Artiface of Strength

"What the Hell happened to you?"

"You really don't want to know," William said with a sigh.

"No, really," Phil asked, his concern showing. "No one's ever kicked your ass like that! How many of them were there? Should I alert Burton that they've gotten violent?"

"No, there's no need for that. It was nothing, really."

"Dude, you've got a black eye, gashes on your forehead and your entire face is swollen! How many of them were there? Did you win?"

"One, and no."

"One man did that," Phil gasped.

"No."

"I don't understand. What the Hell happened?"

"One woman."

"You're shittin' me! She kicked your ass? What did you say to her anyway?"

"No Phil, it wasn't like that at all. It wasn't a fight; it was more of a bet. She told me that if I caught her, I could have her."

"So when you ran her down, she kicked your ass instead?"

"Like I could catch her..."

"Dude, you run marathons. What do you mean that you couldn't catch her?"

"She made me look like a beginner."

"So what happened to your face?"

"...and my arms. You should see my arms, they are worse."

"Just tell me the story... I'll shut up."

So William told Phil the whole story. He held nothing back; Phil got the whole thing in living color. William freely admitted that Florence had effortlessly run him into the ground; then had managed to duck his every attack; and ultimately, she'd induced him into beating himself into a bloody mess...all just to make her smile.

Phil didn't believe what he was hearing. A woman,

any

woman...had run William into the ground? Dodged his every move, and caused him to crash and burn while she sat back and laughed at him? And yet...he wanted more? Phil took one look in William's eyes and it was clear, he wanted a

lot

more!

"So..." Phil asked, "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna buy her fucking dinner! What else can I do?"

"Umm..." Phil stammered, "Before or after you do something about that," he said, pointing at the blood now drying on William's face.

"I ought to let it dry where it is. It'd serve her right, but enough about that, I've got to get her laundry done first. I wonder where I can find unscented detergent."

"She really left all of her clothes behind?"

William pulled the Lycra underwear out of his pocket, brought them up to his face and breathed deeply, his face lighting up as her scent hit him once again. He didn't say a word; he was lost in a memory.

Back at the compound, Florence came running into view, running as a wolf and still carrying her jogging shoes with her teeth. The wolves that saw her arrival were perplexed. If she'd gone for her run as a human, why was she returning as a wolf; and where was the rest of her clothing? If she'd shifted in an emergency, her shoes would have been destroyed as well. It didn't

seem

as if there was any emergency going on, she was making her way toward her cabin, rather than for John's office. And what of the wolfish grin on her face? That was way out of character for Florence!

What was up with their Beta? Everyone knew that Florence never let herself have any fun. She'd made that rare appearance at the clubhouse last night, and now here she was...smiling? Lots of sending ensued; this was still Florence that they were dealing with and discretion was advised!

These were wolves, so news got back to John and his Betas almost immediately, not that any of the three had a clue what to do with the information. Their initial reaction saw them standing there and staring at one another in bemusement, but then worry began to set in. The pack might be in a war situation right now and the last thing they needed was a loose cannon rolling around the deck, especially one as dangerous as Florence. There just wasn't any margin for error; this was an uncertain time with Burton Waters lurking around.

The three men kicked the problem around for an hour or so before they came to a sinking realization...they had absolutely no idea what to make of this. They'd have to do something that none of them wanted any part of, they'd have to talk to Beth.

Once they agreed that they'd have to speak with her, John quickly suggested rock, paper, and scissors for the honor, but his seconds just laughed at him and pointed out which one of them was the Alpha. Billington couldn't do much more than growl at them, he'd been pretty sure that they wouldn't go for it, but he'd had to try; Pack leadership by Rochambeau appealed to him at times like this. Trying to get straight answers out of Beth was quite a challenge.

He knew that she had the deepest insight into the emotions of his pack, but that certainly didn't mean that he was particularly eager about having to go to her and ask about them. This whole 'women's opinion of things' still confused him, even these five hundred years later. He really needed a mate for such problems; he knew this. More than that, his pack

really

needed a Madam Alpha for their health and well being, but what could he do, the Goddess had never seen fit to provide him with one.

