Claiming Treasure Ch. 61-Conclusion

"The Murmansk Pack," I said. "What if Montana doesn't want them?"

"Governor Senbrenner in Alaska would take them. We may have to put them with the Denali Pack until we can find land and build the facilities. I don't think they would mind Alaska. Hell, Alpha Boris probably remembers when the Russians owned it."

I snorted as I thought back; the weather and terrain of Alaska could work for them. "Coral texted me this morning; Alpha Ivan and Luna Svetlana are spending the next week scouting out potential Pack sites while the rest of Beloretsk stays with them."

"So Greg Barks is underfoot?" Greg had gone back to live with Beloretsk with his mate Tatiana after the fight with Heather.

"No, he's an advance scout for them. He knows Alpha Keith will kick his ass, given any reason." Normally Coral would, but she was six months pregnant.

"At least he was acting with his big head now," Frank said with a smile. "Looks like we have company."

I looked over to four older men in suits. Councilman Anders Ulffson, Nehemiah Pensky, Yakov Baronsky, and Jurgen Nemmers all walked towards us. The wait staff quickly moved a table next to ours at a word from our security. "Good morning," I said to the rest of the Werewolf Council. "Everyone sleep all right?"

"Like the dead," Yakov said.

"Fitting since an old man like you wouldn't have been able to run for six days through the mountain snows if you were back home in Beloretsk when it went down." Yakov had been in Canada at the time and had been a key player with the Canadian government.

"My son had enough fun. Imagine fleeing for your life with your pregnant Luna clinging to your back the whole way," he replied with a smile. "Still, they all made it out. Praise the Goddess for her protection."

"What happens to you now that your Pack is in North America," Frank asked him.

"I don't know. I suppose at some point the remaining European Alphas will want to replace me with one of their own. It's not a bad thing; I've had a good run."

"Maybe you can take my spot. All this political stuff sucks," Nehemiah replied. "Everyone wants something from you, and kissing politician ass is tiresome. I don't know how you do it, Colletta."

"You pucker up and ignore the taste," I said with a grin. "You're reassuring with your country doctor persona in front of the press. The old ladies love you."

"Don't remind me. Do you have any idea how many marriage proposals I'm getting every day? My secretary doesn't even print them out." We all laughed as they ordered breakfast, the conversation among friends easy. Too soon, an hour had passed, and it was time to go.

The Secret Service was bringing us to the White House this time; the signing ceremony was scheduled for noon in the Rose Garden. "By Luna, I never thought we'd get here," I said to Frank as we passed through security.

"President Kettering bet big on us, and it paid off. Once public opinion shifted our way, her approval ratings jumped fifteen points."

"She had her reasons for helping."

"True, but all we can do is try to find her a mate. We made that clear," he said.

My second time in the Rose Garden was far less nerve-wracking than the first. Two podiums next to each other, one with the Presidential Seal and one with the howling wolf logo of the Council. "I am proud that we have negotiated a fair treaty with the Werewolves of North America, for our mutual benefit and security," President Laura Kettering said as the event opened. "Using the template provided by our current treaties with Native Americans, the United States recognizes this special population group and its government. In matters concerning werewolves, the Packs and Councils will have the autonomy to govern themselves while obeying the laws of the United States. It clarifies their legal status and bans discrimination in all forms. We should not tolerate species-ism any more than we tolerate racism and sexism within our borders."

I was thrilled with this part of the agreement; ever since we came out, there had been subtle and overt displays of discrimination against our people. After today, having a wolf half was legally no different than any other characteristic since birth.

"Little grows in the shade, especially peace and understanding," she continued. "With this treaty, the werewolf citizens of the United States can come boldly into the sun with us. Madam Chairwoman Colletta Grimes, as the senior member of the Werewolf Government, will now make her remarks."

"Thank you. Madam President, members of the Administration, and fellow Americans," I said. "A few months ago, a secret kept for millennia burst forth on television, forever changing our society. For centuries we lived beside you, hiding our nature in the rational fear that humans would kill us if they knew we existed. There were a few who tried, but they were the rare exception. Instead, we were able to reach across and build relationships. We have found acceptance, and through that, both groups have benefitted. In the past two months, werewolves able to openly use their skills with their law-enforcement partners have rescued five lost children, apprehended dozens of dangerous fugitives, and assisted in foiling an assassination plot against our President."

