by Robin Roseau
I quietly relayed the conversation to Lara, and she whispered something into Vivian's ear.
We all sat down at our places at the table. Someone had slid all my winnings from Garth into my pile, and I stacked my chips methodically.
No one asked me to fetch drinks.
"Whose deal was it?"
We let Durian and Avery take a few hands, confirming their trust in the false tells. Then Vivian took a large pot from Avery and, several hands later, Lara took one from Durian.
I looked over at the piles. Durian and Avery were down about half their stake. Vivian and Lara were holding that money, and as far as I was concerned, that money was mine.
Several hands later, I let Durian bid up a hand; Vivian and I hung in. Then I dropped a tell to Durian, letting him think I had a solid hand, and he folded. I bid the pot up against Vivian, and she folded. I'd been bluffing. I smiled sweetly at Vivian as I collected chips from her, chips I was feeling very possessive about.
On the very next hand, I gave a portion of it to Lara. She grinned at me and twirled a finger on her leg. My tell was showing.
Oops.
On the next hand, I intentionally gave my scent away, thinking about a stellar hand when I had a good, but not stellar hand. I gave up a modest pot, but both Avery and Durian sniffed, then looked at me in recognition. "She does smell funny," Avery said. He grinned when he saw my hand even though Durian took the pot.
Fresh tell established. After that I bided my time, holding my own, and establishing my scent tell as having a good but not great hand.
Then I had a great hand while both Durian and Avery had good hands. I gave out my tell, and the bidding grew intense.
Finally I looked over. "Avery, you look like you have about eight grand left over there?" I slid a matching stack of chips towards the center. "Durian, you have about twelve." I added four thousand more. The first stack was for both of them, the second one was only to cover Durian.
They both stared at me, sniffing, then one after another, both Durian and Avery pushed their last chips into the table.
"Thank you, gentlemen," I said, revealing my cards.
They both stared. Durian's expression grew dark, but it was nothing compared to the malice in Avery's eyes.
I calmly collected my chips.
"I believe that is the end of our game tonight," Lara said. "But Durian, you and I have unfinished business. Perhaps we can handle it outside."
"Alpha, do you mind if I cash out tomorrow? I believe my money is safest in the vault tonight. Perhaps you can verify I am holding my initial fifty thousand dollar investment plus another hundred and seven thousand, two hundred and forty." I slid my chips to her.
"I trust your count," she said, not even glancing at my chips.
I stood up and stepped from the room. I wanted to be out of the building well before Durian and his thugs.
No one molested me on my way out of the building. Vivian followed immediately behind me, Lara behind her, and then we collected our enforcers while exiting the building.
"Don't you need me to open the vault?" Durian asked.
"Don't be ridiculous," Lara said. "I can open it with any single council member. We'll erase your records tomorrow."
"You bitch!" he said.
I exited the building, already having a good idea what I would see when I got there. Durian's five enforcers were huddled together, still on two feet. Greg's wolves were guarding them, and every adult wolf on the compound was in the courtyard. Nearly all our wolves were in fur. An exceedingly large male wolf on two feet can be as strong as just a large wolf while in fur, but we outnumbered the Chicago wolves four to one. I smiled.
Wendy and Karen, both still in skin, stepped up to cover me. Rory and Serena in fur stood in front of me.
Elisabeth exited the building, then Lara. Lara took a position halfway between me and Durian, and he stopped in the doorway when he stepped outside.
"Durian," Lara said. "Did I mention we've been monitoring your phone calls? I assembled a few friends to make sure everything stayed peaceful. Now, do we have any remaining business?"
"Yes," he said, stepping forth. "We had an agreement you would give me the fox. If you give her to me now, I won't challenge you."
Lara laughed, crossing to me. She stepped between Rory and Serena, pulled me into her arms, and gave me the deepest of kisses. "Michaela is MINE!" she bellowed.
Then she turned back to Durian. "And she will always be mine," she said calmly.
