29

Stanley Biggs' POV

North Moccasin Mountain Den/Ranch

Saturday, September 8

th

, 2007

The phone rang just after ten. "

Must be Nora,"

I sent to my mate as I reached for the wireless phone on the table by my chair in the living room.

"

They're probably running late,"

Julie replied.

"Hello?"

"Stanley, it's Carol. We're heading your way, and we've picked up a tail."

"Wolf or cop?" Either would be bad news.

"It's not a cop. It's maintaining the same distance behind us while we change speeds."

"Did he ever get close to you?"

"No, he's stayed about a quarter-mile back."

That narrowed it down for me. Enforcers would trail them until they stopped or reinforcements could arrive. "That's not a cop. They'd close to get your license plate and then follow until backup arrives."

"That's what my mate thinks. We're a couple of miles from the 331 turnoff. What do you want us to do?"

"I warned them not to fuck with us. Tell Nick to floor it as soon as he makes the turn. If the wolf follows, we'll block him when he gets to our Den."

"Do you want us to go to Georgina's place?"

"No. We must assume the wolves are converging on you, so we don't want your scent around us. That would lead to a war with the Pack."

"So what should we do?"

I thought quickly. Highwood was north of us, a small town with a bar and a gas station. "Tell Nathan to keep going north on 331 to Highwood. I'll have Georgina meet you at Elmo's after I've dealt with this guy."

I heard the tires squeal in the background. I sent a mental message to the entire Den, telling them Pack wolves were coming, to grab guns, and head to the cars. We'd meet at the entrance to the Den from 331. "The tail is closing fast. I guess he's not interested in following us anymore," my mate said.

"I'm getting everyone armed and out to the trucks. We'll block the road after you pass." I headed for the gun rack, grabbing a Benelli M4 combat shotgun and a box of homeloaded silver-core slug ammunition.

"Gotta go. Thanks, Stanley."

"Stay safe, kid." I hung up and tossed the phone aside.

Julie handed me my jacket as I ran for the door. "Keep them safe," she said.

"Arm up and head to Mom's. If they make it through us, that's the first place they'll hit." She nodded as I ran out to the truck.

I saw Jerry leaving the driveway while Bobby started the panel truck. I followed Jerry out, seeing Bobby's headlights behind me. "

Nick and Nora picked up a Pack Wolf tail, probably the enforcer who was here this morning. Jerry, you race south until you pass the tail carl. Turn around after him and block his escape. Bobby, you and I will go a little slower. After Nick passes us, we block both lanes and bottle him up."

"You're interfering with a Council Enforcer?"

"I was polite earlier. Now I'm pissed off a wolf is snooping around my territory,"

I replied.

Jerry was already off and running by the time we hit the turn. I waited a minute, giving my brother space, before leading my boy onto the road. We stayed at forty miles an hour as we headed south.

"

Something is wrong,"

Jerry sent. "

I should see them by now."

"Nick knows to keep going. Keep your eyes peeled."

It was a few more minutes before we found out what happened. "

Stanley, Nick's car is off the road. It looks like it rolled a few times."

I put my foot to the floor.

"What about the tail car?"

"It's not here. There's a car heading south. Want me to chase it?"

If we fight a Council Enforcer away from our territory, it could spark a war. "

No. Check on Nick and Nora."

"Roger that."

I was coming up on the scene; I could see Jerry's hazard lights on the side of the road, and I parked right behind him.

It was a mess. I could see a wolf in the ditch while Jerry shined a flashlight into the car. "What's going on?"

"Nora's gone, and her blood is all over. The wolf took her."

Shit. Enforcer Knightly had our friend and a head start.

"I'll check Nick."

The black and white wolf wasn't moving, and his blood soaked the ground. I checked his pulse; it was weak, but there. "

Grab a first aid kit,"

I sent to Bobby. I could see one bullet had grazed his head by his left ear, while another hit inside his left shoulder and exited mid-chest. I updated everyone on what we found. "

Mom, get here with the ambulance and bring lots of blood."

"We're packing up now,"

she replied.

Bobby and I worked frantically to stop the blood loss. The head wound bled a lot, but the chest wound was worse. Thank Artio that the silver wasn't still in his body!

