Endangered Species Ch. 33-40

There was a knock on the door. "Alphas? The Council has reached a decision. They've asked us to gather everyone, human and werewolf, in the dining hall."

"We'd better get dressed and find out."

"I'll take a quick shower," I said as I sat up.

"No. Better for the others to smell us this way." We put our clothes back and headed out to hear his fate.

Ch. 35

It wasn't just Lois and the guards waiting outside. Ted was next to his mate, and the Lead Warrior brought another two guards with him. The males and the Lead Warrior pair led the way, then us. The two female guards covered our rear. "Why the extra security?"

"The Council wanted everyone in the dining area. We've verified all the guests are there, but pulling our guards makes us vulnerable. The Alphas only brought a small part of their Packs with them, and you two are the primary targets. I had all the entrances locked down. Better to be safe than sorry, and you weren't replying to our sends," Ted replied.

"Sorry," Cole said. "We were busy."

"Yeah, busy," I mumbled. My body was still twitching from the sex, but this was embarrassing. Every werewolf in that room, and most of the women, would know what Cole and I just did. Privacy didn't exist in a Pack, not with super hearing and smell. When the door to the packed dining room opened, the talking stopped. Cole had my hand, and we walked through the crowd together. I kept my head high, ignoring the smiles and exaggerated sniffs from the tables we passed.

Our escort headed to the walls as we reached the front. Alpha Trent stood up, gesturing for Cole to sit at the small table across from their longer one. "Alpha Summers, as you are not on trial, you will take the seat on my far right."

The tables were set up so people in the room could see everyone. The Alpha Council sat in judgment to their right side, the accuser and defendant to their left at different tables. Our guards followed us, taking positions along the walls behind our seats. My chair was at the narrow end of the table, facing the audience, not my mate. Alpha Trent was in the center position, with Alpha Willam on his left and Alpha Brian on his right. His accuser, Alpha Edward, sat at the farthest table from the audience, about ten feet away from Alpha Cole. I didn't like the look on his face. It was like he knew what was coming, and he liked it.

Alpha Trent stood up, and the room went silent. "Charges were filed with the Pacific Northwest Alpha Council by Alpha Edward, alleging the treatment of human captives was not in compliance with established law."

"DAMN RIGHT! THAT FUCKER KILLED MY FAMILY AND PLANNED TO RAPE ME!" It was one of my humans who refused to stay here.

"I will tolerate no interruptions," Alpha Trent said. He gave a signal, and people moved in to subdue the human. Anyone who got in the way got hit with a stun gun. A minute later, she was bound and gagged but remained in the room. "Alpha Cole Chapman of the Brinnon Pack, do you dispute the charges filed against you by Alpha Edward are true and correct?"

"I do not dispute the charges, sir."

"Very well. The Council accepts the no-contest plea and moves on to the punishment phase of the hearing. Alpha Edward, do you have anything to say before the sentencing?"

"I do, Alpha," he said as he stood up. "For centuries, our kind has lived in harmony with the natives and humans. We were able to do this because of our laws, which are both simple and strict. We don't reveal our secrets. Yes, there are exceptions for the human mates we find, as well as those who we accept and take the change. Alpha Cole knew these laws, yet in his attack on this base, he chose to do so with some of his people fighting in wolf form. If he had wiped all the humans out, we would tell him he was foolish, but he would not be under charges."

So far, no one has directly mentioned the werewolf 'change or die' rule, and I wondered why. It was the heart of the charges, yet it was danced around, even by Edward. I hoped it was because they listened to me and wanted to give all the humans every chance to accept a Werewolf future. The humans in the room didn't like his direction either; they'd surrendered, and then Cole's people had murdered the males. They expected this to be the mistreatment of the human captives he'd admitted to, and it wasn't. Some wouldn't care what the charge was as long as Cole got punished.

"That was not the case, and his reckless actions threatened us all. You cannot violate the Law, then argue that the Law is wrong and needs to be changed. There was time, and we had a process for changing them that he did not use. These acts were intentional violations of known laws, Alphas. He should pay the ultimate price for his arrogance and recklessness."

He sat down as Alpha Trent called for silence. "Alpha Cole?"

