Missing Ch. 81 - End

"Understood, Mr. Chairman."

"That is all."

He ended the conference, and I closed down my laptop. "Well, damn."

"We're in a lot of trouble if we go through with this," Adrienne said. "I bet Sanders already has people watching the Pack. The Council wants to catch you both if you try to help Emily."

"And now I can't talk to her."

Adrienne thought about it for a minute. "Correct. YOU can't talk to her. You also have to alert the Pack to the danger." She leaned back into me. "Send Brent and Olivia in, and don't tell the Pack anything until I say it is all right."

"What are you doing, my love?"

"Plausible deniability, my mate. Give me that burner phone before you leave."

I got up from behind her, adjusting the pillows and scooting her back until she was comfortable again. I took the burner out of my pocket and left it on the bedside table. "Be careful."

Ch. 85

Olivia Lawrence's POV

Alpha Residence, Miesville

I wish I had their kind of energy.

Vicki and Amy had been in the pool since before lunch. They only came out for the ten-minute safety breaks Leo insisted on each hour to give the adult lifeguards a break. The two would dry off, raid the food tables, get more sunblock on, then be the first back in the pool after the break was over. They reminded me of the sharks they loved, having to keep moving or die. "Mommy, LOOK!"

Leo was back in the pool after leaving for their Alpha conference. He didn't say anything about what happened, but his face showed his frustration. Rough-housing with the Pack children could make anyone happy. The kids mobbed their Alpha, climbing on him and squealing in delight as they played. Vicki was in the air, Leo's big hands holding her upside-down before he sent her flying into the deeper water. She did a backflip and dove in with barely a splash, swimming back to the ladder and climbing out. "Did you see me?"

"I did! You nailed that entry!" Sharkbait gave me a wet hug, then went back to the pool. I pulled my notebook computer closer, working on my paper for my English Literature class. It wasn't due until Wednesday, but I hated staying up to get stuff done.

I didn't expect Leo to ask me to see our Luna with Brent. "I'll watch Sharkbait for you," he told us.

Brent got someone to take over his lifeguard seat and came over to me. "Any idea what this is about?"

"No, but Leo's not happy. We better see what she wants." I closed my computer and put it in my beach bag while Brent pulled a shirt on. We walked into the man cave and headed upstairs, leaving my things inside the door leading to our mother-in-law apartment above the garage. We walked back to the master bedroom and knocked.

"Come in," Adrienne sent. She sealed up an envelope and waved us over. "I have an important job for you," our Luna said as we sat down. I could hardly believe it as she laid out what the Alphas needed us to do without anyone ever finding out.

"And we need to bring Sharkbait along for this?"

Adrienne nodded. "We think the Council already has people watching the Pack. Your cover story only works if you all go. Bringing her also tells them we come in peace."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, because endangering our Mantled Alpha heir by violating Council orders is insane."

"I told you the orders are coming, but we haven't given the orders to the Pack just yet. Leo will hold off until you are out of the pack-link range. You can honestly say you didn't receive those orders. Your cover story is that your human Aunt in Duluth is sick. You are staying with her for a while. No one will question your absence, even the Council Fixer."

"We understand or orders, Luna. We should get going." Brent took the envelope, and we headed upstairs to pack for a few days. I called Sharkbait up to help, explaining that we had to go to Duluth now. Vicki complained about having to leave to everyone, which helped with our cover.

We loaded up my Lexus quickly, bringing extra blankets and pillows for the late-night trip. If anyone was watching, we were a young family heading out. Brent watched for a tail, but no one was in sight. He pulled into the parking lot of the Hastings hotel, and I got out with Vicki.

We walked to the elevator without challenge and took it to the top floor. I recognized Emily's scent, while the other was wild and strange. I followed my nose to the right door and picked my daughter up, knocking lightly. "Leo sent us over," I said softly.

A moment later, the door cracked open, and Emily peeked out. "What's going on?"

"You're not safe. We have to go now," I told the former Fixer.

She looked at the two of us, then back at someone inside. Making a decision, she opened the door to us. "We'll be ready in three minutes," she told me. "What's going on?"

"The Council knows, and Fixer Jackson will be here in the morning. They know about the two of you."

The guy looked ready to bolt while Emily was evaluating her options. "And Leo?"

