Running with the Pack - 43. Chapter 43

The two wolves slowly circled each other; one looking for an opportunity to strike a quick, devastating blow, and the other studying his opponent to see how he would fight. Their heads were down and teeth bared as they snarled. The grey’s ears were flat back while the white’s panned forward. Neither took his eyes off his adversary.

Dorian was larger and more experienced. He had been through many fights in his life and one more against a young wolf seemed hardly worth the effort. Putting a mouthy whelp in his place would be entertaining. Anything to amuse himself during yet another boring convention.

Ethan was smooth and deliberate in his actions. He waited for the bully to make the first move. Saliva dripped from his maw as he growled and snapped at the grey. To Ethan, the obnoxious man was like so many others he had encountered during his time on the streets. Just another thug thinking it was strong and powerful and did not need to treat people with the respect it demanded others show. Ethan knew it would be foolish to initiate the engagement. Based on his experience, it was best to wait and observe. His wolf questioned the tactic; it was not the animal way to fight, but it yielded to the human knowledge.

Dorian pounced, lunging at his foolish, younger opponent. He tried to quickly get the upper hand, expecting to pin the half-breed and make it hurt. As he launched himself, the white wolf tucked and rolled, avoiding contact. It angered Dorian when the little bitch lowered its head, ears drawn back, and barked his laughter at the failed attempt. A low warning growl only added to the insult. They circled each other and Dorian charged again. The white furball easily dodged by slipping aside one more time, ending back on its four legs before Dorian could complete his turn. The more this happened, the more it infuriated the older lycan. He had never seen another wolf avoid a fight like this.

The next time Dorian struck, he was prepared for the whelp to roll away. As he dove for where he expected the teen would go, he was surprised to be knocked off balance. The bitch had flipped around and kicked him hard with its hind legs. He was angry his attacks were deflected with such ease. It was a turnling he was fighting, not even a real lycan in his view.

With an all-out assault, Dorian correctly guessed where the whelp would be. He caught the white wolf on its back. However, that was exactly where Ethan and his wolf wanted to be. As the larger grey went for the throat, Ethan used all the power in his four legs to hurl the animal through the air. It landed slightly dazed from the impact. Ethan took advantage of the situation and charged before the grey could shake the haze. Clamping his jaws on the older wolf’s neck, he wrestled him down, pinning his head to the ground.

Dorian used all the force he could muster trying to break free from the powerful jaws, but the whelp refused to let go. Ignoring the pain, he managed to turn, causing the teeth around his neck to rip the flesh beneath the thick fur, giving Ethan a taste of his opponents bitter blood. The white wolf pulled back to spit out the fowl tasting liquid. Dorian took advantage of his adversary’s distraction to bite down on one of the front legs, nearly breaking it and causing Ethan to howl in pain.

Aiden shook, on the verge of shifting and jumping into the fight to defend his mate.

John’s hand on his shoulder stilled him. “You can’t interfere. Your mate has to do this on his own. You know the rules. Besides, he’s doing quite well and seems to be having fun.”

Never taking his eyes from the fight and struggling to maintain control, Aiden nodded.

Ethan had been fighting on his own terms, playing more than trying to hurt the other wolf. After receiving the bite to the leg, he decided to return the favor the first chance he got.

As Dorian became more frustrated he was not rapidly achieving victory, his fighting became erratic. Spinning around for a better angle to attack, he felt teeth sink into his tail and yelped in pain. The bite caused him to round on the whelp sooner than he had planned, and he was met by an open maw clamping down and breaking his front right leg. Dorian was now truly enraged. He limped away as Ethan tormented him by laughing.

The pair once again circled. When he saw an opening, the grey lunged for the bitch’s throat. Dodging the attack, Ethan’s wolf decided they had had enough since the fighting was becoming more aggressive due to Dorian’s desperation to win. Ethan shifted from lupus to hybrid, surprising the older lycan who backed away, now facing a much bigger adversary.

As the massive beast rose onto its hind legs, Dorian struck. He hoped to get a good bite before it was fully upright. Before he could even get close, he felt himself flying from the impact of the hybrid’s backhand. When Dorian attempted another charge, the hybrid brought its massive paw down on top of his head, knocking him to the ground in mid-leap.

Picking up the grey, Ethan decided his opponent needed to cool down and threw the lupus, sending the heavy animal sailing through the air about thirty feet out into the lake. It took the exhausted wolf some time to paddle back to the shoreline where he shook to get the water out of his thick coat.

As the grey returned to the fight, the immense white alpha balled his paws and growled. “I can keep this up all day. Stay down or you go for another flight and swim.”

Much to the surprise of everyone, Dorian dropped to his belly and crawled to Ethan where he laid flat and yielded the battle.

