The Silver Guardian B. 02

Lily came awake with a start. She , she was slightly disoriented, but soon felt strong arms encircle encircling her while she came back to her senses. She was still on the jet with Dante en route to the Great Lakes Pack.

"Lily baby, what's wrong? I could feel your distress through the bond. What happened, another vision?"

Lily looked into Dante's eyes and she noticed Astrid and the Hellhounds were gathering around her as well, concerned.

"Yes, but I felt increased urgency with this one. I think it's going to happen very soon, maybe even this next visit. I saw a wolf I'd never seen before, and he had betrayed us to Viktor, setting us up to be killed. There was a sense that Viktor was furious, had probably figured out we were involved in Friday's attack on him, given the timing. There was a group of six wolves waiting for us in a building, and they were going to escort us into an ambush to be killed. It wasn't as clear as my last one, but I think it's telling us what is about to happen, and that it's happening soon."

Dante looked at Astrid and nodded at her before looking back at his mate.

"The Hellhounds will handle this. I'm sorry you have to keep dealing with these visions, but they

are

giving us useful warnings and helping to keep us safe. We will be prepared when we land the jet and deplane. If you recognize any of the wolves that meet us, tell us and we'll handle the situation."

He turned to Astrid. "I want you Hellhounds to be prepared. We leave the plane fully armed, and if I give you the order, then you are to execute all the wolves meeting us. Then if necessary we will arrange transport and go deal with this betrayal. Be ready."

Astrid turned and began a low conversation with the other Hellhounds and started planning. If such events occurred they would change their plans dramatically, so they needed to get started.

Dante hugged Lily to him tightly.

"Now, thanks to you we will be prepared and won't be caught by surprise. We should land within thirty minutes, so let's get ready for some action, since I think you will turn out to be right, baby. You're doing everything you can, which is all you need to do to keep us all safe. I love you and I'm very proud of you."

Dante kissed his mate deeply before they stood up and began to arm themselves. The jet would be landing soon, and then they'd find out just how accurate Lily's vision would turn out to be.

***

Astrid and Hilde glided on full alert out of the gate and into a private terminal, followed by Dante and Lily, with Bryn and Freydis behind them. They walked through a corridor and out into a reception area and saw a group of six men and women awaiting them. Lily tensed for just a moment, her eyes observing keenly, before speaking to Dante through the bond.

The wolf in the middle, the one who appears to be the leader. He was one of the wolves in my vision. I think this is a setup, my love.

Dante passed this intel onto Astrid and the Hellhounds through the Pack bond and they regathered into a semicircle in front of Dante and Lily as they approached the group. Dante sent a message back to Lily via the bond.

I'm going to be using my little gift while I listen to what this leader has to say. If he is lying, we will eliminate them all, and then make our way out of here by ourselves and decide what to do next.

They stopped a few feet in front of the group of wolves. The leader, and he was indeed the wolf Lily had pointed out, stepped forward and spoke to them. He was around 6'1" and 230lbs with black hair and a thick beard, and had a foul smile disfiguring his face.

"Welcome, and I hope you all had a pleasant flight. I am Sean Jacobson, one of the senior Betas for the Great Lakes Pack. I'm here to escort you to our Pack House and introduce you to our Alpha. If you'll please come with me, we will be on our way."

Dante had been studying the man closely and didn't respond for a few moments. Finally, he motionlessly sent a harsh command through the Pack bond.

Execute.

Without any warning, Astrid moved like a fluid ghost, stepping into the wolf, her blades sprouting in her hands, and in one fluid movement removed his head from his shoulders to send it sailing away behind him as the rest of him crumpled to the floor. As soon as Astrid had begun to move, the rest of the Hellhounds had also leapt into action. Bryn had thrown two large chakrams without blinking, and decapitated two more wolves who had been in front of her, while Freydis had taken a mighty overhead chop through the neck and shoulder of another, instantly killing the female wolf in front of her. Hilde had pulled both of her .40 caliber pistols and placed three rounds each in the heads of the two remaining wolves in the group. In less than two seconds, they were all dealt with and it was over.

