Guardian Wolf Ch. 04

'Bill let's send that cocksucker in New York a message,' Robert said.

'What did you have in mind, bro?' Bill asked.

Robert simply held the head of the dead man up to his brother's face. His actions conveyed meaning louder than words.

'Bob, you can be a cold, sadistic mother fucker, you know that,' Bill said grinning, 'I'm glad to call you my brother.'

'Dane, Gustav. Sorry guys, I know you just dressed but we are going to decapitate the corpses to send Grigor a little 'fuck you' message,' Bill apologized.

'Hey anything to fuck with that bastard's head we are all for it!' Dane answered as he and Gustav started to disrobe.

Bill and the others proceeded to decapitate and gather the heads in a trash bag, including Anatoly's from the tunnel. Robert called the house and told me what was going on and what he wanted me to do. I told him I would send someone with the supplies he needed and another car so we could go visit Amber and Kyle in the hospital. I asked Toby to follow me in a second Tahoe and I told him where we were going. He never even questioned me when I had him get a couple gallons of diesel fuel from the motor pool. Our omegas are good like that. They are smart enough to know what is going on, and smarter still not to question an order from an Alpha. We left shortly after and followed Robert's directions to the steam tunnels. It took us almost an hour, but we made it just fine.

During that time, Robert, Bill, and the others had moved the bodies into the steam tunnels. We didn't want anyone stumbling across the bodies too soon and calling the authorities. We quickly doused the bodies with the diesel fuel and set them ablaze. Dane and Gustav managed to reseat the door on the hinge and wash off some of Sasha's blood with some water from a nearby creek. They loaded the weapons into the second Tahoe; careful to hide them in case the car was searched. We cleaned up as much as we could and told Toby to take Dane and Gustav back to the compound. They were dirty and tired and in need of a serious bath. Robert cautioned Toby not to speed and to place the guns in the armory so they could be dismantled, cleaned, and given new serial numbers. Why throw away a perfectly good weapon when we have one of the best gunsmiths around to give a bad weapon a good future? He even registers the new weapons with the federal government, including all the necessary paperwork. Of course, the weapons are classified as semi-automatic for the government's sake. Can't go having automatic weapons around now, can we?" Maggie paused again as she saw Rachel's eyes glaze over in the 'I have no idea what you are talking about' look.

"You see baby, while we try to live within the rules and regulations set by the human governments, we take care of our own first and foremost. Our kind has its own rules and laws about retribution and vendettas. It has gotten harder over the years with the advances of forensic science and such. We obey human law as long as we can, but Clan law supersedes any mortal law. Vendettas and retribution killings still exist in the world. Most of the time it stems from humans who are physically threatening a group of supernatural's, like what happened here. Other times people find out accidentally what we are and they freak. When we cannot reason with, bribe, blackmail, or threaten them into silence, there have been instances where they have been killed to keep our secret.

It is something difficult to fathom our laws when you come from the human world like you and I did; it goes against everything we were taught before we were turned. But if it ever got out that werewolves, vampires, and such exist and are among the humans, there would be mass hysteria and panic on a global scale. The human governments would be forced to react; wars would break out and the bloodshed would quickly escalate to the point where it would wash over like it did during the Blood Wars. The cost of this happening is unimaginable and the high council refuses to go through that nightmare again. Do you know that only 1 in every 100 Lycan survived during that time? Our species were nearly wiped out during the Blood Wars. It has taken the last two millennia just to bring our numbers back up," Maggie said.

"I see the logic Maggie and I know that someday James and I may have to face such a sobering truth. I promise we will do all in our power to protect the pack's secret. You can trust us. Curious question, though. Just how many in the world are actually immortal?" Rachel asked.

"I know you will do everything in your power to keep our secret baby. That's why I don't hesitate in telling you these things. As to your question, no one is exactly sure. We Lycan breed exceptionally well, as do the vampires. Our genetic lines are well documented and inventoried. Our own Clan genealogy dates back to before the Council of Nicaea. The elves and dwarves are more secretive about their numbers. The magic realm has had a harder time increasing their numbers over the last few centuries; something to do with the rise of Christianity and subsequently science. No one believes in magic anymore, thus making it harder to find a suitable mate.

