Missy Goes to Hong Kong (Missy the Werecat Book 8)

by P. G. Allison

  “My wife and I are working for a U.S. government agency,” said Gene, “as we explained to Mr. Fred Vautin.” He was resigned to give Missy whatever support she needed. “We can assure everyone here that should Missy disappear, to use the words from this gentleman …,” Gene looked at the elder and paused before saying, ”there won’t be any problems or complications.”

  Fred finally managed to collect his thoughts. Anya had not known anything about Missy coming along. As for Linda, she had to have known the Tremblays were not planning to join the pack. He should have asked them all more questions when they first showed up at his place. But he trusted she would not betray him or the pack. He didn’t think he needed to mention anything about her.

  There was an undercurrent of excitement which could be felt throughout the now crowded room. Voices could be heard announcing there had been a challenge, letting those who had just entered know what had happened. Then, more voices were saying this was to be decided by combat. Soon, everyone went out to the arena in back where such events had been held over the years.

  Since Fred had brought the Tremblays and the challenger, Missy McCrea, it fell upon him to escort them back there and to explain things as they went. “If either the Alpha agrees to step down or if the challenger agrees to yield, withdrawing their challenge, then fighting can be avoided. However, once the actual combat officially begins, there can only be one survivor.”

  Missy said, “I’m quite certain Brody will not be stepping down, Fred. I don’t like these werewolf pack laws but I don’t see any options. I will not be withdrawing my challenge.”

  There was a path which led to a clearing in the nearby woods which the pack used as its arena. At some point in recent years, electric lights powered by a generator had been installed around the perimeter and these were suddenly turned on. When Missy arrived, she could see the entire pack was waiting. They numbered eighty-three present with only a few pack members not on hand for this full moon.

  Brody was already getting undressed and handing his clothes to another pack member. The moon was not yet up and it had only just started to get dark. He proudly walked out into the center of the arena, not at all concerned about being naked. Shifters, of course, did not have any problem with nudity amongst their pack.

  Missy began undressing as soon as she entered the arena, handing her clothes to Amanda. Then she too walked out into the center, proud and confident. There was a great deal of murmuring amongst the crowd but that quickly quieted down. Many disrobed and Shifted into their wolf forms to watch. This was now up to the two combatants and there would be no interruptions until it was over.

  Brody studied Missy’s body, now exposed before him. He noted her voluptuous curves had been somewhat deceiving. He had never seen a woman whose muscles showed so much definition, so much striation. “I see you must be some sort of body builder, Missy McCrea. Cut, ripped, shredded … very impressive. For a little girl. And what are all those scars I see on your shoulder?” He was not at all worried and since they were about to do combat, he wanted to put on a show for his pack. There would be no conversations once they both Shifted.

  Missy knew Brody was trying to use his size to intimidate her and would continue to mock her being a girl. She said, “I do like working out in the gym, Brody. I’m proud of my many athletic achievements and staying in shape helps with those. As for all these scars?” She turned around so everyone watching could clearly see them. “When I was younger and smaller, I fought a bear. He was much bigger than you are. It was a learning experience for me.”

  “Well, I can see you learned how to get yourself all clawed up,” laughed Brody. “How did you manage to escape?” He was enjoying himself, taunting her and ogling her naked body, almost wishing he could have bedded her before needing to kill her.

  Missy had been staying about ten feet away and been moving slowly around Brody. She knew he would Shift to his wolf and attack without giving her any notice and she stayed ready. She knew she needed to be quicker and use her speed to offset his size advantage. He was big but she had sparred with many large men during her mixed martial arts matches back in high school. And, of course she had chased away that bear years earlier.

  Brody saw she was no longer talking and decided it was time to end this. He Shifted to his wolf and charged straight at her, hoping to catch her in mid-Shift, if possible. His wolf was enormous and very fast. He was unable to get Missy, however. She Shifted to her mountain lion form and darted safely away before he could clamp his jaws on any part of her. Her cat was indeed as fast or faster than his wolf was. They began circling one another, Brody snarling viciously while Missy’s cougar screams came right back in an impressive and very unsettling manner. The fight was on and each of them sought to find some advantage.

  Brody soon found his lunges always came up short. No matter how quickly he moved and chased after her, she kept twisting away and staying just out of his reach. Then, when he finally did get his fangs close to biting her on the flank, somehow she clawed at his face and escaped, drawing first blood. His wolf became enraged and quickly went into a dangerous red zone, aggressively attacking with renewed effort and speed.

  But Missy was faster. She had lived as a mountain lion for two years and, although she had returned from that life five years ago, she was still completely one with her cat. She had added pounds of rock hard muscles to her body while actually becoming quicker and faster because of all the intensive training she’d been doing ever since. And, yeah … she remembered when she’d fought that bear. With her cat instincts combining with all her skill and training, she was now a most formidable fighter. As Brody’s actions intensified and became more frenzied, Missy bided her time and patiently waited him out. And then she struck, launching her own attack and forcing him to retreat. The onslaught continued for several minutes as they both went back and forth in a blur of claws and fangs.

