Buried Treasure Ch. 96-101

"So, I'm locked in a bigger prison?" I was beginning to wonder when I'd be free again.

"Hardly. There are miles of desert roads out there, and you have your rides. I'd ask that you ride with me, or a Club member, so we can keep you out of sight and trouble."

"I'm not TRYING to be trouble, Aces."

"I know, girl. It keeps finding you." We got back in the cars and followed him for another forty minutes, ending up in a desert canyon well north of town. We pulled up in front of an expansive home, no, MANSION, built in the Southwest style of adobe and mesquite. My jaw was open as Aces and Bunny walked up. "Will this work for you?"

"Holy shit," I said.

"Yeah, it's not bad," Bunny said. "Come on; I'll give you all the tour, then you can settle in." The place was lavish, and I was kind of jealous of the master suite that Roadkill was taking. The guest bedroom I was in was just as fancy, with a Jacuzzi overlooking the back and a doorway leading to the enclosed garden courtyard. Brent and Laura's room was across the hall, and the nursery was next to them. The nannies were sharing a room by mine.

The home had a gym, including a ring, and Laura was smiling as we spotted it. Over the next few months, we'd get to know that room pretty well. We grilled chicken for dinner by the pool in the outdoor kitchen, and that night I slept for twelve hours.

When I woke, I had to run to the bathroom. I barely made it before I started throwing up. I flushed and leaned back against the wall as someone knocked on my door. "Heather?"

It was Laura's voice. Our bathrooms adjoined, and she probably heard my retching. "Come in," I said. Her nose wrinkled as she walked into the bathroom and smelled my vomit. She helped me up, and I rinsed my mouth out before starting to brush my teeth.

"Are you all right?"

"I must have had some bad chicken."

She came up and checked my forehead. "No fever." She turned me around. "Are these sore," she asked as she squeezed my breasts.

"Ow," I said.

"Heather, when was your last period?"

Oh my GOD. No. It couldn't be. I thought back, and I just knew. "The second weekend of November."

"You've had intercourse since then?"

I nodded. "We used condoms, except..."

She shook her head. "It only takes once. Was it with Greg Barks?" I nodded, tears starting to run down my face. He'd knocked me up, and now that I needed him, he was gone. "We'll get a test and find out for sure."

"What am I going to do," I asked her as she pulled me into a hug.

"You're going to become a kick-ass mother," she said. "You aren't in this alone."

The test later that day was positive, and Aces sent a doctor to the home to examine me. He confirmed the pregnancy and informed me of my options. It would be easy to abort, but I couldn't kill our love child. I just hoped he would be happy when he found out, and that all the talk of love and being together wasn't bullshit. I wrote a long letter and gave it to Roadkill to send back to Arrowhead, where Ron could forward it to Greg.

I could still work out and train, and with little else to do, I focused on that. We would wake early and get in a morning run before the temperature rose. When we returned, we worked on firearms training. They didn't want me exposed to lead dust, so we used high-end air pistols and rifles instead. After lunch we'd do Mixed Martial Arts and Krav Maga; in the evening, we'd practice knife fighting and throwing. Laura was determined to make me a badass, and along with long motorcycle rides, it kept me from worrying excessively about Greg, and his reaction to our child.

Two months passed with no word from him.

I'd need his love and support more than I ever imagined. At my twelve-week check, the ultrasound showed I was pregnant with fraternal twins.

Ch. 100

Alpha Coral Sexson's POV
Arrowhead Pack Conference Room

I just wanted to bang my head in frustration.

The 'trial' of Rori and Chase had ended forty hours ago, and we were no closer to the end.

I had to hand it to my Sister-in-Law and my twin brother; they were forceful and unrepentant throughout. They took every argument in favor of the law on humans and turned it around, showing why it was not in our best interests to do so. By the time their testimony ended eight hours later, the divide within the Packs was greater than ever.

Our jury reflected that.

Our side was solid. I voted with Rori's Uncle Martin, Luna Ashley, Alpha Michael and Alpha Carson in a block that wanted no punishment at all. On the other side, Alphas John Coffey, Richard Long, Steven March, Alan Robertson, and Paxton Blackledge were voting together in favor of severe punishment. The death penalty was no longer under discussion, but they wanted the pair removed from the Alpha position and imprisoned.

