Running with the Pack - 34. Chapter 34

The transport vans rushed the hostages to the main staging area for evaluation. Several were injured in the rescue. Some who had been shot began suffering from early stage silver poisoning. A few others had broken bones, or serious bite and claw wounds; those could be healed by shifting, as long as they had not been shot with the hated metal. Everyone was thankful no one had been killed.

Ethan remained on his mate’s lap for the entire drive to the staging area. Aiden held him close, breathing in his pup’s scent, and trying to ignore the stench of blood. Neither was about to let go for fear he might wake up, and realize it was all a dream. Once the SUV stopped, Trevor hopped out, and opened the door for Aiden; Casey and Cody climbed out the back.

Darius came around the truck, feeling relieved they had all made it back safe. “Come on guys. Let’s get you showered, checked out by medical, and issued some clothes. Then you can have a little private time before we need to get back to work.”

Aiden eyes roamed over his friends, searching for injuries. “Thank you, guys. Thanks for coming to get me, and for fighting alongside my mate.”

Trevor placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Someone had to come bail your ass out of trouble. Besides, seeing you two fight was worth missing a few days of school.”

No one made any further comment about the alpha wolves, or the elemental armor each possessed in the fight. That would be a conversation for another time. Right now, the basics were the priority before the reunited couple was called in for a debriefing.

The medical exam went quick. The fact Ethan had taken care of the silver bullets, and healed the damage, meant there was little else to do. Blood was drawn just to make sure there was no silver poisoning.

A medic asked, “How many bullet hits did you take?”

Aiden shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I could feel myself getting hit, but I wasn’t thinking about it.”

The medic looked over his body from head to toe, and counted forty-seven marks left by the bullets. They were nothing more than small red circles normally found a month or so after being shot.

“I’m not sure how you healed so quickly, but you’re doing a lot better than the others who were shot.”

“I don’t think I heard the final count before we left on how many got hit.” Aiden pulled on the shirt he was given.

“Twenty-three received gunshot wounds, and eleven of those were from silver bullets. They’re going through surgery as quick as we can to remove the poison. The regular bullets are easy.”

Aiden did not need to see the look he received from his mate. “Where are the patients with the silver wounds?”

“Surgical tent, two down. Why?”

The smaller teen turned towards the entrance to the tent. “I need someone to take me there. I’ll take care of the ones with the silver. You guys can deal with the regular bullets.”

The medic was from a different pack, and did not know what Ethan was talking about. He was about to question it when a doctor behind them spoke. “If he’s feeling up to it, get him over there now. Once he’s seen everyone with silver poisoning, make sure he and his mate get some undisturbed rest.”

“Yes, Doctor. If you guys will follow me, I’ll take you myself.”

In the surgical tent, the medic flagged down the nearest doctor. “Sir, I was told to bring these two over by Doctor MacRae so they could see the ones shot with silver.”

The doctor looked at the couple. “You must be Aiden Jacobs and Ethan Tucker. Ian told me you’d probably be headed this way to help as soon as you found out. We have two in surgery already, and the rest waiting.”

Ethan, never letting go of Aiden’s hand, walked over to the first cot holding someone waiting to be taken into surgery. It was a she-wolf in obvious pain. She had fought fiercely alongside Aiden and the others, protecting as many as she could. The sizzling sound of the silver in her body could be heard, along with the sickening scent of burning flash. Inspecting where the wounds were, Ethan issued directions to the doctor. “I need her on her side, sir.”

Once they had moved the woman to her side, Ethan placed a hand on her back, the other on her abdomen, and began pressing hard as his power flowed into the woman. Within two minutes, the bullets were pushed out as the wounds healed from the inside; they dropped onto the cot, and were quickly collected. Her fever began dropping immediately with the offending metal no longer inside her.

When Ethan finished, he looked to the doctor. “Who’s next?”

By the time he was done, all the patient were recovering. Doctor MacRae came in to check on Ethan. “Josh, is everyone taken care of?”

“He just finished the last one, Ian. That’s definitely a lot faster than we could have done it. We’ll monitor them for any residual poisoning effects.”

