Treasure Ch. 66-70

Chairman Gruber arrived in a rented SUV, surrounded by Council Enforcers. He had flown in from Germany overnight on the Council jet and was in a foul mood. "Everyone here," he asked. The parking lot at the Silver Creek Cliff Wayside Park was full of SUV's and dangerous-looking men.

"Almost," Alpha Forrest said. "We're just waiting for Alpha Daniel and the Donner Pack warriors to arrive. They should be here in twenty minutes." He saw the Chairman's expression and knew he wanted more. "There's plenty of time, sir, with travel time we still have another 45 minutes before we need to leave if we want to be there at sundown."

"Who is running the tactical side?"

"I am. We're going in fast; I have men in place to take out the patrols and the gate guard, by the time they know what is going on it will be too late to do anything. The Oxbow Lake Pack, even with the help from Rori King and her followers, won't be able to field forty warriors. We'll have double that. They'll roll over and expose their necks as soon as they see us coming."

"Good." He looked out over the cliffside towards Lake Superior, the wind was off the lake and it was cold. Even after the long summer, the water temperature never broke fifty degrees. "Try to limit the casualties, remember it is the Alphas we are after. We need the Alphas arrested, not killed."

"Understood, sir." They would try for that, but he also hoped that some would resist enough that he and his men could work out some frustrations before the trial. Warriors don't like to travel all this way without getting a chance to bite someone.

He shifted nervously from foot to foot, waiting for the rest of the group to show up. A line of three rental minivans came into the lot and parked, and his son Daniel stepped out. "Betas and above circle up," Alpha Forrest said. The leaders gathered around; he had them divided into groups since there were three Packs involved plus the Council. "The men I have in place already will cover the entrance and make sure stragglers don't escape us. We're all going in fast in the vehicles," he said. "When we get to the compound clearing, the Council Enforcers and the Bitterroot Pack go straight to the Pack House. Enforcers, you go straight up to the Alpha's office and perform the arrest, the rest of you support," he said. "Donner Pack will go to the security building and the gym, blast your way in if you have to. Cascade Pack, you sweep the individual housing, school and clinic. Herd everyone into the dining hall, that's where the trials will be held."

The men looked at the satellite photos, memorizing their assignments. "Rules of engagement, Alpha?"

"Intimidate and incapacitate if possible," he said. "We're here on Council business, make sure you yell that loud and often. If someone is threatening you with deadly force, you may respond to protect yourself. Try and limit the damage." The men nodded, they didn't want the innocent hurt. "The Council members and lawyers will be in the trail vehicle. I will be in the command vehicle just in front of them. I will have one man from each Pack with me to relay orders over the links." The men studied the maps for a while longer, then returned to their groups to brief their individual teams.

The time to leave came, and they all loaded in the ten vehicles that made up their convoy. Heading out single file, they drove quickly through the rural highways towards the Oxbow Lake Pack. "Thomas, we are five minutes out. Are your men in position?"

"Yes Alpha. As soon as we see your convoy, we'll take out the guards and the patrol." Forrest cut the link, looking at the other men in his car. "Let them know we are five minutes out," he said.

They watched the lead vehicle make the turn and accelerate down the long private road that led to the Pack House. They saw the man unconscious by the open gate and Alpha Forrest smiled. "I love it when a good plan comes together," he said to himself.

There was no indication of an alarm being raised as they sped into the clearing by the Pack House and the vehicles screeched to halts near their targets. Men wearing badges identifying them as being on official Council business jumped out, and the air was filled with sounds of "COUNCIL ENFORCERS, SUBMIT OR DIE" as they ran into the rooms. Forrest smiled, this was better than he thought. Teams checked in, there was no opposition, because no one was in the buildings. He started to panic until he got a link.

"Sir, the Pack is in the dining hall... and they were waiting for us."

The bad feeling in his gut got worse. He hunched over in pain as he felt a bunch of Pack links rip away from his wolf. Suddenly, the security spotlights came on, bathing the compound in light. Men, far more than a hundred of them, ran forward from the woods in all directions.

His men fell back into defensive groups, staring down the werewolves who were mixed in with gun-toting bikers in Steel Brotherhood cuts. "There are humans out there, no shifting," he said to his men and out loud. The others relayed the command to their own Packs.

