Conspiracy

Alpha Clark’s POV

La Crosse Pack House

My Pack was emptying out quickly.

I’d made a call to my closest ally, the Alphas of the Winona pack. When I told them what was going on, they immediately offered whatever help I needed. “Dan, I need two things quickly,” I told him. “I have to evacuate my non-combatants until this is all over.”

“Of course, send them to us, we’ll keep them safe,” Mary said. “I’d love to see Teri and the others.”

“Teri’s not coming, she’s doing something else, but the others will come. They’re packing now, they’ll be leaving in fifteen minutes. I knew I could count on you.”

“You know it. Can I send men?”

“Volunteers only, Dan, and have them bring their rifles.” I quickly filled him in on the plan I had. “My Beta female will be in charge of the group, she’ll call you when their convoy leaves. I have to go, it’s a madhouse here.”

“I’ll call you when we cross over into Wisconsin,” Dan said. I called two other Packs, in Arcadia and Genoa, and they volunteered to send about a dozen warriors each. I ran out to see off the caravan, and when I got back the warrant came across in my email for the arrest of Alpha Todd Aldridge. The letter attached authorized any Pack to apprehend him and hold him for trial.

I didn’t have time for this, but I couldn’t wait either. I forwarded the email to the Alphas of the Black River Falls and Wisconsin Rapids Packs, then called both of them in a group video call. “Sorry to drop this on you, guys, but I need your help.” I quickly went through the evidence that we had implicating Alpha Todd in the abduction of Tania Stillwater, and my suspicions he had been involved in the deaths of the Alpha pair.

It took a minute for them to calm down enough to talk, and I heard furniture breaking in the background of Alpha John’s office. The Black River Falls Pack Alpha had been friends with Alpha Johann since they went to camp together at age ten. “Handling this will be my pleasure,” John said. “I just hope he resists arrest enough I can get in a shot or two.”

Alpha Richard agreed. “I’ll get on the road in ten minutes. John, we can meet up in Tomah and head west to the Pack lands. I never liked that fucker and I was right,” he said.

“Thanks guys. I have to go, but if you could call me when you have him in your custody.”

“I can do that,” Richard said. “What do we tell his Pack?”

“Call them all into the meeting room and show them the file I’m sending you,” I said. “Just make sure you have him cuffed, stuffed and out of there before his Pack sees what he did. You’ll have to leave a Beta to take control of the Pack.”

“The Council is investigating?”

“Yes, I’ve given all the information to the Chairman himself and the Counsel drafted the warrant. The Council Lead Enforcer will be in contact with you so his team can conduct a thorough investigation. Good luck. ”I closed the video call and emailed both Alphas the section of Tania’s story of the abduction. The Tomah pack was going to have a mass revolt when they found out what really happened.

I almost felt sorry for him.

With everyone else gone, I went to speak with my warriors. They were gathered in the Pack meeting room, most gathered around a large topographical map of our territory. As soon as I walked in, conversations stopped, and they turned and bowed their heads to me in respect. “Gather round, gentlemen,” I said. They all sat and faced the screen.

“What are we facing, Alpha?”

All I had told them was that we had information a Pack was planning to attack us that evening. I laid the whole thing out. The arrival of Talia Stillwater, also known as the Alpha Killer, with her younger sister. The revelations about how Alpha Todd abducted her and handed her over to be raped and bred. “The man who did this, the man who took her son from her and left her to die, is Alpha Justin Heranus of the Copper Mountain Pack.” The anger boiled over, they wanted blood. “The Council is on its way to arrest them, but Talia got to them first. She snuck onto their land and took Tania’s son and the Luna and brought them back here. Both are gone now, but someone told Alpha Justin where they are and he’s on his way with about twenty of his warriors.”

“They’re dead,” the men said.

“They landed in Minneapolis about an hour ago. They could be here in an hour, longer if they stop for supplies. We don’t know if they have any allies meeting them, or if they brought weapons with them.”

“If they did, that will slow them down even more. Checked bags and TSA red tape,” my Beta said. “I bet they show up in wolf form.”

“They will expect we are holding their Luna at the Pack House or cells and want her and the young boy back. We don’t have to defend the territory, we defend the Pack House,” I said. “Now, let’s figure out the best way to do that.”

Ten minutes later, we had our plan. “The key is figuring out where they are coming from. There’s only three logical ways here, down Highway 52 to Rochester than over on I-90, down Highway 61 along the river to I-90, or they cross into Wisconsin and take 35 or 53 down. They all end up in Lacrosse on 35 going south to us,” I said. “It just doesn’t give us much time to react.”

“If they get out and run through the woods it doesn’t matter much, does it?”

I thought about it, he was right. “I still want to get more notice. Frank, you drive up 61 and watch there. Larry, you take a car up by New Amsterdam with Connor and watch the intersection of 35 and 53.”

“Who’s taking I-90?”

I smiled. “The Alpha Killer.” Some of the men let out a whoop, there was nothing their wolves understood more than vengeance. They all wanted to see Talia inflict pain on the man who ruined her sister. “Get going, guys. The rest of you, we have reinforcements arriving soon. Here’s our plan.”