Doctor MacRae turned his attention to the young couple. “Now that you’re done, go get some food, and try to get a couple hours of sleep. You’re to remain human, don’t exert yourself, and no healing anyone else. Go cuddle or something. I understand they’ll want you to go through debriefing in a couple hours. The medic, Tom, will take you to your tent.” Ian pointed his finger at Darius, Cody, Casey, and Trevor. “Make sure they rest, and get some rest yourselves.”

The medic guided them to their assigned tent before returning to his duties. Inside, everyone grabbed a spot to relax on. Aiden and Ethan laid on a pad on the floor since a cot was not big enough to hold them both. The others tried to give the couple what little privacy they could under the circumstances. Aiden pulled his pup as close as possible, making as much contact between their bodies as he was physically able. Eventually, as exhaustion set in from a combination of adrenalin, prolonged use of their alpha forms, and Ethan’s healings, the two drifted off into their first peaceful sleep in some time.

******

Pack forces began their final push to secure the rogue’s stronghold once they had word the last hostage had cleared the town’s perimeter. They swept the area for any stragglers in hiding. The search went building to building and house to house, making sure everything was investigated. With the surface structures finished, the hunt soon extended into the rooms and tunnels beneath the town. Many of the buildings had passages leading to the underground complex.

The subterranean facility was massive, and extended deep under the US and Canadian border. It appeared to have originated as a salt mine before it was converted into the large bunker complex. Besides the arena three levels below the bar and the feral holding pens beyond that, the searchers found multiple tunnels, and elevators leading down. The complex was equipped with living quarters capable of housing several hundred people. Storage vaults were found scattered throughout the facility full of a wide range of items from food and water to a large cache labeled as drugs. From the markings on the vaults, some were intended for human use; a separate vault had extensive warnings to prevent exposure to lycan. Searchers found a rail system with electric mining-type trains while inspecting one storage area. There was a connecting central hub with elevators leading deeper into the earth to more vaults marked with the same warnings to lycan. The tracks ran in both directions, ending at buildings far from the international border.

During the search and rescue, about seventy rogue fighters were taken into custody. The bodies of another sixty or so killed in the fighting were also located. A good number perished as a result of their encounter with Ethan and Aiden. Wounded prisoners were allowed, under heavy guard, to shift into their animal form just long enough to heal before getting checked out by a medic. A few volunteered to guide the search teams to clear and map the facility, hoping their lives would be spared.

Sixty-four ferals had been counted in the holding pens. For the moment, it was the safest place for them. Three packs expecting to send people in to exterminate them were told to hold off. For now, they did not pose any threat, and people were needed to guard the captured rogue fighters, or search the facility. Processing prisoners was the priority. No one was even sure if they could get any kind of statements.

******

Aiden and his group managed to get a few hours of sleep. While no one felt really refreshed, it was enough to finish what needed to be done. To start with, the group needed to go through their individual debriefing. This was no issue for the first four; however, Aiden and Ethan were not about to let anyone separate them. When it was suggested they speak independently with investigators, the proposal was met with growls to the point everyone backed down.

Aiden sat before a group of four men from different packs while Ethan remained on his lap.

The lead investigator turned on his recording device. “Deputy Jacobs. Thank you for meeting with us. We apologize for trying to separate you two even for a short amount of time. We’ll try to get through this quickly so you and your mate can get the rest you’ve earned.”

The group asked questions about his time in captivity, and he answered to the best of his ability.

“Some hostages mentioned you checked on them daily. Is that correct? How did that come about?” There was genuine curiosity in the man’s voice.

“For some reason, their leader picked me to oversee our people. I was escorted around to all the cells once or twice a day to make sure they were safe. I tried to reassure them we would eventually get out. If I saw a problem, I’d ask the guard what could be done, or take it up with the leader. Most times they corrected what I asked for as if I were giving orders.”

Another interrogator tapped his pen on a stack of folders in a bored fashion. “What do you know about the gang leader?”