Dante resumed command. "We need to dispose of the bodies and get some cleaning materials to remove all traces that they were here. Luckily the floor is tile and we can use bleach or something to destroy any trace of blood. Let's move quickly and get out of here. That shithead was lying from the moment he opened his mouth, and we don't know what else is set up for us. Let's move!"

***

Thirty minutes later they were walking with their luggage and weapons out of the terminal. They had chopped up the bodies and dropped them into drums of used oil that were about to be sent for disposal. They had cleaned and sanitized the area and were ready to move out.

Dante had arranged transportation and had decided after discussing things with Lily that they would still head to the Great Lakes Pack, but now that they knew they were associated with Viktor, they would be going to clean house, at a minimum the top leadership, and depending on what they found, maybe even more. They might be going in with only the six of them, but they knew that with this particular six they were well above equal footing, even against an entire Pack.

Dante had phoned for a special vehicle to be made available, and led all of them up to a black SUV large enough to hold them all, as well as their luggage and weapons. This Bentley Bentayga would hold all of them in style, and with over 600HP on tap, would power them through any situation imaginable. They loaded into the Bentley and headed out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport and into Detroit, on their way to Ann Arbor, where the Great Lakes Pack was located. Dante drove into the streets of Detroit and began making his way across town. They had been driving for only a few minutes when Astrid spoke from the back.

"Dante, Lily, we have company. Three black sedans are following us three cars back. They're either Viktor's men or more wolves from the Great Lakes Pack, which are probably beholden to Viktor anyway. What do you want to do?"

Dante checked his mirrors, spotting them and beginning to observe them.

"First let's see if we can lose them, then if we can't, we'll need to try to take them out. We don't want them to follow us to the Pack house and have enemies still behind us when we attack the Pack leadership. We need to take them out sooner rather than later, since we don't want to leave any dangerous loose ends to come back and bite us in the ass."

With that, Dante gradually started to accelerate and change lanes, trying to put more distance between them. He was weaving in and out of traffic, getting the usual Detroit response to such maneuvers, in other words a lot of car horns and even some people telling him with their gestures that he was 'number one'. Nevertheless, Dante put his foot down and the W12 engine in the Bentley roared to life, quickly gaining speed, and they started whizzing by car after car. Somehow the three sedans were able to stay with him, though they were having some difficulty keeping up, but they were cutting off vehicles and forcing others out of their way, as the other drivers on the road tried to avoid being hit by these aggressive black sedans. One was able to get up behind them within only a few car lengths, when Astrid suddenly called out.

"Get down, they have guns out and are about to open fire!"

Dante grabbed Lily and forced her down behind the cover of the seat as Astrid and the Hellhounds ducked down as well. Several bullets impacted the rear of the car as Dante began the dual task of swerving wildly while also struggling to maintain control of the heavy Bentley at high speeds while being fired upon.

Dante yelled out, "Astrid, return fire and get them off our ass. We don't want to take too many of those shots, this buggy isn't armored!"

Astrid dug in the back of the SUV and pulled out one of the HK416 assault rifles before clambering around and rolling down the rear driver's side window, since she was seated behind Dante. She leaned out the window facing backwards and brought up the assault rifle. When the other drivers on the highway saw the rifle they started to swerve or brake and get out of the way, causing traffic to back up, and even a few small accidents. Two of the black sedans struggled unsuccessfully to break free from the chaos, but the one closest behind them was able to speed up and close the distance. Astrid opened fire, placing several rounds into the grill, where there was a hiss and steam started to pour out of the sedan, meaning the engine would soon overheat, but for the moment it was still with them. Astrid changed tactics, sighted in on the driver and opened fire on him. The car suddenly jerked and turned hard to the left where the wheel caught, sending the car airborne as it started to tumble, smashing into the pavement over and over before it finally came to a halt upside down to the sounds of screeching metal.

Lily called out to Astrid. "Good job, that's one down, but the other two have broken free and are now closing the gap with us."

Dante looked over at Lily and told her and the Hellhounds to hang on. He swerved across three lanes and took an exit off the freeway at high speed, causing the tires to squeal in protest, but they held together as Dante went barreling down the ramp. But the two sedans were able to make emergency adjustments at the last minute and stay with them. Dante blew through a red light at the bottom of the off ramp, narrowly missing some cross traffic, and turned onto the next cross street, beginning to snake his way through Detroit's old streets. One of the cars had made it though the intersection, while the second had to slam on its brakes to avoid being t-boned and had lost some distance, though it sped up again soon afterwards and were once again in hot pursuit.

