Bound by Pride Ch. 04

Author's note: All characters and companies mentioned in this story have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone or anything bearing the same name or names. Events portrayed in this story are pure invention and have not been based on any events that have happen in real life. All the characters involved in any sexual acts if their ages are not mentioned before hand; are over 18 years of age. Enjoy.

Hi everyone

Here we go everyone a new chapter and much faster than the last one. I hope you enjoy this one and don't get grumpy with me at how this one ends. I enjoy all feedback both the good and the bad so don't be afraid to drop a line of support or ask a question, if you leave me an email address I'll get back to you.

Have fun

Chapter 4

Cleopatra, Boadicea, Guinevere and Amy waited as the last of the Alpha's hooked up to the video feed. Amy had spent the better part of three years setting up this network of communication for the Alphas; it had been such a hassle trying to get all the Alphas to get in a mass phone conference before August the 3^rd. If something like that were to happen again, although those considered it unlikely, they would be much better prepared.

Mayhem walked into Amy's office having gotten bored and a little annoyed with Sage; Alanna and Tarval were so involved in each other that they almost ignored her, which made her happy as she had little interest in getting to know Tarval right now even if he seemed decent. The three ancients unnerved her with their wise-beyond-years-looks.

Amy stood and pushed Mayhem into her chair knowing the frail woman should be resting. "Everyone this is Mayhem, Mayhem this is everyone... well almost." She corrected at the last moment, her eyes flicking to the blank screen on the wall.

Mayhem glanced around, many of the faces on the screens she recognised from her time before slavery, and a heap that she didn't who she guessed had come into power after her slavery. Mayhem nodded her head in greeting.

Roberto studied her carefully, she was already improving but the thick bandage at her throat was evidence of her treatment. Shannon nudged him and rested her head on his shoulder, she wasn't the only Alpha female to be included in these talks, most Alpha's were taking their mates a lot more seriously since Amy, Shannon, Becky and Cass had come onto the scene. Treating their partner like a true equal when it came to the decisions of their pack and it was all down to those four as they were all strong women who were born leaders, they made sound choices that were reshaping their world and making it a better place to live.

"I don't know some of you..." Mayhem asked, about to lead into a more detailed introduction.

"Formal introductions I'm afraid will have to wait." Terri slid in with an apologetic smile. Terri's eyes, the very oddness of them, as one eye was green, and the other blue with a small patch of brown in the blue, captivated Mayhem.

"Yes, sadly we have more important things to do, everyone meet Cleopatra, Boadicea and Guinevere." Amy pointed them out and they waved in greeting as they walked into the room, "I know that their reputations precede them but they aren't that bad."

Everyone chuckled at Amy's attempt at humour.

Cass sat forward, addressing the three Ancients, "Hi... I'm Cass; we would like your help with Mayhem's pride."

"No... what will become her pride." Izmir corrected.

"No... IS her pride... they are loyal to her not to Darrel. They put up with him for her." Becky slid in and got a confirming nod from many others.

"On track people." Grey-Hawk reminded them. "We haven't got the time to bicker over trivial things. Shit's going to hit the fan tonight and we need to be prepared." No one could fault his reasoning.

Amy turned to her... kin... she had always had trouble trying to explain how Ancients interacted; some couldn't stand being in the same room with each other for even short periods of time, while others got along like a house on fire. The best term she had come up with was kin; they were the closest thing she had to an extended family, to aunts and uncles that she could call her own. Although the three women before her were more like sisters than aunts, they shared an easy comradeship that could only be compared to the Merlins.

"We need your help." Cass stated simply.

"We gathered that..." Boadicea said sarcastically.

Shannon grinned, amused that Boadicea was as feisty as her reputation had indicated; she could see her fitting in with the four close alpha females. "We need you to go and get those who are loyal to Mayhem and do your Ancient thing and move them instantly somewhere far away, them and their things."

Many Alphas leant back in their chairs; they some times wondered why Amy included them at all when she, Shannon, Becky and Cass could take care of everything without them. They knew however that even if they didn't contribute to the conversation and the plans, they liked to know what was going on and have the chance to add something or ask something if they thought it was going to be neglected.