“He’s a sci-fi fan who in many respects acted like what you’d expect from any alpha. I was taken to his office most days for about an hour-long conversation. The topics varied from the Lycan Council to the difference between his pack and ours. I would say he tried to recruit me several times.” Aiden went in depth on everything he could remember about their different conversations.

One man leaned back in his chair. “At the bar, you mentioned one of the two men held in cages was responsible for the attack which started all this. Would you care to elaborate?”

“In one of my early discussions with the gang leader, he said his former beta had given the attack order while he was away on business.”

“How can you know if that’s true or not?”

“I don’t know if it’s true, or if he’s placing blame on someone else. He did say he fully intended to attack if the odds were favorable. Regardless if someone else gave the order, the leader’s still responsible for the actions of those under him.”

“On the day we attacked the town, how were you able to get free?” He ran his hand along his chin, arching an eyebrow.

“I could hear something was wrong, and feared for the safety of the other hostages. My wolf was able to finally break through the door, and go on the offensive. I opened the first cell I could, and protected them while they worked to free everyone else.”

“Why didn’t you take that action sooner?” There was an accusatory tone to the question as his brows furrowed. “If you were able to break out of your cell the way you did, why didn’t you make an effort to try and escape before the final day?”

Aiden’s voice dropped in pitch, becoming cold and flat as the room filled with the scent of his building anger. “I had fifty-two people to look out for. Each time I was taken from my cell, the hood that was over my head masked the scent of others, but I could hear there were many guards around. I had to weigh the odds of being able to protect everyone, versus how many might be killed in an escape. As long as I felt it was safer for them to stay put, I simply looked for opportunities that presented themselves. I wasn’t going to needlessly put any of their lives at risk.”

After two hours, he felt he covered everything he had seen and heard. The only thing Aiden left out was any discussion of Michael. That was something he would only bring up with his alpha.

The lead investigator extended his hand to Aiden. “Thank you, Deputy Jacobs. I’m sorry if any of our questions sounded offensive. If any additional details come to mind, please contact us.”

A representative from Ember Moon also extended his hand. “You have our pack’s thanks for looking after our people, and bringing them all home safe.”

The group took a short break before they began to ask Ethan questions. He was only able to give partial accounts of what he saw from the point of entering the bar until they finally pulled out. To Ethan, it was more like watching a movie, instead of something he was actually doing himself. His wolf moved to the forefront during the fighting since it had the needed instincts his human mind barely registered. He did his best to describe what he remembered, but there were gaps in what he could recall. The interviewers reassured him it was normal during a fight, especially with an inexperienced wolf.

Once they had both finished, there was nothing to do but wait. They had been told Ethan would not be allowed to work with the ferals until the bunker was considered secure.

******

The packs’ combined forces had the town under control. There was no resistance found in the underground facility, but their search continued for some time to ensure it was safe. With the bunker complex size, checking each level, tunnel, and room took time. Sixteen levels were identified and mapped out. Several of the deepest looked like they had not been used in years.

As troops continued the process of securing the facility, teams began going through the upper levels searching for any useful information on the rogues’ activities. Everything from the gang leader’s office was boxed up to ship back to Parker Valley for processing. The coalition of packs had agreed to share anything found.

As the different search teams worked, security patrols monitored the area. The morning after the assault took place, several SUVs approached the perimeter set up around the town. Both armed and animal forces moved to meet the group of ten vehicles. A lycan wolf in a black suit exited the lead one, and waited under the watchful eye of the multi-pack forces.

It took a few minutes for the senior official placed in overall operational command to arrive. He brought his second in command who oversaw security leading to the town.

The man in the suit pulled out his identification as he looked over the two men with disdain. “I’m with Lycan Council Security. These are my orders from the Council’s vice president to take over the investigation of the rogue gang, and assume control of the town. You are ordered to turn over any prisoners and any information you’ve collected so far. You can begin moving your troops out. I’ll need someone to show our people to the feral holding pens so they can begin the eradication of the vermin.”

The pack commander crossed his arms, thoroughly unimpressed with the man before him. “Nice of you to make the trip all the way out here. However, this is a regional issue. My orders say nothing about turning over anything to anyone from the Council.”

