Endangered Species Ch. 25-32

I rolled my eyes. "We're living deep underground in BUNKERS, and you have tons of weapons, Cole. They'd be fools to attack us."

"True. The two females would provide good intelligence on our locations, defenses, and numbers. Since we told them everything about werewolf capabilities, they can pass that along too. Will the military believe it?"

"I didn't believe it until I saw it," I said.

"If they don't, they will gather whatever they can assemble for forces and attack as soon as possible. You know this, Angela. This base holds nuclear weapons and Trident missiles. It cannot be allowed to remain in hostile hands, and my Pack already proved itself hostile."

I thought about that. "Those two knew a lot. They will convince them of the existence of werewolves and the number of civilians held here. Those two pieces of information should hold off an attack."

Cole nodded. "Let's say they believe everything they hear. That is even worse." I didn't follow, so he got up and led me to the map of the base in his office. "We are more than thirty feet underground, in reinforced bunkers under feet of concrete. The entrance door, you saw it?"

I nodded. "It was several feet of steel armor."

"Artillery won't work, and a ground assault won't have a way in without a shitload of explosives. They'd have to surround the place and wait us out."

"We'll wait THEM out," I replied. "The women will tell them how many supplies we've stockpiled in the storage bunkers and how long we can last. They could never lay siege to us long enough to force us out."

He smiled at that. "Exactly. The Generals will know we are dug in like a tick, and they don't have the people, resources, or time to take the base back. Guess what happens when they realize that?"

"They leave us alone?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "They can't leave a hostile force on US soil with nuclear weapons. Fires ravage the surrounding area; few humans remain. No, they send off a message to your friends on the Maine with targeting instructions. A single Trident missile would take care of their problem."

My eyes got wide. "They wouldn't use a nuclear weapon on United States soil!"

Instead of arguing, he just looked at me. I looked at the base, then the surrounding area. Tridents could carry variable-yield weapons, meaning they could dial it down from city-flattening to bunker-busting. The other warheads on the Trident missile could be programmed not to explode and directed into the deep ocean off the coast. If Russia or China saw the launch, they'd think we'd gone mad. Would the President order a base in the Continental USA nuked?

Cole wasn't wrong. The option would be on the table. "We have to establish direct contact, then. Perhaps if we allow someone inside to verify the nuclear weapons are intact and sealed off? Maybe even let them take the warheads away?"

"That's suicide, Angela, and you know it. The one thing we have going for us right now is that the base is dark. No one knows we are here. THAT keeps us safe, and we will keep it that way." He reached out for my hand. "I'm sorry about those women, but you have to see I had no choice. Not under Werewolf Law, and not for the future of the Pack." I relaxed into the tingles of his touch, and he moved his hand up to cup my cheek. "I love you, Angela. I hope you can find a way to forgive me, just like I forgive you for what you did."

My head was spinning with everything I'd learned. "I hope so, Cole. I can't be with someone I can't trust, and we haven't been honest with each other. The damned mating pull keeps trying to make things happen before our relationship can get there."

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "It is our way. Once you take the change and we fully mate, our minds and souls will combine in a way you can't imagine. You'll start thinking about the Pack first, just like me."

"I can't, Cole. Not now. Not until I've made sure my females are taken care of first. It's the way I lead." I stepped back from him, letting go of his hand. "What now?"

"You need to speak to the unchanged humans before breakfast," Cole replied. "You have time as they will eat after we've cleared the other wolves out of the dining hall. I want them isolated from other wolves all day; I expect we'll have more Packs showing up who want to see them."

"And that needs to be controlled," I replied.

"Exactly. One line after dinner, no matter how many show up. Melanie and I will be busy greeting the new arrivals and supervising the turns."

I thought about the timing. "They have the fevers, right?"

"Yes. The first turns should happen late today, continuing through tomorrow. It will keep us all busy, as I'm not used to doing more than one human at a time."

It sounded risky. Until the women became wolves, they were my responsibility. "How are you handling it?"

"I'll be in there when I can. Melanie will cover for me if I have to leave for Pack business. Doc has a large group to care for them as they struggle with the change."

I nodded. "I'd like to see it."

He reached for my hand. "It's too dangerous, and I need you with the unchanged women. The ones determined to leave won't like the news you give them. They may band together in an escape attempt. We both know how that will end."