Valerie Grunwald, the Secret Service Chief, had enthusiastically accepted the President's desire to have werewolves on the detail. Three volunteers from the Adirondack Pack became Secret Service Agents after background checks, testing, and an abbreviated training program. Two worked in wolf form, the third as a human to coordinate with the rest of the detail. They had all the skills of a police dog, with the intelligence and instant communications capability of a trained agent. When a man with a ceramic knife lunged for the President last week, one of the werewolves took him down before the human agents cleared leather.

Nothing says "I trust you," like putting your life in our hands.

"I am convinced that the future of my kind intertwines with your own. Together, we will build a better world for all of us." I stepped back as the guests applauded.

The President stepped towards the table as I followed. "And now for the signing of the treaty." She and I signed, using multiple ceremonial pens, to the applause of the gathered people. Standing back up, she addressed the Press. "The treaty will be forwarded to the Senate immediately for ratification." We stayed for another twenty minutes answering questions from the Press, then went back inside.

"How are you doing," Frank asked.

"My back and feet hurt," I said. "Let's go." I turned my phone on, dozens of emails and text messages downloading. I flipped through the ones for my family when my phone rang. "Carson?"

"Heather's going into surgery, Mom. The babies can't wait any longer to come out."

"Oh Luna, protect those girls," I said softly.

No one had carried twins in wolf form before. They were identical twin girls, coming early at thirty weeks. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Take care of your family." I hung up, seeing Frank already on the phone to our pilots. I alerted our security team, and they worked with the Secret Service to escort us to the motor pool, where they drove us to the airport.

I spent most of the drive on the phone, talking to the rest of the family. As we lifted off, I was thinking about my life just two years ago.

I was mated to a man who was willing to destroy his family for power.

My oldest was a single Alpha-heir, just biding his time.

My middle boy was unable to move past rejection.

My youngest boy was burying himself in his medical residency.

My daughter was fighting to prove herself as a Warrior.

And now? All of us mated to good wolves, all Alphas or higher, and all the females were pregnant. Luna had truly blessed us.

And as I fell asleep, I was dreaming about holding twins in my arms again.

Ch. 64

Carson Nygaard's POV

Cascade Pack House

My heavily-pregnant mate had turned the small closet in our office into a den for her babies. It was interesting to see a pregnancy where Mom was in her wolf. Doc said her animal instincts were dominant, so she was behaving more like a wild wolf than a human mate right now.

Pregnant women had a nesting instinct, where they would make sure the nursery was ready, fold baby clothes, and stock diapers. Heather had blankets and pillows piled in the back of the closet, with the clothes hanging low over her for security. The only light was from a small LED nightlight near the door. It was over a dog bowl where I would place pieces of meat for her, next to that, a bowl for water. I kept a tray with absorbent pads on one side for her to go to the bathroom.

For the last week, she hadn't come out. I spent my time in my office, working and sleeping on the couch, talking with her over the bond. She had been sleeping a lot as the pregnancy progressed, her belly comically large on her wolf. It almost scraped the carpet as she walked, and made it difficult for her to sleep. I hear her whine as I closed up my laptop for the night. "Can I sleep with you, baby? I miss you," I sent as I walked to the closed door.

"Leave me alone, you bastard! It's all your fault!"

I snickered. The twins would be my babies in every way but their conception. "I didn't get you pregnant. Maybe next time, I can make it my fault?"

"Next time? There's no NEXT TIME! As for fault? You're a MAN, you're MY man, and that means you get the blame. You and your right hand are going to become best friends."

"Who are you kidding, love? You'll be begging for another child by the New Year." Six months would be enough time for her to heal up and start thinking about babies again. Her wolf was my best ally in this; when the heat arrived, sex was all a she-wolf could think about. Wanting babies was the strongest of her instincts.

There was a knock on my office door, and I scented the humans behind it. "Come in, T," I said.