Julie and Georgina finally arrived, driving the surplus ambulance we'd bought for her years ago. Rogues, werecats, and werebears couldn't go to human hospitals, and Packs would kill us on sight. The ambulance allowed her to bring a mini-hospital to them. Georgina completed human medical training, including general surgery, in the fifties. Mom had been the sole provider of non-Pack were-care in Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas for five decades. She was also Nick's only chance to survive.

She got an IV going right away. "He's in bad shape. Julie, get the backboard. I need to crack his chest before he bleeds out."

We got the big wolf into the back of the ambulance. The lights inside were bright, and her supplies were at hand. "Put a breathing tube in." Julie had assisted enough to know what to do. My wife got Nick on pure oxygen while Georgina made the incision.

There was nothing the rest of us could do to save him, not in the cramped confines of the ambulance. "Come on, boys. We need to clean up the scene before humans notice."

We were able to get the car on its wheels. "Bobby, open the back of the truck and put the ramps down. Jerry, pick up everything that flew out." They got to work while I got the car started. Two of the tires had shredded. It took the engine and two bears pushing to get it into the back of the truck. "Drive this back to the garage," I told my boy. "We'll finish up here."

He nodded and headed for the cab. I went over to the ambulance and peeked in. "How's Nick doing?"

Georgina had his ribs spread and her fingers inside the wolf's chest. "I got the bleeders tied off. I'm checking for bullet and bone fragments now."

"When can we move him? We're exposed out here."

"Five minutes for me to close, then we can go."

I knew better than to argue medical stuff with her. Every minute we sat here was a chance for a human to stumble on the scene, and Artio forbid they call 911! I used the time to clean up the scene. I had Jerry spread Clorox on the blood while I picked up as much broken glass as I could. I tossed it in the trash can in the bed of my pickup as Jerry came over. "What are we going to do about this, Stanley? The fucking wolves will be all over this."

"They don't know we were helping Nick."

"If they figure it out, we're dead. They'll get fifty warriors out here and overrun us."

It happened before with werebears and werecats. They had strength in numbers. "Then they better believe me," I said. "I might have to allow them on our lands to allay suspicions. Let's go talk to Mom."

She was stitching up his head. "He got lucky. An inch to the left? We find his brains splattered in the ditch instead of a concussion and fractured skull."

"We can't bring him back to the Den, Georgina."

"He needs to rest and recover, Stanley."

"I hear you, but if we bring him to your house, we risk losing everything. You have to take him somewhere else to recuperate."

She shook her head. "A long drive might kill him. If he rips out those stitches? He'll bleed out before I can save him."

We didn't have a choice. "We have to take that chance. This place could be crawling with Pack Wolves by morning. Nick has to go."

"Fine." No one liked to hear that from a woman because you knew you'd pay for it later.

"Julie, you'll have to drive so Mom can keep an eye on him. Don't say where you are going, and don't call us for at least a week. What we don't know can't be used to hurt you. Buy what you need on the way."

Julie knew I was right, and she'd help Mom accept it. "I love you, Stannie," she said as she kissed me.

"I love you too," I said. I kissed Mom goodbye, then closed the back door of the ambulance. They headed south while Jerry and I drove north to our ranch. Jerry and Bobby pulled their things out of the car and burned it all in a bonfire while I went to make a phone call.

"Council Headquarters, Amanda speaking," a female voice answered.

My deep, raspy voice scared her a bit. "I'm Stanley Biggs. Tell the Chairman I want to speak to him RIGHT NOW."

"He's in a meeting, Mr. Biggs. Can I take a message?"

"Tell him to get on the phone before I turn a four-foot-tall, two hundred-and-twenty-pound wolf over to the Montana Fish and Wildlife Department."

"Yes, sir. Please hold."

It didn't take long. "Gruber."

"Let me ask you a question, Mr. Chairman. When your guy came by earlier, did he see a sign in front of my ranch that said 'Dead Werewolf Storage'?"

"Stanley, it's a delicate situation."

"Did he see a sign in front of my ranch saying 'Dead Werewolf Storage'?"

"No, he didn't."

"You know WHY he didn't see that sign?"

"Why?"

"'Cause it ain't there, 'cause storing dead werewolves ain't my FUCKING business, that's why! So why the FUCK are your people running a car off the road and leaving a wolf carcass on my doorstep where humans could find it? And why is Enforcer Knightly running away instead of helping to clean up the mess HE made?"

