Missing Ch. 31-40

Council Enforcer Clyde Lassiter's POV

Snake Mountain Pack House

Zionville, North Carolina

The Pack prison was worse than most. An old mining shaft, it was dark and damp and chilly. There were silver-coated jail bars set deep into the rock about a hundred feet down. It was a long, twisting walk to reach them, long enough that daylight from the entrance didn't make it. Left alone in the darkness, with no contact with others and no concept of time, was enough to induce madness in a week or two. The prisoners didn't get fed and didn't have a toilet. If they wanted water, they could suck it from the damp spots on the rocks where the underground water seeped through.

It was a place to be punished before your death.

The smells of sewage, blood, armpits, and fear mixed powerfully in the stale air. I used the same trick cops used when dealing with the overpowering smell of dead bodies; I had Vick's Vapo-Rub dabbed under my nose. "How much farther?"

"Not much now," the guard told me. "Stay back from the bars. He likes to fling poo like some monkey at the zoo."

Wonderful. I thought back to the briefing I'd gotten from the Alpha and Beta earlier. Our prisoner was Rodney Edward Dangerfield, age twenty-two. We'd googled the Terre Haute, Indiana address on his driver's license and found an empty lot. We didn't get a hit on his prints, and he'd paid cash for his motel room outside of Asheville. He was a ghost, a were-coyote up to no good. "How'd you catch this asshole?"

"Luck," the Beta replied. "He was selling Ecstasy at a party near Appalachian State. One of our students there recognized the scent. She followed his car to his hotel room and called it in. Our warriors picked him up and brought him here." He smiled. "No one knows he is here, and no one ever will."

The Beta and his men interrogated him and got nothing. The Council sent me to see if I could do any better. Could I get him to break before his mind and body did?

I wasn't sure. I heard a low growl as our red-colored flashlights reached the cell, the light functioning to keep our night vision going. The prisoner was loose inside the cave spur, a silver-coated collar around his neck to keep him from shifting. Even if he did, the cell bars were numerous enough to keep him from squeezing out. "What do you want with me, you fucker? Too tired to beat me again, so you brought in a new guy?"

I grabbed a folding chair leaning against the wall and sat down a good twenty feet from the bars. "I'm not with these guys. I'm a Wolf Council Fixer," I told him softly. He stiffened at the news; we were the assassins and cleanup specialists of our world. "My authority comes directly from the Council, not from this Alpha. What is your name?"

"Jack." He walked towards the bars, stopping just short of where it would have burned his bare flesh. "Jack Meoff."

Whatever. "Jack, you should understand I'm your only chance to walk out of this place alive," I said. "The Alpha will never let you live, not after they caught you dealing drugs."

"And you'll just let me go?"

I nodded. "My priorities, and those of the Council, are different than those of a local Alpha. You give me one piece of information that I need. If it pans out, I come back here and let you go."

He tilted his head back and laughed at me. "Like I'd trust you."

"You should. You see, there is a were-coyote I want so bad that the Council will order your release. He's not a good person; this coyote worked with the drug cartels, and his associates ambushed and murdered two Pack wolves. In comparison, you're nothing. Give me his name and a way to find him, and you'll walk out of here. I'll personally escort you off this territory and put you back in your car." He was thinking about it. "You know what I am and who I work for. I'm your only hope."

He looked into my eyes, and I stared back at him. "I believe you," he finally said.

"Give me the name," I told him.

He broke into a smile. "Fuck you, Council Wolf, and all your Pack Wolf butt-buddies. I'll never betray one of us. None of us will."

I expected this, but I had to take the chance. Were-coyotes were famously secretive and loyal to each other. It was the only way they had survived as the Packs expanded across the country. What I saw in his eyes was not defiance but fear. He didn't have the information to trade for his life, and we both knew it."I'm sorry to hear that. I'll find him, and the Council will execute him. You'll suffer and die in here. No one will know of your sacrifice, and your death will change nothing." I stood up and put the chair back against the wall. "I hope it is worth it."

"I will go to my ancestors with honor, dog."

"You will. Goodbye, Jack." I waved at the guard and walked away, ignoring the insults and curses hurled into the gathering dark.