The door opened, and Mongo blotted out the light from the hallway until he was through. Three Tequila, his old lady, was right behind the big man. Both had arrived yesterday from Orlando, planning to spend a few weeks with their only niece as she had her first babies. "Heather, I'm coming in," she said as she walked to the closet.

I poured Mongo a glass of whiskey as he sat in the big chair near the window. "Here, they won't be coming out for a while," I said.

"I'm glad she has you," he said after taking a sip. "My old lady is very protective of her, but you take things to a whole new level."

"Heather can take care of herself; she's proven that to me. She's my partner, not just my mate." Spending all this time in wolf form had made our wolves closer than our humans were. I found myself spending as much time with her that way as I could while still getting work done. I was looking forward to the babies not just for them, or because Heather could shift back, but because my wolf wanted to run through the woods with hers. It had taken weeks, but our territory was secure now, and I had lifted the restrictions on being in wolf form outside for my Pack. They could now roam freely as long as they were a mile from the nearest road; our electronic surveillance system was now complete, and trespassers never made it far.

"How is your prospecting going?"

I rolled my eyes; the Steel Brotherhood cut was in my closet, waiting for a time I could put it on and visit the Portland club. "It's not. I haven't had time to take my motorcycle out of the garage, much less prospect."

"I talked to both Thor in Portland and Wolfman in Seattle, plus the Regional President. We know what you and your men did to help with taking down the Sons, and the relationship between the Brotherhood and Packs is blossoming. They all agree that the standard six-month time requirement as a Prospect can be waived. Once Thor thinks you've spent enough time with the chapter, he'll patch you in."

"Good, I'm tired of fetching him his beers while he visits," I teased. "If I had a way to do it, I'd give every one of them a wolf. Too bad the only Brotherhood member to find his mate here is Rattler." The former Marine was now my bodyguard, his mate the Luna's bodyguard. We had noted a trend; the strength of the human's new wolf matched the wolf of the mate. Luna knew what she was doing.

Mongo was sitting outside with me, keeping me company by telling me stories about his Chapter. It was after eleven before Three Tequila came out, pushing the waste tray with her foot. "You need to change this, and she's asleep," she said.

"We should sleep too," Mongo said as he pulled her into his arms. "We'll see you in the morning."

I rolled up the pad and put it in a plastic bag, opening the door to slide it back in place. Heather's scent was strong, but I dare not get closer and disturb my mate's sleep. I closed the door and went to the attached bathroom to take a quick shower.

I woke with her a few times, bringing her food at two in the morning. She was uncomfortable, and the babies were active. The problem began at four in the morning, her pain so sudden and sharp it knocked me off of the couch. "Are you all right?"

"Shit that hurt!" I could hear her soft whine, but she growled when I came to the door. "Don't get too excited; it's probably a Braxton-Hicks. I'm not even 34 weeks along."

A contraction cut off the rest of her comments. I sat outside, my wolf whining for his mate's pain. I called Three Tequila at Heather's request. She and Doc Myers showed up at the same time, and both went into the closet to check her out.

Doc came out a few minutes later. "She's in labor, and we need to stop it," he said. "Call an ambulance. We need to stop the labor; I don't have the facilities here to deal with premature twin births."

Three Tequila rode with Heather and Doc in the ambulance while Rattler drove Mongo and I behind them. The high-risk pregnancy team was waiting, all nervous at being involved with the first birth of humans from a mother in her wolf form. I waited nervously in the waiting room for hours, texting back and forth with my brothers and my little sister. They all had pregnancies to worry about; their due dates were over a month later than Heather's.

I wanted to talk to Mom, but she was busy in Washington. The news shows were wall-to-wall in discussions about the treaty Mom would sign with the President this morning in the rose garden. I left messages with her and Frank but didn't get a response.

It was after nine when Doc Myers sent to me. "We need to do an emergency C-section, the babies are in distress. The nurse will be there in a few minutes to get you gowned up and in here." I tried Mom again, this time getting through, and letting her know Heather was going into surgery. I had to turn the phone off when the nurse arrived. She helped me dress out before walking me into the operating room. Heather was on the table, the procedure already going.