Of course Beth operated as the de facto Madam, and while there was zero doubt in anyone's mind that she was scrupulously loyal and that she always had everyone's best interests at heart, it's just that she was not mated and a pack was about family and cubs—and in the Billington pack, there just were not many of either. There never had been.

Every pack in the Americas had been splintered off from John's pack at one time or another, so it would be logical to assume that they would all be smaller than the Billington pack, but none of them were- not a single pack was smaller than John's. Deep down, the Alpha knew this was because he had no children to call his own. Wolf packs were like that; they followed their Alpha's lead in everything, even when it came to breeding.

He'd often wondered why the Goddess had not seen fit to give him a mate. He'd always believed that even if he didn't deserve a mate himself, that it seemed unfair to him that his pack were the ones who paid the price. Time and again he had considered the idea of stepping down from leadership and turning the pack over to another, but Sam and Tom had never found their mates either. He'd trained Beta after Beta, hoping that this would be the one who could finally replace him, but each time, they'd struck out on their own to found new packs.

When he'd met Beth, he'd believed that maybe she was the one to end his loneliness. She was so strong and fiery even when she'd been human, and her strength had only grown since then. He'd believed that she would be his mate; she'd make a perfect Madam, but it hadn't happened. The switch had never been flipped for them; evidently the Goddess had other plans.

John was still fascinated and not a little cowed by her personality. Where he was a quiet leader, she was a boisterous rebel. He was straightforward, she was devious. When he thought it best to wait and watch, she stormed in, weapons blazing. He'd grown up in England, in privilege; she'd been a half-breed bastard reduced to selling herself to those who mistreated her. She was everything that he wasn't, just as he completed her, but the Goddess had said, "No." Surely she had a reason for her decision; John hoped that he'd find out what it was one day.

All of this meant that John always had a difficult time dealing with Beth; he also had a sinking suspicion that Beth understood him a lot better than he understood her. He feared that she might even realize why he'd been keeping himself at arm's distance from Florence all these years, and that thought made him even more reluctant to summon Beth for the Florence talk.

He knew there would be no getting out of it however; the pack needed the information that probably lurked inside Beth's deviant brain. He'd have to sit down with her and take the risk that his own fears would be revealed. John knew that Beth would have good insight into this problem, but more than anything, he feared that he'd hate hearing it. He absolutely trusted her discretion and he knew that she'd keep anything they spoke of in confidence, but it sure didn't mean that he was going to enjoy it.

Sighing, he made his sending to Beth, requesting her to come to his office as soon as possible, telling her that they needed to discuss Florence. He was irritated when she was clearly amused by his sending, and even less amused when she waltzed into his office less than five seconds later. The surprise on his face when she walked in was all too obvious to Sam and Tom, who were still sitting there with their Alpha.

"What?" she said. "I knew you three stupid men would eventually realize that you couldn't figure this out without me. Then she glanced over to where the Betas sat and said to them, "O.K. you boys need to run along now. Go play in the mud or something; we adults need to talk."

Sam had an almost pitying look on his face for his Alpha, Tom, on the other hand just looked relieved to be able to scoot out of the office without being bitten. Either way, the two of them were soon out the door, closing it behind them. And even though he was not Catholic, Tom formed the sign of the cross on his chest. Sam saw this and said with a wink, "It won't work Tom; her kind of evil can't be warded off."

Back inside the office, John took a deep breath and asked Beth how long she'd been waiting outside. He wasn't worried about eavesdropping; he was a smart leader and years before had his office sound-proofed for that very reason.

Beth grinned slyly at her 'leader', and replied, "I just got here actually, but I wasn't going to let those two know that. A girl needs her secrets and this way, they'll be nervous."

"Try,

scared shitless

," he shot back, "...and you haven't been a girl in two hundred years!"

"A lady then..."

"You? The Queen bitch of the entire pack? A lady?"

"Now stop it John, you

do

need my help you know!"

