Order of Protection Ch. 40-43

"What is the process for declaring her dead," Peter asked.

"I need time to look it up," he said as he stood before us. "I have some familiarity with Minnesota law, but she has no real estate, no family," he said. "The real worry is the court case in Russia. You can expect Yuri's side to file the video as evidence of her death and seek to have her dismissed from the estate case."

"Can they do that?"

"Of course they can, I don't know Russian civil law but I can give you an idea in an hour or so."

"Let's assume he files to have her declared dead in the Russian courts," Stan said. "Does this power of attorney help?"

"Absolutely. Patrick is obligated to act in her best interest under the power of attorney, and that best interest is clearly to keep her alive in the eyes of the Court as long as possible. As soon as the court declares her dead, the estate will pass to Yuri. Even if she were to reappear later, she couldn't challenge the decision at that point. She'd get nothing."

"What do we do with the power of attorney, then?"

He handed it back to me. "I recommend you visit your son in Moscow. Give him the paper directly, don't let anyone else know it exists. When he gets it, he should take it directly to her lawyer and talk privately and quietly about the case. Yuri may have pulled his people back from around our Pack, but he's still watching. If you make your visit look like you are visiting your son and talking to her parents about the wedding, it won't be suspicious."

"Book a flight," the Alpha told me. "As soon as possible. Stay for a week or so. I'll let Alpha Viktor and Alpha Javier know you are planning to visit and get permission to enter their territories."

"It will be good for you to check in on our boy," Peter said. "He must be devastated, he looked at Jessie like a kid sister." He pulled me back into his broad chest. "Charles, go do your research. Peter, help Abigail find a flight to Moscow and get her on it." We got up and got ready to walk out. "Oh, and Abigail? Please have Jerry and Ingrid come see me. Don't interrupt them if they are actively mating," he added with a smile.

"Jerry? Is this a good time?"

"Yes, Beta Abigail. We are visiting with my parents."

"Good. The Alphas would like to see the two of you in their office." I took Peter's hand and walked back home, eager to start packing while he looked for a ticket.

Alpha Stan's POV

A few minutes after the Betas left, I could smell Jerry and Ingrid coming. They had completed the bond, and smelled of blood, arousal and sex as they knocked on the door. "I won't keep you long," I said. "I just need to know the name of your Alpha so I can let him know you'll be joining our Pack with your mate." Her face fell, and she looked at her hand in his. "You are planning to move to this Pack, aren't you?" Since both were Omega ranked, the female almost always moved to the male's Pack. If they were of different ranks, the lower ranked would move to the higher ranked wolf's Pack.

"I can't tell you my Pack or Alpha, sir. I am under Alpha command." She was shivering in fear, refusing an Alpha's order was difficult for a wolf with low dominance. Just being in my presence made her nervous enough.

I sat back and thought about it; he had sent a wolf down to deliver the message, one who wouldn't be considered a threat to any Pack on the way. "I see. Are you planning to return to your Pack today?"

"Those were my orders, sir. I cannot bring my mate with me, I'm not supposed to let anyone know anything about us." She was clinging to Jerry, and he was shaking too. His eyes were turning black, he didn't like the idea of his mate leaving him.

"I understand. I would never force you to break Alpha command. Would it be within the bounds of your orders to carry a letter back to your Alpha from me?"

"Yes, Alpha, I can do that."

"Fine. You two go back and Ingrid, you stop by and pick up the letter before you leave. The same rules apply, keep it hidden and it is to be given directly to your Alpha."

"Yes sir. Thank you, Alpha."

"I'm happy for you both, it's a wonderful thing to find your mate while you are so young. Ingrid, I consider you a part of my Pack already, when you return and if you desire, we can make it official. If the two of you decide to go to your Pack, I will let your Alpha know I will release Jerry to him. All you have to do is call and I'm sure he'll be in a car and on his way five minutes later." Jerry smiled, probably thinking it would be faster than that. "Now go spend some time together," I said as I waved my hand.

