Alpha Killer Ch. 21-25

I kissed her, hard and possessively, stopping that nonsense right away. She tried to push me off, she was strong enough but didn't. It took a few seconds before her hands gripped my shirt and she responded to my kiss. We stood there, the bond deepening my the second, until I finally let her go. "I won't let any of that stop me, Talia. Let me mark you, we'll figure out the rest later."

She was shaking, but she showed her neck to me. "Do it, quickly, before I can run away," she said. My teeth extended, and I moved down and bit her neck at the junction of her left shoulder. I felt the bond snap in place between us. "You're mine now, and I am yours," I said.

"For as long as I live, I am yours," she answered. "Even if that is only a week."

Ch. 24

Alpha Clark's POV

La Crosse Airport

I drove off soon after Randall closed the door, seeing my niece Talia standing by a motorcycle on the other side of the lot. I meant what he said about treating her right; she was my blood, and Teri and I were as close to her parents as she had. As hard as her life had been these past four years, all we could remember was the little girl who had grown up visiting us with the rest of her family.

She was not a little girl anymore.

She was more beautiful than the photographs showed, and she looked dangerous standing there in her black outfit. I wanted to go to her, to hug her and tell her everything would be all right, but that couldn't happen. She'd just kidnapped the Luna and Alpha Heir of a Pack and was turning them over to me. This was an act of war, and I was fine with that. I just didn't want the Council members to catch me in the act.

I got a call as I drove down the line of hangars, the Council plane was ten minutes out. Shit.

I drove to the hangar. The door was open, and the inside was darkened. There was one plane in there, a twin-engine turboprop with its door opened. I parked next to it and got out; going up the stairs I called out, but no one answered. The pilot must have left.

Just as well, I didn't want any witnesses.

The child was in a car seat, strapped to a seat by the door. He was the most important thing, so I unbuckled the seat and carried him out. Phillip was still sleeping, but the similarities between him and his mother were striking. I took a smell, I felt a family bond snap into place. He was my grandson as far as my wolf was concerned.

Teri pulled into the hangar and parked next to my car as I was coming out with him. Tania got out nervously; she was anxious to meet him, probably wondering if she could be his mother now. Teri took her hand and walked her to meet us. "Oh, Selene, he's a beautiful boy," she said.

"The Council is minutes out," I said as I handed my mate the carrier. "It's possible someone stays behind, so you all need to be out of sight and smell. Take Tania and her boy to Erica's cabin and stay there. Ray, get the Luna off the plane, put her in the trunk and take her to the cells." I kissed Teri quickly, then jumped into my car again and drove off.

I couldn't afford to have the scent of a kidnapped Luna on my clothes when I met with the Council Chair and his men. "Talia, I have your nephew and the Luna now, they are safe."

"Thank you," she replied.

I drove out and parked near the terminal, just in time for the business jet to land. Teri linked me to let me know they were clear of the airport, which removed one worry from me. A few minutes later, the plane was parked on the tarmac. A fuel truck headed towards it as the engines wound down, but I waited until the stairway was down and the pilot came out before I drove over to it.

The three men were waiting for me as I got out. "Chairman Wolfe, welcome to Wisconsin. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me." Lewis was clearly annoyed; he had been a council member for the past fifty years, taking over when Chairman Andreas retired, and the Alpha Killer had been his nemesis.

"You know Chief Counsel Lawrence Kendall and my Lead Enforcer, Carlos Mendez?"

"I have met them before, thank you for coming. I think this conversation is best done in the air conditioning of my vehicle. If you don't mind, I'd like to sit in the back with the Chair and Counsel. Carlos, if you can get in the third row seat you'll be able to see everything." I opened the door and let them in, grabbing my laptop and the files from the front seat.

"You'll have to hurry, Clark. My plane will be ready to leave again soon. Every minute we waste, the Alpha Killer is getting farther away." The Chairman was restless, it was time to ruin his day.

"Do you remember four years ago at the Tomah Pack?"

He nodded. "Sad business. Daughter runs off and the Alphas die in their rush to get back home."

"It was not an accident, and she didn't run off." I opened the video file on my laptop; Randall had cut the interview into segments which were labeled by topic. He knew Talia didn't trust the Council, so he hadn't included his identification of himself or all of the topics Tania covered after she was human. The video player showed up, and Tania's face filled the screen.