This was bad. "What do we do, Alpha?"

He didn't have much time to think, a dozen men led by Beta Carlson were closing in fast on his vehicle, and more were headed for the Council van. In less than thirty seconds, he'd gone from a bloodless takeover to a hopeless situation.

"GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND GET ON THE GROUND," Beta Carlson ordered as his men surrounded his car. The rental would never protect them from the guns, and if they were using silver bullets it could be a short and bloody fight.

The other groups watched and waited as they were in a standoff with the new wolves. They were outnumbered and outgunned. "It's over," he said to the others. "Tell them to surrender."

The word was passed, and the groups of his men one by one dropped their weapons and raised their hands. Alpha Forrest stepped out of the car and got on his knees; in moments his hands were cuffed behind him in silver. Looking behind him, Chairman Gruber and Councilman Waterman were also being cuffed. "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE, I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FUCKING COUNCIL! I'LL RUIN YOU!"

Charles King was the one who walked over to him and forced him to his knees. "Not any more you're not."

More men came forward and grabbed Alpha Theo Waterman of the Cascade Pack and his Beta, Steven March, placing silver coil necklaces around their necks and locking them in place. As soon as everyone was restrained, Alpha Michael came out of the Pack House with Alpha Rori at his side. The Alphas hadn't liked Rori's plan at first but having all the humans around was key to keeping casualties down. Without them, the attackers would have shifted and things would have gotten bloody.

Rori smiled at the bikers as she walked over to the cars, where the Club officers were starting to gather. The Brotherhood wanted their pound of flesh in exchange for their help, and she was going to give it to them.

"Bring the attackers into the dining hall for the trials," Alpha Michael said as he looked out over the group that had won the battle without firing a shot. Eight Packs had come together tonight to right a wrong, and a new era was upon them.

"Except these two," Rori said as she pulled on her Steel Ladies cut. "Tripod, would you and the Brotherhood grab them and follow me? It's time for some Club justice."

"Oh hell yes, Canvas," he said, and all the bikers followed them across to the training building. It was a big indoor gym and one side was filled with boxing rings. The Casper Alpha and Beta were pushed inside the main ring and moved into the far corner, clearly shaken by the change in their situation. There were at least five dozen members of the Brotherhood here, including five Chapter Presidents. Their desire for blood was clear as they surrounded the ring.

Rori walked over to the two werewolves, whispering so the humans would not hear. "You put one of their Chapter Presidents in the hospital, you," she pointed at Beta Steven, "You broke three ribs and punctured his lung and you," she pointed at Alpha Theo, "You ordered the attack." They thought to object, but her glare cut them off. "The silver will keep you from shifting and temper your strength to that of a human, making it a fair fight. You're going to take a beating, you can't stop that, but if you take it like men, they won't kill you. Whine like a bitch, and I'll let them end you."

"You can't do this," Alpha Theo said as he shook with rage. His wolf couldn't come forward with the silver, and he was nervous about fighting this way. No werewolf trained without his wolf helping him!

"Oh, I can, and I will," she said. "When they are done, if you're still alive we'll patch you up for trial." The guards stripped their clothes off down to their jeans, removing their shoes and rings. She walked over to where the five Presidents were standing behind Tripod, who had already stripped down and had wrapped his hands with cloth. "Tag team rules all right for you?"

"Yes, but we'll change out the people on our side so more members get to play. You think they'll last?"

"They're pretty tough, I'd say they last fifteen minutes," Rori said with a smile.

"I hope so," Thor said.

Rori went back into the center as a bunch of the bikers got their phones out to record the fight. "This will be a tag team event, pitting the Brotherhood against the men who put Aces in the hospital. It goes until one side cannot continue," she said as the men cheered. The guards were wrapping the two men's knuckles, evening things out. "Tag to swap out people in the ring. No eye gouges or crotch hits, anything else goes, any fighting style is allowed. Any questions?"

"I'll kill these fuckers," Steven growled. He was an intimidating guy, six-foot-four and maybe two hundred and thirty pounds. Theo was even bigger, but the men lining up on in the opposite corner were just as huge and had a lot more bar-fighting experience. Theo stepped out of the ring, leaving Tripod in there with him.

