Treasure

Coral backed her motorcycle up in the parking lot of the Portland chapter of the Steel Brotherhood. She felt a little nervous; she had no status here to speak of. She wasn’t a Steel Lady, a girlfriend or a relative. Their status was solely based on a request from Wolfman to hide Rori for them, and Canvas’ status with the club.

She put her helmet under one arm and pulled off her saddlebags, which now held all her worldly possessions. A few of the members who had ridden with her walked her towards the door, where more were waiting. “This is Coral, she’s a friend of the Club,” the President said to everyone. Thor’s word was enough, and everyone welcomed the beautiful blonde biker as Chase backed the van up towards the door.

“She’s in bad shape, we’re going to need six guys to move her without tearing out her stitches,” she said.

The guys stepped forward as Coral opened the back door. Rori was sleeping, she didn’t move when she jumped in. “Chase, is she still out?”

“She fell asleep about twenty minutes ago. It’s better to move her when she’s asleep.” Coral had to agree, her stomach was still sore and it wasn’t near as bad as what Rori had. They arranged the blanket around her as she lay on her stomach, then took hold of the top-most sleeping bag. “Treat it like you’re carrying a coffin, the idea is to keep her as flat as we can,” she told everyone. They worked together to scoot her out the back, with a prospect ahead of them opening the doors.

The moved her slowly up the stairs and to her guest room on the second floor. The boxes and suitcases that had been moved down a few days earlier were on the floor by the closet, and a small bathroom was attached. The men backed out, and the twins carefully moved her under the covers. “One of us is with her at all times,” Chase said, “And I’d rather that be me.”

“I’ll find out where we are staying and get our stuff settled,” Coral said. She went back down, bringing in Rori’s bag and Chase’s medical kit first. On the way out, she was stopped by Thor. “We thought we’d have Roadkill and Possum sharing the other guest room, it’s all I have open right now. I can look for a hotel room or something?”

“Not needed,” she said. “Chase won’t leave her room. I’ll take the other room, and if there’s anything we can do for the Club while we are here, just let us know. We really appreciate you taking us all in while she heals.”

“I didn’t even know Canvas had a boyfriend.”

“It’s kind of fast, but he’s more than just her doctor. He’ll take good care of her.”

“Well, let him know that dinner is between six and eight, and the bar really starts hopping after that. You both are welcome to come down and get to know everyone. Especially you,” he said with a grin. She looked at his left hand, no ring. Coral had been in enough of these Clubhouses to know how wild they could get, and she wasn’t putting up with it for her assignment now. Like her brother, she wanted her mate and wasn’t looking for play time.

“I’ll be down for dinner later, then. Maybe we can play some pool or something.” He smiled and let her go, and then she went back into the room. “Hey, I’ve got almost nothing in the way of clothes, and you’re not much better. I’m going to make a run if you want anything.”

“Sure, I can use some changes. Rori has her clothes here, so she should be all right.” He made a list of what he wanted with sizes, and two hours later she came back with a full backpack and some extra medical supplies. The two of them were holding hands and talking, him sitting in a chair next to the bed while she lay on her side. “How’s it going?”

“Better,” he said. “She’s had a lot to take in today.”

“It is a little much to find out you are werewolf royalty and a baby factory, plus you have this old guy as your mate,” she said with a grin.

“Old? I’m not the one using Depends,” he said as he sat back in a huff.

“No more of that, here you go,” Coral said as she pulled a plastic bedpan out of the backpack.

She looked at her like she was nuts, but Chase nodded. “It’s going to be a day or two before you can sit up comfortably, and until then the toilet won’t work.”

“Why don’t you go down and get both of you some food, and I’ll keep her company,” Coral offered. Chase didn’t want to, but his mate needed to eat a lot to build her strength and heal, so he was out the door. She sat in the chair. “I didn’t want to ask this with him around, but I need to know what you are comfortable with for sleeping arrangements.” Her face blushed. “I’ve got the room next door, and I know that possessive lug of a mate of yours plans to stay right here with you. I also figured he hadn’t asked you what you wanted or what you were comfortable with. So… you can stay in here alone, I can stay here with you at night and he can go next door, or he can stay here with you.”

She thought about it for a moment. “I feel better with him around. My wolf is telling me he will help me heal faster. I want him to sleep here, but I’m not ready to, you know… sleep with him?”

“I’ll make sure he understands he can’t take advantage of you, not that you’re in any state to do anything. I’m glad you’re letting him, because he’d probably sleep outside your door if you didn’t let him in here.” She giggled as she thought about how much he had changed. “I’m so happy you two found each other. My brother is a good person, and he’ll never hurt you.You can trust him and his wolf.”

