Lesser of Two Evils (5 page)

The council chambers looked a lot
like a courtroom, because in essence that’s how they were used. When enforcers
brought a wolf into chambers for ruling or judgment, the council would sit up
there and make their decision. Usually, there would be a few spectators, but
not today. He sat here alone, waiting in what would usually be the prosecutor’s
chair. It was his usual chair.

He was not here to defend himself,
he decided. He was here to say that he’d decided to end his employment. He
wasn’t under contract, hadn’t been for a long time. None of them thought he
would ever give this up, him included. Until he’d come across Alexander’s
kingdom..

He had a nice house, a car
collection, and a great pack. Alexander’s pack needed an Alpha like him,
honest. Alexander’s pack, his pack, could continue to grow their assets legally,
and he would lead them properly. The council wouldn’t care about the girl,
about the mating, what they cared about was that they’d lost their best
enforcer. They were filing in now. They were all three times his age or more.
You had to be ancient to be on the council. If you could achieve that age, you
had to be smarter or more cunning than everyone else was. That was the thought
anyway.

“Ethan,” Samuel said and nodded his
head. Ethan nodded back. Sam had always been nice to him. Abraham had not. He
was a shitty old coot who was prone to tantrums, and right now he looked to be
on the verge of an epic one, but he wasn’t in charge. She was. The oldest known
living wolf that glided to her chair was council leader. She didn’t come across
as old, and he could only hope he could be that sure-footed if he reached her
age.  It was rumored that she was over a thousand years old and she’d changed
her name every so often with the passing centuries. He knew that was true
because the last time had been recent. Krystal was her new name. What a stupid
choice for a wolf this old. Her eyes were still sharp though, nearly black,
shrewd and twinkling.

“Ethan Castle, you are called here
today for us to review your assumed Alpha position of the Petri pack, your
employment contract, and I understand that you mated a wolf that is off the
grid.” His ears perked at that. Luke wasn’t paying dues as she’d said, the
council didn’t know about them. “What say you?” He’d watched this play out
before with other wolves. They would spill their guts at this point to the
amusement of the council.

“I haven’t heard a question yet,” he
answered quietly.

“Have you mated a wolf off the
grid?” They seriously wanted to know about Kerry?

“I was unaware that she was off. I
met her mother in the garden center. We spoke briefly and hit it off. She had a
daughter, and I wanted a mate. Kerry and I mated shortly after that. Her mother
didn’t want her to mate with the pack Alpha, and I’ve felt the…need lately to
mate.” Sam snorted at that. He’d had six mates in his time and was never
without one for long. He’d felt the need, too. Ethan grinned up at him.

“Who does she belong to?” Krystal
asked.

“Me.”

Sam laughed aloud at that one. Lee,
who sat next to him, was napping, his gray old head bobbing each time Sam made
a sound.

“Who did she belong to?” Krystal
amended.

“Her name is Kerry Waters. Kerrigan
Waters is her father, and her Alpha’s name is Luke Koontz. I am unadvised as to
his standing with the council. We did not speak. She chose me over him.”

“Why?” Krystal asked.

“Because she says that he is a
nasty piece of work.” He left off that Luke was old, because to the council, he
was a pup. Krystal nodded and scribbled something down.

“I will need a location before you
leave today.” That was a relief, the fact he would be leaving. Maybe he could
get back to his mate before morning. “Now, about your employment contract. When
I summoned you, I thought that you were still under contract, but I found that
you are not.” Ethan shook his head. “As for the Alpha position at Petri pack,
it is in question. You reported that you found Alexander torn limb from limb in
his own front yard. Were the rumors about the drug dealing true?” Ethan nodded
and shifted his long legs. “His assets, what have you done with them?”

“He had a garage full of vehicles
that I welcome the pack to use, a house that the pack communes in, and a bank
account that is used for pack good. Greed wasn’t my motivation to become their
Alpha, if that’s what you’re thinking. The pack needed an Alpha, theirs was
dead, and there was no beta in place. They welcomed me with open arms.” That
was mostly true. It had taken a few days, but eventually… She nodded and
scribbled some more. The rest of the council looked bored, except Sam of course
because everything amused him.

