. Before Jexanna could even cut off Hamma, Alpha Brothe reacted. His self-control snapped at Hamma's evident ignorance. The Alpha was on his feet immediately.
"This task force is the only hope we have. Women, fathers, mothers, children are dying, and you're concerned about keeping it contained?" He snarled at Hamma whose eyes widened. Jexanna's eyes went over to Alpha Stone. He was still watching her, even with his fists clenched and eyes pitch black. She couldn't take a defensive stance, without arousing suspension. But she could get in the way. She raced up to Alpha Brothe who was in mid-shift, about to lunge at Hamma. Jexanna kneeled to the ground and bared her neck at both Alphas.
"Alpha Brothe, please rest assured. That is not my goal. My goal is to cure those affected." She didn't look up at them. Not right now. That would be an even greater insult.
"Alpha Brothe, it was not my intention to insult either of you." Hamma stammered. "We can't cure the disease if we can't get it contained or understand how it spreads."
That was when he spoke.
"We understand." His deep voice sent shivers down Jexanna's body. She nearly snapped her head up at the sound. It was nothing like she had heard before. Almost addictive. "But you have insulted us, Madame Hamma. As a result of that, we will not cooperate with you."
"But you need us!" Hamma squealed.
"Yes, we need the task force and your wisdom. But you still will need a supply of Whitehaven orchid and wolfsbane. The truth is that we don't need to have you at the reins, Madame." He stated dryly back. "The Whitehaven pack will only continue to supply this force with the necessary supplies and research if Dr. Jess Lewis is elected the head of the force."
Jexanna's eyes snapped open. Shit. What did that voice just say?
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