"Thank you, Alpha Trent." He got up and moved in front of the table, taking center stage. "I don't need to tell anyone that the past few weeks' events are without precedent. Walk outside the fence of this base, and it's a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Maybe one or two percent of the population is still alive, and those people are living with NO rules." He paused, looking out at the women in the audience. Some had accepted they were better off here, but not all. "It isn't a walk in the park for the Packs, either. If you didn't have and use a suitable underground shelter, Pack members DIED. The Brinnon Pack didn't have the facilities to survive, but we knew where to find them, and I took decisive action to ensure our survival. We know the Renfro Pack lost half its members, and Alpha Max tried to kill my mate to facilitate taking over MY pack. I did a lot I'm not proud of, and my mate was thorough in her analysis of my failings." There was laughter at this from my Pack members, and I had to bite my lip to avoid a laugh. "I did what I thought was best for my Pack and our species, as is the responsibility of ALL Alphas. There are twenty-one males who found a mate among those I kept alive. Packs not represented here today may find more. Luna has honored my choice, Alphas. You should do the same." He returned to his chair.

Alpha Trent turned to me. "Alpha Summers, as the only Alpha not on the tribunal, do you have anything to say?"

Shit. I didn't know I had a speaking part! I quickly stood and smoothed my dress down. "I do, Alphas. Everyone knows I do not condone what happened to the women here, including my treatment when I first arrived. Alpha Cole went too far, but he wasn't too proud or stubborn to listen to logic and change his course. The humans are better off here than they would be outside the fence. They are better off as werewolves than as humans. That is why we are educating them so they are comfortable volunteering to take the change. Finally, they are better off with me leading the Brinnon Pack by Cole's side after we mate. Thank you."

Alpha Trent nodded as I sat down. "The Tribunal will be in recess for ten minutes." He banged the gavel, then we all stood while the three Alphas filed out.

Lois and the guards came to my side right away. They stayed between Alpha Edward and me as we met Cole on center stage. "That wasn't what I expected," I said.

"I think it's going well." He didn't want to say much, so I wrapped my arms around him and relaxed into his big body. My wolf hadn't made herself known to me yet, but my heart was at peace. Right here was where I needed to be, and I couldn't wait to finish the change and the bond. I listened to his heartbeat and soaked in his scent as the tingles ran through my body.

All too soon, we had to return to our seats. The three Alphas called Cole forward to hear his sentence. He was escorted not by our Lead Warrior but by warriors from Packs headed by Tribunal members. He stopped about ten feet from the table, hands behind his back. Alpha Trent was reading from a card with his fate on it. "Alpha Cole Chapman, you have been found guilty of multiple violations of Werewolf Law. As the highest ranking member of a Pack, such violations cannot be tolerated. We must set an example here to ensure other Alphas don't treat the Law as cavalierly as you have. As your fellow Alphas, it is our duty, as distasteful as this affair may be. Alpha Chapman, you are stripped of your rank and sentenced to death. Said sentence to be carried out immediately." He banged the gavel to end the proceeding.

My jaw dropped in shock. I started to stand, but I could not react before the men behind Cole did.

Pistols came out, shots rang out, and I felt blood spraying over me as I screamed.

Ch. 36

It was like everything was moving in slow motion.

The guards behind Cole started drawing their pistols as the Tribunal announced its verdict. By the time Alpha Trent said, "Immediately," their guns were pointing at the back of Cole's head.

He never had a chance. Two shots nearly in unison from less than a foot away to the base of his skull. The bullets tore through his head, exiting his face in a spray of blood and brain matter. I watched in shock as his body dropped to the ground.

I barely heard the screams from the audience or Alpha Trent banging on the gavel for order. My vision suddenly turned as red as the blood that covered my face. I felt something rising within me, something primal, bringing fury and violence with it as I stood up. My hands went under my dress sleeve, emerging in a second with a silver throwing knife in each hand.

I wanted the blood of Alphas on my teeth.

My chair fell back as I stood, and Alpha Brian was closest. I let out a roar and gathered my body to attack. Instead, someone crashed into me from behind, knocking me face-down onto the end of the long table. More people jumped on me, grabbing my wrists and twisting me until I dropped the knives. "NO! I'LL KILL THESE FUCKERS!"

"You can't, Alpha. Not now," Lois whispered into my ear. "DOC!"

