Judah (The Strong Pack Book 3)

by Crystal Dawn

  Heading to the office, even though she didn’t feel like work that required any thought, she had no choice but to begin. Going through the requirements for the new office, she organized everything so it would be a working office in a month. She felt proud of all she had accomplished by lunch. She headed to the main dining room this time because she didn’t have anyone to meet with. Mal enjoyed eating in there, because it reminded her of the atmosphere she’d been raised in among her dad’s biker gang. They ate together nearly every meal, drank together most nights, and some of the guys even had orgies or what passed as one, with one or two less desirable females and a dozen, give or take, biker dudes.

  As soon as she entered the room people greeted her. It was the social gathering a wolf thrived in and her wolf was content. Grabbing a plate, she filled it moving to sit with Sam. He was young and a friend of Jericho’s. Someday he’d be in a leadership position along with Jericho and others. It took more than just an alpha to run a pack especially one this size that had many properties and businesses. Ari was smart and he kept them growing and diversifying. The multiple income streams would serve the pack well even during a sluggish economy. Mal admired Ari which made her wonder, would Jude someday be like him?

  Sam smiled at her when she sat but neither of them talked. She was hungry and he looked pretty hungry too. Once she slaked some of that hunger, she would go through the social niceties. Meanwhile, she began to eat like a wolf.

  Chapter 3

  Security

  Tyne was on his way south to visit an old friend. It wasn’t just a social visit although catching up would be nice, his friend was calling in a favor. Having been friends for years, it was hard to recall who owed who. but that’s the way it was when you’d known each other for decades. Ari, his buddy, had finally found happiness again after many years, so Tyne would do whatever he could to see that he held on to it. His own chance for love had drifted back and forth just out of reach for a year or so, but he didn’t want to think about that now.

  His focus needed to be on that damn purist organization that was targeting Ari’s pack. They had focused on other packs before being defeated, but not easily. Ari’s pack was now where their attention was because of the influx of white wolves. Not only had Ari mated one, but his oldest son and someday pack alpha, Jericho, had mated one and already had offspring. Those white wolves were extremely fertile, which was good for the wolves who had feared dying out. White wolves drew other white wolves so currently Ari had others there as visitors.

  Mal wasn’t a cause for concern because that girl could kick ass. Her cousin, T.J.’s and Sherona’s brother, who was a school teacher or something like that, had children with him, making him and his family a cause for great concern. Brantley and his children, both girls, had a bright red bull’s eye on them, figuratively speaking. The purists would pretend to be out to get rid of the white wolves, but inevitably one of the leaders would attempt to claim one. Tyne was halfway there with high hopes he would arrive before any more attacks occurred.

  His phone rang so he answered it through his hands free system. Wolves might be hard to kill but safety still came first. That was how he had survived when others he knew had perished. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Tyne.”

  “Ari?” This couldn’t be good.

  “Yes, I wondered when you would get here and I thought I’d catch you up to the current situation.”

  “Are things bad? I’m halfway, just stopped to eat and fuel, and I have no more stops scheduled.”

  “Good, very good. Mal foresaw an attack on Brantley’s house. We moved him and his family to another even more secluded place, but put warriors in his place. An attack was just made on T.J.’s bar but they were thwarted. Jericho put in a new security system which alerted local law. They got there quickly and the culprits took off. Unfortunately they escaped. Mal insists this was not the attack she saw but merely an attempt to distract.”

  “Is the local law safe to use?”

  “Completely. Sheriff Mathers is young, but he’s a wolf as are at least half his deputies. The local police chief is a vampire but he’s alright. His police force is also half supe if not more. They work well together, the sheriff and the police chief. I would go so far as to say they are friends.”

  “That’s sweet. Many pack alphas dream of having that level of cooperation with the local law enforcement. Blake complains bitterly about the law around his pack even though they’ve gotten a few deputies and cops in place, they have no one in high ranking positions.”

  “He needs to learn patience, the young pup. It took years starting in my father’s time to get things like they are now. The mayor is a bear.”

  “Well everything can’t be perfect.”

  “No, I mean he’s literally a bear. I know they’re rare but he was ex-military and had experience in law enforcement so when he contacted me to see if I’d allow him to settle here, I was happy to have him. He’s been an asset too. Hell, the postmaster is a tiger. She’s a great lady and she keeps an eye out for anything suspicious in the mail.”

  “Hell, Ari! What do you need my help for? Sounds like you have everything sewed up.”

  “Not true, Tyne. This is a large organization I’m fighting. Their leader has broken off with the purists, their ideas didn’t mesh. He’s using the troops he worked with recently in war zones to attack my pack. Kirk has a large force of soldiers, it’s bad, very bad.”

  “What disagreement did he have with the purists?”

  “He wants to create an underclass to put the white wolves in. Kirk plans to have his own harem to breed then use the children as slaves. Talk about second class citizens. That’s why he’s attacking where he is. So far he’s tried surgical strikes where he knows white wolves are located. My fear is that eventually he’ll get lucky.”

  “Shit! That’s sick.”

