35
When the steps came down, Theta Charles walked me to the stairs and I bounded up them. I had my service animal vest on, plus that stupid collar. Patrick handed the dog kennel up, it was still in pieces to fit through the door, then he joined us. His parents had brought the suitcases with most of his stuff, as we were flying to Moscow next to see him off on his new job.
It took an hour before the pilots were ready for takeoff, and I laid between the facing seats of the Learjet III as we taxied out to the runway. “You look cute with that collar,” Beta Female Abigail said. I just huffed and put my head between my paws for takeoff. “You’re going to have to work for your mate, but she is a good young woman and deserves to fall in love. Treat her right, she’s important to us.” I just looked up at her, head to the side, tongue out. I loved Jessie, I would never hurt her and she knew it. “If we can just keep her safe until the court case is done, Yuri loses.”
Patrick shook his head. “It isn’t over then, though I can’t wait for him to lose out on three billion rubles. In six months, the Council decides on the leadership of her father’s Pack. I want to be Alpha, Mischa and I could become the Alphas, but I’d rather you take it, John. It’s her birthright, not mine. There will be other chances for us.”
“That won’t be easy,” Beta Peter said as we took off. “John here has to keep her alive, reveal our existence to her, get her to accept him as her mate AND want to go back to Russia where Yuri still wants her dead. He might not be able to get Yevgheny’s fortune back, but he could get her Pack, its assets and its territory unless John here can defend it.”
I growled at the thought of my Jessie being in danger. I would be by her side for whatever she chose, and if that meant she took over the Moscow Pack, so be it. If she decided to travel the world, start a business, return with me to Scotland or just live with me in the woods, I would be fine with it. I just wanted to be with her.
“You need to figure out how to get her wolf back, John.” Patrick was looking out the window as we pulled into the air. “We all know it is there, buried deep. Father Kempechny must have used his magic to push it down, thinking it would save her. You two need to figure out how to break the spell.”
I put my head down, magic was not my thing, and I didn’t like witches. Charles just laughed. “You don’t like witches, but your mate IS one now, you fool. She’s got his magic now, you two need to figure it out.” They talked most of the flight, and when we landed in Moscow I stayed on the plane with Charles. Peter, Patrick and Abigail all gave me a hug and wished me luck before they went down the stairs. I was happy for Patrick; he’d proven himself to be a good wolf and a good ally to have. He and I shared the frustration of having a mate we couldn’t have yet, although he was far closer than I was to that goal. I hoped we could all get together again the next summer.
The flight crew shut everything down and went to the hotel to rest. Charles and I had to stay with the plane in the hangar, leaving only so I could relieve myself in the weeds and rocks out back. The next morning, the crew arrived before sunrise and we were on our way back to the United States. We landed in London, changing out flight crews and refueling. We flew across the Atlantic to St. John’s in Newfoundland, staying there for twelve hours before continuing to Minneapolis. Charles took pity on me, ordering steaks for me and taking me for walks to stretch my legs, but we couldn’t go far without clearing Customs.
Finally, the last leg of our flight ended at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. We taxied to a cleared section near the terminal. My crate and his luggage were loaded onto a cart, and we walked across the tarmac as he pushed it; I was on a leash in the heel position. Charles processed through Customs on a tourist visa, then we were sent to a room to wait for the animal inspector. An hour later, after Charles provided my shot records and a recent vet exam, I was examined then we were allowed to go. I held my paw up and shook his hand as he smiled. “Nice dog you have there,” he said. “Wolf hybrid?”
Charles nodded. “The breeder finds them to be highly intelligent and trainable. He just completed training and is going to a very special woman,” Charles said.
“Well, he’s big enough she can ride him around if she gets tired,” he said. “Good luck.” We walked out the door and through the terminal, me staying close to him. I saw what Patrick warned me of; a service dog, despite the signage, attracted a lot of attention. The fact that I was freaking HUGE for a dog didn’t help. I couldn’t count the number of times I heard “Mama, PUPPY!” as we walked through to the pick-up area.
Finally, I jumped up into the back of a Ford Expedition with a familiar scent. I nuzzled up to Alpha Stan Larsen in the back seat as Charles took shotgun. “Nice collar,” he said as he brought his head to mine. I transferred allegiance to his Pack again; the Alpha had insisted, as Jessie’s protectors were both from this Pack and I would need the link to communicate. “Welcome to Minnesota, I hope this works,” he said over the bond.
