Chase looked over at my sister, who was loading her gear into the saddlebags of her Harley Fat Boy. “Really Dad? You can’t just Alpha command her?”
“I wish it was that easy, but you know how she is.” Coral was my twin, and right now the favorite to take over as Pack Gamma, the trainer of the Warriors. Smart, tough and deadly, she had fought with tooth and claw for the respect of our Pack and others. She was more dominant than Chase, and she learned to fight while he was off at college. Chase had the genes of an Alpha, and held a size and strength advantage over her, but she would beat him like a drum in the sparring circle. He preferred to sit back and wait to patch up all the ones who thought fighting a ‘girl’ is going to be easy.
Chase’s future was elsewhere. His father Will was only 225 years old, still in his prime. He had found his mate Colletta when he was in his seventies. The oldest brother and Alpha heir, Sawyer, was only 132. The middle brother, Carson, was 87 and slated to be his Beta. Coral and Chase were only twenty-four; he got the brains and she got the dominant streak. “You know I’ll be in the clinic, not the training fields. I’ll keep track of the injured cadets she sends me,” he said with a laugh.
“Do what you can, son. I want both of you to take advantage of this; you represent our Pack well, you learn all you can, and search for your mates. The Council is counting on us to help, and we will do our best.” The Bitterroot Academy had expanded beyond its original charter, and now included wolves sent from other Packs if they needed an attitude adjustment. There were more of those than you might have thought, as the Council found during their Pack inspections.
Coral would be staying a year as a combat instructor for the Academy. Chase couldn’t wait to see the males who saw women as playthings getting their asses handed to them by a girl. He promised his brothers he would send them videos of her kicking ass as she established herself.
He was going to work at the Clinic for the summer, where in between broken bones Chase would be dealing with the psychological damage left behind by Alpha Todd’s reign. It was a new area for Pack Doctors, what he aspired to be, and only a few people had experience with abused wolves. He was lucky enough to get to work with one for eight weeks before his last year of medical school.
“Come on, Chase, daylight’s wasting,” Coral teased as she fired up her motorcycle.
“I love you, Dad. We’ll be fine.” He hugged his Mom goodbye and got into the Ford Explorer he was taking, because one of them had to be logical and have room for the luggage and supplies. He followed her out the driveway and to the road that would take them through the Cascade Range and east to the former home of a large Pack.
Ashley walked out of Rori’s bathroom, the packet of pills in her pocket. When she had gotten close enough to Rori to start spending time at her house, she had taken pictures of her medicine cabinet and texted them to her father. He passed them to Alpha Martin and the Pack Doctor. They were shocked at what she was taking and agreed that they should do something before the stupid humans permanently harmed her wolf. The Pack Doctor made up placebos to match the pills she was prescribed, and Ashley had just switched them out.
“How do I look,” she asked. “I’m not sure what biker gangs expect for clothing.” She twirled around, showing her Daisy Duke shorts as he twirled on her low side-zip boots. The Orlando Mixed Martial Arts Academy T-shirt was tied below her breasts, exposing her six-pack.
“Damn girl, you’ll be fighting them off.” Rori was sitting on the bed, wearing a figure-hugging pair of jeans, ankle boots and her Club t-shirt. Her red hair was braided back. “You sure you want to head there in your crotch rocket?”
“I’m a tough chick, I can handle the comments,” she said. The Club was full of riders of big American steel, mostly Harleys, but some Indian or Victory motorcycles were mixed in. Her Kawasaki Ninja 650 would stick out like a sore thumb in the lot.
“Just don’t challenge any of them to a race, I don’t think they could handle losing to you.” She laughed as Ashley flopped down on the bed next to her. “Thanks for coming.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Walking in with me isn’t as bad on your reputation as coming with your Mom and Grandma.”
Rori laughed. “They were invited, and they won’t stay long. At least I don’t think they will. Mom hasn’t been on a motorcycle since Dad died.” She had told them her Dad was killed by a drunk driver, which was true, but Ashley knew the truth she was hiding. “At least you get to stick around if you want, since you’re eighteen.”
