Abandoned Treasure Ch. 30 - End

Chapter 30

Apprentice Warrior Vic Knightly's POV

Denali Pack Training Grounds

Friday, December 21, 2007

I stood at the left end of the line of Apprentice Warriors, my place determined by having the least seniority in the program. I kept my posture straight and my eyes ahead as Carl Broderick addressed our shortcomings as men and wolves. The Head Warrior was pissed because four of us had kept sleeping when the door to our barracks opened this morning. "You NEVER let your guard down, even while sleeping! A rogue can appear out of nowhere at any time. They can't be talked down or reasoned with. They will kill you in a heartbeat! You will have FAILED as warriors and protectors! And when you fail, the Pack suffers!" I knew what was coming next. "When you fail in training, what happens?"

"WE SUFFER, HEAD WARRIOR!"

"That's right! Today's training will not be in the heated comfort of the fieldhouse. It will be on the training field outside. You fuckers have twenty minutes to shovel it clear of snow. If you don't complete your assignment in time, you'll be training naked!. Understood?"

"YES, HEAD WARRIOR!"

"Get to work!"

I followed the group out the door, grabbing a shovel from the stack out front. We were wearing running shoes, shorts, T-shirts, and sweats. It was perfect for training indoors, but this was Alaska in December. It was five degrees out, a light snow was falling, and it was pitch dark. On the shortest day of the year, we only got four hours and thirty-three minutes of daylight.

Clearing the field sucked. The snow was a foot deep. We practically had to run with the shovels due to the time restrictions. All too quickly, the Head Warrior and the instructors called time. We only had two-thirds of the field cleared. We got back in line, hot and sweaty, the wind cutting through our soaked clothing. I couldn't feel my hands or toes, and I was shivering. "Having fun yet?"

"YES, HEAD WARRIOR!"

"That part of the field isn't done. Snow Angels! Go!"

The seven of us ran to the far end of the field. I stepped a foot into the deep powder, turned, and let myself drop onto my back. Any part of me that wasn't freezing quickly caught up as I moved my arms and feet. "Another, this time on your bellies! Go!" I got up carefully, moved farther away, and did another one. Naturally, the instructors weren't satisfied with our first efforts. Before we lined up again, the field had dozens of angels.

Everyone was shivering hard as we got chewed out. "Practice time! There's nothing like tossing each other around to get the blood pumping. Knightly!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Come at me fast and try to take me down like a crazed rogue."

I knew this would hurt, but I followed the order. I took three steps, bending at the waist to take him down with a shoulder tackle. Carl stepped aside at the last moment, his arm grabbing one of mine before he pivoted into a hip toss. I landed heavily on the frozen ground, unable to prevent the punch to my chest that stole the rest of my air. He left me in the fetal position while he addressed the others. "Get off the line! Use movement to avoid the attack, then use their momentum against them."

"What if they come high, Head Warrior?" Bob always had questions. "Don't rogues always go for the throat?"

"If they are far enough gone, yes. The kill instinct gets stronger as they devolve into madness. Knightly, get up." I pushed myself to my feet, still trying to breathe. "Come at my face this time." I charged again, this time standing straighter with my arms out. He grabbed my shirt as he let himself fall back, his right foot planted in my stomach. I went flying over his head, landing heavily on my back. I slid for a bit before stopping ten feet behind him.

Everything that wasn't frozen ached now. I forced myself to stand and got back in line. "Pair up and practice," Carl said. "Since there are an odd number of you, Knightly will be the tackling dummy for you two." Of course, they were the two biggest guys in the class.

They kept us out there for almost an hour. I got tossed around the frozen grass like a beanbag in a cornhole tournament. When they let us hit the showers, I could barely walk back inside.

The shower felt like a knife as my frozen flesh warmed up again. I wanted to soak in a hot tub for an hour, but we had to get to breakfast.

It was going to be a long day.

I had just finished my pancakes when Carl stopped at our table. "Knightly, the Alpha wants to see you. Join us on the perimeter trail in your fur when he's finished with you. We're going to the east first."

"Yes, Head Warrior."

"The rest of you form up outside the barracks in five minutes."

I had no idea why the Alpha wanted to see me, but if the meeting was for good news? He would have mind-linked me directly. I hurried across the compound to the Alpha's office and checked in with his secretary. "Any idea what this is about?"

