Abandoned Treasure Ch. 01-19

I didn't care; it smelled great, and I was starving. I managed to sit up while my mate fed me by hand. My wolf loved the attention, while I was happy getting a meal without moving my body much. When my belly was full, Nathan asked if I could shift yet. I shook my head no.

He brought water out in a bowl, and I drank most of that. I fell asleep soon after, waking when nature's urges struck. Nathan was sitting on the couch, watching the nightly news. I stood stiffly, growling through the pain, then walked slowly to the back door. I had to go, but not in the house. I scratched at the door to get out. "Gotta go?" I nodded. "It's too dangerous to go outside where a neighbor might see you. Can you shift back?" I shook my head no. "Come on." He led the way to the cold garage and pointed to a plastic tray filled with kitty litter.

Kitty litter? What's next, newspapers? I growled at him in annoyance.

He pointed at it. "It's that, or you shift and use the toilet," he said.

I didn't like it, but what choice did I have? I did my business, then wiped my paws on the entry mat so I wouldn't track anything inside.

Nathan went to the kitchen and made us a plate of meat, cheese, and crackers. He sat on the couch and patted the cushion before I jumped up next to him. He talked for hours about the preparations he'd made as we snacked. I was impressed with how he'd pulled this off without anyone else knowing.

It gave me hope the month would end well.

I fell asleep to his hand scratching my neck as my head lay on his lap.

Chapter 11

Nicholas (Nathan Storm) Parker's POV

December 24, 2006

I got up as my mate scratched at the garage door. "Nora, why not just shift back and use the bathroom? It would be much simpler and more dignified than the litter box." She chuffed at the new name. "You need to start getting used to it. When we leave this place, we must have our identities and backstories down pat."

I'd given her a bit of latitude thus far about staying in her wolf form. I didn't know whether it was her wolf wanting out or her human side wanting to hide, though. Nothing good had happened as a human.

I opened the door from the kitchen, and she ran into the garage and over to the tray with the litter. A minute later, she was trotting back to the kitchen. I placed the steaks into my cast-iron skillet, the rest of the fixings sitting on the table. Nora sat next to the stove and looked up at me. "Dinner in ten," I told her. "There's still time to shift and eat like a person." She whined at me. "What? I'm busy in here if you're shy. Take a quick shower and get dressed. It's Christmas Eve. We can have a nice dinner, sit in the living room, and watch the original Grinch while sipping hot chocolate."

She looked into the living room, where I'd hung a stocking for each of us over the fireplace. Wolves weren't Christians, but neither was most of the holiday. Wolves love to eat and party, so Christmas gets celebrated with a few modifications. I could see the gears in her head. "I have cheesecake for dessert," I told her.

That did it. Nora ran down the hall and into her room. A few seconds later, I heard the door close, followed by the shower running. I smiled as I turned the Porterhouse steaks, basting them with melted butter before adding a pinch of seasoning. I plated the steaks and was busy pouring the Beringer cabernet when I heard a door open.

"Wow," I told her. "You look a lot better." That wasn't difficult, but what else could I say? Her bruising was nearly gone, and I could tell she was walking better. She stood at the entrance to the dining room and looked over the table. She had on flannel sleep pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and moccasins. The loose clothing couldn't hide the shape of her body, though.

"This looks nice," she told me nervously.

"Please, sit," I told her. The table wasn't big, but I'd put our plates on the opposite ends of the long direction so our feet wouldn't accidentally touch. Nora was still skittish and wanted to control where and how we made contact. My manners would have me pull out a chair for the lady, but I held back and scooted my chair back instead. I sat first, waiting for her to join me.

I put some blue cheese dressing and shredded cheese on my salad, leaving them in the center for her. She picked ranch instead, with extra cheese and some sunflower seeds. When she was about to dig in, I lifted my wine glass. "Nora, a toast?"

She looked at me, then picked it up. "To what?"

"To our first Christmas together. May it be the first of many happy days."

I leaned over the table, extending my glass until she met my gesture. We both took a drink of the red wine. "Thank you," she said with a tear in her eye. "It's..."

"It's all right, Nora. Take your time and enjoy our first real meal together."

