Missing Ch. 71-80

"What time will he be arriving here?"

"Sir, he said he does not have a suitable vehicle available. He requested you meet his airplane on the ground." I looked at the clock; it was 3:42. Sunrise was just after five in the morning now, and vampires hated being away from their Covens as it approached. "He apologized for the imposition but said he had no choice if he was to meet you tonight."

"Fine. Have an Enforcer prepare my vehicle. We leave in ten minutes." I sent a mental summons to Fixer Curtis Jackson, telling him to bring two bodyguards and meet me at the front door. I dressed quickly, kissing my mate goodbye before heading out.

Curtis was waiting at the rear door of the armored Chevy Suburban, holding it open for me. I could see two armed bodyguards in the front already. He closed the door and raced around to the driver's side to get in. "What's going on, sir?"

The driver was already pulling out. "A meeting, and it can't be good. Ramesey's Coven is in the city of Monreal, but his influence extends into parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Our treaties allow Vampires to hunt on unclaimed lands outside Pack lands, but they rarely leave the larger cities. I can't recall a Master Vampire leaving the safety of their home. Usually, they send a familiar or younger vampire as a messenger."

"Do you think this is about the Were-Coyotes?"

"Maybe Bonnie Woods is pissing off more than varmints. What is she doing now?"

"Nothing. Bonnie's still in a Green Bay jail and won't get a court hearing for another six hours. Clyde is at Miesville."

"That doesn't mean the problem isn't about them. Who knows what that bitch did in the last week." I sent a few text messages out, warning the other Council members of the sudden meeting. I checked the news in Montreal but found nothing there. "I guess we'll find out soon."

We arrived at the rural airport as Ramesey's plane was on final approach. The airport facilities and tower were closed, but the runway lights were on. Pilots could take off and land at their own risk.

We parked in front of the offices. It took a few minutes for the plane to taxi here and park. The pilot wound the engines to idle, then opened the door and waved for me. "Curtis, with me. Keep the engines running and the door open."

"Yes, sir." He came around and let me out, then walked at my side to the stairs. The pilot didn't even search us; somehow, Ramesey knew the two of us weren't a threat to him, not with the weapons we could conceal.

The private jet was luxurious, the stewardess looked like a model, and Ramesey himself was well-dressed and relaxed as he rose from his chair. "Chairman Sanders, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, sit," he said after shaking my hand. "I'm in a hurry, so you'll forgive me if I get right down to business."

"That would be fine, Master Ramesey."

"One question first. Why did you not inform us of Harold Pembroke's threat to expose your people to the government and the press?"

In hindsight, maybe we should have. "At the time, we'd reached an agreement on a treaty that rendered the threat moot. So far, the peace has been holding."

"It's regrettable you didn't reach out to us. Our intelligence apparatus is far superior to yours, and the Vampire Council would take action against those who would consider such blackmail. A threat like that affects EVERY supernatural creature."

"But it would affect werewolves first. You are correct; we should have informed your Council. I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss a threat you could talk about over the phone."

"Yesterday, our people captured Harold and his family and interrogated them. Before his death, we obtained the information on where the information was in button-down mode. We neutralized that threat, so you no longer need to fear exposure."

"That is a relief."

"It's not the end of the story, though. A few hours ago, in a suburb of the Twin Cities, the Vampire Master of Minneapolis and several of his junior vampires were killed. At least three were-coyotes were involved in the attack. They set up the meeting, then ambushed him by firing an anti-tank missile at his vehicle. We managed to kill some of the attackers and identify them. Three of the dead were former prisoners of yours, including the one you call the Cook."

Holy shit. "How do you know that?"

"Again, I have sources. If not for the treaty, those coyotes would be long dead, and our Vampire Master would still be around."

"I had no choice at the time but to let them go."

"We recognize the situation you were in, and The assassination of a Master Vampire is an act requiring overwhelming retaliation. The Vampire Council declared war on were-coyotes an hour ago."

"War?"

"Yes. We obtained a list of cellphone numbers that Mr. Pembroke maintained. Individual Covens are to eliminate the species, but we need help. Many targets are in less-populous states where the Covens don't have resources and influence. You do."

Now it made sense. "You want me to have the Packs join in your war of extermination."