A two-thirds majority was required to determine punishment, so two Alphas peeling off would be enough to end this. "Look at this realistically," I said. "This isn't your standard Pack we are talking about here. Rori and Chase built it from nothing, taking in people other Packs had harmed, with a leadership that doesn't see things the same way. Punishing them won't accomplish anything except drive a wedge between the Packs. We all know they will do it again if they think it is the right thing to do."

"That's EXACTLY why they must lose their positions of leadership," Alpha Robertson said. "They looked us in the eyes and told us they would not accept the Council's judgment or the Council's laws. We cannot allow that to go unchallenged! Our structure and laws will fall apart if a Pack can choose to ignore them without consequence."

"How can you expect that from her after how those same people have treated her," Carson answered. "The way she rules is the way the Packs should be emulating, not punishing. We should end this fruitless deliberation and get to the real business, which should be updating Pack laws."

"You will not get your majority there, either," Alpha Paxton Blackledge said. "It takes the same two-thirds vote."

We went another few hours until it was time to break for lunch. There were more attempts at bridging the gaps, but our block knew what Chase and Rori would accept, and what they wouldn't. All of the proposals involved imprisonment or removal, and were non-starters.

"I think it is time we admit defeat and report to the Council," Alpha Martin said. "We are deadlocked."

"Hung jury in a trial where the accused pled guilty," Alpha Steven March grumbled. We voted, and for the first time, we had a unanimous vote.

The Council was sitting together in the dining room, and they weren't happy either. None of them had planned to be here beyond two days, and now no one knew when it would end. Everyone had issues back at their Pack to deal with, appointments to keep, or mates who needed them.

Something had to happen.

I went to the kitchen, getting the packaged meals for the Chase, Rori, and myself. The Council Enforcers wouldn't let anyone in the Alpha's rooms except family, so I had been taking my meals there. As I was leaving, Chairman Coffey came up to me. "Alpha Coral, I think it's time I intervene personally with the Alphas."

"I don't know if that will work, sir," I said. "They were clear about what they would and would not accept." We moved through the big building, exiting into the cold, sunny day, and walking towards the Alpha's home. "You are right in that we need to do something. The jury is getting nowhere."

Our feet crunched through the snow until we entered the big house on the point, leaving our boots by the door. The Enforcers came to attention as we passed them in the upstairs hallway. I sent to Chase that the Chairman was here with me, and he mentally told us to come in. Chase was sitting on a couch in their sitting room watching the news, with Rori's head in his lap as he absently played with her hair. "Time to get up, love," he said as we walked in.

"Thanks for letting me sleep," she said.

"You are pregnant, and it's not like we have a busy schedule," he replied as she sat up. They could execute Pack business on the computer or by mental communication, but not in person. They both stood and welcomed the Chairman to their rooms, inviting him to sit on a nearby chair. "How can we help you, Mr. Chairman?"

"This trial has not gone well for anyone," he said. "The jury is deadlocked on your punishment, as you know. All attempts to forge a compromise have not succeeded because you have instructed your supporters not to accept them."

"The jurors are Alphas; I cannot command them or control them. If they do not accept a compromise, it is because they don't find it in the best interests of their Pack and the Council," Rori said diplomatically.

"Of course, and neither can I command or control them on this. It does leave me with an interesting conundrum; I have Alphas who pled guilty to serious charges, but whom I cannot establish a punishment."

"If you are here to negotiate a plea deal, Alphas Sawyer should be here."

"No, but I have decided the next step in this mess. Call your brother, he should be here for the next part. I will call Alpha Kirk." He pulled out his phone and texted him.

Chase looked up after the mental send. "You will be wasting our time, as we have no intention to accept any of the deals that have been put forth."

"And I am not here to broker one; that would be an abuse of my power as Judge. Please, sit and eat before it gets cold." Chase turned the television off, and I went to get more chairs out of their office. I laughed a little as Alpha Kirk came in. He was unusually tired and irritable today, with good reason. The Omegas had heard his outburst about what should happen to their Alpha female, and they were getting even in creative ways. His expensive dress shirt had an uneven pink tint after it "accidentally" got into a load of laundry with a new red T-shirt. His eggs this morning were cold, the steak with it cooked like shoe leather. A plumbing issue took away hot water to his room, and his wake-up call came an hour earlier than he asked. I could see a stain on his tailored suit where a server had spilled coffee on him at lunch.

