South Mountain Pack Ch. 08

"Speaking of which, there are a couple of vacancies in town that Holly and Nana Ellen should look at. Most of the businesses in town are Pack run and everyone will be thrilled to help out in anyway they can," said Gina.

"We'll do the build-out at no charge since you'll be family. You pay for the materials at cost and we'll do any construction needed. Our boys work for us during the summer, even Maria and Sophia help out when needed. Don't let their size fool you, Sophia handles a nail gun like a pro and Maria is wicked with a table saw," said Joe with a nod from Frank.

"We'll have everyone over for dinner as payment," said Todd with a smile of gratitude on his face. When he saw everyone laughing he said, "What?"

"You have obviously never seen our boys eat. It would probably be cheaper for you to pay them an hourly wage then to feed them dinner," said Joe. The Millers looked across the clearing and saw the boys had several plates in front of them all piled high.

"When we have cookouts for our two families, we make at least 60 hamburgers and 50 hotdogs to start and often have to cook more. That's not even mentioning potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, 5 dozen deviled eggs and at least 3 cakes for dessert," said Annie with a laugh at the look on Holly's face.

"Nana and I helped in the Packs kitchen, she made desserts and I made the breads but I can't remember any of the young men eating like that," laughed Holly. "We always dreamed of opening our own business, we are scared yet excited. We have to think of a good name though, something sweet yet sassy."

"You should talk to our son Paulo; he designs, maintains and services the websites for the Packs members businesses. He can design a website for online ordering, showing daily specials or whatever you want," said Joe. "He makes enough money doing it that he buys his own equipment now, the only thing I had to do was build a room to house it all."

"I would like to volunteer my services to be a taste tester for any desserts," said Rose with a smile. "Hey, I was going to say that," said Annie as everyone laughed.

"Once you get your business running, I'd like to sell the desserts in my restaurant. My staff hates making cannoli, cheesecake, Tiramisu and Panna Cotta. We can buy them wholesale or do like Fred Dawson and I do, every week he gives me three gallons of gelato and I give him antipasto and six pizzas. We'll talk about the details later, but either way, we'll put up a sign with your store logo and information so people will know where the desserts come from," said Carmelo with a smile.

"You would do that for us? Even if you bought them wholesale?" asked Holly with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Of course, you are Pack and we support each other. I'll even call my restaurant supply salesperson and make sure he takes care of your account. I keep telling Carlo that is something the Pack should get involved in, with the number of Pack members who own restaurants plus we could even sell to neighboring Packs," said Carmelo as he glanced at Carlo. "It would be good income for the Pack."

"I'll have my new assistant look into that this week," said Carlo with a smile as he sent a message through the bond for Marco and Anna to join them.

"New assistant? You're seriously going to get one, I think that's great. Who is it?" asked Rita.

"Well, they are coming now. We haven't asked them yet, but we will as soon as they get here," said Carlo with a smile as Marco and Anna joined them.

"Good evening Alpha Carlo and Madame Gina," said Marco. "Mr. and Mrs. C, Mr. and Mrs. JC, Matt and Phil." Carlo got up and introduced the Millers and Marco said, "Welcome to the Pack Mr. and Mrs. Miller and Nana Ellen and Papa Mike."

"Marco, we keep telling you to call us by our names," said Frank with a smile as he slapped Marco on the shoulder almost causing him to spill his drink.

"Yes sir, but its hard to break old habits," said Marco as he glanced at his parents.

"The reason I called for you is we would like to offer you positions as my assistant and Gina's secretary. Marco, you would be in charge of briefings for the Council, scheduling my appointments, helping with training schedules, requests from other Packs to visit our territory, the duties would vary daily depending on what needed to be done," said Alpha Carlo.

"Anna, you would be responsible for helping me coordinate activities for the Pack. The Winter Festival, Full Moon Ceremonies, school activities, birthday cards for the youngsters, like Carlo said it would depend on what needed to be accomplished," Gina said as she smiled at Anna.