"Thank you, Alpha," Jerry said as they bowed their heads, then left my office. I started to pen a letter, basically saying I was all right with whichever Pack they wanted to settle in, and how happy I was for them. Jerry was a good wolf, a hard worker, and would fit in well if he moved. I also warned the Alpha about the potential for a court battle to have Jessie Donato declared dead. The fastest way to end the court case would be to produce the body; if he had done it, Yuri would be coming after him, needing to produce the body to get his money. As much as I'd love to tear to shreds whoever killed Jessie, I didn't want Yuri to win either.

I sealed the envelope and put it in my pocket. At four, Ingrid took it and walked out of the gate, getting into her Ford Focus and driving away, leaving Jerry on his knees as he watched her car disappear.

Ch. 42

Alpha Stan's POV

I watched the young Omega drive away and waited until her mate was led away by his parents. He'd be feeling the effects of the separation; tonight would not be easy for either of them. The mating pull had brought them together, but it resisted them being apart. Most newly mated wolves spent a week or two in isolation before their wolves would separate.

I looked over at the guard. "Is the tracker in place?"

"Yes Alpha, in place and transmitting. We'll find them." I clasped his shoulder, thanking him for the idea. I didn't like the idea of not knowing which pack it was that she was from, especially given what the Pack had done. If they delivered the message from Jessie, they were hiding her at the time, and they could be the ones who killed her.

I had spoken with Alpha Esca this afternoon, and the Highlands Pack was sending a half-dozen wolves over to help figure out what was going on. He was furious after seeing the video, and was out for blood. The men would arrive tonight, and would stay until he had recovered the bodies of his Beta and his mate, and exacted his revenge.

The video ended with Beta John straining to escape his bonds as Jessie slumped over, her throat sliced all the way to her spinal cord. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like for him to witness his mate being executed, and I knew he was probably dead as well. The Pack couldn't let him live, if he escaped he would stop at nothing to kill everyone who had taken his mate from him. That was the way of our kind. With Jessie gone he had nothing left to live for.

A werewolf with nothing to lose, with no fear of death, was the most dangerous thing in our world.

Beta Peter and a few others had been going over the video, frame by frame, to figure out where it was taken when Ingrid had shown up. The pole and the concrete in the ground, the number of people around, all pointed to an area used for public punishment. The guards looked the part, and we could see the silver coating on the shackles that pointed to this being used on werewolves. I had asked my Pack members who had come from other places to look at the video and see if they recognized it, but no one had. Punishment areas were typically restricted to Pack members only.

My own men had predictable reactions after seeing the video. They knew how Patrick and our Beta couple felt about Jessie, and Brian had already been killed while defending her. Larry had come to me and insisted he be allowed to go back north and start looking, and I had sent three men with him. He was already up in Grand Marais and paid a visit to the Coven. The leader had disappeared, and the remaining witches were young and weak. Interrogation revealed nothing; their High Priestess had disappeared, along with the men who had come to see her. One young witch said she had seen Jessie leave with two bags and a man in a car.

After concluding they weren't involved in killing Bruce or Jessie, Larry and the others left, warning them never to speak of any of this again. They didn't know the treachery of their leader, they were just doing what they were told. If there had been any inkling of their involvement, Larry would have burned the Coven House to the ground with them in it.

I walked back to my office, hoping I had an answer to who it was before the Highlands Pack warriors arrived.

Beta John's POV

I held Jessie in my arms as we napped, my right leg hanging over the edge of the hammock we were in, moving it occasionally to keep us gently swinging. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the cool afternoon breeze felt good.

Not as good as my mate in my arms, but good.

We hadn't fully mated yet, but she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Her body wanted mine as much as I wanted hers, it was her human brain that was holding her back. She needed to love me and trust me, and that took time. I moved my hand over hers as it laid under my shirt on my stomach, feeling the tingles. I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, she was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt along with wool socks. Laying on her side, her body was tucked tightly into mine, my right arm around her shoulders. She was leaving a little wet spot of drool on my shirt as she was in a deep sleep.

The last few days had been good. With no other distractions, we had talked for hours in between Russian lessons. I was way ahead of her, having studied in prison, but she was a sharp student. In another week, we would be speaking to each other exclusively in the language of her homeland.

