Abandoned Treasure

Alpha Rori Nygaard’s POV

Arrowhead Pack House

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

The send from Tom, the guard at the front gate, caught me as we left our house to head for breakfast. Chase had Nancy in his arm, while I held a hand of Cheryl on one side and Mark on the other. Cheryl’s guards followed behind. “Alphas, visitors at the gate. One adult male wolf, two adult female cats, and four juveniles. The driver says her name is Jade Storm, and she’s here under your invitation to donate marrow for Mykayla.”

I looked left to see the fancy Class A RV waiting at the gate. “Any concerns?”

“Three children are hybrids, capable of shifting into cat and wolf. They smell a lot like Maya. The fourth is a young wolf, but she’s shifted already.”

Hybrids? Three of them? I didn’t know how that happened. Maya was the only one we’d ever heard of, and her dual-shifting nature was a closely guarded Pack secret. “Escort them to the Pack House, but park between there and the clinic. They can join us for breakfast.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

We made it up the hill and into the Pack House before the guests arrived. “Let’s leave them in day care until we know if the guests are any threat,” I said. We passed them to the staff and went into the main dining hall, filling our plates as we greeted Pack members. We’d just sat down at the head table when the room quieted.

Tom led the group towards us. The male was tall and muscled, and looked like a warrior. His mate was more than a foot shorter and Asian, as was the older woman walking behind them. The kids were looking around like they were at Disneyland, their noses up to take in the new scents. My Pack members were just as interested in their scents, and I soon figured out why. The male and the oldest female child were werewolves, but I’d never scented the kind of cats the two adult females were. They were strangely exotic compared to the jaguars, cougars, and lynx that I’d met in my time as an Alpha.

The children were a strange mix of both. Tom was right; they smelled more like Maya than anything else.

Warrior Tom nodded in respect before addressing us. “Alphas, may I present Nathan and Jade Storm, her mother Isra, and their daughters Khoi, Bao, and Chao. This is Hannah Giles, an orphan under their protection. Nathan, Ladies, this is Alphas Chase and Rori Nygaard, Pack Senior Betas James and Lana Carver, and Betas Roadkill and Possum.”

Nathan Storm? He was supposed to be dead! Vic Knightly hunted him down and killed him. I sent a quick mental message to the Security Center to search the Council archives to see why he was still alive. Was the old Council protecting him? What didn’t Vic tell me?

I knew Jade had worked closely with Spider Monkey on the Cartel case, but I was curious about Hannah’s story, so I told him to check her next. I was told I’d have a complete background on all of them by the time breakfast ended.

Introductions complete, I looked at the two wolves. The girl was almost Mykayla's age. "Welcome, Hannah. You’re a surprise!Do you know who either of your parents are?”

“Your Council killed her father, and her mother went on the run.Her mother was killed a few months ago.She’s mine to love and protect now.”Jade was standing by his side as he claimed another woman’s child as his own.

Yep, it was another mystery to solve.“She may still have blood relatives out there.We can help.”

“Perhaps.We are all here to help my daughter Mykayla and her fight against cancer.She needs her family.”

Mykayla was back in my Pack now, so I asked her to come to the dining hall to meet her family.“I’ll be right there, I’m eating breakfast in the kitchen.”She was close with the workers there, and needed to stay away from other people while her immune system was compromised.

I turned when the kitchen door opened and Mykayla came out holding her plate of eggs and pancakes. She froze in place, eyes wide and staring at Nathan in shock. She barely stayed upright as the family bond snapped into place. “Daddy?”

Nathan reacted first, running to his daughter and picking her up in his strong arms. They had their noses buried in each other’s necks, taking in the scents. “I’m here, baby,” he said as they bonded.

The Pack was staring at them, and that wasn’t polite. “Give them some privacy,” I ordered those in the room. The wolves went back to eating and talking. Jade led her family to her mate’s side, waiting for him to let his daughter down. You could see the resemblance in her face, and the bond doesn’t lie.

We’d finished eating by the time the expanded family broke apart. Mykayla was still crying as she went from abandoned orphan to having three younger sisters, two parents, and a grandmother. One of the tables near the front had cleared out, so Tom moved them there while they went through the buffet line. “I’m so happy for you, Mykayla,” I sent as she waited at the table with Isra.