He'd pissed off the wrong people, and to complain to the Host Alphas would show him to be weak.

When Sawyer arrived, the Chairman spoke again. "I am going to declare a hung jury when the Court convenes this afternoon."

"You can't do that! They pleaded GUILTY to the charges," Alpha Kirk said.

"The ruling does not change the plea," he said. "Since the Alphas cannot agree on a sentence, I am continuing the trail for three months. We will reconvene the Alphas here on April Third to resume deliberations."

Sawyer shook his head. "The sides are dug in; I don't know how that will change in three months."

"Minds can change, events can change, and leaders can even change in that time." I didn't miss the subtle warning there, wondering which leaders he was referring to. I had a few ideas, and if I didn't have my own Pack already, I'd have challenged Alpha Kirk on general principle. I'd have to speak to Mom about whether she wanted back into the Pack life, or if she was going to stay retired with her new mate. "Three months will allow emotions to settle and saner heads to prevail."

"What about my clients? They are in limbo while we wait."

"The Arrowhead Alphas will remain under confinement, but the restriction will be to their Pack lands. Council enforcers could be left behind to monitor compliance, but I would expect more from Alphas. Your word that you would remain on your lands would be enough," he said.

I looked over at Rori; she didn't like it, but it was better than the alternative. "Chase and I will remain on Arrowhead Pack lands until the jury convenes again," she swore.

Sawyer moved behind them, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. "It doesn't seem like enough to get two-thirds. You need two Alphas to change sides."

"Not this time. The ruling affects us all, not just those in North America. In the next deliberation, ALL of the world's Alphas, save Arrowhead and Monongahela, will decide your fate."

My mind whirled at this, while Sawyer was shaking with anger. "You can't change the rules in the middle of the trial," he growled.

"Do not growl at me, pup," the Chairman said as he stood. "The Council has decided. If you don't like it, strike a deal before then. Either way, we will settle this the next time I am here." He looked to Rori and Chase. "The proceedings will resume at one. I will be departing for the airport immediately after it ends, so I would like to thank you for your hospitality." He extended his hand to Rori and Chase. "You have balls, young Alphas. I hope they don't get caught in the machinery of justice."

I watched him leave, a smug Alpha Kirk behind him. "Fuck," I finally said. "What does this mean?"

"It's not good," Sawyer said. "European Alphas are older and more traditional than American ones."

"They still have to get two-thirds, and we have three months to make our case," Rori said. "There are some that will never change; we need to focus on the ones who were trying to find common ground."

"And if we can't?" I looked at my family, nervous that our strategy had backfired.

"Then we make a deal," Sawyer said. "It's better than removal and prison."

Beta Ron's POV
Arrowhead Pack Offices

It had taken a week to get everything back to normal after the Council and Alphas left.

It didn't help that Roadkill and Possum were gone; he did so much with facilities and the motor pool that things quickly fell behind. The people he trained were doing their best, but it wasn't the same. Having our Pack Nurse gone wasn't a hardship since Chase could fill in, but still.

The Alpha pair wasn't in a good mood. Having their children hidden for protection, and accomplishing nothing that would bring them back, was eating away at them. They were going to miss them growing, their first steps, their first words at this rate.

I almost hoped someone was stupid enough to attack us, just to give them an outlet for their rage. The danger of attack was greater than ever before. Both sides knew they needed to change the minds of an Alpha or CHANGE Alphas. Attacking us solved the problem at the source, while they would have to take out two Allied Packs to turn the jury against us. Their brothers needed warriors back home in case someone tried to take them out.

We made sure before the Alphas left that they knew an attack on one of our Packs would mean war.

So we trained and trained hard. Every person in the Pack was getting firearms training, and I was working on improvised explosives and ambush positions.

