My Mystery Mate Ch. 15-17

Lynn had woken up about halfway through the plane ride, and her neck was rapidly healing due to her Panther nature. Linda had her shift back and forth a few times to help with the healing process, and now the surgical scar was just an angry red line.

Mom was getting all the time with her she could, knowing that this might well be the last. She was relieved to have the CIA out of the way, but it wasn't like there were no threats left. She hugged her tight to her chest, vowing that no matter what, she would be safe and have a normal life. Joe felt her emotions through their bond, and he squeezed her shoulder as the Lynn sandwich squeezed tighter. "Honey, we need to talk about what is going on." Lynn looked up, her eyes starting to fill with tears as she realized what was happening. "You know Joe and I love you, and will do anything to keep you safe. Well, part of that is going to be sending you to live with another couple while we try and make things safe for us all again."

"But... I just got you back! Don't leave, Mommy!"

Now it was Linda's turn to start crying. "I wish I could, but I need to know you are safe. The men we have to take on are dangerous, more dangerous than before. They want to kill me, to kill Joe, and they probably will. I have to do the best thing for you, that is why we have picked a family for you. If we return, they will have taken care of you for a while, but if not, they will be your new parents." Lynn started to cry harder, pressing her face to her chest. "They are good people, Joe knows them. You will get to grow up with two parents, go to school, and have lots of friends and classmates in the Gila pack."

"Pack? Aren't those wolves, mommy?"

Joe kissed her head. "Yes, they are wolves, and they are people I trust with the things most precious to me. You won't lack for love there, and they will help you grow strong."

Lynn looked back up at her mom. "Why can't I just stay with Daddy?" They knew this question was coming, they had discussed it but something about Trevor just seemed... off. Joe had convinced her that a mated couple would be a more stable environment than with a long term bachelor panther.

"Panthers aren't like wolves, dear. Male panthers don't form mated pairs, and they don't care for children. Trevor was taking care of you when he thought I was dead, but only until he could find another female panther to foster you. He is your Daddy, but he will never raise you."

Joe pulled up a photo Enrique had emailed to him. "This is Caleb and Maria Forrester, they will be taking care of you for us." He flipped to the next photo, their new home on Gila pack lands. "They have plenty of room for you to run and climb, and they can't wait to meet you."

"When?"

"In about twenty minutes we land. They will join us on the plane, it isn't safe for Mom and I to show ourselves in public. Now I need you to promise me something, all right?"

"What, Mr. Joe?"

"Promise me that you'll believe in your mother, believe that she and I will do everything in our power to come back to you." She nodded her head. "And if you find out we didn't make it, know that we love you."

Lynn turned and hugged him. "I love you too." They all snuggled together until the pilot's voice came over the speakers telling them to prepare for landing. They hadn't seen the pilot, and the pilot wouldn't see them, it was just the way they did things.

Twenty minutes later, they had taxied to a remote hangar and the engines shut down. When the door closed, they opened the door and the stairway went to the ground. A young man of 19 climbed up, he was broad of shoulder and clearly still growing, then he turned back and held the hand of a short Hispanic woman as they entered. Joe was waiting for them, he gave Caleb a big hug then offered his hand to Maria. "Caleb and Maria, may I introduce my mate, Linda, and our daughter, Lynn."

Both came forward and shook the hands of the couple, but when Maria met Lynn she dropped to her knees and gave her a hug. "I'm not your mommy, but I'm going to be like one for you, all right?" Lynn nodded. "Does she have any luggage?"

Joe shook his head. "No, we didn't have time when we left home." He handed Joe an ATM card and a piece of paper. "There is about 10k on this card, use it to get her set up with what she needs. The other paper is a bank account, if we don't return it is hers, but you can use it for any of her expenses including school until she is 21."

"Not a problem. We will stop in town and get what she needs before we head back." The speaker told them the refueling was complete and they would be ready to depart in 15 minutes. "Stay safe, Joe, and come back to get her soon. She'll be in good hands." They all embraced again and Joe and Linda made their final goodbyes and they walked out. Linda started to cry, so Joe sat with her, looking up only when the new passengers came on board.

"Hi Joe, good to see you again!" Joe got up and embraced Enrique then his mate Anna, both had become good friends and had helped him through his grief. He introduced Linda just as another woman walked on board. Joe looked up, shock then resignation on his face. "Madam Alpha Renee, I did not expect to see you."

