Treasure

Sawyer Nygaard walked across to the security building of the Oxbow Lake Pack. The basement was where the Alphas and former Council members were held for trial, in concrete rooms without windows. The holding cells on the main floor is where they were keeping the Betas and Thetas that participated in the attacks. The normal-ranked men had been sent home with their new Alpha a few hours earlier, there just wasn’t room to hold them all and they did what they were ordered.

Enforcers from the new Council were working side-by-side with Oxbow Lake members on security. It was tight, because even though the Alphas had been removed from their positions, their Packs couldn’t be trusted. The temporary Alphas had a big job ahead of them; each had brought a Beta with them and would be busy rooting out the rot in the Packs.

Sawyer was searched, then led into an interview room where Beta Steven March was waiting. He was bound in silver shackles, his feet and hands attached to a chair which was bolted to the concrete floor. He looked a mess, he obviously hadn’t slept. “You wanted to see me, Beta Steven?”

“Just Steven, I resigned my Beta position and broke my Pack Link,” he said.

Sawyer was a little surprised at that, once someone had a Pack rank, they would sooner die than be demoted again. “You aren’t represented, do you want a lawyer here?”

“No,” he said. “I want to give my statement, then I want an expedited trial and sentencing.”

“How expedited?” Only a guilty plea to all charges would allow it to be moved up that far.

“Tonight, tomorrow at the latest,” he said.

“We haven’t had a chance to prepare charges, we are still investigating with the Alphas.” There was more to this, he knew it. “Why are you so intent on going to trial?”

“I found my mate,” he said as he looked down at his hands. “She’s here, she brought food over to us this morning,” he said. “She set the food down then froze. We locked eyes, we both knew. She is beautiful, she is everything I dreamed of, and she turned and ran out of here like the place was on fire.”

“Her name?”

“The guard said she was Connie, she is one of the Omegas that arrived with the Arrowhead Pack.” Tears started streaming down her face. “She was enslaved at the Bitterroot Pack, she endured so much abuse from the stories I’ve heard out of that Pack. All the times I visited there looking for my mate and they kept her hidden. The bastard was hiding her from me, so he could keep abusing her.” His hands were shaking. “I could have saved her if I had known,” he said.

“Why go to trial then?”

“I have to get closure before she rejects me,” he said. “I’m not a bad wolf. I worked hard, I did my job to the best of my ability, and I followed my Alpha’s orders to the letter. I want to be able to look her in the eyes as I confess what I have done and take whatever punishment is deemed necessary. It’s the only chance I have to convince her I’m not like THEM.”

He would have a long way to go. Connie was a good wolf, she had courageously helped us when we needed her to get video of Coral being held in the cells. She didn’t talk about her past, she didn’t have to; the wariness in her eyes around high-ranking wolves told me all I needed to know. “I can’t promise you anything, but I will take your statement and I will take statements from the others that are here. I have no issue with pushing your trial forward if you are charged.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” He leaned back in the chair as I got out a voice recorder and a pad. “I’m one hundred and twenty-seven years old, and I have been Beta of the Casper Pack since I won my challenge after Councilman Waterman turned over the Alpha spot to his son. My father retired as well. I’ve been loyal and fair, I think if you ask anyone in the Pack they would agree.”

“So, you never worked directly for the Councilman?”

“No, I’ve worked for the last eighty-seven years directly for Alpha Theo.”

“Where were you the night the Arrowhead Pack was attacked?”

“I was training my men in hand-to-hand combat. I didn’t know about the attack until the next morning. I rarely saw the Councilman, and Theo never mentioned it. I was angry, all the men were, but Theo told me to focus on Pack defense in case whoever it was went after us next.” He paused, and his fists clenched. “Who knows how many mates were lost that night. It’s a tragedy.”

Sawyer pulled it forward. “When did you first hear of Rori King?”

