Order of Protection Ch. 01-07

"Ekatarina was a good student, but had to make enough money to pay her tuition and expenses, as well as help to support her mother. She was young and beautiful and graceful, trained in ballet and dance. She was recruited by another student to dance at a gentleman's club in Moscow." I was a little shocked, but I couldn't judge her, she did what she had to do. "She didn't like it, but she made more money there in a night than she could make working full time for a week. She struggled with the constant pressure to use drugs, or to make more money in prostitution. She had worked there for three months when the owner took an interest in her, and that night he raped her repeatedly."

I dropped the letter to the desk, closing my eyes. I was the product of rape. In a moment, the wound of learning I was adopted was torn open again, and I sobbed in the chair as I wished I had burned the letter instead. Picking it up, I continued. "Your mother was a virtuous woman, trying to hold on to that virtue despite all the things around her. She had been a virgin when she was taken by him, and he left her pregnant. She had nowhere to go for justice; your father was a powerful man, and a rape allegation would be nothing but a nuisance to him. She had heard the stories, she had no doubt he would kill her if she said anything."

"Four months after you were born, the money had run out and she was going to lose her home. She came to me, asking me to look after you while she went to visit your father, to ask him for support. He killed her, dumping the body behind her house, making it look like an accident. Your mother knew if he reacted badly you would be in danger, so she left me with what I needed to have you adopted and taken to America. She is buried at the Blessed Mother Cemetery." He had enclosed a photo of her gravestone.

"I will not tell you who your father is, going after him or letting him know you are alive would be foolish and dangerous. He killed your mother, he would have no problem killing you as well. I have asked never to know your new name or your parents, I intentionally stayed out of it in case he finds out. What I don't know, cannot hurt you. If after reading all this you still want to talk, you can reach me through the church." He had left the address and telephone number of the church. "I pray that you are and remain safe and happy. I know what you have read is difficult to accept, but you must. Rest in the knowledge that your mother loved you enough to die for you and give you a better life. In God's love, Father Ivan Kempechny."

I held the letter in my shaking fingers as the emotions overcame me, my head dropping to my arms, unable to stop the crying.

Ch. 3

Beta John Pearson's POV

I sat against the wall of the large conference room, trying to focus on my real job which was to protect Alpha Esca Milne in the event a fight broke out between the Alphas. The annual Alpha Conference was being held at a hotel near the Mall of America in Minnesota, which was right next to the airport. The conference alternated between North America and Europe/Asia, and it was our turn to travel across the pond for it. So far, we hadn't seen much except airplanes and hotels, and I was already missing the Scottish Highlands our Pack called home.

The visit had been unproductive thus far. We had brought over a group of twelve; Alpha Esca was my charge to protect. My close friend Jack McGregor and his mate Sara were the protectors for Luna Eleanor, a mated pair of Betas being a requirement for the position; the Alpha wouldn't allow an unmated male close to his Luna, and a female could guard her in places the male could not.

The Alpha Heir, Sean, had come along since he had just turned eighteen and could sense his mate now. Their two daughters, Jane and Julia, had remained home since they were only fourteen. Part of the purpose of the conference was to bring together high-ranking unmated werewolves, and the remaining seven people in our group met that criteria. Four were daughters of Pack Betas; Nancy, Daniella, Lori and Melinda. Rounding out the group was our Theta and head trainer, Charles, Gamma James, and Beta Connor. Charles had almost refused to come, he had been to twenty-four straight meets and countless other functions and had never found his mate. Only a talk with the Luna had convinced him to try one more time.

It was a good thing, too. He found his mate at the welcome reception, a midwife from a small pack in Alaska. Bridgitte was thrilled to have found him after all these years. She confessed her Alphas had kept her from these events, as she was not a born Beta and they didn't have the finances to send more than the Alpha and Luna. Charles didn't care, he was up in a hotel room with her and was not expected to emerge for several more days as they cemented the bond.

