Missing Ch. 81 - End

Alpha Leo Volkov's POV

Regina Hospital, Hastings, MN

"Bonnie is on her way and should be here about five," I told everyone when I returned to the hospital room at three-thirty. "We can do the Pack transfer before she takes off again."

Adrienne looked surprised by that. "She's not staying the night?"

"Clyde went ahead to their home, and she'll join him. Those two still haven't mated, you know."

"Where are they moving to," Anthony asked. "Are they buying something near you two?"

"Lassiter owns a place, but he's kept it secret due to his line of work. I guess they are going there for now. I don't care if it means I don't have to listen to them banging the headboard against the wall all night in a guest room."

That got me a smack from my mate. "Matings are sacred, Leo, and you aren't exactly quiet."

I looked at Anthony and Pamela, who snickered at the comment. "Like you two have room to talk," I said.

"Happy mate, life is great," Anthony replied.

I'd just gotten comfortable when I got a text message from Alpha Doug Winters. "CALL ME private 911." I groaned a little as I pushed myself out of the chair. "I'll be back in a bit. It's business," I said.

I walked out of the hospital, heading down the street to the Soldier's and Sailor's Cemetery next door. I found a bench off the sidewalk and made the call. "It's Leo," I said when he picked up.

"Leo, I have a big problem, and I don't know what to do," he told me. "Can we meet? I'm almost to Red Wing now."

I thought quickly. "There's a park on the street across from Applebee's on 61. Park at the east end of the lot; there aren't many people there and no surveillance cameras."

"I know it. I'll see you in about twenty minutes, Leo. Don't tell anyone about this."

"Does this have to do with your assignment this morning?" The Council Chairman had him taking out a were-coyote den.

"It's a complication from that," he said. "See you soon."

I linked to Adrienne that I'd be gone for a while dealing with an emergency. I walked back to Adrienne's Lexus, then swung by Caribou Coffee on the way to the park. I knew what Doug liked, and I figured he'd need it. I parked at the far end of the lot and waited.

Alpha Doug pulled into the adjacent spot right on time. He was nervous and emotional, and one sniff told me why. He had a were-coyote child in the back seat. I got out and got in the passenger seat, handing Doug a coffee. Thankfully, the child was sleeping in his car seat. "What the hell happened in the raid?"

He took a moment to compose himself, then started the story. "The attack went perfectly," he began. "We sent eight-wolf teams into the adjacent ravines from each side to cut off escape routes, then sent four cars in the driveway. We caught the elder male and his teenage son in the fields; they shifted and ran for the woods but didn't get far. Our people tore them up while the vehicles headed for the house. An adult female barricaded herself in the house, and she fought like a wildcat. She died in front of the nursery door."

I looked at the innocent child. "And you couldn't finish the job."

"Could you?" He let out a breath. "One of my Betas said he'd take care of him, but I didn't want that on his conscience. I left them there to clean up the scene while I left to dispose of the toddler. I grabbed the car seat from her car and took him myself. We gave him a sedative so he would sleep, and I don't know what he'll do when he wakes up."

"How old is he?"

"Eighteen months," Doug replied. "I have to report to the Council that I've taken out the den. I know you disagree with the Council's decision, and you're the only one with the balls to stand up to them. I figured you'd be able to help with this. If I bring him back to our Pack, the Council WILL find out, and I'll have accomplished nothing."

The solution was obvious; I had a new Beta-level pair heading to an undisclosed location, and they hated the Council more than I did. "I'll take him," I said.

"I had the guys pack up all his things and put them in the back," he told me. "The den was renting the empty farmhouse, so we're clearing it out, and we'll leave the paperwork to cancel the lease. My people are good; by nightfall, no one will be able to dispute that the family left suddenly due to a family emergency. Their need for privacy works to our advantage."

We took a few minutes to move bags of clothes, toys, and supplies into the back of my SUV. The boy was starting to wake up, so I picked him up while Doug moved the car seat. "Get out of here. I'll take it from here," I said.

He shook my hand. "I knew I could count on you, Leo. Good luck."

"Don't say a fucking thing to anyone," I told him. "If they ask, you strangled the kid and buried him in a construction site. Hopefully, they won't suspect you enough to ask more."

