The Porch Wolf

Council Mediator Adrienne McInnis’ POV

I was pissed, and I let the Chairman know it as I drove my rental car away from Leo’s office.

Yes, he was my mate, and he was making it DAMN hard to resist him. It hadn’t started well, but I could understand him better than I let on. He wasn’t over his fated mate less than five years after losing her to cancer. Could I blame a man for loving his mate that much?

Could I fault him for losing his ability to lead his Pack?

Could I blame him for hitting the bottle to dull the pain?

Could I fault his wolf for hiding the knowledge from him when his wolf knew his human side couldn’t handle it yet?

No. I couldn’t blame it at all, because every wolf who survived the loss of a mate did the same things. Some pulled through faster, some killed themselves to join them. His mate made him promise not to do that, but she couldn’t make him love again. It took a little girl with an Alpha mantle to break the shell around his heart.

I had time to do the rest.

If he’d been able to shift and had taken me into the woods that night, we would have completed the mating that night. My wolf had already chosen him, and his wolf had accepted her. It was the other halves that we had to convince.

As I filled the Chairman in on what had happened with Todd, I was filled with anger. It wasn’t at Leo, who had handled the situation better than I could have hoped. He was a good Alpha, who looked at the good of the Pack and not just himself.

It wasn’t at Susan, who did her best to convince us and reported back to us his reaction.

No, it was at Todd. He threatened the life of my future mate and our Pack heir. For that, I wanted his balls hanging from my rear-view mirror, and his head on a fencepost.

“How is Leo handling this,” the Chairman asked me.

“He acted like he expected him to reject the offer,” I replied. “Todd used to be his Beta, he’s known him for years. He told Susan that it didn’t affect the deal he had with her. She’s going to keep her job and her home, and she’s already in our Pack.”

“Our pack? Do you have news for me, Luna McInnis?”

Shit. That slipped out. “My personal life is on hold pending the resolution of this mess, Mr. Chairman. I have not mated, nor have I promised anything as of yet.”

He chuckled at that. “Noted. I do appreciate your dedication, Luna.”

“Thank you. Now, the deal Leo made would have had Alpha Todd admit to hiring the kidnappers, tying a nice little bow around the FBI investigation and leaving it in a file cabinet in the basement. Since he has refused, the next best thing would be if he were to expire before this goes to trial. The sooner, the better.”

“I agree. How do you propose we do this?”

“WE don’t do anything, Mr. Chairman. I’ve got this handled. I will inform you and the rest of the Council when it is resolved.”

He didn’t say anything; he didn’t have to. When he thought it through, he’d realize I’d given him plausible deniability. If it worked, he’d take credit for resolving everything and protecting our secret. If it went south, he’d truthfully say he never ordered me to do anything. He’d then blame it on the mate bond, with Leo driving me to commit the acts he’d never authorize himself. “I’ll wait for your call then, Adrienne.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Chairman.” I cut the call and pulled over to the side, finding the name I needed and setting the map program on my phone to give me directions. It would take me almost an hour to drive upriver to Stillwater.

Stillwater was a logging town, with beautiful Victorian homes along the Stillwater River northeast of St. Paul. The suburbs had filled in between it and the Twin Cities, and now antique malls, cafes, and shops filled the narrow streets of downtown. It was also the location of the State Prison.

I drove through and into the open land north of the city, finally turning at the fire marker into a gravel driveway. Signs warned against trespassing or soliciting, and cameras pointed towards the road. A cattle gate ahead of me brought me to a halt about fifty feet from the pavement. I waited, knowing the Pack would send someone out when I didn’t turn around.

It only took a few minutes before a man driving an ATV approached from the other side. He got off and walked around to my window as I rolled it down. I let my dominance out; it combined with my werewolf scent to bring him to a halt, his head bowed to me. “Ma’am?”

“Luna McInnis of the Council, here to see Alpha Mark Conway. Open the gate.”

“Yes, Luna,” he said as he practically ran for the gate. He opened it, and I drove through, not waiting for him. He would have linked his Alpha already. Sure enough, when the driveway opened to the large Pack House and some smaller homes, Alpha Mark was waiting at the steps with Luna Belinda.

I parked at the base of them, the Alpha coming down to open my door. “Luna McInnis, welcome to the Stillwater Pack,” he said.

“Thank you, Alpha. Is there a place we can speak in private?”

“Of course. You remember my Luna, Belinda?”

We greeted each other with the traditional touch of the cheeks. “You look radiant, Belinda. Are you expecting?”

“Eight weeks along,” she replied.

“Congratulations to both of you. Belinda, you should sit in on this meeting, if you have time.”

“For the most powerful woman in the Council, I will make time,” she said as she led me inside. The Pack House was of typical design; three stories plus a full basement in an E-shape. It was large enough to house fifty wolves, with dining, entertainment, and offices downstairs and living quarters in the basement and the upper floors. The Alpha offices were straight ahead, through heavy dual doors.

I sat in a chair in front of his desk as Belinda offered me a coffee. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice,” I said.

“Luna, this isn’t a social call, is it.” Mark was nervous, and Belinda might not have been informed of everything. I wanted her in here to gauge her reactions.

