Tom woke up slowly, and stretched. He suddenly was fully awake and growled at his wolf. He was shifted to his wolf. His wolf felt content for the moment. That could only mean that they had worn the infernal collar and gone to eat with the pack.
His wolf gave him a surprised view, **What? I was hungry, and you were going to refuse to eat! The Alpha is punishing us for your actions.**
*They are forcing us to change!* Tom defended as he shifted back to human form and pulled the collar off, tossing it at the door. He started to pace the room.
**They are our Alpha. You need to let go.** His wolf told him before he moved back and curled up, not wanting to speak to his human half. His human was going to need a major shakeup to change his ways, and to fully realise that he was not in control, and that he had to listen to his other half, as he hadn't since he turned over control of the pack. **I will do it again if I need to.** he warned.
Tom growled, when he tried to do various things on the computer. He couldn't access e-mail, the internet, chat, or even documents! He could access the library, but only the historical section, and only a very limited list of books. He growled. Pulling out the e-reader, it had just those same titles! He had no interest in reading about other senior members of packs that tried to hold onto power. It's the upstart's fault that he was having issues! He should have settled in, and the upstart should have let him make the decisions! Then he wouldn't have this issue.
The wolf lifted his head, **That Upstart deserves your respect. He is our Alpha! He has beaten us twice!**
That Omega would have not caused him to be now imprisoned in his own room!
**Not an Omega anymore...** His wolf reminded him, **Also, you didn't need to push him that hard! You could have just slowed slightly even, and not had him in your way** Wolf-Tom was going to try to 'educate' his human... hopefully that would work. **Maybe, you should read the stuff left for you, so that you can see how others solved it...** he suggested. It probably would take several days before he did. The would didn't really have the ability to read, that would need the human side, but was very curious on what happened. He expected to see death or the elder learning to give it up, as those were the two viable options.
*****
Kevin was giving Smiles a curious look as they were sitting in their guest suite and Beth was sitting at the table. He wasn't quite sure why Beth was there but for the moment he didn't care. The steak was smelling wonderful as was the potato and mixed vegetables. He gave the cake a hard look before looking at Smiles, "Not going to ask and going to simply enjoy the meal. How's it been going Beth?"
Beth pulled her large plate over and leaned over and sniffed the food. For tonight she went for several large salmon steaks and some lobster. Both were in herbed melted butter and smelled wonderful, "Not bad currently. Still have some patients but most of them are what I would consider having minor issues. I'm enjoying having a bit of time to relax and not worry about if I need to help others." She knew that Zane was likely to need her help once the Rogue was dealt with, so was keeping herself ready.
Smiles leaned over and wrapped a hand around Beth's neck and gave her a light kiss, "Know the feeling Bethany. Sometimes even I need a chance to get away and relax. I love my mate and our pack but even Liraque need a break occasionally. Usually it is between clients but for those mated with Pack Fathers , we don't have that option. We can go on break to relax and recover. If you need come to the Enclave and get away for a while. We can bring you back to your pack if an emergency comes up."
Beth returned the kiss before she relaxed against Smiles for a few minutes. Once she had relaxed she sat up and started slicing her food up.
"I might take you up on it, but I have a feeling an issue may be coming soon. Not going to say more about it. We do have some lodges I can retreat to, that is only a few hour run if I am really needed."
As Beth was eating she gave the occasional bite to Kevin and Smiles. They were sharing bites with her which she was greatly enjoying. They were talking but it was general things.
Eventually they ended up in the massive tub. Beth was leaning back against Kevin and it felt good having him hold her. Even her wolf was feeling happy being with him. It was like—but not like—being with one of the Alphas.
*****
Layla finished the book about Weres, and now was laying back in the hot spring. She had a thought about doing scans before, during, and after being turned, but didn't know if the Folicans would be willing to do it. Being turned just felt Right to her. She was trying to reconcile everything she had learned, and Len had suggested she read it twice, to make sure she understood it.
Adam had told her when she asked, "Deciding not to be Turned can always be changed, but once Turned, there is no going back." He had refused to say anything for or against being turned, just saying, "It has to be a decision that is wholly yours, without any influencing from anyone else."