He nodded and got back in his car. I locked up, carrying the sleeping boy to the pavilion where we could get out of the sun. He woke up ten minutes later, looking around with wide eyes. "It's all right. I'm your Uncle Leo," I told him.

He sniffed my clothes as he rocked me. "Mama?"

"Mama is gone. We will take care of you now."

He didn't like that and started to cry. I let him go for a while, then decided to distract him with the waterfall. I held his hand as we walked down the trail to the overlook. It worked; I picked him up, and we watched the water roar over the drop. I was still calming him down when I sensed Bonnie approaching. "Leo?"

I smiled and turned towards her with the boy in my arms. He sniffed her as she approached and calmed down. I sniffed her and didn't calm down. "What is that scent?"

"Bring me into your Pack, Leo. Then we can talk privately." We went through the ceremony to transfer my allegiance, and I felt the Pack bond snap into place. "Thank you. Who is this?"

"The Werewolf and Vampire Councils decided last night to wipe out the were-coyotes as a race," I told her. "The shooters and the cook are dead; they ambushed and killed the Master Vampire of Minneapolis last night. You picked a good night to be in jail, as you would have been the prime suspect."

"Where did the boy come from?"

"One of the Packs killed his entire family but couldn't bring themselves to kill him. I took custody of him because he's done nothing wrong. I won't participate in the slaughter of the innocents. I need your help, Bonnie."

"You need me to hide him."

"Yes. I can't bring the boy to Miesville without other Packs and the Regional Chair finding out. You already have a hidden home, and you and Clyde have no love lost with the Council. I'll give you all the latitude you need. Stay out of sight until I can change the Council leadership and reverse their ruling."

She held her arms out for the boy, and he rested against her shoulder without protest. "I rode my motorcycle. How am I supposed to take him anywhere?"

I handed Bonnie a set of keys. "He has things in the back of the car. I'll take your Harley home, and you can return it when it's safe to do so. I'm in no hurry. Adrienne needs a new car, so I'll buy her one."

She pocketed them, then handed over her keys. "I'll take my gear with me. You're doing the right thing, Leo, and I'm proud to help. Scared and nervous, but proud. I've never dealt with a toddler, so I need help. My parents are flying in tonight; I'll take them into hiding with me."

"I'll cover for you with Alpha Anthony. As long as they stay out of contact, you should be fine. We should bring them into the Miesville Pack if this goes on too long. What Anthony doesn't know can't hurt us."

"I'll talk to them. If I move here, I could see George and Sally choosing to move with me."

It was working out. "Now, what is that were-coyote scent on your clothes?"

"Sir, what Alpha Leo doesn't know can't hurt us." She even smirked a little. I could tell it was a were-coyote baby, a female. She was right about that; more information right now would lead to things I didn't need to know. Plausible deniability was a wonderful thing.

"I'll trust you to do the right thing." I handed her one of the burner phones we used. "I'm the only one with this number. Text me if you need to get in touch with me."

"Got it," she said. "What is the boy's name?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. Thank you, Bonnie. I hate dumping this on you like this."

"I've got it, Alpha. Take care of Adrienne for me. Let her know that I love her, and I'm sorry about your child." She hugged me goodbye, then walked back to the parking lot. I stayed by the falls, listening to her sing to the child. I stayed there for five minutes after she left, then drove her motorcycle back to the hospital.

Anthony and Pamela had felt Bonnie's departure from their Pack. "Is she all right?"

"She's doing better," I replied. "She said that she and Clyde are planning to spend some time away from everything until it doesn't hurt so much. Her parents are coming out to help them settle in."

"I hope it works," Pamela said. "I don't want to lose her."

"I think it will, but they may need a lot of time. It took me years to get over the loss of my mate."

Ch. 82

Bonnie Woods' POV

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Terminal 1

Mom and Dad weren't arriving until eight, so I had a little time to get to know Wiley before their flight landed. Why that name? It was as good as any for now. The boy would need a new identity and legal adoption papers, and those likely wouldn't be under his given name. He'd had enough sleep, and the sedative had burned off. With a four-hour drive ahead of us, I figured the best thing would be to tire him out with some activity. I drove out of Hastings towards Eagan, knowing there weren't any Packs in the area, and it was close to the airport. I found a park where Wiley could play on the slides and swings, thinking that might distract him from the new situation. It worked better than I expected. Wiley was young and active and loved the slides.

