Claiming Treasure Ch. 55-60

I heard some shouts from the bar area, and looking up at the television behind it, my jaw fell. "HOSTAGE STANDOFF IN MINNESOTA," the title bar said. On the screen, Fox News was showing the feed from their local affiliate in Duluth.

"That's Arrowhead," I said as I got up from the table.

"Jack Coffey," Frank said as he walked with me. Frank and I joined the group of people watching the live coverage; Coffey had a sawed-off shotgun attached to the woman's neck, and I could see the Arrowhead Pack approaching from their driveway. My phone was blowing up with messages as I watched Rori negotiate with a madman.

"She can't shift," I said as I looked on in horror.

Then she ordered her Pack to do just that. The news crews didn't know what was coming, and the strip and shift went over the airways live. I heard screams from some of the people in the bar as the fifty people became fifty wolves, and then the picture jerked as a shot rang out. I watched as the hostage escaped from Jack as the sniper took him out, and the wolves returned to human form. All except one rust-colored wolf in front. "We have to go NOW," I said.

"Emergency Council meeting, call for it," Frank said as he escorted me out past the shocked customers.

I sent a group text out as we rode up in the elevator.

Arrowhead didn't make the call, but we didn't need them. Sawyer made a motion to vote on the new Council members immediately, making the case that we needed our leadership decided to deal with the crisis. Doc was easily elected, but there was more debate about my candidacy for Chairman. In the end, the traditionalists lost out, and I was elected to serve out the remainder of Jack Coffey's term. In two years, the European Council would take the lead and put forth their own man.

Or woman. Now that we'd shattered the traditional paths, who knows what might happen?

I had just closed the videoconference when the room phone rang. "Mrs. Grimes," the hotel operator asked.

"Yes?"

"There are two FBI agents here. They are here to escort you to the White House."

I looked at Frank, who just nodded. "Thank you. We'll be right down."

Ch. 58

Heather Rhodes' POV
Cascade Pack Training Grounds

I trotted behind my mate as we moved the group to the outside training area. "The gym works fine for training in human form, but our nails would tear up the padding in wolf form," Carson explained. "We will hold the endurance and wolf combat portions of the trials outside. The goal is to find a new Beta Male and Female, and new Betas in charge of training, internal security, and external security." We needed to fill spots soon, as the move of Carl and Angelina Packwood to Banff Pack Alphas left a gap in our Pack. I missed them already.

"The Beta Male and Female you said are your second-in-commands, and the others are supervisors in their area of expertise," Agent Curtis Pratt asked. He was the senior Secret Service agent sent to observe our Pack. His bosses had pulled him from Seattle, where he was the lead advance agent on the President's security team.

Carson nodded. "It's fairly typical, with the number of Betas in a Pack dependent on the size. The senior Betas act in our stead if we are not around, and help with administration. Training is big here, as you can see, and internal security watches our borders and plans defenses against attack."

"Does it matter if the person is mated or not?"

"If mated, both of them will serve as Betas in some capacity. Luna wouldn't pair a wolf with another if they couldn't help each other with that level of duties. I have to keep explaining that to Heather because she doesn't think she is strong enough to lead." I looked up at him and whapped my tail on the ground. I was learning just how strong I was as I spent more time with my wolf. "The external security position is a new one. I figure that with our secret coming out, I'll need someone who can coordinate with local law enforcement and Government. We expect the crazies to descend on us when our secret comes out, and Seattle has no shortage of them."

"I know, I'm going through threat assessments now," Curtis said. "Is this the typical way to fill openings in Pack leadership?"

"Not at all. Traditionally, either the Alpha chooses who he wants, or the one who defeats all comers in wolf form gets it," Carson responded. "I'm trying something different. One of the problems we found in the Packs we've taken over is that 'might makes right' pushes the wrong people to the top. I wanted a more comprehensive assessment of suitability, hence the Beta Trials."

"I can see how broader selection criteria could help," Agent Melissa Deharty added. "Especially since you said you wanted to give women a fair shot at the jobs. Straight up fighting with males puts them at a significant disadvantage. I'm interested in how you are balancing the physical and the mental aspects of the screening."

