Claiming Treasure
Aftermath

Heather Rhodes’ POV

Cascade Pack House

I followed my mate down the front stairs, and the smell of burnt hair and flesh was too much for me. I ran out towards the treeline, stopping behind a shrub as I lost my breakfast on the muddy ground. I was coughing out the last of it when I felt Carson’s hand on my back. “Easy, love. I’m sorry about this.”

I sat down, leaning against his leg. “My wolf is satisfied, but I’m going to have nightmares about this. Those men died for nothing, and it wasn’t a good way to die.”

“What is different between today’s deaths, and the men we killed in the attack a few days ago?”

I thought about it; she and I were still getting used to each other. She was a horny little bitch, who liked to eat, run and fuck, and was insanely proud and protective of our babies. “I don’t know. I didn’t have time to think about it then; I reacted the way I was trained. It was over in seconds.”

“We stopped the attack in its tracks; in less than thirty seconds, it was over. These were not good men, love. You heard what they said in the meeting. They were willing to kill anyone in the way of taking us, and we would not survive a Council interrogation. There was no going back for them once they crossed the line.”

He started walking back onto the grass, and I followed him as I thought about it. “These men had wives and families,” I said as I looked back. Pack members were loading the dead into body bags.

“We gave them two opportunities to stop, and they didn’t. One, we made an offer to the four Packs that attacked here and Arrowhead. We gave the ones who didn’t like what their Pack Alphas were doing a chance to move to one of our Packs instead. Then, we warned the attackers at both sites that we knew about them. We NAMED their PACKS in our warning, love. Any good leader would understand the folly of attacking us without the element of surprise.”

“But they did,” I said.

“Yes. They were coming to kill us, Heather. I’m the Alpha who defied them, and you are the human female who survived a bite and became a werewolf. They don’t want you to be like them, they want the power to make the ones THEY want, like them. Why else would they specifically name the Pack Doctor as someone to arrest, but not to be harmed? Our deaths wouldn’t hold back their plans.”

“They wasted their men.”

“They did. Rori and I broadcast the attacks on our Packs for a good reason. These four Packs aren’t the only ones that see us as a threat to their power and prestige. We had to squash them HARD, brutally exterminate them, to show them the folly of trying it again. Everyone who they sent to kill us at Triple Falls is dead, and the ones that didn’t surrender here are all dead. Our victory today will prevent future attacks, and THAT is why your wolf is satisfied.”

“It’s just, I don’t know. It wasn’t fair.” The men never had a chance, and the ones in the SUV never saw it coming.

“Fairness is a human concept. Wolves understand that survival is all that matters. Killing the enemy quickly without losing a Pack member, that’s a win. I know you are having difficulty with it, but we aren’t burying any of our family or friends today.”

We had moved through the woods, to an isolated clearing. A small excavator was already at work, digging a trench in the rocky volcanic soil. “Is this your cemetery?”

“No. We will not soil that ground with the bodies and spirits of these men. We bury or burn our dead quickly if they are in their wolves. It’s too dangerous to delay or transport them.”

“Their families will not get them back?”

“No. Perhaps in time, we will let the families visit their graves and retrieve their bones. That time is not now.” The excavator had created a trench that was five feet deep and about thirty feet long. As bodies were carried into the clearing, the men would lower the opened bags into the grave, pulling the plastic back out. It took an hour before the bottom of the trench contained the dead, and the excavator was pushing the dirt back over the dead.

“Aren’t you going to say anything? They were men,” I said.

“Yeah.” He signaled the excavator operator to turn off the engine, then gathered the men along the trench. “Luna, hear our prayer for these men and their families. May their judgment be swift, may their souls replace rest, and may their families be comforted in their loss.”

“May God have mercy on their souls,” I said. The silence over, the men got back to work. We stayed at the edge of the clearing until the trench was level, and he led me back to the Pack House. I could see fires in the rocks around the house in some places, while in others, pressure washers were spraying them down. “What’s going on?”

