After Action Reports

Tania’s POV

Tomah Pack Safe Room

“It’s over?” I leaned back into Bobby’s chest as we sat at the laptop in the security section of our safe room. The entire Pack had been in here all night due to the threats of Vampire attacks. Bobby and I had been sitting in the room all night with the warriors. Two were constantly monitoring the cameras and motion sensors, and we were trying to keep up with what was happening elsewhere.

I had felt helpless, and I hated that feeling.

“We think so,” Chairman Brent said. “The rebel vampire attacks on the two Councils and the Sulphur River Pack failed, and we have no reports of other attacks. Chairman Nikolai is laying down the law to the remaining Covens right now.” He was making it very clear that any Vampire who violated the peace he had made would be eliminated, them and their Coven. “We’re still cleaning up from the attack here. What I’d like to do is get all of the Packs together at 0600 Eastern time on a videoconference. We’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“We can handle making the calls for you, I’m sure you have lots of other stuff to do,” Bobby said. It was just over an hour away. “Is it safe to leave the room yet?”

“I wouldn’t do that until sunrise, just to be sure,” he said. “I have to go. Love you guys, talk to you soon.”

“Love you Dad,” Bobby said, then the video call ended. We went to work immediately, sending out a blast email to all the Alphas and Betas in North America, then following up with phone calls. It would have been easier if we had Council members for each region, but those elections were yet to happen. We finished in time to freshen up and grab a snack, then we put the conference on the laptop screen in front of us. The conference was being sent to monitors in the main area, so the whole Pack could watch, but only the two of us would be able to talk.

“Good morning Alphas,” Brent started. “This isn’t how I imagined my first day as Chairman would play out, but things have happened quickly. With me here in Council Headquarters are Vampire Council Chair Nikolai, Vampire Master Leonardo, and Werewolf Council Chief Enforcer Talia Meechum. Yesterday, the two Masters arrived at our Council Headquarters at the invitation of the former Chair, Talia.”

“I wanted to show the Vampire leadership that we were taking strong actions to root out the corruption and illegal experimentation on captured vampires,” Talia said. “This was key to securing the peace, a peace that our new Chairman sealed in blood a few hours ago. It was not a peace that all Covens agreed with, and some of them rebelled against their own Council. We were attacked last night by three of them.”

There was outrage among the Alphas, attacking our Council was a declaration of war. Brent held his hand up and waited for quiet. “The attacks were not against us directly. They were aimed at toppling the Vampire Council members here today so the peace talks would collapse. That did not happen, because our vampire allies fought side by side with our Enforcers to hold them off. The attack was not without casualties; many fell in our defense.”

Chairman Nikolai leaned forward. “The Covens that did this are gone, destroyed. The Vampire Council wants peace, and our Covens are in agreement now. We will not be the ones to dishonor the sacrifices made to bring this about.”

One of the West Coast Alphas interrupted. “Mr. Charmain, wasn’t part of the issue the Hybrids that the Vampires created? What is happening with them?” I felt my wolf coming forward, now they were talking about my sister.

“The hybrids are a new thing, and both Councils are unsure as to what it all means for our kinds,” Brent said.

“We have only one who was created without extenuating circumstances, and that was Talia here four years ago,” Nikolai said. “The most sacred thing among Werewolves is the mating bond; Randall was Talia’s mate, and her bite is fatal to Werewolves, so Randall was changed to be like her. The real shock was with Erica. When she found her mate in a Vampire, it shook our worldview.” He paused to gather himself. “Vampires might find love, they may change their love so they don’t grow old, but we don’t have mates. Yet, Eduardo found his with a werewolf, our historical enemies. She had to be changed to mate with him, and to our shock, he changed when he mated with her. The two things that are part of the Vampire ‘curse’ were the inability to be in the sun and the loss of our ability to procreate. The dead cannot sire the living, that is what we have always known.”

“Wait,” an East Coast Alpha said. “You mean this mating cured those two things?”