“At the trial of Alpha Todd. I was shocked the King’s Blessing still existed. Theo wanted to find her, we all did, nobody wanted to see that line die out. What a blessing it would be to have her as your mate.”

“Did you Alpha direct you to find her?”

“No, not until a few days ago. He called me into his office and showed me the Council warrant for her and Chase Nygaard. He told me to monitor the freeways in case they drove this way, since their last known location was in southern Washington.”

“Was anyone else at this meeting?”

“Theta Maxwell was there.”

“What happened then?” Sawyer made a note to follow up with the Theta.

“I had men staked out with spotting scopes and sent men to patrol rest areas and gas stations hoping to get lucky. We did; two of my men caught their scent just east of Salt Lake City and tracked them to an RV in the lot. They called me to send reinforcements, but before we could get there my men were knocked out.”

“Then what happened?”

“I knew the make and license of the RV, four vehicles with my men hauled ass west. We saw it turning westbound illegally and tried to force it off the road. They shot out a tire on one of the vehicles and took two out, hurting two more of my men. By the time we stopped them, I was hot enough to fuck. I was supposed to bring Rori in alive, but Chase’s chances didn’t look good. It was only when I got to the door that I realized their scents were stale, and only the humans were there. I was pissed, I shouldn’t have kicked them, but I needed answers quick. Honestly, since they had helped the fugitives escape, I was going to hurt him worse than I did for what he did to our men. I only stopped when I found out who they were, and that the Brotherhood was listening.”

“What happened yesterday?”

“Theo called a bunch of us into his office and told us Rori and Chase were at Oxbow Lake. The Council had issued warrants for the Oxbow Alphas for harboring known fugitives. We were coming to arrest the Alphas along with two other Packs and Council enforcers. They were going to use a show of force to try and avoid bloodshed, which made a lot of sense to me. Alphas clinging to power can be dangerous,” he said. “Everything was going fine until we found out you were waiting for us, and the men watching you had already changed sides.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, I did what I did, but I’m not a bad guy. I had no idea what my Alpha was really doing or why. I want nothing to do with him now, I’m out.”

Sawyer turned off the recorder. “I have to take other statements and verify yours before I make any decisions on charging you. I give you my word it will be expedited if charges are brought, that’s the best I can do.”

“Thank you.”

“What do you want to do about your mate?”

He looked at his hands. “If I’m to be killed, I’d just as soon never see her again to spare her the pain. The longer we spend around each other, the harder it would be when I’m gone. She’s been hurt enough in her life without that.”

“You might not even be charged.” If his statement was corroborated, he hadn’t done anything wrong the Brotherhood hadn’t already punished him for.

“I want her, I assure you of that. Could you let her know that, and why I am refusing to see her? It is not because I’m rejecting her, I’m protecting her,” he said sadly.

“I will,” Sawyer replied as he got up. “Return him to holding and bring the next man in, I’ve got a lot of people to talk to today.” It took him all afternoon, and the stories checked out with the other men. He’d even called the Packs and interviewed the Theta who had stayed behind in charge of the Pack. He walked up to the Council members as they sat at dinner. “If I may, sirs,” he said.

“Yes, Sawyer,” Chairman Coffey said.

“Our preliminary investigation shows that none of the Betas or below ranks were involved in their Alpha’s crimes,” he said. “They all thought that their actions were legitimate ones taken at the direction of the Council at the time. I have not found reason to press charges with one exception.”

“That exception?”

“The attack on humans in the RV outside Salt Lake City could be charged, but I would like to decline. The men involved have already been punished by the victims.”

Charles laughed. “You mean the humans already beat the shit out of them.” Sawyer nodded as the others chuckled. “I have no objection,” he said.

“We agree,” the Chairman said. “Let the men go, but they are to stay for the trial. Their Packs need to see and hear directly what they were involved in. Alpha Michael, is that all right with you?”

“I don’t mind them attending the trial, but it would be a bad idea to have wolves who attacked our Pack to be hosted by it,” he said. “We’re already full up with visitors. Put them up in hotels, they can be escorted in and out for the trial. There are plenty of vehicles to do that.”