Not well. "How do I head that off?"

He shrugged, as we both knew there were no good answers to this. "We're going to have every unmated male in the Pacific Northwest here, and they may be someone's mate. The Council won't let them go until they decide my fate for taking them captive. The potential for payback should keep them in place until after the Council meeting. Do what you can to convince them to take the change."

"I'll need your help," I replied. "Some will never forgive you and will never stay here. Those women need to hear from the other Alphas about their Packs. Having a choice about their future is a good thing. The Alphas can look at it as a recruiting visit; they just can't let on that it is a 'change or die' choice no matter where they go."

"I can do that. Go, I have to get to breakfast."

I didn't kiss him goodbye, and I could sense his hurt as I walked away. Lois walked me to the isolated barracks for the unchanged females. "I need to be alone with them," I told her when we reached the door.

"I'm responsible for your safety, and some won't be happy with the news," she objected.

I tapped my knives. "Good thing I've got these, then." She unlocked the door and let me in, locking it behind me. I'm sure she didn't move from the door, staying with the guards in case of trouble. I wouldn't be shocked if she kept her ear to the door to listen in.

The meeting didn't go well for me. The core group of people who wanted out RIGHT NOW didn't like being told 'no,' and didn't care to stick around to find a mate they didn't want. I explained that the Pack had to stay here until after the Council meeting, and nothing could change until then.

Four Alphas arrived during the dark hours, bringing up to sixteen unmated males each. With each arrival, Lois brought me to stand with Cole for the greeting. Two were from the Olympic Peninsula, Alpha Brian from the Beaver Pack and Alpha Trent from the Port Angeles Pack. Alpha William was from the Port Renfrew pack on Vancouver Island. Finally, Alpha Max was from the Renfro Pack near Mount Rainier. His was the smallest Pack, down over half their members in the first week after the solar storm, and only had two unmated males left.

Alpha Max requested to walk me back to my quarters after the introduction while Cole returned to the women changing. "I'm sure whatever you want to discuss can be done over dinner," I countered.

"I'd prefer a little privacy for this discussion, and the head table seems rather crowded," Max replied.

"Lois goes with you," Cole said before he kissed me goodbye.

Lois followed a few steps behind as I led Max towards the unmated area. We had made a turn into an empty hallway. "How can I help you?"

"It's difficult for me to admit, but my Pack was unprepared for what happened. Their deaths are on my head."

I stopped, turning to him and putting my hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. None of us expected what happened!"

"It's still my fault," he whispered. Lois moved closer, her face showing she didn't like the closeness to an Alpha who wasn't my mate. "Our Pack has nothing like this. Our shelter isn't big enough, and we don't have the supplies you do."

"What are you going to do?"

He relaxed, shrugging his shoulders, then spun towards Lois. A right cross to the temple dropped her like a stone before she knew what was happening. He checked to make sure she was out as I backed away. He looked at me from his knees, and a feral grin crossed his face. "I'm going to take Cole's Pack. He can't stop me once you're dead."

I screamed for help as he shifted, his clothes tearing as skin turned to fur. His wolf came to my shoulders, and his teeth were long and dripping with saliva.

Max shook his fur out and growled. He took two steps before he leaped for my throat.

Ch. 30

"HELP!" I barely got the word out before Max's wolf was on me. His jaws went high, so I dropped underneath. I avoided the bite, but his lower body knocked me flying. One of his paws scratched across my left shoulder, tearing my blue dress apart.

I rolled, reaching under the thin sleeve of my left arm and removing one of my silver-plated throwing knives while I got back on one knee. I heard an angry howl behind me as I pulled it free from the sheath. There was no time to throw it; Max was back on his feet and attacking again. This time, he didn't have to leave his feet. I had no choice; I raised my left arm to protect my neck. Max's wolf clamped down on my forearm, his big teeth ripping through flesh and crunching bone. I screamed again as I brought my right hand up. I buried the knife to the hilt in the wolf's chest.

Max let go of my arm, howling in pain as he fell to the side. His movement twisted the thin knife from my hand, so I left it buried between his ribs. I could hear wolves approaching fast, and so could Max. My left arm was a mess, so I reached under my skirt and grabbed another knife from that sheath. As Max came for my neck, I punched with my right hand. I buried the knife into his left eye.