I was fuming inside over what had happened. Our Angela was in a similar but different situation; her parents had done something to deserve death, so us taking the baby was minimizing the damage. With Wiley, his parents had done nothing wrong. I had no idea how we'd explain this to our children when they were old enough to understand. I expected the Vampires to be cold and ruthless.

Our council should have a higher standard. The last shred of respect I had for Chairman Sanders and his minions had burned to a crisp. I was happy I'd given my allegiance to the Alphas I could respect. We played for a little more than an hour before we got hungry.

I found a Buffalo Wild Wing in a shopping mall and stopped for dinner. Wiley loved the mac and cheese, and I fed him some small pieces of the boneless barbecue wings I'd ordered. After all the activity today, he was already falling asleep in his car seat before we left for the airport.

The flight was on time, and I thanked Luna that I still had a family link with Sean's parents. "I've got a surprise for you, so don't react when you see it." The bond didn't happen upon our mating; it snapped into place as our wolves accepted each other as family. It was the same reality I'd face with our children; we wouldn't get a link until our animals adopted each other. "I'm outside of Door 3," I told her. I kept the car closed up and the air conditioning on, ignoring the smells trapped in the lower-level pickup area. I popped the rear hatch when I saw them coming out.

"My girl!" Sally ran into my arms and hugged me as George brought their bags to the curb. She froze at the smell. "What the hell?"

I held my hand up to Dad, getting him to stop next to us. "Some things have changed since I asked you out. It's worse than I thought, and it's a matter of life and death. I'm asking a lot of you right now, and I can't tell you why until you decide if you're in or out."

"Are you all right, Bonnie?"

"I'm all right, Dad, but Clyde and I have to go into hiding. We may have to stay hidden for months, even years. I need your help, but if you can't leave everything behind and take this leap of faith, you can't get in. I'll call Miesville and have someone else pick you up. Once you get in my car, it's too late to turn back."

"Red pill or blue pill stuff," Dad asked.

"Exactly."

Mom looked at me. "Will I be proud of what I'll be doing?" I nodded. She talked over the link with her mate for a few seconds, then smiled. "Retirement is boring," she told me. "We're in."

"Let's get out of here." Dad stored their bags over the toddler stuff, then sat in the passenger seat. Mom sat behind him, checking over the sleeping boy as soon as she buckled in. I took off as soon as the doors were closed, eager to get back on the road.

"What the hell is going on, Bonnie? Why do you have a were-coyote boy? Where is Clyde?"

I might as well rip the bandaid off. "Clyde took our daughter Angela home already. We'll meet him there."

That shut them up. For about ten seconds. "Daughter?"

"Yes. Wiley here is eighteen months old, while Angela is about nine months. Both are the sole survivors of attacks on their dens by Vampire Covens or Packs."

Mom had Wiley's tiny hand in hers, taking in his scent. "You better start from the beginning, honey."

We were outside the Twin Cities before I'd filled them in on the events since I left Baxter. The search for the killers, Clyde's secret deal with the Vampires, my Crazy Bonnie experiences, and the deal between the Vampire and Werewolf Councils to cooperate in wiping out the Were-Coyotes. "Leo was the only Alpha who spoke against it," I told them. "The attacks are still being carried out. One of Leo's allies took out a den but couldn't bring himself to kill an innocent toddler. He got Wiley to Leo, and Leo gave him to me to hide."

"And Leo had no idea you already had Angela?"

"Nope. I thought I'd tell him after joining Miesville because Clyde and I would have to disappear to protect her. It was about hiding our involvement in the death of Sean's killers since she is the daughter of the two shooters. Once he handed me Wiley, I didn't see a need to tell him we already had one. He's ordered us to go into hiding to protect him."

George took the practical approach. "What happens if someone finds you with were-coyote children?"

I let out a breath. "The Council ordered their extermination, so I suspect the Enforcers would kill them both. We'd all be violating Council orders, and Leo and Adrienne would go down for it too. Nobody can know about these babies. We have to hide them until they are adults, or we can get the Council to change their minds."

"Don't hold your breath," Dad said. "That Sanders guy makes bad snap decisions and refuses to change them. Look at what he did to you."

"I'd rather not." I refused to look at my back.

