Between the Were Wars

"Don't leave me here with these tears

Come and kiss this pain away

I can't forget the day you left

Time is so unkind

And life is so cruel without you here beside me."

-"Unbreak my Heart" Toni Braxton

Alpha Merino staggered, the pain coursing through his bond alerting him to Joe's distress before he was linked in. "Joe, what is going on? Are you all right?"

"They've killed Daria."

"Who did this?"

"Three men, on ATV's, just south of where we attacked those drug smugglers. They are heading southwest, send everyone you can."

Fuck. Drug smugglers again, and this time they killed the mate of a Pack member. They better fix this fast, he thought, or Joe would completely lose it and become a danger to everyone. He linked in with his warriors and the border guards. "Cut them off, shoot on sight. If you can, keep one or more alive, I need to know who sent them." He ran to his vehicle, his Betas with him as they took off in pursuit. "I'm going with Doc to meet Joe. I've got to keep him from losing it and going feral on us." To distract Joe, he asked him to project what he had seen of the gunmen; it took a few minutes for him to calm down enough, but he did. He relayed the memory to his men who were racing in pursuit.

Ten minutes later he reached Joe's location. Before the vehicle even stopped, he was out of the passenger seat and running for his side. Joe was gently rocking Daria in his lap, his arms locked around her as he kissed what was left of her face. It only took a glance to see that there would be no miracle here, Daria was dead and her mate was reeling from her loss. He knelt by his side, bringing him into a hug. Words were not necessary as Joe broke down in his arms. It was better, Alpha thought, than what he feared. Joe's wolf had not taken over yet, perhaps only because they hadn't fully mated yet.

As he sat with his pack member, he was getting regular updates from the other Betas and Warriors on the pursuit. It wasn't going well, the bad guys had a good lead and their ATV's were fast. Too fast. The chase teams couldn't close the distance before they reached the pack border.

"Alpha, I have one shot at this." Mark was on a lone border patrol when the alert went out and he made a beeline for where he thought they would cross. In wolf form, he moved swiftly through the rock and brush, his brown fur blending with the rocks as he moved to intercept. He saw their truck and trailer parked by the side of the paved road that marked their border, ramps down and warmed up. Looking back, he saw the three ATV's rapidly approaching. The men were making good time despite the bundles of drugs on the front and back cargo holders. Mark wished he was armed, but there was no time. His wolf would have to be enough.

"Keep one alive if you can, we need to know who sent them." The Alpha command reverberated through his head as he set his ambush. There were only seconds left until the first one reached him. He watched him tear by, then the next, and fixed his eyes on the tail driver. This is going to hurt, he thought, as he leaped out of his hiding place and launched himself at his head.

Mark kept his jaws together, he needed him alive and the impact would be enough. He felt his chest hit the driver's shoulder, knocking them both to the ground. The ATV swerved and rolled, its cargo flying loose as it cartwheeled along the dirt path. The driver rolled several times before coming to a stop. Mark groaned as he hit the ground, the impact had busted up his ribs and he could taste the blood in his mouth as he coughed. The pain nearly blacked him out as he lay in the dirt.

The first two men didn't stop or slow down when their companion was taken out. Mark watched, panting heavily, as the men drove onto the trailer and raised the ramps before jumping in the back of the crew cab truck.. The man riding shotgun saw Mark and the downed raider, and as they drove off he started firing an AK-47 their direction. Mark ignored the pain and scrambled behind a rock, only to watch bullets kick up around the unconscious guy on the ground. "Fuck, this might hurt." He ran out and grabbed his leg with his teeth, then pulled hard and dragged him towards the rocks. His chest was on fire, but he growled and kept pulling until they were out of the line of fire. Collapsing again with pain, he listened as the sound of the truck died away. It was another five minutes before help arrived, and by then the truck was long gone.

Mark was still on his side, his breath shallow as he tried to get past the pain of just breathing from his broken ribs. The noise of the vehicles approaching was enough to wake the bad guy up. He sat up, shaking his head and his long blonde hair, and took a deep sniff. Before Mark could react, he had shifted into a black and tan wolf and taken off for the border. Mark quickly relayed the information, and the Pack vehicles were in pursuit. It was only a few minutes before they had the man surrounded, subdued and tied. They weren't gentle either. His bruised and trussed form was tossed in the back of a Jeep for the ride back to the Pack house.