"How do you want us to proceed?" Cleopatra asked, showing the calmness of years of ruling and making tactical decisions based on information, as well as the willingness of taking another's lead and going with it.

Shia sat forward, "I've already got the ball rolling," He informed her, "Mayhem's second, Jesse, I called him and told him we had Mayhem and that the Alpha's had allowed the split but that we have to do it now, and secretly. He has passed word to those who are loyal to her and they are getting ready to flee. I also told him that some Ancients would be coming to make their departure instant and a lot safer."

Mayhem was frowning, "Jesse... Jesse Mace. John Mace's son is my second?" She asked surprised, John was her father's second and Jesse was the only other immortal in her pride. A master enforcer, he was in charge of all of the enforcers and investigators but to Mayhem, he was the person who had given her piggyback rides and took care of her grazes while she was growing up.

Shia nodded. "Yes, he has also been acting as spokesperson for your cause."

"So basically you want us to be go betweens." Guinevere asked.

Amy turned to her. "It's a bit more complicated then that, I don't have the time to get into it at the moment but simply, her father sold her into slavery to keep control of his pride, she was twelve, her pack had split; half siding with Mayhem the true alpha, the other half supported her father and his chosen alpha. He will attempt to stop them, attempt to take her out to keep in control, if we don't do it this way a war will break out and people will get hurt. This way we can get them away cleanly and keep them hidden until we are ready to prosecute Darrel for his crimes."

Guinevere went very serious and nodded; this was not a merely go between mission to make an easy get away. If they drove, they could be tracked, that was also true if they flew or took any form of traditional transportation. This way they would simply disappear without a trace, keeping them safe.

"When do we start?" Boadicea asked, starting to get the excited edginess of anticipation; she was looking forward to snatching these people out from under the nose of a tyrant. She just wished she could be a fly on the wall when he realised more than half his precious Ambush was gone without a trace, she could imagine the fury in his eyes, the murderous rage he would fly into. It sent a warm feeling throughout her body.

"Jesse has organised staggered leaving, those who are away from the central Ambush first. He will be the last to leave as he is on duty until midnight, he has to be seen when the others don't, Amy has organised a phone for you, Jesse has the number, and he will call you with the locations and times of the pick ups." Shia explained.

"Where are we taking them?" Cleopatra asked.

"Nelsonville Ohio, just outside of our territory and in unclaimed land. There is enough land there for them to roam; Wolfgang owns some land including some of the near-by forest there, where they can set up their central pride." Amy informed them.

They nodded as Amy handed Cleopatra the phone and a detailed map of the two areas. No sooner had they started to study the maps than the phone starting vibrating silently. She was quick to react and quickly read the screen. "We're up." She focused on the destination and all three vanished.

"I'll get Joe to do a message drop when the dust settles." Amy told them effectively ending the conference. She turned to walk out and get Joe when the woman in question scurried in. She was a slight woman, even smaller then Amy, who was normally smiling and enjoying her work, at the moment she just looked terrified.

"Are you okay Joe?" Amy asked as she grabbed the woman's shoulders.

"There's... he's... there's a man out there and he's scary." She said trying to speak softly and wrap her mind around the man, she had just seen.

Amy frowned and pulled Joe behind her. "Stay here." She walked out of the conference room, through her office, and out to her sitting room. A man stood with his back to her, a heavy leather jacket fit his body almost like skin. Heavy jeans with several tears encased powerful legs. His midnight black hair was slightly long with a slight curl, which made him look untidy. She could see why this man could unsettle her assistant for he was almost as big as Wolfgang who always put Joe on edge even though she had known him for years.

Amy took several small steps until she was in the middle of the quant sitting room. She let her senses out, she could already smell that he was Were and a wolf but her senses were also saying that he was an alpha or that he had the power to be an alpha, however another sense told her that he was not as powerful as Wolfgang or herself.