"We will still have the fighting tournaments, but there will be three of them, and each will count for ten percent of the points," I said. "Hand-to-hand and knife-fighting we'll hold in the basement gym, wolf form out here." We had reached the combat circle, a circular area of grass twenty feet across, surrounded by waist-high boulders. "It's going to be fun."

"Won't they get hurt? Dog fights are vicious," Melissa said.

"Hand-to-hand can be too. We'll schedule the rounds with time in between to heal up. The whole tournament should take about a week," I replied.

Melissa nodded. "Thirty percent makes sense, and it lessens the disadvantage the women have in size and strength. What else are you planning?"

"We'll use a new combat scenario on the FAST trainer for a pistol tournament at ten percent. Another ten percent for rifle, but I haven't figured out how to set that up yet. "

"You'll have fewer than ten people, right? And you want it to be fun to watch?" I looked between Carson and Curtis, who was excited about the competition. "Let them settle it with a game of PIG."

I tilted my head at him. "What the heck is that?"

"Heather needs more of an explanation," Carson said.

"You put them all at the range and set up targets of different sizes and distances. The first shooter chooses the target and shooting method, standing, kneeling, or prone. If he hits the target, the others have to try the same thing. If they miss, they get a letter, just like if you were playing basketball. Miss your called shot, and the next person gets to choose. Your ranking goes in inverse elimination order, and it's a blast to watch. Lots of mind games."

"I'd like to try THAT," I said. "You know, as soon as I have FINGERS again."

Carson scratched my ears. "If I put some people with you, do you think you could get the range set up by tomorrow?" Our single wolves had all gone to Arrowhead, although twenty-two were no longer mateless. We were losing ten females to other Packs, while our men were bringing home twelve new females. Bringing everyone without a mate together had been the single biggest mating boon ever; the rest knew their mates were underage, dead, or maybe even human. Carson didn't want to start the tournament until they arrived in case the new members wanted to apply.

"All right, so you're fifty percent of the exam on fighting skills," Melissa said. "What else are you testing?"

Carson smiled as I went to lay down on the grass, enjoying the morning sun on my fur. "I need to design a written exam soon. I want something to measure knowledge of Pack Laws, history, and strategy. I have some ideas I want to run past my brothers and sisters. Anyway, that will be twenty percent. Another twenty percent for the triathlon, to measure endurance and willpower. I laid out a course with one of my warriors last night. It's a four-mile uphill run from the turnoff to our Pack until reaching the lake, a half-mile swim through the chilly waters, followed by a ten-mile cross-country run over the ridge to the Pack House as wolves."

"Damn," Curtis said. "That's hard-core. What are you doing for the last ten percent?"

"I was thinking about letting the Pack rank their candidates first to last, and using the vote."

"Bad idea," Curtis said. "It turns into a popularity contest, and people get upset when their guy doesn't get voted in."

"He's right," I told Carson. "Who gets to vote for their boss?"

"So, what would you propose instead?"

"Psychological profile. The Secret Service uses them more than anyone else because of the job we have. From what I've seen, the job of your Betas is to protect and guide the Pack."

"It is, and to protect the Alphas. I have no idea how to implement it, though."

"Talk to your brother. He's a psychologist, right? There are standardized tests and interview questions. Ask him to review and rank the candidates based on that. He doesn't even need to know their names."

"If it's good enough for the President, it's good enough for me," I said.

"I'll talk to Chase after things calm down from the gathering. I'm sure he's busy right now."

An urgent send came to us. "Alphas, the news is showing a hostage standoff at Arrowhead, it's Jack Coffey."

"We're on our way," Carson replied. "We've got to go. Something is going on at Arrowhead, and it's on the news."

"How did you know that," Melissa said as we turned towards the Pack House. It was only a few hundred yards to our offices, but anything more than a slow trot didn't work for me. Twins in human form made me waddle. Put the same size babies in a skinny-hipped wolf, and running wasn't happening. I didn't know how I was going to do this until they were big enough to deliver. My belly would be dragging the ground.

"Mental communication," Carson replied. "I can speak telepathically to any wolf in my Pack. It's the only way to communicate when we are in wolf form."