“Feel free to call the Council to verify the orders. Regardless, you people need to leave.”

The commander dropped the papers from the agent and dug his boot into the ground on top of them. “I guess you guys didn’t get the memo from our packs. We’re annexing this area for a joint venture project. Since no other pack’s claimed it, we consider it ours now.”

“This territory is outside the jurisdiction of any pack.” He waved his hand in the air. “So I will have to insist you pull back. This is a Council matter.”

When several SUV doors opened, the pack forces raised their weapons while the troops in animal form lowered their heads, baring their teeth at the intruders.

“I would suggest you take this up with the eight alphas who have troops here, along with the other regional alphas who are providing logistical and territorial support. You could try to force the issue now, and granted my math may be rusty, but it appears to me our personnel outnumbers yours. Seems my hand is kings high to your pair of deuces. I believe I win this round. Please have a safe drive on your return to whichever rock you guys crawled out from under.”

The black suited shifter turned back to his SUV while glaring at the smiling commander. He pulled out his phone, and stood next to the vehicle while talking to someone. Something the council agent said tripped a mental red flag, and the commander signaled to his men to take all the security agents into custody.

“What the fuck are you doing?” The lead agent growled as his phone was confiscated. “There’s going to be hell to pay for doing this to members of Council Security.”

“It’s possible this will provoke some type of response, but that would probably lead to you or someone else having to answer questions about how you knew there were feral holding pens underground. That isn’t information we’ve put out. Come to think of it, we haven’t put any information out. So it would seem you have insider knowledge of this facility, let alone the fact we’re even operating here.” He nodded to his second. “Find someplace to keep them locked up. If needed, level sixteen has only one entrance. The air’s a little thin down there, but these guys don’t need to breathe much. Remove any cell phones, and search them for anything else to communicate with. Strip search them if they give you any problems. It’s your call if you do a cavity search. On second thought, just strip search them anyways. And have someone check their trucks.”

“Yes, sir.”

As soon as the council agents had been marched off, the commander pulled out his own phone to call John Stockdale. “Alpha, they didn’t waste any time in getting here. Seems they knew exactly what was going on, and when the cleanup was starting. After the one in charge mentioned the underground feral pens, I had our people detain them, and remove their phones.”

“Make sure any computers or documents remain under heavy guard. Once you have everything you feel there is, we’ll send in the helicopter to pick up the most important items so they never fall into Council hands.”

“Understood, Alpha. We should have the complex cleared by morning. We’ll request the assault team return, and deal with the ferals at that time.”

“Good. We don’t want to take chances with them. The medical center is preparing for the influx of patients when they can be transported.”

“We’ll take good care of them, Alpha. By the time we pack up, there won’t be so much as a paperclip for the Council to find.”

The commander returned to his duties, and shared what had transpired with the other packs’ lead representatives.

******

It was two days before Ethan’s group was allowed to return. It had taken that long to fully search and secure the site. They were checked at three different points to make sure who was in the SUV. Guards from two separate packs escorted them in. They received orders to take Ethan and his personal guards to the feral pens. Surveying the area, it was like an oversized dog kennel with around two hundred cages. Each feral was in its own, and there were prison-type gangways connecting to other passages, likely towards the arena. The floors were all concrete. A lot of time, money, and work had gone into creating this space. One guard said he heard a rumor the site had once been some type of old abandon military bomb shelter, while others said it had been a mine. Still more men had even more elaborate theories of what the mass of tunnels and chambers had been

“You guys said there are sixty-four?” Ethan took in the chamber’s vast size.

“Yes, sir,” the guard responded.

“Sir? I’m what, at least ten years younger than you, and you’re calling me sir?”

“Sorry. Maybe too many years in the military. Plus, people keep saying you’re in charge. Or the fact they said you would be the one dealing with the ferals without killing them. Sir seems appropriate.”