"Precisely," he said. "The longer this goes on, the greater likelihood we miss coyotes as they go into hiding. It can't wait for the nightfall." He handed me a jump drive. "The spreadsheet is attached. Our people accessed cell tower and GPS data to locate their current positions. The highlighted ones the Covens have marked for death. That leaves forty-seven targets for your wolves."

Forty-seven phones. If you included mates and children, there could be two or three times that number of were-coyotes on our list. "You're killing them all?"

"It's the only way to make the point," he said. "The Vampire Council has ruled. If you choose not to join our war, we will remember this day."

He was pretty good at making scary threats without making a threat. We couldn't afford a war with the Vampires. The coyotes? We'd been in a low-level conflict with them for centuries. The treaty forced on us was flawed, like painting over rust; it worked for a few months and then peeled away. "The Packs will do their part, I swear it," I vowed. "By sunrise tomorrow, Were-Coyotes will be extinct."

"Excellent." He handed me a card with a phone number. "The person at this number can give you updated location data for the phones if they are no longer at the listed locations. Good hunting, Mr. Chairman."

"Good hunting to you." I got up and walked out, hurrying back to my car. I sent the emergency message to all Alphas and Regional Chairs, directing them to join a conference call at seven AM Eastern. That would be enough time to divide the targets and send the information to each Alpha.

Coyote pelts would hang from our fences.

The call went quickly; there was relief that the threat of exposure was over, shock at the attack on the Vampire Master, and determination to complete our work. My Chief Enforcer set up a war room to track progress, mapping the information and updating it as reports came in. My orders were clear; no were-coyote was to survive past tomorrow morning. It was up to the Enforcers or Packs to make it happen without human authorities getting involved.

We would prove why Werewolves are the top predators in North America.

Ch. 79

Alpha Leo Volkov's POV

Miesville, Minnesota

Monday, June 21, 2020

The noise of the emergency alert tone from my adjacent office woke me up.

I reached over for Adrienne to tell her to stay in bed, but she wasn't there. I remembered she was still at the hospital. My arm hit something smaller that shifted at my touch. Sharkbait had crawled into bed with Unky Leo sometime last night. Her wolf knew I needed comfort and came to give it. "Go back to sleep," I whispered. "Alpha business."

I rolled out of bed and went through the door into my office, turning off the pager as I sat down. "Emergency teleconference at seven AM Eastern."

Shit. "It can't be Bonnie," I said to myself as I booted up my computer. I opened my drawer and pulled out a cup for my Keurig, needing some caffeine first. I left the hospital just after eight last night with a parade of people around me. Fellow Alphas, strong Betas, and even Anthony and Pamela showed up. I knew why they were there, and I was thankful they didn't have to subdue me. Once my mate woke up and we had a good cry about our loss, it was time to focus on keeping our remaining child alive. Nothing could bring our girl back to us.

My Pack rallied around me when I returned home. There was no sign of the party we'd left, but everyone waited to see me before returning home. I thanked them for their concern and asked them to go home; their Luna would not return for another day or two.

I called the nurse's desk at the hospital next. Adrienne rested comfortably overnight, and our son's vitals remained strong. Visiting hours weren't until eight in the morning, so going back to sleep after the call wouldn't happen.

I checked my secure email accounts, finding nothing that might explain the emergency call. I thought about calling Clyde Lassiter, then decided not to. He'd probably gotten into Green Bay a few hours ago and would be sleeping. I checked the local news and clicked on the main story. "DRUG DEAL EXPLODES IN VIOLENCE," the headline said. "Area police and Federal agents responded to a loud explosion and gunfire east of Rosemount, Minnesota, just after midnight. Sources close to the investigation called it an ambush followed by a firefight, with six people killed at the scene. Three victims were inside an SUV which was hit by what law-enforcement sources described as an 'anti-tank missile' and died instantly. Three others died during the ensuing firefight. Sources close to the investigation say agents recovered a 'significant' quantity of methamphetamine at the scene. Agents of the Minneapolis division of the Drug Enforcement Agency have taken the lead on the investigation. Also involved are the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Dakota County Sheriff's Department, and the Rosemount Police. Authorities have not released the names of the people involved."

Clicking on national stories showed nothing. I closed the browser window, then logged into the Council's secure server. I still had ten minutes before the meeting would start, so I sipped my coffee while watching the sunrise out the window.