One of the alphas acting as a referee held up his hands. “This challenge is complete. Return to your human forms.”

Both wolves complied. Aiden pulled his pup into his arms to make sure he was alright before letting him get dressed. Turning so his mate’s arm held him across the chest, Ethan eyed the man he had fought and extended his hand. Dorian stared at it for several moments while rubbing his still sore arm before begrudgingly shaking.

“You fight well for someone so young. I apologize for my actions and comments towards you and the others. I thought this would be an easy win against you, but admit that if this had been a death match, I’d be the one dead now.”

“I accept your apology and consider the matter closed, Alpha Jackman. I also apologize for calling you an asshole… twice.”

“I deserved it since I was acting like an asshole. I consider this matter closed as well… Alpha Jacobs-Tucker.” Dorian bowed his head in respect to Ethan, before glaring over his shoulder to his men and issuing a pointed growl. They also bowed to the young wolf who had bested their alpha. Nodding to his people, they walked off towards the resort.

John waited until Dorian’s group was out of earshot. “Are you alright?”

Still relaxing in Aiden’s arms, Ethan smiled happily. “Yes, Alpha.” Lowering his eyes to the ground, he whispered. “I’m sorry for getting into trouble.”

“It’s not entirely your fault. I know you still have a lot to learn, and your knowledge has been limited to our pack. For years, he’s had a chip on his shoulder as big as his ego. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, sometimes a simple word can create a challenge. Few will force it like he did. You handled yourself well by not letting him get to you during the fight. You stayed calm, focused, and fought on your own terms. Your skills are improving even if a little unorthodox for our way of fighting. It served you well, which is all that matters. It was interesting to see you taking actions that rattled him. I also liked how you saved your hybrid for when you decided you’d had enough of toying around with him. You did well.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”

Matthew approached Ethan. “Regarding the talk we were having before all this started, from what I saw, you are going to do fine in whatever role you choose. I hope we remain friends beyond the conference. You and your mate are guys we’d like to get to know better.”

******

Jackie kissed John before peering into his eyes. “Be careful in there today.”

“I will. We’re all coming safely out of that meeting.”

Casey clasped hands with his father before turning his attention to his brother and finally settling on his best friend. “I wish I was going in there with you, Bro. Doesn’t seem right for us to be sitting this one out when we should be there at your side.”

“I know, but we need you to help Jackie protect the mates of our allies.” Aiden held his hand out to his friend. “Just in case.”

Casey nodded, and both Darius and Cody placed a hand on his shoulders to calm him. They too did not like being left out but knew their duty was to help protect the families of their allies going into the main congress meeting. While Jackie was a full alpha in her own right, not all of the mates were.

Giving John a final kiss, Jackie nodded to the security detail. “Let’s go meet up with the others.”

“Yes, Luna.”

******

On the third day of the gathering, far below the hotel’s grand, public spaces, pack leaders filed through six entrances into a meeting room. The resort was built over a series of deep caverns used for shelter by early lycan in the area. The congress hall itself was a massive chamber within the network with cathedral-height ceilings. It provided enough space to seat every delegate in attendance. Great pains were taken to protect the delicate formations when it was modified for its current use. The tiered seating followed the natural contours of the floor, allowing everyone to have a view. It resembled a very large lecture hall or theater.

Stalactites hung from above as their stalagmites brothers reached for the ceiling. Columns where the two met formed a variety of visually stunning pillars. Soda-straw stalactites lined the roof of tunnels leading into the vast space with a thousand or so bunched in one area to the side; their translucent calcite tubes lit from behind in a rainbow of colors. Dogtooth spar crystals made up one corner of the chamber where a small pool had formed. Several mounds of flowstone were spread across the rear of the hall as the white carbonate deposits separated seats into a theater box-like setting. These were just some of the stunning formations illuminated to create an awe-inspiring display for the attendees. At the front were two formations of stalactites making up a solid curtain with each row moving back a little longer than the one in front of it. Everyone called them The Pipe Organs since that is what they resembled. Between the pipes was a stage for the council leadership. Each side of the stage was flanked by a projection monitor.

The natural acoustics of the cave were near perfect. While not sounding overly loud with everyone present, anyone speaking could be plainly heard without having to yell, though shouting matches often erupted. Given the immense size of the space, the formations on the ceiling helped prevent an issue with echoes. Although every pack was supposed to be on an equal footing at the convention, seating was arranged by pack size with the largest and strongest at the front, and the smaller ones towards the rear. The room was often referred to as the Wolf’s Lair.

Alphas and their council representative filled the vast space for the first top level meeting of the conference. Some brought their beta or enforcer. Only alphas were allowed to address the members. Aiden sat to John’s left, while Rafe and Ethan were on his right. As the meeting got underway, the current president of the council, James Larson, spoke about different initiatives discussed in the smaller meetings the previous two days. He also spoke of the upcoming election in which he expected to retain his position.