A different vehicle had stopped by Mark, Julia jumped out along with her nurse and rushed over to him. He tilted his head, tongue hanging out, as he watched them approach. "Hey Doc, good to see you. Sorry I can't give you a hug but my ribs hurt too bad."

Julia gently probed his back and chest, drawing flinches when she got to the damaged area. "Shift back, I want to see this without the fur." A few seconds later he was lying naked on the ground, a pair of basketball shorts having been handed to him to put on. He grimaced as his ribs were examined and wrapped with a bandage. "The ribs will have to heal on their own, bedrest for a day or two should do it. Next time, lead with your shoulder. And let your mental walls down, Lynn knows you are hurt and is worried about you."

Mark closed his eyes for a few moments, then smiled. "She's mad I'm hurt but has plans for me being restricted to bed. I assured her that relevant parts remain functional."

"Just remember the REST part of bedrest, it applies even to the newly mated!"

Gila Pack Alpha Office

New Mexico

Renee leaned back in her chair as Robert stood, leaning over his desk to stand over the phone. "His BROTHER is challenging the result of the Alpha challenge?"

"That's correct," said Elder Grey. "As I said, the hearing will be in a week. The National Council will hear from each side and make their decision. Only Alphas will be allowed in the hearing unless they are called as witnesses. You are allowed to introduce evidence and provide witnesses, as well as challenge evidence and witnesses Alpha Diggs brings forth. The hearing could take an hour or several days depending on what is covered, so be prepared for that. Our administrative staff will be in touch with you soon to make arrangements for your travel. Do you have any questions?"

Robert looked at Renee, she was staring blankly at the wall. "Not at this time."

"Very well then, we will see you in a week, Alphas." The dial tone filled the room after he hung up, but Robert was too busy looking at Renee to notice. She wasn't blinking, wasn't moving, and he could hear her heart racing. He hung up the phone and moved to kneel by her, but she suddenly jumped up and ran to the door.

"I THOUGHT THIS WAS OVER!" She slammed the door closed, hard enough to knock things off the shelves. The next sound he heard scared him. "Robert?" It was soft and pleading. He quickly opened up the door to see her leaning against the wall, holding her rounded belly with one hand while the other hand was in front of her face. Tears ran down her face as she stared at it in shock. It was covered in blood.

El Paso Pack Territory

Texas

Having seen to Mark's injuries and sending him back to the Pack House with her nurse, Julia drove alone to meet her Alpha and Joe. Alpha Merino had confirmed that there was no hurry, Daria had died instantly. She nervously tapped the body bag she had in the passenger seat as she drove back to them. For the most part, life as a Pack doctor was good. Werewolves were rarely sick, wounds and broken bones healed much faster than with humans, and there was the joy of helping mothers bring new life into the world. Death was tougher for her to handle, even after all these years. Losing your parents at an early age to a border raid will do that to you. In the years since then, she had seen more than enough death from battles large and small, but this one turned her stomach.

As she stopped near them, she opened her medical bag and prepared an injection kit. You never knew what would happen when a man lost his mate, and it could rapidly turn violent. A wolf in a rage would hurt enemies and friends alike and it was very difficult to stop them once they got rolling. Heavy sedation was the normal treatment, but it had to be administered early to be effective. Once the rage kicked in, their body would be able to resist its effects for a few minutes, minutes that could have deadly results. She placed the auto-injector in her pocket, put on gloves and her lab coat, and walked over. Joe was still rocking back and forth slowly with Daria in his lap, her T-shirt spattered in blood and a large exit hole on the back of her head.

"Joe, it's Doc. Can I look at Daria?" She knew it was better to get permission, you didn't want to set him off. Joe didn't respond, he kept rocking her back and forth as tears fell down his face. She knelt in front of him and slowly reached for her head, but he twisted away from her. She looked up at her Alpha. "Jose, can you help me get him to release her? We need to prepare her for the funeral ceremony."