“The council will vote on your
situation, and judgment will pass shortly. You may wait outside.” That was a
first. He always stayed in chambers before, but he was never on trial before.
He got up and left the room. In the outer room, there was a coffee-maker and a TV.
He poured a cup and went to stare out the window. It was very dark now. He
looked at his watch. He’d waited nearly two hours for them to convene after a six-hour
drive. He pulled out his phone and rang the house. There was no answer until he
heard his own voice and hung up. She must be asleep or can’t find the phone. He
rang it again in hopes that she could locate it in the office. It had a long
squealing ring, so he knew that she heard it. No answer. He rang Connor, who
answered on the first ring.

“Ethan,” Connor said. “What’s up?”

“Is Kerry around?” He watched the
quiet street below. It was dark, but there were humans out there jogging and
dog-walking. He smirked at that. They were all oblivious to what went on inside
this building. It said Abernathy Inc. on the outside. It was a squat gray
building with glass doors. When you entered the lobby, there was security guard
to greet you. The black marble lobby looked like the lobby of any other office
building in America. Potted plants, a fire door, and elevators were in place to
continue the illusion.

“I guess she’s inside. She hasn’t
come out. I’ve kept a look out for her.”

“She’s not answering the phone. Go
check on her, please. Make sure she’s okay. I hooked up the internet on her
laptop before I left. She’s probably watching a movie or listening to music.
Call me back.” Ethan disconnected.

“Ethan.” It was Sam. “She’s ready
for you.” Sam winked, and Ethan grinned at him, then handed him a slip of paper
with Luke’s address on it. Sam shoved it in his shirt pocket. Ethan followed
the old wolf inside and down the aisle. “Your new mate, is she young?” Ethan
nodded, keeping a slow pace beside Sam as a mark of respect. “Hmm. Is she hot?”

Ethan grinned.

“I like ’em hot!” Sam said cackling.
“Keep a tight leash on her, and I find if you keep them busy in the sack, they’re
too tired to look at anyone else.” He cackled again, and Ethan laughed with
him.

“How’s Pam?” Ethan asked.

“Hot as a sizzling fry pan,” Sam smiled.

“Glad to hear it.” Ethan laughed.
The council waited at their seats as he and Sam found their way back inside to
their places.

“Ethan Castle,” Krystal thundered
seriously. He schooled his face back to passive. “The council has decided to
allow you to end your contract.” There was none, so that was a given, he
thought. “The mating will be considered further until we bring this pack into
the fold. We will expect you to handle that since your mate came from there and
we find ourselves short of an enforcer.” She quirked a brow. She was
admonishing him. He was not taking the bait. Many wolves would’ve jumped up and
let their temper fly at that look but not Ethan. He’d sat in too many hearings
to fall for it. He was not free to go until he was outside of this building.

Sending a local Alpha to do their
bidding was uncommon but not unheard of. Sometimes local Alphas were called
upon to do their duty for the council. He nodded. “We will consider her pack
standing and what her Alpha has to say.” Ethan didn’t like that. “You will
advise him that he has to pay dues.” Ethan nodded. “Now for your standing as
Alpha.” She sighed loudly. “You are on probation until you have fulfilled our
demands.”

His phone shrilled loudly then. He
silenced it.

“Are we keeping you from
something?” she asked, her voice full of hostility.

“No, ma’am. It’s my beta checking
in.”

She nodded. “I’m glad that you have
one in place already. Your pack is fifty-three strong?” He nodded. “You need
one more as soon as you can get them. Even numbers are best. Your mate can rule
the females.” Ethan nodded again. “Anyway, we will expect to see you back here
within three months with all conditions met. Bring the other pack into the
fold, get two more betas, and we want statements from her previous pack members
and Alpha as to her standing. We don’t want a previous employee and friend to
stray down a wayward path at the direction of a mate who knows no better.
School her and her old pack on current conditions, and also find out how they
got off grid,” Krystal ordered. “The council has been in place for four hundred
years so not many excuses will be acceptable. That’s all. You are excused.”

Ethan leapt up and headed for his
car. He was tired, but he could make it. He’d had longer days than this one.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he answered it. “Kerry?” he asked without
looking at the screen.