John Stockdale’s allies were spread around, ready to press the administration on what they wanted brought to light. When President Larson opened up the floor to questions, right on cue, the first one stood to speak while John patiently waited. “What is this council doing about the ongoing rogue issue in various regions as well as reining in some of the more belligerent packs that engage in gang-like behavior?”

“This administration, along with our security arm, remains committed to tracking down those groups and bringing them to justice. We’re doing all we can to end the threat for those being affected by this menace. It is difficult to find and deal with wolves who do not participate in our unified council.” The president projected the skilled politician he had become. “As for the reference to packs considered belligerent, we are predators. Sometimes, a weaker pack must be absorbed into a strong one to survive. We may not always like this outcome, especially for someone on the losing side of the fight, but it is our way of life.” Larson tried to deflect the question.

“Mister President, I don’t believe my esteemed colleague is referring to a strong pack absorbing a weaker one. We all understand at times it’s needed for the survival of one or both. What is this body doing to address the issue of packs that engage in activities which are strictly prohibited by the very charter of this organization? The ones that sweep in on a neighbor, steal all they can in illegal raids, and either slaughter the ones they attack outright or engage in the capture, rape, murder, forced slavery, and sale? I mean, it’s well known there are packs as well as individuals on the Lycan Council itself doing business with oulaw groups.”

President Larson frowned. “I find the accusation that members of this body have anything to do with the activities you’re describing to be offensive and distasteful. If such accusations are going to be made, they should be backed up with proof instead of mere rumor. Perhaps this question would be best answered by Security Director Miller.” His agitation grew as he turned to glare at the director for having to field these questions in the first place.

“Before the Director addresses the matter, perhaps both of you would like to also answer why since the last Congress eight smaller packs have vanished?” Yet another of the allies called out. “When a pack is absorbed into another, there’s supposed to be a notification that goes out to us. There should be a trail which lets the rest of us know, be it through a challenge or treaty, two packs have combined. And yet, the missing eight are still listed as active even though they seem to no longer exist. I see none are represented here today. This is just in one year we’ve lost this many.”

The Director of Council Security stepped to the podium. “I can assure you we are doing all we can to track down any rogue groups and assist with protecting member packs that are affected by them. We provide all the intelligence we can find on threats. The very nature of the gangs makes that extremely difficult since they tend to be small, unorganized groups that are difficult to track. We’re doing our best. We also investigate when any pack is absorbed by a larger or stronger one. If members wish to not stay in the new pack, they are provided with assistance in finding a new home.”

This was the moment John had been waiting for. As he stood, his allies prepared to defend him and themselves. “Director Miller, President Larson, as you will recall, last November my pack and two of my neighbors were attacked on a single night. Combined, our packs fought over one hundred attackers that made use of at least forty feral wolves. I would hardly call that a small, unorganized group. Council Security was contacted immediately and had little information. All your department could provide was a canned response that you knew there were a number of small groups across the northeast. There was no intelligence on who attacked or where they might be located.” John enjoyed the uncomfortable look on the director’s face. “Others in the region had suffered similar strikes in the past and received the same response. Would it be due to the fact that you, Director Miller, as well as the vice president and a number of ranking officials on that stage were not only in direct contact with, but were actually doing business with, receiving kickbacks from, and directing operations of the gang we ended up eliminating?”

Picking up his tablet, John moved to stand before the stage flanked by Rafe, Ethan, and Aiden. “James, I would have preferred to do this another way, but you wouldn’t listen. And I do understand why.”

“John, if you have any proof of this, which I doubt, then let’s have it. Otherwise, I’m going to have to insist you retake your seat and stop making unfounded accusations against this council.” President Larson’s frustration had hit its limit. “Continue with these falsehoods and disciplinary actions will be taken against you and your pack.”

Raising his tablet, he let his focus shift from President Larson to Director Miller. “If proof is what you want, then you shall have it. Fortunately my pack has the resources to investigate and track down groups that attack us.”

Director Miller called to his men. “On my authority, arrest Alpha Stockdale for sedition and seize that tablet before he does something to disrupt our network.”

“I was really hoping you’d do that, Todd.” John whispered to Aiden and Ethan, “Now.”

As men from Council Security rushed towards John and his group, his allies moved to cover the exits. Ethan and Aiden shifted into their hybrid, towering over the men they stood beside; their clothes fell to their feet in shreds. This would have been impressive enough, having two previously unknown full alphas at John’s side assume an attack posture. But both the massive lycan burst into flames as the agents neared, putting on a frightening spectacle for even the most powerful leaders present. Ethan’s eyes pulsed blue with an intensity not witnessed since the fight at the bunker. Aiden’s were a fierce red.