We would be leaving behind two of the shewolves in our group since they found their mates. Nancy found her mate in a Beta from a Colorado pack, and Lori in a Pack from Sweden. Overall, the ninety-three Packs represented in this conference produced a hundred and fifteen matings, a good number historically.

Matings were important to our species, as our numbers were limited (about fifty thousand worldwide) and genetic diversity was critical to our survival. Luna knew all this when she set up mates, and those of us that placed our faith in her, like Charles, waited for their mate no matter how long it took. The need for mates forced us to cooperate with each other and meet periodically at places such as this, and the matings resulted in ties between Packs that could strengthen alliances.

A full mating could only take place between fated mates, without that the mating bite would fade after a few weeks, and the soul ties would never form. Werewolves could get humans or shewolves pregnant outside the mating bond, and this created lots of problems. It was expected that the two werewolves would become choice mates to support the pup, and the forever fading marks on their necks showed everyone their lack of self-control.

Getting a human pregnant was even more of an issue. If you loved the woman, you had to change her in order to mate her, and there were no human mates so they all would be choice bonds. Only about one in ten were strong enough physically and mentally to survive the transition, so falling in love with a human was bound to lead to pain and suffering for both.

It did happen, whether they fell in love or just didn't practice safe sex. It was common to kill those humans who wouldn't be bitten, or who the wolf didn't want, in order to protect our secret existence. We couldn't have children out there outside the Pack structures, not knowing what they were and how they would change when they were teenagers.

I took my mind back off my failure to find a mate again and tried to listen to what was being discussed. A Canadian Alpha was attempting to explain why he attacked a neighboring Pack and annexed a third of their land, and it wasn't going well for him. The other Alphas were upset at the unprovoked attack; our existence depended on secrecy, and with us mixed into the human population for jobs and homes, fighting and people dying were difficult to explain. "Our ways must change," a New York Alpha explained. "There are autopsies, financial records, trail cams and satellites now. Nothing we do can escape notice. We must be careful, and your reckless behavior has put us all at risk."

"I agree," the deep voice of my Alpha added. "We have a North American Council just to resolve issues between Packs to avoid such displays. This must be sanctioned to deter others from such actions." The offending Alpha objected, but the gathering was against him. Ten minutes later, he had agreed to return the land, pay restitution, and transfer leadership of the Pack to his son. His Pack would be on probation for five years, with retired Alphas selected by the Council overseeing how it was run.

The other option he was given was to not to leave this room alive.

The next subject came out of Russia. A Moscow Pack Alpha had been killed with several of his Betas, and the rest captured and jailed, in a raid by police on their Russian Mob organization. Now THIS was interesting; most of the Packs in the world blended in, taking jobs in the human system, but these men chose a life of crime. Vicious and amoral, the Russian Mob was involved in anything that could make money. Gambling, prostitution, smuggling, human trafficking, drugs- they did it all. "The Pack is in shambles," Alpha Victor said. "None of the senior leadership is left, and the police are digging into the financials and seizing Pack properties. We are lucky in that the Pack planned for this and sanitized any mention of us, but many became homeless and unemployed when this occurred."

"What is being done? Can the Pack be saved?" Usually, a son or Beta would step up into leadership.

"There is no one left to save it. Yevgheny was never mated, and he has no children. The Betas all died with him in the firefight or when his home was burned to the ground. His Pack is over, members are already requesting refuge in other Packs and it is being granted."

This made sense; it didn't happen often, but family and friend ties between Packs would allow the lower level members to find new leadership. It wasn't safe to be without a Pack, and it wasn't good for your wolf to be outside one for long.

"What about the Pack assets? Can they be distributed with the wolves going to other Packs?"

Victor shook his head. "This Pack wasn't like that; the Pack was the Mob, and thus all the moneys and ownerships had to be hidden and hidden well. The houses and apartments often weren't in their names, ownership is buried in a maze of companies that was designed to be impossible to trace back to them. They were a wealthy Pack, but control over the wealth was restricted to Alpha Yevgheny and a few of his senior Betas, all of whom are dead now."

Damn. "So, what happens with their assets now?"