It wasn't a night for deep conversation or loving glances. I made small talk, slowly drawing her into the conversation as we finished our salads and moved to the steak. I watched her face as she bit into the rare cut. Her moan of pleasure set my blood on fire. My wolf and I couldn't wait to hear that sound from her while making love. "Soooo good. Who taught you to cook?"

"My Mom did, but my father taught me to grill and smoke meats before they passed. Mom insisted I know how to care for my mate when I found her."

"That is rather modern of her."

"Yeah, Mom was ahead of her time. She grew up in the Oxbow Lake pack in Minnesota. Dad didn't meet her until she was twenty-four."

"Is that late for a Pack wolf?"

I nodded. "Mom was afraid her mate wouldn't allow her to go to school, so she talked her Luna into skipping all the Pack Visits by other unmated males until she graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Dad was pissed when it took three visits to find her, but it worked out for them." I smiled a little at the memory. "It made him extra possessive when he scented her. Mom wasn't more than three feet away from him for the next two weeks. He even followed her into the bathroom."

"My Mom was a choice mate," she told me. "Rogues don't get to do Pack visits, so the chances of finding your true mate are near zero. They loved each other, and we were happy. I didn't expect anything different for myself."

Nora had grown up in a much different environment than I did. I should have expected her feelings on true mates to be different as well. "What do you think about being my mate?"

She dropped her fork on the plate and looked down. Had I gone too far? I sat back and sipped a glass of wine, waiting for her answer.

"My wolf and I are not in agreement yet," she told me. "She wants to forgive you and move on. I'm struggling to think of you as somehow different from the other males in your Pack. I know far more about them than you."

It was fair. "I wish things had started differently, but please know that I've done what I could when I could. I've done all I could to bring you safely out of that situation."

"Well, don't you deserve a gold fucking medal," she bit out angrily. "A lot of good THAT did me. Tell me, Nicholas. Did you fuck any of the Pack slaves before I found you?"

"Yes. I didn't enjoy it. I knew deep down it was wrong, so I never did it again. I regret listening to the wolves who taught me it was normal. Bitterroot is a fucked-up Pack from the top down."

She looked up at me, anger in her eyes. "I talked to her about you. She said you were quick and gentle, which is high praise in our quarters. It was still rape. Even among the rogues, there is only one penalty for rape."

I wasn't going to argue. "I was wrong. I've tried to make amends." The polite dinner conversation was over, and I didn't know if it would return. I'd finished my plate, so I put it in the sink while she finished. The turtle cheesecake was sitting on the counter, and I sliced and plated that while she finished. I stopped five feet from her, holding my hand out for her plate.

"Thank you for dinner," she said as she handed it over. I put it in the sink, then brought the cheesecake over for us. I'd put fresh chocolate and caramel syrup over it, making a heart pattern on the plate. "This looks fantastic."

"It tastes better," I replied. It did, and I enjoyed watching her reaction to eating it.

She didn't speak until the dessert was gone. "I need time and space, Nicholas. I have a lot of baggage to unpack."

"I'm in this for the long haul, Nora. I've read some books about women rescued from sex slavery, and they all say it isn't quick or easy. I can't wave a wand and make what you suffered disappear. I'll do anything you need to help you recover and move on with our lives together."

She wiped her face with the napkin and set it down. Her hands were shaking a little. "Being like this at dinner, sitting so close to you? It's hard for me. My instincts say men want to hurt me, and I should get away. My wolf says to get close and never let you go. I can't do either right now."

"What are you going to do?"

"Shift and relax," she replied. "It is easier for me to be close to you as a wolf. I'm sorry, it just is."

I nodded. "Go. I'll clean up and join you in the living room soon."

We watched my two favorite Christmas movies, Grinch and Die Hard. She allowed me to pet her, and the night ended with her curled up on the bearskin rug as the fire burned down. I shifted after she was asleep and curled up around her. She woke up, licked my face, then went back to sleep.

My wolf was giddy as we fell asleep. Progress!

Chapter 12

Council Enforcer Vic Knightly's POV

Denali Pack Alpha Conference Room

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Chairman Eric Gruber was frustrated with the lack of progress, and it showed. "Somebody tell me we have SOMETHING. A lead, a sniff, a fucking trail of bread crumbs?"

