Missing Ch. 01-10

"Ready?" I nodded my head. He pressed a button on the timer, and I heard a beep. "GO!"

I took off into the woods to the west, racing my way away from the road. Last night, I'd talked with my Pack members and the Baxter trackers about my strategy. "You're the fastest wolf remaining," one told me. "There's not much in the way of water or physical barriers out there. Use your speed to get as far away as you can, then spend the last fifteen or twenty minutes laying false trails and looking for a place to hide."

That's what I did. I changed directions a dozen times, sometimes doubling back a little until I heard the first beep that told me I had fifteen minutes left. I started leaving false trails while looking for a decent place to hide.

The place I decided on wasn't the best. It was under the roots of a knocked-over pine tree, where the recent rains had left a muddy depression. I ran on for a few hundred yards, laying out three false trails before coming back along the same trail. I leaped fifteen feet left into the hole, my body landing with a splat. I rolled in the mud and muck, coating myself with a thick coat of the strong-smelling soil before carefully picking my way back in the direction of the pine.

I had one last trick up my sleeve; the rules assumed we would remain in wolf form but had no prohibitions. I found a rock and jumped to the top of it, shifting back to my human body. I then jumped up and grabbed a branch, climbing the tree and making my way to the downwind side. My collar beeped the five-minute warning as I scraped the hell out of myself on the trees. I managed to get four trees away before wedging myself into a V-notch thirty feet up. Pine tar and mud still covered my skin, and hopefully, that would be enough.

The collar gave its 'times up' tone, and I settled into the tree. "Now I wait," I sent to Sean. "I need to keep my heart rate down and not make any noise."

"That's fine," he replied. "Have you given any more thought to where you want to go to school?"

"Near Fort Bragg to start," I replied. "I can go to a community college there while you are in training. When you get assigned to a unit, we can figure out what to do next."

"You could always stay here. My parents would love to have you around."

"I don't want to be away from you more than the Army requires," I sent back. "You'll be deployed often enough."

Neither of us looked forward to the long periods apart we faced soon after finding each other. "My parents told me they'll help us pay for an apartment off-base until we can get married," he said. "Once we get married, I get a housing allowance, and you'll be able to come on the post. It's going to take a few months to get everything approved, though." The military didn't move fast on anything. "Luckily, Criminal Justice is a common degree at community colleges."

"And I can finish the two-year degree and the Academy by the time your Army commitment is up in three years," I told him.

"Your new Alphas will help you get a job here any way they can."

They had already offered support, knowing the advantages of embedding Pack members in critical positions in the area. One of the Beta's kids, new Penobscot County Deputy Sheriff Troy Hardman, had encouraged her to apply. He said law enforcement agencies had already hired every female in his training class before it started. Half of the men were paying tuition on their own, hoping it would land them a job. That's what happens with the pressures for a diverse workforce in a male-dominated field.

The timing was tight, but it could work. I could get my degree, do the first two phases of the police training over the summers, and go to the Academy in the first year after getting hired. I didn't even have to be a US Citizen, which would take at least three years after we get married. I could apply for permanent resident status in the meantime. "Figures they'd tell the Irish kid to become a cop," I teased.

"You'll have to support me while I'm going to school," he teased back. That was the plan; he'd leave active duty and return to the Baxter Pack when his enlistment was up. We'd both get established in our careers and maybe look to adopt when we had our own home.

We talked for a while longer about our plans, stopping when my ears picked up the sound of paws hitting the forest floor. "Dante is getting closer," I told him.

"Just relax, baby. He has to find you still." I focused on keeping my breathing relaxed and not moving as he got closer. I spotted him through the trees as he passed the downed pine. Dante's wolf was black with three white socks, a little taller than me at the shoulder but twice my weight. Now that the race part was over, I prayed to Luna he'd bite on the false trails long enough to time out.

I wasn't so lucky. The wolf returned a few minutes later, sniffing around before making a wide circle with his nose up. Dammit! Instead of following the trail, he was air-scenting for the smell I was giving off while I hid. I could only hope the mud and pine scents would cover me enough to avoid discovery.