Neither of us said anything until we were out of the cave and heading back to the Pack House. "That wasn't what I expected out of you," the guard finally said.

"Beatings and torture don't work as you might think. Your prisoner didn't have what I wanted. You could beat an answer out of him, but by then, he'll tell you anything to stop the pain. A proper interrogation can take weeks, but at least you'll get the truth."

"What are you going to tell the Alpha?"

"The truth. Your prisoner doesn't know who the Cook is, so he's not Council business. Treat him as you will."

The guard dropped me off at the Pack House. I went straight to my room, placing the clothes I'd worn in a plastic bag and taking a good shower to get the smell off of me. I had just enough time to get dressed and meet with the Alpha before dinner. He was disappointed I hadn't gotten my answers but pleased that the Council would not interfere in his affairs.

The Pack ate in one sitting, all sixty members seated on long tables leading away from the head table. It was like a wedding, where everyone could see the Pack leadership from their seats. As their guest, I was next to the Alpha at the head table. The Alpha also gave me a date for the night, a forty-two-year-old female named Allison. She seemed as happy to be forced into the date as I was to have her foisted upon me. I knew what was going on; I could see the sadness in her eyes, the disappointment that comes from scenting a single male and your wolf doing nothing. We carried on a pleasant conversation during the meal, ensuring Allison wouldn't get in trouble with her Luna. I hated these formal affairs as a rule, but I enjoyed the meal thanks to her.

She was a good wolf, attractive and single, but my wolf was indifferent. She was a normal-ranked wolf who would never attend a scratch-and-sniff, and she was well past the age females met their mates. A match with a Beta-ranked wolf like me was unlikely, but who knows what Luna is thinking? I asked her to accompany me to my room while I changed, and she agreed.

"I'm sorry you had to endure that meal for me," I said as soon as the door closed to the guest room in the Alpha wing.

"I've been enduring meetups and blind dates for more than half my life," Allison replied as she leaned against the wall. "You were better than most. You didn't dismiss me as soon as you learned my rank."

I changed in the bathroom into a robe; we wouldn't be wearing clothes for long. I came out and handed over a matching one. "We have to run as the Alphas expect it. What I hate is sticking around after. I plan to grab a bottle from the bar and come back here as soon as I can."

"I don't blame you for that. Do you want company?" I froze, and she took that as a rejection. "No pressure, Clyde. I can't stand hearing the mated couples rutting."

"I think I'd like that. Come on." She changed in the bathroom before we joined the others outside. We hung up our robes on the hooks by the door, shifting into our wolves on the front deck. The difference in our wolves was almost comical. I was a big and intimidating wolf, heavily muscled and scarred from decades of combat. The only males bigger than me were Mantled Alphas.

Allison? Her sandy-colored wolf didn't come up to my shoulders. She looked agile and fast, though. I stood still as she rubbed her scent on my chest. She wasn't going to let she-wolves less than half my age move in on me. I didn't mind; if one of them were my mate, we'd have found out at dinner. Lacking that, I was going to 'dance with the one that brung me.'

The run wasn't enough to work out my aggression as the pace was slow enough for the weakest Pack member. Allison would never keep up if I tried a hard run, and I couldn't embarrass her by leaving her behind. Instead, we trotted along with the Alphas until we returned. We put on our robes, swiped a bottle of spiced rum and some Cokes from the bar, and escaped to my room before anyone knew we'd left.

We talked and drank well into the night, the buzz helping us confess our stories. "I don't know why the Moon Goddess is punishing me like this," she said as we sat on the couch together. Her large breasts were warm against my chest as I leaned back, my right hand stroking her lower back under the blanket. Her right leg draped over mine, and her hand moved softly through my chest hair.

"I have no idea," I said. "I gave up asking Luna for answers years ago."

Her hand moved down my stomach. "Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?"

"No," I said as her hand brushed against my erection. "Both options suck."

"Can I take away your pain, even if it is just for tonight?" Her hand wrapped around my length and squeezed it.

"If I can distract you with pleasure for a night, I will. We both know that in the morning, nothing will have changed."

