Endangered Species Ch. 25-32

"Of course. My Beta did not expect humans to be here. We all know what to expect now."

I nodded. "The females have all received instruction in Pack ways and mating practices. They are MY responsibility to protect until they accept their mate and the change in Pack allegiance. Is that understood?"

"I would expect no different from a Pack Luna," Alpha Edward conceded.

The introductions were simple to arrange. The Quinalt Pack males lined up along the wall, and Melanie had my females enter the room single-file for dinner. I wasn't shocked that we had another six matings, over half of the single males he'd brought along, plus the first two. Melanie told me this was unheard of; a Pack was lucky to have two new matings in a year!

The happy couples were a hot topic of conversation at the head table. The table held ten people, with four on each side. Alpha Cole was the host, so he sat at one end with Alpha Edward to his right as the guest of honor. Since Melanie was technically the Pack's Luna, she was on the other end with the Quinalt Lead Warrior to her right. I was seated across from Alpha Edward, with the Beta couple to my left and the Gamma couple to Edward's right. "These matings have to be Luna's will," Edward speculated. "With everything dying out, propagation of the species becomes all-important. For that, you need mates."

It was a chance to get an independent view of the situation; everything I'd learned had come from the Brinnon Pack leadership. "Do you believe mates are paired together by the goddess from birth?"

Edward took a sip of wine and thought about his response. "Perhaps before birth? Since mates may have an age difference, like between you and Alpha Cole here, it could be anything. I am a simple man, not a mystic or a Priestess. I believe that each of us has a mate, and the fortunate ones find them early."

"I've been taught that if you reject your mate or they die, your wolf eventually dies along with you."

He nodded. "It's sad, but when you've experienced the fullness of the mating, you'll understand better why the loss is such a blow."

"What if your mate dies before you meet him or her," I asked. "Do you get another, or do you never find your mate?"

"I don't know," he told me.

"I think we do now," I replied. "Statistically, there is no other explanation." You get that for being a math major; I'm a whiz at statistics. "Before all this, your males visited other Packs to search for mates?"

He nodded. "As soon as they are eighteen. They start with nearby Packs and expand out as needed."

I looked at his men. "These unmated males look to be in their twenties or thirties. Is it fair to say they've checked every Pack in the country since coming of age?"

"That's a fair assumption. After the first round, you spend more time around humans and revisit Packs as more females come of age."

"Fair enough. Human matings are much less common than among werewolves, correct? I was told one in five matings involve a human." He nodded. "From what I've been told about Pack numbers and sizes, assuming all werewolves survived the solar event, I figure there are somewhere around a thousand unmated males in North America."

"That's a good guess."

"So about two hundred of them have human mates. You had thirteen unmated males, so you should expect two or three, but you now have eight. That's statistically significant. A month ago, two million women lived in the Puget Sound area. We have about two hundred human females here, yet somehow you find eight mates among them?"

The entire table was listening to me lay this out, and some figured out the implication. Melanie got it first. "As the population collapses, Luna has fewer and fewer females to pair with our males," she said quietly.

"That's my conclusion."

"Why not increase the number of matings among werewolves then," Beta Mark protested. "Those matings result in more dominant wolves. Too many Omegas is not good for the Pack."

"Inbreeding," I replied. "Luna uses human mates to ensure fresh bloodlines. If humans die out, that genetic diversity is lost forever. The Goddess knows what she is doing. These women are more important than you know."

"Perhaps Luna protected them until they could meet my males?"

I snorted. "The ones who lost husbands and families would challenge your version of 'protection.' It seems far more likely that Luna has to find another mate every time the previous one dies, and now she's choosing from a rapidly diminishing pool."

"It might be luck, or perhaps my Pack has earned Luna's favor."

I nodded at this. "Perhaps. I'm the only one mated to a Brinnon Pack member out of over three hundred females. I assume the other Alpha delegations will be like yours? Heavy on unmated males?"

"My messengers are aware of the two matings. I'm sure their reaction will be like mine."

"In the next three days, we will have our answer. If other Packs have similar hit rates, we know Luna is actively involved in this." I sat back with my glass of wine and smiled. "And I wonder how Luna will deal with those who would kill potential mates. How many mates have died in the last two nights because of your werewolf laws?"

