THE PORCH WOLF #56
Olivia’s POV
I was still shaking, not trusting my legs as we walked towards the main house. I’d seen videos of tasered people, but those didn’t do it justice. “Where are we going,” I asked the goon who was ‘helping’ me along.
“A guest room in the Council’s wing,” he said. “For now, you are in protective custody. As long as you cooperate, you’ll be comfortable.”
“And if not?”
“Protective custody can be in the cells, too.”
That part, I understood. I looked up at Vicki; a female guard was carrying her in front of us, her head on her shoulder so she could see me. She was quietly crying, but she was all right. I tried reaching her on the bond, but it didn’t work. “I can’t link my daughter,” I said.
“The silver collars prevent you from shifting or linking,” the guard said.
I reached up and felt the collar; it had a small box on the front and foam on the outside. I went to pull it off; the foam-like coating compressed, then I felt my fingers and neck burn. I quickly let go. “What the heck?”
My guard looked annoyed. “Don’t you know about silver?”
“It hasn’t come up in conversation, no.”
We were almost to the house. “Silver is commonly used in controlling werewolves. It burns on contact with the skin; those collars have a coating to keep it off your skin unless you pull on it. Don’t try and cut it off either; if you try to tamper with it, the collar will give you a shock that makes a taser feel like a tingle. It will knock you out.”
Damn. “Anything else this thing can do?”
“GPS tracking, so don’t try running. We’ll find you, and then you’ll be in a cell lined with silver.”
We entered the impressive plantation-style home and took stairs to the top floor. One of them opened a door, and I followed Vicki’s guard inside. She set my daughter on a couch facing a television; I could see a bathroom and a bedroom through open doors. I went and sat on the couch, pulling my daughter into my lap. “It’s going to be all right, baby,” I told her as she cuddled up to me.
“There are drinks and snacks in this refrigerator, and we will bring your meals. If you need anything, inform the guard posted outside the door. Our security office just set GPS alarms both of your collars; if you leave the room, you’ll get the shock, and we’ll come by to toss you into the cells. Any questions?”
“Who do I thank for the hospitality,” I said with a sneer.
“You should be thankful you have this, it could be far worse for you.” With that, he turned and left.
It took a few minutes before Vicki spoke up. “My wolf is mad,” she said.
“Mine too. She doesn’t like not being able to talk to her Pack. Don’t touch the collar; it hurts.” I set her beside me and picked up the remote from the coffee table. “Why don’t you find something to watch while I check this place out?”
She started looking for Animal Planet while I looked around. We were on the third floor with locked closed windows, not that it mattered. I couldn’t see the building where we had parked, and I couldn’t link the others. No phone was in the room, and my cellphone was in the car. I couldn’t communicate with anyone but the guard, and I wanted nothing to do with them.
I found some snack-sized bags of animal crackers and goldfish, a bottle of orange juice, and a Coke. Taking them back to the couch, I sat with Vicki on my lap. “No shark shows,” she said with a frown.
“Hmmm… do we have Netflix?” I checked, and soon we were watching a Disney documentary called “Oceans.” We ate our snacks until the adrenaline crash hit and she closed her eyes.
I woke as I heard the door to our room opening. A woman was coming in with a tray, dressed as a maid. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were sleeping,” she said. “I didn’t know if you’d had time for lunch, so I brought some sandwiches and chips.”
“Thank you,” I said as I moved Vicki off of me. “Do you have our bags? We don’t even have pajamas.”
“I will ask,” she said. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“I want to speak to Luna Adrienne,” I said. I needed to know what was going on around here.
“I will ask,” she said as she left. I ate the Club sandwich as I waited.
And waited.
________
Adrienne McInnis’ POV
“Chairman Wolfe asked me to come to his office.” I had walked into the Pack House, following Lewis’ scent to the offices on the right side, and the guards had stopped me.
“He is not ready for you, and frankly, Luna, you haven’t calmed down enough for us to let you talk to him. Please join us in the dining room. There is time for you to eat, as I understand you’ve been traveling all day.”C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.
“Fine.” We headed towards the dining room. “Where is my luggage?”
“It’s in your van,” he said. “Once you know you’ll be staying, you can have it delivered to the front gate.”
I stopped and stared at him. “I’m a Luna and a Council Mediator, boy. You’re the ones who kicked my people out. Call them and get our luggage here now.”
He wasn’t about to do what I wanted. “Ma’am, everything I’ve done has been on direct orders of the Council Chairman. I don’t work for you, and you can’t intimidate me. I’m Alpha blood, just like you. I don’t have a mantle, but you won’t push me around, either.”
I stared him down. “We all do what we’re told, in the end,” I said. I walked into the room and heard my name shouted from the corner. Anthony and Pamela had a table along the side, and I rushed over to embrace them. When I let go, I glared at my escorts. “He’s my son. Back the hell off; you can keep your eye on me from the door.” The guard nodded and backed off.
“What the fuck, Mom? What’s going on that you need a security escort?”
“That’s what threatening the Council Chairman gets you, I guess.” His eyes got wide. A few of my friends from the Council and other Lunas pulled up chairs to listen in. One of my friends brought me some food and a glass of milk. “So it all went to shit when we arrived. My mate is in the cells, my Pack mates are in ‘protective custody’ somewhere, and my Betas have been kicked offsite. They haven’t even shown me the legal filings, and we had no chance to defend ourselves before the initial ruling.”
“When can you find out,” Anthony said.
“He wants to see me after I calm down, apparently,” I said.
“Great, that won’t take long,” Pamela said, which caused Anthony to bust out laughing.
The laughing spread like wildfire, finally reaching me. “I’m not THAT bad! I have to maintain control of my emotions for my job.”
Anthony wiped his eyes. “When it doesn’t involve family, you have a poker face. When it was me, you were like a momma bear on a rampage.”
My babysitter came over and leaned down next to me. “The Chairman is ready to see you,” he said.
“About time.” I drained the rest of my milk and wiped my hands on the napkin. “If I don’t come back, I’ll be in the cells or the morgue, and I won’t be the only one.”
“Kick his ass, Mom,” Anthony said.
I knew most of the people in the room, and there were three people whose reactions I questioned as I walked by. The first was Luna Brenda of Marengo Lake. She was sitting at a different table than John was; he looked mad, as I’d expect a father to feel after hearing his daughter had been silvered and placed in custody. Brenda looked like that girl that tattled on you, then smirked as you got sent to the Principal’s office.