The Merciless Alpha(erotica)

Adrienne’s POV

As they took Leo away, I tried to open the door and go after him. One of the guards placed himself in front of the passenger door, shaking his head ‘no’ as I turned back to watch Leo disappear. Vicki was having a breakdown in the back seat, crying, and yelling for Leo. Liv was shocked, while Mike and Anita were tense. None of us had traveled with guns. They had all the advantages, and we would have to wait.

“What’s going on, Adrienne?”

“I don’t know, Liv. The guard called him a rogue, but that doesn’t make sense unless…” I figured it out. “Oh, fish sticks.”

“What were you going to say,” Liv sent privately.

“We came here in part to have Leo’s Alpha status confirmed. That might be the problem. Chairman Wolfe is coming; I’ll get this straightened out.” The guards snapped to attention as two men in expensive suits approached the vehicle. Chairman Wolfe, my boss, and the Midwest Region Chairman, walked towards us behind Council Chairman Daniel Sanders. He was head of all Werewolves, including Wolfe and six other Regional Chairmen.

I was now in Leo’s Pack, and I couldn’t link him.

The two leaders walked up on the driver’s side. “Remove the girl,” Chairman Sanders said. One of the guards opened the back seat and reached for Vicki’s car seat straps.

“NO,” Liv said as she pushed him away. Her wolf was rushing forward, and she started to shift. A second guard hit her with a Taser, causing her to seize up and drop to the floor. Vicki’s screams got more panicked as her mother twitched by her feet.

“ENOUGH,” Adrienne raged. “Mike, Anita, STAND DOWN.” They sat back, unable to fight her Alpha command. “Lewis, what the hell is going on?”

“It’s Chairman Wolfe, Luna Adrienne, and I’m not in charge here,” he said.

I looked to Charman Sanders. “Under my emergency order, I am placing Vicki Andersen in temporary protective custody,” he said.

“From who? She’s in MY PACK, Mr. Chairman, and today is her fifth birthday. It’s awful nice of you to taser her MOTHER in front of her for her birthday!”

“Your lack of respect is noted, Luna Adrienne. Guards, remove the child and take the mother with her to their room. If she behaves, she’ll be able to stay with her.” He moved aside to let the men back in.

“Vicki, behave, and go with them. Help your Mom until I can get back to you,” I told the frightened girl.

“Okay.” She was still crying, but she didn’t fight as one of the men unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her from the chair. Another man pulled Liv out, helping her stand to her feet. Coated silver necklaces were attached around their necks, cutting off any mind links. Four guards then escorted them across the lawn towards the main building, while I sat in the seat and focused on my breathing.

I was a Mediator. I couldn’t lose my shit. I had to focus on fixing the problem.

My wolf wasn’t as patient. We were going to find out who was responsible for this, and rip their intestines out with a rusty spoon.

***********

Adrienne’s POV

Once Liv and Vicki were out of sight, I thought the guards would let us go. I was wrong.

Chairman Sanders spoke up again. “Luna Adrienne, you may exit the vehicle. The two in back, they are your Betas?”

I got out as the guard opened the door, holding back my wolf. “Yes. Betas Mike and Anita Winters of the Miesville Pack.”

He leaned into the open door and took a sniff. “Send them to a hotel for now. You may stay or go as you wish.”

That was the last straw. “They are my Betas! They have a right to be here! This reception is an OUTRAGE, Mr. Chairman, and I won’t stand for it! Release my pack members at once!”

I noticed the guards moving behind me as I spoke to the Council Chairman. “Be quiet, Luna, or I’ll have you restrained in silver and tossed in the cell next to your mate.” Chairman Wolfe had a look on his face that was begging me not to continue. I swallowed my next sentence and steeled my face, making it neutral again. “I have to arrange Leo’s hearing. Chairman Wolfe, control your employee or get her the hell off of the Summit site.” He turned and left, with half of the guards going with him.

Chairman Wolfe came up next to me. “I’m sorry it happened this way, Adrienne, but I could not stop it. Please, send your Betas away. Their presence will only make things worse.”