They growled at the security forces who, when faced with large beasts fully engulfed in flames, stopped in their tracks. The heat coming off the two was directed only at the guards. Many others in the front rows of seats scrambled away in fear. Panicked screams from even the strongest alphas filled the chamber.

John entered his code on the tablet and pressed send. Page after page of data was transferred to each alpha in the room. Bringing the information up on the screens flanking the stage, a list of all top-level council officials implicated was displayed. John had to shout for several minutes before some level of order returned to the hall. “My follow wolves, this list is people who have sworn an oath to serve each and every one of us that are too busy lining their pockets at our expense to do their job. They make a mockery of this very institution and have done so for years.” He pressed a few more keys and another slide appeared. “And these are the packs that have been freely and openly doing business with gangs. Operating as if they were rogues. All with the blessing and financial support of the council. The very council which takes dues from each and every one of us to assist in governing and providing mediation or assistance with problems like these. Now, you can attempt to arrest me, or we can discuss this evidence you all now have. The choice is yours, but I will point out that not one of us in this room, let alone all of us combined, can equal the power or strength of these two standing beside me. Wolves who believe in the honor and duty of leadership and service to others.”

“Those are the two? It can’t be real…” Director Miller’s voice wavered as he attempted to reassert his authority. “What is this? What kind of trick is this? Those are not true wolves and have no business here.” He fell silent when Ethan turned his head enough to stare directly at him. The eyes of the strange wolf shifting from brilliant blue to a frightening red.

“Careful, Todd. Calling my grandson and his mate, not true wolves will add family insult to your crimes.” Adam Carver yelled angrily as he flanked one side of the stage to prevent the leadership from escaping.

“Just now realizing the two you’ve been trying to confirm were real since November are standing in front of you? There’s no trick here, Todd. If you think there is, I invite you to test them yourself. Please… Save us the trouble. If I had to guess, I would say the lunar gods and even Mother Nature have grown weary of the bullshit that’s been coming out of this council and sent these two to help us clean up the mess before it destroys us all. Turning one pack against another for your own financial gain. Completely destroying a pack that gets behind in paying or just can’t afford its dues because they’re repeatedly attacked and robbed. In some cases by another council pack. All while the people we pay our dues to get rich off the proceeds from the sale of captured lycan into slavery. These are just some of the charges that people like you face.” John’s eyes flashed in anger.

After a lengthy shouting match erupted between those packs listed as criminal and those who had suffered, an uneasy calm returned to the congress hall when John held up his hands. The scent of fear filled the air and no one moved any closer to the demonic wolves. “What are those two? How are they burning without being killed?”

Several more questions about Aiden and Ethan were called out before an alpha from Wyoming changed the subject. “While I want to know what those two are, there are other things we need to address first. Why did Director Miller have so many of his security personnel stationed inside a meeting for alphas?” He focused on the director. “There is no justifiable reason, unless you suspected someone was going to try and bring you down.”

From the back, another voice was heard. “Some of this information looks pretty convincing on the surface. I’d like to hear more. For the safety of all, I suggest the delegations from this list of packs be isolated. I would further suggest Director Miller and Vice President Preston and some of the cabinet be held while we sort through this. Any of the security personnel here should return to the side of their individual alpha to determine if their loyalty is to this assembly or to who pays the most. If anyone not on the list for possible indictment has any objection, let’s hear it.”

“After we discuss this evidence against members of the council administration, I would like an explanation of those two wolves you’re with.”

The chamber finally settled down as the last of the shouting died. No one understood what they were witnessing, but hoped the two massive fireballs would not attack anyone. At least anyone on the side of the assembled alphas. Still, none who scrambled away from the two made any move to return to their seats.

The names of twenty-four packs were called out. Faced with the delegates from one hundred and ninety-five, their members were ushered to an area away from the exits of the cavern, and other alphas encircled them. Likewise, the Vice President, Security Director, and seven other cabinet level officials were surrounded. One of the accused alphas decided he was not going to go quietly; when his pack was called, he shifted into his hybrid. He ran towards the least guarded exit, his claws extended as he readied to fight. Aiden took off after him and intercepted the alpha before he reached anyone. Knocking the other hybrid to the ground, Aiden raised his paw ready to strike while waiting to see what the man would do.

When the other wolf fought to get up, Aiden allowed the flames covering his body to intensify. He stared down. “Do it. Please.”

Smoke rose from the pinned alpha as his fur singed. Feeling the intense heat, and knowing he could not win, he yielded and shifted to his human form. Aiden’s paw painfully gripped the man’s shoulder as he marched him over to where the suspect group was being detained. John nodded his approval of how he had handled the incident.