John just kept his mouth shut and waited for Beth to get around to whatever point she was going to make. Somehow, that seemed like a less painful option.

Beth repaid him for this courtesy by flopping down in one of his chairs and saying, "You sent for me, oh wise one?"

John looked down at the center of his desk and wondered why there wasn't a round indentation there. He then looked up at Beth while pointing to the spot, "You see this spot right here? This is my Beth spot; this is where I hit my head after I talk to you."

"Oh goody, I have my own spot," she said seductively, while batting her eyelashes at her Alpha. "Should I sit there while we talk so it'll smell like me when you hit your face there later?"

John groaned and briefly considered banging his head now. "O.K. Beth, you win. You

always

win. Please, for the sake of all that is holy, just tell me what I need to know."

"Well why didn't you say so," she giggled.

John just sighed internally and waited. They both knew that she'd won, as usual.

Seeing that it was time to become serious, Beth's face changed as she looked into John's eyes and said, "Are you finally going to admit the truth about what you've been thinking about Florence?"

"Has it been that obvious?"

"Only to me, John," she said, reaching across his desk to place her hand over his to reassure him. "I doubt that your blood-brothers have a clue. I love those two, but they are not exactly intuitive about emotional things."

John didn't say a word, so Beth continued, "She

might

actually be your mate, John. She's not really your daughter any more than she is mine. I understand why you've been so careful... even if she doesn't."

"Beth, I've never been able to decide how I feel about this, either way, I'm proud of her. I just wish I knew which direction to lean; is she my mate...or my daughter. I've been taunted with possible mates so many times, so I've always been terrified to get too close to Florence one way or the other. With my luck with women, she would have grown up calling me 'Daddy'. The Goddess has been nothing less than perverse to me; I'd have a mate that called me 'Daddy'.

Beth couldn't help herself; she laughed out loud at this, even though it caused a look of discomfort on John's face. "See John, you've managed to keep your sense of humour through all of this. How long has it been for you now?"

"Four hundred and eighty-five years."

"Maybe the Lady needed you to remain single so you could defend all of the wolves in America, rather than focusing on just protecting your own family?"

"How could I do that? I have the smallest pack of all?"

"Yes Alpha, we are small, but there isn't a single Alpha in this hemisphere that didn't grow up in your pack. You are the Alpha's Alpha; if you call on them, they'll come. You know they will. You have been the model for all of them. You say that you don't have any children, but you do—you have dozens of them. There isn't an Alpha in America who doesn't consider you their second father, and you never ask anything of any of them. They all owe you a great debt of allegiance."

"Do you think the Goddess will ever give me a mate? How long do I have to carry this burden?"

"She only knows John; I guess she'll probably reward you when your job is done."

"How do you stand it Beth? It has been almost as long for you."

"You know my story Alpha; you turned me in order to save me from what white men had done to my life. They had treated me so badly; I think I might have needed a few centuries to work the anger out of my system. Who knows? Maybe it'll be you and me. Maybe Goddess has given me a job as well."

Then Beth went quiet for a minute before allowing, "...or maybe Florence will be yours; you know that she's just waking up now. Or maybe Tristan will be for her; you know he is interested in her. He has been busting his tail just to impress her, although I don't think that she's buying it, he's too pretty for Flo.

"He won't ever pass her. He isn't dominant enough. He's strong enough to help a leader, but not enough to become one. He'll be a damned fine Beta one day."

"Yeah, that's what Flo said too."

"Don't doubt her Beth; she might be the most talented Beta that I've ever had. If she were a man, she'd already be pushing for her own pack. She's strong; she's determined, and she's a protector of the first order. Maybe she will be the first female Alpha, but I doubt it Beth; wolves just are not biologically set up for that. Human women, as poorly treated as they sometimes are, can become leaders in a technological society. But that's not us, we're wolves; it just doesn't work that way. We males are expendable; the women must be protected to take care of the cubs; Apaches lived the same way."

"So boss, what do we do about the human?"

"Hell Beth, I brought you in here so you could tell me."