“Do me a favor and cut out the sir bit, it’s Ethan.” He offered his hand to the guard. He continued to look around at the area before kneeling and placing his hand on the floor. “I’m not sure I can do it the same as the last big group back home. If I do this one at a time, and do a full healing for each one, it’s going to most of the day. And that’s if I can go non-stop.” He looked around once more. “I need to get inside the caged area.”

“Are you sure about that?” The guard appeared worried.

Ethan nodded, and the guard radioed to have the nearest door opened. Entering the walkway fronting the first row of cages, he knelt, and placed both hands on the concrete floor. As the power in his eyes built, he tried sending out a wave of energy like at the pit. After a few minutes of nothing happening, he leaned back on the balls of his feet. The nearest ferals watched him with interest, yet showed no signs of any change.

“Do you have access to open the cages one at a time?”

“I believe so, sir, I mean Ethan.” The guard called off a number to someone in a nearby control room, and the door slid open. That was followed by the cell’s floor giving the feral enough of a shock it began trying to move out as it had been trained. The shock it received also caused it to become agitated.

Ethan felt the electrical charge, though not as much as the feral did. “Does the floor always do that when the cage is opened?”

“I’m not sure. We hadn’t opened any cages before.”

Aiden had felt it too. “That’s similar to what they had for the cells they kept us in. They hit me with a heavy shock when I shifted into my wolf once.”

“This isn’t going to work well if we piss them off every time a cage is opened for me to try and help. We need a better plan.”

Ethan sat on the ground as the feral approached him. The guard began to raise his rifle, thinking the teen was insane, and wondered why his friends were not doing anything to help or protect him. Darius reached out, placed his hand on the rifle’s barrel, pushed it down, and shook his head. The power in Ethan’s eyes built again as the feral crouched, scenting him as if checking prey. When it was close enough, Ethan reached out, letting it sniff his hand before placing both on top of the beast’s head. Since it was just the one, Ethan did a full healing which lasted close to fifteen minutes. As the hair began to recede, Casey and Trevor moved in to carry the human-formed shifter away from the cages.

The guard looked on in disbelief, his mouth agape.

Aiden smiled. “He get’s that reaction a lot.”

Ethan returned to the group outside the caged area. “We need a better way of doing this. I don’t want them shocked every time a cage opens. One of them is likely to get really pissed off. And if the floor I’m standing on does the same thing, I’ll get pissed off more than I already am.”

Darius lead them over to the control room to talk with the technician trying to figure out the system. After explaining Ethan’s concerns, the tech searched the computer system again.

The man reviewed what commands he could decipher. “It looks like it’s designed to keep the feral moving in a desired direction with a minimal amount of personnel. The cage opens, it shocks the feral to leave, and you can control the direction it goes by shocks it receives from the walkway’s floor. We didn’t tell the system to direct the feral anywhere, so when the gate opened, inside the cage was the only area that received a shock. I don’t see any override for that yet.”

Aiden thought about his deputy training, and discussions about jails. “Does the system show a schematic of the holding area?”

When the tech found it in the computer, it displayed the cells’ layout. It also showed more on two level below them, plus another twenty in an adjoining cavern they had not seen yet. The computer indicated each of the twenty was occupied. They headed back, and found a catwalk running along the top. Following it, they came to a security door. The guard radioed the number to the tech in the control room, and after a couple minutes it opened. There were two rows of ten cages on each side of the room, and each one held a shifter with the oldest being no more than twenty-five or so. They were all in their human forms, but none were responsive.

“I’m not sure how we missed this area, but if you hadn’t asked about the schematic, these people might have remained here forever.” The guard patted Aiden on the back.

“They’re in human form, so it’s something for the doctors to deal with.” Aiden could see Ethan trying to figure out what to do for these people. “Your priority is the ferals.”

When they returned to the control room, Cody thought about the ferals used in the attack on the packs. “What about on the surface? They used quite a few when they attacked us. How do they get them topside?”

They followed the non-secure side of one walkway leading away from the arena. After a series of ramps and stairs, they reached the surface. It looked like a cattle loading area. A semi truck with a heavily reinforced trailer was connected to where the pathway exited the underground passages. The entire area was concrete. There were several more trucks and vans in the parking lot. Off to the sides, large trees provided shade. Ethan walked over to the nearest one, and placed his hand on it. A few moments later, he returned to the group nodding his head.