"The authorities are going to find and seize anything they can prove was related to illegal activities, that cannot be stopped. Yevgheny knew this, we suspect much of his actual wealth is overseas and out of their reach. His younger brother Yuri is the only known relative, he runs a crew out of St. Petersberg and was a rival mob boss of Yevgheny. If his will contains the information needed to find and transfer the money, Yuri is going to become one of the most powerful Russian Mobsters around."

Yuri wasn't here, he was one of a dozen Alphas around the world who didn't show up. "Nothing we can do except watch," my Alpha said. "I thank those who are taking in the refugees, but other than that help, I don't see anything else we can do until the investigation winds down and the will is read."

"You are correct, Alpha Esca. We will continue to monitor things closely to ensure we are not exposed," Alpha Victor said. "We and other Alphas have people inside the police, we will do what is needed to keep our existence secret."

The meeting went long into the night, and by the time we returned to our rooms I was beat. "It will be better tomorrow," Esca said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "I know you are disappointed, but you must have faith in Luna. It will happen when it does."

I bowed my head to my Alpha, he was a kind man, wise and respected. His hair was becoming gray now, he was in his early fifties now, having found his mate when he was older than my twenty-eight years. "Thank you, Alpha," I said as I bowed my head.

"Be here at eight and we will all go to breakfast," he said as we reached his door. "Fewer problems, more fun." After a morning of presentations of new developments and ideas, the entire Conference was taking buses to a nearby Pack in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. There would be a combined Run, followed by a feast and bonfire. Too much city life wasn't good for any of us.

"It will feel good to run with you, Alpha. Thank you." I bowed my head as the Luna opened the door and smiled at me before pulling him into the room with her. I smiled at them before turning to my room across the hallway. Taking a shower, I went to bed dreaming of my mate.

Soon, my wolf told me.

Jessie's POV

The past two days had been a whirlwind. I prepared all the paperwork for the State, waiting for her death certificate which should arrive in a few days. Her body had been released to me, and per her wishes I had her cremated. Her remains were in a cardboard box sitting in the passenger seat of my old Ford Focus as I drove back home.

I had thirty days to vacate the home, the terms of the reverse mortgage she had taken out on it to pay her bills. Tomorrow at work, I would see if anyone wanted to share an apartment. I didn't have much money; I didn't finish my degree, and I had no skills. My current job didn't require a lot of training, I just had to employ my 'assets' which were heavy on the ass. I worked at the Mall of America in a Hooters, mainly because the horny males who frequented the place tipped well. I didn't have a huge rack, but they were high and firm, allowing me to go without a bra. My long legs and tight butt attracted men who liked that kind of thing. I hated the groping and unwanted advances, but I needed the money, so I did it.

I had bought a simple phone with basic services, I had to have my own phone to deal with the estate and finding an apartment. I called the manager, informing him that I needed to take more shifts now that I wasn't caring for my mother. He said he would see what he could do, but the schedule was already filled for the next month. I might have to take on another job.

Meanwhile, I had a wish to fulfill. Pulling the car onto I-35 North, I started the drive to Lake Superior and the overlook where I would say my final goodbye to her and reunite her with her husband.

I wiped the tears away as I drove.

Ch. 4

Jessie's POV

It took me five hours to drive to Split Rock Point Lighthouse State Park, north of Duluth along the western shore of Lake Superior. Parking in the back of the crowded lot, I opened my backpack and placed the plastic bag containing my mother's ashes inside with a bottle of water and a Milky Way bar before zipping it up.

The weather was nice, if you were a few miles inland. The wind was off the lake, and it was cold, in the fifties, but at least the sun was shining. I pulled a windbreaker out, putting it over my sweater, and made sure my jeans had my wallet and keys. I joined the other tourists, heading up the hill towards the cliff trail. It went half a mile, switching back on the way down to the lakeshore below the old lighthouse. The spot I was headed for was near the top, looking down seventy feet or so to the rock below, as the trail switched back the other way.

