Claiming Treasure Ch. 41-45

I could almost see some of the transfers pinching themselves to be sure it was real, as wide the gulf was between their old and new Packs. Our facilities were top-notch, and we had plenty of room. Warriors who had shared bunk rooms now had hotel-room size bedrooms to themselves. The pool was a big hit, as was the lake. I eventually sat at the head table, where Vic and Spider Monkey sat with Betas Rick and Teri, who transferred from Banff. Timur and Mykayla were at the end fo the table. "Timur, how is she doing?"

"She's sleeping better, and she tolerates me sitting by her," he said.

"It's going to be a long recovery. What does Mykayla's wolf say?" Mykayla had grown up in slavery and was the victim of a sexual assault a few weeks ago. Timur killed her attacker; he was her mate and had years to wait before he could claim her.

"She doesn't trust her wolf enough to trust me as her beast does."

The meal went quickly, and I enjoyed the Philly cheesesteak and fries. I was almost done eating when I felt my phone vibrate. It was Brian Steele, my new IT Beta, who was back in Banff to pick up the pieces there. "We got proof on Chair. Sent info to Frank. Call secure ASAP."

Holy shit. I got up, apologizing as I wiped the grease off my fingers and went back to my office. We'd purchased satellite phones with voice scramblers as a way of defeating surveillance, with the Alphas in our alliance each having one. I took it off the shelf, powered it up, then called Alpha Carl in Banff. He answered on the second ring. "Carl and Angelina," he said.

"Hi, it's Rori. I got a message from Brian about proof?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're going to love this. Our people were removing Chairman Coffey's furniture from his office this morning since we'll have a new Chairman soon. We found a false back in one drawer, and inside was a piece of paper with all of his accounts and passwords."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. We have access to all of his private accounts, and they're cleared out, but we have the account history. One looks like a Council slush fund, and in there we found three wire transfers to a bank in the Cayman Islands. There were $100,000 payments in American dollars; one last week, another a week before Charles died. The day after his plane went down, another payment of $150,000."

Damn. "You gave the account info to the Feds?"

"Yes, along with the passwords we found and an explanation. They know they belong to Jack Coffey. And there's more."

"What?"

"Burner phones and handwritten notes with the guy's name and number. Frank said the phone number belongs to an independent assassin who works out of Detroit. He was already on the suspect list for the bombs. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI are on this like a duck on a June bug."

I just shook my head; Jack's arrogance lost him four Packs and his position, now he would lose his freedom. "What are they doing with the information?"

"Arrest warrants are being issued in both countries. If Jack pops his head up in Pack lands, we'll get him. If not, human law enforcement will."

"That's great news, Alpha Carl." It was a load off my shoulders. "It's not over until it's over. How much money is he running around with?"

"Millions that we know of, more we don't. Coffey had centuries to accumulate wealth. If he is smart, he'll lay low and enjoy a quiet life of luxury."

I snorted. "Coffey is too proud for that. He'll be pissed off, and he'll want to strike back. Pass the word; he's hired humans to do his dirty work before, and he could do it again."

"Yeah. Don't worry, Coffey won't sneak back in here." We said goodbye, and I updated Chase and my Betas of the events.

Jack Coffey's POV
Cabin near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

I grabbed my coffee and went to sit on the deck, watching the shadows move through the thick trees around my cabin. I'd been preparing my new identity for years; this was one of four properties under the new name. The others were near Calgary and Vancouver in Canada and Spokane, Washington, in the United States. Much of my private wealth had been transferred to my new identity or was in numbered offshore accounts. I was a rich man; I needed nothing from anyone.

I could not STAND that I had my reputation and power taken from me by those upstart bitches and their brothers. The Nygaards had gone from one Pack to control of North America in less than two years, mostly because of Rori King.

I needed to put that bitch in her place. Then I'd do the same for Colletta and her boy toy.

I sipped from the mug as I worked through the possibilities. After the attack, I'd lost any chance of turning the majority of North American Packs in my favor. With my allies dead and their Packs run by Nygaard appointees, my side would never win a vote and never have power on the Council.