"Dad!" Avery whined. "You promised me the fox."
"Shut up, Avery."
"No!" Avery turned to me. "I challenge you! And none of your silver daggers, either. Get rid of them and face me!"
Lara narrowed her gaze at him. "She is omega; she is not obligated to accept your challenge or any other."
Behind Lara, I bent down and unstrapped the knives from my ankles. I handed them to Wendy. The ones on my wrists went to Karen. "I'll need those back very, very soon," I told them.
"Don't be a fool," Karen said.
I stepped away from them. "Avery!" I said. "Challenge ACCEPTED!"
And then I charged him.
He stood dumbfounded as this fox, smaller than even a small teenage wolf, ran straight at him. He began laughing. Five steps in front of him, I leapt to the ground, shifting on the way, ran two steps just past him, spun around, shifted human, and caught the first dagger Karen had thrown for me. I snatched it out of the air and slammed it into Avery's foot with every ounce of strength and weight I could muster.
He hadn't even moved.
He began to howl and turn towards me. I stepped behind him, shifted, ran one step away, shifted, caught a dagger from Wendy, and slammed it into Avery's hamstring.
Avery wasn't done, but he was howling from the pain and made a grab for me. I dashed away, spun, shifted, missed the dagger, but caught the next one and slammed it into his stomach, yanking fiercely on it as I fell away from him.
I shifted, ignored the thrown dagger, and turned around. Avery was howling in pain and pulled a dagger from his leg, dropping it to the ground. I ran towards it, shifted, grabbed it, and stood up behind him, shoving it into his armpit before I pulled away.
Wolves heal fast. But wounds infected by silver don't heal until they are cleaned out of all taint, and Avery was losing blood fast. If he caught me now, he could get medical attention and live. But he was bleeding profusely, and now I just had to let him bleed out. I ran away from him. He pulled all the daggers out, dropping them to the ground, then turned towards his father.
"Daddy?" he said.
Durian didn't say a word. Avery stepped towards his father, stumbling. "Daddy?"
"You imbecile," he said. "Getting beat by a fox, getting beat by prey. Go ahead, Avery. Finish your challenge." He backed away from his son, and when Avery tried to follow, Durian shoved him away.
The resulting game of keep away was predictable. Avery couldn't have caught me as a healthy wolf; he wasn't going to catch me in human form, especially not with the damage I'd already done to him. I ran him around for a minute, then hesitated over the pile of knives he had left on the ground. I shifted and picked one up. I tossed it to Wendy. "Hold this," I told her. Then I tossed the rest to Wendy, Karen and Elisabeth.
Avery launched himself at me clumsily, and I easily evaded him just on two feet, then shifted to fox, took two steps, shifted human, and there was a dagger flying through the air; Elisabeth had thrown it. I snatched it out of the air and raked Avery's buttocks with it, then fled.
I played with him for ten minutes before I finished him off. I could have ended it far sooner, but he deserved to be humiliated.
I finally killed him. I could have let him die from blood loss; he was beneath a killing blow. But I didn't want there to be any chance he would rise again. I ripped out his throat with one knife then slipped another one between his ribs to puncture his heart. I left it sticking out of his chest as he lay on the ground, twitching for a minute.
I stood up and wipe
d the blood from my face, smearing it more than anything else.
"Challenge completed," I said. "Elisabeth, will you be my voice?"
She raised her mouth to the sky and began to howl my victory. The entire pack joined her.
I really wished I could howl like that.
The wolves stilled. Someone, I didn't see who, draped a blanket over my shoulders. I pulled it around me, then turned to Durian. He was staring at the body of his son.
"Lara, you asked me earlier whether that was my ninth wolf kill. No, it was not. This piece of shit was my seventeenth. Fox hunt me? No one hunts me!" I screamed.
I stepped to Lara, giving Durian ample distance, and slid under her arm. She was shaking and pulled me to her, but never took her eyes from Durian.