"Damn, that would be sweet," Melissa said. "No talking into your jacket cuff or microphones in your ear?"

"Downside is you can't escape from your wife's nagging, even if you leave the room," Carson teased.

"I do NOT nag. I just tell you what you need to do," I said as I nipped at Carson's ankle to show my displeasure. I followed them up the stairs and to our office, where his secretary already had the television news on. We watched in shock as the events unfolded.

As the emails and text messages came in, Carson muted the television. "I'd hoped we'd have more time to prepare, but it's out now," he said. "Heather and I need to attend an emergency teleconference. If you'd excuse us, you probably need to check in with your bosses as well."

Two hours later, we were all meeting in the office again. "My mother is meeting with the President right now about a national response to the situation. It's fair to say this isn't the unveiling we hoped to have," Carson said.

"Our orders to stay in place and monitor the situation," Curtis said. "We are not authorized to use force except in self-defense."

"What are you hearing?"

"Law enforcement is on alert, and protests are breaking out in major cities on both sides," he said. "We're concerned about the groups forming up with a stated goal of finding and killing werewolves. There have already been reports of large dogs and wolves getting shot on sight."

"They will assume any big dog could be a werewolf, so we shouldn't shift. If the hunters suspect we are here, we'll see armed groups into our territory."

Carson passed along what I said. "Heather's right, it's not just a danger outside our boundaries. Our Pack's existence will be known soon, and that's going to attract all kinds of unwanted attention. I'm ordering the Pack onto lockdown, minimal patrols, and no shifting," Carson said. "We'll watch the territory with cameras and call the Sheriff if we get trespassers."

"You'll want to talk to the Sheriff in person," Melissa said. "It won't help if he's the last one who finds out who you are. You could be sitting on a powderkeg here. The last thing you want to do is get into an armed confrontation at your borders."

"Will the Federal Government step in?"

"I don't know," Curtis said. "I imagine the President will have to weigh in on that."

"Melissa, can you call the Sheriff and ask him to come out here to speak to us about this. It might go over better from you than from me. I don't know how he'll react to having almost a hundred werewolves in his county."

"I can. Come on, Curtis, you can call the office."

They left the room, and I looked up at my mate. "We've got another big problem you haven't considered," I told him. "We've got thirty-some people flying back from Arrowhead to Seattle, and if word gets out on who they are?"

"Fuck, you're right," he said. "We have some time since they have to drive to Minneapolis then fly here."

"Time isn't helpful when things could be getting worse by the hour." He just nodded. "Melissa is right; we can't be on the front lines if a mob shows up at our gates. We need an escort for our people, and a buffer for our land, and I know who to ask."

"Who?"

"The Brotherhood. Call Thor and Sif in Portland, and Wolfman and Mighty Elk in Seattle. They'll help a Lady out, fur or no fur." My phone had both numbers, and we called Thor first because we'd need Wolfman to bring our people from the airport. Thor's phone didn't pick up, so he used FaceTime to call Sif instead. He moved the phone until my head showed up as well. "Hi Sif, it's Carson Nygaard, Chase's brother," he said when she answered. "We tried to call your old man, but he didn't pick up. Can you talk?"

"Sure, they're in Church. The Ladies and I are just watching the news and having some drinks. That's a nice puppy you have there," she said.

I barked, making Carson laugh. "This is no dog; this is my mate, Heather Rhodes, formerly known as Harleigh Ryder and a Steel Ladies road name of Crash. She's a werewolf, just like me."

"You're shitting me."

"Nope. So are Rori and Chase, but you probably figured that out from the news coverage. My whole family is, as is Vic. Spider Monkey is still human, though. Call Mongo and Three Tequila if you don't believe me."

"You wouldn't make shit like that up. Damn, that must be what the emergency Church is about. Thor called the meeting about an hour after Canvas and Company showed their furry asses on national television." I just shook my head; she was a wild one. "Let me see you, Crash."

"She can't shift back; she's pregnant with twins. Changing forms while pregnant can cause a miscarriage. Rori's still fighting to save her baby. She'll be stuck in her wolf until she delivers, just like Heather is."