With all the known threats secured for the moment, John whispered to Aiden and Ethan. “You can lose the flames for now, but stay ready and stay furry.” In seconds, the flames burned out as if someone shut off a gas valve.

Mark Jennings from Columbia River moved from his position opposite Adam Carver to stand with John. He whispered in his friend’s ear. “You could have warned me about your ace cards, not that I would have believed you. A few in here are going to have to change their underwear when we leave.” The man faced his fellow alphas. “I’ve had my own people review every piece of evidence John sent you, as have several others. I can say with certainty this information is one hundred percent accurate and authentic. We were able to run it through forensic analysis with the labs of several different human agencies that specialize in this kind of investigation.” His eyes scanned the crowd, giving them a moment to absorb the information. “There are literally hundreds of thousands of documents still waiting to be reviewed and in time we’ll get to them. They’ll likely point to additional crimes. More people might face arrest, or we’ll need to draw a line on how far back we go to prosecute. What John has presented to you so far is just the tip of the iceberg of what these and other leaders of this body have been engaging in. If Parker Valley hadn’t been attacked, we probably wouldn’t have this information.”

“Why do you say that Mark?”

Mark waved his hand to have John answer. “When our packs were attacked, several members from each were kidnapped. We followed procedure and contacted Council Security. For being an intelligence operation, they had no useful information whatsoever. Only reports there were several small gangs in our area. Even though other packs had been attacked for more than a decade. We tracked down the group responsible. Several in the region came together to remove the threat ourselves. That led to a treasure trove of documents and recorded phone calls. Even videos from a rogue leader who apparently didn’t trust or want to be hung out to dry if his council compatriots ever turned on him. We also recovered prisoners who had been taken from packs that appear to no longer exist and were awaiting sale on the slave market.”

Alpha Stockdale glared at the director. “Council Security showed up after we had taken the gang’s stronghold and attempted to take control of the site while demanding we turn over any evidence we found. They were told to piss off. The agents slipped up and mentioned a detail from the inside the complex they couldn’t have known about unless they were involved with it. We pulled all this data right from the gang’s own computers. They operated from an incredibly large underground facility financed by current and former members of this council. These documents you all now have are a result of our response to a problem the Council was not only sanctioning, but orchestrated by directing the rogues in some cases on who to attack.”

“I’m going to play a few of the audio recordings we found. This is only a small sampling of what you now have.” Mark used his tablet to play files through the hall’s sound system. The first was the Vice President yelling at the rogue leader for attacking someone as large as Parker Valley since a pack that size could cause problems. When the file finished playing, the room fell silent in disbelief. Mark then played a second audio file of Director Miller warning the gang leader of the impending attack. The third was one John had not yet heard.

“Jean, we’ve been assisting you with the latest and greatest technology for improving your forces as well as the underground facility. This has come at great expense to us.”

“You invested in these improvements since it increases efficiency in striking a foe, Mister Vice President. You also want the drugs and other merchandise shipped across the border and distributed to both human and lycan users. As well as wanting us to help move the slaves you send us. Don’t try to come at me with your usual, you owe us attitude. I get that enough from Todd as well as some of the others.”

“Perhaps I can persuade the others to hold off while a few more shipments of the merchandise are sold. That is, if you make it worth my while to convince them their investment is secure. You know how some of those packs are, and those here at the council offices.”

“Yes, and people think I’m the greedy, ruthless bastard. Most of you make me look like an angel. How much are you demanding this time?”

“An extra fifty thousand this month should cover it. After all, my anniversary with my mate is coming up, and I would like to get her something nice.”

“They say there is no honor amongst thieves. Apparently, whoever it was who coined that phrase was correct. It would seem politicians are the biggest thieves of all. Twenty thousand and not a dollar more. ”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“If you try to double cross me or press for more, I’ll make sure you get a personal demonstration of the product’s effectiveness. You’ll need a food taster for life. Besides, it would be unfortunate if the others found out you were stealing part of their cut.”

“I’m just getting my slice first. I would never dream of double-crossing you. I’ll be watching for the deposit to my account. Always a pleasure Jean.”

Mark watched the looks of dismay spread across the faces of his fellow alphas as he prepared to play one final recording.

“Jean, one of the packs in Michigan’s U.P. is causing problems and needs to be put in their place.”

“Causing problems for whom, Tom?”

“For all of us. My problem is your problem. The details are not really important, but if some tragedy were to befall the alpha’s family, I doubt he would have time to be a nuisance.”

“Which pack is it and how hard do you want them hit?”

“It’s the pack at Whitefish Bay. If they’re hit too hard, they won’t be able to pay up, so take no more than five people including his oldest son. You can keep the others and any assets you can grab during the raid, but I want his son for myself.”

“Planning to adopt are we?”