She wanted to discuss her idea with Autumn before she did anything else, and had invited the doctor up for a visit.
*****
When Autumn received the invite from one of Adam's pack she wasn't sure why she had been asked for. The name of the person wasn't one she recognized but then again Adam had a large pack. She had been there but she'd only met a small portion. After receiving the message, she sent to Adam, *I received an invite to come up from Layla. Not sure why she wants me to come up. Do you know what she needs?* She sent that to his implant and waited for a reply.
Adam blinked at the note. Layla had mentioned it, but since he had an open door to all the Folicians, no permission was need. *I believe you or someone on your staff has been working with her on the werewolf genetics, I think she was wanting to meet you. You are welcome to come anytime.*
*Ah, that is something we've been working on. Thank you, Adam. I'll be up soon. Need to make sure all is taken care of before I visit.* She let him go and contacted her assistant to let her know she was going to be gone for a few days.
*****
Autumn had appeared in the rooms maintained for the Folicians. Once there, she tossed her bag on the bed knowing one of the junior wolves would take care of it. The last time she put her own stuff away the Theta who normally took care of them kept giving her puppy dog looks. Damn but he was good with those things. She'd felt horrible for the next several days.
Once she had arrived and dropped her shield she left her rooms, *Adam I've arrived and going to get something to drink and find Layla.* She knew he would ensure those who needed to know would.
Layla smiled when Autumn came up to her, "Welcome!" she greeted, giving her a hug.
Autumn returned the hug, "And hello back. This place is so bad for me. I keep wanting to urge Kevin to open an enclave here... Every time I suggested it, he's shot it down. Something about 'then no work would ever get done'. Not sure why he says that..." She hooked an arm around one of Layla's and walked along with her, "So what do you want to talk about? We could easily have done this via a video call. Not complaining, just saying."
Layla laughed, "I much prefer doing things in person; that is something that the wolves have rubbed off on me. For them, it is so they can use their nose. I think even my nose has been getting better. Care for a soak?"
She had to laugh, "Don't remember who it was but someone compared us to water dogs. I feel vaguely insulted but it's a about right. Don't know of many Folician's who don't like soaking for part of the day. As far as the in person aspect we grow up with voices in our minds so it's second nature to just think at someone halfway across the planet." Autumn walked with her towards the springs, "How goes the settling in? Going to see about getting changed?"
Layla nodded, "Most wolves are like that too with the soaking." She nodded when the comment about being Turned. "I was considering it, but wondering if you want to do a set of scans before, during, and after being turned?" She stripped without thought and slipped into the hot pool when they arrived.
Autumn gave her a very toothy grin, "Actually I was going to talk to Kevin and call it a medical study and be here for the entire thing. The scanner isn't very portable so doing one during would be difficult. We do have portable but they don't have near the same capability of the full sized one. To do scans during I'd almost need to take you to one of the Enclaves and I know about the whole..." She frowned, "I need to talk to Adam and Brook, we have shield technology which includes environmental and bacteriological protection. I think you would call it HEPA quality or level. It can be controlled externally."
Layla nodded, "I wanted to make sure it was fine before I talked to Adam about it. I already been approved to be Turned. I just wanted to know everything I could before being turned. I'm a researcher at heart, and love the thought of more details on the how the turn happens."
"It might take some time to organize on my end since I'd need to contact the government for approval. To just do the scans isn't a problem but to make a full study out of it I would need approval. I do have a second doctor who can cover my duties. She's at one of our other Enclaves. I don't see why they would need to say no. Frankly we're still finding out new things from the scans the others let us do. Just because we are vastly more advanced than you doesn't mean the human aspect isn't needed." As usual the water was perfect and she loved the greenery in the building as well.
Layla nodded and leaned against Autumn, "I thought about that. There is always something new to learn! It is the biggest thing that attracts me to research. I need to ask someone to turn me." She would love to ask Adam, but not sure if he could take the time to be with her. "Usually they are the one to remain while you go through the first parts of the turn, as they need someone to care for them."