“It’s going to smell like a French Fry shop around here if we don’t get rid of that oil,” he said. “They are burning off what they can, then using soap and water spray to rinse off the rest. The pressure washer gets the stains off the sidewalk, too.”

My stomach growled. “I shouldn’t be hungry, but I am.”

“You lost breakfast, and you’re pregnant. Come on; we’ll get you something.” I followed him towards the Pack dining room. “The kitchen had been preparing lunch when the alert came, and some of the food they were making for lunch had to be thrown out. When the attack warning goes out, there’s only enough time to turn off the stoves and ovens before going to the Safe Room.” I could see a sandwich bar had been set up along the side of the room.

They typically wouldn’t be feeding wolf forms, but I was an exception. I couldn’t shift back without losing the babies, so I stayed this way. I had a bowl, one of those heavy dog bowls with rubber on the bottom so it wouldn’t skid over the wooden floor when I ate. He filled it with my favorites; roast beef, turkey, ham, and pork took up most of the bowl, with fruit salad and bread taking up the rest. The dining hall slowly filled as people finished their work and came inside. He set the bowl down at my spot, to the right of his place at the head of the table, then went back to get his lunch.

I waited for him and watched his Pack as they interacted with him and each other. Carl and Angelina came in, and both look freshly showered but smelled of sex. That was something I hadn’t gotten used to; not only were werewolves highly sexual beings, but they were also almost proud of their activities. Of course, my wolf nature and senses told me why. The urge to procreate was strong, and it was easy to hear or smell what was going on. Carl took his spot to the left, while Angelina took her place to my right. They didn’t sit together, as they were each the protectors of the Alpha pair.

Carson clasped Carl’s shoulder as he passed, then leaned down and gave Angelina a brief hug. “You did well today,” he said. He raised his voice to the room. “You ALL did well today. Two Packs tried to attack us, and EVERY Pack in the world saw that was a bad idea. I am so proud of you.”

I put my front paws on my empty table spot so I could see everyone better. “Thank you for protecting me once more,” I sent to them all.

“WE LOVE YOU, LUNA,” a juvenile yelled from the back. I tilted my head back and howled, and the hall shook as the Pack howled with me.

Carson held his hand up until they quieted. “Tonight, we feast. Eat quickly, for we have much to do before then!”

The Pack cheered, and we all sat down. I looked up at my mate. “What do we have to do? Supervise cleanup?”

“We have Betas for that, and they know what is needed. We need to talk to my brothers and our allies soon.”

“Why?”

“There are four Packs that don’t have Alphas and have lost most or all of their senior leadership. A power vacuum is dangerous and unpredictable.”

I thought back to my lessons about Pack structure. “Wouldn’t the Lunas step up? Or one of the children?”

“It’s not that simple. These Packs are not like here or Arrowhead, where you have strong females in leadership. Those men were Neanderthals, keeping their mates under their thumbs, only allowed to run the household staff and women’s matters. None would have dreamed of asking their mate for advice, or for help running the Pack. None of them were allowed to train to fight. They aren’t ready for the job, and the Pack wouldn’t accept one of them as Alphas. Even if they took the spot, they’d never be able to defend the position against a challenge.”

“And I could?”

He just pulled me closer to his leg as he scratched behind my ears. “You’ve already proven you can defend yourself and the Pack,” he told me. “Everyone saw the aftermath of the attack, and they heard what Angelica and I did. Both of us know that without your shooting, we’d all be dead. You had skills as a human, and we’ll build your skills as a wolf. You’ll be giving Alpha Coral a run for her money in a year or two.”

“What about Alpha Rori?” I’d seen her tag team fight from when she was with the Steel Ladies, and some of her spars as a wolf, as part of my training. Both of my trainers, Angelica here and Laura in Arrowhead, said she was the best they’d faced. I had to agree; she was quicksilver fast and lethal.

“You might catch up if she’s pregnant and unable to train six months out of the year like it’s been lately,” he said with a laugh.

I nipped his jeans. “Not if I’m pregnant half the time too.”