The wolf knocked me over, landing heavily on my chest. My head hit the floor hard, making me see stars. I couldn't see anything, and I could barely breathe. I couldn't push the wolf off me with my one good arm, and I couldn't roll out from underneath.

I started to panic.

Seconds later, the wolf was gone, replaced by a furious and naked Cole. I saw Max hit the wall ten feet away and drop bonelessly to the floor. A bloodstain marked the impact.

"Angela? Baby?" Cole was kneeling over me, his fury replaced by his worry. "You'll be fine. Help is on the way."

I didn't feel that way! All I could do was groan in pain. My left arm was on fire from the bite, blood was spraying from the wound, and my head was still spinning. I tried to lift my head, and my stomach flipped. I turned my head to the side just in time to projectile vomit all over Cole's feet. To his credit, Cole didn't get out of the way or yell at me for the mess. Instead, my mate pulled my hair out of the way and held my shoulders until I stopped retching.

"I'm going to set you back down, baby. There's blood on the back of your head, and I don't want you going into shock."

Pack members flooded the hallway, but they made a hole for Doctor Pine. She went to the clean side of me, setting her bag down. "Damn, he did a job on you," she said as she tore open a battle dressing. "Cole, after I put this in place, elevate her arm and apply pressure to reduce the bleeding." She placed the big bandage over the top of my forearm. I screamed in pain as Cole started pressing down while Doc tied it in place.

"The Alpha is dead," Beta Mark called out.

"Good riddance," Cole grumbled. "Where's the stretcher?"

"It's on the way," Doc replied. She had a penlight out and was flashing it in my eyes. "Angela, did you lose consciousness?"

"I don't think so," I mumbled.

"Good. I'm going to apply a neck brace, just in case. You've got a concussion, and you might have whiplash."

I jerked at a sudden thought. "Help Lois! Max knocked the shit out of her."

"She's being taken care of, Luna. Relax and let us do our jobs." I heard a gurney rolling our way. One of the Omegas came with a towel, and I felt her wiping my vomit out of the way so they could work. Another Omega handed Cole a towel to clean off his legs before putting on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.

I didn't see much but the ceiling and Doctor Pine after that. A thick orange collar went around my neck to lock my chin forward. They held me in place as they rolled me to the side, then onto the backboard. Four people lifted me onto the gurney while Cole held my arm up, still pressing down on the wound.

I had to close my eyes as they wheeled me to the infirmary. The lights and the ceiling flying by made me nauseous. Thankfully, my stomach was empty. Cole stayed on my arm, promising me everything would be all right. "I'm going to change," I said as they transferred me to the examining table.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Angela. I wanted you to choose this life, to want to be with me, and now you don't have that anymore. I failed, my love. I've known Alpha Max my entire life; my father considered him his closest ally. I knew that he's had a rough time of it, but I didn't know how bad until now."

Doctor Pine inserted an IV needle into my right arm. "I'll have to put you under to repair the hole in your artery," she told me.

I didn't have much time to relay what Max said to me before the attack. "He told me he blames himself for the deaths in his Pack, that he didn't prepare adequately."

"I didn't prepare enough, Angela. If I'd been a better Alpha, I wouldn't have had to take over this base," Cole admitted.

"Max said he needed to kill me to get to you," I said as the drugs started to hit. "With you weak, he could kill you and take over the Pack, take over this base. He said they couldn't survive in his territory."

Cole nodded at that. "It almost worked," he said. "Max lost his mate that first day. He could never beat me straight up, so he had to bring me down to his level. I think he hoped he'd find another mate among the women here."

"Your Goddess should never reward... murder...."

I dropped into a dreamless sleep.

I didn't know where I was at first. I couldn't open my eyes, no matter how hard I tried. I could hear a machine beeping, along with a soft snore. The tingles shooting up from my right hand told me it was Cole.

I relaxed into the feeling, gathering strength with each passing minute. When I got my eyes open, the room was dark. I moved my head to the right, seeing the heart monitor and Cole's shaggy black hair. He was by my hospital bed with his head on my right forearm. I could feel his fingers in mine below my IV tube. I turned my head to look at my injured arm. It was wrapped in gauze with a rigid brace over it. It ached, but it was warm and tingly. I remembered how badly that wolf had chewed it up, but it didn't hurt now.