She took several sips of the beer she had as she was thinking, "Um, I'd need to talk to your doctor as well as Adam. I'm not a research scientist. I'm what you call a general practitioner with access to tools your doctors normally wouldn't have in the office." Autumn leaned back and looked out the skylights as she was thinking. I know we have been working with you about expanding your knowledge base but the question is how much are you willing to allow us to study a change. I'm sure you understand but the more invasive, to an extent, the study the more you'll learn. With the shields that I'm thinking of you wouldn't need to have the pervasive quarantine." Blast it, she wanted to relax and this was starting her thinking.
Layla nodded, and looked distant, like she had an implant, but for the wolves, it was when they were talking with their bonds. "Healer McCoy is free, and is going to come join us. I know you are more general practitioner. I can do more of the study, since I am a researcher. I just lack the scanning capability. Since it is for myself, it is easier to say I don't mind invasive; I just won't release anything I don't want to be used."
"By invasive I'm talking having us being there with you, running scans fairly often, lots of blood scans, other bodily fluids and that sort of thing. That's what I meant. Lots of extra equipment though to you it wouldn't be much. We can talk to him but I'm going to need to put together a hell of a proposal. Thanks, I'm starting to get a headache." This would be frigging incredible if she got her name on a study like this.
Layla nodded, "The more scans, the better the resolution of the changes that we can do. I have always wondered on how the changes happened."
She rolled the cold bottle across her forehead, "Um, recently I looked up the file size of some of your current medical scans. For a full CT of the brain, depending on the number of slices about 100MB per slice. You might be looking at I think 300GB in size depending on the age of the machine. Toss in FMRI or MRI, plus any sort of EEG it could take up maybe 500GB or somewhat larger. For a full body scan in human terms it would be about a quadrillion bytes. That's for a single normal head to toe scan. It is the technological differences which would cause problems. Added to that our scans are a combination of everything you have and a few you don't. It includes blood and brain labwork, genetic studies, and other facets. This might take some time to set up and it might end up with a small medical ship in space to do the studies. I just don't know." She was excited for this but the headaches she could see would be extensive.
Layla grinned, "I think you might be over thinking the idea a bit. I think that once the changes are done, we could probably simplify the scans to what changes at each level." She shook her head, "Whatever your people want to supply, we can do. Probably could do a Petabyte of data here."
"I'll let the IT people deal with that. I will just submit the suggestion and go from there." She gave Layla a sly look, "Depending on what it shows as well as the other scans we might bring a few wolves along on a few cruises." She spent time with a number while here and they were as enjoyable as the Folician males.
Layla just laughed, "I am sure that the females on the ship would appreciate them. Would be lucky males." She replied when she caught her breath, "Although I am curious about if they would shift like a wolf, and would they have a Human or Folican shape..." she shook her head, "Have you even done a test to see if they are fertile with you?" she asked. That was one test she hadn't been able to do, as she had no details on the Folican side, nor had she to this point looked at it.
"The presumption is they would be simply because you are mostly human from the DNA aspect. Beyond that we don't know and won't chance it. It isn't having some sort of hybrid since we already have those. My son is one as well as a number of the other pups at the Enclaves." She chewed on her lip before she spoke again, "One of the worst things a Folician female can experience is a miscarriage. It can be bad enough for the female to be taken to a temple of the Goddess to be helped. From what I've read human females can experience wide reactions to it but to us? It makes us feel like we have failed our race and especially if it is a boy pup. You don't know but one of our human Pack Father's lost a pup and it almost devastated not just him and the mother but his entire pack." She had to take a deep breath to control her reaction to what she had seen in the past.
Layla hugged Autumn tight, "It can be hard for humans as well, but I agree that it is much harder for your race, as there is about as many people in this country as on your entire world!"
"Even more. We have a bit over a hundred million between our four colonies and outposts. What you humans have done for us is giving us hope but..." She leaned against her, "It isn't going to change in a day." Her ears were lowered and her eyes closed. Right now, with the memories brought up, she didn't want to talk much more.
Several of the wolves nearby could smell her anguish, and moved to place a hand on her, or just be near, and offer the comfort. Some had overheard their conversation, but others were just reacting. When the Folicans were here, they were Guests, and as such, if they could help them, they would.