"No idea, but he's been pissed off since he got off the call with the Council Chairman," Debbie replied.

"Great." That was another person with a low opinion of me despite what I'd done for him. The Alpha kept me waiting for twenty minutes before she waved me in; the Alpha still wasn't linking me. "Warrior Knightly, reporting as ordered, Alpha."

"Stand easy." I went to a parade rest position from attention. "The Council wants to borrow you for a few days."

"Sir?"

Alpha Robertson tossed the paper on his desk. "The Enforcers are running shorthanded, and Chief Trestman requested you specifically. There's a rogue outside Valdez that the Council needs Enforcers to check on. You'll be backing up Trestman on the investigation."

"I'm no longer an Enforcer, Alpha."

He wadded up the paper and tossed it at my face as he stood up. "You think I don't fucking KNOW that? It's embarrassing enough to have you come back here with your tail between your legs. Now I've got the Council up my ass about help, and they won't take a Beta or Head Warrior over your worthless ass. Pack your fucking bags, get in your truck, and get out of my sight. Pick up Trestman in Anchorage."

"Yes, Alpha."

"And Knightly?"

"Sir?"

"Trainees aren't eligible for Council Duty pay. That will go to me."

It was one final insult. I picked up the piece of paper and got out of there.

Returning to the barracks, I grabbed my go-bag, adding some extra clothes and money. I headed to the motor pool to draw a Pack vehicle since I'd sold my truck when I went to work for the Council. The Head Warrior linked me, wishing me luck and promising to make up 'the pain I was missing out on' when I returned.

It was a four-hour drive to Anchorage. Mark called when he landed since we didn't share a Pack link. I picked him up at baggage claim, and he greeted me warmly. "How are you holding up, Vic?"

"Losing my rank sucked, but my conscience is clean," I replied. "Why did you ask for me?"

"I wanted to check on you. I didn't have an official reason to go to Denali, so I used this excuse."

I shook my head as we exited the airport. "Did you even need me?"

"We ARE busy," he told me. "There's a lot of pressure on us to keep track of the rogues, and they aren't making it easy."

"This rogue near Valdez," I asked. "What did he do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he becoming unstable? Was he seen in wolf form? Did he trespass on Pack lands?"

"He was scented in town by a Pack wolf," Mark replied.

"And that is enough to send the Head Enforcer and a former Enforcer after him? In Valdez, he's probably working the docks or one of the ships. Why not have the local Pack check him out first?"

He didn't say anything at first. "Times have changed, Vic. The Alphas got spooked by your capture of Nathan and Carol. It was too close to an exposure event, plus it got the Bears involved. We're taking a more proactive stance now."

"Proactive?"

"We don't wait for there to be a problem. If there is any doubt or resistance? We are to take them out."

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. "That's a dangerous play, boss."

He shrugged. "I warned them," he replied. "We've got contacts among the rogues who warn us of those starting to decline mentally. We'll lose the contacts we've built up over the years. It will spread to the other species as well."

"It's a death spiral that started two years ago," I said. "When Carol Sampson's family got wiped out without cause, it sent shock waves through the rogues. They started wondering if the rules still applied. The Sampson family were nowhere near a Pack, hadn't threatened anyone, and had a stable family. They hadn't crossed a border, attacked a Pack wolf, gone crazy, or risked exposure. If we redefine what is punishable by death to mere existence, where does it end?"

"It ends in a lot of death."

I nodded. "Exactly. We go to check in on a rogue and walk into an ambush. They'll start to retaliate, and the bodies will pile up."

"I know. That's why I requested you for this job. You won't be hair-trigger or go in looking for an excuse to kill."

I felt better about the job after this. "Two things still bother me about the whole situation," I said. I had to be careful; some of what I knew came from the Bears. I couldn't reveal what happened to Carol at Bitterroot without risking them. "Both of them revolve around Bitterroot."

"You want to know the real reason Bitterroot attacked the Sampsons."

"Yes. I also want to know what happened to Carol Sampson while in custody for two years. Both of them were of age, and you can't hide your scent from your mate on Pack lands. Once she was known to be his mate, why weren't they allowed to be together? If the Alpha didn't want her, they should have been allowed to seek a place elsewhere. There's something rotten in that Pack, Mark."

"What do you know?"

"Nothing. I left before I could find anything out."