"NO! No one is taking her from me." Joe looked into his Alpha's eyes. "I will take her back and prepare her, she is MINE." Nodding, Jose stood and helped Joe to his feet, still cradling his dead mate in his arms.

Julia returned to her car and returned with a white sheet. "Joe, may I wrap this around her? It will maintain her modesty during the trip home." When he nodded, she placed the sheet over her body and worked with him to wrap it around her. Joe then walked her to the back seat of the Alpha's jeep. They slowly drove back to the Pack house, mainly because Alpha Merino wanted their prisoner in the cells and guarded before Joe got there. They needed him alive for now.

The entire Pack knew what had happened, and although she was new and still human, the Pack had claimed her as one of their own and responded accordingly. As the two vehicles approached, Pack wolves lined the road, raising a howl to the sky as Daria passed by.

Gila Pack Lands

New Mexico

The six Betas rested on the back of the lift truck, completely exhausted. The process of moving the pallets of cash had taken all morning and into the afternoon. The pallets were broken down, first taking a tenth each and putting it into duffel bags for distribution to the Johnson and El Paso packs per their Alpha's instruction, plus one duffel for Pack use. That was still in the van, along with the gold, jewelry and bonds. The rest of the cash was vacuum sealed in heavy plastic bags with dessicant packs inside, placed in duffel bags, then carried to the back of a cave system deep inside their territory. A few well placed sticks of dynamite later, and the fortune in cash was buried under thousands of tons of rock.

As they drank their water bottles and ate the sandwiches Anna had prepared for their group, they considered where to hide the rest. It needed to be someplace accessible, out of the way and yet secure. Someplace that no one would think to look.

Rick came up with the idea. He had been instrumental in building and expanding the koi pond. No one would look for treasure under a pit full of fish poo, and it would be close enough they could keep an eye on it. That night they finished the job, using the excuse of emergency repairs to the filter system.

Only the six of them and their Alphas knew the locations.

Gila Pack Medical Wing

New Mexico

Robert clung to her hand as if it was the only thing keeping him alive. In a way, it was. The failure of his past crashed down upon him as he had picked her up and run her here, frantically mind linking the medical staff to meet him. Blood covered his right forearm where he had held her, and his left hand was on his forehead as he sat next to the bed she was resting on. It couldn't happen again, not another miscarriage, not another mate bleeding out and him helpless.

Terry and Wendy were frantically working over her, she was hooking up monitors as he was getting the ultrasound ready. By the time he had the first look at her, his mate and nurse had started a large bore IV with a blood transfusion. She was still bleeding, it wasn't a hemorrhage yet but it wasn't good either. "OK, we've got two strong heartbeats, no sign of fetal distress. That's a good sign, Renee." Doc continued to examine her until he found the problem. He sent out a mental call to check how much of her type blood they had on hand, finding it insufficient he directed a call be sent out for donors. It was better to be safe in case her condition worsened. Wendy finished hooking up the fetal and blood pressure monitors as they communicated mentally. Thick cotton pads were placed at her groin to soak up the flow. Finally, Terry moved around and sat in a chair by her head next to Robert.

"Are my babies going to live, Doc?" Renee was barely holding her emotions in check, tears in her eyes as the worst case scenario kept running through her mind. She took some comfort in the squeeze of her hand, she knew Robert would always be with her.

"It's still early on, but the signs are very encouraging. You've had a partial placental abruption. A small part of your placenta tore away from the uterus, resulting in the bleeding you are experiencing. Luckily, it was a smaller tear and the remainder of the placenta is still functioning. We will be monitoring the babies for any signs of distress, and we will be monitoring you closely for effects from blood loss. You will need blood and fluids to replenish your own supply until your body heals."

Robert looked at him. "So it will heal on it's own?"

"Yes, I would expect it to heal in the next day or so. I will be watching that as well, we will do periodic ultrasounds to make sure it is improving. However, nothing is guaranteed. If the tear worsens, you could lose enough blood to place the babies and your own health in jeopardy. This is a serious complication, Alphas, to an already risky pregnancy of twins. We also don't know the full impact of the drugs you were injected with or the beatings you have endured. You are now at high risk for miscarriage and we cannot take any more chances with your health. The longer the babies develop before delivery the better. In the meantime, Alphas, you need to rest. Renee, that means you stay where you are, no trying to sit up or roll. If you need to move, call for help. We will clean you and the bed up once the flow has slowed down. I'm not kidding, I want 100% bed rest, you don't even go to the bathroom without help. And Alpha, you really need to take a shower and get new clothes."