All of this left Vic Knightly and his pregnant human love Spider Monkey in limbo. Spider had purchased the lake home just around the lake from our lands, so 'technically' the Pack was not hosting her. She wasn't here long, as she and Vic were in Mexico with his daughter and her mate from Oxbow Lake. They were getting married on the beach.

"You got mail, baby," Teri said as she walked into the office and gave me a passionate kiss. We found out three days ago that she was pregnant with our first child, and both of us were walking on the moon over it. Rori's theory was that Luna was blessing those on her side because she favored it. I didn't care how it happened.

I pulled her into my lap and buried my nose in her neck as my wolf assured himself all was well. She handed me a letter with no return address, postmarked from Orlando. Opening it up, I found another envelope inside with Greg's name on it. "It's from Heather," I said.

"Are you going to forward it?"

"Not after this letter from Greg." I opened my desk drawer and got the letter that had arrived from Russia the day earlier, in which he dumped her like she was diseased. "I don't have her address, and I can't be sure who is forwarding her letters."

Teri read the first paragraph and handed it back to me. "Asshole!"

"Yeah." I tossed the two letters back in my drawer. "Heather might do something stupid if she gets this, like trying to find Greg. I think it's best if they handle their relationship issues face to face when he returns."

"If Heather is back here by then," she said. "Luna only knows what will happen with the next jury."

I pulled her close as my hand covered her lower belly. "We will get through this, my love. Come on; it's almost lunchtime." I set her on her feet, and we walked out.

Ch. 101

Heather Rhode's POV
Las Vegas

My eyes shifted nervously between the three rough-looking men as they moved apart from each other, knives in hand. "Don't get stuck in the middle, pick one, and attack. When they have numbers, they expect you to stay defensive. Take the fight to one and run when you see an opening." I remembered learning from Laura. I picked the smallest guy, spinning and bringing my heel up into his forearm. The knife caught my thigh as I knocked it free. Before it hit the ground, I moved closer and followed with a wicked shot to his ribs, then another to his kidney. His punch missed my face and hit my shoulder. I wanted to finish him off, but the other two were already on me.

One grabbed my hair, pulling me back towards him. I kept my balance, taking a step back before launching my body in the air. My legs wrapped around his neck, and I used my weight and momentum to send us both to the ground. A punch in the throat and I was free, standing just in time to see the third man send a knife towards my ribs. Twisting to the right, I caught his wrist in my hand. He had extended himself too far, so I was able to pull him easily. I put my hip into his waist and threw him to the ground, as my left hand caught the knife as he dropped it. A moment later, the knife was at his throat.

"Goddam, Laura, she's good," the man said as I let him go. I stood and helped him to his feet and gave Blaster, Master at Arms of the Las Vegas Steel Brotherhood, a brief hug. Taz, the Vice President, was on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath after the throat punch. All-In, the Treasurer, was holding his ribs as he caught his breath.

"She's a good student," Laura said as she came forward and gave me a big hug. Daily sparring sessions with her and Brent had honed my skills quickly. I found my Judo training gave me a good base for the other disciplines, but we were focusing on Krav Maga. After all, I needed to defend myself, not enter tournaments. I'd soaked up their instructions like a sponge, and in between, I watched instructional videos. "We are so familiar with each other's style that sparring isn't a challenge anymore. I figured I'd try her against you three."

"She's good, but I was nervous as hell fighting a pregnant woman," All-in said as he stood up.

"It's still early, the babies are small and well-protected," I said. "That was fun."

"For you," Taz said. "You owe me a beer after that beating."

"What beating? Nobody saw nothing," Aces said as he came forward. "Heather was never here, and we were scouting a new route for a run." They all nodded.

"Good, because Brent is grilling the steaks now, and the beer is cold. Get changed and come on up," Laura said.

I went into the women's locker room changed back into my clothes; jeans, motorcycle boots, a white undershirt, and a flannel long-sleeved shirt. I took my hair out of the ponytail, letting it spread across my shoulders in gentle waves before joining the rest of our little family out on the patio. Brenda and Zoe were watching the twins play in a fenced-in padded play area in the shade, while Roadkill and Possum were bringing food and plates out. The sun was low, another two hours to go in the day. Possum set a stack of plates on the table, then checked us out as we greeted her. "No patching up?"