“Yeah, well, your Mom can make sure you get to bed on time.” Rori smacked her with a pillow as she got up. “Come on, we need to go.”
Rori and Ashley parked her motorcycles at the end of the lot, while her Mom parked out on the street. By the time they got to the door, Rori was already surrounded by people she then introduced to them. “You’ve got a great kid there,” President Mongo said as he gave her Mom a hug. “She’s always safe with us.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about,” she said with a smile. “Now come on, I need a drink before things start getting wild.”
Her dress showed the tattoos on her shoulder, and he noticed the shield with the black stripe across it. “Your husband died on the job,” he said softly.
“Yes.” He pulled her into a hug with his old lady. “Hit by a drunk driver while responding to an accident.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Rori never talked about it, she changes the subject any time her father comes up.” When introductions finished, he led them inside and the Ladies pulled the three guests over to sit with them at a table. Mongo led Rori to the main table, where she was introduced to the visiting Presidents and the Regional President. She kept an eye on her friend and her family, but the ladies made sure they met everyone and had a good time. Grandma was chatting with the older ladies of the club, Donna was laughing with Roadkill, a big man who ran his own trucking business, while Ashley was the center of attention at a table with the younger men of the club.
There was a big barbecue buffet set up, and when the two hundred or so people attending had finished, Mongo called for silence. “Tonight we unveil the memorial to the five men this Club has lost to the road. For Sprocket, Bucket, Burrito, Jaws and Flash, your memories will live forever here in the Club thanks to the talent of one special friend. Rori King has rapidly become a valued part of this Club, and you’ll see one reason why in a minute. Rori?”
She stood up from the table, accepting a hug from him before she walked over to the tarp than covered the wall behind them. “Thank you all for being my friends and accepting me into your family. May this painting never need updating again.” She took the rope on one side, while Mongo took the other. With a nod, they pulled the tarp down and showed everyone her work.
There was silence for about ten seconds, long enough for her to start worrying that she had done something wrong. Then a clap sounded, and it turned into thunder as the men and women showed their appreciation. “TO THE FALLEN,” Mongo said as he raised his beer.
“THE FALLEN!” The toast was taken up, then the party started. Rori was the hit of the party, even making it to the dance floor with some of the younger men. She wasn’t used to being around boys, much less having people pay attention to her in a good way, and she had fun. She was given contact information and invitations to visit from all of the other Chapters, and the Ladies had her back. She could go anywhere and find family now.
“Time for you to go, and take your friend with you,” Three Tequila said, she was Mongo’s old lady. “Things are going to get rowdy.”
She looked disappointed, but the other ladies were already leading Ashley over. She turned to her Mom, who was locked in a conversation with Roadkill. “I’ll be home later, honey,” she said. “Make sure Grandma is all right and don’t wait up for me.”
The three of them drove back to their homes, and Ashley texted her friend to thank her for the invite before she went into the house. “How did it go,” Charlie said.
“Good,” she said. “I’m starting to lose her to other things. She’s spending more time with the Club, and they’re already offering up jobs in other Chapters. We won’t be able to protect her if she starts traveling and staying with them.”
“We have to move soon,” Charles said. “I’ll make a call.”
Ashley and changed into lounge clothes, and when she came back down Charles was on a Skype call with Alpha Martin. She sat down at the table, and her Alpha immediately addressed her. “Ashley, do you think Rori trusts you enough to go on a vacation with you? We need to get her on Pack lands, alone, without raising suspicions.”
“I think so. Her Mom may not like it, but if she’s with me it might be all right.”
Her father Harry spoke up. “It might be best coming from me,” he told them all. “The Fourth of July is coming up, and the Pack party is a good excuse to get her up there.” The Pack always celebrated remotely and quietly, their wolf sides didn’t like the loud noises of fireworks. They had a private lake and made an all-day and night party out of it. “I’m sure they’ll want to ride, and I don’t mind escorting them.”