"You haven't seen me, Joe. After all, I'd have to arrest or kill you if I saw you."

Joe raised his head, smiling, and brought Linda forward. "Alpha Hastings, allow me to introduce my mate Linda." They hugged briefly, each scenting the other and finding no deceit or danger in the scent they stepped back smiling. "What can I do for you?"

"Joe, you know you can be a real pain in the ass when it comes to Pack matters, and this one is no different." Joe looked up, grinning. "We've been looking into the Telluride pack, and something is wrong. You told Enrique that you stole a bunch of cash from their safe, correct?"

Linda nodded. "Yes, but I dropped my backpack during the chase, so they got it back."

"Not according to my sources. The Alpha declared that you had stolen the money and must have given it to a traitor in their midst, because when they recovered the bag the only thing in it was your clothes and some burglary tools. A few days later, a low level Omega was executed for treason, but they never found the money."

Enrique picked it up. "Amazingly enough, the day after your attack a large deposit, in cash, was made. It covered the money withdrawn a week earlier we suspect was used to pay the Torchellis for your services. So we started thinking, who would be able to pull off such a scheme and why?"

Joe got the answer immediately. "The Betas would have to get together, Pack accounts require multiple signatures so there must have been a couple conspirators to pull this off." He turned to Linda, she didn't understand Pack dynamics yet. "After Wolfstock, the Alphas made rules regarding challenges to the Alphas. The Telluride Alphas were good leaders, well respected, their Luna was universally loved. There was no way anyone was going to win a vote to replace them, and if the Beta killed them off, the Council would execute him."

Linda thought it over. "But, if an outside person killed them, someone like Black Ker..."

"Then no one would be suspicious." Renee sat down in one of the chairs. "We think the new Alpha and Beta were responsible, but we can't prove it yet. Enrique and I will keep working on this, but right now I don't have enough to call off the dogs, so to speak. I need you two to stay alive until we can get enough evidence to allow a Council trial."

Linda looked nervously at her mate, then to Renee. "Will that help us?"

"I don't know. Regardless of your motivation, you stole from the Telluride pack and have killed fighters in two packs. We need more before I can bring you in." Renee stepped off the plane and Enrique pulled the stairs up, locking them for takeoff, and they took their seats. It was time to plan their attack on the Torchelli family. Enrique pulled out his laptop as they took off and started to explain what they had found so far while Anna pulled lunches out of the basket she had brought.

Gila Pack Alpha Office

New Mexico

The next morning, Renee had just finished feeding her twins when she was called by her mate to the office. Walking in, she found Robert behind his large desk, and a scared young woman sitting on the couch. She moved over to the couch, sitting next to the woman and pulling her into her arms, letting the calming power of her Luna position ease her worries. The woman's face was buried in her shoulder, so she looked up at her mate. "What is going on?"

"She is from the Telluride pack and is requesting asylum. She showed up at the border an hour ago, alone." As Renee was comforting her, he could see that she still had bruises from what must have been a savage beating; she quickly learned to avoid the sore spots and focused on her neck.

She waited until the woman stilled, then lifted her chin up so she could see her face. "What is your name, my young Omega, and why are you here?" Her Alpha could recognize her pack rank, and her behavior was a giveaway. She didn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She sat up a little, moving the back of her head to rest against Renee's shoulder while facing Alpha Robert, yet not looking him in the eyes.

"My name is Kieran Jones. My mate... Joseph... he was killed by Alpha Francis. They said he was a traitor, that he helped Black Ker in the attack, but he was innocent. He was with me until the alarms sounded, then we went to the safe room."

Robert sat up in his chair, he hadn't liked the reports he had been getting since David Francis has assumed the Alpha position. "Didn't you testify to that at his trial?"

"There was no trial." She started to hiccup as the emotions surged forward, Robert got up and got a bottle of water from the fridge in the corner and opened it for her. She took a long drink as he sat next to her. "Beta Mike Donaldson found evidence in our rooms, some of her safecracking tools, even some money. Alpha Francis dragged him to the challenge circle, pronounced his crimes and tore his head off with his bare hands." She started sobbing even harder, and it took a few minutes for her to calm down again before she could continue. "I tried to stop it, but the Beta and his cronies grabbed me and beat me up. As soon as I came to, I found myself at the Pack border. Alpha had banished me."