The Alphas on the videoconference all waited for someone to talk, and no one did. The Chair looked around the table, where the other Council members, his Chief Counsel, and three senior Council Enforcers sat. As a bodyguard for the visiting Council, I was stationed by the wall behind him, trying to blend into the background as the camera focused on his face. "Alpha Blackstone? Where was the last place you detected the two rogues?"

"The Lost Trail Hot Springs. The stolen van was left there, and he had either a swap car or someone waiting to pick him up. We missed him by a few minutes, and his scent led to an empty parking space. There was no camera covering that portion of the lot."

"And the trail led nowhere?"

Todd shrugged. "With a vehicle and a full tank, they could get four or five hundred miles away before getting out again. I appreciate the help from the other Packs, Mr. Chairman. They did their best to set containment, but with so many back roads and Nathan's head start? If he planned his route like he planned his escape? He could be anywhere."

"That's my problem with this," Alpha Michael Olffsun of Oxbow Lake replied. "We've had my trackers and warriors out there for a month now with no leads. I can't afford to keep up an active search with no boundaries and no indication that the rogues are in my territory."

"Agreed," Denali pack Alpha Alan Robinson said. "It's a waste of my time when we know they didn't enter Canada by car."

"I agree with you," the Chairman replied. "I'm calling off the national search. If Nathan Storm presented an imminent danger to other Packs, he would have shown up by now. I presume he and his mate are smart enough to go into hiding and stay there." The other rogue had to be his mate; no wolf would break command for anything less. "My Council Enforcers will continue the search under the direction of my Chief Enforcer. If they are in your Pack areas, please support them as requested. If you have additional trackers or warriors you can lend to the search, provide their names, and we will incorporate them into our efforts. Any questions?" There were none. "End of call."

The techs turned the video equipment off as the men at the table relaxed. "What a fucked-up situation," Councilman Craig Forrest said. "How can a Pack Wolf spend over a year planning his escape without the Alpha knowing?"

"I'm more interested in why an Alpha would let the situation get that far," Councilman Royce Waterman responded. "If a rogue female finds his mate within the Pack, you'd think she'd get a chance to join."

"It doesn't matter," the Chairman said. "They killed a wolf during their escape, and you can't let that go unpunished. We have to find him."

The three Senior Enforcers looked back at him expectantly. Unlike me and the other Enforcers who were Warrior or Tracker ranks, the Senior Enforcers were all strong Betas or Alpha blood wolves. Council Enforcers were volunteers from the warrior ranks and above. We served five-year terms after six months of training, but it was similar to the reserves in the Army. We remained in our home pack unless we were 'activated' by the Chairman, like with the search for Nathan Storm.

Council Enforcers were tasked with enforcing Werewolf laws and could cross Pack boundaries when required. The Council Chairman would call Enforcers from neutral Packs to assist if a dispute arose with one or more Packs. We would shift allegiance to the Chairman to join his pack link, and the Chief Enforcer would hand out job assignments as needed.

That didn't make it easy. Alphas protect their people and territory and resent interference in their affairs. Even as a Council Enforcer, I would ask for the Alpha's permission to enter his territory. While there, my authority only extended to my assigned Council duties. Anything else, and the Pack Alpha has the final say. The only exception is to carry out the arrest of an Alpha on a Council warrant.

It was an elegant way to maintain Council supremacy while not having a 'standing' police force. Since the Council had no fixed location and Denali wasn't close to other Packs, I hadn't gotten much action until recently.

Mark Trestman, the Chief Enforcer, leaned forward in his chair. "What are your orders, sir?"

Chairman Gruber leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking at the men. "When the normal plan fails, we do the abnormal," he said. "Mark, you're in charge of the search."

Paul Strom and Victor Ciatti were the other two Senior Enforcers. They spent most of their time tracking down and killing rogue werewolves, as their very existence risked the humans finding out about us. Nathan Storm was more dangerous than most, as he knew the locations and details of all North American packs.

Mark Trestman nodded. "How much time and effort do you want me to put into this, sir?"