I looked around the table, and no one met my look. "If you'll excuse me, I need to check on my females before turning in for the night. It has been a busy day."

"Of course," Edward said. Everyone rose as I got up and said my goodbyes. I choked down my revulsion and gave Cole a goodnight kiss. My look told him he'd be sleeping in the doghouse tonight.

Lois had come to my side as soon as I rose, and she followed me as I made my rounds in the big room. The six new mates were getting to know their males, the twelve of them at a single table near the front. Knowing the Alpha Council was forming, I informed them they could take the change tonight or wait until they reach their new Packs. "You don't want the fevers on the road, and your Alpha needs to be there for your shift. Alpha Winters plans to stay for at least three days, so there is a window now if you're up for it."

"Joe is up for anything," Carol said as she wiggled on her mate's lap. His eyes filled with lust as he pulled her into a kiss.

"We've assigned you private rooms to get to know each other in," Melanie said as she joined me. She passed out the keys. "Remember, your permission is required before he can bite you. If you decide to mate tonight, try and keep the noise down."

"I'll remind her to scream into the pillow," Joe replied. Carol grabbed the key and squealed as he ran out of the room with her in his arms.

Melanie touched my arm as I turned to follow them. "Can I walk you to your room?"

"Fine, but I'm not talking until we are behind closed doors."

"Fair enough." Lois followed us back to the Alpha Quarters, then took up a guard position at the door. Two other guards stood between the VIP Quarters and my room.

I closed the door behind us and sat down at the table. "The women who left the last two nights. They are all dead?"

"Yes. We gave the women one last chance to change their minds. We followed the others until the trucks were gone, then killed them quickly and painlessly. It is our way, Angela. It always has been."

I withdrew one of the silver knives from the sheath on my left arm. It was sharp, cleanly cutting the fine hairs on the back of my hand. "I should cut his fucking balls off for this."

"Cole will not allow you to neuter him, Angela."

"Keep him away from me. I'm one excuse away from rejecting his lying, flea-bitten hide."

She nodded. "Cole expects as much. Get some sleep. You're going to need it."

Sleep did not come easy, but it did and brought the dream with it. I was back with a group of women I'd said goodbye to that first night. I could see the five of them on the road in my dream. Blood and brains covered the pavement around them where they died. I rolled one over; the exit wound in her forehead was the size of my fist. Her dead eyes stared at me, accusing me of betraying them.

I screamed when her hand grabbed my throat. I tried to break her grip as she choked me, but nothing worked. I didn't have the strength to pull her hand away, and stabbing her with my knives did nothing.

That was when the other girls joined in. Dead arms grabbed mine, dragging me to the sewer and down to hell.

My guards rushed into the bedroom, waking me from the nightmare. I was so distraught that Cole's wolf had to come in to settle me down again. I fell asleep with my face buried in his neck, the fur soaked by my tears.

Ch. 28

Cole was gone when I woke up. It was probably a good thing; I couldn't handle talking to him now, and his wolf didn't deserve my anger. I showered and dressed, putting on a knee-length blue dress I found in my closet and a matching set of low heels. There was a small jewelry box on the dresser now. Opening it up, I found a strand of pearls and matching earrings. I put them on, knowing I was the hostess now and guests would be coming.

Was I happy about the Alpha Conference? Hell, no. Cole had done some shitty things, but facing trial and execution wasn't what I wanted. I might kill his furry ass, but nobody else got to touch him!

Too many bad things could happen to my females with Council involvement. The worst-case scenario running through my mind was this; they would see how many of the group were mates, then kill the rest. Just because you could turn a human who knew your secret didn't mean you HAD to. If enough hard-core Alphas agreed to eliminate the extras, it would happen. If they agreed with Alpha Edward, mates would be fine. The others? "Join us or die." Some choice, huh?

Then there was the Pack. I couldn't deny that I felt responsible for them, even though I wasn't officially their leading female. Did they fuck up? Absolutely. Did people die? Lots of them.