There was a pause. "The two rogues were wanted for murder. The female was injured, and Enforcer Knightly made a field decision to try and save her baby. He left because he thought humans were coming."

"And he couldn't take out the fucking TRASH first?"

"He did what he could. I can have a team there by morning to assist with cleanup."

That couldn't happen. "The FUCK you will. Vic walked away because he came under a flag of truce with your authority. Rogues are fucking dangerous. They know better than to come near Den lands." I had to convince him we had nothing to do with Nick and Nora. "Me and the boys will take care of the car and the carcass. Neither will exist by morning. If you send anyone near my Den, I'll shoot first and ask questions later."

"I would appreciate that, Stanley. The last thing we need is for the humans to get involved."

"Yeah." I didn't say anything for a moment. "Your people owe me for this."

"Your cooperation is appreciated. Have you scented that pair before?"

"Never. Of course, we don't wander too far from our den, and Montana is a big state."

"I'm sending people that way to look for their hideout," the Chairman said.

"Keep them twenty miles or more away from us," I threatened. I'd send Jerry to clean out their apartment in Great Falls as soon as I was done here. "You don't want any fatal misunderstandings."

"I read you perfectly, Stanley. We've got a lot going on, as you might imagine. Is there anything we can do to assist you?"

"Send five grand to my trucking company to offset the cost of transport and disposal of their car," I said quickly. "It will be a cube of scrap metal by morning, with no disposal record."

"I'll do that. Thank you, Stanley."

"You're welcome, Chairman Gruber." I hung up the phone and smiled. I'd gotten more than I'd expected from the call.

Now, I had to pray the Council didn't ever connect our Den with their rogues.

(Apologies to Quentin Tarantino for the dialogue abuse)

Ch. 21

Nathan Storm's POV

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Pain.

Pain pushed through the fog in my brain, the sources competing for my attention as I started to wake. My headache was legendary, like the worst hangover times ten. My chest and left shoulder were equally bad, a feeling like knives stabbing me with every labored breath.

Nothing could compete with the loss I felt in my soul. Half of my heart was gone, the emptiness confirming my worst fear.

My mate was gone.

I began to pray as my head cleared. I could have begged Luna to take me, and I should have prayed for her to take Carol's soul to rest, but I didn't. I prayed for our baby. I had to know what happened to our little girl. Did Carol live long enough to deliver her? Did the Council Enforcer kill them both? And why was I still alive?

A daughter would give me hope, a reason to continue living after the death of my fated half.

I could sense the smells around me. It smelled like gasoline, alcohol, antiseptic, and bears. I recognized Georgina and Julie's scents and relaxed. Our friends had saved me.

The vibration and road noise told me I was in a vehicle. I tried to move, quickly stopping due to the pain in my chest spiking. It didn't matter; I could feel the leather cuffs and straps.

"He's waking up," Georgina said. I felt her hand on mine as she tried to calm me.

"Good," Julie said from above my head.

I opened my eyes, closing them again in the light. Georgina dimmed the lights for me. On my next try, I kept them open. I saw two identical faces, though. "Ugh," I moaned. I looked between them before my eyes closed again.

"You got your bell rung, boy," she told me. She pulled my eyelids back one at a time, shining a light on them momentarily. "The bullet bounced off that thick head of yours. The other went through your left lung and broke a rib on the way out. You damn near bled to death."

"Nore...uh..dead." My lips felt like the desert, and my throat was sore.

She put a few ice shards in my mouth. "I had to intubate you, so try not to talk. When my family arrived, the wolf already left with Carol. He had a big head start. Stanley decided to save you."

"Ba..by."

"I don't know. Nora lost a lot of blood at the scene, and we are a long way from town. You lost her bond?" I nodded. "I'm sorry, Nick."

I didn't say anything as she completed her exam. She let me go back to sleep, waking me every hour to check on my concussion. I'd fall back asleep as quickly as I could, welcoming the escape from the pain.

I barely stirred as they rolled the gurney inside. The scent of cat shifter was strong as unfamiliar hands picked me up and set me in a bed. "Rest, young rogue," a female voice said. "Georgina? We need to talk."

The flashlight in the eyes and the blood pressure cuff on the arm kept me from getting good sleep until midday. The sun streamed into the bedroom, illuminating nothing. There were no decorations on the wall, no shades on the one window, and no evidence of an owner. All I saw was the white dresser, bedside lamp, white rocking chair, and a bed with white sheets. My legs and wrists were free now, but my chest hurt like hell if I tried to move around. "Hello?"

