Endangered Species

Surprise someone in the dark, and bad things can happen.

The scent of the three wolves blew to me in the wind, making my wolf surge forward. I didn’t act fast enough.

Major Perriman was a Ranger and a combat veteran. He reacted quickly, bringing his M-4 up as he dropped to a knee on the dock.

You don’t draw against the drop, though. The three wolves had been waiting for us with their weapons trained on us before we knew they were there. A burst of gunfire rang out, hitting my partner before he could get off a single shot.

“STOP!” My wolf backed up my shout with my Alpha dominance. It was enough to get the three wolves to freeze. “Brinnon Pack?”

Three wolves stood opposing me at the end of the dock. The only male was in front, and he got a good look at me as I tossed the camouflage aside and stood up in the boat. “Luna Angela? What are you doing here?”

“I would ask the same of you, Gamma Sean.” I stepped onto the dock, moving over to where Bruce was lying on his back, holding his left hand over his right collarbone. I smelled blood. “Shit!”

I gave him a quick check as I pulled down his body armor. He’d taken two in the chest, stopped by the ballistic plate in front. The third shot had missed the plate and smashed through his shoulder near his neck. Blood was pulsing out through his fingers. “Med kit… waist,” he grunted out through the pain.

I found the small pouch and took out the quick-clot bandage. “Get over here and help me!”

The two female wolves I didn’t know. One was in her twenties with a mating scar, the other a teen not of age yet. As soon as we were ready, I had Bruce move his hand so the younger female could hold the bandage over the entry and exit wounds. Blood sprayed out onto the dock, which wasn’t good. I had the other work to remove the Major’s body armor and clothing.

I took the two chest wound bandages out of the kit, placing them on top of the soaked bandages before having her apply pressure again. The bleeding was still significant, the pain severe, and he would be going into shock if he didn’t bleed out first. I had the Gamma grab the pack out of the boat and use it to elevate his legs.

“How bad is it,” Bruce asked.

“Your shoulder is fucked up, and it probably hit an artery,” I said. “You need a hospital, fast.”

“We don’t have anything here,” Gamma Sean replied. “We could take him to the base where Doctor Pine is, but he’s human, and you’d be crazy to go there. Is he your new mate?”

“No,” I replied. “And we’re three hours away from the doctors at his base.”

From the bleeding, it didn’t seem like he’d make it to either place. “My feet are cold,” Bruce wheezed. I could tell it was getting harder to breathe. “I’m losing too much blood.”

“You’re not going to die on me, Major!” My confidence didn’t come from my knowledge or experience; I knew basic first aid, but this was WAY beyond me. The bandages were not stopping the bleeding, even when she pressed to the point of him screaming in pain. It collected on the dock before dripping into the water through the openings. It was impossible to see how much he’d lost, but he was right. I was an engineer, not a doctor. I couldn’t slap a band-it clamp on an artery to stop the leakage. “What else can I do?”

“I’m fucked, Angela. No Pedros are coming in their helicopters to get me out of here. You have to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Bite me,” he replied. My eyes went wide in shock. “You said a werewolf bite can heal. I’m asking you to do it.”

I looked over at the Gamma. “He’s a human and knows of us, Luna. If you were in the Quinalt Pack with us, the Alpha would make you do it or let him die.”

I looked at him in shock. “Quinalt?”

“Luna, if you’re going to change him? The sooner you bite him, the better.”

“How hard do I have to bite him?”

“The more saliva, the better,” he said.

I stood and quickly stripped before shifting into my silver wolf. Sean whistled while the other two stared at me as I shook my fur. “You’re so beautiful,” he said out loud.

I looked down through my wolf eyes into Bruce’s, asking if he was sure. “Do it,” he said.

I figured the saliva would do best near the wound, so I picked the meaty part of his right shoulder. Opening my jaws, I took it in my teeth and bit down.

I felt his blood in my mouth as my sharp teeth made a dozen punctures. He tensed up, and I resisted the urge to shake my head. I held the bite for five seconds, hoping enough of my saliva would make it in. As soon as I let go, I stepped back and shifted again. “Is that good?”

“We’ll know soon,” Gamma Sean replied as he stared at me.

He and the women kept staring as I pulled on my underwear. “What?”

“Your wolf is VERY powerful,” the older woman said. “I’ve never met a female with that kind of dominance.”

“And the silver color is rare, the mark of a holy one. Our priests call it moon-blessed,” Sean said as he knelt before me. “I acted hastily, and I have harmed one of your people. Take my life as my apology for my offense, so the curse does not extend to my family.” He bared his neck to me.

I looked at the three as I pulled my top back on. “No one is dying tonight,” I said. “I’m no Angel. I’m Angela Summers, Alpha of the Renfro Pack and Midshipman First Class in the United States Navy. Stand up, Gamma.”