We fished off the dock last night as the sun set, catching three walleyes and a smallmouth bass we cooked over the fire in our fireplace. After cleaning up from dinner, we made out like teenagers before I laid her down on the leather couch. I smiled as I remembered her bare skin being revealed to me as I pulled her clothes off, the taste of her skin as I kissed from her lips down her neck to her breasts. When I had her begging for more, I pulled her jeans and panties off and licked my way down there. Hearing her gasps and moans of pleasure as I brought her to climax after climax with my tongue was immensely satisfying to me.

I carried her to bed, and we talked for hours into the night before she returned the favor. The feel of her mouth on me was beyond description. As keyed up as I was from her touch, I didn't last long. She kissed her way back up my body and fell asleep as I tried to remember my name again.

Morning sun came way too early, and after breakfast and language lessons we took a walk around the small island. I shifted, my wolf liked to be out and insisted on marking the perimeter with his scent. She liked throwing sticks in the water and demanding I run in and fetch them for her. I took a shower when we returned, cooked us grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and then it was time for our afternoon nap.

I drifted off, waking when I felt the wind pick up and drops of water start to hit my side. "Wake up, love, it's time to go in," I said. The clouds were building, a late season thunderstorm was coming over the lake.

She yawned, her tongue curling before I covered her mouth with my own. She relaxed into the kiss, and when I pulled back I could see her disappointment. "Up you go, or we're going to get soaked in the cold rain," I said. She sat up and swung her legs over, hopping out of the hammock. I got out the other side and followed her off the narrow porch and into the cabin.

"Looks like a big storm," she said as she walked in. I closed the door behind us; the lights were still off, so only the flickers of light from the dying fire provided light as I closed the drapes to the storm. I sat on the couch, she laid next to me with her head in my lap as we listened to the thunder. "John, what happens if you mark a human?"

"It wouldn't create a mating bond, and for the human, it would be just like a dog bite on the neck. Painful, risk of infection, and leave behind noticeable scarring." We had discussed the mating process for werewolves after we got here.

"And if I have a wolf, like you think I do?"

I paused. "I know you have one in there, my wolf recognized her and bonded to her. I don't know if your wolf is too weak to come out or is trapped in a spell." I ran my hand down her neck to her shoulder, causing her to shiver in delight. "If the marking works, it will establish a stronger bond to your wolf. The pain will turn to pleasure in moments as the mating bond is established, and you will forever be marked as being mine. If I bite you while making love, it's even more intense. The pleasure masks the initial pain, and the bond slams into place between us."

She didn't say anything, she just looked at the dying fire. A few minutes later, she got up and put a few more pieces of wood on, then came back and grabbed my hand. She pulled me up and into a kiss, one I was very happy to give her. "John," she whispered as she backed off and pulled her shirt over her head, "I want you to make me yours."

"Are you sure?" Little Johnny was, he was ready to go, but I could never do something she would regret. "There is no going back from a mating, we will be tied together beyond death."

She took off her T-shirt and bra, then turned her back and undid her jeans. Pushing them down, she bent over and showed me her amazing ass and legs as she pushed them to her ankles, then stepped out of them. She walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed as I followed. "I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I love you, John. I want to be your lover, your wife, your mate. Make love to me and make me yours."

I couldn't get my clothes off fast enough.

She scooted back onto the bed as I walked over, and I crawled to her and kissed her deeply. "I love you, Jessie Donato, and I want you to be mine." We kissed, and I lowered myself to her, rolling her until she was on top. She was a virgin, and I took my time to make sure she wouldn't be in pain for long as I took her. I ran my hands over her body as she ran her fingers over mine, and the scent of our arousals filled the small room.

I rolled her to her back and moved down, licking her to orgasm before I placed my shaft at her entry. "Are you sure, baby?"

"John, please, mate me now," she said in a husky voice. I pushed forward, pausing at the barrier before I pushed through. She stilled, and a gasp of pain escaped; I held still, kissing the tear from her eyes and letting her get used to my size. When she started to moan and move against me, I began making love to her with as much tenderness as I could muster.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, urging me forward. "You're not hurting me," she whispered in my ear. "Harder." I smiled and kissed her as I started to stroke her harder. The room echoed with the sounds of our love as I drove her higher and higher. "Oh God... John... I'm going to burst!"