"I did the son," I said very quietly. "Let the pack have the father." I kissed her, smearing blood on her. "I'm fine. We need the alpha now. Lara, finish this."
She stood up straight and I stepped away, retreating to the safety of my security detail. I accepted hugs from Wendy and Karen. "Thank you," I told them. "Where did all those knives come from?"
"Greg had six," Wendy said quietly. "We each had four more. We never got to give them all to you."
"Durian!" Lara yelled. "Where have you been eating lately? Your favorite restaurant closed. Your favorite bakery closed, too. And the health inspector had a visit at the second favorite. Something about dog fur in the food. You have lost half your pack in the last two months. Where did they go?"
"You!" He said. "You did this!"
"You came into my territory. You threatened my mate. You threatened my pack. You better believe I fought back! You are unfit to rule; you are unfit to rule your own household, much less an entire pack, once strong and proud, and now broken."
"I challenge you!" he screamed at her. "I will kill you, then I will rape your mate and take your pack!"
Every wolf, with the exception of Durian's seven living enforcers, began to growl.
Elisabeth stepped forward. "Our alpha does not accept challenges from someone unfit to rule. The rest of the pack makes sure of that. Kill him."
He didn't have time to scream.
Lara turned to Durian's enforcers. "You may take your vehicles and leave. You will exit Wisconsin by the most expedient route. If you return to Chicago you may gather your personal belongings and any family members, and you will leave. You will not return to any location within five hundred miles of Chicago or Madison. If you do, you will die. Leave now!"
They were gone thirty seconds later.
Lara turned to me, and I ran into her arms.
Aftermath
"Little fox!" Elisabeth yelled. I turned my face to look at her. "You follow orders for shit!"
"Oh please," I said. "If Lara can't catch me during a game of keep away, do you really think he could have?"
I turned my face back into Lara's chest and breathed deeply, the scent of safety. I tried not to show it, but I was quivering with leftover fear. I knew I was spreading blood all over her clothing for the second time that night, but I didn't care. From the way she held me protectively, I don't believe she cared, either.
"Accepting a life-or-death challenge from a large dominant wolf is not following the order to see to your own safety!" Elisabeth said, advancing on me.
I felt Lara releasing me from her grasp, her hands wandering over my body once more as to ensure herself I was unharmed. Then she stepped away, leaving me to her head enforcer's judgment. I watched her step away before turning back to Elisabeth.
She came to a stop, towering over me, and she honestly looked pissed off.
I sighed. "You are right, Elisabeth, but I am not sorry. And I would do it again. I will take my lumps."
I shifted to fox, rolled onto my back, and presented my throat to her. Elisabeth, still in skin, dropped down on top of me, wrapped her mouth over my furry throat, and used her hands to pin me to the ground. It took her two adjustments before she could actually start closing her mouth around my throat, and I didn't whimper until she did.
Then she held me there while every furry pack member stopped by to lick me clean with their long, wet tongues.
Eww. Wolf slobber.
As punishments go, it could have been worse. I took it without complaint.
Elisabeth finally let me up. She draped the blanket back over me and said quietly, "Shift back, little fox." I did, and she wrapped the blanket around me.
I looked up at her. "Is there more?"
She laughed lightly. "No. I know how much you love being tongue bathed."
I climbed to my feet. Lara was smirking at me. Everyone else was standing around.
Lara turned to Greg. "We stay on high alert until you report those wolves are well clear of all territory we claim."
He nodded.
"Greg Freund, and everyone from Lima Consulting, the Madison Wolves thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. This would not have been possible without you. Our pack's security is ensured."
Greg stepped forward, slipping a check out of his pocket. "We didn't remotely spend your retainer. You made this easy." Lara glanced at the check and nodded while she folded it and slipped it into a pocket. The two clasped hands. Then Greg pulled his phone out of his pocket, played with it for a moment, then handed it to Lara. She glanced at it, pressed the screen once, and held it to her ear.