And the hard truth is that they would have died anyway. Military, civilian, it didn't matter. All humans faced an impossible choice; use the daylight hours to find food, and risk blindness and death. Stay underground during the day, and starve because you can't function.

The military hunkered down and took care of themselves. Long term, the Navy wasn't ready for the new reality. The military didn't have stockpiles of food; after a few weeks, they would have to search the surrounding areas for supplies. When they went out, the Marines weren't bringing relief supplies to the survivors. They didn't have food or medicine, and none was coming. The solar storm was a worldwide catastrophe; the supply lines didn't break down. They disappeared.

The military DID have organization, functioning vehicles, secure bunkers, and overwhelming firepower. They were IMPORTANT, and that meant doing what was necessary to survive. No, the troops would be like a swarm of locusts, picking clean every remaining supply and bringing it back to keep their people alive. The ones who get in the way? Collateral damage. He who has the guns makes the rules.

The base got overrun by werewolves who are far better suited to the world as it now exists. The sad reality was that our best chance at survival came with joining the Pack as full members. Healing, eyesight, hearing, smell, strength, communications? In every area except fertility, they were better suited than humans for survival.

I couldn't do a damn thing about what happened before I arrived here. Hell, I couldn't help anyone from the moment I made it ashore until the moment Cole discovered I was his mate. Only then did I have any power or influence.

I looked down at my hand, the B287 tattoo still fresh. I couldn't let my girls down; I had to save them all. I tapped the knife sheaths under my dress, then headed out.

I opened the door to find Lois and my guards waiting for me. Lois walked alongside as the armed guards flanked us in the hallway. "I need to speak to the Alpha. After that, I need to speak with the women who plan to leave before breakfast," I told her.

"The Alpha will meet you in his office," she replied after linking with him. "You have your knives?" I nodded. "Good. Don't think about using them on him. I have to protect my Alpha, even from you."

"Oh, I won't gut him until everyone is gone," I replied. It didn't take long to get there. The guards stayed outside while Lois took a position just inside the door. Cole was doing paperwork; he smiled and stood up as I walked in. "Don't apologize; I'm not ready to hear it," I said before he could say something stupid. "I need to know about the Council and how it affects my women."

Over the next ten minutes, he laid it all out. "We are most vulnerable to punishment in two areas: holding humans for breeding and giving Pack membership to those who have not taken the change. Both are against the law, but I will argue extenuating circumstances due to the breakdown of civilization. An Alpha seeking to expand and strengthen his pack is understandable; the other Alphas will secretly wish they thought of it first."

"They aren't bringing humans in?"

"Edward isn't. I have no idea how the other Packs have reacted. Hell, I don't know if they survived. Werewolves heal fast, but you're probably dead by now if you don't have an underground shelter."

"What is our play?"

"For now, we don't do anything stupid with other Packs around. I don't want our humans around the other Packs."

"What about mates?"

"Controlled interactions for mates like last night. Otherwise, they are Brinnon Pack business until the Council decides."

"How many returned last night?"

"None," Cole replied.

I pushed my anger down, taking a moment to calm down. I didn't miss Lois getting closer as I rubbed my arm over my knife sheath. "I suppose I shouldn't be shocked. After the women who returned the first night gave their reports, everyone knew what to expect. The women choosing to leave weren't going to change their minds." I looked at him, focusing on his shirt button because I didn't trust myself looking into his eyes. "What now?"

"We wait," he replied. "I need my warriors here to patrol our territory, watch the visitors, and guard our supplies and people. Until the Council leaves, we cannot send out our gathering parties."

It made sense. Don't divide your forces. "What about the women planning to leave tonight?"

"Would you let them go, knowing what will happen if they leave?"

No. No, I wouldn't. I'd be a knowing accessory to murder. "You're right. We can't break the law in front of witnesses, can we?"

"Use the Council meeting as an excuse. Everything is on hold until we see who mates with who."

I rolled my eyes. "Some of these women will reject their mates to be free."

"It is your responsibility to educate them, Angela. Tell them the truth if you must. It won't make them hate me more than they already do."