“Yes. Eduardo is no longer like me or the other Vampires, he is something more. He hasn’t lost his Vampire characteristics, but he is now a Daywalker with viable sperm. He is the evolution of our kind, just as Erica is the evolution of yours. The Vampire Council and the Covens are aware of the implications for both our kinds. We know that we may find mates among your kind, and you may find your matches among ours. Mated pairs have always been the way to build bridges. There isn’t a Vampire out there who isn’t filled with hope that they may find what Eduardo has found.”

“Imagine, a whole population of adults who might find their mates in Werewolves,” Brent continued. “We have to help them find each other.”

“Are you going to allow for werewolves to become hybrids if they volunteer,” Alpha John of Thief River Falls asked. “We have seen how strong Talia became, there is not an Alpha among us who does not want that power.”

“I wish it was that easy,” Nikolai said. “Only a Vampire Master can do the change, and if you talk to any of the hybrids, they will tell you the change is incredibly painful. The Vampire Council has forbidden making any future hybrids until we know more.”

This didn’t calm the Alphas, who respected power about all else. Having a young female become the Alpha Killer was intolerable to them. “CHAIRMAN NIKOLAI, a moment please,” Kimberly said from the Sulphur River Pack House, Erica sitting next to her. “There is one more Hybrid you are not aware of.”

Everyone got quiet. “Who?”

“My mate, Dusty Meechum,” she said to gasps. “In last night’s attack, my mate stood alone against the Vampires that attacked. The leader, Master Snow, bit him in an attempt to give up the location of our father and the other hybrids. Erica arrived before he died, she and the New Orleans Coven taking out the Master and his people.”

“If you killed him, how is Dusty being changed,” Nikolai asked.

“We didn’t kill him, but he doesn’t have arms and his teeth are gone,” Erica said. “The only way to save Dusty from the venom was to change him. I used the Master to start the change in Dusty.” The precise method wasn’t common knowledge, and she wasn’t going to let on what happened. “When he survives the change, I’ll need a Master to change Kimberly so his mating bites won’t kill her.”

“Any other casualties, Alpha Kimberly?”

“Everyone else withdrew to the safe room and with the New Orleans Coven’s help, no one else died.” She paused as she looked offscreen. “I owe my mate’s life to Erica and Eduardo and Anastasia. They are true friends to the Sulphur River Pack.”

“Excellent.” He waited to see if there were any other questions, then continued. “For an update on the attack on Vampire Council headquarters, Chief Enforcer Randall Meechum is on the call. Randall?”

“Thank you, Chairman Nikolai. The Vampire Council Headquarters were attacked last night by three Covens. I arrived in the middle of the attack, when the third sublevel had been taken over and they were cutting through the stairwell door. I was able to slip in behind, and the diversion allowed the remaining Vampires to counterattack. The attackers have been wiped out, even those who fled have been killed now.”

“Casualties must have been high,” Chairman Brent said.

“We lost a lot of good men in this war,” he said. “Mistress Edith was killed in the fight, but Masters Jarrod and Lukaku survived. The fighting was intense.”

“We will not allow their sacrifices to be in vain,” Chairman Nikolai said. “Now that the crisis is over, I will be returning to New York to oversee the recovery while your Chief Enforcer can return here.”

“Elections will take place later today for the positions on the Werewolf Council,” Brent said. “Regions are to report the results to me by 2000 Eastern time. Installation will happen in two days at moonrise. I’d continue this until all questions have been answered, but I’ve been up for almost forty hours now and we need to rest.”

“We have all had a long night,” another Alpha said. “Our problems will still be there when we awake. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the update and thank you, Chairman Nikolai, for having the courage to achieve this peace.”

With that, the conference ended. I closed the window on my laptop and turned to look at Bobby. “Your brother…”

“He’s strong, he’ll make it through the change,” Bobby said. “We should talk to your sister, though.”

“You’re right.” She picked up her phone and called Talia. “Sis, should I be worried about Dusty?”

“I’m not going to lie. He’s going to go through hell in this change but there’s nothing you can do to help him. Erica is there, his Pack as well. I’ve already talked to Randall and Jarrod, we’re going to head down there in two days to help. When you first wake up from the change, it can go bad quickly. We can make sure he is all right.”

“And Jarrod can change Kimberly.”