“Gone,” Connor said. “I searched
the house. The front door and garage doors are locked. The basement door is
locked, but I found a window open in one of the back bedrooms. Her clothes were
in a pile there on the floor.”

“Fuck,! She saw something she
wanted.”

After a pause, Connor grunted. “Huh?
What could she want, that house has everything.”

“Game. She saw something outside
that she wanted. Apparently my mate likes to hunt.”

He could hear Connor smile. “Yeah?
My mate likes to shop. Kerry sounds like good people to me.”

“Find her. She’s never hunted on
our land, and I haven’t had time to show her or her wolf.”

“I’ll take volunteers, but none of
us have met her wolf. She won’t be receptive to a crowd coming after her.”

“I said, find her.” Ethan barely
maintained his control as the wolf pushed.

“Will do.” Connor disconnected. He
was right. Her wolf would be frightened with the pack chasing her, but what
could he do? He pushed the gas pedal to the floor and took the highway at an obscene
speed. Perhaps he could cut this trip to four hours.

***

She was lost. That much she knew.
The bird in her jaws wouldn’t last much longer. She could already taste the
bitter foulness of it turning. If she had to go back to her Alpha empty handed,
dirty and late, well, she knew what her father’s reaction would’ve been. The
bird was a total loss if she didn’t find the house soon.

There were other houses, but none
that she recognized, and she couldn’t shift because she had no clothes. Humans
didn’t like naked women running around. Well, most of them didn’t, anyway. Her
wolf huffed and spit the turkey out. Damn. She’d wanted to eat that bird.
Circling around, she scented the ground. Nothing was familiar, and it occurred
to her how stupid it was to climb out of that window without Ethan to show her
around first.

Coming upon a small stream, she
sniffed it. The water was bad, run-off and polluted with oil. Kerry was so
thirsty, but even if she shifted, she had no money to go into a convenience
store to buy water. She’d never been lost before and started to panic. An
engine rumbled nearby and she went toward it. If she found a road, maybe she
could get a sense of where she was and find her way back. Something pinged off
a rock five yards to her right. A shot. Someone was shooting at her. She turned
and bolted in the other direction. She heard another but no ping. Either he’d
missed or had hit dirt. Kerry flew, her feet moving faster than ever before, and
then she felt the sting. Damn it, that hurt. Her left leg burned, but she kept
moving.

It was stiffening and becoming
useless, but the other three still worked and she kept on. She heard them
laughing and congratulating each other. There were two.

Kerry slowed to a stop after hours
of fleeing. She didn’t have the energy to go on. Her leg was bleeding. She was
thirsty and hungry. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been the wolf this
long. The sun would come up soon. The men had given up following her a long
time ago. The squirrels were staying high in the trees, so there was no chance
at breakfast. Kerry licked the wound. It was bad. Something, a bullet probably,
was lodged in there, and she couldn’t free it. Exhausted, she crawled into a
space under an old dead tree and tucked her head in to sleep.

“Well?” Ethan stood with his hands
on his hips at the foot of Connor’s driveway.

“I was out all night, Ethan. She’s
nowhere. Thelma is still out looking. Tom, Greg, and Donovan, none have checked
in. Everyone else came back to eat, drink, and rest. Honestly, even if we’d all
gotten a good whiff of her wolf, the rain this morning would dash all hopes of
scenting anything.”

Ethan gave him a sharp nod. “Get
some rest.” He lowered himself back into the car and moved it to the garage. He
grabbed his bag and went inside. She wasn’t here. He’d stupidly pushed the car
too hard and had engine trouble three hours into his trip. Luckily, there was
mechanic in the part in the town where it gave up. The failure had delayed him
though, and now it was almost lunchtime. Connor had been out all night. The
rest of the pack was helping, and none of them knew her well enough to know
where she would go. The freezer was full, so what was she after?