“It is not,” I replied. I opened my messenger bag, removing the two photographs I’d taken off the Council registry. When werewolves changed Packs, reports had to be made to the Council. “These two men and their families joined your Pack recently,” I said.

He looked at them and nodded. “Parker Nielsen and Thomas Conboy, transfers from the Welch Pack. Parker is newly mated, and Thomas has a mate and a young daughter. Both transferred after Alpha Todd’s arrest. They had already quit the Welch Pack, which I understand is no more.”

I handed him Council warrants for their arrests. “Parker and Thomas participated in an attempt on the life of Alpha Leo Volkov; specifically, the two of them went after the passengers in his back seat. One passenger was a human, who was bitten on the ankle and underwent a forced turn. The other was a girl, not even five years old, who is Leo’s heir and holds the Alpha mantle.”

You couldn’t fake the surprise that took over both their faces. “I didn’t know,” Mark said. “I’ll have them brought here immediately.”

“Not yet,” I said. “These two are a small part of a much larger problem. Alpha Leo wants them brought to his Pack to face trial and receive Werewolf justice. However, the biggest problem our people have right now is in jail in Hennepin County.”

He sat back. “Alpha Todd.”

“Yes. The human authorities have all the proof they need to put Todd in jail for the hit and run, but we both know that he was set up on the murder and kidnapping charges.” Alpha Mark raised an eyebrow. “Let’s speak frankly. Nobody would be using your Pack members for the kidnapping of a child without you knowing about it. Don’t waste my time on denials; I know Alpha John of Marengo came to you with the contract, and I know you sent your people to do it. The Council doesn’t like activities that bring human interest, and your Pack is taking far too many risks.”

He sat back as Luna Belinda tried to gather herself. Clearly, she hadn’t known that her mate was involved in the kidnapping attempt that left an innocent human and two of their Pack members dead. “You want something, or you’d have warriors here with silver chains already.”

“Yes. We are more worried about the FBI and Law Enforcement’s investigation into Olivia and Vicki Andersen that your illegal activities. This investigation needs to end in the next few days. If left unchecked, it’s not just you that is in danger. It could affect Marengo Lake, Welch and Miesville.”

He nodded. “And the only way it ends is if all the principals are dead.”

“Exactly. Todd hired your two, and when all three are dead, they declare the case solved and move on. You know the objective, and the Council and I don’t want to know the details.” I tossed him the arrest warrants. “If this situation resolves itself in the next week, I will convince Alpha Leo to withdraw the charges with the Council against Parker and Thomas. You know the penalty for attacking humans or Alpha heirs; their pelts will be hanging from Leo’s fence by sundown if the trial occurs. I’m sure they will be highly motivated to find another solution.”

Belinda came up behind her mate, her hands on his shoulders, her body shaking. “What about us?”

“If the situation resolves, you can consider this visit to be a warning to you. Keep your Pack in legal activities, and stay off the human’s radar. If the Council has to spread the net wider to quash this problem, anyone involved in the kidnapping will not be spared.” Her mouth dropped as she figured out what this meant to them. Her hand dropped to her stomach, instinctively protecting her child.

“I will make sure this problem is taken care of,” Alpha Mark finally said.

“Don’t fuck it up. The last thing we need right now is to draw even more attention to the case.” I set my cup down on the desk. “Thank you for meeting me. I can find my way out.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Luna Belinda said. We left her mate behind; he would be linking his leadership and making plans that I did not want to know about. “I can’t believe this happened,” she said as we walked towards the front door.

“You have a limited time to change the way your Pack operates before it destroys itself,” I said. “You’ll need to push Mark to make the changes. Encourage him, guide him, and threaten him if necessary to get there. If the other Alphas find out what he has done, it won’t just be Alpha Leo coming for him.”

“I understand,” she said as she opened the front door. “Thank you for giving us a chance to fix this.”

“One chance, Luna. Make it count.” With that, I got into my rental car and drove away. The gate guard was waiting, waving as I passed before he closed it behind me. I smiled as I turned back towards Stillwater; I could imagine the conversations going on in that office for the rest of the day.

I made some phone calls as I drove in the general direction of my new home. I talked to my son Anthony, the Alpha of the Baxter Pack in Maine. He was overjoyed at the news that I had found a second-chance mate. “When is the ceremony?”

“I haven’t accepted him just yet, and I still have Council business that takes precedence,” I told him. “We had a shaky start, and he’s still getting his mind right from the loss of his own mate. I’ll let you know.”

“A Pack in Minnesota,” he said. “You couldn’t find a mate in Florida, Texas, or Arizona? You know, so Pamela and I have a warm place to stay in the winter?”

I just laughed. “I didn’t get a vote in this either. Blame Luna.” We talked for another thirty minutes until I pulled into the parking lot on the east side of the Mall of America. I needed to get some clothing until I could return to Maine and sell my house. I spent a few hours buying new outfits to get me through the next few weeks.

As I passed the Lower East Side, I saw the signs for SeaLife. Vicki’s enthusiasm about her sharks was contagious; I needed to visit here with them soon. It was so different seeing things through their eyes. Young children hadn’t been disappointed, betrayed, or hurt by the world. I chuckled as I thought about what she said about us; Leo was sad, but I was here and made him happy. It was so simple to her.

He made me happy too.

I joined the rush hour traffic and headed south for home.