The Last Shewolf Ch. 24-28

Beta Denise's POV

I was in the office, catching up on paperwork to distract me from the nervousness I felt at Charles' absence. I didn't like being away from him, there had been very few days in our twenty years as a mated couple where we hadn't seen each other. I didn't like the attack, I didn't like how things were going, but there was little I could do to change this Alpha's mind about things.

With the warriors gone, the remaining females who could fight were handling security. We didn't have enough people to do normal patrols, so we were down to two women on a five-mile perimeter. After the attack group had left, I gathered the remaining people to go over the drills. We had a safe room in the basement of the safe house; pregnant women, children and those who couldn't fight were told not to go too far away. The weaker warriors would protect the basement, while the stronger would fall back to the house and protect it. Fall back and protect the vulnerable, that was the plan.

I looked out the window of my office, the sun in my face, looking at the pines and birch trees of the surrounding forest. I couldn't see patrols, but I could see the children playing in the playground, the mothers gathered at the picnic table watching them. A few of the young were shifted, play fighting in the grass closer to the woods. It all seemed normal, but something was wrong. "Julie, Margaret, anything abnormal in your patrols?"

"North side is normal, Beta Denise," Margaret sent.

I waited for Julie, she didn't respond. Just then I saw a column of wolves heading towards the house at full speed. They weren't ours, and they were huge. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! WOLVES COMING FAST FROM THE SOUTH!"

I ran from the office as all hell broke loose. The front door was open, and wolves were rushing in, but they weren't ours. I shifted immediately, leaping into the fray as two of them ran towards me. Fighting and slashing, taking bites to my flanks and back, I tried to get past them as they ran for the stairs to get down. The brown one forced me back, while the gray one tried to flank me. "They are going for the safe room," I sent as I frantically tried to get past them.

They weren't fighting as I expected. One passed up a shot at my throat, breaking my front left leg instead. It was only when my left front leg was in the brown wolf's jaws that I realized what was happening. They didn't want to kill me, I was a female. They were fighting to disable. With two legs out, I couldn't fight, and the grey one was on my back, jaws on my neck, forcing me down. The other shifted. "Yield, female. It's over."

The other increased the pressure on my neck, his teeth bloodying it as it became harder to breathe. "They have taken the safe room, Beta Denise," I heard over the link. I relaxed my body, it was over. As I showed my neck, the big male over me released it.

"Shift." I obeyed, holding back the tears from the pain I felt from my torn and broken arms. "You are Beta Denise, you are in charge, correct?"

"Yes," I replied softly.

"Order them to stand down before more die. It's over."

I closed my eyes. "Stop fighting, surrender. It's over, they've taken the Pack House," I sent. The sounds of war and fighting stopped. They pulled me to my feet, I kept my eyes down as the shame of defeat washed over me. I was escorted out the front door, following instructions to have everyone meet in front of the house. We formed lines, many of us naked after the shift. No adult males had been spared, and some of the warrior females were gone too. I could see wounds on the attackers, we had gotten some licks in, but their numbers were greater than ours. Without our men here, we never had a chance.

The attackers formed a line in front of us, with some still searching the house and buildings for stragglers or guarding escape paths. A large, heavily scarred warrior stepped forward. "Welcome to the Brainerd Pack, I am Beta Chris Timms. Alpha Hans Johannsen sends his greetings. Be not afraid, cooperate and the violence is over for you. Alpha Hans has the largest Pack in the state, fully able to protect you and your families, unlike Alpha Clark. Now, please separate into three lines. Unmated females over thirteen in front, mated females in the second row, others in the third. Quickly now."

There was grumbling, and some didn't want to cooperate, and the wolves surrounding us started to growl and bite at those who weren't moving. "Cooperate, don't make it worse than it already is," I ordered. It took a minute or so for the line to form. The three adult women, all newly widowed in the fight, and eight teens were shaking as they tried to cover their bodies. They knew exactly what was going to happen as naked men started lining up in rank order. "Please, these girls are not of age to be mated per our laws," I said.