"She's still alive?"

"No thanks to us," I said. They watched in fascination then shock as she told the story of how Beta Todd lured her away from the beach, then injected her. "In this packet is additional information from the investigation I commissioned on her disappearance. Included are statements from a tracker who verified Tania's scent disappeared between the road above the beach and the border crossing, but also appeared in Beta Todd's Suburban. Her grandfather filed a missing person report, and there is evidence to show then-Alpha Todd bribed the Deputy Sheriff to quash the report." Counsel Kendall took the package from me, looking through the papers inside. "This flash drive contains the information enclosed, including the video statements."

"This is troubling information," Lewis said, "but we're busy tracking the Alpha Killer who has kidnapped the family of an Alpha."

"It's connected," I said. I pulled up the second video file, which played for almost fifteen minutes. Tania recounted her time in the basement, the injections to bring on her heat, her rape and pregnancy, and finally delivering her son to have him taken away. None of them said anything, but even the stone-faced Lead Enforcer had tears in his eyes when it ended.

"The BASTARDS!" Chairman Wolfe was pushing back his wolf, which wanted to tear throats out. The treatment of a fourteen-year-old girl by her Beta and then an Alpha was intolerable. "Who did it?"

I played the next clip, this showed the photo lineup. There was a low growl from the Chairman when she identified Alpha Justin Heranus as the man who had held and raped her to get his heir. "It's all connected, Mr. Chairman. My theory is that Alpha Todd swung a deal with Alpha Justin for their mutual benefit. Todd provided an Alpha-line female who could give Justin a heir, and Justin's men killed the Tomah alpha pair as they raced back home when she disappeared. With the Alpha family gone, he would get the Pack. The thing he didn't predict was that Talia Stillwater was out on the lake and was left behind by her parents."

I could see they were putting it together. "Talia challenged and lost the Pack, but she never gave up on her sister. She rescued her and sent her back to us. She didn't take the Luna and Heir of the Copper Mountain pack because she's evil, she did it because he's her nephew. You and the former Chairman failed to support her when she tried to keep her Pack, and the Council never truly investigated her sister's disappearance. She doesn't trust you. She doesn't trust me. She's just going to get her revenge."

"Holy shit," Carlos said.

"Yeah. It's going to be brutal, fast and effective, exactly what I would expect from her." I handed the Counsel the second packet, with the information on Alpha Justin's pack.

"What can we do about this," Lawrence asked to break the silence.

"Arrest Justin and any others who were involved before Talia Stillwater wades through that Pack like an avenging angel," I said. "Show her that the Council can police the Alphas, that we will work for justice without having to resort to her violence. We need this, Mr. Chairman. The story is going to get out, and Packs will be outraged."

"We need to get ahead of this, sir," Lawrence agreed. "You may not have been Chairman when she was taken, but you and five others were all in power then. It's YOUR council now. Show them you won't stand for this. If we aren't seen as aggressively pursuing justice, the Alphas may insist on cleaning house and vote you all out of power."

It was rare, but if 60% of the Alphas voted to remove a sitting council, they would all be replaced. I'd be happy to lead the charge if they didn't do what was needed. "Sir, I suggest you continue on to Colorado. Review the evidence, issue a warrant and start an investigation. Your Enforcers are already going there. My Pack will coordinate with other area Packs to capture and hold Alpha Todd Aldridge for trial."

"You can handle that on your own," the Chairman asked.

"Yes sir. Nobody outside the four of us and my Pack knows Tania is alive and back with us. I'd ask that you withhold that information to those with a need to know until both are arrested. My investigator is fairly certain Alpha Todd acted alone, and we're fully capable of detaining him for trial."

The pilot knocked on the window and gave them a thumbs up, the plane was ready to continue its flight west. "Agreed. Thank you, Alpha Clark. I assure you we will get to the bottom of this. Come on, boys." They got out, and I followed and shook their hands before they stepped back on board.

I got back in my vehicle and drove off. Maybe we had a chance.

Tania's POV

I knew as soon as I laid eyes on Phillip that he was mine. His hair, his nose, his face, they looked like me. Teri took him and loaded him into her car as I followed behind. "We have to hurry," she said as she buckled the seat in place. "Hop in."