He didn't speak for a few minutes. "I think you're right, but Alpha Blackstone has a lot of pull with the Council. It won't be easy to get anyone to talk."

"Do what you can. When things calm down back home, I'll start asking some of the females that used to live there."

"Be careful, Vic. The Council and your Alpha will not like you poking into their business."

"The same goes for you, Mark. Keep this low-key."

The rogue check turned out to be nothing. Jerry Wrenly was thirty, unmated, and worked as a deckhand on a fishing boat. It took a few minutes for him to calm down after we cornered him, but otherwise, it was a simple check.

I dropped Mark at the airport and returned to Denali three days after leaving.

It took me a week to catch up on the promised pain.

Chapter 31

Nathan Storm's POV

Shell, Wyoming

Saturday, December 22, 2007

"Staring out the window won't get Jade here any faster."

I looked back at Isra and shrugged. "She was supposed to be here an hour ago."

Isra went back to icing the chocolate cake. "It's a long drive, and the weather isn't great. She knows to be safe rather than fast. She misses you just as much."

"I don't know if that's possible," I replied. "Why hasn't Jade called? My wolf is about to take over. He'll sit by the road and chase her like the mailman all the way home."

"And I'll tie you up in the backyard if you even THINK about shifting. Jade won't call here on a phone unless it's necessary. The National Security Agency monitors everything, and Goddess knows who is listening in."

She wasn't kidding about that. Rogue wolves and cat shifters are fanatics about security since anonymity is our only protection. All it takes is one slip-up, and Pack warriors could be at your door.

One stop for a burger took my Carol from me.

Having Jade at school, away from my protection, drove my wolf bonkers. New mates rarely separated like this because of the stress. In my Pack, newly mated warriors were not sent outside Pack lands for a year because the separation distracted them too much. Having Jade home for Thanksgiving made it worse when she left again. Video chats and text messages on Isra's computer weren't enough to ease the longing to hold and have her in every way.

To make things worse, she planned to stop by Art's place near Garden City, Utah, and check in on him. He wasn't answering his phone, and she was worried something bad happened.

I paced in the living room all night, not even stopping to eat dinner. My gut was in knots as midnight passed. "Maybe she stopped for the night," Isra said as she came up behind me.

"She would have told us," I replied.

"Please, Luna, let my mate be safe," I prayed.

"Relax, baby, I'm almost there," she replied in my head.

"WHERE ARE YOU!"

"I'm five minutes out. I'm sorry I'm late, but things took longer than expected. Tell Mom I'm all right."

Isra had seen my face and knew I'd been linking with her daughter. "She's close," she said as she sat down, relieved.

"Yeah. Jade's fine. I'm going to let her in." I slipped on boots and a jacket before heading out into the cold. I headed for the gate, pulling it open as her Explorer's headlights illuminated me. She pulled through, stopped, and was out of the car before I had the gate shut again. Jade leaped into me, her arms and legs wrapped around me as our lips met. The kiss continued for a long time before we came up for air. "I missed you, baby."

"Not as much as I missed you," she replied. "Come on, we need to talk." I followed her up the driveway, opening the hatchback and pulling out her luggage as she hugged Mom.

I brought her things to our bedroom while Mom served her a late dinner. "Why are you so late," Isra asked.

"Art is gone," she replied. "No trace of him, and his scent is almost gone from the land. He hasn't been there since before my heat."

"You're sure?"

Jade nodded. "I shifted and ran the perimeter to be sure. It took me a few hours to empty his refrigerator, clean his house, and clear his driveway. His woodworking shop looked like he'd finished for the day and swept. He had a half-dozen chairs in various stages around." Art made hand-carved rocking chairs for a living. "The note we left was still on the kitchen counter, and I left a new one just in case, but?"

"You think he's dead," Mom said softly.

Jade nodded. "Whoever did it didn't know where he lived. I didn't smell any wolves but Nathan and no other cats. There weren't any scents nearby or in Garden City, either."

"That's three in the last month or so," Isra said.

"Three?"

She nodded. "Three weeks ago, a werecoyote den in Missouri got wiped out. All four family members are dead. Wolves killed them and burned their bodies to ash, but the scents don't lie. It was Council Enforcers."

"Pack Wolves wipe out coyotes all the time," I said. "My pack had kill-on-sight orders for them. What was the second one?"