I'd called a friend who had filled me in on what was going on. I had a Council arrest warrant out on me, and I couldn't risk going near any established Packs. I had to sit and watch my life's work destroyed, with the Nygaard's picks for Chair and Council were sure to get through.

I thought about starting over with a Pack of my own, calling those still alive who were like-minded to me, but dismissed it. I'd never get recognition, and it would attract too much attention. What I needed was an ARMY that answered to me. Given enough warriors, I could take over Packs, defy the Council, and restore our kind to their destiny.

It would take decades to do build up enough warriors, but Frank Grimes and Heather Rhodes had shown me another way. Why depend on low birthrates and weak wolves to build your Pack when you can MAKE one? I could search the humans and find hard men, strong and skilled, who would make good warriors. Change them into wolves, bind them to me as their Alpha, and I could have an army in a month.

All I needed was the knowledge of how to do it.

I didn't need Rori, Chase, or Carson for that. They weren't the experts. The DOCTORS were.

The Cascade Pack would be a difficult target; they were still on edge, and the Clinic was well inside their territory. Oxbow Lake was a different matter. Doctor Olson often traveled between Oxbow and Arrowhead, and that was a vulnerability I could exploit. Oxbow sent some of their people to help defend Arrowhead, and their borders were safe.

It would be relatively simple to kidnap the Doctor and force him to make my army for me.

I tossed the remains of the coffee over the rail as I got up to go inside. It was time to pack for a trip to Minnesota.

Chase Nygaard's POV
Arrowhead Pack Clinic

I tossed my bloody surgical gown in the hamper with my gloves, leaving me in my scrubs. Doctor Olson was already in the showers, while I had stayed behind to clean up. It had been touch and go for a while; our mystery girl had nearly died from internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. She was out of immediate danger now but needed close monitoring. She was young, perhaps newly shifted. I knew from watching Rori that a juvenile wolf didn't heal as quickly.

"We're done. The mystery girl is in recovery," I sent to Rori. "Doc and Possum are heading home, so I'll stay here with her."

"I'll have some food sent to you. How long until she wakes?"

"At least two hours, probably a lot longer."

I could feel her nervousness through the link. "Let us know when she's able to answer questions. I don't like this, Chase. A new wolf shouldn't be running around with no family and no help."

Of course, it reminded her of her own time on the run. How much different would her life have been if her grandfather Charles had been able to bring her into his Pack? If she hadn't ended up in the mental hospital I was working at, Rori might still be out there, thinking she was crazy and hiding from her kind. "We'll take care of her, love. I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll be in my office here at the Clinic."

"Sounds good. I have a Council videoconference soon. Carl and Ron will be recognized by the other Alphas over the Banff and Monongahela Packs. The other two will have to wait until next week since we are stepping aside in favor of hereditary claims."

"What about the Council vote?"

"We have submitted our nominations, but there is a one week period for the candidates to talk to or meet with individual Alphas before a final vote. Two other names are in play, but we have the votes to get our slate through." The European Alphas were going to shit themselves when they find a female as Council Chair. Colletta was going to have a lot of fun with that old boy's club. I'd have worried, except I knew how strong Frank's wolf was. The first in-person meeting would have those Alphas rolling over and baring their necks.

I called an Omega to finish the cleanup as I walked to the shower. Feeling better afterward, I dressed in scrubs again and went to see my patient. "Who are you," I said to myself as I gave her a quick examination. Her vital signs were improving, and her breathing was much better now. She was off oxygen, and her gums were still pink, so her blood was well oxygenated.

"How is she doing, Alpha," Tonya said from the doorway.

"Better," I said. "Thanks for coming over."

"It's not a problem at all. I left lunch in your office. If you need anything, I'll be in the surgical ward." She moved down the hall while I finished updating the chart, then I headed back to the office to eat and catch up on paperwork. I set my phone with alarms every thirty minutes to check on her, plus I had a monitor showing live video and audio in case there was a problem.

Three hours later, I was through my medical license renewal paperwork, I had ordered replacement supplies, and set up my required continuing training courses for the next year. I heard a growl and looked up. My patient was starting to twitch her legs as her wolf woke up.

