Alpha Killer Ch. 41-45

There were five of them, at the bottom of a hill where apple trees grew above a creek. I moved to the side of the hill, using the shrubs to hide me as I got closer. I was able to crawl close to the edge, about twenty yards from where I figured they would try to escape. Deer wouldn't break uphill. "In position," I sent to my mate.

"I'm going to run straight towards them, get them to panic. Pick your target and trust your wolf, love." He had gotten close, and the deer spooked and ran from him as he tore into the clearing. I tracked a small doe, a yearling, and sprang from my cover as she approached. I covered the distance In a few strides, and it was too late when she saw me. My wolf leaped up, latching onto her throat as my body weight knocked her down.

I tasted the blood in my mouth as my teeth ripped her neck open. I shifted my grip, taking her spine in my jaws and shook. The loud crack of her neck caused her to still, and I dropped her to the ground.

"Nice job, love," Bobby sent as he trotted up. He licked the blood from my face as I stood proudly over my kill. "First bite is yours."

I used my teeth to pull the hide out of the way and get to the backstrap, the tender meat on top of the chest. Ripping out a piece, I swallowed it as my mate watched proudly. We worked together to eat our fill, then removed the rear quarters to bring home. We didn't like wasting meat, and we'd only eaten half the doe. We cleaned our fur in the creek before lying in the shade to nap.

When we woke, it was after dark. I didn't want to take control back from my wolf, and she wanted her mate. Licking his face, she woke him up and rubbed her face against his muzzle and neck. Bobby stood up as we sniffed, tails wagging, before he moved down and sniffed and licked at my sex. I was all for that and dropped my forelegs down before I took off into the woods. "Catch me if you can," I teased.

I was fast, even if my body was still building strength back from my ordeal. I led him on a good chase, using my speed and quickness to change directions and keep him off balance. Eventually he guessed right, we both zigged, and he rolled me. I tried to get up, but he was already over me, his teeth at my scruff. My wolf was giddy, her mate was dominating her and she was ready. She moved into position, tail to the side as Bobby's wolf poked around looking for the hole. His forelegs held me in place as he drove home, seating himself in a strong thrust.

I howled in pleasure as he took me hard and fast. This wasn't making love, this was a hard, possessive fucking and I loved every second of it. I whimpered when he forced his knot in, but that changed to a moan of pleasure as he started short-stroking me to a massive climax. My body stiffened before it broke, leaving me a pile of jelly held up by him and his big cock as he shot deep into my receptive sex.

He laid us down, still tied together, and we fell asleep together.

"Bobby! Tania! Time to come home," Alpha Brent said into our heads as we woke up. Alphas had the ability to break through mental walls to push communications where required. Looking around, the moon was up and we'd slept for a few hours. "Talia, Randall and Erica will be here with their guests tonight, I'm leaving for the airport in an hour if you want to come with."

I couldn't wait to show Talia I had my wolf back. "We'll come back."

"Dad, we're about a twenty-minute run out. Tania took a deer, so if Phillip or the other pups want fresh meat, they can have it. We'll be ready in time." I rolled to my feet, his knot having disengaged while we slept. My fur was sticky with his spend, so I walked down and rinsed in the creek before following him back to our kill, then towards home. He set a good pace over the open ground, and soon we were back at the Pack House.

The pups were gathered in the grass, and they howled and yipped as we came in holding the legs in our jaws. We dropped them on the grass, and Phillip licked my jaw before taking his place and digging in to the meat we'd provided. "I guess I have to shift back," I said. "This might hurt."

"You know it will get better. You're a beautiful wolf and I love running with you." I focused on the shift back, my bones crunching and body reforming until I was naked on my hands and knees again. "By Luna I enjoyed today," I said as I stood and was embraced by my mate. We turned and walked towards the Pack House, where the rest of our family was standing waiting for us.

"We're so proud of you two," Patty said as she kissed us both.

"Congratulations on your wolf," Brent said. "I'd hug you but you're stained with blood."

"We'll be back down in fifteen minutes," Bobby said. He led me in, past the Pack members who were clapping and sending their congratulations, then up the stairs to our room. We showered together, then quickly dressed in jeans and shirts and returned downstairs. There were three Expeditions lined up in front, and we were in the last one with Dustin.

