Beyond the Were War

"I get this feelin' I may know you

As a lover and friend

But this voice keeps whisperin' in my other ear

Tells me I may never see you again

'Cause I get a peaceful easy feelin'

And I know you won't let me down

'Cause I'm already standing I'm already standing

Yes I'm already standing on the ground."

Eagles, "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Cartel Safe House

Outskirts of El Paso

Juan answered the phone, it seemed like that was all he could do now. "Boss, it's Ricardo. The safe house on Mesa Drive is under attack. There are at least a dozen men out there, we're completely defensive. We need help now!"

"Ricardo, you aren't the only one. Dig in, do what you can to hold out until I can get reinforcements there. Make sure you destroy the communications and the information in the safe now, got it? I'll have people there in thirty minutes, just hang on."

"Yes sir. We'll hold for you." The line went dead.

Carlos looked over. "Who are you sending?"

Juan looked over at him. "I don't fucking HAVE anyone to send. They're already out or dead. I just can't tell them that or those fuckers would just surrender and not finish the job." He paced back over to the desk. Carlos was busy working communications, everything had gone to complete shit in the last hour. They had alarms at three different safe houses, two of their distribution centers were under attack, and a number of smuggling teams were missing. The spotters they employed reported it wasn't the Feds, it looked like Cartel "rip teams." These were highly trained mercenaries that specialized in stealing from other Cartel smugglers and taking their cargo from them. They seemed to be everywhere at once, and it was overwhelming them. They just didn't have enough people to defend everything after all the losses they had suffered in the aborted Gila attack.

Juan was furious beyond words. The safe houses were his biggest concern, few people knew their locations yet they had still been attacked. There were no places left he trusted to hide in since he didn't know for sure who the spy was and how much information they had been given. "Carlos, I've seen enough. Give the order to evacuate the remaining safe houses and locations. Have them load up everything they can, then tell them to go hide and call in when they are in a secure location." He slammed his fists on the desk in frustration, his empire was crumbling and he was powerless to stop it.

"Already done, boss. Out of the eight safe houses, we now have four under attack, none of those are still responding. I've told everyone to go silent for the next 24 hours, I don't want anyone tipping off the other cartels as to where they have gone. My concern now is you. We need to get you out of here, I don't know if this location was compromised as well." He was already starting to disconnect the computers and communication equipment for the move.

"Not yet. I know Hastings is behind this somehow, he must be in league with the other Cartels. He probably used my money to buy them off. Before we go, we're going to send him a message. Set up the Skype up here, and bring Renee up here. Make sure the Doc wakes her up, I want her screams to be heard loud and clear."

Carlos hesitated, everything in him said to flee but he saw the look in Juan's eyes. "OK, boss. I'll have it set up in twenty minutes. Meanwhile, you should pack. As soon as we're done with the conference we need to get going, find some place to hide for a few days."

El Paso Pack Territory

Western end

Hector led the three person patrol along the border of their pack territory, his gray and white wolf in the lead of the column. His Pack was on a war footing now, with everything happening with the Socorro cartel his Alpha had brought everyone in to the main house. The ones who couldn't fight, the children, pregnant women and elderly were in the basement of the Pack house near their safe room. The basement was guarded by the last line, including his mate Corona. Alpha Merino had kept about half his best warriors back to guard the house itself, while others secured the borders.

Hector stopped and growled as he picked up the recent scents where they came through the barbed wire fence that marked the outside of their territory. There were twenty or so humans, he could also smell the marijuana and the weapons. He broadcasted his findings over the Pack link. "Alpha, it's a small group, on foot, heading north east. By the scent it was recent, they are still on our territory."

Alpha Merino wasn't taking any chances, he didn't want any Cartel members anywhere near his Pack and in the direction they were going it would be uncomfortably close. He also had agreed with the other Alphas to hit Socorro cartel people when they could, and it was their smuggling routes that went through this area, the Gulf cartel operated further east. "Track them and observe, report in when you find them. Mike, take three warriors with you and move to intercept. Let's figure out what they are doing."