When she felt others come over and try to comfort her she relaxed into their touch since it was how they did it, too. What Layla wanted was important but she needed to deal with this. It wasn't something she had expected but the conversation had ended up there.
Beth wandered in and had to smile slightly as others moved out of her way. She stripped and slipped down in the water, "Afternoon Autumn. If you want to talk later we can do that. For now, why don't we soak and let our concerns or whatever go hang." She glanced at Layla, *Nothing else today. You can talk later. She is feeling stressed but not as if it had happened to her. It's that lovely cultural baggage we all have.*
Layla nodded and agreed, *But it hurts just the same, and we are helping*
*We are but as I said cultural baggage or personal junk in the trunk. Think of it this way, you grew up knowing something was bad but you found you had to do that bad thing to save someone. Would you go 'but it saved him/her so it's okay' or would you go 'but it is wrong though I saved him/her'? It is much the same. I'm going to take her to my quarters and comfort her. Maybe have Zane and Kat or one of the other senior wolves come if she wants. Once we deal with this we can go to what you were talking about.* Beth comforted Autumn, "Come, I'm going to bring you to my rooms, comfort you, give you some good food, and we can talk. How does that sound?"
Autumn wasn't sure why she reacted the way she did but she nodded against the other's chest, "Thank you Liraque. It would help. I didn't realize it had hit as hard as it did." She could feel herself relaxing as the other was comforting her.
*****
Once he reached his camp he settled the woman down on his sleeping bag. He had been forced to knock her out one additional time before he reached the parking spot he was using. The trip to the camping spot didn't take that long and while she was asleep he started some food. Many of his meals had been stews and or chili. He had been getting better with cooking since he had been kicked out. It was still what he considered women's work but he wasn't going to starve. Having the smart trac phone helped since he'd look up a number of recipes.
When she started to wake he checked the rope connecting her foot to a nearby tree. The knot had been fixed with some glue so she couldn't undo it. It gave her enough room to reach the fire, crap hole, and the solar shower. He knew better than to allow her room to reach the other side of the fire since she could burn the rope. He might consider some chain soon but not at the moment, "Don't bother trying to escape. Your daughter is fine and by now she should be rescued. I don't like doing this but Zane needs to understand he isn't the worlds best wolf. He might look like he's all that but he isn't. If you don't believe or act as he expects you aren't worth shit in his eyes. I know since he tossed me out of the Academy due to his opinions."
She could tell he was mental. It wasn't just a wolf thing but she'd known humans who sounded much the same. It was always someone else's fault. It couldn't be theirs for what ever reason. Someone was always at fault for what had happened to them, "What do you want from me? Why'd you kidnap me?" Until she saw her daughter she wasn't going to hold her breath. She was going to hope she was okay and do her best to get out of this in one piece.
He looked at her and his eyes were almost glowing, "To punish him for what happened to me. Changed two and no reaction from him. Best you just relax and don't try anything. If you do, you won't like the results. Might bite you as well." He let a course laugh out as he finished the food, "Now you'll be doing the cooking as is the job for women. Cleaning the camp site up as well." He dished the food into some bowls and handed one to her with a cheap aluminium spoon.
She wanted to yell at her captor as she started to eat. She had never allowed someone to tell her a job was 'man's work' to stop her from doing it, nor did she want to be forced to do it 'because it's woman's work'. She smirked, "If I'm cleaning, I'm going to need..." she rattled off a list of cleaning agents that she knew had strong smells. If he was going to take control of her, she was going to make it as unpleasant as possible. She knew the wolves had good senses, so she was going to use that.
He growled at her, "You have soap and water as well as a scrub pad. It should be more than enough for whatever cleaning you might have." He kept eating until he was done. Once he was he tossed the aluminium plate into a pot of hot water, "Get cleaning woman." He stood and after a quick strip down he changed and left the area.
She sighed but hid a smirk, as she had got a barb in. She had always loved wolves, and his wolf looked nice... She shook her head and turned to wash the pot out as good as she could with hand soap. She scrubbed his bowl a bit, but was meticulous with hers. She left the water in the pot, as she couldn't get far enough away for her liking. She didn't want to attract a bear.