There was a knock on my door, then Anthony and Pamela walked in. "Can we sit in on the meeting with you?"

"Of course. Bring that chair around." I moved the screen back until the camera captured the three of us. As each Alpha joined, we could see them in a small box with a mute sign over it.

When I heard Chairman Sanders declare war on the Were-Coyote species, I was shocked. "Our Chief Enforcer has assigned targets to the closest Packs," the Chairman said. "The were-coyotes are to be wiped out wherever we find them. How you do it is up to you and your team; take care of it out of human sight, dispose of the evidence, and erase their existence. Working in concert with the Vampire Covens, we will exterminate these varmints. I want it done within twenty-four hours. Get eyes on them quickly and attack before they disappear into their holes to pop up again."

I hit the button to raise my hand. The Chairman answered five other Alphas who asked questions about tactics and intelligence before he got to me. "Alpha Volkov, or is it Alpha McInnis?"

"Volkov, sir. What in the hell are we doing?"

"Your orders are clear, Alpha."

"Sir, you already said that the three were-coyotes involved in the deaths of our people are dead along with Harold Pembroke. You're talking about hundreds of killings of those who haven't threatened us and haven't done anything wrong."

"The were-coyotes went too far in threatening to expose supernatural beings to the humans, Volkov."

"So we're going to kill women? Children? Babies? What justific..." and with that, my microphone cut out.

"The Council has ruled, and we stand with the Vampire Council on this," Sanders interrupted. "The cooperation of the Packs in this is EXPECTED. If a Pack asks you for assistance, you are REQUIRED to provide it. We cannot fail at this, and we WILL NOT FAIL."

The other Alphas fell into line.

Cowards.

The meeting ended, and I'd not received an assignment. I sent a text to my allied Alphas, asking if they were. Only Alpha Doug Winters of the Winona Pack replied in the affirmative, and he wasn't happy about it. Doug was Catherine's brother, my first mate, and was the first Alpha to come to my aid after establishing my pack at Miesville. He called me while Anthony used my computer to check if his Pack got an assignment.

"I've got one target, a farmhouse north of Rushford. It's a perfect location for a den; it's about the same distance to nearby Packs, and you've got flat farmland with wooded ravines running for miles. We're gathering people now from my Pack and Rochester. We should hit them around noon."

"Be careful, Doug. If any word got out, they might be waiting for you."

"I will. I'll talk to you when it's over." I hung up and looked at my son-in-law.

Anthony found out Baxter didn't get anything. "Looks like the St. George Pack did. Downeast is sending people to help. Our Regional Chair specifically did not want our participation after what you said on the call."

That was something. "Come on, kids. we may as well get breakfast."

It was summer vacation, so the kids got to sleep until eight. "Sharkbait is in my bed," I told Brent and Olivia as they came downstairs.

"I figured that," Olivia said. She was checking her phone while Brent went to get them coffee. She clicked on something, and I heard the sound of a bar, then of a fight. "Holy shit," she said as she watched. "Check this out."

It was a TikTok video, about forty-five seconds long. It started with a guy propositioning Bonnie, who wasn't interested, but he didn't care. After he grabbed her ass and pulled him against his crotch, she smashed his nose in with a vicious head-butt and then beat up him and two buddies. "Damn," I said. "That was maybe fifteen seconds of fighting, and three guys down?"

"I can't wait to learn from her," she replied.

"This video helps her case, that's for sure." Brent took me, Anthony, and Pamela to the hospital in time for visiting hours. Adrienne's face didn't have the pallor of last night, but she was heartbroken at losing her daughter. "Hey, honey," I said as we entered. "I brought you a muffin."

"Thank you," Adrienne said as she raised her bed to talk to us. "How is everyone?"

I used the link to update her on the phone call. She was proud of me for standing up for the innocent ones and upset the Council had done this without an Alpha vote. The Doctor came in on rounds and told her she'd need to stay one more day for observation, then a week of bed rest at home. "Your body needs to heal up after this," she told us.

"I'll take care of her," I promised.

Just after nine, I got a text from Clyde and smiled. "The County Attorney is not charging Bonnie after seeing the video," I told everyone. "She'll be released soon."