"All of it," he said before his voice got deep. "I'm prepared to scour the earth for that motherfucker. If Nathan goes to Indochina, I want a wolf hiding in a bowl of rice ready to pop a cap in his ass," he responded. I barely held back a laugh, recognizing the lines from Pulp Fiction. Who said wolves couldn't be funny? "Assemble your team as soon as possible. Contact the Packs and get information about where they've searched and haven't searched. Put together a plan and brief me on it tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," he said. "Sir, what did you mean about 'doing the abnormal' earlier?"

"If Nathan Storm is running, he'd be on our radar by now. He's made no contacts, phone calls, bank withdrawals, credit card use, or anything else we could track in a month. What does that tell you?"

"He's disciplined and prepared, sir. He found a remote place he could hide out in until the search played itself out. He can't hide forever, though. They always fuck up something."

The Chairman nodded. "That's one possibility. The other is that someone is hiding the two," he replied. "Staying off the radar isn't cheap. Make sure you investigate the contacts each of them had before they disappeared. Do they have extended families, friends, or associates who could hide them? Who is funding them, and how? Find the answers to that, and you find them."

"That's good advice, sir," Mark replied.

"Take your men and leave." I was shocked when Mark waved for me to follow, but the Council didn't object to stripping their bodyguards. The Council was placing their security in the hands of my Alpha.

We followed Mark past his office to the room Victor was using to collect intelligence from the search efforts. As it was a Bitterroot problem, Alpha Todd Blackstone had coordinated the active search until now. The Council Enforcers sent to Montana had been working under the direction of the Bitterroot Beta.

After a short conversation, Victor Ciatti picked three Enforcers to work with him and staff the intelligence center 24/7. "I'll fly out to Montana tonight and get a turnover from the Bitterroot Beta. While there, I'll interview Pack members and see what I can find about their contacts outside the Pack. I'm pretty sure Alpha Todd isn't giving us the whole story on why Nathan left."

That left four of us following Mark as he went to a smaller conference room. I noticed we were the four junior enforcers left at Headquarters; David and Steve were from my class, while Erin had been here three years. We sat down as Mark logged into the computer, eventually displaying a map of North America with all the Pack and other territories on the smartboard. "We're taking this search back to the beginning," Mark started. "Look at this. Nine-and-a-half million square miles of land in North America, much uninhabited or sparsely inhabited. What does that tell you?"

"Finding them in a search would be like hitting the Powerball," I replied. "Their scents might travel a mile over open ground. Grid searches would take forever, and we don't have the people or resources."

Mark nodded. "Correct. It's even worse in the cities; they stink so bad you'd have to get within a block to find them. So, sending people out to sniff is a loser unless what?"

"We have an idea where they are," Steve said.

"Exactly. Get it down to a hundred-square-mile search area, and it's doable. We have to target areas that Storm might hide in, rank them by probability, then use Pack and Council assets to search them systematically. Victor will gather all the search data from the Packs and map those areas; it rules out some places, leaving us to focus on others."

"Unless he's moving around," I said.

"True, but if he's smart, he'll stay in one place. Moving around only raises the chance of detection." He was right; the other part was that a moving target would make things damn near impossible for us. "You probably noticed I kept junior Enforcers instead of picking more experienced guys. I did because you're closest to your time at the Packs. You still think and plan more like a Pack Wolf than a Council Enforcer, and we must put ourselves in Nathan Storm's head. You want to escape with your rogue mate, a prisoner of your Pack, and you've had plenty of time to plan it. You only get ONE chance to escape; failure or capture means a painful death for you both. Let's start with where you DON'T go."

"Pack territories," Erin replied quickly. "The borders are patrolled regularly, which makes them difficult to cross. If you enter their territory, it won't be long until patrols pick up strange wolf scents. Going anywhere near an established Pack would be suicide. Hell, I wouldn't want to be within twenty miles of the border."

"I agree," David said. "Anywhere within twenty, even fifty miles is bound to have a Pack Wolf going through at least once in the past month. It's way too dangerous to stay that close."

Mark smiled. "Progress," he said. He took a minute to highlight the territories, superimposing a fifty-mile radius exclusion area around their boundaries. "Where else?"

"We aren't the only threats," I said. "Werecougars, Werejaguars, Werebears, and Werelynxes all have territories they guard jealously. No werewolf would dare to hide himself that close. I'd put the same fifty-mile radius around them." I didn't mention Werecoyotes because they were nomadic, meaning no fixed territories.