The three pulled me from the table and slammed me to the floor. "Hold that head still, dammit," Doctor Laura said. I caught a glimpse of her bringing a syringe closer. I felt the poke in my neck, followed by the chilled sensation of the chemical entering my bloodstream. Seconds later, everything went black.

"Wake up, Alpha," I heard.

It was like swimming up from the darkness, but my mind started to clear. I opened my eyes to see the drop-ceiling and recessed lighting of the infirmary. I tried to lift my hands to cover my eyes from the bright light but found them cuffed to the bed rails. I turned my head to the side and saw Lois sitting by my bed. "Cole?"

"I'm sorry, Angela. He's dead."

The memories of that moment came flooding back, and I heard someone screaming as my eyes filled with tears. It took a second to realize that it was me making that noise and another few seconds for it to stop. Half of my soul ripped away, and only the pain remained. It wasn't just my human side, reacting to the death of a man I was growing to love. I sensed the raw, animal anger deep inside that was not mine. "Why?"

"He was found guilty and sentenced, Alpha. It is our way. There is no appeal." Tears were in her eyes, and her voice was uneven. "I'm sorry."

More of the memories flooded my mind. "You stopped me."

"We did, Alpha. My assignment was to protect you. Not only would an attack against any of the Council members fail, but attacking the tribunal is illegal. If Alpha Brian didn't kill you, you would have been tried and executed ten minutes later."

"But I'm not a werewolf," I objected.

"Your bite means you are no longer human," she answered. "Your wolf is inside you, and we could sense it coming out. It wanted blood, so we HAD to stop you."

The door opened, and Doctor Laura came to my bedside, looking at the monitors. "How are you feeling, Alpha Summers?"

"I'm mad as hell," I replied. "You drugged me!"

"I did. You were out of control, and it was the only way to stop an early shift that might kill you. It was enough to knock you out for a few hours. It won't have any lingering effects."

That took some of the anger away. "And you just happened to have a needle ready?"

She nodded. "I had several, as does my nurse. We have a lot of women going through the fever now. If someone starts going nuts, it's better to knock them out than to have them hurt themselves or others."

"And me?"

She felt my forehead. "They are starting. Your fever will continue to climb over the next few hours. By tonight, you'll be delirious." She took a few more minutes examining me before telling me everything was proceeding as expected.

"Can you take these things off now?"

"Not a good idea just yet," she said. "I'll check on you in an hour or so." She walked out and left me wondering why she thought I was still dangerous.

I'd calmed down, right?

So why were they still worried?

"What aren't you telling me, Lois? What happened after I left?"

She shook her head. "I didn't catch it all because we were busy getting you out of the damn room, and the place was going nuts. You can't kill the host Alpha in front of his entire Pack and not get a reaction."

"Then who is going to tell me?"

The door opened, and Beta Mark Chapman entered with his mate, Beta Kelly. "I'm here to fill you in, Alpha Summers."

"What happened to my Pack, Beta?"

He looked at his mate, then at me. It wasn't good news. "The Brinnon Pack isn't yours, Alpha. Yes, you were my cousin's mate, but you hadn't completed the mating or taken your place by his side as his Luna. Under Werewolf law, Melanie was still the acting Luna, and I was second in command. When your mate died, I became the Brinnon Pack Alpha. All of the Brinnon wolves and humans became our responsibility. You are still an Alpha, but only of the Renfro pack. Even that is titular since your wolf hasn't emerged, and they haven't submitted to you yet."

Just like that, I was out. I'd risked everything to improve my girls' lives, and suddenly, they aren't my problem? "What of our agreement? What happens to the human women who haven't taken the bite?"

Kelly had tears running down her face as she answered. "The Council made several rulings about them. The ones taking the change had their membership in the Brinnon Pack voided. The Council ruled women couldn't choose an Alpha until their wolves were out."

"Of course they did," I muttered.

"It's worse than that," Mark continued. "To punish Brinnon Pack for their offenses against the humans, no human will be allowed to join Brinnon unless they find a mate among the Pack. I can't bring in males or females who are not mates anymore."

Holy shit! "And those who want to stay here?"

"They are not allowed to stay," Mark replied. "They must choose among the other Packs and go there. That is something I needed to talk about with you. You know you have two Pack members who traveled here with Alpha Max?"

I nodded. "Ty Springer found his mate Jeri and bit her an hour later. She's changing with the others in the first group. Oscar Wild is still single."