I moved her hair out of the way and started to lick and suck at the junction of her neck and left shoulder. My wolf was giddy over the impending mating. He pushed forward, my teeth and jaw shifting in preparation. I pounded into her, causing her to scream out her release as she started to clench me in her orgasm. This drove me over the edge, and as the first spurts went deep into her, I bit hard into her until her blood filled my mouth.

She screamed again, and I closed my eyes as the pleasure of the bond snapped into place between us. Her scream turned into a moan, and her body jerked in pleasure as it rolled over her like a wave. I licked the mark, helping the bleeding to stop, then rolled us so she was on top again. We were both sweaty and exhausted, and the bond was like a live wire between us that had me quivering in delight. I held her as she came back down, her body relaxing on top of mine, her head on my chest.

"Are you all right," I whispered as I caressed her back and neck.

"I'm great," she said dreamily. "That was amazing."

"Do you feel it? The bond?"

"I don't know; the bite only hurt for a few seconds, now I feel all tingly and full of something, like when I gained all that magic. Something is inside me now." She wiggled a little to get herself more comfortable. "When can we do that again?"

"You have to give me a few minutes," I said. "And we have to be gentle, I don't want to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, John. There was pain, but it was worth going through the pain for all the pleasure I had." She closed her eyes as I stroked her.

Her leg spasmed, and she screamed in pain as she reached down for it. "Ahhhh! Ow shit!" I rolled her to the side and reached down, her leg was bent and the muscles taut.

"Cramp?"

"OWWWW!" Her other leg jerked, and soon she was screaming in pain as her body started to twist and jerk. "What's happening??" She was crying, and I was helpless as she rolled about the bed in agony.

"You're shifting," I said as I held her hand.

Ch. 43

Alpha Stan's POV

Larissa and I sat in my office as Charles Thompson, our Pack's lawyer, reported back to us on what he had found on Jessie's status. "Let me start with Minnesota law first," he said. "Basically, without a body and a death certificate, she isn't dead yet," he said. "If a missing person report is filed in Minnesota, AND the person is not found for four years after a diligent search, AND the absence is not explained, the person can be declared dead four years after last being seen. The exception to this is if there is a 'specific peril of death,' then the person may be determined to have died before the four years is up."

"So, the video of Jessie, does that count for the exception?"

He paused. "Normally that exception is used for things like airplane crashes, fires, even the 9/11 attacks. If someone wants her declared dead, that would probably be enough IF there was no evidence to the contrary. Even the FBI is treating this investigation as a homicide based on the video. The problem is in entering the legal process. Thus far, no missing person report has been filed. She's not being sued for collections, not involved in any legal actions in Minnesota, and she is an adult with no living relatives. The statute applies to 'any action or proceeding involving the property of the person, contractual or property rights contingent upon the absentee's death or the administration of the absentee's estate,' and so far there isn't one. She doesn't have a will, no life insurance, no estate to speak of. Our Pack holds the lease on her cabin, and it is not in default. She doesn't even have a credit card, she uses a debit card and her bank account is full of money from her legal settlement. You even paid all her medical bills."

Larissa picked up on it. "So someone has to start legal action against her, file a missing person report, then get a judge to agree the video is enough."

"Yes. Until then, nothing starts. The power of attorney she signed for Patrick would apply in Minnesota as well, since it regarded her legal affairs. If it is filed, he can fight it, and probably drag it out a few months. We could lose in court or we could drag it out for four years. Eventually, though, if we can't find her or evidence she is still alive, she'll be declared dead."

"How about Russia," I asked.

"The difference there is that there is an active legal proceeding she is a party to. Russian law is similar to ours. Article 45 of the Russian Civil Code allows a judge to declare the person deceased if missing for five years, OR if a person disappeared under life-threatening circumstances, which make it likely the person died of an accident AND six months has expired. The actual death can be 'back-dated' to the date of the disappearance, or in this case the tape. The key here is that six months has to expire. He can't argue that."