  On the sidelines, the pack watched and was mesmerized. They had never seen a wolf fight against a mountain lion and, in spite of the mismatch in sizes, it quickly became obvious that Brody had perhaps met his match. Fred turned to Gene and Amanda and said, “I have to admit I didn’t think Missy had any chance but, watching the two of them going at it out there, I don’t know who will win. She is certainly impressive and equally as formidable an opponent as Brody.”

  Amanda said, “Yes, we’re not really all that surprised, even though we’ve never seen her in action before.”

  Suddenly, it was over. Missy got her jaws clamped around Brody’s neck from underneath and she ripped his throat out. His howl suddenly stopped and, just as the full moon began rising into view, the silence was deafening. Missy released Brody’s lifeless body and let it drop to the ground at her feet. And, then she broke the silence with a victory scream that left no doubt she had won. She circled around Brody and approached the pack, proudly strutting with her tail held high. She was covered in blood, but that was mostly Brody’s. She had many cuts and scrapes but appeared to have only been badly bitten in one place, on her left forearm.

  She Shifted back to her human form, one instant a parading cat and the next a naked female, her body glistening, her demeanor glorious. Someone approached with a cloak which she wrapped around her shoulders, covering up. Then she said, “By right of my victory in combat, I declare myself your new Alpha. Does anyone wish to challenge me?”

  Many looked to Fredrick, their Beta and second in the pack, to see what he would do. Most were shocked and waited to learn what was next.

  Fred stepped forward and said, “Missy McCrea, I hereby swear my allegiance to you as Alpha of the New England werewolf pack.” He approached her and bowed slightly at the waist. Then he turned and said, “In accordance with our laws, each pack member must now choose to swear allegiance to Missy or can leave the pack without prejudice. I will let Missy speak for when those who choose to leave the pack must leave the pack’s territory.”

  Noticing the nasty bite marks on Missy’s forearm were still bleeding, F
red called for the pack doctor to come forward. When he did, he also swore his allegiance, bowing at the waist, and then he got busy treating her wound and checking her out for any other damage needing his attention. He had brought his doctor supplies and medical equipment, prepared to deal with whatever emergency aid might be needed.

  Others went over and removed Brody’s body, loading it onto a small wagon. The dead cannot Shift and so he was still in his wolf form. As was the custom, his body would be burned and his ashes scattered in the woods. The pack was well equipped to deal with the death of their Alpha, having a doctor to sign a death certificate stating his death had been by natural causes, with witnesses as appropriate. They also had an undertaker who would make all the funeral arrangements, attesting to Brody’s cremation. And, the pack lawyers had all the necessary paperwork including Brody’s will; all proceeds of his estate were going to the new Alpha. Missy would now be a millionaire several times over.

  One by one, each pack member came forward and swore allegiance to their new Alpha. While Missy had announced that anyone who choose not to be in her pack would be allowed to remain in pack territory, no problem, it turned out no one wished to become a rogue wolf. Everyone joined her pack, including Gene and Amanda.

  And then, they all Shifted in order to run as wolves. The moon rose higher and the night was clear and bright. Missy let Mike know what had happened and asked him to call Linda, Captain Bonomo and everyone else. Then she Shifted back to her mountain lion form and ran with her pack until dawn.

  Chapter Seven

  Tuesday, Mar 10, 2020

  When Linda drove up to what had been Brody’s estate to pick up the Tremblays, it was with very mixed feelings. She had never been there before. Had Brody not required that women allow him to get them pregnant in order to then mate with the males in his pack, she probably would have been mated to Fred. But she probably would not then have been recruited by “P” Branch to monitor this werewolf pack.

  Gene and Amanda were waiting for her, standing outside with Fred. They hopped into her car right away and it was obvious they were excited. Fred waved goodbye and they all waved back. Linda asked, “Where’s Missy?”

  Amanda said, “I have her clothes. She teleported back to the academy. Watching her disappear the way she does is so amazing! We need to stop at Mike’s so I can leave her stuff with him.”

  “Everything about her is so amazing!” exclaimed Gene. “Did you know she was going to do what she did? Challenge the Alpha and fight him if necessary?”

  Linda headed the car back out the way she’d come in. She said, “When Drew called and told me to bring Missy with us, he said he was confident she would handle Brody, one way or another. He probably knew what she might do. But no, I had no idea. I’d only heard stories about her and last night was the first time I got to meet her.”

  As she headed north towards Boston, Linda got to hear all about the shocking events of the night before. Missy standing up to Brody, then challenging him, then proudly stepping into the arena to do combat with him, surrounded by the entire pack.

  Gene said, “Fred tells me they have that fight on tape. The pack always makes a video whenever anyone challenges their Alpha. They do that not only to document each contest but to let anyone who comes along and is thinking about challenging … well, they are allowed to watch so they have some idea of what might happen. Usually, that discourages those challengers. With Missy, things happened so quickly, nobody suggested that she watch any videos.”

  Amanda laughed and said, “I’m pretty sure Missy would not have cared. And, it’s probably good that they made that video. She told them she was a witch. But she swore she would not use any of her witch abilities. Anyone who watches that fight will agree she only used her werecat ability to defeat Brody. It was so amazing! Just when Fred was telling us he didn’t know who would win and was impressed with how she was fighting, it ended.”

