SWNOVELS Chapter Command Authority
“And the two women we chased down and killed?”
“Lieutenant Mary Connolly and Ensign Anna Natchez volunteered to carry out the mission since you’d never let me go to Everett.”
Cole nodded at that. “You lied to me again, telling me you were the senior Navy person left.”
“I had to protect them, and I needed them. You wouldn’t kill me, but I didn’t know if you would kill those two like all the other service members here.”
“They surrendered and became breeders at the time, Angela. Their treatment would remain the same as any other women under your authority.” It was a losing argument since their treatment was the same death as every other woman who tried to get away from here. “I don’t think you realize what would happen if that message reached someone in authority.”
“That’s not my problem. I had my orders. The message would allow the National Command Authority to reestablish communications with a fully operational Trident-class Ballistic Missile Submarine on combat patrol. That could be critical to the survival of the United States of America.”
He laughed at that. “The United States? Seriously?” I stayed calm. “There IS no fucking United States of America, no President, no Congress, no Constitution. There is no Washington State, Kitsap County, or city government. Everything you knew before the solar storm is fucking HISTORY. Anything left is hunkered down in a bunker, waiting for the planet to heal enough to come out in the light again. You’ve SEEN that, Angela, before and after arriving here.”
I couldn’t argue that. Cole wasn’t lying about the 95% of the population already dead, and the rest was dying. His logic didn’t work, though. “Then what are you worried about, Cole? Even if there are military personnel left at Bremerton or Everett, it’s not like they are going to get on a ship and come here to invade!”
He leaned back in his chair. “The military is better prepared to handle this event than the civilian population. With underground bunkers, hangars, and command facilities, I have no idea how many remain. I was shocked at how many I found here when we took over, so I can’t assume other forces aren’t available.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re living deep underground in BUNKERS, and you have tons of weapons, Cole. They’d be fools to attack us.”
“True. The two females would provide good intelligence on our locations, defenses, and numbers. Since we told them everything about werewolf capabilities, they can pass that along too. Will the military believe it?”
“I didn’t believe it until I saw it,” I said.
“If they don’t, they will gather whatever they can assemble for forces and attack as soon as possible. You know this, Angela. This base holds nuclear weapons and Trident missiles. It cannot be allowed to remain in hostile hands, and my Pack already proved itself hostile.”
I thought about that. “Those two knew a lot. They will convince them of the existence of werewolves and the number of civilians held here. Those two pieces of information should hold off an attack.”
Cole nodded. “Let’s say they believe everything they hear. That is even worse.” I didn’t follow, so he got up and led me to the map of the base in his office. “We are more than thirty feet underground, in reinforced bunkers under feet of concrete. The entrance door, you saw it?”
I nodded. “It was several feet of steel armor.”
“Artillery won’t work, and a ground assault won’t have a way in without a shitload of explosives. They’d have to surround the place and wait us out.”
“We’ll wait THEM out,” I replied. “The women will tell them how many supplies we’ve stockpiled in the storage bunkers and how long we can last. They could never lay siege to us long enough to force us out.”
He smiled at that. “Exactly. The Generals will know we are dug in like a tick, and they don’t have the people, resources, or time to take the base back. Guess what happens when they realize that?”
“They leave us alone?”
Cole rolled his eyes. “They can’t leave a hostile force on US soil with nuclear weapons. Fires ravage the surrounding area; few humans remain. No, they send off a message to your friends on the Maine with targeting instructions. A single Trident missile would take care of their problem.”
My eyes got wide. “They wouldn’t use a nuclear weapon on United States soil!”
Instead of arguing, he just looked at me. I looked at the base, then the surrounding area. Tridents could carry variable-yield weapons, meaning they could dial it down from city-flattening to bunker-busting. The other warheads on the Trident missile could be programmed not to explode and directed into the deep ocean off the coast. If Russia or China saw the launch, they’d think we’d gone mad. Would the President order a base in the Continental USA nuked?
Cole wasn’t wrong. The option would be on the table. “We have to establish direct contact, then. Perhaps if we allow someone inside to verify the nuclear weapons are intact and sealed off? Maybe even let them take the warheads away?”
“That’s suicide, Angela, and you know it. The one thing we have going for us right now is that the base is dark. No one knows we are here. THAT keeps us safe, and we will keep it that way.” He reached out for my hand. “I’m sorry about those women, but you have to see I had no choice. Not under Werewolf Law, and not for the future of the Pack.” I relaxed into the tingles of his touch, and he moved his hand up to cup my cheek. “I love you, Angela. I hope you can find a way to forgive me, just like I forgive you for what you did.”