"You are willing to listen to what I have to say on this one?"

"C'mon Beth, I almost always listen to what you say, and then do what you suggest. You know this. When was the last time that I ignored your counsel?"

"The Apache cousins," she responded dryly.

"We agreed not to talk about that."

"Sorry Alpha, but you asked me a question... and this lowly pack member was obligated to answer you honestly."

John changed the subject, "So...Florence?"

"I told her to go for it. She went to meet him for a jogging session; she dressed in her human clothes, but she came back as a wolf with a big smile on her face and carrying her shoes in her teeth. I'm not sure what happened yet, I came here to talk with you before I had my chance to debrief her."

"Debrief her? Seriously?"

"Love is a battle-field; some human woman said that."

"We might have to kill him, Beth. You know there's no way that we can have a road going through our land, we have little enough privacy now. With a road going through here, we'd have to kill more and more humans as they discovered what we are. There just isn't any room left for us to go farther west."

"I know that John; I think she knows that too. She's a proud warrior and if the time comes to put him down, she'll insist on doing the job. But why couldn't we take Waters out instead? If we kill him, maybe this will go away peacefully. We could strike first before he gets smart enough to put his defenses up."

John considered this for a moment before saying, "Maybe...but he'd be a tough target to take out. Even if we managed it and got out safely, we might draw the Government down on us. You know he's deeply embedded into the private military complex, and getting those people involved would be even worse for us. You've met William, and he's one of the relatively young and uncorrupted ones, the rest are worse, much worse."

"Tomorrow, I'm going to do what William suggested and call the Water's legal team to see what the situation is. I'm not necessarily afraid of a legal fight; there are a few corporate lawyers in the Virginia pack and I'm sure that they'd be more than willing to fight for us. I want to hear what Waters has to say first; there is no sense in exposing our business until we must. I want to know what we are up against."

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Monday morning was a typical work day. Florence was up before the sun again; No one knew where Beth had spent the night, and John and his Betas were there to direct the pack's activities. Everyone was happy and busy, and all was right in their world.

The boys noticed that Florence seemed a bit agitated this morning, but she was at work on time and didn't seem unhappy, so they said nothing to her. Beth was gone again, so they had no one to ask about Florence's posture, so they did what men normally do when they miss a woman's signals, they just ignored them, figuring that they wouldn't have to react unless she finally said something—which she didn't. So they were happy; men are easy.

For her part, Florence was completely focused upon her upcoming dinner with William, even though she knew that the most important part of the day would be the upcoming phone call with the legal team of Kristol, Rice, Lieberman, and Feith. She was eager to get that over with, she wasn't stupid, and she knew that the tenor of the upcoming call would have serious impact on her ability to have any sort of relationship with Will. He was gorgeous, but the pack and its land would always come before anything else, even her own happiness. So Florence engaged in her typical Monday morning routine, and did her best to remain calm until nine A.M. when John would summon his Betas into his office to make this all-important call.

The switchboard operator at Kristol, Rice, Lieberman, and Feith was friendly and professional, handling John's call with dispatch. He was soon connected to a mid-level solicitor who had been directly tasked with the Waters case by one of the firm's partners.

He introduced himself as Jebidiah Walker and he was as smooth and as polished as a holy icon in a monastery. He opened the call by roundly praising John for his timely call, before he quickly segued into apologizing for the fact that these questions were being raised. Surely John must be worrying through this stressful time. Pre-statehood title laws were most complex, especially with regard to tribal rights and easements. Now he was certain that something could be worked out that would protect the rights of all involved, before allowing that a negotiated settlement was almost always the easiest and most profitable route for everyone.

John sat back and listened, biding his time, letting the man run his opening gambit. His three Betas also sat silently, listening to the two men talk. When Mr. Walker slowed his pace, John quietly began pushing for details.

"You say 'pre-statehood title law'... this means that you've done your research and found that my land was deeded to my family by the Spanish Crown before this area was ceded to the United States. Of course, you realize that the American Government recognizes all pre-statehood claims."