I went around to the driver's side and got in the back seat while the driver and Teri got in front. Snacks sat at my feet, sniffing Phillip's leg before putting his head in my lap again. We drove out of the hangar while I looked at my little man, he was so big and strong for his age. I picked up his little hand in mine and brought it to my nose. He smelled like sand and grass, and I wished I still had my wolf so I could bond with him properly. "Do you think his wolf will recognize me as his mother," I asked as I looked at his sleeping face.

"I don't know," Teri said. "You didn't have any bonding time after he was born. We'll have to see."

"I don't know if I can do this," I said. "I'm not ready."

"You'll get all the help you need, Tania. Erica knows we are coming, she can't wait to meet your little guy. I'll be there too." I knew this, but would it be enough? I knew nothing about kids and I couldn't even take care of myself yet.

I looked down at Snack's eyes and scratched his ears. "I don't know if I can love anymore, buddy. I don't know if I'm worth loving." He whined, pushing his way up onto the seat until he was licking my face. "Ewww, puppy slobber," I laughed. He continued licking my neck and face until I finally pushed him off. "All right, my Snacks loves me." He barked and laid his head by my neck as I petted him.

Unknown POV

I was furious as I got back on the plane. I couldn't believe how STUPID Justin had been. All he had to do was get his Heir then bury the girl in an unmarked grave in the woods. It was all going to shit now, and I couldn't count on him keeping his mouth shut. I turned on my burner phone and started a text message. "Tania is at the La Crosse Pack with R&P. Get them back or we're all dead."

I hit send. He had enough time to be gone before we got there.

Ch. 25

Talia's POV

Great River Bluffs State Park

I stood there by Randall, my fated mate, the man Luna herself had made for me, and ran through all the reasons why I couldn't be his. I was under a Council death sentence. I wasn't a full-blooded werewolf anymore. I was working with the Vampire Council, and my mating bite would kill him slowly and painfully. Surely, he would see it was a mistake and reject me, because I wasn't worth loving.

He listened to everything I told him, but I could tell he wasn't accepting any of it. It was maddening. Here I was trying to save us both from the pain of a failed relationship, and he kept looking at me like I was a precious gift. I'd had enough of this, it was time to end this, no matter how much my wolf wanted his, no matter how good he felt when he touched me. I took a deep breath. "That is why you must reject me, here and now. I am an abomination, a creature with the form of a wolf and the bloodlust of a vampire. I will never be accepted by a Pack, I will never be an Alpha. The Council will never forgive what I have done at the behest of the Vampire Council. If that wasn't enough, I can't even complete a mating with you." My heart was breaking, my wolf was howling, but I had to do this for him. "I love you enough to let you have a chance at life, Randall. I, Talia Ann Stillwater, reject.."

He pulled me into his arms and kissed the hell out of me.

I was shocked, but my wolf was in full agreement. The passion and the feeling of the mating pull combined to push my rational thoughts out of my mind, and my heart took over. I stopped pushing him away and grabbed his shirt instead, seeking to FEEL loved by him. My mouth opened as his tongue pushed between my lips, and I moaned into him as he took possession of that too. I was floating in the pleasure of our love, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was whole.

I was gasping for air by the time he released me. "I won't let any of that stop me, Talia. Let me mark you, we'll figure out the rest later."

I couldn't believe it, he still wanted me. ME. Faults and judgements and changes, full disclosure, star-crossed lovers and all and he WANTED ME. My wolf was giddy, turning circles in my mind before dropping her front lets to the ground and raising her tail to him. It was no secret what she wanted from him.

I grabbed onto the bond like a drowning woman to a lifeguard. "Do it, quickly, before I can run away," I said. I showed him my neck, the whole time telling my wolf she couldn't bite him back or it would kill him. He bit down, the pain was sharp but quickly turned into pleasure as the bond tied us together.

I'd been marked by my mate, and it felt amazing.

"You're mine now, and I am yours," he told me over the mate link that had just formed between us.