"Sent us to take you to meet with Clyde. Once we all meet up, we're out of there."

She zipped up her suitcase. "Tell us where Clyde is, and go home. You don't want to get involved in this."

"Orders," I said with a grin. "Silver Lexus on the left side of the lot. Follow us to him."

"Do we trust her," the guy asked?

"We trust her Alphas," Emily replied. "Go. We'll be down in the next elevator."

We walked back out to the car, and I buckled Vicki into her booster seat. "He smelled funny," she said as I put her stuffed Great White on her lap.

"You should get some sleep," I told her. We pulled out of the lot, Emily behind us, and headed north on Highway 61. Vicki was sleeping before we got to the Hastings Bridge.

Emily Jones' POV

Interstate 35, North of the Twin Cities

"I wish I knew where we were going," Jerry complained as he looked out at the trees passing by. We'd been on the road for almost ninety minutes and were well north of the Twin Cities Metro. "We should be heading south to get away from all the Packs around here."

"I need to talk with Clyde first." I needed his sage advice and contacts if we were going to disappear. I saw the Lexus signal to exit a few cars ahead of us. "Looks like a rest stop."

"Probably need to let the kid go to the bathroom," Jerry replied. I put my blinker on and followed them into the Kettle River Rest Area. A pickup truck was parked in one of the first spots on the right, farthest from the bathrooms. The Lexus stopped two spaces to the right of it. "Park in this line where we can keep an eye on them."

I stopped in the next row and turned off the engine. Brent exited the car and walked over to the pickup, getting into the passenger seat. We watched as Clyde read a letter. The two shook hands, and Brent got back out. A minute later, they were back on the interstate.

Clyde got out and walked back to our car. I unlocked the doors, and he climbed in behind Jerry. "Good to see you again, Emily. You must be Jerry."

The two sized each other up, and Jerry's coyote quickly lowered his eyes. "Emily talks well of you."

"Here's the deal, kids. The Council knows Jerry is alive and is likely traveling with you. Emily, there is an arrest warrant out for you. You're wanted alive unless you two are together, in which case it defaults to making you both dead."

"I told you we should go south," Jerry said.

"Moving around too much will get you killed. Leo was right to send you to me now, before the Packs can get an organized search ready. I can hide you, but you have to decide now if you want my protection. If not, good luck out there."

Jerry was getting hostile. "I suppose there will be a price for your protection?"

"Everything has a price. If you want to join me, Emily will need to cut ties with the Council."

"I've already renounced the Council Pack bond," I said. "I was rogue before we left the Cities."

"If you join me, you'll be joining my Pack," Clyde said. "Leo's in an impossible position by the Council, and Fixer Jackson will be at his Pack in the morning. They want to talk to me to find you, and I can't be in Leo's Pack anymore."

"You can't just form a Pack," I started to say.

"I can, and I will," Clyde replied. "Bonnie and I have wolves strong enough to form the bond. Luna knows there are dozens of Alphas that I can dominate if I choose." That was true, and I'd seen it. "Luna Adrienne's letter said this was the way to go. Leo's trial at the Summit proved that an Alpha with five members tied to him is a valid Pack, Council recognition or not. I've already got Bonnie, George, Sally, and two others. That's enough. Join my Pack, and we gain the Pack Link and legitimacy."

I looked at Jerry. "What about my mate?"

Clyde smiled. "Strangely enough, werewolf law does not require that Pack members be werewolves. It's assumed, but the proof is in the bond. You two have a mate bond granted by the Goddess herself. It is a violation of Werewolf law to take you into my Pack and refuse admittance to your mate."

"We would both be full members?"

"Of course," Clyde said. "Our membership will be a little top-heavy, but who knows what will happen down the road. My home is big enough to be a Pack House until you can get your own. Follow me to it, do what I tell you, and I will keep you safe."

I looked at Jerry, then back to Clyde. "Can we talk about it for a bit?"

"Absolutely. While I'm waiting, I'll do something about your car's smell. We don't want to attract attention on the way there." He got out and went to his car, returning with two big spray bottles of Febreze. He started spraying down the doors as we talked.

"What do you think?"

Jerry wasn't sure. "Can we trust him?"

"He was the best Fixer the Council ever had. He knows all the tricks for hiding, and he's my friend. Yes, I trust him."