"I can't leave my mate."

"You can shower here, and ask one of the Omegas to bring you clothes. Someone else can sit with her while you are gone. I know one particular little girl who is very anxious to see you." Renee smiled, knowing little Michelle was determined to spend time with her.

Wendy went outside to a room full of concerned pack members. She found Michelle and picked her up, she had been crying constantly while she waited. "Shhh, little one, your Alpha will be fine and her babies will be too."

Michelle sniffed and said, "Really? She's ok?"

"I promise. Come on, let's go see her."

Michelle ran over to the bed and gave Renee a hug. "Alpha, are you really going to be fine like Wendy said?"

Wendy looked up to see Terry's face, his expression was one that promised punishment later. She quickly dropped her gaze, knowing immediately that she had said too much. Terry did not like anyone talking about his patients without his permission. Her stomach clenched with the thought of what her punishment would be this time. Her sex didn't care, it was already preparing for him.

Robert sighed, leaving her side was something he never wanted to do again but the last thing he wanted in the world was to risk her babies. In cases like this, even the Alpha had to submit to the judgment of the healer. A few mental communications later, he was headed for the showers down the hall and Michelle was sitting in his place by her side.

There were a few things he took care of by mind link as he showered. He had his assistant set up a call with the Elder's Council for the morning- she could not travel to the hearing. He asked Linda to work on putting together the Pack celebration and inviting the Johnson and El Paso pack members, since Renee wouldn't be working either. Then he linked Doc and his staff and informed them his office had just moved to the hospital room until further notice. He wasn't going to leave her side any more than he had to. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to her.

El Paso Pack Territory

Detaining Facility

The prisoner remained defiant, despite the beatings and threats. Beta Jim Rogers stepped out of the room, removing the tape from his fists before washing the blood from his hands in the sink. He and the other Betas present kept an eye on him through the one way glass of the room. He was labored in his breathing, which was to be expected from the broken ribs and body shots he had taken. "Alpha, he isn't saying a word. I don't see any identifying marks and none of us recognize him."

Alpha Merino sighed, Joe was hanging on to his sanity by a thread and he really needed to see justice done if there was a chance of him surviving. "Take a photo of him and send it to our allied packs, and ask them if they know. Hopefully someone will give us a clue on who these assholes are." He received the projection of the prisoner through the bond and sent it to his pack members, but no one responded with a name. He looked over at Joe, who was still rocking his mate in his arms as they drove back to the pack house. "Tell him this. He and his men killed a new mate of one of our Betas. He will be in the cell house in an hour, and no one will stop him from extracting as much pain from him as he can inflict for as long as he lets him live. Or, he can tell us who else was in his crew and who sent them and we'll give him a quick death."

"I'll tell him, Boss, but I don't think he will talk." He looked at him through the mirror, his head was bloody but his eyes remained defiant.

"You're probably right," he said, " but I almost hope he keeps quiet. Joe will be better off if his wolf gets his pound of flesh." A few minutes later, they arrived at the Pack House. Joe waved off the gurney brought out to the car, he wasn't going to let anyone else touch his mate. They followed him as he carried her to the room they used as a morgue.

Joe laid her gently on the table and kissed her forehead on the side that was still mostly intact. Two older pack members slowly entered the room with washcloths and linen sheets for the wrap; standing on the other side of the preparation table, they waited patiently for him to look at them. "I'll prepare her myself," he said, "but I would appreciate your assistance." He looked at his Alpha, his eyes pleading for privacy.

"Joe, we will send her off at sundown tonight. Preparations for the pyre are already underway. She will leave as a member of our Pack, even though she hadn't turned yet." He nodded and then his eyes returned to her, and everyone else left the room and left them to their somber task. He left two Betas outside the door in case Joe's mental condition worsened.