"There would be a salary, plus you could move into the caretaker's cottage on the grounds of The Manor House. It has all the security upgrades and it will be closer to us if we needed you in a hurry," stated Alpha Carlo.

"Thank you for this opportunity, of course we will accept. How soon would we start, and when could we move in?" asked Marco in a rush as he grabbed Anna's hand. He looked at his parents who were smiling and his Dad was puffed up with pride.

"Monday morning at 9:00 AM and you can move into the cottage tomorrow if you'd like. We'll meet you there tomorrow after breakfast to show it to you, there is already basic furniture there, but you'll need kitchen stuff and linens," said Alpha Carlo. They ran over and embraced Carmelo and Rita and were halfway across the clearing towards Anna's parents before they hurriedly returned and thanked the Alpha's and asked to be excused. Carlo smiled at their enthusiasm and gave them their leave.

"Well, that's done. I'm actually looking forward to having Marco as my assistant; it will relieve a lot of the day to day burdens off my shoulders. I'm glad I thought of it," he said with a smirk as Gina hit him on the arm and Frank and Joe roared with laughter.

"Frank and Joe, one thing I've been wondering about. Where are your parents? I was really looking forward to meeting them," said Papa Mike.

"They are in Italy with our in-laws," said Joe with a smile. "Our fathers worked for the State Department and are touring Europe on behalf of the Council, fostering goodwill and Pack relations. They'll be very happy to hear Vincent and Dominic have found their mates, they were ecstatic hearing about Maria and Sophia. They'll be back for the Winter Festival, they wouldn't miss their granddaughters dancing recital."

"Enough chit chat," said Carlo with a determined look on his face as every one looked at him. "We need the answer to a serious question...Do you play poker?"

The talk at the table soon turned to general things about Pack life, training sessions, football, school and what activities there were in the area. They made plans to meet at Frank's house for a cookout Sunday evening to go over the dating rules.

Todd looked across the clearing at the youngsters and said, "I meant to ask earlier, but why are they paired up like they are? Is it because they are related?"

Joe smiled at him and said, "No, yesterday we broke them into teams, an older family with a younger one which allowed them to develop a bond. You'll notice when their parents aren't around the young ones will go to the older ones. In the upcoming years they will look to them for guidance, protection and security and in a couple of years, they will become the mentors and the cycle will continue."

"Will my daughters get paired with a family?" asked Todd.

"We won't do anything until they get tested for placement," said Carlo. "But they will probably be paired up with Frank and Joe's family."

Carlo noticed dusk was steadily approaching and the Ceremony would be starting soon but before he could say anything his phone rang. Carlo jerked his head towards his cabin and Frank, Joe, Todd, Papa Mike, Carmelo, Matt and Phil headed that way.

As soon as they were in his cabin, Carlo answered the phone, "Rossi Here."

"Carlo, Roberts here. We are at our destination, all three Alphas', their top Beta's, men and medical personnel are here. In total, we number almost one thousand. There has been a steady stream of visitors arriving but as of yet no action for us to move on. We have the Ceremonial grounds under constant video and audio observation, as are The Lodge and outbuildings. Is Todd or his father there? We have some questions for them," stated Alpha Council President Roberts.

"Both my father and I are here, sir," answered Todd.

"What time does the Ceremony start, where is the mate rut held and are the girls held at a location until they are brought out?" demanded the President.

"Sir, the Ceremony starts one hour after dusk, the mate rut is held in front of the Altar and the girls are locked in The Lodge's basement. Sir, the reason the rut is held in front of the Altar is they reward some of the unmated males with the virginity of the newly presented girls. Charles believes staining the Altar with their virginal blood will bring good luck to the Pack," said Papa Mike. "When we were discussing this that's one detail we forgot to mention. I didn't even think of it until now. So focus on the Altar, that's where the girls will be brought."

"Raping virgins on the Sacred Altar??? Those fucking bastards..." raged President Roberts. They listened as he informed those in the room of what Papa Mike had said and even over the phone they could sense the tension in the room. "We also need to know if they have any weapons on the property."