Dante's mind was racing, trying to figure out how to take out another vehicle when his next plan jumped into his head. He looked at Lily and grinned wolfishly, causing her to grin back at him dangerously. She didn't know what, but they were about to do something fun!

"Baby, when I take this next turn I want you to take the wheel. I'm going to lean out and take out the nearest car. Got it?"

Lily nodded her head, "Got it, be safe baby, and I'll keep us on the road."

Dante set up his next turn and had barely completed it before letting go of the wheel just as Lily grasped it. He maneuvered his head and upper body outside the window facing backwards and stuck his right hand out, with his open palm facing the pursuit vehicle. His eyes began to glow and a blue-white cloud of vapor exited his mouth as he gathered his power into his arm and hand. His arm had just started to glow a brilliant blue-white, when he let out a loud roar. A massive bolt of lightning, as thick as his arm, streaked from his palm towards the front of the vehicle just as it finished its turn. A deafening crack of thunder echoed off the buildings as the clear blue sky flashed a brilliant white. Less than a moment after the bolt left Dante's hand it slammed into the vehicle, destroying the entire front end of the sedan. The impact was spectacular, causing the sedan to nose dive and flip end over end before it ignited and exploded in a loud burst!

Dante climbed back into the Bentley and resumed control of the wheel. He grinned at Lily, who was smiling broadly.

"Well baby," Lily chortled, "that's one way to take them out, hahaha!"

Hilde spoke from the rear row, "We're now down to a single pursuit car, and while it's a little way back, it's gaining ground again. Anyone have an idea for the final car?"

Dante was looking around at nearby buildings and signs when he saw a sign for a parking garage and got an idea.

"Hilde, we're going into that parking garage and using it to take out the final vehicle. Dig in the back and pull out a rifle for everyone here including Lily, but hand me Twin Moons. Once I pick a spot in here, we're getting out of the Bentley. I'll take out their vehicle and when it stops, I want everyone to pour rounds into it and finish off anyone still alive in the car. Got it?"

Everyone acknowledged as the assault rifles were passed out and Twin Moons were handed to Lily so she could give them to Dante when they halted. Dante turned sharply into the parking garage and went up one level before slamming on the brakes and throwing the Bentley into park as they raced out of the vehicle to set up their ambush.

Dante drew Twin Moons and positioned himself behind a concrete column on the left that he knew they'd have to pass, while Lily and the Hellhounds took cover on the opposite side a little way down.

Dante heard a thump and scraping as the final sedan entered the complex at high speed, scraping the undercarriage of the car as it tried to catch up. He heard the roar of the engine echoing off the concrete walls and getting louder as it sped up the ramps, chasing them. Dante prepared himself, gathering his power as Twin Moons glowed a brilliant white hot. Just as the car was about to pass his pylon, he stepped out and took a powerful double swing into the car, cutting through everything as the car sped past him, killing the driver and a rear passenger instantly by slicing completely through them. The car jerked, but continued accelerating before it slammed into another pylon with a sickening crunch. Lily and the Hellhounds leapt out and opened fire into the smashed car and hundreds of rounds turned it into Swiss cheese, finishing off anyone that might still have been alive inside. Smoke was pouring out of the destroyed car as flames could be seen coming up from underneath it.

Lily yelled out, "Everyone back in the Bentley; we're getting out of here before anyone else shows up!"

Everyone piled back into the Bentley and Dante exited the parking garage at a sedate pace and merged into the flow of traffic, so they wouldn't attract any further attention. They knew that shortly local law enforcement would be looking for a Bentley, which was very distinctive to begin with, but theirs would be the one riddled with bullet holes. They had to get to the Great Lakes Pack and stash the vehicle so they wouldn't have to deal with the police and waste time in long discussions about what constituted 'justifiable defensive force'.

***

Two hours later they had passed through the heart of Ann Arbor and were approaching the outskirts of the city on the far side. They knew the Great Lakes Pack House was isolated for privacy. They finally drove up near the huge Victorian mansion and parked a fair distance away, near some trees that shielded it from view.