"Yes Alpha. Let's move, Joe you stay to the east and keep an eye out for anyone else while we are tracking. I don't want them getting close to the Pack house without warning. Move from hill to hill quickly and move on when we have caught up. Mark, you're with me, I'll track, you keep your eyes up." The group moved out, Joe moving a half mile to the east in the grassy rolling hillsides. Tracking wasn't really a challenge, the trail looked to have been used many times before from the old scents and the trash left behind. Empty water bottles and food wrappers were tossed onto the ground, Mike was a little pissed at this as it was their territory. They hadn't patrolled much of it during the War but now it was time to assert their ownership again.

The wolves moved quickly since the scent trail was so clear, it only took them ten minutes before they had the group in sight. "Alpha, warriors, we count twenty six in the group. Three men are armed, the rest appear to be mules and are carrying water jugs and a bale of marijuana. Of the mules, there are eight women and twelve men, of those a half dozen are underage and three are babies."

There was a pause before their Alpha responded. "Mike, you and your men get ahead of them and set an ambush. Use the rifles and take out the armed men. Hector, you and your team stay in wolf form and follow at a distance. When the attack starts, you go in and finish off any resistance."

"What about the people, boss?"

"Have them drop their loads and escort them off Pack lands if you don't deem them a threat. Let's try and keep the collateral damage down, remember that these migrants aren't the ones we are at war with, we are at war with those who exploit them."

Mike spoke up. "I know a good ambush point, it's about a half hour's walk from where they are now. We'll head there and set up, I'll let you know when we are in place."

"Good," Alpha Merino responded. "Remember to coordinate your attack. I don't want them to have a chance to get a shot off, stay safe out there."

Gila Pack SUV

Near Vado, New Mexico

Maria jumped out to open the cattle fence that led into the foothills east of town. As soon as it was open, Caleb rolled through, waiting only until she hopped back in before he floored it down the dirt trail. "I think if we can get to those hills, we can be out of sight and far enough away that if he goes feral we have time to deal with it before he gets to any human population." His look betrayed his careful wording, taking down an enraged newly turned wolf was dangerous and he'd prefer his mate was nowhere near it.

Maria reached over for his hand. "Anna will do what she needs to do, I have faith that she can bring him through the change."

He squeezed her hand tight, his left hand gripping the wheel as they bounced along the dirt path. "Anna, what is your plan?"

Anna poked her head back above the seat, she had been using a towel and ice water to keep Enrique's temperature down as the change started to hit his body. "Renee told us what she did with Gary and his forced change, it is basically the same. I'm going to stay as close to him as I can, bury him in my scent, and hope that his wolf recognizes his mate and that calms him down."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will have to tear me apart before I let him go. I need you to promise me, if I can't stop him, you'll do what you need to do. I don't want you hurt, I don't want others hurt because of him."

Maria looked back at the gun case under the back seat. "We will give you time and space, and keep the vehicle well away. Caleb, if this goes bad you will take care of Enrique and I will go to Anna."

"Agreed. But it's going to be fine. If anyone can find a way to calm the beast, it's Anna."

They wound through the hills for another ten minutes before Caleb pulled over. "There. That looks like a good place." There was a small spring feeding a stream, and a grassy area under a large oak tree that would give them shade and comfort. "Come on, let's get him out." Working as a team, they passed Enrique out to a waiting Caleb who carried him bridal style to the grass where Anna had run ahead to lay down a blanket.

"Thank you, I've got it from here." Anna jumped up and gave Maria a big hug. "If something happens to me, I want you two to forgive yourselves and move on. You are going to have a long, happy life together and raise a bunch of pups."

"Anna, you're going to be there to spoil them and give them treats when they come see you in the kitchen. You do whatever it takes to be with your man, do you hear me?" She nodded. "OK, we are going to pull back and wait back there. We won't get out of the car unless you tell us to or we see it isn't working. Good luck, Anna, may the luck of the Luna be with you."

Anna turned around, not wanting them to see her tears as they walked away. She arranged Enrique on the blanket, stripping her dress off she folded it and placed it under his head. She would shift when he did, she thought. She noted his fever was down as she lay beside him, her head on his shoulder on the side away from the injury. Every time he twitched or made a noise, she hugged him tighter. She kept her hair near his face, making sure that with every breath he took in the smell of his mate.