“Yes. We’ll stay until she is stable as well. Dad is going to stay here, and Mom is going home to help. Just be warned, if you go down there, you’ll be swept up in wedding planning.”

“I’m not even engaged yet!”

Talia laughed. “Me either, but he’s not going to be here until tonight. At least I know I’ll like the ring when he finally gets down on his knee.”

“All right, we have to go. The Pack awaits.” I closed the call and got off Bobby’s lap. We had a Pack to release from the safe rooms and get back to normal.

Kimberly’s POV

Sulphur River Pack House

I released everyone back to normal duties, and many went straight to bed. I asked the kitchen staff to prepare a light breakfast for those who would be staying up, but to focus on a big dinner tonight. We wouldn’t celebrate the victory, at least not until it was over.

I called Master Nikolai to ask him what I should do with Master Snow. Without blood, he could not heal and regenerate his lost limbs. “Stake him out,” the Council chair said. “I’ve got enough to deal with back in New York, and they were all warned.” I called two warriors, who carried him outside, him promising death and retribution the whole way.

“Put him on the pile with the rest of the garbage to be burned,” I said. After I made sure the Pack was taken care of, I went outside where the younger Baldwin boys, Matt and Lucas, had collected their father's remains in a box. Bull had fought valiantly, the dead vampires showed that, and they had torn him to pieces. “Prepare him for the pyre,” I said as I touched his hair. “He died bravely and with honor.”

He’d been a constant in our lives, ever since I found my mate and came to this Pack. He was a good man and I will miss him. I went back inside and made the call to the Copper Mountain Pack. Terry Baldwin was going to be on the next flight down so he could be at the funeral.

“Alpha, I need you in Medical immediately,” the Pack Doctor sent. My heart dropped, the only person there was my mate. I ran down there, and beyond the open door I could see Dusty seizing up. The Doctor was struggling to keep him from hurting himself as his body fought the restraints. “His fever is too high,” she said. “It’s going to damage his brain. Get an ice bath ready immediately,” she said.

The attached bathroom had a shower, but one of the nearby guest rooms had a tub. I called the kitchen, telling them to bring ice, while I filled it with cold water. Eduardo and Erica carried his unconscious body in just before they arrived with bags of ice. He was out of it, but the seizure had stopped. “Pour it in and go get more,” I told the Omegas as they dumped the ice over his body. He was burning up. “Is this normal?”

“A fever, yes, but not like this.”

The Doctor looked at Erica. “Call your Master, I need to know what else to expect.” She got him on the phone and put it on speaker; Doc gave the history of the symptoms so far.

“That doesn’t sound right,” he said. “None of the others had that high a fever.”

“Is it possible we didn’t use enough blood?” I was wondering if I had killed Snow too early.

“I don’t know. Marceline and I will head your way immediately, I just have to arrange transport. I will call you with an arrival time, it will be during the day so we’ll be traveling by coffin.”

“We’ll be ready.” I stayed with my mate, using a washcloth to cool his face and head. His temperature turned, finally below 106 degF again, and she let go a sigh of relief. “He’s good?”

“He’s a long way from good, but at least he isn’t getting worse. Keep the ice coming.”

The morning stretched into afternoon; his fever would abate, then come back with a vengeance. Eduardo and Erica had to restrain him when he started to seize again, while I kept his head above water. His screams of agony echoed through the building.

The third time his temperature spiked, it didn’t come back down. His seizures stopped, I felt him shudder and relax, then he slumped down. I felt his bond tear from me, the pain was unbearable. “GET HIM OUT AND ON THE FLOOR,” she yelled. They did. “Start CPR, I’ll be back with the crash cart.”

I watched as Erica started chest compressions. All I could do was hold my hands to his cheeks and beg him to come back. I prayed, begging Luna to send him back. “Where is Jarrod?”

“On the helicopter, we’re twenty minutes out,” the escort said.

“We don’t have twenty minutes.”

They alternated doing CPR as Doc furiously tried to restart his heart. Shocking, adrenalin, nothing worked. “Stop CPR,” she said. “I’m sorry, it’s over.”

I collapsed into the corner, unable to function without my mate. I could hear the helicopter landing, but my loss made it mean nothing.