“We wore our last bitch out and perhaps a seventeen year old boy will survive longer. Impress upon the alpha his son’s survival depends on his quieting down and doing as he’s told.”

“You are a sick man, Tom. This will be an expensive procurement given the distance my people will have to travel, but I’m sure we can put it on your account.”

“You’ll be doing this on the house. I would hate to see an uprising from any of your lieutenants trying to take control away from you.”

“Careful, Tom. Play that game, and you might end up with my replacement blackmailing you instead of finding a balance to work with.”

“Have the package delivered to my estate. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“THOSE ARE FAKES!” Vice President Preston was livid.

“YOU BASTARD.” The alpha from Whitefish Bay, Michigan jumped to his feet as several surrounding men tried to hold him back. “If my son’s not alive, you will die by my paw.”

There was a lot of shouting at the revelation the vice president had arranged the kidnapping of an alpha’s son to try and silence the man.

“Mark, you said those recordings are real and verified?” A voice called out from the audience.

“Yes, I did. The voice was computer analyzed against several well-known public speeches by both of them. The results show a ninety-eight percent likelihood it is Tom Preston and Todd Miller on those calls. Oh, and John, it seems you left drug manufacturing and distribution or at least conspiracy to distribute off the list of charges.”

Many around the room looked puzzled. “Wait a minute. What type of drug are we talking about here? Narcotics or other substances of that sort have no effect on us. Even pain medication rarely works.”

Mark addressed the question. “From the documentation we recovered and analyzing samples John and his coalition retrieved, the groups involved managed to develop a drug that lycan are most definitely susceptible to.” He sent the report to the attendees as he briefed them on what he knew. “In low doses, it produces a euphoric high in lycan and also makes the user rather compliant. It isn’t a truth drug, but when someone is interrogated under its effects, the lycan is willing to offer up any information they’re asked. With humans, it produces an easy high like many of their drugs. According to the manufacturer’s research, long-term use or high doses on one of us can force a lycan to go feral. They didn’t bother to study addiction rates in their test subjects. They did indicate there was a potential for long-term profit once it was introduced to our population and demand grew. This poison is not something any of us want to be near or have in our packs. It would be tempting to use it on a few people here today to study its effects.”

President Larson stepped to the podium. “Given the allegations and the evidence presented of actions going on under my nose in this administration, I will not seek reelection as president. These men should be immediately transferred to a prison pending trial. Some of these crimes do carry a punishment of death, so we must tread carefully.”

“James, cut the crap on trying to act innocent.” Director Miller crossed his arms. “I’ve got enough on you to have you shot. If I’m going down, you are definitely not walking away free.”

“Todd, just for the record, I already had my people hack your computer, so we have all your evidence against President Larson in our possession.” A smug grin crossed Mark’s face as he pressed the send button on his tablet, transferring it to all the other alphas.

Karissa was next to address her colleagues. “Since all alphas are here and we now have the evidence against these people, at least enough to prosecute them, I suggest we adjourn for the day to allow each of us to review it. The accused can be held in the security level of the hotel’s sub-basement for the night. We can reconvene in the morning to debate the evidence and discuss if this will go to a trial at a later date before this body. Or if a majority here will issue summary judgment based on the evidence. It might also be a good idea to have the council office in Banff secured until this mess can be straightened out. In preparation, I have access to personnel from ten packs including Parker Valley, Columbia River, and Olympia standing by.”

“I second the motion of Karissa Ryan and call for a vote.”

After the alphas pressed the voting option on their tablets, it was a unanimous decision to end the meeting for the day and secure the business office of the Lycan Council. The accused were escorted in small groups to the holding facility.

Someone called out asking one final question. “John, are you planning to explain that little trick of your associates? Last I knew none of us could randomly burst into flames.”

“It’s elemental, Roger.” John smirked. “We can discuss it now or later, the choice is yours.”

“Perhaps later would be best. I’m dying to know the answer, but there’s already a lot to review. I’m not sure a lot of us could get our minds wrapped around whatever the answer to those two is. I’ll just say thank you for their assistance today and leave it at that.”

Spencer, Edward, and Carl wandered over to Aiden and Ethan as the rest of the alphas left. “I guess when we said you guys were impressive all around we didn’t know the half of it.”

Aiden shifted to human and tried not to laugh as he noticed where Spencer’s eyes fell. “We’ll try to explain it to you guys soon. It’s kinda complicated though. I guess we’ll have a hell of a coming out day to tell our pups about someday.”

Ethan shrank back to his small form as Rafe handed them clothes to put on.

“We’ve got time, but for tonight, it seems we’ve all got a lot of reading to do.” Carl held up his tablet. “I guess no run this evening.”