The Council agreed, and he left with Alpha Michael to go across to give the men the terms of their release. In the hallway, he ran into Coral and Keith, who were finally out of their room and smelled like sex and each other, just like new mates should. He embraced them both, still so happy at the news. “Coral, can you have Connie meet me outside the security building?”

“Of course,” she said, her eyes momentarily glazing over as she sent the message. “What is going on?”

“Her mate is being released, and I need to talk to her before he leaves,” he said.

“Oh. I’ll let Rori and Chase know too.” They left the happy couple and walked outside.

A cold front had come through, dropping a few inches of snow onto the late October ground. Sawyer followed the host Alpha across to their security center, where they were allowed in. Alpha Michael briefed his men and the Council enforcers while Sawyer went to talk to the men in the holding cell. All were thrilled to be let out and agreed to the terms. It was the off-season, so there were rooms available in Two Harbors hotels and they would take care of travel to and from the plant. “You may travel as you wish in unclaimed land provided you follow the Council rules and avoid areas with humans if in wolf form,” Sawyer told them. “Alpha Will Nygaard is still out there, he is a wanted fugitive, so if you come across him notify the Security center here and do not engage,” he told them. The warrior from the Oxbow Lake pack handed out business cards with the number they would need. “You are not allowed on Oxbow or Arrowhead Pack land without an escort.”

“How will we know the Arrowhead Pack lands,” one of the men asked.

“Alpha Chase has run the perimeter and laid down markers,” Sawyer said. He showed them on a map on the wall where it was. “If you want to run, do so in this National Park land, or this National Forest,” he said showing them another area well away. The men were let out and walked to their vehicles, all except Steven. “I asked her to come outside. After that it is up to you.” Sawyer shook his hand. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.” He took a deep breath and walked out, one of the Oxbow wolves tailing him after being told what the situation was. He got outside, and his eyes immediately went to hers and he watched them get wide, with no small amount of fear. “Thank you for coming, Connie.” He walked back towards the house, not crowding her, she followed keeping some distance. He kept going until they were on the wide front porch of the Pack House. He went all the way to the back, trying to give her some privacy as well as an escape route. He sat down in one of the chairs, smiling and hoping she would sit across from him.

She didn’t. “What do you want with me,” she said in a quiet voice that broke his heart.

“I want to get to know the person Luna has made to be my other half,” he said.

“I’m not worth the effort,” she said as she looked away from his piercing gaze. “I’m damaged goods, not fit for anyone. I’m sure you’ve asked about me, and you know that to be true.”

“I did ask about you, mostly to find out why you ran when you obviously recognized who I was to you. I am not disappointed, and I have faith that what Luna’s gift can do is more powerful than what life has already done to us. I don’t expect you to forget your life to this point, you can’t, just as I can’t forget all that I wish had I had done differently. I wish we had found each other a century ago when we came of age, but it was not to be.”

“What do you want,” she asked again with her eyes down.

“I want to get to know you,” he said. “Slowly, as you are comfortable, I want to spend time with you and learn about you as you learn about me. I’m not being charged, I won’t be killed. I’ve already given up my Pack and my rank. I have nothing, I’m technically a rogue. The only thing that matters in my life, the only thing that gives me hope, is sitting seven feet away from me right now.” She started shaking, and he knew his next words would push her away or pull her closer. “I will not take you from your friends, I will not force you to do anything, even love me. I am not that kind of man. If you choose, I will leave and never bother you again, but I pray to Luna you just give this old wolf a chance to find love with you.”

She started to cry, not just tears but heaving sobs that broke his heart. Taking a chance, he moved out of his seat and got on his knees in front of her, pulling her into a hug as he comforted her. “It’s going to get better,” he promised as she broke down on his shoulder.

The bond was working its magic between them, and her heart began its process of healing as she relaxed into the safety of his strong arms.