Treasure Ch. 46-50

"What the fuck just happened here," Alpha Forrest said from the top of the stairs. "Why is Luna Collette now a rogue?"

"It's a family matter, Councilman Forrest, I will take care of it," he said.

"Your family matters have been a real pain in my ass lately, Alpha Nygaard." He looked back to see Beta Carlson. "I can't have a rogue running free on my lands, Beta. Have her escorted, and if she creates problems, arrest her and put her in the cell next to her daughter."

"Yes sir." He linked a few other Enforcers as he pulled his clothes off and shifted into his black and grey wolf. He ran down the stairs and out the door, two men following him. They turned towards the sound of the howl in the distance, a howl of pain and sadness that affected them all.

Councilman Forrest turned to Alpha Nygaard. "The trial of Beta Nygaard will be held here in one week, starting at eight AM. Arrest warrants have been issued for Chase Nygaard and Rori King; any Pack finding them will be required to take them into custody and deliver them here." He stared down the crowd below, gaining submission from all before turning and going back to his office wing.

The teleconference was over, and he had a headache. He walked past the conference room into his office, pouring himself a double whisky on the rocks before sitting down on the leather chair behind his desk. He looked out the window at the Pack lands, it was a beautiful area of the country and fall was coming quickly. "I'm getting too old for this shit," he said to himself before he sipped his drink.

There was a soft knock on the door and two Omegas came in with trays of coffee and desserts. He barely paid attention to them as they set the trays on the side table. He was still looking out the window when he heard one speak. "Alpha Forrest?"

He turned to face them, he had seen them around but like most Omegas, he never learned their names or their stories. They were efficient and capable, doing the job without being noticed, and that was all he expected from Omegas. "Yes ladies?"

"Sir, we have received an offer to join another Pack and request to join them immediately."

He set the drink down on his desk. "Of course, I won't stand in the way of your future. If you talk to the Pack Accountant, he will transfer the remainder of your settlement into your private account. It should be a nice nest egg for your new life." The private properties of the Pack leaders had been confiscated as part of their trials, and some had been sold already. The proceeds were divided among the victims, but full disbursements were only made to those wolves who left for other Packs. "You have to say the words, then you may go with my blessing."

"Thank you, Alpha." Connie and Sally said the words and they all felt the bond break before he dismissed them.

"What Pack are you going to join?"

"The Arrowhead Pack." He dropped his drink on the desk, spilling it over his papers. "We'll send someone in to clean that for you," Connie said as they closed the door.

Ch. 48

Chase's phone started to explode with calls and texts, all wanting to know what had happened to his Mom. He answered when his oldest brother called. "Sawyer, what's going on with Mom," he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. She left earlier, pissed off at Dad about something. We all felt her break the Pack bond. Rumors are flying rampant, Chase, about you and Coral, Dad, your mate... it's a mess and I'm left in charge here. Nobody is talking to me."

So, he gave him the highlights of the past few days, ending with the recent news of Coral's arrest and the button-down threat they had given the Council. Sawyer asked a few questions, and by the end he was shocked at how bad things had gone. "By the Goddess, what a mess."

"You need to talk to Dad," Chase said. "I've got my hands full with Coral and the Council, and he won't talk to me anymore."

"I'll try, but he's not answering his phone. Mom isn't either." Chase looked down at his phone, a new text had come in from Connie. "LUNA N LEFT THE PACK, RAN OFF A ROGUE,' he read. "Well, that answers that. I just got a text that Mom was so mad she rejected the pack and ran off. She's a rogue now."

"SHIT." He yelled something to Carson, our middle brother, about taking over. "Look, I have to head up there and try and fix this before our whole Pack falls apart. I swear to Luna, if it comes down to which one to follow, Mom's the only one that can hold our Pack."

"I don't know what you are going to do, Dad's so stubborn, and Mom must have been incredibly mad at him if she decided to leave the Pack to get away from him."

"I've got some time to think, it's a long drive."

Chase thought about it. "You know, it might be time for a change of leadership. Dad's like those men on the Council, so stubborn they won't see the right thing when it's right in front of them. Answer me this, do you think I was right to protect Rori's parents when Dad wanted them killed?"