The pair nodded. "I need to know if you intend to keep the Renfro Pack or turn it over to another Alpha."

"Why would I do that?"

He let out a breath. "You are in a precarious position right now, Angela. You haven't shifted."

"Surely I can't be challenged during my shift! Doc says the fevers have begun!"

"No, and you won't have Cole to fight in your place. The others will wait to see how powerful your wolf is when she emerges. Any Alpha or a Beta could challenge you if she appears weak. Your challenger is likely to be more dominant, bigger, and have years of fighting experience. You fight, and you will die. You concede the challenge and give up the Pack and your place in it."

"What would happen then?"

"You would become rogue. No Alpha wants an Alpha female around unless it's his mate, and none of the Packs have openings at the high ranks. It's a lonely life, usually ending in madness and death."

"Is there another option?"

He nodded. "You need to get out of here before the other Alphas find out what is going on. I am having a vehicle prepared, one of our functional armored Humvees. We sneak you out while the others are eating dinner, and you make your way to Renfro and take control of your Pack."

I liked this idea better than dying in a day or two. "I'd still be weaker than them. Plus, I'll be out of it with the fevers tonight! How the hell do I get through that on the road? Don't I need an Alpha to help me through the change?"

He nodded. "That's why they won't expect us to move you so soon. I'll tell everyone you have the fever, and no one will check in on you. Ted and Lois will arrange the logistics, get you past the guards, and drive you out of here."

I looked over at Lois. "What does that mean for you? You guys are Lead Warriors here!"

Lois had tears in her eyes. "We won't be returning. We'd be joining your Pack after your shift if you'll have us."

"Of course I will," I said as tears filled my eyes. I wanted to reach over to my guard and comfort her, but my hands were still bound. "Can you take these off?"

"Not yet," Mark said.

I thought about making a run through the kind of territory I'd seen with a single vehicle. A driver and a wolf riding shotgun would be vulnerable as it was too easy to block a road and set an ambush. "Who else is going?"

"That depends on what you want to do about the human females, Angela. I suggest you leave Warrior Ty here while his mate changes. I can help her through it, and he can be your 'recruiter.' I think many women will prefer to have you as their Alpha. After what they saw today, I doubt they'll trust anyone but me, and Brinnon isn't an option anymore. That is if you want them."

"Of course I do," I said. My head was spinning; part of the reason Alpha Max attacked me was that his Pack was down to half its strength and wasn't positioned well for survival. "If Renfro was dying before, how can it survive with a new Alpha and dozens of new wolves? Lois will be overwhelmed!"

"I know. You'll take Warrior Oscar with you, and I'd like to send Melanie too. She can be your pseudo-Luna and help you and your Pack learn how to function. You have to assume control of the Pack, find a new location for them, and gather enough supplies to survive. "

"I'll need help."

"I know. You'll take Warrior Oscar with you, and I'd like to send Melanie too. She can be your pseudo-Luna and help you and your Pack learn how to function."

Melanie? Wow. "Don't you need her here?"

He shook his head. "Alpha Edward has already challenged me for Brinnon Pack, Angela. I think his plan all along was to get Cole removed, then challenge me when I replace him. The Council gave me a day to prepare, but I'm not sure I'll win. Melanie is an unmated Alpha who doesn't want to risk falling under Edward's rule. She wants to go with you."

Damn, we were practically going to be Amazons with the number of women in our Pack! "I'd love to have her, Mark. Once things settle down after you kick Edward's ass, she can return if she wants." I rattled my cuffs again. "That was a lot to take in, but it's not worth keeping me shackled, is it?"

Kelly looked like she'd rather be anywhere else, and Mark didn't want to say it either. "It's the humans who haven't taken the bite," Kelly said softly.

"What about them?"

"The Council ruled they have twenty-four hours to take the bite. It's a voluntary change, or else."

I felt a chill run through me. "Or else what?"

"A bullet in the back of the head. The Council told them that was their choice."

I was seeing red again, and those cuffs came in handy after all.

Ch. 37

Mark and Kelly apologized and left while I was still fuming. After everything I'd done for the women, to have the freaking Council do this? Yes, they would take the change to stay alive, but they would resent us for forcing it on them. They would resent us for forcing them to leave this place and go with people they didn't know or trust.