Dante froze downwind of me, turning and following the scent trail towards my tree. It didn't take long after that for him to spot me.

Dante shifted and pressed the stop button on his timer. "I've found you, Bonnie. Come on down." He shifted to his wolf and walked back to the main trail. I climbed down and changed, and then we ran together back to the start of the race.

I went to my clothes pile as he sat in front of the officials. "One hour, six minutes, twenty-eight seconds," the man announced. "Nice time."

"Bonnie is fast, but experience won out," he said confidently.

I waited until he dressed and then joined them by the bus. I was disappointed in myself; I hadn't been as clever as I thought. I was going to need a lot of luck to win this thing.

We ate lunch, then started the second round at noon. The judge set a second timer on my collar before sending me after Dante. "If the alarm goes off, you've gone longer than he did, and you've lost," he told me. "No point in continuing after that, so howl and call him in. Good luck, kid."

I raced into the woods, eager to track down the Champion.

It was a humbling experience. Dante didn't run far or in straight lines. Instead, he made long loops, crossing over his trail in multiple places along with backtracking. I finally gave up, setting out in a wide circle, hoping to pick up his air scent. The alarm went off before I picked it up. I let out a howl, and he answered from a lot closer than I expected. His wolf smirked at me, and I followed him back to the starting point with my tail down.

"Winner, Tracker Dante Miller," the judge announced. We both changed and turned in our collars before loading onto the bus. I sat in the back, dejected.

Dante sat with me after we'd gone a few miles. "You've got talent, Bonnie, more than I've seen in any young tracker in my life. You still have a chance to take the Bronze Medal and make history tomorrow."

"Not if I perform like today," I said.

"Then learn from your mistakes and do better. Let's go through what happened and see where you can improve."

We spent the whole drive back analyzing the day, and he taught me a ton. "Why are you helping me?"

"This is my last competition, Bonnie. I've been following the team competitions, and I know the Dublin Pack has a shot at a medal. My Pack is out of that race. I've met your old Alpha, and I'm not impressed with him or his egotistical prick of an heir. I'd love to watch Niall stand on the stage and accept a medal that FEMALE helped him win while he contributed ZERO points to the outcome."

I giggled as I thought about that very moment. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will." I didn't see him until the following day when the same people left on the bus for the medal round. Dante won a record third straight gold medal, while I managed to hide long enough for my opponent to time out.

I let out a howl when I realized I'd taken the Bronze Medal. I linked Sean and my Pack mates on the way back, all of them congratulating me over the link.

My smile was a mile wide as I took the podium for the medal ceremony. Everyone was amazed I had done so well in my first real competition.

The team competition was a nail-biter. Beta O'Malley earned points for making the round of sixteen in Unarmed Combat. While I was out tracking, Warrior Keane took a Bronze in Modern Armed Combat. We both wore our medals as we watched Beta George McCoy take Silver in Classical Armed Combat, narrowly losing his final fencing match. Despite a zero in wolf combat, the Dublin Pack finished second overall!

The closing ceremony dinner was a dream. The Medal Winners in each competition were announced and brought to the front, where the Council Chairmen shook their hands and handed them their cash bonuses. Finally, the Pack Medalists were announced and congratulated. The ten grand for my Tracking Bronze and fifteen thousand for my Team Silver would pay for my college.

As soon as dessert finished, Sean rushed to my table and tossed me over his shoulder. I screamed as he carried me out of the room to the laughter of the crowd, all of them knowing our mating would wait no longer.

It was the best day of my life.

Ch. 7

Bonnie (McDonald) Woods' POV

Fort Bragg Main Auditorium, North Carolina

August 6, 1993

"Can you believe Sean's finally done?"

I looked over at Sally, who was almost bouncing as we waited for the graduating soldiers to enter the room. On the other side, George stood holding her hand. He was just as excited but better at hiding it. Me? I was the proudest woman in the room. My Sean had not just made it through the Army's elite Special Forces Qualification Course; he'd distinguished himself. "It's a big step, but he's got a lot more ahead of him," I replied. "Two weeks of leave, then he reports to his unit."

"At least you get to stay at Bragg," George said.