He paused. "I don't think you had a choice. Sure, It breaks a Council law, but when else has a werewolf been raised by humans? The important thing is whether they will keep the secret, and they have a vested interest in her not being exposed."

"That's why you would be a good Alpha, Sawyer. Life isn't always black and white these days, and you can't just kill people who get in the way anymore." He gathered himself. "If Dad stays in charge, I'll offer my Mom membership in our new Pack. Half of your Pack will leave to join us, you know that will happen, and Dad will spiral downwards from the loss of mate and Pack. Or, you challenge our father and take over as Alpha, and we all find a way to repair the damage."

"He won't give up easily."

"I expect not, Sawyer, but you've been training for this for a century and you're ready. I have to go, you do what you have to do."

"I will, Chase. Say hi to Rori for me. I can't wait to meet her."

"I'm looking forward to it." He cut the call and looked down at his mate, she was hugging him.

"I'm so sorry," Rori told him as she looked up at him. "It's all my fault. Your family is falling apart because I shifted in front of my parents."

"I'm glad you did, my love." She looked surprised. "Without that, you and your wolf might not have integrated, and you wouldn't have called me. I wouldn't have been able to get you alone and get you to love me, and I wouldn't have you here right now. Everything else will work out, I have faith in that."

Chase's phone rang again, it was Connie. "Alpha, we are leaving in ten minutes for Seattle, the Alpha approved our transfer."

"Excellent," he said.

"He's not happy about it, especially when he found out where we were going."

"I expect not. What's going on with my mother? I got your text."

"She confronted Alpha Nygaard after Beta Coral was taken to the cells. Instead of apologizing, he doubled down, vowing to send warriors to arrest the two of you. She got cold as ice, then renounced her pack and ran off. Beta Carlson and some Enforcers are tracking her, but the Alpha said if she causes any problems, he'll put her in the next cell. Technically, she's a rogue on Pack lands."

"Only until she can be accepted into our Pack. Now, you guys drive safe and call when you get to my apartment. Do you have enough money?"

"Yes, Alpha. There is one more thing." She paused briefly. "The Omegas had a meeting. They want to join your Pack."

"Well, that's great! How many of them?"

"All of them, sir." He looked at the phone. "All twenty-seven want to join you. Look, we all need to get out of here, and you and Coral have had our loyalty since the first day you got here. Our Alpha didn't even know our names."

Chase looked at his mate, she was nodding. "All right, but I don't want them going to Seattle, and I don't want them leaving the Pack until we are ready for them. The Alpha is going to flip out when they all show up." He had to laugh just thinking about it. "Our Pack lands are in northern Minnesota, so that's where we will send them. We will talk in the morning."

"Thank you, Alpha. We're on our way."

"Wait, Connie." He listened to Rori, then smiled and passed on the message.

"I'll make sure they take care of that in the morning when they bring breakfast out to the prisoner," she said. "Anything you need, you let us know and we'll make sure it happens."

"Thank you, Connie. Get some sleep while Sally drives, it's a long drive to Seattle." He hung up the phone and looked down at Rori. "What are we going to do with that?"

"Leverage," she said. "They arrested Coral, thinking we wouldn't release all that information over her being detained, and they are right. It's using artillery on a fly. This will give us enough to get her released, and show them we aren't to be trifled with."

"I love you, you know that?"

"It's all promises until you do, you know." She snuggled into his side, the bond rewarding contact and continuing to build. He knew it would get stronger with each day, pulling them to complete the bond. "How much longer am I going to be bedridden?"

"Tomorrow I'll have you shift, that should help to accelerate things."

"Good. We have so much to do. There's one more call we need to make."

"Who?"

"My grandfather. We need allies on the Council, love. They haven't turned over my lands and accounts and they haven't formally recognized my Alpha claim. Without them, we don't have the money or the territory to settle the Pack members we are taking on. He and my Uncle can push that."

"I have his information on my phone, I spoke to him several times back when I was doing research." He pulled it up. "Would you like to Skype him?"

"Please." Chase pulled up the program on his phone and sent the call. He held the phone so the camera picked up both of their faces as she lay with her head on his chest.

"Chase? Oh my Luna, Charlotte, it's you! Are you all right?"