“Why?”

“The Chairman received two legal petitions this morning. The initial ruling is that Leo is not eligible to be an Alpha. A banished wolf cannot be a Pack member, and Leo was banished from the Welch Pack.”

“He formed a new Pack, Lewis. He didn’t do anything with Welch.”

“It’s more complicated than that. Send your people away, and come to my office. The guards will escort you when you are ready.” He turned and walked back towards the main house.

“Give me time to speak with my Betas. They will not leave the van.” The leader of the guards nodded, so I got back into the minivan and closed the door. I shifted to using our link so the guards wouldn’t hear. “I think I know what is going on.”

Mike was pissed. “They have denied Leo his Alpha status? If they do that, what is our status?”

“Packless as well. They are giving the two of you a break by having you leave; technically, you are rogue wolves on Pack lands. If you do anything other than drive out of here, you’ll be silvered and put in cells with Leo.” I didn’t like it, but I gave the order. “You are to drive out of here and find a hotel to stay at near Augusta. You will be too far out for the link, but I will check in on you periodically by phone. If you do not hear from me for 48 straight hours, you are to fly back home. Do you understand?”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“Yes, Luna,” they both said.

“Good. While you leave, call every Pack member and inform them that our Pack status is in question. They are not to go on any other Pack’s land until further notice, even if invited. I don’t want to end up with anyone else captured or killed.”

“I will call them myself,” Anita said. “What about Sharkbait? They fucking SILVERED a five-year-old and hauled her off!”

“It’s all about Vicki and her mantle,” I said. “Leo doesn’t have enemies that are still alive, and nobody is worried about his Pack becoming a problem. No, Leo’s death would be a means to an end. If he isn’t an Alpha because of his previous banishment, his entry onto Pack lands is a death sentence. With him out of the way, what is Vicki’s status?”

Anita thought for a bit. “You’re still her Luna, right? If Leo can’t lead the Miesville Pack, you can?”

I shook my head, no. “I didn’t form this Pack, Leo did. Technically, we have mated, but until the mating ceremony is over, I’m not officially recognized as Luna of the Pack either. Whoever filed the complaints is smart. They’ve found a way to clear us out of the way.”

Mike jumped in. “If we don’t have a Pack, then we can still be Packless wolves, right? We still have a bond, Liv and Vicki are ours.”

“It’s not that simple. Packless wolves are not a problem unless they band together, which we have done. Other Packs could attack us and wipe us out if they consider us a threat, and Pack Law would support it. Alternatively, they could offer us places in their Packs. Either way, they won’t let us continue as is.”

“Can you be our Alpha? You have a mantle.”

“I could, but another can challenge me for the spot. How effective do you think I’d be if they just killed Leo? I’d be in no shape to lead you.”

“Fuck,” Mike said. “What about Sharkbait? If she doesn’t have an Alpha, they can’t force her and Liv to join a Pack.”

“That’s where you are wrong,” I said. “If Vicki was of age, laws on mating would apply. Since she is not, everything changes. There is a specific Werewolf law for Packless underage wolves with mantles. The first Alpha without a mantled heir to find the Packless mantled child can claim her. In this case, she would be ‘adopted’ by the Alpha into his Pack and become his heir. The Council would enforce the claim, forcing the bond to shift.”

“That’s crazy,” Anita said. “What about Olivia? She’s not going to let her another Alpha take her daughter!”

“I’m sure whoever is behind this would offer Brent and Olivia a place in their Pack. It would secure their cooperation. Leo would be dead, and I would be grieving. I’d tell them to go, for their own good.”

“Madness!”

“Yes. Now go, I need to find out who is behind this and get Leo recognized.”

“Yes, Luna,” Mike said.

I got out of the van as they moved to the front seats. The guards watched them drive away, the one with the motorcycle following them to the exit. I turned to walk towards the main house, and two of the armed guards fell in behind me. “I’m a Luna and a Council mediator, I don’t need an escort,” I said to them.

“Chairman’s orders. He doesn’t want any incidents, and you have already made threats.”

The Chairman didn’t know the half of it.