"Jared," she said after a moment. "This is Lara Burns, alpha of the Madison wolf pack. I wish to inform you that your brother and father and one enforcer named Garth have died during challenges."
"I see," he said. "How is the little fox?"
"Bloody but not blooded," Lara said, grinning at me. "She killed the enforcer and your brother; they both challenged her."
I heard him whistle.
"She made fools of both of them, Jared. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," he said. "I have nothing but respect for your little fox. What now?"
"Chicago is in need of an alpha."
"I'm sure one of the other enforcers will stop by to claim it," he said.
"I doubt it. I told them they had until this time tomorrow to be at least five hundred miles from either Madison or Chicago. They didn't look like they intended to challenge that. If they do, we will stop by and eliminate the threat to our pack. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, alpha," he said. "So do you intend to hold Chicago or perhaps appoint an alpha?"
"I have no intention of ruling Chicago either personally or by proxy," Lara replied. "But I will be ruthless if Chicago is ever again ruled by an enemy of Madison."
"Perhaps you would accept a hand of friendship from me, then," he said.
"I would support your bid for alpha of Chicago," she replied. "Support in word only, you understand."
"I will consider your words and discuss the issue with the other members of the pack. Speaking of other members, do you know anything about recent departures of a large number of wolves from Chicago?"
"I heard something about that. I may even have one or two in Madison. But I have not had a large influx of new members. If you had messages for them, I could see about getting word to them. I don't know how effective I will be."
"If you run into any, ask them to call me. That's all I ask."
"Would you care for me to pass on what they could expect to tithe, if they were to return to the fold?"
"What do the Madison wolves tithe?" he asked."
"Ten percent."
"Well then, if I should ascend to become the alpha of the pack, I will ask for five percent for the next five years and ten percent thereafter."
"Very wise," Lara said.
"Please say Hi to the little fox, and thank her for me. I hated my brother, and Garth was just as bad."
"I'll pass that on," Lara said. "Good luck, Jared."
"I'll need it."
"I believe," said Lara with a raised voice after hanging up her phone. "That the Madison wolves may consider themselves at peace again."
The enti
re compound shook with the sound of howling wolves.
"Everyone here plays a role in the safety of this pack!" Lara yelled, then let them howl. "I am proud of all of you!"
She looked towards Greg. "The former enforcers?"
Greg held his finger to his ear, receiving a report. "Well on their way to Chicago," he said. "My teams will monitor them until they have cleared both territories, and we will keep permanent tracers on them."
"Francesca!" Lara yelled. From the pack of furry wolves, Francesca, also furry, stepped forth. "Francesca please organize a large party for Saturday. We have much cause to celebrate." Then Lara looked around for Karen. "Is it still your wish to join the Madison pack?"
"It is, Alpha."
"Even more reason to celebrate. I guess there won't be as much secrecy as there was for the last fresh recruit."
The wolves chuffed their laughter.
"It's late," she said. "Elisabeth, will you see to it the trash is burned? I am taking my little fox and cleaning her up. Please ignore any noises she makes later."
"Lara!" I said in protest, but she pulled me to her and, arm-in-arm, we stepped into our house.
Proposals
Lara was up to something. I could tell. She was taking phone calls, then pointedly making sure I was well out of listening range before talking. She was disappearing into conferences. And she went for two overnight trips without me, refusing to tell me where she was going.
Every effort to unearth what she was up to got me nowhere, but that didn't stop me from pestering her.
One afternoon in our living room, she finally snapped. "I am not going to tell you until I am ready. If you do not want another full pack tongue bath, you will stop asking."
"You wouldn't."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That's abuse of power!"
"I will drag you out into the courtyard right now, pin you to the ground, and hold you there the entire time it takes each and every one of them to shift." She stared me down.
"Yes, Alpha," I said quietly. "I am sorry."
"That's better," she said gently. "Would you like to go to Bayfield this weekend?"
I laughed in joy. "Yes, I would."
* * * *