If he bites me, I'll bite him back, hard. She thought. It would deserve him right to force her turn and for her to take him down. She scoured what she could reach, and couldn't find anything sharp to cut the rope—or to stab the rogue with. She shuddered as she looked at his sleeping bag. It looked like it had been dragged through a feedlot, and smelled like it too.
When he eventually came back he had a small deer in his mouth. When he noticed she was leaning against a tree and asleep he mentally smirked before he tossed the deer carcass at her. When he shifted he jerked on some clothes, "Gut it and clean it. The better you do the nicer I'll treat you." He crawled into the tent and fell asleep on the bag and pad. Tomorrow he'd have her clean the bag as best possible. He'd grabbed another couple from her house but she didn't know that. For now, he was going to enjoy having a woman doing what a woman should – serving a man and taking care of him. For those male Theta's, well as far as he was concerned they might as well be girls for how they acted. He tossed a knife out but would keep an eye on her even if she thought he was asleep.
She did growl when she struggled out from under the deer. She sighed, since she did agree with the comments that If it got caught, it deserved to be eaten. She grinned as she grabbed up the knife, and started butchering the deer. She had hunted with her father, so knew how to deal with a deer. Placing the tongue on a stone beside the fire, she started working to separate the meat, but without cold storage, she wondered how long it would last.
Eating the tongue was one of her favourite things when she was young, so when it was done, she paused to eat it, and moved to hide the action as she cut a few of the fibres of the rope, but not enough to be noticed without a close look.
When she turned away with the knife he lunged out of the tent, "Don't try that again or you will regret it." She was dangling several inches off the ground when he reacted, "If you test me too much I'll settle for trying to make you pregnant. The only three things women are good for are babies, cooking, and cleaning." He took the knife away from her before grabbing the offal and heading back into the night.
She glowered, and moved back over to the tree, and sat down. She didn't bother doing much, since her neck and throat were aching from the pressure. After a bit, she worked as best she could without a knife to get the meat out. She went back to work on the carcass, as it would take her a long time to do it. She thought less of his hunting prowess that he didn't bother doing anything with it, and just demanded she deal with it. It failed to honour the sacrifice.
She was glad for the full moon and the fire, as without them, she would have been helpless. She just hoped she was found soon. For him, she could just envision his death, and the wolves said the worst death was to be buried. She grinned as she envisioned where and how he would be buried.
*****
The visits to Blackwater and Midnight Forest Packs were short, but they got the work done. It had been five years since the last major visit of someone senior. Both packs seemed a little distant, and almost like they were wanting to fully break away, but they liked the advantages to maintaining the bonds. The Alphas of both had taken her and Tommy aside, for long discussions about various things, including the coming out, and the issue down in the US with the Rogue. There had been several announcements made to try to do damage control, but the groups that wanted to treat all Weres as animals were gaining traction.
She added to her report as Graham drove them to their second last stop: Ice Lake. Zane still growled when they teased him about being rated as an Elder in the pack. Alex managed the pack mostly without issue, but Tala had discussed it with the others at their lunch stop at a day-use park, as they suspected they would be called into meetings.
Graham rolled his window down at the gate, "Wild Valley Next Alpha Team." He stated.
The wolf nodded, as he could clearly see Graham's membership necklace. "Both vehicles?" he enquired.
"Yes. It was easier than taking a bus." Graham commented. *Although, it would have been better, if we find any mates* he commented to his wolf.
The guard laughed, "I'm sure about that!" he replied, "You're expected." Stepping back, his partner opened the gate up to let them drive in.
Passing the long smooth road, they pulled into the parking space in front of the packhouse.
"Tala! Tommy! Welcome!" Alex greeted, coming out the door.
Tala and Tommy hugged the Alpha, but as equals. Mostly, they didn't give much of a care of rankings, although Tala and Tommy would defer to Alex and his mate, if needed; it was their pack.
Tala laughed, "This is..." she started to introduce the teammates, which this being the fifth time, went smoothly.
Riley and Logan spoke together, "These are our mates. Jake and Rachel are new pack members." They ignored the snickers of the others as they spoke in unison.