“Everything we sent out is broken down by person and priority to hopefully make it a little easier.” John explained as several people gathered around them. “If anyone wants to meet up in groups to go over this, we’re available.”

“I’d really appreciate a discussion group on this.” Carl glanced at all the file directories to go through. “Our room’s available, or we can get one of the conference rooms that’s free.”

About twenty alphas nodded their interest in joining.

“I’ll book a room. Meet me in the lobby at two.” John, Mark, and Adam walked off, followed by most of the pack leaders.

Edward placed his hand on Carl’s shoulder. “And you thought this conference was going to be boring.”

******

The following morning, the alphas reconvened to discuss the issue of the council administration and packs accused of crimes.

“So, with the leadership of this organization currently under arrest, who’s going to run the proceedings today?” The leader of a small mid-west pack brought up the session’s first problem. “John, for better or worse, you brought this into the open, perhaps we should draft you to lead for the day.”

“If it’s the will of the group, I’ll do so. However, I would suggest having someone who wasn’t part of investigating the charges step forward. Perhaps one of the smaller packs even.”

An alpha from British Columbia, Bryce MacKay, walked to the front. Karissa nudged Richard Drake of Forest Moon from Western Ontario, earning a sharp glare but getting him to do so as well.

Richard Drake had made a name for himself as an accomplished warrior, having fought for his pack since he was a teenager. He was by no means a diplomat, though it came naturally to him in dealing with others when he was not under attack. He had served as alpha for eight years following the murder of Forest Moon’s entire ruling family. Heeding calls from his pack mates, he stepped into the position as one of the strongest wolves they had left to try and safeguard the lives of those he cared about. Although he was a good leader and served his people well, his pack was nearing the point of collapse. He had fought hard to protect them from the endless sneak attacks going on as long as he could remember. Richard became a master of guerilla tactics, knowing when to fight and when to retreat. No one ever came with a direct challenge for control of his pack. Instead, it was always quick strikes that killed as many as possible, leaving them ever smaller.

While he had few other wolf packs close to him, it seemed there was a never ending stream of fighters ready to strike without notice and none that belonged to neighboring packs. One bear clan that was his closest neighbor had provided shelter to some of the women and children, while he and his remaining warriors attempted to save what they could. What at the time Richard was born had been a pack of over one hundred and twenty men, women, and pups, was now down to fewer than ten people, but he would not give up, nor would he leave. He knew the attacks were nothing more than an attempt to gain control of resources within his territory. A grab to get his land which straddled parts of Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. Like other packs, calls for assistance to the Lycan Council went unanswered. The more he rocked the boat about the attacks, the more brutal they became. So long as one member of his pack lived and managed to hold out, his territory could not be seized by the council.

Bryce MacKay had been alpha of the Campbell River Wolf Pack on Vancouver Island for the last fifteen years. At close to one hundred members, his group was moderate in size. Some of his territory overlapped with two bear clans. This was rare with shifter groups; wolves tended to be more territorial than bears. Bryce’s neighbors worked with him as the jointly-held sections had historic and spiritual significance to both groups. A few times a year, his pack would meet with the bear clans to hold special celebrations at those locations. Their friendship and treaties had made this a workable solution. As a result, Bryce had a good relationship with the bears as well as his wolf neighbors who all respected him. He was an accomplished diplomat, but had never needed to defend his pack from any type of attack.

The men shook hands and spoke quietly for a moment before Richard addressed his colleagues. “If you’ll have us, Bryce and I will jointly oversee today’s proceedings since Karissa pointed out our bylaws require two alphas serve as Co-Chairmen in the case of an emergency. Several alphas have already submitted multiple agenda items pertaining to the accused, and the evidence presented. We can take those items one at a time.”

“I have no issue with either of these men leading us today.” A voice called out, receiving nods from the other leaders. “I don’t really know either of them, but neither has been charged with anything. Do I have a second to call for a vote?”

“I second.”

The alphas picked up their tablets to vote. When the results were counted, the majority agreed to let both men lead the meeting for the day.

Richard Drake nodded to the enforcers who had taken over security for the remainder of the conference. “Please bring in the council leadership.” Once they were present and seated, he opened the meeting to discuss the accusations made the previous day as well as the evidence made available.

A representative from one of the packs whose alpha had been arrested asked the first question. “My alpha and pack delegation have been arrested based on evidence that was obtained under dubious circumstances to say the least. How do any of us know that the information provided is real?”

“John or Mark?” Richard waved his hand at the two men. “Would you care to address that since it is a valid question?”

Mark Jennings stood. “If this congress would like, I can have members of my pack who are employed by the FBI and other agencies provide testimony about the testing done to corroborate the evidence. The breakdown of their report was included with the evidence, but discussion might be easier. Members of a separate pack that work for the Central Intelligence Agency did a similar and independent analysis of the information. To be thorough, we then submitted everything for two independent reviews by European intelligence organizations. My people are in the building if they’re needed.”