“Daddy said he never knew, that the Council recorded me as having died shortly after childbirth.”

What a mess. “The Council reported Nathan was dead as well.”

I got up to join her table when the Security Center sent to me. “Alpha, you need to see this information immediately,” the warrior said.

“What did you find?”

“Not over the link,” he replied. It must be bad news. I told James and Lana to stay and keep an eye on things, then asked my parents to join us. “We’ll talk after you’ve eaten and settled in,” I told Jade as we passed the buffet line.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” she replied before going back to supervising the children filling their plates.

We went downstairs and entered the code to open the door of the Security Center. Screens filled the room, swapping between views of the surveillance cameras that covered our territory and buildings. Occasionally, a camera would catch motion and fill the big screen with the view. Control panels and communications equipment were everywhere, but the two wolves staffing it were both looking at a computer screen. “What did you find, Marge?”

“We got a hit on Nathan Storm’s name from the Council server. This page lists all the Bitterroot warriors who wiped out our Pack.” She pointed to a name. Nathan Storm- Deceased.

I started to shake. “He was one of them?”

“It gets worse.” She clicked to a page showing the testimony of one of the wolves involved in the attack.

“Six of us joined the Alpha in capturing Luna Joanna. She was pregnant, but we sent Carl and Nathan in the back, and they jumped her from behind. With the shotgun gone, she couldn’t fight back. We had her secured to the floor while the Alpha tried to reason with her. The Alpha was pissed because her father rejected his offer to mate her, instead allowing her to find her true mate. He offered to spare the women and children if she surrendered the Blessed One, and she refused.”

“What happened then?”

“Alpha Todd ordered Nathan Storm to get gasoline out of the garage while he tortured her. When Nathan returned, he ordered him to burn the place down around her. We headed for the Safe Room.”

“And did he follow orders?”

“Yes. I heard her screams as she burned to death in her living room.”

I had to sit down after I finished reading. The man upstairs with his family had KILLED MY MOTHER! I tried to shift, and my wolf refused. “Pup,” she told me.

It was the last straw. “AAAARGH!” I jumped to my feet, sending the chair flying into the wall. “I’M GOING TO FUCKING FLAY HIM!”

Chase tried to grab my arms as I turned to the door. “You can’t hurt him, love. He’s here under your offer of protection.”

“LET ME GO!”

“Calm down, baby. Let’s go for a run until you calm down.”

I let out a frustrated scream. “I CAN’T EVEN SHIFT, YOU BASTARD! YOU KNOCKED ME UP AGAIN!”

He was so shocked that he let me go. “I’m going on a ride.” I stormed out, blocking all mental communication as I ran to our house. I dressed in my riding leathers, then swung a leg over my white 2016 Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster Superlow with my custom paint job. I’d just pulled on my helmet when I saw the SUV pull up with Carrie driving and two armed warriors. “What are you doing?”

“You didn’t answer the Alpha. You know you can’t leave without an armed escort,” Carrie said. “Standing orders.”

I rolled my eyes and fired up the bike. I could have sent them away, but they were there for good reasons. I couldn’t shift while pregnant, and I wasn’t 21 yet, so I couldn’t carry a pistol for protection off my land. Chase would have insisted the warriors watch over me and report back. “Stay out of my way,” I growled. I put it in gear and pulled out, turning left towards the main entrance. I wasn't surprised when I heard two other Harleys fire up and pull out behind me. Roadkill and Possum wouldn’t let me deal with this alone.

I felt my anger bleed away as I rode towards the lake. The temperature dropped by thirty degrees as I got to Highway 61. I rode north, not knowing or caring where I went. I saw the exit for Palisade Head a bit later and signaled the turn.

It was still early enough that the parking lot at the top had room. I parked my Harley and removed my gear as my parents pulled in alongside me. “Ready to talk yet,” Possum asked.