My head was spinning with everything I’d learned. “I hope so, Cole. I can’t be with someone I can’t trust, and we haven’t been honest with each other. The damned mating pull keeps trying to make things happen before our relationship can get there.”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “It is our way. Once you take the change and we fully mate, our minds and souls will combine in a way you can’t imagine. You’ll start thinking about the Pack first, just like me.”
“I can’t, Cole. Not now. Not until I’ve made sure my females are taken care of first. It’s the way I lead.” I stepped back from him, letting go of his hand. “What now?”
“You need to speak to the unchanged humans before breakfast,” Cole replied. “You have time as they will eat after we’ve cleared the other wolves out of the dining hall. I want them isolated from other wolves all day; I expect we’ll have more Packs showing up who want to see them.”
“And that needs to be controlled,” I replied.
“Exactly. One line after dinner, no matter how many show up. Melanie and I will be busy greeting the new arrivals and supervising the turns.”
I thought about the timing. “They have the fevers, right?”
“Yes. The first turns should happen late today, continuing through tomorrow. It will keep us all busy, as I’m not used to doing more than one human at a time.”
It sounded risky. Until the women became wolves, they were my responsibility. “How are you handling it?”
“I’ll be in there when I can. Melanie will cover for me if I have to leave for Pack business. Doc has a large group to care for them as they struggle with the change.”
I nodded. “I’d like to see it.”
He reached for my hand. “It’s too dangerous, and I need you with the unchanged women. The ones determined to leave won’t like the news you give them. They may band together in an escape attempt. We both know how that will end.”
Not well. “How do I head that off?”
He shrugged, as we both knew there were no good answers to this. “We’re going to have every unmated male in the Pacific Northwest here, and they may be someone’s mate. The Council won’t let them go until they decide my fate for taking them captive. The potential for payback should keep them in place until after the Council meeting. Do what you can to convince them to take the change.”
“I’ll need your help,” I replied. “Some will never forgive you and will never stay here. Those women need to hear from the other Alphas about their Packs. Having a choice about their future is a good thing. The Alphas can look at it as a recruiting visit; they just can’t let on that it is a ‘change or die’ choice no matter where they go.”
“I can do that. Go, I have to get to breakfast.”
I didn’t kiss him goodbye, and I could sense his hurt as I walked away. Lois walked me to the isolated barracks for the unchanged females. “I need to be alone with them,” I told her when we reached the door.
“I’m responsible for your safety, and some won’t be happy with the news,” she objected.
I tapped my knives. “Good thing I’ve got these, then.” She unlocked the door and let me in, locking it behind me. I’m sure she didn’t move from the door, staying with the guards in case of trouble. I wouldn’t be shocked if she kept her ear to the door to listen in.
The meeting didn’t go well for me. The core group of people who wanted out RIGHT NOW didn’t like being told ‘no,’ and didn’t care to stick around to find a mate they didn’t want. I explained that the Pack had to stay here until after the Council meeting, and nothing could change until then.
Four Alphas arrived during the dark hours, bringing up to sixteen unmated males each. With each arrival, Lois brought me to stand with Cole for the greeting. Two were from the Olympic Peninsula, Alpha Brian from the Beaver Pack and Alpha Trent from the Port Angeles Pack. Alpha William was from the Port Renfrew pack on Vancouver Island. Finally, Alpha Max was from the Renfro Pack near Mount Rainier. His was the smallest Pack, down over half their members in the first week after the solar storm, and only had two unmated males left.
Alpha Max requested to walk me back to my quarters after the introduction while Cole returned to the women changing. “I’m sure whatever you want to discuss can be done over dinner,” I countered.
“I’d prefer a little privacy for this discussion, and the head table seems rather crowded,” Max replied.
“Lois goes with you,” Cole said before he kissed me goodbye.
Lois followed a few steps behind as I led Max towards the unmated area. We had made a turn into an empty hallway. “How can I help you?”
“It’s difficult for me to admit, but my Pack was unprepared for what happened. Their deaths are on my head.”
I stopped, turning to him and putting my hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. None of us expected what happened!”
“It’s still my fault,” he whispered. Lois moved closer, her face showing she didn’t like the closeness to an Alpha who wasn’t my mate. “Our Pack has nothing like this. Our shelter isn’t big enough, and we don’t have the supplies you do.”
“What are you going to do?”
He relaxed, shrugging his shoulders, then spun towards Lois. A right cross to the temple dropped her like a stone before she knew what was happening. He checked to make sure she was out as I backed away. He looked at me from his knees, and a feral grin crossed his face. “I’m going to take Cole’s Pack. He can’t stop me once you’re dead.”
I screamed for help as he shifted, his clothes tearing as skin turned to fur. His wolf came up to my shoulders, and his teeth were long and dripping with saliva.
Max shook his fur out and growled. He took two steps before he leaped for my throat.