Lily spoke to the Hellhounds. "Dante and I don't like the idea of wiping out an entire Pack if there is any way to avoid it. While Luna has tasked us with cleansing our race, She has also tasked us with uniting it. If we can avoid any unnecessary bloodshed, that's what we want. So when we infiltrate the mansion, only kill those that engage or attack us directly. We don't know if the entire Pack is aligned with Viktor, or if it's just their leadership. We'll find out one way or another once we're done, and more of them may have to be eliminated than just their leaders, but for now we're trying to keep the body count down."

Dante agreed with her as the Hellhounds agreed to Lily and Dante's wishes. They exited the Bentley and geared up, preparing for the assault. There was a high brick wall around the large property they would have to scale, and they were going to work their way behind the property and enter from the rear to avoid a confrontation visible from the street.

There was talk of leaving Lily in a safe location, and surprisingly it was Astrid who shot the idea down. "Lily has a simple choice: to be left alone somewhere that is allegedly safe, then face any hostile forces all by herself once they find her, or to face them surrounded by her team. I say she stays with us no matter what we're facing. Do you agree, my Queen?"

"No question about it," replied Lily, and that was that.

The house was on lock down, that much was clear. They had zero doubts that Alpha Bruce and Madame Alpha Tammy were aware that the team they had sent to dispose of them was dead, since they would have felt each death through the Alpha bond, in addition to the fact that none of them would have reported back in.

Dante, with all of his military experience and especially from his experience gained as point-man on the Teams, silently led Lily and the Hellhounds around the back of the property and they made their way to the wall at the edge of the grounds.

Dante paused and addressed the group.

"It's extremely likely that once we are over this wall we'll be noticed immediately, and enforcers in the Pack will respond. Remember, if they attack we neutralize them, but unless they do engage, we leave them be for now."

The wall was around eight feet tall and was easy enough for most of them to leap for a handhold at the top, then lever themselves over, and Lily and Dante with their extra strength could nearly leap the wall without touching it. Astrid and Hilde went over first, followed immediately by Lily and then Dante, with Bryn and Freydis following. They ended up tucked away in a remote back corner and so far were still in the clear, but there was a decent-sized open area needing to be negotiated before they reached the rear entrance, during which they would surely be spotted. Dante had everyone go weapons ready, as they prepared to make their run for the rear entrance.

"Now!" Dante commanded.

With that, Dante and Lily started heading at a moderate jog into the open with two Hellhounds flanking them on either side. They didn't want to run blindly as rapidly as possible, but rather to traverse the open area as rapidly as prudent, with eyes wide open. Off to their right they heard a wolf sound out the alarm and saw him move to engage them, lifting up a gun ready to fire. Freydis didn't miss a beat, raising her HK416 and firing a burst into his chest, silencing the wolf. With that, the response began in earnest as three more responded. Two came from the left and the other from the same rear entrance they were jogging towards. These three however, had shifted and were racing towards them as wolves. Astrid on the left, opened fire on the nearest wolf and dispatched that one, but the second wolf managed to get close and leapt into the air, going for a kill. Hilde drew her claymore on the run and swung, biting deep into the wolf's side and smashing him away, thus killing the second wolf. The final wolf was getting near enough to engage them head on, so Dante flowed in front of Lily to protect her and their unborn children and drew Twin Moons. The wolf was quite large for a Lycan and based on size it was clear that this was another one of the senior Betas. The wolf leapt into the air going for Dante's throat, only to wind up split in half from front to back as Dante had spun and executed a brutal sideways slash that cleaved the wolf from jaws to tail. Without breaking stride, the six continued across the grounds and soon made it to the back door. It had been locked after that third wolf's departure, and they could tell it was heavily reinforced. Instead of wasting valuable time trying to pick the lock, Dante decided to power through it. He didn't enter his War God state as he didn't want to go on a rampage through the house demolishing it, but he did channel a good portion of his strength into his legs, as the seal on his chest began to glow and lightning danced over his legs. He stepped forward and slammed his foot into the door, targeting the main lock mechanism and shattering the steel locks as the door flew inwards and slammed into the wall.