"I'm going to be fine, Grandpa. I prefer to be called Rori now, Rori King. I never knew about Charlotte and I didn't like Treasure."

He started to cry. "You called me Grandpa... I've missed you so much, Rori. I'm so sorry about everything, I never meant to scare you or make you think you were a prisoner here. We were going to explain things in the morning and you were gone!"

"I wasn't ready then. My mate explained it all, he had the reports you gave to the Council." They talked for a while, learning about each other and talking about how she found her mate. "Are you happy for me, Grandpa?"

"I'm thrilled," he said. "Chase is a good man, and finding your true mate so early is a real blessing from the Goddess. I'm a little disappointed, though, because I had hoped you would return to our lands and spend time with us."

"I'm restoring the Arrowhead Pack," Rori said. "I'm claiming my birthright; Chase will be Alpha with me, and his twin sister Coral is our Beta. We've already accepted in two members and sent a formal request for this to the Council, but they have not acted. Instead, they arrested our Beta and sent out warrants for us."

"I will speak to your Uncle about that, I'm not the Alpha so I don't get Council alerts," he said. "The recognition should be a formality as your paternity has already been established within the Council."

"You would think." Chase explained what had happened with her father, the Council and his old Pack.

"And that is why we need your help. I cannot travel yet due to my injuries, and we have hidden ourselves with our human allies for protection. I am safe but have no advocate with the Council to push my demands forward. Obviously, they've taken a hard line at the behest of Alpha Nygaard."

"Rejecting your claim is an offense to my family and my Pack," Charles said. "I will travel there immediately and make that clear." His hand reached towards her on the screen. "I didn't get a chance to see you grow up, Rori, but you are a remarkable young woman. I'm so proud you have accepted your wolf and your destiny."

"Thank you, Grandpa. I'd love to visit again when things settle down."

"You are always welcome on our lands. Now go, I have to pack and find a flight." Chase closed the call and turned out the light, and the both fell asleep quickly.

-

Colletta woke from her sleep when the morning sun shined onto her face. She opened her eyes and took a deep sniff, disappointed that her mate hadn't come to apologize. He hadn't even tried to link her, and he had closed the mate bond on his end. She was able to tell Coral what happened before her daughter fell asleep last night, and she wasn't up yet this morning.

She stretched in the pine straw under the fallen log that was her shelter for the night, then crawled out and trotted behind a shrub. She relieved herself, then went down to the stream and took a long drink. She could smell her guards, they were stationed around her about fifty yards away. She needed answers, and she couldn't talk in wolf form with the Bitterroot Pack. Walking to a rock, she shifted into human form. "Beta Carlson, can we talk?"

His black and grey wolf trotted down the hill to her side, then he shifted and sat next to her on the rock, facing slightly away from her out of respect. "Luna Colletta," he said with a nod.

"No more, I gave up my Pack and my title last night."

"Yes, but you did not break the mate bond, so as long as that exists, you are Luna."

"Perhaps you are technically correct, but not right now. What is going on back at the Pack?"

"Chaos," he said with a laugh. "Your daughter knows how to toss grenades, I'll give her that. Those men don't know what to think of her. The only one who can create more chaos is your son's mate." He laughed. "I think Coral has bigger balls than your husband, honestly. She walked into the room with the entire Council like she owned the place. They haven't even recognized her Pack or Alpha yet, and she didn't care."

"Coral always has been dominant. I can't wait to meet Rori, since she is the wolf she submitted to."

"I can't wait for her to find her mate. He's going to be something. Your daughter is special."

"Thank you. Now, what is going to happen with her?"

"She is being held for trial, and your mate is pushing hard for additional charges. They want Rori, and they want the files, and they'll do anything to get it." She sensed movement, and a sniff confirmed her suspicions. There were dozens of wolves approaching, and she could hear a vehicle.

"What is going on, Beta?"

"The Alpha wants you off his land, but safe. We've brought your SUV around to a logging road near our Pack border. I've been instructed to escort you to the border and watch you drive away."

She thought about it, it made sense. She was a rogue on his lands, a dominant wolf, and estranged from her mate. The mate bond could do weird things to the Alpha who was still there, and the last thing Alpha Forrest needed was for something to happen to her on his land. "I'd rather run," she said as she looked at the mountains ahead of her.