"A black werebear in Michigan was shot with a rifle and left for dead. A friend found his carcass on his land last week. We aren't sure if it was a poacher or foul play."

I thought about it for a minute. "Any wolf scent?"

"No, but that doesn't mean much. It rained and snowed before Jeff Hastings froze solid. The attack could have been weeks ago."

"Hunters?"

Isra shook her head. "Hunting season ended in October in the upper peninsula."

"One is a data point, two is a coincidence, but three is a trend," Jade said. "What are they saying on the message boards?"

"News of Art's death will shake things up."

Jade pushed her empty plate aside. "Thanks, Mom. That satisfied ONE appetite." Jade stood up and gave her Mom a hug. "I'll apologize in advance for all the noise we're going to make."

Isra shook her head. "I'd tell you to be careful, but he already knocked you up," she said with a smile. "I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Maybe the afternoon if you can't sleep with us going at it like cats and dogs," I grinned.

"Try to keep the screaming to a minimum." Isra gave me a kiss goodnight before walking to her bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, the clothes started flying off. I was stiff as a fencepost already, and my mate was ready for me. She put her arms around my neck, I grabbed her ass, and we moved until Tab A aligned with Slot B. I was balls-deep in seconds, both groaning in pleasure.

"NOT ON THE TABLE, I EAT THERE," Isra yelled through her door.

"Time for bed then," I growled. I bounced her as I walked to her bedroom, making her mewl in pleasure. I laid her back on the sheets, standing bedside with her legs around my waist. I pounded her hard for a few minutes, powering her to one orgasm after another. When I felt myself getting close, I moved her legs to my shoulders, held her thighs tightly, and picked up the speed.

"Nathan FUCK, so fucking deep, it's so gooooood," she moaned as she thrashed under me. "Pound me into the mattress."

"Are you sure it's all right?"

"Our baby is well-protected," she said as she squeezed me tighter. "Give it to me, baby. I've missed this cock."

I wasn't going to last long our first time. I pushed Jade's knees back to her shoulders, leaned forward, and went to town. The fleshy smack of my hips into hers, the squish of our combined fluids, and her constant moaning filled the room. "I'm going to cum," I said a minute later.

Jade pulled a pillow over her face and screamed into it as a massive orgasm broke over her. I held on for two more strokes before going deep and flooding her with a month of pent-up seed. Her greedy sex wanted it all, and I was light-headed when the last spurt came out.

I collapsed on top of my much smaller mate, holding the connection as I rolled until she was on top. I could feel our combined juices leaking onto my balls and thighs as we recovered from Round One. My hands moved up and down her back, making her purr in contentment.

Five minutes later, I was hard again, and she was riding me like a cowgirl.

We only got a few hours of sleep before my alarm woke me up for morning chores. I headed for the bathroom. When I got back, Jade was pulling the sheets off the bed. "What's with all the dog hair?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "My wolf liked sleeping under the covers with his nose in your pillow," I replied. "He had a tough time with you gone."

"It was difficult for me, too."

"Shower?"

I shrugged. "I like being covered in your scent, and it's not like Mom doesn't know what we were doing all night. I'll do my chores while you do laundry and help her with breakfast."

"And after breakfast?"

"I'll need to renew your scent on me," I said with a grin. Jade hugged me, her hand reaching down and wrapping around my hardening cock. "If you start that, the livestock won't eat on time."

"MINE," she growled into my chest.

"Always." I smacked her ass, making her yelp before she went into the bathroom. I quickly dressed and put the sheets in the washer before heading out. Isra was already up and working on the pancakes. "Did you get any sleep?"

She shook her head no. "I don't have to worry about my baby being happy. I think you rang her bell a dozen times last night."

"Fifteen or so," I said with a grin. "It's hard to tell when they run into each other."

"Chores. Now."

It took me a half hour to get them done. Breakfast was on the table when I walked in. I sat down to a plate filled with pancakes, a sausage omelet, and hash browns. After some small talk, we got down to business. "What are we going to do about Art?"

"I updated the message board this morning about what Jade found out," Isra said. "If nobody else has seen him, it's safe to assume he's gone."

"Fucking wolves are the worst," Jade sneered. "Present company excepted. I like fucking your wolf."

"The question is, what do we do about it," I said.

"What can we do about it? Start a war? We don't even know what happened to Art," Isra said.