"I take it this isn't a social call. You need the Club?"

"Yes. We expect that as soon as our location gets out, a bunch of wackos will show up. The ones who want to find a hot werewolf man to fuck, those we can handle. The problem will be armed men coming to kill us. Fundamentalists who think we're demons, people mad about missing people, or want to kill themselves a werewolf. I think it's a bad idea for werewolves to be at the gates, and Heather suggested asking the Club for help. The cuts and motorcycles, combined with a Sheriff or two, will make a big difference to us."

She nodded. "I'll talk to Three Tequila while I'm waiting for the old man to finish. The Club owes a lot to your brother, and I suspect you had a part in this too. We'll call you back."

"Thank you." The conversation with Wolfman and Mighty Elk went a little better, with Wolfman showing his excitement at being around real Wolfmen. I gave them the flight information for our people arriving later that night at the airport, and he promised to pick them up in their vans and deliver them to us. "We're bringing two more. Mongo and Three Tequila are on the way. They didn't want to call you in case of wiretaps. They get in an hour before your guys do."

I put my head on Carson's lap; it would be good having my family around. A few minutes after we hung up, Melissa knocked on the door. "The Sheriff wants to meet at the entrance to your land. He's not exactly thrilled to know you are here."

"Not thrilled as in he'd like us dead, or not thrilled because we're dropping a huge headache in his lap?"

"The latter, I think. We should get going."

"I'll meet you downstairs," Carson said. I got up and trotted to the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

"With you," I said.

"I don't want you in danger. Didn't we just order the Pack to not be outside in wolf form? I don't like you going outside to pee in the woods, much less leaving our land!"

"I could stay in the car," I pleaded. "Having a pregnant female there might calm things."

He shook his head. "The best thing to calm me is knowing you're safe, my love. I couldn't bear anything happening to you." I could see a tear starting to form. "My brother is sitting at Rori's bedside right now, hoping his baby will live, and I can't do that again. Please, Heather. I love you; let me keep you safe."

His eyes were pleading for me to agree. "Fine, I'll take a nap while you're gone."

"Thank you, my love. I'll be back soon."

I watched as he climbed into a car with a driver and the two Secret Service agents and drove away. As I laid myself down in the dog bed in the corner, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Something bad was going to happen.

Ch. 59

Colletta Grimes' POV
White House Briefing Room

I said a silent prayer of thanks to Luna that we had acted when we did. If not for the goodwill we had built up in the last few days, there would be no chance of managing the situation.

Assuming the Government would cooperate in that, of course.

The FBI agents had delivered Frank and me to the underground White House entrance, where the Secret Service processed us through security. We still rated a six-person security escort as we headed for the elevator that went down to the Situation Room.

The meeting was already in progress; screens showed the live news coverage out of Arrowhead, while the senior FBI agent on scene, Senior Agent Smallwood, updated the group. "Containment at this point isn't an option, Madam President. We've seen a steady stream of vehicles leaving the site through the back entrance, and we had no legal authority to stop them."

"You have the license plate numbers and makes and models," the Homeland Security Chief asked.

"It's a good thing we encouraged the visitors to leave," I told Frank. He squeezed my hand as we sat down at the far end of the table from the President.

Smallwood nodded. "Of course, sir. I sent a car to follow one of the larger vans; it is on its way to Minneapolis. My big problem right now is crowd control. I'm working with the Sheriff to keep the protestors apart. I'm worried the werewolves will respond with force if those idiots start running towards them with rifles."

"They will respond as any other group would when faced with armed trespassers with hostile intent," I said. "I think we've already shown how effective that response can be." There was silence in the room. "Of course, that is the last thing any of us want to see. Work with the Arrowhead Pack to keep the peace, Agent Smallwood. They aren't your enemy."

The FBI man didn't hide his feelings about us. "Are you so sure of that, Madam President? I've had a few conversations with people on the Sons of Tezcatlipoca Task Force. There's a reason Chase Nygaard had to get the immunity agreement for him and Arrowhead. Fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and using raids that our agents DIED on to stage a heist? Who knows what else is out there with the other Packs."