Renee thought it over in her head, it didn't match with the story she had from Linda, and she knew after talking to her that Linda wasn't lying. "What do you think happened to cause the Alpha to kill your mate?"

"I don't know. Like I said, we were all in the safe room. The Luna was there, she was calming all the children and I was helping out with the babies. The only thing Joseph did was to fetch food and drink like Beta Donaldson told him."

"So you were in the safe room with the Luna, how was she when you arrived?" Renee was desperate to fill in the gaps.

"She was fine, she was in a good mood even though her mate and the warriors were out chasing the intruder. She was comforting the mothers, telling stories to the young ones... you know, Luna stuff. Everything was fine for about 90 minutes, then she started to get ill. Her face went white, she was having severe abdominal pains, and before the Doctor could even do his examination she had died. After that, it was pandemonium. When they finally released us, we went back to our room, I was really upset. I loved our Alphas, and to feel those bonds break, it was like my heart was getting ripped out of me."

Renee and Robert communicated silently, agreeing she was telling the truth and no threat to the pack. Robert took her hands. "Your request for asylum is granted, welcome to the Gila pack." He and Renee placed their hands on her head, she smiled as the Alpha bond formed with her wolf. "Report to Beta Nichole in the kitchens, she will find a place in the Pack house for you to stay, and assign you a job for now."

She thanked them and got up to leave. As she was opening the door, Renee thought of something. "Kieran... when you were in the room, did the Luna eat or drink anything?"

"Well, yes... she had a large cup of coffee."

"Did Joseph give it to her?"

She thought. "No... Joseph brought in a large pot of coffee and some cups, but it was Beta Donaldson that gave it to her." She paled. "Oh my Luna! Did the Beta poison her?"

Renee nodded. "Someone did... and it wasn't Black Ker, nor was it your mate."

CIA Jet

Somewhere over Oklahoma

"I need you to be my Alpha."

Joe looked over at Enrique with shock, his head wasn't taking it in. "What? Why?"

"Because it makes sense, Joe, and we will need it soon." Enrique sat up, his hand joined with Anna's as they sat in the seats across from Joe and Linda. "First off, you no longer have a pack, you can't go back to Alpha Merino after what you did to get Linda out of there. Without structure, you'll start to lose your wolf."

"Because wolves need a pack for stability, right?" Enrique nodded to Linda. "Panthers don't have that issue."

"But that isn't all. Anna and I need an Alpha as well."

Now it was Linda's turn to act shocked. "Wait, I thought you were happy with the Gila pack? Joe spoke so highly of them, and Renee is a good Alpha."

"That is all true. The problem is that my cover has been blown. Sooner or later they'll trace me to the Gila pack, and when they do I can't be there. Robert and Renee made a deal with the government, but that deal doesn't cover future acts. Now that they know I'm alive, I'm still wanted. Harboring a fugitive puts the whole pack in danger, and I... WE can't allow that. And what other Alpha would take us in but you? I mean, it's not like you're going to be double secret wanted dead or alive or anything." They all laughed. "There is another reason, though. We need to be able to communicate mentally so I can help you during the attack, and the only way that happens is if we are Pack."

Joe sat back, he knew he was right but the thought of being Alpha scared him. "It could be the shortest Alpha reign ever. Are you sure about this?" They nodded. "What about Alpha Renee and Robert? Won't they be upset with this?"

"I spoke to Renee before getting on the plane. She understands, and she couldn't think of another way either."

"Anna, are you all right with this?" Joe looked over at the woman plastered into Enrique's side.

"Yes. I will do whatever it takes to keep him and my Pack safe, even if that means I have to leave."

Joe sighed. "All right, let's do this." He placed his hands on the heads of Enrique and Anna, and with a mental nudge Linda did the same.

"I sever my ties with the Gila pack, and request to become a member of your Pack." Enrique went first, then Anna repeated it.

"And we accept you in our Pack as your Alphas." There was a tingling in his fingers as he said the words and felt the Pack link form. It was a shock mostly to Linda, she had just started to get used to having a mate and now she had a Pack bond as well.