"They are old enough by nature," the leader said. "Our laws adapt to the crisis we now have. Men, make your choices." One by one the men walked down the line, some stopping at their choice for a mate. Grabbing the terrified female and tossing her over their shoulder, they took them into the Pack House, their arousal clear for all to see. Their screams died out as doors slammed, and I felt their Pack bond drop as the men claimed their new mates, biting into their necks as they came. While our former Pack members were being forcibly claimed, one of the young warriors was handing out clothes from the cabinets of extras we kept on the front porch. Soon all who had shifted in the fight sun dresses, or shorts and T-shirts on. I stood in the T-shirt dress, my eyes down in shame, as my failure grated on me.

The attacking males were smug, celebrating the new mates their Pack members had found. The ones who hadn't chosen were walking us in the second row, placing bites on our necks to indicate their choices. We couldn't be mated until our mates were killed. The attacking Beta himself, Chris Timms, moved towards my shoulder. My arms were still broken, but I head butted his face, following up with a knee to his groin. He quickly grabbed my leg, lifting and dropping me hard to the ground on my back. His body followed me down, forcing the wind out of me. One big hand forced mine together across my chest as he straddled me, too high up for my knees to dislodge him. He leaned down and bit into my shoulder. "I'll enjoy your submission to me, Beta." I glared at him.

He got off me, pulling me to my feet as his big hand bruised my upper arm from the grip. "Restrain the remaining women and female children," Beta Chris ordered as a line of SUV's pulled in front of the house. Boxes were taken from the back of one vehicle, and the warriors donned heavy leather gloves before pulling out silver-coated shackles from them. "Step forward one at a time to be shackled for your own safety," he said. "The shackles are designed so they don't hurt you if you don't struggle. We want you safe and healthy for your return trip, do not test us," he said.

"Comply and stay together," I ordered as I walked forward. It would be the last mental communication I made; the silver handcuffs tied my broken and cut up arms in front of my body, and the silver shut my wolf down. No pack link, no shifting, no wolf strength. I was escorted into the house and sat on a couch in the big living room area. The room quickly filled with prisoners and escorts until all the females were here. The female children and some of the women were crying as we leaned on each other for support, all forty-two of us in the room were now no more than property, waiting for our mates to be killed so we could be taken by another. They were out of linking range, and I prayed their attack would work.

The Beta walked in, escorting some young males who were shackled. I could hear screams for mercy from outside. "What are you doing?"

"We have no use for young boys or weak males," he said. "We only keep what makes our Pack stronger." The silver blocked the feeling of the Pack bonds, but we all heard the sounds of our Pack members being slaughtered. I was crying, begging him for mercy, but none was to be found. I begged Luna to intervene, to stop them, but she was silent to me. The noise of death stopped quickly, but the two women whose mates had just been killed were screaming in agony as their mating marks dissolved from their necks. The men who had chosen them ran forward, pulling them up the stairs to find an open bedroom they could use for their claiming.

The Beta went to the phone on the wall and dialed a number. "Alpha Hans, the attack is complete. We have fifty females total, and six teen males of promise." He listened for a moment. "I understand, sir. We will be ready for them."

He was smiling as he turned towards us, his dominance rolling over the room. "Alpha Hans is pleased you are now with us. He tells me your males are more cowardly than he thought. They turned around, there is no attack, they aren't going to extract a revenge. Our spy reports they are an hour away from slinking back into this territory with their tails between their legs." He looked at the warriors, silent commands going out. "They'll be dead before they see you."

Ch. 28

Vivian's POV

I had to get this vehicle off the road, but that wasn't going to be easy. I had two unconscious wolves in the back seat as I drove back towards St. Paul. Both would be knocked out for two more hours or so; Bruce and Todd were laying down and breathing evenly. Travis was dead, I had heard his lungs rattle before stopping. I never removed the silver from him, and the sedative was too much for his body. Good riddance.

My wolf wanted them dead, she wanted to bathe in their blood for what they had done. They had killed her friends, those she thought of as her Pack, but that wasn't all. They left the baby there to die, the baby my wolf had bonded with, the one who fought to live with all her strength. An innocent. She wanted to rip them apart while they screamed for mercy she wouldn't give.