El Paso Pack Territory

Western Side

"Everyone, it looks like they are taking a break. They stopped near that tree up ahead and are taking the packs off." Hector watched as one armed man stayed on point while two others walked along the line. "Joe, come back to us. We need you here, the ambush point is only two more miles ahead."

"Coming, Hector. Mike, how far is your team from the ambush site?"

Mike's team had moved by vehicle to a point well ahead of the intruders then dismounted to go on foot to the ambush site. They had stayed in human form since they were armed with high powered rifles. "We've got another mile to go, should be in place in the next fifteen minutes."

Joe's tan and black wolf moved quickly back to them, covering the half mile in just a couple minutes. "Good, should be plenty of time now that they've..." Joe froze, his nose to the ground as he picked up the trail. His tail raised high in the air as he started sniffing and jumping around.

Hector looked at him. "Joe, what's going on?"

"MATE!! Mate is here. She's here. She's here. Must get her."

Hector jumped in front of him. "OK, she's here, you can keep her safe, but first we have to take care of the bad guys, right? We don't want her getting hurt because you do something stupid." Joe's ears went back at the rebuke, he wanted to find her but he knew Hector was right. "When the attack starts, I want you to go to the unarmed people and keep them safe. Mark and I will go in and make sure the Cartel guys are dead. OK?" Joe nodded his head. "Good. We wait for the ambush and follow the plan."

Hector turned around at the sound of the screaming. The two armed men had pulled two young women from the line and were pulling them over to a tree. They were resisting, at least they were until one was brutally backhanded to the ground. They pulled them over, tying their hands to ropes already hanging from the tree, before cutting their clothes off and tossing them into the branches. He remembered reading something about this in the paper.

Joe recognized what it was first. "It's a fucking rape tree. Those bastards! They are going to rape my..." He took off at a dead run. His mate was in danger, there was nothing they could say or do to stop him, so they went after him. Joe was blazing over the ground straight for the tree, his paws tearing up the ground.

Hector linked to everyone. "Change of plans, we're going in now. Mark, you follow Joe in and take care of those two guards. I'll take the one back at the people. Mike, drop your stuff and shift, get here now because if Joe's mate is hurt I don't know what kind of rage he'll go into."

Alpha Merino was about to cut in and order Joe to stop, but he knew no Alpha command would stop a wolf protecting his mate. "Kill the fuckers, and do it quickly."

Cartel Safe House

Outskirts of El Paso

Dr. Martinez was once again locked into the room with Renee, but this time a guard was waiting outside for him to get done. He reached into his bag and prepared an injection. "This will counteract the sedative so she can move and feel again. It also contains enough wolfsbane to keep that side dormant for another six hours."

"Just shoot her up, Doc, the boss wants her upstairs now."

"OK, let me just check her vitals." He leaned his head over hers as he listened to her heartbeat, close enough to whisper knowing her hearing was better than the guard's. "Mrs. Hastings, they are going to move you soon but they will torture you first. You can't shift or show signs of it until you have the opportunity to escape, or they will kill us both." He continued to examine her, then checked the condition of her babies. Looking back, he motioned to the guard. "Give her a couple minutes and she will be able to walk."

"Get out of here, Doc, you should return to your room until we call you to fix her up." Doc stood and nodded, he was under no illusions as to what that meant, he had patched up enough people after these sessions. He went up the stairs and out.

The guard unlocked her wrists from the shackles and chains, then sat her up, keeping the ankle chains on while he handcuffed her with silver-coated shackles behind her back. He then freed her feet, shifting her feet to the concrete floor below the bed. "Don't give me any problems, lady, you'll get enough pain without what I can give you." He pulled her roughly up, she faked being unsteady on her legs so he had to assist her out and up the stairs. He pulled her into the living room of the house, it was well lit but not from natural light, the windows were all covered. The room was rustic, with hand hewn wooden beams running across the short length. There were only a few couches along the outside, and some video equipment on a tripod. It would have been a comfortable place to visit, if it wasn't for the evil men on those couches, or chains hanging from those beams. The guard led her to the center of the room, facing Juan and Carlos. She was about to say something when she heard a noise, a chain was being lowered in front of her face, a steel ring at the bottom of it. A guard to her right was operating the controls and stopped it when it was at the level of her chest. He then moved in front of her, opened the hinged ring, and placed it around her neck, locking it with a padlock that was in his pocket.