The Alpha lines don't have any problem. Like our bloodlines, their mating is dictated by the fates and they are marked by the bonds of Nicaea. But the lesser elves and dwarves are finding it hard to find a mate who they may bond on such a deep level as to procreate. Lycan and vampire mates are easier to locate because our species have developed a heightened sense of smell and we recognize the unique pheromones our mates emit. The magical beings depend on a spiritual aura to identify mates, which is much more subtle. Also, their breeding cycles are much more erratic than ours. Elf and dwarf women only come into heat every couple of years and it becomes increasingly harder to predict when a woman is fertile. All in all, from our own records and just plain guessing we estimate the supernatural world is between six and ten percent of the population. That's less than six hundred million people throughout the entire world Rachel. It's not that many," Maggie said.

"So the human governments know who and what we are?" Rachel asked.

"They do. It was part of the Articles of Nicaea that the major governments of man would be the only ones to know of our existence; while the rest of mankind slipped into ignorance and superstition about us, the human leaders were informed and charged with keeping peace between our races. Only the most senior officials know about us and they are sworn to absolute secrecy; it is a greater national secret than nuclear launch codes. A few years ago the high council drew up a kind of nondisclosure agreement with the governments; if anyone 'read in' to our kind tries to expose us, they are immediately discredited by other parties. In some extreme cases they have been killed to silence them.

John F. Kennedy Jr. is one such example. He thought it was wrong to keep such a secret from the American people; he wanted to expose us to the world and use it to his advantage in the next election. There really was a second gunman on the grassy knoll that day in Dallas; that is why there remains such a strong conspiracy around his death. The high council has an entire division dedicated to discrediting people and spreading rumors and conspiracies. Misdirection and guile are powerful tools in our world; if you can make someone look crazy or like a fool, few will believe him. It is not common anymore and most politicians accept us; they understand the benefits we contribute to the world. Because of us and our knowledge of things, we have helped progress the development of technology and medicine; without us, the humans would still be decades from where they are now. Anonymity remains mutually beneficial for us all.

"Do they know exactly who we are? Do they keep lists on us?" Rachel asked.

"No, it's nothing like that. The humans know about us, but they don't know specifics. Most of the governments only have dealings with the most senior members of the high council; the rest of our races are kept in strict anonymity. Again this is for the protection of everyone; the more one individual knows, the greater the risk they pose. The humans are content to leave us be; they know we exist, but they don't like to talk about it. We are our own dirty little secret," Maggie giggled.

"Okay. So tell me the end of the story. Did we finally seek our revenge on Grigor; did we eventually kill that little cocksucker?" Rachel asked.

"Our revenge?" Maggie asked, surprised that Rachel already saw herself as one of them.

"Damn straight. I am pack now. Any attack on us is an attack on me. I wouldn't think twice about killing someone who threatened my family. And that is what our pack is...family. Right?" Rachel said.

Maggie had tears in her eyes. Mother Luna bless this dear sweet child! She had not even known of her kind for forty-eight hours and she already was referring to it as her pack. Even Maggie had to admit that she had a harder time coming to grips with things when she was first turned; it had taken even longer to assimilate into the pack. She rushed over and threw her arms around Rachel. Maggie had great hope for James and Rachel; the fates had surely picked a fine mate for James. She was proud to call her daughter.

"You're absolutely correct, baby. You don't know how happy it makes me to know that you already see yourself as pack. And to answer your question, we absolutely did get our revenge on the little prick; it was a sweet and vicious revenge," Maggie said as she sat down across from Rachel again.