The unique language requirements of the Green Berets, a force designed to work with insurgent forces around the world, drove everything. Sean had a few years of high school Spanish, enough to be conversational. The Army decided he needed to learn Portuguese as well, so he'd picked up essential fluency in that language as well. Sean's Green Beret carried the solid red beret flash of the Seventh Special Forces Group. "And I get to stay in school."

It had taken five months to get the military permission and fiance's visa that I needed to come back to the United States after my tourist visa expired. I had to return to Ireland for most of that time, missing Sean's first half of Special Forces training. Getting married allowed me to apply for the permanent resident status I needed to get a job as a cop. After three years of marriage, I could start the citizenship process.

We'd used my prize money and his military allowances to rent an apartment, and I'd enrolled at Fayetteville Technical Community College in the spring. The college had a 2-year Public Safety program, so I'd graduate in time to find a job in Maine and go through the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program before Sean's military commitment ended.

"Here they come," my father-in-law said as he looked to the doors on the far right side. The crowd of about three hundred family and friends went silent as the class walked in single file in their Class A uniforms. They had received their coveted Green Berets last night at the Regimental Dinner, and the arrowhead insignia of the 1^st Special Forces Command was on his shoulder.

Today's ceremony would award them their graduation certificates and the "SPECIAL FORCES" shoulder tab. Sean had explained the difference last night when he finally got home from dinner. "The Green Beret is a unit symbol. When you aren't serving in a Special Forces group, you don't get to wear it. The shoulder tab recognizes graduation from the Special Forces Qualification Course, and you get to keep it even if you end up outside the Green Berets."

All I knew was that he looked handsome and dangerous in his uniform as they entered the rows of chairs. "I love you, baby. I'm so proud of you."

"I love you too, Bonnie. I don't know how these other guys made it without being able to link their women when things got rough."

I smiled at this; I'd done everything I could to help Sean through the course. His body took a beating during the training, so I learned how to massage his aching muscles and treat his blisters. I encouraged him when he was cold, tired, and demoralized. I also picked up a bit of Portuguese while helping him study for his tests, which might come in handy if we ever went to Rio de Janeiro.

The graduation ceremony began with the Presentation of the Colors, a benediction, and remarks from the Commanding General of the Army Special Forces Command. I ignored the tears rolling down my face as he was recognized as the Outstanding Enlisted Graduate of his class, receiving an engraved dagger from the General.

Eighty-seven officers and soldiers got their names called and received their tab and certificate. At the end of the ceremony, everyone stood as the "Ballad of the Green Beret" played, followed by the closing prayer. The dignitaries filed out first, followed by the staff, then the graduates.

We got out the doors as quickly as we could and met Sean by the corner of the building. "I love you," I told him after I jumped into his arms, and he spun me around.

"I love you more," he said as he moved his Green Beret back into position.

We flew back to Maine that night. Mom said that Alpha Nathan and Luna Adrienne were going all out for us since our wedding was a small affair at the chapel in Fort Bragg in January. Since I was still in Ireland over his Christmas leave, we'd never had a mating celebration. Now we had a graduation to celebrate as well! We'd both been gone for over a year, and wolves LOVE to party.

Most of the Pack was waiting for us when we pulled up in front of the Pack House, and they cheered when we emerged. The Alpha and Luna were standing at the top of the stairs with their Betas, and Luna Adrienne had their six-month-old son Anthony in her arms. "Welcome home, Sean and Bonnie," Alpha Nathan said to us as we walked up and bowed our heads to them. "We will talk after we feast!" That brought out a roar.

"Thank you, Alphas," Sean replied. We got mobbed by friends and extended family with the formal greeting over. We eventually made it to his parent's house, changing before heading to the lawn behind the Pack House. The grills were going, the music was playing, and the pool was getting lots of use on this hot August evening.

After the sun went down below the pines, the Alphas had an outdoor projection screen set up and played a video recording of Sean's graduation ceremony. I was happy to watch it again, this time with Sean next to me as he told stories about some of the guys in his class. They were scattered about now, filling positions on ODAs in the various Special Operations commands. "What comes next for you," Luna Adrienne asked him as the recording ended. Many Pack members gathered around to listen.