“I know he is.” She got a dreamy look on her face. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s hot as hell. Those muscles!”

“Ewww, that’s my brother,” Coral laughed. ”Chase, I talked to her, she wants you to stay in her room with her but don’t crowd her, she isn’t ready to wake up with you poking her in the back or anything.”

“I wasn’t going to do that, my wolf and I aren’t going to do anything she isn’t comfortable with. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“What were you just doing?”

“Mind link,” Coral answered. “When bonded by Pack or family, we can communicate mentally with each other.”

“I’m not sure I want people in my head,” she said.

“You get used to it, and you can control it,” she said. “It’s like there’s a network in your head, and you can send to someone by thinking of them, even a group or the whole Pack. If you don’t want to talk, you can shut it down. Well, except the Alphas, they can push through if they have to, but they only do that in emergencies. It’s like being on the phone, they can’t tell what you are thinking unless you are pushing that to them.”

She thought about it for a moment. “Why can’t I talk to Chase if he’s my mate?”

“You’ve recognized each other, but that is the first step. You have to mark each other to forge the bond, which you do by biting each other’s necks, then you finish it by, um, becoming one with each other.”

“One?”

“Sex, you have to have sex,” she said.

“Oh.” Rori’s cheeks got red, and suddenly she was flushed.

Of course, that moment when the scent of her budding arousal was released was the moment Chase walked into the room. He set the food down, then froze as the scent hit him. “What have you two been talking about,” he forced out.

“What it will take to mate each other. And on that note, I’m out of here. I’m going to eat, drink and play pool.” She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“You’re going to bite me?” Rori looked a little scared.

“And you will bite me back, but only when you’re ready,” Chase said. He placed a towel down and set the huge burger in front of her, cutting it into pieces for her. He made sure she was taken care of, and after he washed her up and changed her bandages, she fell asleep. Only then did he open his Styrofoam box and eat his own food.

The next morning, Coral made up a tray with breakfast after he didn’t contact her or come down and the kitchen was closing. Taking it up to his room, she pressed his mind and knocked on the door with no response to either. Opening the door, she hoped she wasn’t walking in on something, and let a breath out when she saw they were still sleeping. Chase was under the sheets with her, as Rori’s red hair splayed across his chest and stomach. She was tucked into his side with her head on her shoulder and his left arm holding her to him.

She set the tray down and touched his shoulder, and his eyes opened. “No mark on your necks?”

“Not yet.” He moved away from her, going into the bathroom.

The movement woke her up, and she took their time alone to help her go to the bathroom and get cleaned up before he came back from the shower. “How did you sleep?”

“Never better,” she said. “No nightmares.”

Chase came back and checked his phone, he had a bunch of text messages. “Do you think you could head up to Seattle tonight?”

“Sure,” Coral said. “What’s up?”

“Our belongings are being brought up in a van by one of Dad’s Omegas, they’ll be delivered tomorrow morning. I figured they could go in my apartment until we have somewhere else to go.”

“Where else would we go?” Rori looked up in his eyes.

“I don’t know, a lot depends on whether I continue my residency at the hospital. My apartment is close to it, but it isn’t big enough for the three of us, and it isn’t secure. We have to stick together, since Coral and I aren’t Pack anymore and you’re still vulnerable.”

“I have to get the warning to the Council sooner rather than later,” Coral said. “It’s a long ride, but I could head to Montana this morning, then be back in Seattle late tonight. I can crash at your place and come back after everything is stored.”

Chase thought about it and nodded. “You’re right, that needs to be the second thing we do.”

“And the first thing?”

“We need to have Rori here accept us into her Pack so we aren’t rogues.” Her eyes got big, and Chase took a few minutes to explain why it was important. “You are the hereditary Alpha of a recognized Pack, that gives us legal standing and independence from the Council. The Council never disposed of your lands, and the funds have been held in trust for seventeen years. It’s a fortune, and it’s your territory to have again. Your parents, your Pack are still buried there.”

“I want to go there,” she said.

“I’ll take you. You can’t travel yet, but you could send Coral to the Council as your Beta to represent you. There is a lot we need to deal with quickly.”

“Like what?”

“Right now, my father is filing charges against Rori for exposing herself to humans. We have to get in front of that before a squad of Enforcers shows up and takes you. You need to declare yourself as Alpha, and we will pledge ourselves to you and become your Pack.” She agreed after a few more minutes of talking, then they took the pledge. Rori’s eyes got wide as she felt the bond snap into place.

“Pretty cool, we’re Pack now,” Chase said into her head.

“Just think of us and talk in your mind,” Coral added.

“Wow.” Rori looked at them and smiled. “I’m Alpha Rori King, and the Arrowhead Pack is back!”