"After we had cleaned up the evidence around the steam tunnels and ensured that no one could visibly see the fire from the access road, we loaded up in the other Tahoe and drove to Providence Regional. When we reached the hospital, we ran into the emergency room to inquire about everyone. We ran smack into Kyle who was still in the waiting room. Despite the horrendous day all of us were having, he gave us a small smile of encouragement. The ER doctor that was on staff is nephew to Michael Walcott; it turns out that many in the Archer clan choose medicine and law enforcement as well as construction and manufacturing. He told us that the attending doctor had all three girls in ICU; he ensured Kyle that no one would question how quickly Amber's wounds were healing

Kyle said that Dr. Strongwell would induce labor after Amber had a couple hours to rest and heal. My poor sweet boy was struggling to keep a strong face. His lip quivered as he told us the pups were dead. Inducing labor was the safest way to remove the stillborn infants without harming the mother. Amber's wounds had been extensive; the bastard's had cracked and broken several ribs in the process of raping her. It is believed part of a broken rib perforated the amniotic sac, causing her water to break. Kyle had asked her why she had not shifted and she said it was the drugs the kidnappers had injected; despite her human half being somewhat conscious, her wolf slipped in and out of consciousness. She could not maintain a solid link with her girl to bring about the change. Amber sobbed when she related how Anatoly had savagely kicked and beaten her abdomen, the whole time swearing at her and calling her 'bitch' and 'whore'. The sick fuck got off while he beat her. But she was resting comfortably now and would be asleep for a few more hours.

Robert and I inquired about the other two girls. Kyle said that Anna was in surgery, during the raping and beating, her right lung had collapsed. If we had not found her when we did and got her to the hospital, she would have died for sure. The surgeon was confident he could repair the damage. Anna also sustained a broken right arm, a severely bruised pelvis, and a bruised clavicle. She would require several days in the hospital while they monitored her breathing and to see if her lung was fully repaired.

Jennifer was in the best shape, if you could call it that. She suffered several blows to the head that had broken her left cheek and crushed her eye socket. She also suffered from a bruised pelvis among other superficial cuts and bruises. She would require extensive facial reconstruction to rebuild her cheek and eye socket, but none of her injuries where life threatening. Both women had suffered severe vaginal and rectal bruising and would take some weeks to heal. The doctor feared, due to the extreme nature and brutality of the attack, all the girls would need extensive psychological treatment.

Robert inquired what had happened with Dmitry. Kyle actually laughed out loud at his question. Bull told Kyle that the kid had a death grip on Jennifer's right hand the entire time; he spent the entire drive talking and whispering stuff in Russian to Jennifer. When the emergency room attendants tried to extricate him so they could take her into observation, the young man began to swear vehemently in Russian. He was so distraught at having to leave Jennifer he had slipped back into total dialect; Kyle had to end up translating for the bewildered orderlies. Kyle told the two men that Dmitry was Jennifer's boyfriend and she had just gone through a horrible ordeal; he was just scared and was trying to protect her from any more pain. When Dmitry started to threaten bodily harm to anyone that tried to take him from her side, a security guard was called in. Dmitry's imposing 6'4" and 230lbs. towered over the aging security guard. His eyes practically dared the poor man into trying something. Kyle eventually calmed the boy down long enough for the orderlies to get Jennifer into the ER.

Since being placed in the ICU, Dmitry again refused to leave her side. He didn't sleep and he refused to eat; he didn't even notice Bull sitting quietly in the corner watching them. The only thing he asked for were some fresh scrubs from a nurse to change out of his uniform; he told the nurse he needed a shower and requested a few moments alone. I think the boy was embarrassed to tell anyone he was still soiled from that morning. After his shower and a quick change he was right back at her side. He continued to simply hold her right hand and whisper to her Я так сожалею, мой небольшой Rapunzel (I'm so sorry, my little Rapunzel). The young man blamed himself for what happened to Jennifer. He had heard the rumor about Anatoly and worried what they would do once they actually kidnapped the girls. The entire plan never sat well with him and he should have done something, but admits to being a coward when it came to confronting Anatoly or his father. Even though Jennifer forgives him and doesn't hold his past against him, the poor boy still is haunted by his own demons.

It was close to eleven o'clock at night when Dr. Strongwell came out to speak with us. He said that Anna was well and the surgeon Dr. Peabody was able to repair the hole in her lung. She was recovering in ICU and was in stable condition; she would be moved to a regular floor within the next day or two. Jennifer was sleeping comfortably in ICU and would be moved in the morning; he says he had contacted one of the premiere reconstructive surgeons in Washington. He was confident that Jennifer would make a full recovery with little or no scaring once the surgery was fully completed. Robert told the doctor to send his company all of the medical bills including the ones for Jennifer's reconstructive surgery. The doctor laughed at this. His uncle had said Robert would do this exact thing and he had already made the arrangements with our company insurance.