"This is freaky," Linda thought to herself.

The voice in her head shocked her. "You'll get used to it," Anna said. "It can come in real handy when we don't want the men to hear us gab."

Another voice came in her head. "Like we'd want to listen in on that," Enrique said. "Anna, can you work with Linda on how to use the link? She needs to learn how to control it, how to limit it to the people she wants."

"Sure. Switch places with her." Enrique got up and went to sit next to Joe, taking his laptop with him. "You know, now that we are a Pack we need a cool name. I'm sorry, but the Miller Pack doesn't strike fear into anyone."

Joe laughed. "Well, we don't have a territory so we can't use that. I want something cool, maybe we can make up T-shirts."

"The Castoffs? The Rebels? The Outlaws?" Anna was free associating, but nothing felt right.

Linda jumped in. "Maybe the 'downpour' pack, since it's raining cats and dogs." They all laughed. "Yeah, that will cause people nightmares."

"THAT'S IT!" Joe pumped his fist. "The Nightmare pack. Cross us and we'll be your worst fucking nightmare." The others smiled and they bumped fists. A new Pack was born.

Gila Pack Offices

New Mexico

Alpha Renee walked into the room where her Pack investigators, William Post and his mate Melody, had set up their investigation of the Telluride Pack. The walls and whiteboards were covered with pictures, notes and diagrams. The former JAG lawyer and the FBI agent were nothing if not thorough. "How are we doing?"

William looked up and smiled. "We are making progress, Alpha, but it is slow. We can't directly approach anyone without tipping off their leadership, so we are working with those who we can via family members and working from there. So far, no one has refused to cooperate. That's probably because none of them really like their Alpha."

"Have you asked why they don't just petition to have an election for a new Alpha?" It didn't make sense for a Pack to suffer under poor leadership, that was the point of the reforms she had pushed through at Wolfstock.

"There's no one left to take the job," Melody replied. "The remaining Betas are firmly in the Alpha's corner, and those that weren't have been purged. Evidently Kieran's mate wasn't the only one. They are using the attack and the specter of a traitorous plan to rid themselves of any competition. All in the name of justice for their former Alphas, of course."

Renee paused, this was rapidly becoming a headache for the Council as well as for Joe Miller. "I know you've interviewed Kieran, have you been able to verify any part of her story?"

"Yes, actually quite a bit of it." Melody got up and walked to a list on the wall. "Using her recollection and others, we've compiled a list of everyone who was in the safe room during the attack and was an adult." She pointed to the check marks by about a dozen names. "These people we have talked to, and they have confirmed the behavior and the timing of everything. The only thing we don't have is confirmation that Beta Donaldson handed the Luna the cup of coffee."

"Shit. That's kind of a key piece of information to have. I take it the physical evidence is long gone?" They nodded. "Medical reports?"

"We haven't contacted the Pack Doctor yet, we thought that would be showing our hand a little too early."

She walked over to show her Alpha the wall that traced their theory- that the current Alpha and Beta conspired to hire Black Ker to hide their murder of the Luna- and pointed at the holes. "We need to be able to prove each of these things if we go to a Council trial, and I'd like to do it without having to involve Linda in the process. We are hopeful, but in order to really prove it we will need to flip one of the conspirators, get him to testify against the others."

"And we have to do that without tipping off the Alpha of what we are doing." Renee leaned against the door. "How in the hell are we going to do that?"

Defense Department Airfield

Eastern Shore, MD

By the time the plane had landed, Enrique had briefed everyone on the intelligence they had on the Torchelli compound and its security. Since it was a Mob property, it was heavily defended by physical barriers such as walls and gates, electronic and video surveillance, and guards. Unlike the remote location where Linda and Lynn had been held, this was a large estate with a significant ocean frontage. Privacy was ensured by long, curving drives and extensive tree cover.

The trees were the key to evading the surveillance, and quickly everyone understood why Black Ker was able to get into anywhere. "They have lots of security and motion sensors," Linda explained, "but everything is oriented towards an assault from the ground. Their cameras and motion sensors will be adjusted to read low, as they don't want false alarms from the leaves and branches moving in the wind." She pointed to a path leading from near the back gate nearly to the pool area. "I can move through the trees, get to this point. The problem then is getting to the house without tripping the alarms or being seen."