I didn't know whether they were lucky or unlucky that I needed information more than revenge right now. I had exited the freeway, and drove around for a few minutes until I found a pay phone I could use from the SUV. I couldn't get out, my scrubs were covered in blood from Travis' emergency surgery. I called the clubhouse. "Northwoods Riders, this is Teri," she said.

"Teri, it's Vivian. Is Viper or Snake there?"

"Oh GOD, VIVIAN! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I need to talk to them." She yelled to Snake, and he ran to the phone. "Snake? Baby?"

"Oh God, Vivian, you're alive," he said. "We got to the clinic and you were gone."

"What happened, Snake?" My heart prepared itself.

"Doc's dead, baby. Kelly is still alive, she was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital, we're sending some club members to stay with her. Crash is with her now, Trigger is still at the clinic along with some other members. We had to torch the place, too much evidence," he said.

He wasn't saying something. "Jennifer?" My voice was weak, pleading for good news.

"I'm sorry, baby. She didn't make it." Tears started flowing down my face. "Where are you?"

"North of Minneapolis. They got sloppy, I took them out, but we need information out of them. I don't know how they found us, but they were looking for me specifically."

I heard the phone being handed over as Snake said some words. "DeWalt, it's Viper. Don't go to the clinic or the clubhouse, both could be hot. You've got prisoners?"

"Yes, but if someone gets a good look inside this SUV I'm going to jail," I said.

He paused, letting a breath out. "Drive to my house, we'll meet you there. I'll have the garage door open and we'll be ready."

"Thanks Viper." I wiped away a tear. "I'm so sorry about Doc and Kelly. I never should have..."

"Just stop, DeWalt. It's not your fault. Drive safe." The line cut out and I hung up. Rolling up the tinted window and turning the air conditioning up higher, I headed back for the freeway.

Trigger's POV

Statements given, I stand behind the police tape and stared at the shell of a building that used to be DeWalt's clinic for pregnant Werewolf females. It's a total loss, the roof has collapsed in at the front, the flames had completely consumed everything inside. Stain, Tiny and Katie, and Rocket and Taser stood by me as we watched the fire crew overhaul the scene.

We heard someone yell, and a crowd of police detectives, firemen and the coroner were standing around a place where pieces of the roof had been removed. It was in the area of the hallway, I knew what it meant. "They found Doc," I said. "I feel like shit having to do that to him, he didn't deserve to be burned like that."

"He would want to protect DeWalt, you know that," Tiny said. "He didn't feel anything."

"We should have had more people here," Rocket said. "Any word on DeWalt?"

I shook my head. "No, she was gone before we got here. Snake's going nuts, I'm glad Viper took him and Jennifer. He was pretty protective of her, too, he's got to be crushed right now."

"I'll go call the club, see if they heard anything," Taser said. Rocket went with her as they walked to the pay phone at the minimart.

"You think the cops suspect anything," Tiny asked as he watched the others leave.

"I don't know. The power and phone cables were cut, the back door was pried open and bent. With what Crash and I told them about it being junkies seeking drugs, they should accept that. Easier than the truth."

He nodded. "Arson for money is out, the building is leased and DeWalt didn't have insurance on anything. She's out a ton of money." We continued to watch. Rocket and Taser's bike drove up just as they were removing a body bag from the rubble. We stood tall, hands on our hearts, as he was carried to the coroner's vehicle.

One of the cops looked at us. "Friend of yours?"

"Yes," I answered. "And a veteran, an Army medic. One of the finest men I've ever known." He nodded and walked back to the others. As the coroner's van pulled away, the police and firemen all stood at attention and saluted him.

When he was gone, Taser gave us the news. "Kelly is in surgery, Rocket and I are going down there. Viper needs you guys back at the clubhouse. He said he and Snake have something important to do in his basement, and they are bringing Hammer.

I smiled. Bringing Hammer, the club Master at Arms, meant only one thing. They caught one of the bastards who did this.

Vivian's POV

It had taken thirty minutes of nervous driving to make it to Viper's home. As promised, the garage door was up; it was a big garage, fitting of a guy who liked to work on his motorcycles. I could see a few bikes outside as I pulled in, recognizing Snake's and Hammer's rides. I pulled in, and before I shut it off the garage door was going down.