"I've going to the 7^th Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg," he told them. "Our area of operations is Central and South America plus the Caribbean islands. That's why they had me learn Portuguese. I'll be joining the First Battalion, Bravo Company."

"What's an ODA?"

"Operational Detachment- Alpha. It's a 12-man team that is the basis for all Green Beret units; there are seven or eight ODA's in a Company and three Companies in a Battalion. There's an officer in command and assistant, usually a warrant officer. Then you have an Operations Sergeant and his assistant, two Weapons Sergeants, two Engineering Sergeants, two Communications Sergeants, and two Medical Sergeants. I got my first choice in school, Special Forces Combat Medic, so I'll be in class for almost a year at Bragg."

"That will be good for you," Alpha Nathan said. "You'll bring back a lot of skills we can use here."

"Doc Woods? I thought you'd want to be a fighter," Lou Masterson teased.

"We're a big part of the team and the closest thing to a doctor some of these villagers will ever see. I'll still get to learn to shoot things and blow things up, though. You go to a school, become an expert, and teach the rest of your team. Everyone cross-trains."

And that is what he did. He got through school, joined his ODA, and learned everything he could in the Army. I loved having him home during his medical training because he would be overseas for fourteen of the last twenty-five months he spent on active duty. They tried like hell to get him to reenlist, but we were determined to return to the Baxter Pack. He thought about staying in the National Guard, but we decided against it. I didn't want him deploying and training half of the time, especially since he could use his skills in Law Enforcement.

Sean's unit had just deployed to Colombia while I graduated from college and returned home. I used my Pack connections to get a job as a Deputy with the Penobscot County Sheriff. The Basic Law Enforcement Training Program was a residential program, so I lived in the barracks and stayed with his parents on the weekend. He got out a week before my graduation ceremony, and then we switched roles. I became the breadwinner in the family, and he went back to school, but not for as long. The first part of his Medic training got him his Emergency Medical Technician qualification, and his experience and language training got him more college credits. He only needed a year to get his two-year degree. He took a job with the Maine State Police Troop E, which covered the central part of Maine and 107 miles of Interstate 95 closer to the coastline.

We'd saved enough money to buy a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath home on the west shore of Lake Pushaw. It had a sliver of lakeshore, enough to put a dock out in the summer and walk onto the ice of the five-thousand-acre lake in the winter. The lot was small, the neighbors close, but the lake was beautiful, and we were within half an hour of our stations in Bangor. We could shift and run when we visited Pack land.

Both of us did well in our careers. After four years, Sean joined the State Police Tactical Team as a Tactical Medic, later becoming an Element Leader. It was a collateral duty that he excelled at. I made Detective after eight years, joining five others and a supervisor in the Criminal Investigation Division.

Our home life was interesting, to say the least. We worked in different agencies with different schedules, and both of us would get calls at all hours of the day and night. We scheduled our vacations together and made the best of it because we loved our work.

The only thing missing was children, but we had accepted that wasn't happening.

Ch. 8

Detective Bonnie Wood's POV

Baxter Pack Training Facility

February 20, 2009

"STOP! Sticks DOWN!" My voice carried across the mats that filled the sparring room, instantly stopping the noise and activity. All twenty of my students froze before letting their hands drop to their sides. "You are all so thrilled to be holding sticks you've forgotten the BASICS! Annabelle! To me!"

The ten-year-old Omega nervously approached me at the front of the room. "Annabelle, I picked you because the flaws are more obvious in your footwork. You aren't the only one who is having trouble with the triangle. Everyone put your sticks on the ground, female triangle." The class set their sticks on the mat at a forty-five-degree angle to each side, with the touching point nearest them. The students stood at attention while I addressed them. "Just like a baseball pitcher, your lead foot should land at the same place every time, and you should return to the same place. You have to do that by feel, NOT by looking at the ground. Annabelle, do the movement drill at this speed," I said as I snapped my fingers. She started to move but couldn't help looking where her foot landed. "LOOK AT ME, not your feet! You can't move fast if you have to think about moving your feet!"