  “You shouldn’t be surprised by that. So far everyone involved with the purists either have an ulterior motive or are bat shit crazy. Kirk is both.”

  Tyne pressed a little harder on the accelerator. It seemed more urgent to arrive than it had before. He and Ari spoke a little while longer catching up on mutual friends before they said their goodbyes and hung up. There was a lot to think about with all this information he now had.

  “Call Damon.”

  “You have more than one number for Damon. Which one do you want to use?” His smart phone system asked.

  “Call the first one.”

  Now he could hear the phone ringing. “Damon.”

  “Hey Damon.”

  “Are you at the Strong pack already?”

  “No, but I have some information I felt you needed.” Tyne went on to fill Damon in.

  “There are those in high positions that could be lured in with the promise of a white wolf harem.”

  “That’s why I felt you needed to know.”

  “Those foolish males don’t realize they would wake one morning minus a very important part of their anatomy.”

  “Those females can be vicious, but if you’re on their side you have nothing to fear.”

  “Are you close?”

  “More than halfway and I’m hurrying. Ari has a good support system in place but Mal told him there will be an attack soon with a sizeable force.”

  “Is she accurate?”

  “Completely within the facts she knows with certainly. The dreams aren’t always clear.” Tyne worked closely with Ariel so he often had facts on various white wolves and their gifts.

  “That’s what I was afraid of. Do you think you’ll make it in time?”

  “They just attacked a secondary target to distract the pack. My feeling is they won’t attack until late tonight, giving me plenty of time to get there and make myself familiar with the area.”

  “We can only hope you are right. If it becomes too much, call me. I’ll do what I can.”

  “I know you will. Thanks Damon.” The line went quiet, Damon had moved on to his next emergency. Tyne felt for him. Th
e council member was constantly thrust into one difficulty after another. How he found time for his family was a mystery.

  The drive was dull alone like he was. He put on some music which helped. It allowed him to think through what was going on which could be good but without more facts, he wasn’t sure what to do. “Call the office.”

  “Calling the office.” His phone replied. Tyne had the latest system and it was synced with his hands free system. The sexy female voice used was pleasant.

  “Wolf security, Donna speaking.”

  “Donna, I need you to run a name for me.”

  “Yes, Tyne. I’m always happy to serve you.” The sexual implications were clear but he ignored them.

  “Colonel Kirk recently discharged from the army.”

  “His first name isn’t James middle initial T is it?” She giggled like a school girl.

  “No, it’s Hamish. I need the information as soon as possible and go wide, get everything out there.”

  “Sure Tyne. Do you need me to come down there and help you?” She asked hopefully.

  “I do not. Call whenever you get the information so I’ll know I have it.”

  “Yes Tyne.” She said breathily.

  That was a situation he needed to handle. At first it had been cute, now it was irritating. She has a crush, but Tyne had found his fated mate, he only needed to convince the stubborn female of what they were to each other. If she ever came in the office and saw Donna simpering over him, she’d be out of there. He’d not encouraged the young she-wolf at all. He’d even discouraged her without results. Tyne wasn’t cruel, but he was going to have to be tougher to get her to see he meant business.

  Turning off the main road, he eventually hit dirt. Everything looked different, because so many years had passed. He and Ari, most of their friends for that matter, kept up mostly by phone. Finally, he saw the house which had changed little. It was still massive, towering over the outbuildings around it. It was not quite like a castle, more like a feudal manor house made large enough to take in many of the people surrounding it in times of trouble.

  This pack was close, it always had been, even in the days Tyne had visited here. That closeness and loyalty would help them now if they ended up besieged by the crazy Colonel Kirk. Sadly, Tyne just got the reference Donna had made to James T. It wasn’t his fault he rarely watched TV, having no time to do so. He chuckled, it wasn’t a bad joke. Tyne pulled into a spot that looked like it was safe to park in, then pulled out his phone to check his messages. Donna had just sent an affirmative on the information on Kirk.

  Once he went in, he would download all the basics on the wolf’s life. Any small kernel of information might be usable. He’d take a nap after supper because he felt so tired before he would get on the Kirk files. Information was power and maybe there was some way to turn his former allies against him. There was no love lost between Kirk and the true purists, but what would it take to push them into all-out war? That would relieve some of the pressure Ari was feeling with Kirk ready to strike at any time. It was something to think about as he made his way up the stairs into the pack house.

  Attention was drawn to him as he walked along trying to remember where Ari’s office was. “Can I help you?” A she wolf asked batting her long lashes over deep blue eyes at him. There was a time he would have been drawn in by her interest.

  “I’m looking for the alpha.”

  “Is he expecting you?”

  “He is.”

  She led the way back to Ari’s office without any further delay. He was used to people accepting his air of authority and believing him immediately without challenging him. It was the alpha look he had perfected over the years. Since he looked important, he must be important. That helped a great deal in his work. Surprisingly, it worked even better on humans than supes. The only ones it didn’t work on well were other alphas who recognized the forces he was manipulating, because they used them too.

  “Alpha?” She addressed Ari who sat at his desk clearly drowning in paperwork.

  “Yes?” He looked up with a smile. “Oh, thank you for bringing Tyne to me.”