"She's waking," I sent to Rori. I got up and moved to her room. She was a striking wolf, with silver fur broken by white patches on the chest and legs. She was a foot taller than most females, which Doc agreed meant she was likely Beta rank or higher. Once she gained her weight back, she'd be even more impressive. I removed the IV drip, not wanting it to be attached if she panicked or shifted. I couldn't imagine what it would be like waking up injured in a strange place with strange people. She could do almost anything.

I was sitting on the bed, petting her neck when Rori came in with another person I'd never seen. She stopped when she felt my wolf, her neck showing as she lowered her eyes. "Alpha," she said.

"Welcome to the Arrowhead Pack, Mabel," I said without getting up. "You found this girl?"

"Yes, by the side of the road while I was out hunting," she said. "I had to run home and get my car and pick her up, then drive here."

"That took two hours or so?"

"Yes, sir," she answered. "I don't know how long she was there before I caught her scent."

"It's a good thing you found her." Her back leg had started kicking, and she whined when she felt the pain of the break. We didn't cast the break, just set it in place and used a light wrap, since a shift would move everything again. "Are there any other packless wolves near you?"

"No, Alpha. An old Omega like me would move on if I sensed another wolf around." She was moving nervously from foot to foot. "Relax. My mate is the dominant Alpha, and she already accepted you into the Pack if you want it. Your friends speak highly of you, as did your actions today."

It was like a balloon let out, as her posture changed. "I would like that, Alpha. This Pack is so much different than the last one."

"Even Bitterroot is nothing like the Pack you left. We have a moment, why don't we bring you into the Pack while she wakes."

She swore an oath to us, and we accepted her, bringing her into the Pack link. The sudden presence of all those wolves in her head after so long alone brought her to her knees; Rori helped her sit in a chair while she got used to it.

The mystery girl started to whine, and I kept petting her neck. I was whispering encouragement to her when her eyes opened up, and she jerked away. She growled as she tried to stand up, but couldn't get there with her broken leg. She fell back with a whine as she bared her teeth at me. "You're all right. You are in the clinic at the Arrowhead Pack, north of Duluth."

She was looking around as her eyes desperately looked around for a way out. She tried to stand again, but this time I kept my hand on her neck. Her wolf was strong, her dominance pushing back on mine. She had strong blood, Beta for sure, maybe even Alpha. "You have a broken leg and broken ribs. Moving around is going to be painful, and you're safe here."

She tried to bite my hand, and I was having a tough time holding her down. Instead of calming, she was becoming more panicked. Rori took over holding her as I pulled off my scrubs and shifted into my wolf, jumping up onto the bed and taking her by the neck. My dominance rolled over the young wolf, who stilled in her grip and exposed her neck.

"I want to bring her into the Pack," Rori said.

"We don't know anything about her," I said.

"She's young and alone, that's enough."

My wolf forged the bond, and I felt her in my head. "SHIFT," I Alpha-commanded her.

Her eyes changed as her human came forward to replace the panicked wolf that had taken over. "What? Who are you?"

"I'm Alpha Rori King, and the wolf here is my mate, Alpha Chase," she sent us.

"What's an Alpha?" She looked up as I let her go, my wolf sitting on the bed. "You're like me?"

"Yes, we are werewolves like you," I told her. "We need you to shift to your human form so we can keep treating your injuries."

"Shift?"

Rori figured it out. "How long have you been stuck as a wolf?"

"Thanksgiving weekend. Winter sucks, I almost froze to death a few times," she answered. Damn. She'd been stuck for MONTHS as a wolf, unable to change, and not knowing what she was.

Rori talked her through how to shift, and an emaciated young girl replaced the silver wolf on the bed. "OW! FUCK THAT HURTS," she said.

I shifted and dressed. "I can help with that. I need to tape up your ribs and cast your leg while we talk." I turned and drew up a sedative, enough to take the edge off but not put her out again. "What is your name?"

"Shelly Lorilla," she said as she laid back. Rori had shifted and covered her with a sheet, leaving her leg uncovered for me. "I never thought I'd have fingers and toes again."

"Is there someone we can call? Someone who might be looking for you?"

"No one I'd want to find me," she said. "It's a long story."

"We've got time," I said. "Tell us how you ended up by the side of the road near Ely."