"I can live with that." She planted kisses down my chest, moving under the blanket until I felt her hot breath on the tip of my hard cock. I set my drink down and relaxed, leaning my head back as she licked around the head. She was good at this, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the feelings. No matter how skilled a lover she was, it would never be the same as with my mate. This coupling was only physical, not the spiritual experience I'd experienced with my mate.

As Allison took me deep into her throat, I felt sorry for her. She'd only experienced sex as a human and hookup sex at that. She'd never been in love, never had that mind-to-mind connection where your feelings and emotions freely mixed with the sensations of your lovemaking. Nothing since the loss of my mate had even been in the same league, as physically pleasant as it might be.

Could she know what she was missing? I was sure she'd heard about it, but can you truly describe it to someone with no frame of reference? I'd heard stories, but mated life was far more than I expected.

Tomorrow morning I'd be the widowed male heading for my next assignment, and Allison would go back to being the middle-aged wolf who never found her mate. Tonight? She was sharing herself with me, and the best I could do was to make her night memorable.

I pulled the blanket off, uncovering her long blonde hair as she bobbed in my lap. It had been over a month since my last encounter, so I couldn't last. "That feels amazing, Allison. I won't last long if you keep that up."

She smiled around my dick and sucked harder. She slid between my legs, really working over my cock and balls with her mouth and fingers. Her technique was excellent; she alternated licks and swirls combined with hand action, then would plunge the entire length into her throat until she had to breathe again. Her attitude and enthusiasm, combined with her technical skills, combined into a world-class blowjob. How the hell was this woman still single?

Allison had me squirming with pleasure, and I couldn't hold out for much longer against her assault. She saw the look on my face and smiled as I stroked around her ear. I was close, and I warned her it was coming. Instead of popping off, she started jacking the base of my cock faster while sucking on the tip. I let out a roar of pleasure as she took me over the top. "Oh yeah," I said as I filled her mouth with shot after shot. She swallowed quickly, keeping up the suction even as her cheeks rounded out. When I stopped pulsing, she caught up. Allison took it all, then used her finger to clean the streak of cum on her cheek, sucking on it like the naughty minx she was. "That was wonderful. You set a high bar for me."

She squeezed the base of my softening erection. "I'm sure you'll be up for it soon. How long until you can go again?"

"You'll have to give me a few minutes to recover. I'm not a teenager anymore."

"Me either."

I didn't need an erection to rock her world, and I'd learned a few things over the years. Allison squealed as I stood up, tossing her across the room to land on the bed. I was on her before she could recover, pulling her hips to the edge of the bed as I knelt on the carpet between her legs. Soon, her thighs were squeezing my head, muting the scream she let out as the first of the many orgasms I had planned for her broke.

I licked her to two more, using two fingers and my tongue to drive her wild. When she collapsed onto the bed, I discovered I was ready for action again. I put on a condom as she caught her breath. I wasn't going to sire a child outside of the mating bond, and I didn't want to take a choice mate that I didn't love. Allison was fun, but she wasn't the one my wolf was looking for.

I put her ankles over my shoulder and moved her ass to the edge of the bed. I pushed into her velvety depths, both of us enjoying the sensations as I slowly filled her. I gave her a few moments to adjust, then withdrew and did it again. Her hips rose to meet mine, and her hands urged me on. I caressed and pinched her nipples as I slowly screwed her, driving her to a powerful orgasm. Instead of stopping, I sped up. I pushed her into the center and settled in as she wrapped her legs around mine. I pounded Allison hard over the next ten minutes as she urged me on with her ankles and hands. It wasn't love driving me, not even lust. I was using her body to forget my sorrows for a night. In exchange, I was giving her a taste of the night she'd dreamed about.

She screamed into my chest as she came, and her sex squeezed me until I pushed deep and came hard. When our orgasms abated, I rolled onto my back and pulled her into my side. She fell asleep quickly with my arm around her. I waited a few minutes, then slid out of bed to dispose of the condom and take a shower.

In the morning, we had another round of sex before hitting the shower and going to breakfast. I had my vehicle packed and was saying my goodbyes by eight. "I hope you find your mate soon, Allison. You deserve it."

"You too," she replied. "You're a good man, Clyde. Look me up if you're in town again." I gave her a kiss and a hug and then drove away.