Rori called them to start. Steven was aggressive, charging Tripod and throwing a wild right hand which he easily ducked under. Instead of punching, Tripod put his shoulder into his stomach as his hands wrapped around his leg, lifting him and driving him hard to the mat. Quick as a cat, he was sitting on his chest and pounding him MMA style with hard rights and lefts to the face. Steven took a half-dozen hard shots before he was able to buck him off.

Tripod attacked, side kicking him in the ribs as he tried to stand up. They heard the sound of a rib breaking. Steven grabbed the top rope so he wouldn't bounce back to the middle of the ring. Holding out his hand, he tagged out and a furious Theo took his place.

Tripod started dancing around him, using jabs and kicks to keep him away. Theo was strictly a boxer, and didn't know how to defend from the knees and feet that the tattooed biker kept using. Tripod drew first blood with a spinning kick to his face, knocking out a tooth and bloodying his cheek. Satisfied, he tagged Thor.

Thor got his name because he was blonde and massive. He was so big he didn't go through the ropes, he stepped over them. He didn't duck and move, he didn't play defense, he just bullrushed Theo and grabbed him by the hair. He held him in place with a straight left arms, letting his huge right fist do the damage. Theo tried to fight him, but his arms were too short and soon he couldn't see with the blood.

Steven ducked under the rope and into the ring, jumping on Thor's back and putting him in a chokehold. Thor let go of Theo and reached back to grab at Steven, and Theo used the distraction to punch him in the groin.

It was the only punch he got in, because Wolfman entered the ring in a fury. He got his name because of his copious amount of back hair, the guy could be mistaken for Sasquatch if you saw him naked. He kicked in Theo's knee from the side, causing him to scream out and fall to the mat as he grabbed it. Once he was down, he let loose a series of kicks on his ribs and kidneys, snapping a few of them in the process. "MOVE," Thor yelled.

Wolfman looked up and immediately rolled out of the way, because Thor had Steven by the throat and was holding him in the air. Instead of tossing him away, he drove his head out and down hard to the mat, his back landing on top of Theo. Theo grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, while Steven was knocked out.

Both men stood up, watching Theo try to push off the deadweight of Steven so he could get up. "Tag me in," Rori said. She had taken off her cut, leaving her in jeans and a T-shirt.

"You want in," Thor said in his deep voice as Wolfman got back out.

"Time to finish this," she said.

Thor smiled and walked over, high fiving her as he held down the top rope so she could jump into the ring. "Kick his ass," he said with a grin as he got out.

Rori was just in time, Theo had just gotten up. He was holding his left side and had to wipe blood from his face, and he was pissed. He smiled when he saw her. "You bit off more than you can chew this time, bitch," he said through missing teeth.

She didn't respond, she just took her stance and waited. Some of the men grabbed Steven and dragged him out of the ring as they circled each other. When she snuck a look, Theo charged her.

This wasn't the first time Rori had been in the ring with much larger men, and she was ready. Her head was suddenly not where it used to be, and a motorcycle boot crashed into his exposed right side, cracking more ribs. He swung wildly, but she danced back before he could do anything. Phones were taping all around as she methodically destroyed him. He wasn't fast enough to hit her, and she was too elusive to grab. She used her feet, hands, knees and elbows to inflict pain on him until he was barely standing.

She got a little lazy, telegraphing a kick to his stomach that he managed to catch. He grinned as he clamped onto her ankle, twisting it as he pulled her closer. Finally, he was going to inflict damage on her. He tugged, only to be surprised when her resistance stopped. Rori went with the pull, twisting her body in the air until her free foot crashed against the side of his face. The impact spun his head around, and he was out on his feet. Rori backed up to the nearest corner as he slid to the mat unconscious.

"Don't FUCK with the Brotherhood," she said as he lay bleeding on the mat.

The bikers cheered, this was better than they could have hoped for. Rori was picked up and ended up on Thor's shoulder as they walked out of the building, heading for the shed where they had parked their motorcycles. When she was finally put down, she faced the Presidents. "Satisfied with your payback?"

"Absolutely," they said. "What happens with all those men you captured?"

"They face justice for what they did to my family," she said. "You can't stick around for that, but I can't thank you enough for being here for me."