“It doesn’t work like that now. You’ll live longer, but we’ll be fortunate to have four more over the next two centuries.”

I’d forgotten about the difficulty conceiving; it made my twins all the more a miracle. I finished eating, wolfing down the apple pie and ice cream that was brought over for dessert. “Keep the cleanup going and organize a hunt for tonight’s feast,” I told my Betas. “We’ll be in my office.”

I hopped onto the couch and laid my head down on the pillow as he grabbed his laptop. He sat next to my head, booting up his computer in his lap while he scratched my neck. He was checking messages on his phone as he waited for the videoconference program to start. “Carson, what are people saying about what happened? They watched it live, right?”

“Only our allies seem to be talking to me right now,” he sent back. “I sent out a group text, and we’ll all talk in thirty minutes.” I dozed off as he checked his email messages and responded to texts on his phone.

When I heard Luna Colletta’s voice, my eyes opened up. “Oh, Carson, I’m so glad to see you,” she said. “Hi, Heather! How are you doing?”

I gave a quick yip as I pushed my head onto Carson’s lap, and she could hear the whap of my tail on the cushion. “She’s doing well, Mom. She wasn’t in any of the action today, and we’ve talked through the aftermath.”

“That’s good.” The others started joining; Sawyer and Ashley, Coral and Keith, Rori and Chase, Michael and Margaret, Martin and Rebecca, and then Ron and Teri.

“Ron? Where are you?”

“Heading to West Virginia,” Ron Carlson said from the back of a car, Teri by his side. “The Monongahela Pack did not have an heir for Alpha Kirk, and Rori claimed rights for it.”

I looked at it funny. “What does that mean?”

“Heather, since Kirk attacked our Pack and died in battle, Alpha Rori is by law the new Alpha of his Pack.”

Rori picked it up. “I have no desire to keep a West Virginia Pack, but I am allowed to appoint an Alpha in my place. Ron and Teri will be good Alphas and turn that Pack around. It also adds to our block of votes.” She smiled at the camera. “It seems like all I do is lose Betas around here!”

Sawyer’s mind was fast. “What about Katahdin? Are you sending Vic and Spider Monkey there?”

Rori shook her head no. “No, I don’t think the Council or the Pack would accept that, and I DO need to have a Beta around here somewhere. Mom suggested we contact Conor Shaw for help. He turned over the Dunlewey Pack in Ireland about a decade ago to his son. He is a good man and won’t try to hold on to power. The Blackledge son is seven, but his mother isn’t strong enough to hold the Pack. Conor will fill in and train the boy until he can take over.”

“That’s a decent plan, I’m sure the Council will go along with it,” Carson said. “Will it be enough to keep them from being a problem in the future?”

“The warriors we spared will know the truth, and they have more than a decade before another Blackledge could take over. I’m hoping cooler heads prevail,” Rori said. “What are you going to do with Denali and Banff?”

Carson shook his head. “I haven’t given it much thought,” he said. “I ran out of under-employed brothers and sisters.”

“Beta Carl and Angelica are strong enough,” I sent to him.

“My mate thinks I should ask Beta Carl to take an Alpha position,” I said. “Carl and Angelica, can you come to my office, please.”

“It’s a good idea; they are strong and respected,” Sawyer said. “The Denali Pack has already shifted, Alan’s son Albert has assumed the position. You could depose him, but it would be better to trade your support for his Alpha claim for an alliance.”

All of the Alphas got a text message at about the same time, at least the ones who didn’t just become Alphas. “That didn’t take long,” Coral said. “Chairman Coffey packed up and left the Council building, whereabouts unknown. Councilman Kirk has retired, effective immediately. That leaves only the two European Council members, Yakov Baronsky and Jurgen Nemmers.”

“Three spots to fill,” Carson said. “We need to delay Council elections until the new Alphas are recognized, and then we can put our preferred people in.”

“Mom, we all voted while you were gone, and you’re it,” Coral said with a grin. “So much for your retirement!”