Mom looked at the road ahead. "Where are we going?"

"Clyde has a safe house on Lake Superior, north of Two Harbors. There's no paper trail tying it to him, and it's completely safe and isolated. No Packs are within sixty miles of there. The views are pretty damn spectacular, too."

"Is there room for us?"

"Plenty."

We had to stop once for gas when Wiley woke up and took in the new people. I told them they were his Grandma and Grandpa and would be living with us now. He was tired and needed a change, so Mom showed me how to do it right. George gassed us up and bought us some coffee and snacks.

After midnight, I turned off Highway 61 just before reaching the Silver Creek Tunnel. The moon off Lake Superior shone through the trees as we headed down the private drive to his house. I'd alerted Clyde we were close, so he was waiting for us with the lights on. We brought the stuff inside and slept that night in Clyde's bed.

The two babies slept between us, and my parents were right next door.

I woke to the smell of coffee. Since Clyde was still sleeping, a hand protectively touching our daughter, it must be Mom. I slid out of bed without disturbing them and walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Mom," I said.

"Good morning, Mommy," she said with a smile. "Has it hit yet?"

I rolled my eyes. "It hasn't been twenty-four hours since we got Angela. No, I'm still reeling. How could Luna think this is the right play? I'm not ready for this."

She handed me a coffee. It smelled amazing, and I was thankful I'd stocked up on the good stuff. "New Moms who have months to prepare aren't ready for it either, Bonnie. You and Clyde will learn quickly, and I've always known you'd be a good parent."

"There is so much we need to get for them, and I have no idea where to start."

"I'm here to help. We'll see what Wiley has, then make a Wal-Mart run. There's one northwest of Duluth we can hit today." I mixed the pancake batter while Mom started cooking bacon and scrambled eggs. "How did my grandbabies sleep?"

"Through the night, but we might have problems today," I said. "It can't be easy to be ripped from your family and given to someone else."

"Children are remarkably resilient when given love and attention. You're lucky; you both don't have to work. You can focus on their needs." She looked out the picture window at the sunrise over the lake. "These views are amazing."

"We should hit the hot tub after breakfast. It's the best thing ever."

"Maybe I should watch the kids while you get some Clyde time? You've known he was your mate for how long, and you haven't claimed him?"

"My life's been a little busy," I said. "My wolf didn't tell me right away." I started cooking the pancakes as she plated her food. She'd already set the table, so she went to wake up everyone while I kept cooking.

Clyde got a lesson in diapering, joining us with a crying Angela. Mom had a bottle ready on the counter for her. She showed Clyde how to hold and feed her with one hand so he could eat too. "Once she finishes the bottle, see if she will take some banana or eggs," Mom said. "By now, she should be mostly formula with some solid foods mixed in."

We didn't have a high chair, so I picked up a sleepy Wiley and set him on my knee. I put an assortment of foods on his plate, not knowing what he would eat yet. He loved eggs and pancakes, not so much the fruit, but he ate well. I think he got more syrup on my clothes than in his mouth, though.

Mom cleaned their faces and hands, then sent us away. "Grandpa and I will give them baths and put them in clean clothes. You two go take care of business." Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Bonnie knows what I mean."

I smirked, taking Clyde by the hand and leading him back to the bedroom. "Momma wants me mated as of last week," I told him. "I'm tired of waiting."

"Are you sure?"

As soon as the door closed, I pulled my shirt off. My shorts and panties were at my ankles before he looked into my eyes again. "I need you, Clyde."

"I love you, Bonnie." He pulled his shirt off and dropped his shorts in an instant. I jumped into his arms, wrapping my long legs around his hips while our lips crashed together. His big hands supported my narrow ass while he walked us to the bed; he laid me down and stared at my body with love and lust. He dropped to his knees, moving his head between my legs. I pulled the pillow over, screaming into it as his tongue brought me to a sudden orgasm. He kept at it, driving me to another before I begged him to make love to me.

"As you wish," he said as he stood up. He held onto my legs, moving my knees up by my shoulders and opening me fully to him. I felt the spongy tip of his hard cock moving between my soaked labia. I desperately tried moving my hips to get it inside me, but Clyde was having nothing of it. "I've waited decades for this moment, and I'm going to enjoy every second," he told me.