He'd left me a shit sandwich, and there wasn't enough ketchup to get this one down. I couldn't tell them the truth about their upcoming choice without telling them what happened to their friends. If I didn't tell them the truth, they would die. "We could have avoided all this shit if you'd been honest with me from the start," I said as I got up. "I've got a long fucking memory, and I can never forget or excuse what you have done to my people. I don't have a wolf, and I don't plan to get one anytime soon. I don't want to be stuck with a lying bastard like you forever."

"Lying destroys trust, doesn't it," Cole said evenly.

"You're damn right! A relationship founded on lying cannot become strong. It's like a disease eating at your relationship. You admit the problem, take your medicine, and build trust by what you DO, not what you SAY."

He nodded, which just made me madder. "What is worse? The fact that I had those women killed when they left? Or is it that I let you all think we'd release them?"

I had to think about that. "Both piss me off. Since you can blame the deaths on werewolf law, I'd say it is lying to me about it. If you had told me the truth, we could have worked together. Maybe some of those women would be alive now if you had trusted me just a LITTLE!"

"You are right. A little bit of trust up front would make a big difference. I'm sorry about that, Angela. I lied to you because I knew how you would react. It's how I reacted when you lied and betrayed us."

What? "Don't you DARE try to turn this into something about ME, Cole."

"Why not? You lied and endangered the Pack before I had the first female killed."

"I did no such thing!"

"Really? 'Two of the women wanted to go to Whidbey Island. Since you can't travel there by land, they are using the kayak I arrived in.' Who said THAT?"

Oh, fuck. "I did."

"You lied to my face, Angela." He opened a desk drawer and took a piece of paper out. "You betrayed me, and you endangered the Pack. I AM the one who should be furious at YOU! Yet, somehow, I'm still trying to make this mating work!"

I looked at the paper he slid across the desk, and my heart almost stopped. I recognized the handwritten message I'd given Lieutenant Mary Connolly and Ensign Anna Natchez. I could see a bloodstain on the corner, and it was stiff like seawater had dried off.

My "message to Garcia" hadn't gone through.

Ch. 29

I looked up from the message I'd written, one I'd memorized after getting it from Captain Grimes on the USS Maine. I'd taken a few seconds to compose myself; I wasn't going to apologize for doing the right thing. "I'm still a Midshipman First Class in the United States Navy," I said as I stared into his eyes. "My orders are to get that message to the Command Authority remaining in the United States. That's why Midshipman Newman and I swam ashore, found the kayak, and paddled here in the dark. Unfortunately, you'd already killed the command authority at Bangor."

"And the two women we chased down and killed?"

"Lieutenant Mary Connolly and Ensign Anna Natchez volunteered to carry out the mission since you'd never let me go to Everett."

Cole nodded at that. "You lied to me again, telling me you were the senior Navy person left."

"I had to protect them, and I needed them. You wouldn't kill me, but I didn't know if you would kill those two like all the other service members here."

"They surrendered and became breeders at the time, Angela. Their treatment would remain the same as any other women under your authority." It was a losing argument since their treatment was the same death as every other woman who tried to get away from here. "I don't think you realize what would happen if that message reached someone in authority."

"That's not my problem. I had my orders. The message would allow the National Command Authority to reestablish communications with a fully operational Trident-class Ballistic Missile Submarine on combat patrol. That could be critical to the survival of the United States of America."

He laughed at that. "The United States? Seriously?" I stayed calm. "There IS no fucking United States of America, no President, no Congress, no Constitution. There is no Washington State, Kitsap County, or city government. Everything you knew before the solar storm is fucking HISTORY. Anything left is hunkered down in a bunker, waiting for the planet to heal enough to come out in the light again. You've SEEN that, Angela, before and after arriving here."

I couldn't argue that. Cole wasn't lying about the 95% of the population already dead, and the rest was dying. His logic didn't work, though. "Then what are you worried about, Cole? Even if there are military personnel left at Bremerton or Everett, it's not like they are going to get on a ship and come here to invade!"

He leaned back in his chair. "The military is better prepared to handle this event than the civilian population. With underground bunkers, hangars, and command facilities, I have no idea how many remain. I was shocked at how many I found here when we took over, so I can't assume other forces aren't available."