Dr. Strongwell then notified us that Amber was awake and asking to see Kyle. The doctor said he had started an IV that would start labor within the hour. It would still be two or three hours until she was dilated enough to begin the birthing process. Kyle was escorted back to the ICU to see his wife. Robert, Bill and I went to the hospital cafeteria to try and eat something. It had been a long and arduous day; everyone was starving. About one in the morning, Kyle came back to the waiting room to let us know that Amber was fully dilated and Dr. Strongwell was starting the birthing process. He said he would tell us when the twins were out; without another word he turned around and walked back into Amber's room. It was close to eight in the morning when Kyle came out to tell us his girls had been born. He was trying to hold back tears as he told us they were beautiful little girls. I immediately went to my boy and he broke down in tears. He was exhausted and emotionally drained; he sobbed quietly for a few minutes while he grieved for his pups on my shoulder. My giant of a son sobbed like a little boy, his heart was broken; he and Amber had so looked forward to being parents again. I knew that soon his grief would be replaced with rage at Grigor, but at that moment my son needed his mother.

It was a few minutes later when we were ushered into Amber's room. Amber sat with a lost feeling in her eyes. We could all tell she had been crying as she wept for her children. She felt empty but there were no tiny bundles of joy in her arms to replace that feeling of emptiness in her womb. Kyle immediately went to his wife and they both broke down in tears once more. On a small cart sat two tiny bodies. They were wrapped tenderly in blankets like they were fast asleep without a care in the world. But as you got closer you could see there was no life; there was no flutter of stomachs as they breathed; there was no twitch of nostrils as they took in fresh air. The girls' bodies resembled the dolls I had as a little girl. I found myself pleading helplessly with Mother Luna to bring these babies back from the grasp of death, but my prayers went unanswered," Maggie paused to retrieve a tissue from the box that she and Rachel now shared between them as they wept openly. Rachel eyes were moist as she had to repeatedly dab the tissue under her eyes. She prayed to all the Gods in the Universe that the men who caused this would burn in the fiery depths of Hell for all of eternity. She regretted not being a werewolf before now; she would have enjoyed ripping the flesh from those fucking bastards' bodies.

"We all spent a few minutes openly sharing our children's pain. Even Robert and Bill wept openly for the loss of innocence. If the humans around us had our superior hearing for just that moment, they would have run from the building in terror. Each of us was crying, but just beneath the surface our wolves were howling with rage; every one of our wolves was subconsciously expressing their distaste through our sub vocals. You could feel the anger and fury building in the room like a coming storm. Nothing was said out loud, but each one was thinking the exact same thing: Grigor Khrushchev was a dead man," Maggie said.

************

"Even in sorrow there were some bright moments during that time. Dmitry spent the next two weeks by Jennifer's side; he only ventured to the bathroom and occasionally to find something to eat. After the third day even Bull was convinced the young man was sincere and no longer a threat to Jennifer or the pack; Kyle told Robert what was going on and he was told to leave the boy alone. Robert decided then and there that Dmitry had a heart of gold and had proven himself in helping them to find the girls. Jennifer woke up the next day, still in a lot of pain; she was scared and confused at where she was. It took Kyle and Bull a good couple of hours to explain what had happened to her.

She began to sob uncontrollably when told of Amber's babies. Without even thinking she buried her head in Dmitry's chest and cried. He spent the next hour holding her, cradling her head and whispering things in Russian. Dmitry was careful to avoid the left side of her face as he held her. Think of the surprise to Dmitry and Kyle when she finally responded, not in English but in Russian! It turns out that her maternal grandfather grew up in Lithuania and taught her how to speak Russian during the summers she visited him in Maine. She said her grandfather used to actually call her his little Rapunzel because she refused to have her hair cut. Her mother had to keep her hair braided and styled in a bun to keep the girl from tripping over her own hair. He never actually told anyone, but I think Dmitry took this as an omen that she eventually would be his. It seems the fates have it worked out for certain humans as well; the two were destined for each other.