  “No one who was there will ever forget seeing her proudly standing there over Brody’s dead body or hearing her victorious cougar scream,” said Gene. “What a moment that was! I think that’s partly why everyone chose to stay in the pack and swore their allegiance to Missy.”

  “I think the way Fred swore his allegiance also helped them decide,” said Amanda. “He’s their Beta and if anyone there had wanted to challenge her, it would have been him. But he never hesitated and immediately bowed to her.”

  Linda nodded and said, “When I was dating him, I learned all about werewolves and dominance. They all know where they stand in the pack. Very few are fighters. Fred is a great leader but he could never challenge to be the Alpha. When he revealed himself to me as a werewolf, he tried to explain it. In spite of supposedly loving me, he couldn’t go against Brody. He knew he’d lose.” She had continued dating him for several months more, wondering if he could find some way around Brody’s requirement. Sadly, he never did and he couldn’t leave the pack so they broke up.

  Gene said, “When it comes to dominance, I believe Missy will always stay at the top. It’s not just her skills and abilities but something she has inside. Her will. Her confidence. You might not notice that at first.” Then he chuckled. “When her eyes start glowing …”

  “Her eyes glow?” asked Linda. “I didn’t see that.”

  “Oh, yes,” said Amanda. “Like, suddenly a zillion gold specks are in there and they’re yellow, then green, then yellow. You can practically sense her supernatural energy pulsing inside her. I’d never seen anything like that. Gene and I both joined her pack last night. It’s wonderful, being in a pack again. We’re wolves and it’s in our nature to belong to a pack.”

  Linda said, “Yeah, I think I understand. Dating Fred really was an education for me. But I’ve moved on and he’s moved on. He has Anya now.”

  “She’ll be welcome to come to all future pack meetings,” said Gene. “Missy already started telling the pack about how things will be with her in charge. Did you know she can mindspeak?”

  “Well, I’d heard she does that with Mike,” said Linda.

  Gene said, “After everyone swore their allegiance and accepted her as their Alpha, she began doing it with each of them. I think it’s a pack thing but not every Alpha can do that. Brody couldn’t. But my father could. Amanda says the Alpha for her pack in Germany where she grew up … he could do that as well.”

  “Wow. I never learned anything about that,” said Linda. “I’d heard the Alpha could draw power from the pack but doing that? Nope. I guess it’s all part of being a were.”

  -----

  When Captain Bonomo called Colonel Dzierzeski and let him know Missy was back, the colonel was very surprised. He’d known she would not be signing back in but he’d instructed the academy staff personnel who monitored all the security cameras to let him know when they saw her. He said, “Really? How is that possible? When did she get back?”

  “She missed her first class but showed up for her next one,” explained the captain. “I doubt very many even know she wasn’t here last night. I probably told more folks than I needed to about this.”

  “Well, okay then. Thank you, captain.” The colonel knew the security cameras watching the classrooms and the barracks were not being monitored during the day. Somehow, Ms. McCrea had evaded the cameras at the perimeter which were being watched. “I guess whatever emergency the Defense Secretary needed her for might not have materialized, huh?” He was fishing, hoping the captain might reveal something.

  “Or, she handled it. The academy is very lucky to have her, sir,” replied the captain. “She’ll be at the range this afternoon, practicing for that NCAA Rifle Championship coming up. And, since they won their game last night, she’ll also be away on Thursday for the Semifinals match.”

  “Yes, yes. Our women’s basketball team is doing well. Is she one of their key players?”

  Captain Bonomo chuckled and said, “You could say that. She plays guard and the coach has her in there for most of every game. She’s the one who usually bri
ngs the ball down the court and sets up many of their plays. You really need to watch her play to appreciate just how good a player she is.”

  “And this rifle match? I understand she’s our best shooter?”

  “Again, you could say that, sir. She’s broken every marksmanship record there is here at the academy. She also helps her teammates shoot better. At least, that’s what the coach tells me.”

  “Very well. I look forward to hearing how we do in that competition.”

  -----

  Missy was having a good day. She’d found running with her new pack the night before to be exhilarating. There had definitely been a new awareness which she’d experienced when each pack member had acknowledged her as their Alpha. Her animal nature had been deeply affected. Somehow. It wasn’t anything she could explain, exactly. Not in human words. But her essence had felt all the added power which she could draw from her pack. Her pack. Yeah, it had been unexpected. As had her ability to mindspeak with them. It wasn’t quite like when she did that with Mike. But, it was another new ability.

  She’d told Fred he needed to represent her since she would not be available very often. But she’d also told him she would teleport up to Plymouth if there were some reason she was needed. He’d been shocked to learn that, of course. She had then reminded him how she was a witch. She did ask that he keep her witch abilities a secret and not share them with the others and he’d promised to do that.

  The pack would be very busy for the next few weeks, adjusting to Brody being gone and her now being in charge. She told Fred he should bring his relationship with Anya out in the open. If she was his soulmate, they should be mated and get married. If there were other couples who had been hiding from Brody, they should also come forward. Get married. Have children.