"Ely?" I nodded. "Damn. I'm a long way from home." I adjusted the bed until she was sitting up, and Mabel got her some water. "You smell familiar," she said to the grey-haired woman.

"I'm Mabel, I found you by the road and brought you here," she said. "How old are you, child?"

"Fifteen, I'll be sixteen in May."

That was an early shift, which meant something forced her wolf to take over. "Something happened to make her shift," I sent to the other two. "This might hurt as I set it properly." I moved her lower leg until the bones aligned.

"My Mom is a drunk," she said. "Dad was a one-night stand; they met at a bar in Denver. He said his name was Dan Forest." By Luna! Daniel Forrest was the Alpha of the Donner Pack in 2005; his mate had died without leaving him an heir, and he was the one who wanted Rori after the Arrowhead attack. I just shook my head as I realized he had an heir, but with a human female. "All she told me about him was that Dan was a big, handsome man, but a dud fuck with a 'thumb-sized dick.' The phone number he left was fake, and he never called her. She never saw him again. By the time she figured out she was pregnant, it was too late to get an abortion, so here I am."

"She wasn't a good Mom for you, was she."

Shelley laughed. "She wasn't a Mom at all. She bounced around from one boyfriend to another, shacking up with anyone she could trap between her legs. We'd stay until they got tired of her drinking and attitude, and she'd find another. We moved to Minnesota for the benefits. If I wasn't good for anything else, I could get her housing and welfare payments. I pretty much raised myself."

I was making good progress on the cast as she talked. "Where did you live last?"

"Saint Cloud. I was a freshman in high school there." She'd moved almost two hundred and fifty miles north in five months, and I don't even know if she understood why.

"Did you like school," Rori asked. She didn't have much in the way of high school experience, having done most of it online.

"I did, and I was in all the activities. I played soccer, was in church youth groups, drama club, anything I could find to stay there. The longer I spent away from home, the better." Her stomach growled.

"I'll get some food brought over. How long since you've eaten," I asked.

"I caught a rabbit last week," she said.

No wonder she was so thin. Rabbits didn't have enough fat to keep the weight on a wolf, and she probably couldn't take down a deer on her own. "We've already sent food over," the kitchen said after I asked. We talked more as she ate, and my heart broke for all the little wolf had gone through.

"What happened that made your wolf take over," I finally asked.

"Mom passed out during the poker party downstairs, and her boyfriend and his buddies were getting loud. I was trying to sleep, but it's hard when you can hear everything they say."

"I know exactly how she felt from when my wolf started coming forward," Rori said.

"They were drunk and horny, and I had developed early," she said as she gestured at her tits. They would have been much bigger before she lost all the weight over the winter. "Todd had moved from leering at my body to touching me through my clothes to groping me when Mom wasn't around. It was only a matter of time, I guess. He was bragging to his buddies about how firm my boobs were, and that he was going to be 'tapping that every night.' His buddies decided they would 'break me in and make a woman out of me,' and started arguing about who got to fuck me where and in what order. I got up and locked the door to my bedroom, bracing it with a chair. Todd got pissed when I didn't let him in, and I heard him take off his belt. He would beat the crap out of me when I disobeyed him, and it was even worse when he'd been drinking."

"Someone needs his ass whooped," I said to Rori.

Rori held her hand as she gathered herself. "The men started to break down the door, and that's when the pain hit. I screamed, it hurt so bad, and then I looked down. I had paws and fur, I was freaking out, but the voice said to trust her. I jumped out the window and ran off, never looking back."

I'd sent her name to Beta Vic, and he broke into our conversation. "Alphas, I've run her name through the system. There isn't a missing person report out for her."

It just got worse and worse. Mom didn't care about Shelly enough to know if she was alive. "Thanks, Vic. It makes it easier if the humans aren't looking for her. Track down the Mom and figure out who this boyfriend was." My wolf already considered her family, and I didn't like people hurting my family.

"We've done some checking, and no one is looking for you." Her face fell, and I knew why. At some level, she still hoped her Mom would want her, and she didn't. "You have a new home with us, among people that are just like you."

"Eat and rest," Rori said. "Tomorrow will be a better day. I'm so glad we found each other, Shelly."