"For as long as I live, I am yours," I answered. "Even if that is only a week." I kissed him again, and it was like we went from black and white to high-def color television. The tingles, the closeness, the love I felt pouring into me from him took my breath away. I melted into him, letting the contact between us calm us down until I could trust my legs to hold me up. "Wow," I told him as he pulled me to a bench and sat me on his lap.

"Exactly. I've been told dozens of times what it feels like to mate, and it's way beyond what I expected."

"I never expected to find out." I sat in his lap, enjoying his strong arms around me and his muscled chest. He was a fine example of a Alpha line male, tall and broad in the chest, narrow waist, powerful legs. I could feel his need for me under my legs too, but this was not the time or place for that. "What do we do now?"

"Your sister is heading back to Pack lands with her son, they'll both need time and support to get over everything that has been happening. Luna Rhoda is heading for the cells. The Council should be heading to Colorado; my investigation gave them plenty to get an arrest warrant. If they do a proper investigation, it should expose everyone in that Pack involved in your sister's rape and you parent's murder."

"Do you trust them? I sure don't."

He sighed. "I'd like to be able to, we need them to work with us. If we can show you were justified in what you did, we can get the judgment rescinded. We can't do much with a death sentence hanging over you."

"It will be over you too, they'll go after anyone who aids and abets me in evading their justice. I'm counting on a lot of aiding and abetting from you, my mate." I pulled his face to mine and kissed him deeply. "Especially tonight."

He had a sharp intake of breath, and I could feel him shift uncomfortably under me. "Alpha Clark is going to contact the other Packs and arrest Alpha Todd as soon as the Council issues the warrant. He'll get what he deserves, your family will make sure of it."

"I'm not just going to sit around," I said. "I have a blood oath to avenge my family."

"Then don't," he told me. "Look, I have to head back to Dallas sooner or later. Let the Council handle the werewolves, because there are a lot of HUMANS that hurt your sister they aren't going to touch. She gave me everything in her statements; names, locations, descriptions, everything I can use to track them down. That's my job in the FBI, going after these human trafficking rings. Come back to Dallas with me and help me find them."

"And then what? Have them arrested? Let them take years to go through the justice system?"

"Maybe," he said. "I will have to work though my people, and that's not a bad thing. They have hurt, they ARE hurting more than just your sister. You freed twelve girls that night you took your sister away from those bastards. That's a drop in the bucket for these people."

"I want blood, my beast does too."

"There may be a chance for that, but you have to follow my lead. I can't have you getting caught, and we have to do this in a way that doesn't draw attention to the supernatural among them. Blissfully ignorant, remember?" It was what my Dad always insisted on when it came to humans. What they didn't know couldn't hurt us.

"So if I go to Dallas with you, we leave my sister here?"

"Why not? She has Erica and Michelle in the Pack, your aunt and uncle will be there for her as well as your grandfather. The Pack loves her, even without a wolf she will never be alone there. Bobby will be there every step of the way."

I just laughed. "You mean Snacks?"

"Yep. When the time is right, he will reveal himself as her mate. Right now it's enough that she trusts him and is starting to love him."

All I had wanted since I found her in that shitty hotel was for her to have a life again. Here, she would have family, her son, her mate. They would get her the help she needed. It was everything I couldn't do for her. "All right. Are you riding bitch to Texas or flying?"

"As much as I love having my arms around you, I do have my Jeep here. I have to drive it back."

"I can't be without my ride, so I guess I'll follow your cage." A cage was what a biker referred to a car as. "What about your family?"

He told me about his big family and life on the Texas ranch. It sounded like it was flat and hot there, but you rarely had to shovel snow, so they had that going for them. "They'll love you as much as I do," he said. "There's no pressure for you to be Luna or run a Pack. I'm FBI because I'm so far down the line for Alpha I'm out the door. You can finish school, go to college, do whatever you want. We will have to live in Dallas for my work, but if the city gets to be too much we'll head back home and run around together."

"They won't accept me. Even your wolf smells my vampire part and is afraid. It is instinct, something our wolves hold deep. A predator only fears a stronger predator."

He kissed me, his hand running up my side, brushing the side of my breast. "I don't fear you, Talia. I love you. Everything you have done to make yourself stronger, I love all of it, because it is you." His hand moved around to my back, fingers caressing my lower back, before coming around and dancing across my hard stomach.