Alpha Justin Heranus POV

Interstate 90, crossing into Wisconsin

“Make your weapons checks and put on your vests,” I sent to my men as we drove over the Mississippi into Wisconsin. The wide river valley was divided into the main channel, which we crossed, then a maze of islands and backwaters. There was a large island in the center, and on the far side we finally reached La Crosse.

Soon, I would have my family back.

I had been going nuts after I got the word the Alpha Killer had been to my home and taken my mate and my son. She was a nightmare. A rogue with Alpha blood, highly trained, deadly and with a chip on her shoulder the size of a mountain. The thing that kept me up at night the last three years was that she would figure out I was the one who bred her sister, then had her killed and buried in the woods.

Thank Luna I had gotten that call from my buddy Carlos. He and I had trained together, an intensive course for future Alphas and Betas that used to be held every other year. We were thrown together as roommates and he was like a brother to me. Our paths had diverged; I had taken over my Pack after finding my mate, while he had thrown himself into Beta training at the Mount Shasta Pack.

A decade later, his life plans were ruined. The Alpha female died during childbirth, and the heartbroken Alpha killed himself to be with her. He was under thirty and unmated, with Alpha blood only on his mother’s side, and was not allowed to succeed. Instead, one of the Alpha’s younger brothers took over and brought his own Beta with him. Demoted and unhappy with the changes, he had requested to be transferred to the Alpha Council Enforcer program.

His new Alpha was happy to get rid of him.

Since that day in 1961, they only saw each other at Alpha Council functions and occasional visits. Never mated, Carlos worked hard and rose to Lead Enforcer for the council in 2001. He was in charge of all intelligence, law enforcement and protection operations, which meant he knew everything.

Five Years Earlier

I had traveled to a Council conference alone as my mate didn’t want to go to Saratoga Springs. After the meetings were over, most of the males who didn’t have mates along had headed to the hotel bar. When it closed, I ended up in a chair with a bottle of Two Gingers Irish Whiskey in Carlos’ room. Everyone else except Beta Todd Aldridge had gone back to their room by four in the morning.

I was happy getting my drunk on.

Todd was a good guy, and he was lying on the couch with his arm over his eyes. I looked over at my buddy, he was drinking vodka straight and was just as fucked up as I was. It took a lot of booze to get a werewolf drunk, and the bottles on the floor showed how hard we’d worked for it.

“How’s it going with Rhoda,” Carlos asked. “Any new treatments?”

“Nope. After the trials were ended by the Council, no one will touch it. She told us that our only chance would be to find a young she-wolf willing to be a surrogate, and give her the drugs to induce a heat.”

“So? That should be easy.”

I took another drink. “Easy if you want some Pack Slut or Omega, maybe. It only works if I service her during her heat, so her bloodline will be half of my son’s bloodline. If I weaken him, he’ll never take and defend the position. I need a strong Beta female, an Alpha would be better.”

“Shit, you may as well ask for immortality,” Carlos laughed. “Where are you going to find a high-ranking female willing to fuck you and bear your child, then just go away?” He took a long drink, then tossed the bottle into the pile by the garbage can.

The sound from across the room surprised me. “I can get you one,” Todd said. “Alpha bloodlines from both parents. Unmated. She’s underage, not that you care about that if you’re going to rape her. You just need to make her disappear when you have the child you need.”

“What are you talking about?” I stared at him, wondering what his deal was.

“Carlos, I’m in the same situation you are but I see it coming. My Alphas have only two daughters; the eldest will find her mate, probably the son of another Alpha, and he will take over for them. The new generation will have no use for a man like me, and I’ll be pushed aside just like you were.” He struggled to sit up. “On the other hand, if the Alphas were gone along with one of the daughters, or if they were all gone, I’d be next in line. I could mate one to cement my position, she’s a hot little number that would be fun to bend to my will. Or I could find my own mate if they’re both gone, I’d have my pick.”

I couldn’t believe my luck. ’How? Why?”

“We each get something we need, Justin. I deliver you one of the females for you to breed, and you get rid of the Alpha pair for me.” He stood up, walking over to me. “I’ve got to get some sleep before the morning meetings. This talk doesn’t go outside the three of us. If you’re interested, slap me on the shoulder as we’re leaving tomorrow. We will figure out a time and place and make this happen for both of us.”

The next morning, I couldn’t think of anything else. As the meeting broke up, I slapped his right shoulder and told him he should come visit sometime.

Present Day

The first of six Suburbans turned onto the access road that led to the La Crosse Pack House. I was in the trail vehicle with my ally, Eau Claire Pack Alpha Bruce Eastwing. Our Betas were in the two lead vehicles. Between the two Packs, we had a force of three dozen heavily armed werewolves.

The trucks accelerated down the gravel road, only minutes away. There were no patrol wolves, no guards, and I smiled. We had achieved complete surprise.

Alpha Clark and his Pack would pay dearly for their involvement in the kidnapping of my family.