"You're a Steel Lady, Rori, we'll always be around if you need us." Tripod gave her a hug, followed by the others, and then they fired up their motorcycles and drove on out. Rori walked back to the training facility where guards had shackled the two injured men to wheelchairs so they could join the festivities in the dining hall.

It was time for the new Council to deal justice.

Ch. 67

The old Council was shaking with anger as they were led into the dining hall. The place was packed, standing room only, and they were led past angry wolves to the front where they were sat at a table and shackled to the chairs. In front of them, at a table, sat three people with a camera and flat screen at the end. The two European Council members were on the screen, looking pissed. Behind them seven Alphas and an empty chair. The two Council lawyers that they had planned to use as prosecutors, Mark Restwell and Vernon Kemp, were now seated next to them.

The three looked at the cameramen in the room and realized this was being broadcast live to every Pack. "What is the meaning of this," Gruber said. "We are the Council, we will not stand for this!"

"Not anymore," Charles said from the table. "Eight Alphas voted this morning to unseat the North American Council members and voted in Charles King and Oscar Millner as the new Council members. After playing the evidence for the European Council members, the vote to remove you as Chairman was unanimous. Jack Coffey, former Alpha of the Banff Pack, was elected Chair under the rotational agreement for the North American Packs to set the next Chairman."

"For the record," Chairman Coffey said, "The following Packs voted for removal of the North American Council members and unanimously approved their replacements. Adirondack, Arrowhead, Banff, Blue River, Denali, Katahdin, Monongahela, Oxbow Lake."

"Objection," Mr. Restwell said. "The Arrowhead Pack has not been recognized by the Council and should not have been allowed to vote to remove the existing Council. This whole process is void."

"Pack Law sets the Alpha position unless the Council agreements are activated," Sawyer Nygaard said as he rose from a seat at the adjacent table. "Alphaship is automatically granted if you have a heredity birthright, territory and Pack members submitted to you. As of last night, Alpha Rori met all criteria. She has inherited both the Alpha title and the territory of the Arrowhead Pack, and her Pack already includes almost thirty members. In the case of a birthright Alpha, Council approval is not required, that is only for challenges or open positions."

"Objection overruled," Chairman Coffey said. "The proceedings are complete. The old Council is gone and a new one has been properly formed. Mr. Prosecutor, the charges please."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman," Sawyer said as he brought a paper over and handed it to the Defense lawyers. "Mr. Forrest, Mr. Waterman and Mr. Gruber are charged with the following crimes: Unlawful destruction of a Pack, premeditated murder, attempted kidnapping, conspiracy to commit rape and conspiracy to commit murder of a human. The Prosecution will be seeking a sentence of death," he said.

"Mr. Chairman, I have had no time to prepare for this," Mr. Restwell said.

"This is a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial," Sawyer said. "However, they are not the only ones to face charges. Bring forward Alphas Daniel Forrest and Theo Waterman." Alpha Forrest was seated and shackled next to his father, while a battered Alpha Waterman was wheeled to the table, still shackled to his chair.

"This is outrageous," Mr. Kemp said. "We have laws, you can't just beat the crap out of someone after they are detained!"

"We didn't," Rori King said as she walked into the room. The place went silent as she walked to the empty chair by the other Alphas. "That was a separate matter related to the attack by his Pack members on two humans that landed one in the hospital. It was a poor decision by the Alpha and his Beta, because the man they injured was a Chapter President of a biker gang. What you see is their justice." She smiled as she thought about it. "I'm sure the video of it will make fun viewing during the down time."

The crowd erupted in laughter, causing the Chairman to gavel the hearing to order again. "Mr. Prosecutor, charges against the Alphas please."

"Certainly, sir. Alpha Daniel Forrest is charged with conspiracy to commit rape, bribery and conspiracy to commit murder. Alpha Theo Waterman is charged with conspiracy to commit rape, conspiracy to commit murder and assault of humans."

"You may proceed with the evidence," the Chairman said.

"Thank you. As everyone knows, seventeen years ago tomorrow the Arrowhead Pack was wiped out by a surprise attack. At the time, the Council members here were able to hide our nature from the human authorities and those killed in wolf form were later declared dead. However, they did not find out who did it. It was only at the trial of the Bitterroot Pack members last year that we found out the true killers."