“Do you know where Jessie is? Is she all right?”
“I have little communication. My men aren’t in range for linking and are under orders to communicate only with one person and that isn’t me. As far as I know, she’s fine. You are going to return to our Pack and wait for our contact to arrange you to be delivered. We’re being watched closely, so it won’t be easy. My patrols have identified at least four werewolves near our borders, and humans have placed cameras around our borders, even in our territory.”
“You didn’t remove them?”
“No, that would arouse more suspicion. The Pack is under a no-shifting order and we’re trying to play it casual. The longer we go without them seeing her, the better.” He scratched my ears. “Your previous Alpha command is reinforced by me; no shifting unless an Alpha directs it or it is necessary to protect Jessie. I’m sorry, but to maintain appearances, you’re going to be housed with the other dogs we are training.”
“You’re putting me in a damn kennel?”
“Yes.” Crap. Concrete floor, chain link fence, a grate to pee through and a dog bed. Humiliating.
We arrived at their homes thirty minutes later. I was taken out and led back to the kennel and training area, where I was allowed to run around and play for twenty minutes before I was put away. I put my head down, nothing to do but wait.
At least they left the radio on for me.
***
Beta John’s POV
Four days later
The light in the kennel turned on, and the dogs started barking. I lifted my head, pissed that I’d been kept up most of the night by the dogs who barked at every sound.
Again.
I was exhausted and pissed off; I was being kept here in case we were being watched, and we still had no idea where Jessie was.
“Get up, Cuddles. Time to go.” Charles opened the gate and I followed him outside the building. I ran into the woods to take care of my morning business and trotted back to where he was standing by a car. He held a bowl, inside was some cut up chunks of steak. “Enjoy it while you can, buddy. I’ve got a fifty-pound bag of kibble in the back for you.” I looked up at him, shook my head then went back after the raw meat. I gobbled it down, then drank from the bowl of water he’d brought along. He opened the back door of the Ford Explorer, and I jumped in. The rear seat had been folded down, and a thick blanket was in place. I turned around a few times and laid down, my head forward as he got in. I whined, wanting to know what was going on.
“Larry sent a message last night, they are safe and in a good place,” he said. I wagged my tail at the news. “He’s going to meet us this morning, so I can transfer you to him. I don’t know where they are, and I don’t want to know.” It made sense to me, the fewer people that knew the safer she was. “We’re going to drive out with the other people heading to work this morning. My mate is flying in from visiting her family in Alaska, then we are going to the Bahamas for our honeymoon. No one will question my movements, at least that’s what I hope. You’re just one of their dogs.”
I didn’t care, I was getting out of the kennel and getting closer to being with my mate again. My tail was whapping hard against the blanket as he got in. We drove south, through the town of Stillwater and continued south along Highway 95. He got off the road once, circling around to make sure we weren’t followed, then continued. We passed I-94 and my ears perked up when we turned into Afton State Park. The car had a state park permit, so we didn’t have to stop. “Any tails will have to stop at the Ranger station and get a permit. We’re safe for now.” My ears perked up, and he pulled ahead into a parking lot at the south campgrounds. He circled the lot, it was late in the season and a weekday, so it was nearly empty. He stopped next to another SUV and put it in park. “Let’s go, boy.”This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
He got out, and I saw Larry step out of his car and embrace Charles before he opened the back of his car. Charles opened the back of his, grabbing the big bag of dog food as I jumped out. I put my feet up on Larry’s shoulder, pressing my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for watching over her,” I said.
“Just play it cool, she still doesn’t know about us,” he said. “Now get in.” The bag of food was put in the back as I jumped into the front seat of the small car, the seat was back all the way. Charles got back in his car and continued driving. “He’s going to drive around the park and throw them off the scent. Keep your head down until we get back to the freeway,” Larry said. We pulled out of the lot, we’d been there less than a minute, and Charles was nowhere to be found. I relaxed into the towel he’d placed over the seat, her scent was strong in it. “I thought you’d like that, she used it last night. You’re a lucky man, you know that right?” I woofed at him. I couldn’t wait to see her.