“No,” I told my Mom. “I can’t even think straight.” I walked past the guardrail and onto the rocks at the top of the cliff. I moved as far to the south as I could go, out of sight of the tourists with their cameras. I sat on the edge, looking down at the waves crashing into the rocks ninety feet below. Tears fell as I cursed the situation I found myself in.

The Bitterroot Pack crimes against Arrowhead came out in early 2015, before I knew who and what I was. The Council and my Uncle Charles executed them all. We exposed three Council members as part of the conspiracy in 2017. They died, but not for what they did to help wipe out my Pack. No, they pardoned themselves for that. One died trying to escape to Canada, while two others died in challenges with my brothers.

I’d never been able to get vengeance. Now, the man who lit the match that killed my mom was sitting in my Pack House, laughing and enjoying the food I provided.

Life was so unfair.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, lost in my thoughts. Eventually, I heard footsteps approaching as I watched a ship heading south to Duluth. Possum sat on my left side and put her arm around my shoulder. I rested my head on her as the tears fell. “How dare he come to Arrowhead after all he’s done,” I sobbed. “I want his blood on my teeth, and I can’t even shift!”

She cupped my face and made me look up at her. “How much must Nathan love his daughter to show up despite his crimes?”

“He burned her alive!”

“I know. I also know that Mykayla now has a family and a better chance of a cure, thanks to your appeal and the offer of protection you regret giving.”

“I could revoke it.”

She shook her head. “You gave your word, Rori. You promised anyone who helped would be safe before the Council and the Board. If you harm him now, you’ll lose their respect. That trust will never come back. You’ll have to have to find a way to live with this.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Sure you can. You ask yourself what is important. Why is Nathan here?”

“Mykayla needs his blood marrow.”

“That’s right,” Mom said. “There’s an innocent girl in the middle of a cancer fight. Nathan Storm is Mykayla’s best chance of living to adulthood. His wolf will strengthen hers as she fights. The best outcome requires you to keep your word.”

I hated the thought. “I don’t know if I can stand being in the same room with him.”

“Then don’t. I’m sure Nathan will understand how you feel about his return to Arrowhead.” We looked at waves for a while, not saying anything. “You might get some closure by talking to him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s the only eyewitness left to the events of that sad day. I’ve read the Council accounts; there was such a rush to judgment! They only interviewed a few people, mostly to confirm who participated. He can tell you about your Mom.”

I saw red just thinking about it. “I’ll need to be restrained first.”

She chuckled. “He’s mated to Jade, and you know how important she was to Spider Monkey in taking down the Sons and then the Cartel. Enforcer Knightly shot him, left him for dead, and killed his mate. The Bitterroot Alpha reported Mykayla died so he could keep her as a slave. He survived, mated a cat, and had a family. They’ve been running the Oracle board for the free shifters for years and have done a lot of good there. He’s not the same wolf that came here on Alpha Todd’s orders all those years ago.”

I didn’t want to think about it. “I can’t feel my butt anymore,” I complained.

“That’s what you get for sitting on a rock for an hour,” she laughed. “Come on. The Pack heard you’re pregnant again and wants to celebrate.”

“Barbecue at the beach?”

“Is there anything better? You better make some phone calls to the Ladies on the way home. If Three Tequila hears about it from someone else, your ass is grass.”

“And she’s gonna mow it!” I put my hand over my belly, knowing a new life was growing inside me. Children were a blessing from Luna, and Nathan had four of them now. How could someone who did such a horrible thing be so blessed?

Maybe he wasn’t. I shuddered at the thought that Luna could reunite them just in time to watch her suffer and die. That was a fate I wished on no man, not even the murderer of my mom. “Let’s go.” I got to my feet and helped Possum up, her knees popping as she stood. Roadkill pulled me into a bear hug when I returned to the parking lot. “I’m all right as long as you don’t break one of my ribs,” I kidded.

“I’m so happy for you, Rori. Ready to go home?”

“Let’s ride.” It was a slow and twisty descent back to Highway 61, then another fifty minutes of driving home. Chase and the toddlers waited for me when I parked my Harley in the garage.

“MOMMY!” I knelt and embraced my girls. Mom was right; family was the most important thing, and Mykayla’s future was more important than any vengeance over the past.

At least, it was right now.