He heard them then, wild turkeys
behind the house. She’d heard them, too, and had probably given chase because
there was no turkey in the freezer. “Damn it,” he swore. Ethan shifted and went
out the door. He bolted into the woods and got as close to the birds as he
could. If she had chased them and he couldn’t find her scent, maybe he could
scent the birds. They warbled at him, then scattered. Ethan nudged at the
ground. The forest litter was wet, but he caught her scent and headed in that
direction. His pack could scent, of course, but none of them had done it for a
living. None of them had tracked down another wolf for payment, and none of
them had the experience that he had. Ethan lost her scent, and then picked it
up again. He saw Thelma in a clearing ahead and yipped at her. She looked tired,
and he nodded his head in the direction of home. She yipped and went back the
way he came. He didn’t need two missing she-wolves.

Ethan continued. After losing and
gaining the scent several more times, he finally found blood drops on the leaf
litter. She was hurt. He was sure that it was Kerry. The blood had her scent,
and it wasn’t far from what he’d buried his mouth in a day ago. Kerry. He
followed the drops. They were erratic. Then he scented her. His she-wolf.
Curled tightly under a tree, and bloody. Kerry’s breathing was labored. He
shifted into his human self and pulled her out from under the tree. Her eyes
rolled in her head deliriously. She snapped at him, but her bite had no
strength. Love bite, he thought and grinned.

“Come on, sweetheart, I’m taking
you home.” Kerry was a big wolf, brown and well-muscled. He was impressed with
her size and strength. Her wolf was a fine match for his black one, and she would
give him strong pups. He carried her through the woods toward home.

When the wind shifted, the breeze
brought the scent of death with it. He scented dead bird and knew that his
earlier assumption was true. She’d chased a damned turkey and someone had shot
her. He could see the wound and knew it was caused by a bullet. Probably a
farmer since they were near the edge of his territory. If she’d crossed the
line onto a farm and the farmer spotted her near a flock, a bullet would find
her. Farmers around here were particular about what got near their land.

Hours later, nearly dinnertime, he
settled her in his bed. Connor clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you would
find her.” Ethan took her face in his big hands and commanded her to shift. An
Alpha could force a shift, and at first, she resisted, or was so out of it that
she couldn’t hear him. When he commanded her a second time, she turned into the
human. Connor averted his eyes out of respect. Nudity was not uncommon in a
pack, but this was the Alpha’s mate, and she was new here. It would be
different if Kerry chose to strip and shift in front of them, but she’d had no
choice, and Ethan covered her quickly with the sheet. He appreciated Connor’s
respect for her privacy.

“Get the doc. She’s been shot.”
Connor’s face went pale when the blood began soaking through the sheet, and he
ran from the room. It wasn’t a life-threatening wound, but coupled with not
shifting for so long and the fact that she hadn’t eaten, it was serious. She moaned
and squirmed in her sleep. Her face was twisted in agony. Ethan brought water
from the bathroom and urged her to sip. He scooped her shoulders off the pillow
and cradled her. Her head lolled in one direction, her eyes in another. Where
the hell was Connor? “Drink, Kerry.” Ethan held the cup up to her mouth again.
For a second, half a second, she locked eyes with him. “Drink.” She let some of
it slide down her throat, then she was out again.

“Ethan.” The doc came in and put
his bag down. “How is she? Did you get any water in her?”

Ethan shook his head. “A drop
maybe. This isn’t good, doc.”

The doctor wasn’t really a doctor
in the human sense of the word. He’d never been to medical school, but he’d
been tending wounds for most of his life, and that was a very long time. Ethan
estimated that he could apply for council soon if he wanted, but he didn’t know
why anyone would want to.

“Keep trying. Hold her close and
don’t let her move. The slug is embedded deep, and if it wasn’t so deep it
would’ve come out when she shifted.”

“I should’ve left her as the wolf.
I should’ve known that. I shouldn’t have made her shift.” Ethan brushed the
back of his hand over her cheek.

“Water, Ethan.” The doc waved the
long silver scalpel  in his hand at the cup. “Eye on the ball. There isn’t time
for ‘should’ve’ right now.” Doc was digging around in Kerry’s leg with the tool,
and Ethan turned his head. Blood and guts never bothered him before now, but
now it was his mate, and now it mattered. “You found her, and you got her home.
Anyone would’ve done the same. Get her to shift. It should cure all of her
ills. That’s common knowledge, but sometimes it’s not enough.”