"Thank Luna," Adrienne said. "We need to get those two settled in our Pack today. This self-destructive behavior has to stop, and being my guard again might help."

"We still have to deal with the Council and their charges," Anthony objected. "I thought we agreed not to transfer her until we'd dealt with any discipline."

I rolled my eyes at this. "The Council is sanctioning the deaths of scores of women and children, and I'm supposed to worry about a grieving widow who tells an Enforcer to fuck off? No, Bonnie joins Miesville as soon as possible. If the Chairman doesn't like it, he can kiss my furry butt."

"The Council doesn't like you either, Mom," Pamela giggled. "I think they are afraid of the two of you."

"Good," Adrienne said. "It's better for everyone that way."

Ch. 80

Bonnie Woods' POV

Hwy 29, near Shawano, Wisconsin

Monday, June 21, 2020

We'd only driven for thirty minutes when everything went to shit.

Literally.

Our Angela was scrunching up her face and making noises. I heard a liquid squelch before a foul smell filled the cab of our Explorer. "Oh my GOD," I said as I rolled down the window. "PULL OVER!"

"FUCK," Clyde said as he signaled to pull over. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, but I can't breathe in here," I complained. Clyde pulled onto the shoulder and put the emergency blinker on. "What the hell were they feeding her?"

"I don't know," he said as he got out. The car seat was behind the driver's seat. Clyde held his breath while he unbuckled her and lifted her out, leaving a trail of poo behind. "We've got a blowout!"

"It's dripping down her leg," I said as I dug through the diaper bag.

"Well, hurry up! I can't hold her up by the side of the road forever!"

I found a changing pad in the bag and a pack of baby wipes. I got out of my seat and laid the changing pad on my side. Meanwhile, Clyde walked around the back of the car while holding our daughter at arm's length. He tried to hand her off to me. "Whoa, what do you expect me to do with her?"

"She needs a diaper change," he said as he kept her from dripping onto his shoes.

"No shit, Sherlock," I said with a growl. "She needs to be hosed off and decontaminated, but I don't see a Hazmat station nearby." I looked at her full diaper, leaking around both her legs. "Hold her just above the ground for me." I reached out and pulled the tabs of her diaper, letting the foul and saturated disposable diaper fall to the ground. Angela was covered in streaks of poo, giggling as she moved her legs in the air. Clyde was trying not to throw up. "Seriously? You've dealt with death and feral wolves, and this is what makes you blow chunks?"

"Sorry," he said. It took most of my pack of wipes to clean Anglela off enough to put her in the car. I finished on the changing pad, put a fresh diaper on, and found a onesie to put on her. While Clyde struggled to put the mess into a plastic grocery bag, I moved over to clean the poo out of her car seat. By the time we were moving again, we'd spent fifteen minutes on this. "Are we just kidding ourselves that we can be her parents?"

I looked over at Angela; she made noises and looked around happily. "I'm not ready for this. We need help."

"We need to keep this quiet. What if the Council finds out? Or your Alphas?"

"Mom won't tell them. I'm calling her." She answered on the third ring. "Mom, it's Bonnie. I need your help, but you can't ask any questions. You'll have to trust me."

"Bonnie? I heard you found your MATE! Is he there? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mom, but I need you and Dad to fly to Minnesota RIGHT NOW. Pack for a week or two. Fly out tonight, and let me know when your flight gets in. If anyone asks, you're coming to Minnesota to be there when I join the Miesville Pack."

"I'll let you know when I get the tickets, honey."

Angela picked that moment to start crying. "Hurry, Mom. And don't ask questions. It's a matter of life and death."

"Take care of the little one, Bonnie. I'll see you soon." She hung up, and I started putting stuff back in the bag. "What did you do with the garbage? You didn't leave it on the side of the road, did you?"

He rolled his eyes. "I tied it to the tongue of the trailer. I figure as long as I drive more than thirty miles an hour, the smell won't catch up to us."

"We'll need to get more supplies," I told him. "What's our plan? Aren't you supposed to be bringing me back to Miesville?"

He tapped the steering wheel as he thought. "It's noon now, and it will be after six before we can get Angela back to our house. You wouldn't be able to turn around and get back to Miesville until after ten, and we can't go with you. It's bound to raise questions."