Darius figured out what Ethan was thinking, and began issuing orders. “I want all these trucks out of this area. If there’s any heavy equipment in town like a bulldozer, grader, or even a snowplow, have it brought over here.”

The guard began relaying the orders through his radio. While they waited for additional people to help with the plan, Darius voiced his concerns. “You’ll never be able to contain them in this area. They’ll hit the surface and take off running in all directions.”

“Trust me. The trees will hold them here.” Ethan declared. “Once the trucks are out of the way, I’ll make it easy for whatever they can come up with to push the concrete debris out of the way”

“What concrete debris?” The guard cocked his head, glancing cautiously at the teen.

While they waited, Ethan explained to Aiden how he had helped a large group at once at home. It took about forty minutes to get all the trucks out of the way. A medium size backhoe was found, and brought over.

Once that was done, Ethan smiled as he surveyed the area, and moved over to the trees. “You might not want to be standing on or near the concrete. Come to think of it, it might be better to stay behind me.”

Ethan placed his hands on two trees he stood between. At first, it seemed like nothing was happening. Then branches began to rustle, although there was no breeze. A rumbling in the ground could be felt by those present. The concrete began to crack, making loud popping noises. Roots pushed through the ground tearing apart the parking lot. When the debris was a size the backhoe could push out of the way, the roots receded into the ground. The guard and other onlookers stood slack jawed, including Aiden. Despite what his friends had experienced, it never got old, and was never routine to see these displays of his power.

Rubbing his hand on the tree’s bark, Ethan whispered. “Thank you, and pass my thanks to your friends. I’ll need some more of your help in a little while.” He turned his attention to the guard. “Could you guys let me know when the debris is cleared? I just need it pushed to the side or something so there’s a large dirt area. And where can I get something to eat? I’m kinda hungry now.”

The guard nodded before pointing off in the direction of their command post. He finally went over to tell the guy on the backhoe what needed to be done.

Aiden grabbed his pup’s hand as they headed off in search of food.

******

It was mid-afternoon when Ethan and his group returned to the loading area. A good portion of the concrete had been pushed off to one side, leaving the dry earth exposed. It did not look like it would be able to grow anything for quite some time, and there was no telling how long it had been covered in concrete. Kneeling, Ethan placed his hands on the ground. He picked up a few clumps of soil, crushing them in his hand as it sifted through his fingers. Brushing the dirt off, he stepped back, and looked towards the sky. Clouds formed over their location, and a light rain fell only in the area he wanted. As soon as no more could soak in, the rain stopped, and the clouds broke up.

Aiden grinned. “Couldn’t just find a garden hose, could you?”

Ethan laid his head against his mate’s chest, an amused smile crossing his face. “Not as much fun, and the only hose I’m interested in is yours marking me with your scent again.” He moved over to one of the large trees, and placed his hand on it. Within minutes, new saplings began sprouting and rapidly growing, filling in the gaps between the old ones. When it was finished, a nearly impenetrable wall surrounded the parking area. He turned his attention to the guard escorting them. “Have the trucks taking the people away after I get them back into their human bodies brought over.”

The guard nodded before issuing the orders over his radio.

When all the trucks were in place, Ethan issued his next command. “Would you have them send about fifteen of the ferals up here? If they haven’t figured out how to prevent them from getting shocked, you better hope they aren’t pissed off when they arrive.”

Again, the guard relayed the orders and they waited. A few minutes later, the loading door opened, and the first feral emerged into the light of day, followed by several more. Ethan sat on the ground, placing one hand onto the soil. The blue sapphires of his eyes shone bright. When all fifteen feral were on the surface, they searched for an escape route. That is until they picked up Ethan’s scent. A few licked their chops at the tasty morsel waiting to be devoured. Others were more cautious, expecting a trap from their captors. They moved towards him in a group. A single flower rose out of the ground, followed by another and another until the area the ferals stood on filled with the colorful flora.