Just as she came to a stop, he felt her presence both as a person and as an alpha. He turned and bowed his head, like all Were he could sense the power of an alpha, and Amy's was the most powerful he had ever felt in his nearly five thousand years of life, she was an Alpha of Alpha's. He had been without a pack now for nearly five hundred years and he was tired of being alone, of having no one around him when he sang to the moon, to sing with him in homage to the beauty of the night.

His golden eye's met Amy's for a moment before he pulled his eyes away, respecting that she was the greater alpha and deserved that consideration although he had long ago lost the conditioning of a lower ranked pack member.

Amy grinned and gestured to a second door that leads to another room. He nodded and walked in, followed by her.

"What can I do for you...?" She waited for him to fill the space as she sat and grabbed at the pad and pen, which were always on the table.

"Ghan."

The pen snapped between her fingers as her eyes jerked up to his. He smiled slowly as he realised where her startled look had come from. He had read Were and Other history volumes one and two a while back, they had brushed slightly over his existence except the books didn't brush over the fact that it had been he, more than two thousand year ago, who helped instigate the first Laws that all Were followed. It was also he, more than a thousand years ago, who had instigated the first ever-Alpha gathering. It had started simply enough, five neighbouring packs wanting to make arrangements to keep themselves from fighting each other and turn their eyes to the true threat, the rogue Were who sought to disrupt them.

"Your pen is leaking." He said amused, he had been reading about Amy for years now and this would be a first for her, being utterly speechless in a situation.

She blinked, her eyes glanced to the leaking pen and it vanished leaving no trace.

He sat with a big smile, "Part Ancient, part something else."

She frowned, "You're the first not to tack Were onto that sentence."

He shrugged a broad shoulder. "I am considerably more informed then most."

She sat back in her chair. "Of course you are, you're the oldest Were ever."

He shook his head. "Sadly I am not the oldest... a friend of mine is... I'm sure you've heard of him, his name is Lupa and he is the oldest Were ever."

She gave him a truly stunned look, "but... I thought Lupa was a myth, everything written about him is considered mere folk lore."

He shook his head again. "Nope... honest to god..." he chuckled, "but since he's the son of Luna... he is technically a god..."

She smiled at his humour.

"He is real..." He continued getting serious all of a sudden. "We were meant to meet up here a few months ago; we were both going to approach you about getting out of our pack-less states. But he's just disappeared, I haven't been able to find him and he is always on time. He's a freak like that." He finished more to himself.

"Three months ago..." She said to herself and sighed. "We'll find out where he is tomorrow when my daughter does what she has to do, if he's not where I think he is then we have other avenues in which to locate him."

He nodded. "So... who do I have to petition to join?"

She blinked as she tried to process his question.

He chuckled. "Twice in less then half an hour I've rendered you speechless."

She blinked and took a deep breath. "There are no packs at the moment that need an Alpha..."

"I didn't say I wanted to be Alpha... I said I want to join your pack." He cut in then realised he shouldn't have when he watched her eyebrow arch up.

"You are an Alpha." She stated.

He sighed and rested his hands on the table. This was going to be hard for him to explain to her but he had to try. "I... I have the power of an alpha but not the will to be one, I never have, I did what I had to until someone could replace me then I was out of there."

She slowly shook her head, "I... don't..."

"Understand." He said with a nod, "Most don't... how can someone who has felt the power of being an alpha, the control, just leave all that behind. I can tell you why, because I am not a true alpha, I'm immortal so I'm big and powerful, my father was an alpha, my father died and I was expected to take over, I did what I had to, to keep my family safe but I was not born a true Alpha. You were... I can sense it, even now, as you try to mask it. You were born for this, I was born for a different reason, and being alpha is not that reason. I can be an alpha if I need to but know that that is the one thing I truly don't want to be. So who do I have to petition to join your pack?"

"My mate."

"Will you speak for me, in my favour?" He asked seriously, he would need at least one of the Alpha pair on his side to let him in.

"Convince me as to why I should; what can you bring to my pack?" She pushed the pad away, linked her fingers in front of her, and rested them across her midriff.

He thought about it for a while, "I'm strong, a good hunter..."

"Not good enough." She told him. "I have strong men in my pack and plenty of good hunters."