"Are you all right, love?"

"I am now that the spinal block is in," she told me. "Hurry up."

I didn't wait long. "I should have been a vet," the Obstetrician said as he reached through the incision he'd made in my mate's belly. Reaching in, he removed the first of my girls, clamping and cutting the cord before handing her off. The nurse took her, removing the fluid from her lungs and cleaning her up. "Here's the second one," he said a minute later. "Time of births, 12:14 and 12:16. Congratulations."

"They're so beautiful," I told her. I was able to go over and pet her head while Doc Myers stitched her up. When the stitches were in place, he told her to shift.

She groaned after returning to her human form. "That hurt," she said.

"Lay back and let me check your incision," Doc said.

I stayed with her, holding her hand as we waited for the crowd around the baby warmers to finish. Finally, the babies settled, and we could go over. The nurses rolled Heather's bed to where she could reach them. "They're so small yet so perfect," she said.

"I love you so much, Heather," I said as I touched them for the first time. "Have you thought of names?"

"The first will be Kelly Harleigh, after my Mom and my old life," she said. "The second is Connie Colletta, after the woman killed in the Orlando Clubhouse attack and your mom."

"Good choices," I said.

The doctor was watching vitals, they were getting oxygen now, and a feeding tube was in place. "Baby one is four pounds, eight ounces, while baby two is four pounds, six ounces. Both are near normal weight for twins of their gestational age. It doesn't appear your wolf form had any effect on their development."

"When can we take them home," Heather asked.

"Their lungs and bodies won't be ready for a while," he said. "They will need help breathing, regulating their temperature, and developing their feeding skills."

Doc Myers joined in. "It's why I brought you here. We don't have this equipment at the Pack."

We asked a few more questions before I got the boot. "We have to clean Heather up and get her to a room, and move the babies into the ICU," the obstetrician said. "You should go talk to the others here. We'll get you when she can have visitors again."

I walked out, tossing the surgical garb in a bag outside. I let out a breath; I was a FATHER now, and my wolf was over the moon. Three Tequila was crying and hugging me, and Mongo's backslap nearly broke a rib. I turned my phone on, calling the Pack first, then my Mom, and then my family.

Everything about my life spoke to Luna's blessing. I became an Alpha of my Pack. I found a second-chance mate in a human. I watched her gain a wolf and take her place at my side. Now, we had our first children together.

Life was good.

I was napping in the chair of Heather's hospital room when I heard the commotion in the hallway outside. "Oh my girl, I'm so PROUD of you! You two make beautiful babies," Colletta said as she rushed into our room, as much as a six-month pregnant woman could rush.

"You've seen them?" Heather looked up from watching the breast pump she was using.

"Of course," she said as she gave her a big hug. "Thank you."

"Did you know she was naming one of the girls after me," she asked.

"She kept the names secret from me until after the birth," I replied. I hugged her as she stood back up. "Congratulations to you, too," I said. "You looked good in the Rose Garden."

"Politics is nothing compared to bringing life into the world," she said. "Now tell me what happened! Your brothers were like, 'she felt pain, and they went to the hospital.' No details AT ALL."

I couldn't resist. "She felt pain, and we went to the hospital. What else is there?"

She smacked my shoulder. "See what I had to deal with raising those boys?" Heather just giggled. "Get out of my chair and go get me some coffee, I need to catch up with her. Oh, and bring Frank back. He's been staring at those girls so long the noseprint on the glass may never come off."

"Fine," I said as I got up. I kissed Heather and walked out, going past the NICU to grab Frank. "Thanks for coming," I said. I liked Frank a lot; Mom had blossomed since becoming his mate. "How is Mom doing?"

"I'm glad things are over with the treaty. Colletta's getting worn down, between her job and her pregnancy. I have to step in more and more to get her to rest."

"Stay here in Portland with us for a while, or stay at our Pack. Make people come to her," I said. "We won't be able to bring Kelly and Connie home for at least a week, and Mom knows how much work twins are."

"I'll make it happen," he said. "Colletta wants to be there for when Rori, Coral, and Ashley have their babies."