"He's right about one thing. The road isn't safe for us." He looked out at the cars passing by. "I trust your call."

"I'll let him know that we accept."

Clyde didn't pause when I got out and told him we'd join him. We went through the steps to join his Pack, and I smiled at having a link back. My wolf settled immediately now that she wasn't a rogue anymore. She was thrilled to submit to a wolf she respected.

Clyde handed me a spray bottle and told me to open the back so he could get the luggage. "Spray each other's clothes down, and make sure you get the seats and the dash." The odor-busting spray was annoying, but he was right. He finished spraying, then came back with a bottle of Axe body spray. "You mask what you can't hide," he told us.

When we got back on the road, our car smelled like we were teenagers trying to cover up the smell of liquor and reefer before Dad found out. We couldn't lower the windows, so we kept the air on and toughed it out for two more hours. We followed Clyde's truck through Duluth and onto the North Shore. "This is nuts," Jerry said. "There are a half-dozen Packs in the Arrowhead region!"

"And no one would suspect we'd hide in the middle of that," I said. "Clyde's got an angle."

We were coming up on the Silver Creek Tunnel when Clyde signaled to exit the road. We followed him down the hill on the old road from before the tunnel, then through the trees until we reached a rocky point sticking into Lake Superior. Clyde parked outside next to a trailer, then gestured for me to drive into the garage. "What is this place," I asked as I got out.

"My safe house," he told me. "Come inside, and we'll get you settled. Bonnie's in the kitchen."

We walked in through the garage, freezing when we caught the smell. "Hey, guys," Bonnie said. "Angela woke up crying."

"She's a coyote," Jerry said as he sniffed her scent.

"Yep. Wiley is too, but he's still sleeping. Welcome to the Superior Pack."

Ch. 86

Alpha Leo Volkov's POV

Volkov Construction Offices, Red Wing, MN

Monday, June 29, 2020

"Leo, Mr. Jackson is here," Susan told me over the intercom.

"Send him right back." Being at work wasn't just a snub at the Council; it was a message. I had a business AND a Pack to run, and I didn't have time for this shit. I was looking through the stack of bills Susan had left for me to pay when the Council Fixer walked in. I glanced up and pointed to a chair as Susan closed my office door. "What can I do for you, Curtis?"

The lack of a title caught his attention, but what could he do? I was a Mantled Alpha, and he wasn't a pissy little bitch who would complain about such things to the Chairman. "The Chairman sent me here to track down Emily Jones, who may be traveling with a were-coyote. We can start with you telling me what you know of her whereabouts."

"She was here yesterday after lunch, but you know that," I replied. "She was alone and asked for help locating Clyde Lassiter, her former partner. I told her I didn't know where Clyde was, but I would get him a message if he contacted me."

"Did she leave any contact information? Caller ID?"

"Nope. She showed up at the gate and asked to speak to me. She didn't leave a means to contact her and didn't say where she was traveling. I assumed she had some idea of where to go next."

"Did you get her license plate number?"

I shook my head no. "We were having a pool party, Fixer. The Pack knows Emily, and I can't see the driveway from my pool."

"I don't suppose you have surveillance video?"

"We have cameras, but we don't record. It's too risky with people being allowed to shift when outside of public view."

He looked disappointed. "Mr. Lassiter, he is in your Pack?"

"He was," I said. "I felt the Pack bond break late last night, followed by Bonnie's bond."

That got his attention. "They are rogue?"

I shrugged. "Clyde didn't call me first, so I don't know. You'll have to wait for their new Alpha to update the Council rosters. We have 30 days to submit those changes, so I'll be sure to update my Pack roster by the end of July."

He stopped jotting down notes and looked up at me. "Is there anything you can tell me that might be helpful to my investigation?"

"Yes," I replied. "Stop looking for Emily, and go home."

"What? Why would I do that?"

I leaned back in my chair. "The Chairman is using you, Fixer. The Council's orders are illegal and immoral, and you know it. What Werewolf law has Emily Jones broken?"

"She failed to carry out orders to kill a were-coyote, Alpha!"

I let that settle in. "Fixer Jackson, have you ever been ordered to kill someone?" He looked uncomfortable with the question but nodded affirmatively. "Did you do it?"

"I did my job," he said evasively.