Bryce MacKay took the lead. “The information on the reviews and the authentications was included. First order appears to be do we accept this evidence as real and accurate. If we do, we will need to move on to how we deal with it.”

A Delegate in the back of the room stood to speak. “I spent all night reading over this documentation and listening to as many of the call files as I could stomach. I call for a vote to accept this evidence as accurate.”

“I second.”

Richard Drake typed a few commands on his tablet, sending the motion to the congress members. “Will you all please cast your vote?”

The tally came back to accept by a wide margin.

“While I agree with the vote we just took that the evidence is accurate, I would like to hear from the people who processed and reviewed it. With what we’re going to be asked to do, I’d like to have the basics spelled out crystal clear for me and be able to ask questions. Is there a second to my request?”

“I second Allen’s motion.” A voice among the masses offered. “There was just too much to go through for us not to hear from these people.”

For the next four hours, representatives from various investigatory agencies testified as if it were a trial. Bryce returned to the podium when the room fell silent. “Gentlemen, thank you for your time and for answering our questions. Members of this congress, a list of proposed charges has been submitted against the accused. Do you wish to debate them or accept?”

Two alphas called out a motion to accept and seconded it. In short order, all voted on it.

Bryce and Richard had a private conversation on how to proceed. When they came to a decision, they stood side by side as Bryce read off the list. “James Larson, Tom Preston, and Todd Miller. You are each charged with the following offenses: high crimes and treason against the Lycan Council, embezzlement of council funds, blackmail, and extortion. Conspiracy to commit murder and accessory to murder. Conspiracy to manufacture drugs, aiding in the development of a substance harmful to lycan, use of drugs as a means of torture. Distribution and transport of drugs for sale to lycan and humans. Lycan trafficking, kidnapping, and engaging in business with rogue gangs. Finally, you are charged with ordering the destruction of entire packs.”

Richard picked up the list and continued. “Members of the Leadership Cabinet are similarly charged with high crimes and treason, conspiracy to subvert the laws of this council, accessory to murder, accessory to lycan trafficking, extortion, and doing business with rogue gangs.” He shook his head as if trying to get a foul taste out of his mouth. “The evidence against you has been debated and accepted by this congress as accurate and real. Do you wish to enter a plea?”

“This whole process is nothing but a sham. I have done nothing wrong.” James Larson defiantly crossed his arms.

Todd Miller attempted to stand, testing his shackles. “You and the rest of this bunch of mutts can go fuck yourselves.”

Tom Preston whined. “This is a setup, plain and simple.”

“Moving on to the next item since the evidence has been accepted as true and accurate.” Richard paused to take a deep breath. “Does this body wish to proceed with a trial, remand the accused into custody pending a future trial, or issue a summary judgment? I think we can go straight to a vote if there are no objections, if there are, speak now. If not, then vote.”

When the voting was complete, Bryce read off the results. “James Larson, Tom Preston, and Todd Miller, this congress unanimously finds you guilty of all charges. This congress also finds the members of the cabinet guilty.”

“Per a review of our laws, three options have been submitted for punishment. First is imprisonment for a yet unspecified amount of time. Second is to seize the assets of the accused and set up an account to pay reparations to any packs or individuals that suffered from their actions, and exile them from any contact with council packs.” Bryce hesitated for a moment. “The third is execution for crimes against all lycan and treason against the Lycan Council. Given the gravity of this decision, we ask you all to think long and hard about your choice. We will stand in recess until 4:30 p.m.”

The alphas retired to consider their options. Some broke into groups while others found places to sit alone to seek some form of guidance.

Ethan and Aiden had found their way to a chamber a little further into the cavern known as the ‘Hall of Souls’. It was a long, narrow cylindrical tube with an underground stream exposed in several sections along one wall. Above the stream were deposits of spar crystal in an array of colors. The chamber got its name from shapes that appeared in the stream as it flowed past. Given the peace and solitude of the space, many alphas over time had gone there to silently consider important decisions.

Spencer and Matthew walked in followed by Carl and Edward. They all picked separate openings to the stream to gaze into its waters as they asked their ancestors for guidance. Several hours later, the alphas returned to the Congress Hall.

Richard Drake’s voice was strong and steady. “Have you reached a decision you can live with?”

“We have,” was the response.

“Is there anyone at all, who needs more time to consider their choice?” He waited several minutes as his eyes scanned the hall. “Please cast your vote for sentencing.”

After ten minutes, everyone had registered their vote. Bryce and Richard reviewed the results with the Council Clerk, one of the few who had not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Richard turned towards where the deposed leadership sat under heavy guard. “Will the accused please stand.”