I looked at the IV bottle over my bed and wondered what kind of drugs were in it.

I squeezed Cole's fingers a couple of times before he squeezed back. His head lifted off my arm, and his eyes locked in mine. "You're awake."

"Yeah," I whispered. "Am I?"

"The Doctor is coming," he replied.

Sure enough, the door opened, and Doc Pine came in. She checked my vitals, asked about my pain, and tested finger dexterity and grip strength. "What's the verdict," I asked.

"You got chewed up pretty good, but most of the damage was on the top of your forearm. The knife and sheath kept the lower jaw from doing much. Even with that, you had lacerations to the bone, a punctured artery, and your ulna bone fractured in three places. If you remained human, these injuries would take months to heal, and the nerve damage might be permanent. Since you will become a werewolf, it's already healing. I'll take that brace and wrapping off in a few more hours to check the progress."

"And after that?"

"You won't even have a scar," she promised. "Everything is proceeding as expected. I should be able to release you before breakfast, but your fevers could start as early as dinnertime."

"Thank you," I said.

"It's my pleasure, Luna Angela."

"I'm not the Luna." She just smiled and walked out of the room.

I looked over to Cole. "How will the Council see this?"

"Their investigation is ongoing, and they've interviewed everyone but you," he replied. "Now that you're awake? Expect them to show up soon."

"What should I tell them?"

"The truth. I told the Pack to answer all questions honestly, without hiding anything. Too many people know what I did and what our Pack did. It's up to me to justify those actions, not you."

"Even to me?"

"Especially to you." He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "They're here. I'll be waiting outside."

He left, and three Alphas walked in.

Ch. 31

I unloaded on those three men, and by the time I finished my story? They were reeling.

I don't think they knew just how big a fight they had to take this base from the Navy and Marine Corps. Most of them had hunkered down for a week or more after the solar flare. By the time they emerged, the humans around them were dead and dying. The men and women defending this place were at full strength.

They heard about Breeders from one who had been there. I told them about meeting Cole, my fight to protect the humans, and his betrayal of me by killing those women he 'freed.' I finished by describing Alpha Max's attack. "He thought he could waltz in here and take what he hadn't earned," I told them. "He thought I was weak and helpless. He was wrong, and it cost him his life."

"You killed an Alpha," Brian said evenly.

"He was trying to kill me at the time. He knocked out my guard with one punch, shifted, and attacked. If not for my knives, I'd be dead right now." The three men kept staring at me like I was an idiot or something. "What?"

Alpha William was the first to speak. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Alpha Trent leaned over and put his hand over mine. "Alpha Max fought you in single combat and lost. Under Werewolf law, that makes you the new Alpha of the Renfro Pack."

"You're shitting me." They looked as serious as a heart attack. "I'm not even a werewolf!"

Alpha Trent pointed to my arm. "Yes, you are."

I rolled my eyes at that. "I'm not an Alpha."

"Yes, you ARE," he replied. "You kill an Alpha, and you become one."

"What if Alpha Max had killed me? What would have happened then? Would he be the new Alpha of Brinnon Pack?"

Trent shook his head. "No, because you were still human at the time. Cole might challenge him in response, but that's it."

"No punishment for attacking me?"

Alpha William shook his head. "Until now, you've been a human who knows of our kind and hasn't accepted the change. Killing you would violate Cole's hospitality, but not werewolf law."

"And if I didn't kill him?"

William laughed at that. "Then we would. Forced turns of humans ARE against the law."

I raised my good hand in half a 'what the fuck' expression. "So killing me would be fine, but biting my arm would be death? Do any of you see how stupid that is?"

William shrugged at that. "It's always been that way."

"I'm just saying, maybe your ways need to change a little? You saw what the world has become up there." I walked them through the same mathematical exercise I'd done with Cole and his leadership about humans. "Every one of you brought your unmated males along in the hope that you'd see the same thing that the Quinalt Pack did. A month ago, I could have gathered two hundred plus human females in a room, and you'd be shocked if ONE was a mate of any of your men. I found Cole. Quinalt Pack found EIGHT. I'm pretty sure I slept through the festivities tonight, so what was the outcome?"