Dad sent a broadcast to the whole Pack before we left. "We will be returning with my son Randall, his mate Talia, and her friend Erica. All three are now hybrids of wolf and vampire, but they are also family and Pack members. With them are four Vampires from the New Orleans coven who saved Talia's life and are family to her. I expect all Pack members to treat them with respect, no matter what your instincts are telling you. They are not our enemy."

"What are they like, Talia's friends," Dusty asked as we pulled away.

"They are good people," I said. "She didn't tell me they were vampires and I didn't know, but they were there for me as I was going through detox after my rescue. Talia trusts them, and so do I. I'm thrilled for Erica, too. She gets her mate, and now she can mate him too."

"So many changes," Bobby said. "Have you heard from Dallas?"

"He's kicking ass and chewing bubble gum, and he's all out of bubble gum," Dusty said with a laugh. "Most of the people in that Pack are decent wolves, but the damage Justin did was extensive. Dallas has demoted or replaced a number of wolves already, as he remakes the leadership there. The Pack was not run properly for a long time."

"Is he safe?"

"He is. The wolves who went to La Crosse have returned home, and they are happy to have a Meechum in charge. I think they really want Talia to lead them." He looked out the window. "You know, Randall and Talia would be excellent Alphas if they took the job."

"She won't," I said. "Revenge still comes first. Even if she was done with that, they'd never accept a hybrid pair as Pack Alphas."

"You'd be surprised," Dallas said. "Wolves respect strength, and they have it. So do you."

I looked at him, a little shocked. I'd seen myself in the mirror; I was underweight, undeveloped and unready. "I'm a long way from being strong."

"The physical strength will come, but with Bobby at your side that won't matter right away. You have the inner strength and the bloodlines to lead. It is your birthright, and no one will take it from you should you decide you want to lead the Tomah Pack. Have you heard what is going on up there?" I shook my head no. "Todd and his mate ran off, stealing money from the Pack. The Beta he brought in with him has left. They have no senior leaders, but they refused the Council's suggestion to bring in another. Instead, they are temporarily part of the Black River Falls Pack under Alpha John. They won't make a decision beyond that until they know your decision, Tania. The Pack is united in this. If you want to be Alpha, all you have to do is say so."

I leaned into Bobby's side, nervous about it all. I was fourteen and innocent when I was last there, and I was no longer the same person. Bobby sensed my nervousness through the bond. "You don't have to decide tonight," he said. "We all know it will take you time before you are ready to reenter Pack life as an Alpha."

"I want to visit," I said. "I want to see them all again before I decide."

"Then visit we will," he said before he kissed me. "I will be happy as long as I am by your side, whether we are Alphas of a Pack or helping my parents here. Me, you, Phillip and any pups we have, that's what is important to me."

We talked the rest of the trip, and soon enough we were at the airport. The plane taxied in, and I was bouncing at Bobby's side as we waited for them to come out. Talia and Randall came out first, and breaking protocol terribly, I took off running and nearly tackled her as she came off the stairs. "TALIA! SHE'S BACK!"

Talia hugged me back, freezing when she took a smell. "You... your wolf?"

I nodded. "Bobby gave me my wolf back when we mated." She squealed in happiness and hugged me again as the others came down the stairs.

"Formal introductions are needed," Dad sent over the link, a little annoyed with me.

"Come on, we need to introduce them to our Alphas." I held one of Talia's hands while Randall had the other, the Coven following us.

"Alpha Brent, Luna Patty, may I present my friends to you. Master Vampire Jarrod Covington, leader of the New Orleans Coven, and his wife Marceline." Randall waited until the four had exchanged handshakes before continuing. "Coven members Anastasia and Eduardo, and Eduardo's mate Erica."

"Oh I'm so happy for you Erica," Patty said as she embraced the young woman. "We've heard so much about you! And Talia, it's so good to have people you love and trust here with us."

"Come, we will return to the Pack House where we have a late dinner set up," Brent said. He led Jarrod and Marcy to his vehicle, while Erica and the others loaded into ours.

"Erica, your scar?"

"Gone. Vampire healing is amazing," she said. She looked great, young and glowing with happiness. "OK, dish," Erica said. "How did you get your wolf back?"