The guys rushed the truck as soon as the door was closed. Snake practically ripped open the door as I removed the belt, pulling me out and into his arms. He checked me over for wounds. "I'm fine," I said, then he pulled me into a kiss that took my breath away. We poured all our worry and love into that kiss, coming up for air only when Viper cleared his throat. "I love you, Snake,"

"I love you, Vivian. Now, who are these guys?"

"Werewolves from the Brainerd pack. The injured guy died, Doc took him out. The big guy is Todd, he's the leader of their bunch, and the one that gave the order to shoot Kelly and leave Jennifer behind. The other is Bruce, he was the one who shot her. I gave them a powerful sedative, they will be out for another hour at least. The dead wolf in the back is Frank, Doc killed him. Todd told me he had been sent here specifically to find me and return me to Alpha Hans."

I could see a smirk forming on Hammer's mouth. "I guess we should show our guests to their room then." He reached in and grabbed Todd's arm, pulling him out. He threw a shoulder under his arm and started walking into the house with him while Snake grabbed Bruce and followed him.

"What do we do with the other two," I asked Viper.

He walked over and grabbed some tarps. Laying one on the ground, he pulled Travis out, then rolled him in it like a burrito. He used some duct tape to hold everything in place. He then did the same with the wolf, before putting both back in the car. "When a few of the guys get here, I'll have them go bury the bodies out in the woods. We'll drop the SUV off at a chop shop, it's fairly new so it will get us some cash." He closed the door up. "Now come on, we've got to get you cleaned up."

He brought me into the guest bedroom of his house. "The shower's in there, towels are in the cabinet to the right of the sink. I'll find you something to wear and leave it on the bed," he said.

"Thank you," I said, my voice starting to break.

He pulled me into a hug, kissing my head. "I think of you as a daughter, Vivian. I haven't felt fear like I did when I heard about the attack since my wife got her diagnosis. I thought I had lost you, and I was barely hanging on." I hugged him back as I started to cry with him. "I'm just glad you are the toughest old lady in the club. Captured by three werewolves and you take over and come home to us."

"I did what I had to, Dad."

His eyes were full of tears. "We all will, that doesn't make it any less heroic. Now take a shower, our guests will wake up soon and Snake is waiting for you." He walked out the door and I went to take my shower. I tossed the soiled clothes into the garbage, stepping into the warm shower felt fantastic. I stayed in too long, until the hot water was gone, then I dried myself and wrapped a towel around my hair. I dried my body, leaving the towel on the counter as I walked out and froze.

Snake was sitting on the bed, staring at me. He had changed into scrubs, and he looked like a fantasy doctor come to life. His eyes bugged out, his jaw was dropped, and there was no mistaking the lust in his expression as his eyes raked my body. "Vivian..."

I didn't let him say another word. I rushed into him, pushing him back onto the bed as I straddled him and kissed him hard. I couldn't get his clothes off fast enough, and we didn't wait for his pants to pull off. I reached back, getting him aligned and dropping down as I moaned deep into his mouth. This time wasn't about romance or love, it was pure animal need and my wolf and I loved it. He rolled me onto my back, pounding me hard until we both came together. I pulled away from his mouth. "All I could think about was not having you with me any more," I said into his ear as he rolled me onto my side.

"I couldn't handle losing you," he said. "I was ready to burn the world to get you back." We kissed again, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"If you two are done bumping uglies, our guests are waking up," Viper said.

"Couple minutes," Snake said. He got up and started to get dressed as I grabbed some underwear that had been left for me. It must have been his wife's, he'd never been able to get rid of her stuff. "You don't have to watch this, honey. Getting answers out of them is bound to be bloody. Hammer doesn't mess around."

"I can handle it," I said as we walked out the door.

We went out and got my medical kit out of the SUV, in case I needed it. We got downstairs and walked through a steel door into a room that had concrete walls and a ceiling. The door itself was sealed, and when the door closed you couldn't hear anything from outside. "The walls are eight-inch solid concrete, insulated on the outside. It's completely soundproof, they can scream all day and no one will know anything." The guys were dressed in scrubs, except Hammer. He wore black leather pants, a black shirt and a black, long leather jacket. He looked intimidating as hell.