  “My pleasure, Alpha.” She said before she gave Tyne a warm smile then turned leaving.

  “Still unmated I see. I thought you were working on that?”

  “My female is uncooperative. Apparently more so than most of her kin.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder.”

  “Hopefully for me and not someone else.”

  “You have competition?”

  “No one I sense she is interested in, but it doesn’t stop them from trying.”

  “I don’t know how you deal with that.” Tyne knew what Ari meant. Male alpha wolves were possessive. He was no exception, but she didn’t like it so he kept it under wraps for her.

  “We’d best get down to business old friend.”

  “You’re right. Things are serious around here. There’s an office you can set up in next to mine. Do you need anything?”

  “No, just my equipment which I’ll get out of my car. There is some information on Kirk waiting that I need to look through. I’ll send you a copy because it’s important to know your enemy.”

  “As soon as you send it to me, I’ll have Sherona look through it and condense it for me. My mate is amazing when it comes to information.”

  “I’ve heard that. Sherona and I met a couple times at Ariel’s but I never had much time to talk to her.”

  “You’ll have more time now because she’ll be working with us on this. T.J. and Mal will help too.”

  “We need all the help we can get. Rumor has it that he’s amassed a hundred mangy rogues. Even if they are all inferior fighters and the estimate slightly high, that’s a lot to fight off.”

  “Where did you get your figures?”

  “Undercover guy sent a guess. We haven’t heard from him since but I hope he’s just keeping a low profile. The army didn’t do us any favors when they sent these guys home.”

  “You’ll excuse me if I’m thankful Jude came home.”

  “Ari, you know I wasn’t including him in what I was saying. I can remember when the boys were toddlers. Both of them were cuter than shit, almost made me want to mate. He’s a good male, I know he is. You’ll be proud of him when all this is over.” Tyne prayed to the goddess he was right that Jude would side with his family and pack. It was his belief, but he’d been wrong before.

  “Thank you, Tyne. You’re a true friend.”

  “I’ll be back with my gear.” Tyne hurried out to get his trunk. As a good sized alpha wolf even the big trunk wasn’t a problem to carry in. Half of it housed his computer equipment packed away in an insulated bag. The other side had his tactical gear and weapons. He never left home without them.

  Once he dragged the trunk into the appropriate office, he popped the lock to open it. Unloading, he started with the computer equipment. He set up his laptop, portable printer, mouse, and an extra screen. Once that was on the desk he felt more at home. There was no need to break out his weapons and protective gear yet so he left it in the trunk. Once the computer was up and running, he pulled up the information Donna had sent, beginning to scroll through the mountains of information that formed the wolf’s life.

  Tyne worked until Ari came to get him for supper. It would be an opportunity for them to go over everything they had learned. Following his old friend to the private dining room, they stopped at a table where Sherona was sitting alone. They joined her, ordering their drinks which were brought out quickly along with salads. Tyne realized he’d forgotten about the nap he wanted to take but he’d managed alright anyway.

  “What do you make of Kirk?” Tyne asked Sherona not sure if Ari had looked over any of the information yet.

  “He’s a bitter second son to a pack alpha. As a young male he was smart and capable but it made no difference since his brother was heir to the alpha position. The military was his savior in a way. There was no way he could sta
y with his pack and play second fiddle to his brother. At some point he became twisted, filled with self-importance until he became quite mad.”

  “That pretty much sums up what I see as well. What do you think he’ll do?”

  “Right now he’s trying to gather his forces while harassing us whenever he can. He’d have been better off quietly gathering strength but he’s too impatient to do that. His attack will come before he’s truly ready, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a big blow to us. The military males he’s gathered are mostly supes because he dislikes humans. The male is a snob and a racist, he’ll never change.”

  “I agree with that too and I expect an attack in the next two days. It could be anytime, but at least I’m here to help. We should put some protection around the perimeter. My suggestion is something that will mess up their senses, confusing them. That will take large numbers of his males out of the fight. Devices I happen to have in my trunk.”

  “Right after we eat I will help you set that up.” Ari assured him.

  Tyne felt like at this point it was all they could do before morning. The thing that worried him was the attack would probably come at night. The sky was darkening rapidly which would tempt their enemy to come after them. Not particularly a patient wolf himself, Tyne would prefer to go after them than to sit waiting for them.

  Supper passed quickly once they finished talking and getting a plan in place. The food was good but he’d expected no less. Ari had excellent taste in all things and the lovely mate he’d recently claimed was no different. Tyne closed his eyes clearing his head for a second. He refused to think of his own love life right now. That was something he had to be home to influence and even then he seemed to have little say in it.

  He was glad supper was concluded because it was time to get to work, which was why he was here to begin with. Ari called a couple strong wolves over to his car once they got to it. They each grabbed a large box while he and Ari grabbed other items. Tyne wasn’t afraid to admit he enjoyed setting up traps for the enemy. These flash bombs would disorient and confuse anyone near them. They had a strong odor and bright lights to upset the senses and if close enough they could cause burns. All the guards needed to be aware and cautious around them once they were set in place.