I told her the story, then she told me how she and Eduardo found each other. We caught up on everything on the way home. She told me about her time in La Crosse with Michelle, and how much she hoped I would return and take over Tomah. I looked over at Talia. "Don't look at me," she said. "Technically I already have a Pack, and I'm not done yet. The name Clark got out of Beta Jack is opening all kinds of doors."

"I'm going to go back to work in a few days," Randall said. "The slave traders and trainers are human and well hidden behind Mob connections. I can use my FBI task force to bust it up, but I'm going to need your help, Tania."

"I already gave a statement," I said as I squeezed Bobby's hand.

"I know, and that worked well for the Council and Packs, but I can't use it with the FBI. It's important that you give a new statement, one carefully crafted to hide Pack involvement and focused on your time after you were turned over to the slave trading facility. My team will be pulling known associates and potential people involved, and we will need you to go through photo lineups, maybe even live ones. Your statement will be enough to get warrants, and we can start to pick them up." He could sense I was getting nervous. "My offices are in Dallas, it's not a bad drive from here. I can put you two up in my guest room or get you a hotel while you are there."

I looked at my sister. "You agree with this?"

She nodded. "Having me leave a trail of bodies in Chicago and elsewhere will attract too much attention. I promised to avenge you, Tania. Getting Randall and his coworkers to put these lowlifes in jail for decades will do that. Meanwhile, I'll be able to focus on finding Todd."

"Our Coven is helping, that is one of the reasons Jarrod wanted to come here," Eduardo said. "We have resources and contacts that Randall doesn't have. Talia is family, so are you. We want to help you."

"Dad is ready to form an alliance with a Coven," Randall said. "It has been over a thousand years since the last time that happened, and we in this car are the catalyst. We will change our world together."

"And it all started with a defeated, injured she-wolf who trusted a vampire she met at a gas station," Talia said.

Ch. 45

Chairman Lewis Wolfe's POV

Council Headquarters, PA

After the meeting yesterday, all our resources were focused on locating the Alpha Killer. The La Crosse Pack wasn't cooperating, and the other logical place to look was in Texas with the Meechums. They were even less cooperative, as their son was mated to Talia now.

We had both Packs staked out, and we hit pay dirt last night. We had Enforcers monitoring the roads and airports near Sulphur River, and a private jet landed in the middle of the night. It was met by three SUV's from the Pack. Photographs taken at long range proved two disturbing things. One was that the Alpha Killer was being supported by Alpha Brent despite the warrants against her. The second was that they were colluding with vampires.

I looked at the photograph and the comments of the Chief Enforcer. The four vampires were known to be from New Orleans. They must have been the ones who changed Talia, and now they were working directly with a Pack. It was intolerable.

I video called Councilman Miller, his oversight extended to the Texas, in fact all Packs in the South from there to Florida. "We've got a prob, Bob," I said when he came on. I showed him the photo and told him what was happening.

He was outraged. "Alpha Brent has already shown his disdain for Council rule, flaunting our laws and decisions, and now he's seeking the backing of our enemies. You MUST bring this before the full Council, and we have to act quickly. If he can turn a small female like Talia into the Alpha Killer, imagine what will happen if he turns Alphas and Betas! They would wipe us out!"

"I agree," I said. "I'll get a conference together. What I need you to do in the meantime is to put together a list of Packs who will help us. Eliminate those with strong ties to Sulphur River, we don't want them tipped off this is coming."

"How many warriors do we need?"

"It's the Alpha Killer, idiot. ALL OF THEM." I cut the call and went to get a drink. This information was giving me a headache, and it wasn't even eight in the morning yet. What the hell, it's after five in Australia.

"Mr. Chairman, it's Alex at the main gate. We have Todd Aldridge in custody, he says he needs to speak to you."

The missing Alpha Todd shows up at my gate? Now THIS is an interesting morning. "Cuff him and have him escorted to my office." I sent a summons to my Chief Enforcer and Counsel to come to my office.

Five minutes later, the former Alpha of the Tomah Pack was sitting in my office with my senior staff. "I'm surprised you had the balls to show up, Todd. Your mate sends her regards, by the way. We barely missed you in Chicago."