"No sir, Charles was afraid of guns. He was afraid someone would take control of the Pack," said Todd glancing at his father he said, "Dad, can you think of anything else? I feel like we are forgetting something important."

There was silence for several moments before his Dad hollered, "The young ones. President Roberts, we mentioned the young ones were sequestered during the Ceremony, but we never told you where. They are held in the sub-basement under guard, down in the old dungeons which had been closed for years but Charles had them reopened. I've never been down there, but I do know where the door is located; it's in the kitchen pantry located behind a shelving unit. Ellen saw it open one day as she grabbed a bag of flour and it must have tripped the latch, so check the shelving unit on the left hand side, third shelf for the latch."

President Roberts called his SD over and informed him of the location of the young ones and how to access the hidden door. "Thank you both for the information, is there anything else you can remember? Maybe ask your mates."

Papa Mike and Todd hurriedly sent requests asking for any information. Holly's voice trembled as she said, "Todd, remember the code word we set up with my family before we left."

Todd in his rush started rambling, "President Roberts, before we left we promised Sage we would come back and get them before her daughters turned 18. If we weren't there in person, we would send somebody and use the word 'Prostasia', it means protect or protection in Greek. Use that word and Holly's family will help you. Her father and mother are Conall and Maureen Donnelly and her sister is Sage and her mate is Nicodemus Spanos, they have six daughters, Ophelia, Despina, Isadora, Lysandra, Calliope and Pandora. Since they can't shift, all the girls will be in the sub-basement."

"Thank you for the information, it will come in extremely helpful. I have assigned the SD to be responsible for the young ones and he has Alpha King and his men with him; they will be well taken care of Todd. Is there anything else we need to know? If not, I must get off the phone," stated President Roberts.

Everyone looked at each other shaking their heads. "Nothing we can think of," said Alpha Carlo. "Okay, I will notify you after this is finished," said Roberts right before he hung up.

As they stepped out of the cabin the men glanced across the clearing where their youngsters were. As the sound of their laughter reached them genuine smiles graced their faces as they watched their youngsters interact.

Todd said, "May Luna protect the innocent and may the guilty burn for eternity." The men nodded in agreement before walking over to join their mates.

***

At dusk, Carlo strode to the center of the clearing and asked the families to come together for the start of the Ceremony. The boys walked the little ones across the clearing to their parents and families grouped together as everyone stood silently.

He took a deep breath as he looked around the clearing and then in a deep firm voice he said, "Tonight we honor for the first time our Pack members who perished during the Were War. The loss has always been too great and our emotions too raw for us to do this but we feel it is time for them to be recognized, honored and celebrated as we mark the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the treaty that ended such a dark time not only for our Pack, but the entire Were community."

"Almost sixty years ago rogue wolves were roaming free across the country, leaving destruction and unrest in their wake.Females as young as 14 were being kidnapped, raped and unwillingly mated to these rogues, those who refused were murdered and the family members who tried to protect them were killed,"stated Alpha Carlo, sending some of his words through the bond to those over 14, as there were things the young ones and little ones didn't need to know and wouldn't understand.

"Before the Alpha Council was formed, Packs were isolated and fearful of letting outsiders know of problems and issues they were dealing with, they felt it would make them appear weak and ready for a takeover by rival Packs. If they had let it be known what was happening, the outcome would certainly have been different. These rogue wolves continued gaining in strength and numbers until they reached over several hundred in number.They spread out, infiltrating Packs and then other members of their organization would come in, killing anyone who stood in their way before kidnapping the females they wanted."

"Their reign of terror continued unabated for years until they made their way to the East Coast. The Packs on the East Coast were more organized, but we were still caught unawares believing we were safe from harm. Over the years the rogues had changed their ways, they had gotten more organized and more deceitful. They would approach Packs pretending to be from other Packs to form business alliances thus worming their way in. They knew information about us, about our business practices and their demeanor didn't raise any flags until it was too late."