"Strip her." Juan was staring at her like the sexual predator he was, his eyes flashing lust and evil. The first guard withdrew a knife and cut her clothing from her, leaving her naked, her arms still bound and unable to hide the swell of her belly from them. "Renee Hastings, thank you for coming. You're going to be in another video soon, the good news is that you get to see your mate again. Before we do that, though, we need to set the tone of the conversation. I need to make sure that he does what I tell him without question."

"Fuck you, Juan. You're a dead man walking."

Juan laughed, then gestured at the guard by the winch. The cable tightened, pulling her under it then up on her toes. He watched her struggle helplessly as she was lifted off the ground, the steel bar pressing hard into her neck and cutting off her breath. Renee stopped moving to conserve her air, and for half a minute she swung gently in the air as her face turned purple before she was let back down. She gasped in the air through her sore throat, not yet able to get her heels down she stayed on her toes. "You'll learn to watch your mouth and do what you're told. If you don't, we'll do it again. Now, let's get you ready, shall we?" Juan walked over in front of her and pulled out his favorite whip. "Remove the cuffs and secure her arms out of the way." The guards moved forward with manacles and chain, quickly attaching them to chains hanging from adjacent beams so she couldn't lower her arms below her shoulders. The new position kept her from twisting her body much, but her arms were too wide to be of use in pulling herself up to breathe better. Juan gestured and gave her a little more slack on her neck ring, allowing her feet to go flat at shoulder width.

"Get the video ready to go." The man brought a portable phone over, setting it up for the call to the Gila Pack Alpha. "First, I have a few frustrations to work out, and with what your Pack has done to mine, this will feel pretty good. Please don't pass out too soon, and feel free to scream as much as you want, the walls are soundproofed and no one will hear you except us and your mate." He nodded to the cameraman to start the call, meanwhile he moved around behind the helpless Renee. He waited for the screen to show Robert in his pack office. His voice was muted.

"Robert, Robert... what have you done. It would have been so much easier if you had just cooperated. Don't say anything, I'm not listening anyway. I just want you to watch the woman you love suffer for what you have done. It's a pity, she is a beautiful young lady, and pregnant too." CRACK! The whip scored her back, leaving torn skin behind in a line from shoulder to hip. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!The camera moved around her as he continued to lay into her, moving from her teeth gritted with pain to the bloody mess that now extended down past her butt to her upper legs. "Come on, bitch, don't be shy. I know it hurts."

"Fuck you, Juan. We will have our revenge, and you will suffer long before you die." Juan pointed at the guard, she was once again hoisted into the air by her neck, this time he left her until just before she passed out. He grinned as he watched Robert on the video link, his wolf was going crazy in him as he watched his mate approach death. He wasn't satisfied with her reaction to the whipping, and watching her being tortured in front of the man she loved had made him impossibly hard. "Let her down, and give her some slack again." When she had caught her breath, he went around and grabbed her hair, lifting her head up to the camera and her mate. "When you fuck me, I'll fuck you right back. And I'll do it in front of your loved ones." Moving behind her, he dropped his pants and let his throbbing erection out. "Your heart may belong to him, but your ass is mine." He grabbed her hips and lined himself up before pushing in with one long, brutal thrust.

Renee screamed as she felt she was being split apart, but she was helpless to stop it. Juan quickly found his rhythm, pounding her torn ass with his hips in time with her screams of pain. His face was a mask of evil, satisfied that he was getting the reaction he needed to find his pleasure. Renee kept trying to move away, but couldn't; only the blood from her torn sphincter provided lubrication as he debased her fully. It seemed like hours but was only a few minutes before Juan pulled out, the video catching the spurt of his seed onto her torn and bleeding back.