"I expected that bitch to save her own skin, that's why I left. Don't think you can threaten me with her, I could care less what happens to her anymore. I'm here to make a deal."

"We don't need to make a deal, Todd. We have you, which will appease the Midwestern Packs when we execute you. We know where Talia is and who is protecting her. By sundown tomorrow, Talia will be dead, and you'll be facing trial."

"Talia's not an ordinary werewolf."

"I'm fully aware of the abomination that Talia has been turned into," I said.

"She's protected by a Pack, you can't just go in there and grab her. Give me a pardon and use me as bait. I'll draw her to where you can capture her without collateral damage."

I looked at my staff, and busted out laughing. "Collateral damage is required for this, the whole Pack has to go." I sent for the Enforcers. "Take this man to the cells and bind him in silver for trial."

"Yes sir," the men said. They pulled Todd from the chair and hauled him out as he struggled and tried to tell us what a mistake we were making.

I sent for Dr. Himen, there was more here I needed to know. She showed up a few minutes later. "I wanted to follow up on what you said yesterday," I said. I showed her the picture of Talia with the four members of the New Orleans coven. "You were experimenting with the captured vampires, looking for new weapons to use against them?"

"That was part of it, sir. The other part was analyzing their blood and venom to see if it was possible to transfer any of their traits to us."

"What were the results?"

"Ingesting blood did nothing, but we suspected that. The werewolves that have killed vampires in battle showed no changes, so I didn't expect it. What I did find was that if I mixed vampire blood with werewolf blood cells, the vampire blood cells would surround and change the werewolf ones. I did some testing on prisoners, injecting blood directly into their bloodstream."

"And the results?"

"Disappointing. The treatment was incredibly painful, and none survived it. They suffered for days before their bodies gave out. I did notice that their reflexes and strength increased as the change rolled through them, but they were out of their minds with pain and uncontrollable. We abandoned that line of research."

I nodded, it WAS disappointing. "Do you think this is what happened to Talia Stillwater to make her into the Alpha Killer?"

"Absolutely. The Vampire Masters are millennia old, obviously one knew how to make this work and changed her." She paused for a moment. "There's another possible reason. The vampires we had to experiment on were fairly young. One was turned a few years earlier, one a century ago. Even between those two, the difference in the strength of their blood and their skills was apparent. Vampires become stronger and more powerful with age, and Talia fell in with a Master Vampire. It might not just be the method, it might be because his blood was powerful enough to make the change without driving her mad."

More reason to kill them all. "Thank you. Return to your work."

The videoconference with the other Council members, who had all returned home after yesterday's meeting, was upon me quickly. I kept my end small, just me and my two senior staff members. When everyone was on, I filled them in. I went through where Talia was, who she was with and why that was important, and Dr. Himen's experiments. "We have less time than we thought to act," I said as I finished my brief. "If the Doctor is right and the Vampire Master has the ability to change werewolves to be like Talia, his presence at a Pack is concerning. He could be changing some, dozens, hell he could be changing the whole Pack right now. Imagine an entire Pack, hostile to the Council and in league with our enemies, with her speed and strength. They could END us as a species."

"We have to move quickly," Councilman Miller said. "I've contacted Packs in the area I think we can rely on, and the response has been mixed. Those that were hesitant or expressed sympathy for the Stillwaters I didn't ask. Those who feared what she could do all promised men and support. In two days, we can add two hundred Pack Warriors to our Council Enforcers. Surely that's enough to take out the vampires and Talia."

"Two days isn't fast enough, they've already been there one. We need to invade before anyone he's trying to change can make the change," I said. "We need to attack in the morning, when the vampires can't come out and fight us. We'll take out the Pack and burn out the Vampires." The next ten minutes we spent talking logistics, battle plans and command. My Lead Enforcer would be in charge locally, the Packs and Enforcers working directly for him.

When there was a lull, my Counsel interrupted. "Before we go back-slapping each other about what geniuses we are in battle, let's back up a little and discuss the potential outcomes of our plan." Lawrence tapped the table. "First off, you have the Council and allied Packs planning to attack a sovereign Pack, on its territory, with no warning and no charges. Then you are going to wipe them out to the last woman and child. How do you think the other Packs will react to that?"