"Exactly. You find a rogue wolf attacking a pack or a feral wolf attacking humans, and you have a real threat. I respect your job because it is a difficult one. When there is no other choice, you do what you have to. That husband, that wife, that wolf is beyond help. It's necessary and right to put them down." He stared into my eyes. "You are NOT authorized to kill someone based on what they MIGHT do. That wolf who lost his mate is unstable and grieving, but it's not your job to kill them at the graveside because he MIGHT go feral years later. Your people watched me circle the drain for years, but as long as I didn't attack Packs and I hadn't gone crazy, you had to leave me alone. You get called in when all other options have failed. It's not easy, is it?"

"No." He looked out the window at the river. "If I ever get used to it, I've been in the job too long."

"Your Emily had the same job, and she couldn't do it. Why? Because she KNOWS it is wrong to kill someone who has done NOTHING wrong. A Chairman's orders don't change the morality of the situation. 'Befehl ist Befehl' is no defense."

"What?"

"German for 'Orders are Orders.' It was the defense of the Nazis at Nuremberg. The tribunals did not accept their excuse. I won't. A Council vote or Alpha agreement cannot change the underlying morality of the action. The people who killed our wolves deserved to die, and they died in Rosemount before the Chairman talked with the Vampires. The coyotes who threatened to expose us were killed by the vampires. Sanders insisted on going beyond that. He ordered the murder of innocent coyote dens, including women and children! Emily talked with me about her crisis of conscience, and I agreed with her. She couldn't do the job, so she quit. THAT is the remedy if you can't follow orders. You can't arrest someone for NOT committing a murder, which is what the Chairman told her to do. If she couldn't kill a were-coyote and helps him escape, that's even better."

"You support what she has done?"

"I do, and more and more Alphas are coming around to my side on this. I don't like what you are doing here, and I will not participate in immoral acts. The Chairman directed me to support your search. I will give you a room, feed you, provide computer access, a car, and anything else you require as I would any Council guest. I will NOT devote my Pack resources towards your search, nor will I ask other Packs for assistance. Emily has done nothing wrong, while the Chairman specifically directed her execution without trial if Emily is with a were-coyote. THAT order is illegal, and we both know it."

He sat back, thinking for a while. "What would you do in my position?"

"You're looking for people who know how to avoid you. Clyde was the most capable Fixer in recent memory, and Emily was his protege. Bonnie is a retired detective. If they have an adult were-coyote, you have a person who has spent a lifetime living in the shadows around Packs. The chances of success are low because it's far easier to hide than seek. Do your best to find them. While you are doing that, enjoy the pool and the summer weather. Visit nearby Packs in search of your mate. Do some sightseeing, maybe some fishing. Then, in a few weeks, you can report back that you can't find them."

"And what then?"

"By then, I might gather enough political and legal clout to get those orders canceled. That's the best outcome possible."

"What is the worst outcome, Alpha?"

I leaned forward a little. "If a Pack stumbles across these people and heeds the Chairman's orders, they're in for a fight they won't win. People will die, and that shouldn't have to happen. Even you."

He put his notebook inside his suit jacket. "You've given me a lot to think about, Alpha Volkov. Thank you for your time."

"One more thing," I said as we stood. "Find a Werewolf lawyer and have a conversation with him. The Council has a nasty habit of blaming their underlings for things they directed. Don't fall for it." I shook his hand. "Your driver is waiting outside. She will take you to my home and get you set up."

I watched him leave, and Susan came in shortly after. I'd kept the link open so she could hear it all. "Do you think he'll listen?"

"I hope so. If nothing else, Jackson reports this conversation back to the Council. The Chairman doesn't know how many Packs I've subverted, so it should make it nervous. If I can get enough Alphas on a recall petition, we can boot him off the Council. Men like him fear the loss of power more than anything."

She took the paperwork out of the outbox and turned to leave. "I hope Clyde is good at hiding. The Chairman will pull out all the stops to kill them before a no-confidence vote. If the were-coyotes are all dead, the question is moot."

She was right about that. The greatest threat to exposure was now George and Sally. Anthony needed to get them packed and on their way; I'd talk to Adrienne about that soon.

I might have subverted his agent, but now I had to turn the Council and Alphas against him.

Ch. 87

Luna Adrienne Volkov's POV

Allina Medical Clinic, Hastings, MN

Tuesday, June 30, 2020