I saw her wipe away a tear before she turned and went back inside. I followed the directions on my phone towards Ohio and a potential were-coyote sighting.

Ch. 32

Detective Sergeant Bonnie Woods' POV

Baxter Pack House

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

The doctor cleared me for limited duty yesterday, so today would be my first day back at work since the Horsemen tried to kill me. I was done with the sling but couldn't lift anything heavier than five pounds with my left arm. I was happy that I was off the painkillers and able to dress without assistance now.

Dad opened the door for us as we entered the Pack dining hall. The Alphas wanted to see me before work, and I had some questions for them as well. I wished my in-laws a good day and walked over to the Alpha's table. "Good morning Alpha, Luna," I respectfully said as I stood by the empty chair left for me.

Pamela looked up at me and smiled. "Good morning, Bonnie. Please, join us." I took the seat across from them. Their two children, seven-year-old Martin and five-year-old Audrey, went back to eating their chocolate-chip pancakes. They were sitting between the remaining empty chair and the Luna. The Beta pair, Mark and Tiffany Cleary, were on my left on the Alpha's side. As soon as I sat down, Omega servers placed a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of me. A cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice arrived before I had the napkin in my lap. "Excited to go back to work?"

"Of course," I said. "I hate sitting around the house."

"Sheriff Ty will be glad to see you," Beta Mark said. "Your two absences have proven that Detective Plunk is not blessed with administrative skills."

I let out a laugh at that. Max was a great investigator, but he loathed paperwork. "Eventually, Ty will realize you can't push a rope and find someone else to replace me." Max was only four years from retirement, while the rest of our detectives were at least ten years away. "It's going to get worse. I'm pretty sure he's ignored his inbox since he found out I was coming back to the office."

"You aren't wrong," Mark replied. "I'll see you at work." He got up, pulled on his jacket over his uniform, kissed his mate, and headed out.

Alpha Anthony excused the children before telling me why he asked me to see him. "You deserve to hear this in person," he said.

"That can't be good."

"The Council is stopping the active search for your mate's killers." I expected to hear the words, but it still hit me like a punch to the gut. "None of the Packs have found anything, and Council resources are needed elsewhere."

"That doesn't mean we are giving up," Pamela quickly added. "We've run every lead to the ground, and the Council Enforcers have nothing to go on."

"They are letting them get away with it," I muttered. "Sean was ONLY a Pack Warrior, right?"

"That's not it at all," Anthony replied. "We will not forget him, and someday you will have your revenge. They might not even be in the country anymore."

"I understand." It was understandable; the other Packs and the Council had more to deal with than giving me my revenge. They had expended a lot of resources and found nothing. It couldn't go on forever. "I have a request for you," I told them.

"Anything you need," Pamela replied.

"I want to sell my house and land." Their eyes got wide.

Beta Tiffany was shocked. "You love that house!"

"I used to. Sean and I built our dream home, planning to spend our retirement there. I can't stand to be in there anymore; the memories are too strong. Every object reminds me of him, and every scent makes me miss him more. I can barely handle going inside to get the things I need."

"Where will you live if you sell?"

"I don't know. I hate being a burden on George and Sally, though I'm sure they'd like me to stay. I might take a room in the Pack House instead." There were always rooms available for guests and young unmated Pack members. Unless you were a senior wolf, they weren't much. Most were about the size of a hotel room with a bed, desk, and bathroom.

Anthony reached a hand across to mine. "I understand completely. I can think of a few families who might be interested if they can afford it. Think about a price, and I'll have our lawyer look into it as well. I'm not going to let that acreage go, even if I end up having the Pack rent out the house." Packs were always trying to expand their boundaries as humans pushed closer to us. If we hadn't purchased the land when it became available years ago, the Pack would have bought it. "There's no hurry, is there?"

"No, but I don't want to drag it out. I haven't lived there since, uh...." A memory of us spending a lazy Sunday morning in bed flashed in my mind, freezing my train of thought. My heart ached as I closed my eyes, losing myself in the vision. I'd never have that again, and it took all my willpower not to break down in front of everyone.

Pamela suspected what was going on and moved over to sit next to me. "Bonnie?"