He stood up, keeping his eyes down. “I’m not a Gamma anymore, just a warrior now,” he said sadly.

“What happened?”

“Alpha Edward happened,” he said. “The other Alphas freaked out when you left with Luna Melanie and the others. They wanted to pursue you, but it was already past sunrise. Alpha Edward called the Council together. Alphas Mark, Brian, Trent, and William all gathered in the conference room for the meeting. They were waiting on Edward when his men overcame the guards outside and Edward tossed grenades into the room. None of them survived.”

“Jesus,” I said.

“Yeah. It was crazy; all our Packs were in turmoil. Luna Kelly arrived soon after the explosions and attacked Edward, calling him a coward. Alpha Edward ripped her throat out in seconds. A few Betas thought they might step up, but he had them killed before they could challenge him. It was real Godfather-level shit. What he did went against Pack law, but who was left to stop him? He IS the Law now.”

“What happened then?”

“Alpha Edward got everyone together and gave us an ultimatum. We could join his Pack or die. You and Cole were gone, Melanie went with you, and our new Alphas were dead. None of us had a choice. We submitted to him, as did the leadership of the other Packs.”

I understood what they did and why. Dead people accomplish nothing. “I warned you about him.”

“You were right all along, Alpha. As soon as Alpha Edward saw what Brinnon Pack had underground, he would stop at nothing to get it. Now Edward is consolidating everything at the base. He’s put you and Renfro on the back burner for now. Our orders are to bring everyone and everything to the submarine base. There’s a working fishing boat here we’re using to haul cargo because it’s faster than going over land.”

We’d been talking so long that I’d forgotten about Major Perriman. “I think the bleeding has stopped,” the woman holding the bandage said.

I knelt by Bruce’s head. “How do you feel?”

“My shoulder is tingling, but it doesn’t hurt as much as before. I can breathe better now.”

Looking at her hand, I couldn’t see blood leaking out anymore. “Let the pressure off, but don’t pull the bandage yet.” My first aid training was specific; you add new bandages on top because pulling the soaked ones off will open up the scabs again. She slowly released his shoulder, and I didn’t see any bleeding. “Holy crap, that’s fast!”

The bite marks had stopped bleeding, too. I had the girls help him to a sitting position while I pulled a bottle of water out of the pack. He chugged it down. “Thanks, Angela. I thought I’d bought it here.”

“You’ll be much harder to kill as a wolf,” I promised. “Rest up and let the healing happen.” I sent the girls down the water to clean up as Sean asked for a moment of my time. “What’s the mood at your Pack?”

He shook his head. “No one is happy with the changes, but what can we do? No one is strong enough to take Alpha Edward in a fight. I wish you and Cole were still there. Seeing your wolf now, you would have been the most powerful Alpha Pair in the hemisphere.”

“Not bad for a human, eh?” We laughed at that, knowing Cole based his hesitancy in our mating on his belief that my wolf wouldn’t be strong enough to be his match.

“If you would take us, Alpha, I want to join your Pack. Many others will join me, and together we can hold off the attack Edward will send your way.”

I thought about the implications of that before telling him no. “There are a few problems with that,” I told him. “First off, I may have won the right to be the Renfro Alpha, but none of the members have submitted to my wolf. I knew I had to go to the base, so I sent Melanie and the others ahead. They will take everyone into hiding, then send for me at Joint Base McChord-Lewis. I expected someone would come after me, and I’m a new wolf. I’m not strong enough to win a challenge.”

“You ARE strong,” he told me.

“I am not ready. That is not the main reason, though.” I had to tell him because I needed someone on the inside. “The military knows that werewolves have taken over a Trident missile base, and they won’t let it continue. Sooner or later, they WILL attack. When they do, Alpha Edward and his leadership have to die so I can take over. I can surrender and halt the attack. It’s the only way to keep our people alive.”

Sean was skeptical. “Edward will have all the advantages. He will slaughter all the soldiers you bring.”

“I need a contact inside, someone who can help us win.”

He knelt before me. “I would be honored, Alpha.”

“No, not you. You are strong enough to be watched, and I can’t risk that.”

The young teen walked up to me. “Eden Forrester, Alpha,” she said as she knelt. “Let me be the one. No one cares about me because I’m not of age.” I brought her into my Pack the way Cole had with my women days earlier. My wolf was thrilled to have her first Pack member.

I told them to keep quiet until the time was right. “You can bring a few key players in, but the more people that know, the greater the chance of discovery.”

“You can count on us, Alpha Summers,” Sean replied.

Bruce was barely conscious, the healing taking the strength from him. I had them help him to the motorcycle, tying him first to the seat, then his hands around my waist. “Get back to work before you are missed,” I told the three. “May the Goddess watch over you.”

They pushed the motorcycle to help get it started, then I was off. If I hurried, I could be back before the moon set.