He twisted the silver tong-looking
things around and pulled the slug free. It was brass, the tip jagged. They’d
used hollow-points to shoot his mate. He’d thought that it was a farmer scaring
a predator away, but now he knew that this was someone’s sick idea of fun. If
he caught whoever did this, they would pay.

. The doc packed the hole in her
leg with salve and herbs that curled Ethan’s nose for a second.

“It’ll help.”

“It stinks.” Ethan was still trying
to get her to drink.

“It smells better than a festering
rotting wound.”

Ethan shrugged. That was a good
point.

“Keep trying with the water, and as
soon as she can, get her to drink some broth. You should bathe her, too. She’s
filthy.” Ethan nodded while looking into her dirty face. What was she thinking?
“I’ll be back to check on her in a few hours, and I’ll give her this for the
pain.” The doc pulled a syringe out of the bag and tapped it, then stuck it in
her thigh near the wound.

“What’s that?” Ethan watched him,
feeling the wolf grow anxious inside him. It didn’t like his mate getting
poked.

“It will numb her and help with the
pain. I’ll give her more when I return. Remember: bath, water, broth, get her
to shift, oh, and keep her warm. You might want to crawl in there with her.
It’ll calm your wolf, too.” The doc picked up the bag and turned to leave.
“She’ll be okay, Ethan, but it will take time. See you in a bit.”

“Thanks, doc.”

He waved over his shoulder without
looking back. Ethan and the doc had only spoken once previously, when Thelma
had fallen and didn’t want ‘any damn shit shot into her.’ Ethan had sided with
Thelma, and the doc hadn’t liked it, but she’d recovered just fine. Ethan
figured if she’d lived this long she was wise enough to decide on her own
medical care. He suspected it was why the doc didn’t ask before sticking Kerry.
He didn’t want that argument again. Ethan didn’t blame him, that argument was
epic. Kerry groaned and squirmed. He held the cup up to her lips again. She
took some, but not enough to suit him.

“Drink, Kerry,” he urged. He poured
more into her mouth, but it dribbled out and down her cheek.

Once he had her settled so that she
looked comfortable, he went to the kitchen and found a large bowl. He filled it
with warm water, brought it to the bedside, and dipped a washcloth in to wet
it. Ethan gently washed every inch of skin except the stinky salve-covered
area. Kerry seemed more relaxed. He didn’t know if it was because she was clean,
or if it was because the meds had kicked in. He didn’t care why, just that she
was. He tried for more water, and she took some, but wouldn’t let him give her
more than a sip. He climbed in bed with her to keep her warm the way doc
recommended. Ethan pulled her against him and cuddled her gently, then pulled
the blanket up around them. God, he was tired. He’d been up since yesterday
morning and it was nearly midnight now.

“I need to sleep, little one. Rest
and heal for me,” he murmured against her temple. She shifted closer and
growled softly. Ethan smiled against her skin and kissed her hair.

His wolf stirred and pranced in his
mind. Ethan woke but didn’t move her. His eyes went amber. The wolf was near
and angry.

“Easy, Ethan,” the doc said softly
in the dark. “I came to check on Kerry. I told you that I’d be back.”

Ethan nodded.

“Your wolf doesn’t like me giving
her shots,” the doc chuckled softly. “I’ve repacked the wound, and she’s had
her meds. I’ll be back in the morning. You must really be exhausted.

“See you in the morning, doc.”

The doc gave him a wave and left.
Kerry moaned, and he looked into her face. It wasn’t twisted in agony, but she
didn’t look as comfortable as earlier either. Ethan got up and refilled her
cup. He lifted her and cradled her head so that it was still, and he tried to
give her more water. Surprisingly, she drank. He kept offering, and Kerry kept
sipping until she finished the cup. He went for more.

“Drink for me, princess.”

She scoffed, and he smiled. She was
awake, a little, anyway. “Come on, drink. It will make you feel better, and it
will help you heal.” She sipped more for him, then turned her head.

“Okay, for now it’s okay.” Ethan
put the cup on the side table and crawled back in bed beside her. Her body
relaxed, and he fell asleep almost instantly. She would be okay.