I found the spot and sat on the bench, there were too many people around and the wind was blowing in my face. I took out the candy bar, eating it quietly and smiling at the tourists as they walked back up from the bottom of the trail. I had to wait almost an hour, and it was starting to get dark when I was finally alone, and the wind had died down.

I took one last look, then removed the bag of ashes from my backpack. I went to the railing where it was close to the edge of the cliff, and removed the twist tie. "Goodbye, Mom. I miss you so. I love you." I poured the ashes over the edge, the cloud of grey and white swirling in the light breeze as it floated down the cliff face. When it was all gone, I crumpled the bag up and stuffed it in my jacket pocket while the tears ran down my face.

I don't know how long I stood there, but the voice startled me. "Ma'am? You all right?"

I turned to see a Park Ranger looking at me. "I'm all right," I said. I didn't look it, my face was tear stained, my nose was running, and I must have looked a moment from a complete breakdown.

"The park is closing, Ma'am. You need to return to your car." I nodded and moved away from the fence. My car was alone in the lot when I returned, and I made good time returning home. I didn't get there until three in the morning, but I was used to being up late with my job. I took a quick shower, fell into bed and was soon in a restless sleep.

I raised my head up, I was on a hillside, surrounded by tall grass. I looked off in the distance, I could see the ocean, smell its salt. It wasn't scary, it was comforting. I smelled him before I saw him, he smelled masculine. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, it washed over my mind and relaxed me. I tried to focus on the scent, turning my head towards the wind, and listening for his approach.

I could hear footfalls, not of boots, they were much softer than that. I could hear them hitting the ground, a low rumble that slowed as it approached. I felt something wet touch my face, I opened my eyes, and a huge wolf was standing in front of me, and I wasn't scared at all...

I opened my eyes, the afternoon sun peeking through the gap between the window and the blind to catch me just right. I grabbed my phone, seeing it was almost three in the afternoon. I set it down and groaned; yesterday was a long day, and I had work tonight from four to closing. Eight hours of running around, dealing with horny college kids and lonely businessmen, among others.

I quickly got dressed and put my makeup on. I was one of the few Hooters Girls who was allowed to wear a crop top, which gave me an edge over all the other girls in the place. I had a regular shirt in my locker, as to wear it I had to have a flat stomach and no muffin top over the short shorts we wore. The other girls hated that I looked like this without extreme diets or constant exercise; I was naturally athletic and thin. I pulled a pair of long khaki shorts and an Aussie Pink Floyd T-shirt over my uniform, since it was against the rules to wear the uniform outside work. I grabbed my phone and purse and ran out to the car, knowing I had a short time before the traffic would double the length of my drive to the Mall.

Beta John's POV

As we loaded back onto the buses just before nine at night, I was glad it was all over. The host Pack had done a good job; the run was fun, especially since the area was full of whitetail deer and three were taken by our group. It was meant to be social, and it was to the extent possible; Alpha Esca wouldn't leave the side of his mate Eleanor, and that meant Jack and Sara were with me right behind them. It was the younger groups that mixed more; Alpha Heir Sean and some of the other unmated had spent time during the run and at the post-run meal getting to know others who might someday be in power.

I looked across the aisle at my Alpha, he looked exhausted. The meetings, the jet lag and the run had all taken his energy from him, and Luna was already sleeping on his shoulder before the bus started moving. "It looks like a quiet night when we get back to the hotel, they look like they need a good night's sleep," I sent to the other Pack members. All of us were gathered in the middle seats of the bus.

"I'm glad, I'm pretty tired myself," Sara added.

"Actually, I was talking to some of the other younger unmated, we are going out tonight. Patrick told us he'd show us some of the hot clubs, maybe find some human companionship for the night," Sean said. The single wolves at the gathering were fun to talk to, but that was all you'd get from them. Promiscuity among the ranked just didn't happen, so much was expected from them. Humans were fair game for the males, though, as long as you used protection.

"Not without protection you aren't," Alpha Esca said. "Take John with you, he needs to blow off some steam." I glared at him, I had no interest in cavorting with human females. "Don't look at me like that, go have a few beers and relax, it's an order."