Rachel leaned against Logan, "He helped me and my family when I was hurt. He is such a loving and cuddly wolf." She still tended to carry the little wolf he'd given her around, "He even looks like this." A slight blush showed as she was talking.
Jake gave Riley a good kiss, "And she is my mate as well. Never expected this but so worth it. Can't wait to become a wolf." He had an arm around Riley and looked very content.
"As tomorrow is the Moon Night," Alex said, as he led them in, "I do hope you will honour us with joining in."
Tommy nodded, "Definitely. Although Jake and Rachel will need to sit out the hunt part." The two looked relieved at that, as they had been around for the last moon at Wild Valley. Logan had been under Healer's Order to take it easy, so he had skipped the run and hunt, keeping the two new human members company.
Alex nodded, "Even us here have acquired some human members, so you two won't be alone." He turned to Tala and Tommy, "I hope my mate and I could do some physical training with your team. I have heard that you are as deadly as Zane, and I miss bouting with him."
The twins grinned at the comment, "Not as good as him but we're trying. Love the half-staff's." Riley had to snicker since even now most wolves tended to give the things odd looks.
Tala chuckled, "I think we could work something out." She said, "Maybe tomorrow morning." She suggested.
*****
Tala was down wearing a sport bra and bike shorts as she waited for Alex to arrive. She had her training sword out. It was a dull steel sword that matched her live weapon as close as possible.
Alex came in, "Sorry, had to deal with an upset pup that spent the night." He explained. Seeing that she was ready, he nodded and moved to the rack of practice swords, choosing one that fit his balance.
Tala nodded, as he stepped into the circle after pulling on some padding to help spread the hits. "Issues happen; it's part of leading." She commented, as they did some slow exchanges warming up.
Many others were watching. One of the trainers came to stand outside the circle and referee he told himself, but he could see that Tala was as good as the Alpha, if not better. Some noticed and stopped their own training so they could watch.
Logan pulled Jake over to a training circle after handing him a quarter staff. He and Riley had decided to train the other's mate since training their mate wasn't a good idea, "Start with the basics Jake, don't push it and aim to ensure the moves are correct." He gave the teen a bow before he took a defensive position.
Even as he was doing that Riley was working with Rachel. They had explained why they weren't training with their mates to the two. It kept them from being easy or to hard on them. For both Riley and Logan the moves were slow but once changed their mates would be able to start speeding up. It was going to be a few more months before they could be changed. Adam had told them to wait until both were eighteen and it was damn hard. Even with the wolf-dogs their wolves were wanting them changed sooner than later.
Alex and Tala by unspoken agreement started to speed up once both had warmed up a bit. Tala was grinning, as she could see Alex had skills, "Not bad. You seem to work on it a fair bit."
Alex nodded, "Yes. I had a wolf that had fought with them join us. He had worked to keep his stills up, and is actually better than me." He smiled, "I have been working to learn his skills, and better myself."
Tala nodded and had to leap back to miss the attempt that Alex did. She gave him a respectful look, as she re-engaged with him.
By the end, they both had a few bruises from the shots that they had pulled. If they hadn't, and with live weapons, it could have been a lost limb for them.
By the time they finished, Rachel and Jake were taking a break, and their mates were watching beside them.
"Logan!" Tala called over the din of those training. "Quarter Staffs!"
Logan came over with a pair of them, and handed the others to Alex. After handing the training staff's over he gave Alex a bow, "Shall we Alpha?" He lifted his and took his position. From what his father said Alex was very good with them. He hoped not as good as he was but Alex was Alpha. He was stronger and faster than almost anyone else.
Alex smiled and bowed after taking the Quarterstaffs. It was one of his favourite weapons, as you could give bruises or knock someone down, but unless you were very unlucky or they were trying for one of the few hits, it was rare to actually be lethal. "We shall."
Alex waited and let Logan lead the bout. He could tell Logan was good with them, but he used a style that he hadn't seen since Zane was up here. It was to be expected, as Zane would have taught his son his moves. He was having to concentrate on the fight, and they bother were moving so fast it was a steady tattoo of clacks of the wooden rods. They had a heavy steel rod down the middle to reinforce it, or they would be breaking them like what happened in one movie.