"It's too dangerous; hunters and ranchers are in the woods, and the Alpha doesn't want you harmed. Your clothes are in the front seat, along with the keys and your phone. Please, Luna, go someplace safe and let my Alpha deal with your husband and your oldest son."

"What about my boy?"

"Your son Sawyer will be at the Pack House by ten. He wants you off Pack lands as soon as possible, so you aren't in between the two of them."

She let her shoulders slump down, she was so focused on her daughter that she hadn't thought much about her eldest boy. Sawyer coming was bad news; if he had found his mate, he would have already taken over the Pack. "He's coming to challenge his father?"

"That's what the Alpha thinks." He got up and walked a few paces away. "Go ahead and shift and I'll lead you to the car." He shifted and sat at the edge of the stream while she shifted into her wolf.

She followed him over the pass into the next valley, the other wolves staying well back from the two. At the end of the logging road was her car. She shifted, opening the door and pulling the summer dress over her body before putting on the shoes. "Thank you, Beta," she said, and he yipped then turned back on the trail they had followed here. The keys were on the dash, and she started it up and watched the navigation screen boot up. She was about five miles from the town of Sula, well south of Missoula.

An hour later, after talking with Sawyer and calming him down, she was sitting in a diner eating a country breakfast and thinking about the next step. She couldn't go home, and she wasn't going to wait around the periphery of the Bitterroot Pack waiting for something to change. She decided to place a call when she got back to her car; there were a few Packs out there who might accept her, but only one she wanted to be a part of.

Ch. 49

Patty put the breakfast on paper plates. Prisoners were not allowed utensils, so things were kept simple. Four breakfast sandwiches with scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage, toast with jam, half a cantaloupe and a liter of orange juice.

She arranged her uniform carefully. Connie had called her last night with the instructions, and she was nervous about being caught. She had been born an Omega in this Pack and couldn't wait to get out. She had never been allowed to travel farther than the Sam's Club in Missoula, and never to other Packs. Patty had almost given up on the idea of finding a mate. She had just turned two hundred and two, and the odds of him still being out there were slim.

She placed her phone in the pocket of her apron, using double-sided tape to hold her phone in place with the camera behind the small tear in the pocket. The video was streaming live over the Pack internet link to the web address she had been given. Taking the tray, she walked out of the kitchen and around the side of the house before crossing the grass to the security building.

She buzzed in, looking up into the camera before she heard the lock click. The entryway was double doors, and she waited for the outside door to latch before the inside one unlatched and she pushed the heavy steel door open. "Breakfast for the prisoner," she said with her eyes down.

The guard, one of the Council Enforcers, didn't even look up from his phone as he pressed the button to allow her to enter the cells. "No talking to the prisoner," he said.

"Yes sir." She moved through the hallway, going to the last cell on the left. Coral had sensed her coming and was standing facing the cell door. The bars were lined with silver, but there was a slot at waist height that the food could fit through. She put the plate halfway through and held it there.

Coral walked up, smiling at her. "How are you, Patty?" She took the plate and set it on her bed, then took the juice. "You can't talk to me, can you." Patty shook her head no. "It's all right, I was doing my job and you are doing yours. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. My brother will get me out of here before they can execute me."

Patty started to cry as she turned away and walked back to the door. The door clicked, and she walked through. The enforcer was still looking at his phone as she walked to the exit doors. "Omega."

She froze, fearing she had been discovered. "Yes sir?"

"What's for lunch?"

"Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, chips and fruit, sir." He unlocked the door and she walked in, then finally was outside. She took a deep breath as she walked back to the basement of the Pack House where the Omega quarters were. As soon as the door to the room she shared with three other girls closed, she pulled the phone out and stopped the video.

A text message popped up on her phone. "Great job, now get out of there." She quickly changed into jeans, boots and a flannel shirt and grabbed a duffel with her few belongings. Her purse contained her debit card and some cash, enough to get the hell out of this place. She went into the Pack Garage, taking the keys to an old minivan from the rack, one they used for shopping trips. Tossing her bag on the passenger seat, she fired it up and drove out.