"What do you want to know? I can be an enforcer; I have enough experience doing that... I can be an investigator..." He stopped as he saw interest spark in her eyes, he felt a surge of renewed hope that this could work out.

"So you can be a body guard," she surmised. Pack law was strict about which members were allowed to be bodyguards; they had to be both an investigator and an enforcer. It was rare for people to be trained as both, which was making it hard for her to find enough guards to protect those who needed it.

"Yes... who needs to be protected?" He asked concerned.

"My children. I am required by presidential decree to have my children protected. I don't like secret service so I've been looking for bodyguards for them. My children are covered at the moment, however Sienna and Gillian, our seconds, their daughter is not."

"If I am accepted... I will guard her with my life." He promised. He didn't need to know why bodyguards were needed; all he needed was to know what he had to do.

"Strange sentiment coming from an immortal." She mused with a small smile.

"Yes... but you understood what I meant." He agreed.

She took a deep breath. "I will do my best but he is the dominant Alpha, not me. If he says no I have no choice but to accept his decision even if I think it is wrong."

He nodded, "I understand."

"Okay, sadly you chose a really bad time to come to us seeking a place. We are going to be busy for a couple of days to a week." She explained.

He nodded accepting that.

"So I need to know where you are staying and a phone number so I can get in contact with you for when Wolfgang is ready to meet you." She told him.

He nodded again and grabbed the pad, he wrote down his hotel and room number as well as the number for his mobile. He handed them to her and stood. "Thank you for your time and consideration. I will make sure not to leave my hotel room."

"Harrisburg is neutral, you can wander and no one will care. Just stay out of trouble."

"I will and thankyou again." He bowed his head before leaving to room. Leaving her to wonder what else was going to happen today.

****

Electra felt nervous energy course through her as she watched Dave strap himself into his bullet-proof vest, she didn't like putting him in danger, not when she didn't know what awaited them. Rhiannon was stretching beside her mother, she wouldn't actually be storming the building, but she was going to be giving them a huge advantage. She was going to use a nifty trick she had picked up while watching her grandchildren, she had learnt to cement feet to the ground and stop any one from moving, mainly to keep Temperance in one place long enough to scold her. She was going to use that trick to cement everyone inside the building to the ground, to keep them from running, sadly she could do nothing about the weapons she knew they would have.

"Are you sure she couldn't do something about any weapons in the building?" Someone asked Electra quietly. Rhiannon had done a little demonstration to show her skill, everyone had fallen, and some had even hurt themselves, though not badly, but after that everyone was a little in awe of her.

Electra sighed, a little resigned to yet another explanation of something that was common knowledge to her. "Any kind of Ancient power takes will but the main factor that goes with Ancient abilities is how they think." She took a deep breath, "No two ancients think the same, and because of that no two Ancients can do the exact same thing, it can be similar but not the same. Ma can do something similar but it's more like she freezes people in place, you can move your head but nothing else."

"So what were you saying about will." Dave asked as he checked his vest.

"An Ancient's power lies in their will, ever heard the saying that if you want something hard enough you can will it into fruition." She asked.

Dave nodded, as did several listening.

"Well you know how my ma can be in one place one moment then somewhere else the next." She asked and got nods in response. "She wills herself elsewhere. It is the simplest of Ancient abilities and all of them can do it. Thais, Serenity and Temperance all have this ability and could do it as babies. It freaked the crap out of my Da, one moment Thais was in his arms, Anna dropped something and made a loud noise and poof, he was in ma's arms in the middle of a meeting with the President."

Dave chuckled he could just picture that.

"But I don't understand?" The other man asked.

"Will power... it's hard to explain... but I can put it simply. My Ma is perhaps the most powerful Ancient ever because her will is the strongest. She was so powerful that before she even knew about her power she used it to make herself as close to being Were as possible, to make a beast explode within her. It is impossible for a Were to turn someone who isn't human, ma was Ancient she just never knew it. She willed her power into the form of a beast, but her power had its own ideas. Ma didn't say wolf when she focused her power, she said 'Shift', and her power, which was so great, her will, which was so powerful, exploded. It was so much that her body couldn't cope, and the beast literally tore her apart."