"The day after their arrival, thirty-six of our females gathered together to celebrate a birthday. What should have been a joyous gathering of family and friends soon dissolved into terror as the rogues descended on this peaceful household. They slaughtered the six males present, including eleven year old Dante Bellucci who died protecting his sister Antonia. Before we could reach the home, our females were beaten unconscious, bound and kidnapped. We immediately called our allies who came rushing to our aid, but by the time they were located, it was too late."Carlo stopped speaking for several moments, his hands clenching and unclenching as he got his emotions under control, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"We found the rogue's hideout, an abandoned resort in the Pocono Mountains and fought our way inside, killing those who tried to stop us. The scene we found was absolutely heartbreaking, one of total carnage and devastation. Their bodies were almost unrecognizable because of the bruises, cuts, broken limbs, mutilation and torture they had been put through, but that was not the worst of what they had suffered. All of them had been repeatedly raped, even twelve year old Mae Green who was found in the protective embrace of her sister, Julia,"said Carlo his voice trembling with emotion and his face wet with tears.

"In the midst of this, there was one small ray of hope; one of the girls was still alive. Though her body was broken beyond repair, her spirit refused to give up displaying the tenacity and stubbornness she was known for. Knowing the girls were going to be killed, the rogues talked freely in front of them and before she died, Sophia Carlucci wanted to make sure she passed that vital information on. Using her last few breaths she told her father and her Alpha everything she heard. Not only that, but she projected images of the heroism displayed by the girls in their defense of each other. Only when she was finished, did she die cradled in her fathers loving arms, still holding her sister Leonora's hand,"Carlo looked at his Pack, their tears glistening in the flickering light from the bonfire. The Carlucci family stood side by side with tears flowing freely down their faces, they were proud yet humbled by the courage displayed by their ancestor.

"Without her strength and courage we would not have known who was really behind the attacks. Her revelations stunned the Were community and shook us to the core of our foundation. The rogues weren't really rogues, but Beta's, Delta's and Omega's who were following orders from their Alpha's. These were the true traitors, they were the leaders of some of the most powerful Packs in the country and their motivation was greed, pure and simple greed for money, land and power. They were telling them which Packs to attack so they could go in and further decimate them and steal their lands and businesses."

"We banded together with our sworn allies and lost many Pack members as we fought nonstop for the next several years to avenge the atrocities done to our females and to eradicate the plague of traitors. By the time the fighting was done, thousands of Were's had been killed or injured. Whole Packs had been decimated and the Were way of life was in danger of being exposed which is why the Alpha Council was formed."

"The first item the Council dealt with was to bring a swift and final judgement to all involved; no matter how small a part they played and then they disbanded the Packs responsible for this atrocity. Their finances were frozen with the majority going to fund the Council, the rest going into a general fund that would be dispersed to the remaining Packs. New laws were set up that each Pack must conform to and each state was broken down into four Packs with the land redistributed among them. Each Pack was given one representative, the Alpha, who has an equal vote to moderate disputes. Once all of this was set up the treaty was signed by each Alpha thus ending the Were War." Alpha Carlo paused, as he motioned Frank and Joe to join him.

"The signing of the treaty may have ended the Were War, but that doesn't mean we have forgotten. Frank, Joe and I instituted policies for our protection that go above and beyond what is mandated by Council and go further then what my father initiated. Nothing is more important then our safety as evidenced by our training sessions, home and business security measures and the general preparedness we display in our everyday lives," stated Alpha Carlo as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his posture mimicked by Frank and Joe who stood on each side of him.

"Other Packs have grown complacent over the years, depending on the Alpha Council for protection and I think that is a mistake, we cannot and we will not ever let it happen to us again. We will never let our guard down," Alpha Carlo firmly stated as he shook hands with Frank and Joe before they went to rejoin their families.

Carlo drew a deep fortifying breath and said, "Phillip, could you come here please."

Phillip stepped forward holding one stem of each of the flowers already in the arrangement sitting on the Altar. He cleared his throat before nervously looking at the assembled Pack members and felt love and a feeling of calm wash over him from his mate.