All the beasts ceased their movement towards the teen, and sat, acting unusually calm to the onlookers. Once the last feral was on the ground, Ethan placed his other hand on the soil. The light in his eyes grew ever brighter as he worked on the group. When his eyes returned to normal, all the ferals collapsed, and reverted to human form. The flowers rapidly went to seed before dying off. A light breeze blew any remaining pollen and scent from the flowers away so no one else would be affected.

Ethan was a little dizzy from the effort. “You can send your people in now to get them to the trucks.”

The stunned guard nodded as he passed on the orders.

Aiden sat beside his pup. “Are you okay? That looked like it took a lot out of you.”

“I’m fine. It’s harder to do it this way, but with as many as there are, it beats one at a time. I’ll have to go back and work with each one later, but the process is started.”

“You couldn’t do that inside because of the concrete floor?”

“I think so. I wasn’t in contact with earth. It might have been whatever was in the floor to give them a shock, but the healing energy wouldn’t go to them.”

“The flowers?”

“They’re a sedative I use to keep them calm, and get them to sit so they have more contact with the ground. While they’re blooming, I wouldn’t get too close to the flowers or you’ll feel their effect. I figured it out when I helped the ferals caught in the attack.” Ethan gazed into Aiden’s eyes. “I really am okay, but I could do with a little rest and something to eat before I deal with the next group.”

Aiden nodded towards his friends. “Casey, Darius, he needs some food and rest.”

“We know, boss. Already have it lined up and a cot for him to lie down on for a while. Follow us.” Casey laughed.

After his rest, Ethan took care of the four remaining groups of ferals before the end of the day. All told, it took nearly as much time between preparation and doing the group healing as it would have to do a full healing one on one. With the large number to deal with and the shock floors, it felt safer on the surface.

******

As each group went through the beginnings of the healing process, they were loaded into waiting transports to take them to Parker Valley’s territory. It had been worked out with the other alphas before the operation began since they had the expertise in dealing with their treatment. There, they could undergo whatever additional healing they would need. It would be a long process, and several of the participating packs promised their support in the efforts.

With the last of those treated safely on their way, Darius guided their group back to the SUV. Trevor took the driver’s seat to begin the four hundred mile drive home. There was no need for them to remain as the different search and forensic teams scoured the town and bunker for anything of use. Ethan stayed cuddled against Aiden, and it was not long before he dozed off. The exhaustion of the mass healing, plus the effect of the last two weeks had taken a toll. He was completely worn out. Casey and Cody sat in the third row of seats. The bigger wolf wrapped an arm around the slightly older coyote as they settled in for the ride. After one stop about half way through their drive, Trevor and Darius switched out as drivers. The SUV turned off the main highway, and they soon arrived at Silver Pines. They would finally be able to relax, and work on getting back to a normal life.

The SUV pulled up in front of the Tucker house; the entire family flooded out the front door. Mary and Kate held back the two youngest who wanted to rush out, and see the guys. Joe and Jack waited patiently, wanting to give the guys a chance to get out of the truck and breathe a little, but were likewise anxious to welcome their brothers home. Rafe and Weylin looked on with anticipation to see the boys, and make sure they were not hurt. Craig Jacobs stood anxiously beside Mary and Rafe, wanting to get his first look at his son after his release from captivity.

As the six exited the vehicle, the family could not hold back anymore, and swarmed them with hugs and kisses.

******

A van equipped with two cages, formerly used by the rogue gang for transporting ferals or captive shifters, made its way down the highway. After several hours, it pulled into the jail complex in Silver Pines where it was met by the sheriff, the alpha, and Jackie Stockdale. The first prisoner was taken out, and escorted into the facility. Once he was inside, the second was removed from his cage. Wearing heavy wrist and ankle irons, as well as a thick collar, the prisoner moved with difficulty under the weight and discomfort of the silver laced restrains. Jackie tried to keep her emotions neutral, however, the anger and rage in her eyes was evident to anyone brave enough to look.

Michael was home.