I heard someone walking my way. The door opened, revealing a middle-aged werecat of Vietnamese ancestry. "You're awake," she said. "That's good. My name is Isra Roberts. Welcome to my home."

"Nathan Storm," I replied. "Where am I? Where is Georgina?"

"We're on the west side of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. Georgina and Julie went back home. Georgina said your name was Nicholas, but the Packs used your true name," she said. She sat in the rocking chair and considered me. "No need to hide your identity now. The Packs think you are dead."

"How do you know that?"

"There is an encrypted message board us independent Were use. Rogue wolves, werecats, werecoyotes, and werebears all have needs. The online community gives us a place to help each other outside of the humans and the Packs. Health care, safe houses, identifications, and news are all posted there. When Julia contacted me privately, I agreed to hide you until you recovered."

I could have used that information. "Why didn't Stanley tell me about you all?"

"You were so hot you were radioactive," Isra replied. "The Packs were going to every independent Were they knew about to find you. The den decided they were risking enough by knowing you. They weren't willing to endanger anyone else."

I had to ask. "What happened to my daughter?"

"I'm sorry, Nathan," she said as she reached for my hand. "Your mate died in childbirth. Your baby girl didn't survive until morning." I sobbed, sending stabbing pains through my chest. "The Council Chairman himself informed Stanley earlier this morning. As far as the Packs are concerned, Stanley's Den burned your body and disposed of your car. They also emptied your home, burning your possessions. They only kept the foodstuffs and the cash you had stashed."

"They can have it," I replied. "There's nothing left in Great Falls for me. They should have left me to die in that ditch."

"My father taught me that misfortunes never come singly," she replied. "You have suffered a terrible loss, Nathan. Your heart aches, but your death would only grant your enemies victory. Who will carry the memory of Carol if not you?"

Who would avenge my family if not me?

No one.

I was the only survivor. Alpha Todd deserved death a thousand times over. I could not kill him from the grave.

"Your father was wise," I said.

"He was, but my misfortunes came in bunches as well. The Vietcong killed my parents, my older brother, and my grandmother. I was four, all alone in a Catholic orphanage. I was there for almost two years until 1970. Sergeant Frank Roberts sniffed me out when bringing food to the nuns. He and Betty Roberts adopted me and brought me to Wyoming."

"You're a shifter," I said. "What kind? You aren't a jaguar or a mountain lion."

"Clouded Leopard."

My eyes got wide. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Only a handful of us remain, and only two in the United States."

"Your mate?"

She shook her head sadly. "Our kind do not have mates. My adoptive father was a soldier and a mountain lion shifter. His wife was human; she died of cancer in 1987, and he died in a car accident a few months later."

"Who is the other cat I'm scenting, then?"

"My daughter was here until last week. She is a student at Stanford studying computer science."

I nodded. "And the father?"

"He's a mountain lion shifter in California I used during my heat back in eighty-five. He's not in the picture."

I'd heard about heats among the jaguars. When a female was in estrus, the other cats and even humans would go crazy. The pair would head out to the middle of nowhere for a few days of constant sex because fights would break out otherwise. "You have heats like the jaguars?"

She nodded. "They are SO painful without a partner to help you through. My adoptive father could have helped, but that would have been too weird. I wanted a kitten, so I would leave and hook up with lion shifters until my heat passed. That one took, and Jade was born. She was a breech, and I might have lost her without Georgina's help." I heard a timer going off in the other room. "I'll be right back," Isra said. "You need to eat to heal and regain your strength."

My stomach growled at that exact time. Isra smiled and left the room, leaving the door open. I could smell baked bread and stew, and I was drooling when she returned with the food. She set the tray on the dresser before going to the closet and pulling out a bunch of pillows. "This is going to hurt, but you need to sit up so you can eat," she said.

It hurt a lot while she helped me scoot up the bed, but being able to feed myself from the bed tray was worth it. The bread was warm and soft with a good crust, while the beef stew was tender and flavorful. "This isn't a Vietnamese dish," I teased.

"I grew up eating cowboy food," she replied with a small smile.

"It's great." We talked about her life as we ate. She had someone to talk with, while I was happy talking about anything except the void in my heart.