Aztec Treasure

Alpha Chase Nygaard’s POV

Washington, DC

Security at the National Cathedral was beyond tight. The Secret Service pulled out all the stops, creating a security zone that stretched around the entire complex. As Frank and I waited in the limousine with our guards, we could see National Guard troops stationed every fifty feet along the perimeter, with armored Humvees on every corner. Temporary fencing ensured no one could approach, and tarps covering the fencing ensured a sniper could not spot what was inside. They had not forgotten Julio’s shot that killed the CIA director.

We arrived at the checkpoint, which was shielded from outside view by more fencing and tarps. An agent opened the door, and I left Tom and Meghan in the car as I got out with my identification and invitation. The Secret Service checked me against the guest list, checked my ID, then sent me through an explosive detector and metal detector. Since no cellphones were allowed in the service, I checked it at a table near the entrance to the secured area. “Welcome to Washington, Alpha Nygaard. Here is your seating assignment. Please follow the white line to the Cathedral entrance.”

Inside the fence, there were even more soldiers and security forces. I spotted an Avenger anti-aircraft Humvee with a turret-mount containing eight Stinger missiles next to a mobile radar unit. Snipers were on every rooftop, and I could hear police helicopters flying around the perimeter. I didn’t waste time outside, following the crowd to the lawn area where the guests could gather until closer to the service time. With all the security, I’d arrived ninety minutes before the scheduled start.

I grabbed a Coke for the bar and walked around looking for friendly faces. The guest list was a who’s who of the Washington elite. Laura and Andrew Kettering had been the ultimate DC power couple; she the successful politician, while Andrew made his fortune in the dot-com boom and retired to support her. Silicon Valley millionaires with man-buns mixed with heads of state, and more than a few recognized me.

I felt out of place in my fancy suit and tie; Mom was the one who excelled at these things. I was a doctor, a mate, and an Alpha. I wanted nothing to do with politics, and this town was all about political power.

I heard a woman’s voice from behind me. “Feeling out of place, Chase?”

I turned and smiled. “I’m at home with trees, not buildings, Madam Attorney General.” Like many of the ladies, Marisol Guttierez was wearing a black dress that flattered her figure. “I’m not even sure why I’m here. We failed him.”

“Please, call me Marisol. Andrew was dead as soon as Julio took him from the golf course, Chase. No one could have stopped his death, not even you. I read the reports; you did everything you could. Nobody blames you for his death.”

I let out a breath. “I’ll feel better when Julio is dead.”

“He will face justice in our legal system. It’s only a matter of time until someone finds him.”

I shook my head. “Julio is never going to be taken alive. He’s going to get his revenge or die trying. Please, make sure the President remains safe. He might not fail next time.”

Marisol waved her hand at the security surrounding us. “Does this look like we will give him a chance? You keep yourself safe, Chase. He wants revenge on you, too.”

That was a certainty. “I know. That’s why I’m in a rush to get back home.”

“You know, when Colletta first came to us with a deal to take down the Sons, I was hesitant. Why should I favor one biker club over another? If I’d only known what I was getting into.”

“It was a good deal for both of us.”

“I think you came out better. My forensic accountants kept finding empty accounts that your hackers had cleaned out, and under the agreement your mother negotiated, I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.”

I grinned at that. “The Council is bringing in capabilities you never had in law enforcement. My team cleaned the accounts out, and that kept them from escaping justice. What was once drug money went to the victims and to the Packs who brought them down. Arrowhead Pack is growing again. We’ll be building four more homes and a marina this summer. We’re also looking at adding on to our pool building.”

She shook her head. “I’ve heard stories about that place.”

“Come on out to visit us sometime, and don’t bring a suit. It would make the next round of negotiations much more fun.”

She almost choked on her Coke at that. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that. At least I learned never to negotiate with a matriarch with centuries of experience. Take care of yourself, Chase.”

“You too, Marisol.” I talked to a few people before the Cathedral opened up for us to take our seats.

Over a thousand guests stood as an honor guard escorted his casket to the front of the church. The ceremony was beautiful, and the tributes sincere. I only met him at the end, but I could tell he was a good man at heart. I between his fevers, knowing he was dying, his greatest regret was not seeing his family line continue. “Your children are the most important thing in life,” he told me. “I miss Jeremy every day.” His son died in Iraq in 2004, and they waited so long to have him that they couldn’t have another. “Money and power mean nothing without family.”

We stood again as his casket was taken back up the aisle, a weeping President walking behind the honor guard. Colletta was in a group that followed behind her while the rest of the guests waited. When the hearse departed with the procession, we were allowed to leave our seats.

Frank joined me as the crowd started to move. The wake was under a giant tent on the grass to the north of the historic building. “Let’s get to the buffet before the good stuff is gone,” he told me.

The food was fantastic, and we sat at one of the cloth-covered tables and watched the news coverage. Tens of thousands lined the streets to pay their respects to the First Husband and support their President in her grief. We were shocked when the Russian Ambassador asked to join us, but we allowed Vasili Gregorovich to sit next to me. He was a big man, with a half-eaten plate of sweets and food. “Thank you for speaking to me.”

“I’m a little shocked you’d want to after how your country treated their Packs,” I replied. The unveiling of the Packs didn’t go over well with the Russian Government. The Packs barely escaped death or imprisonment, with one moving to Alaska and the other to Canada.

“We don’t always react well to surprises,” he admitted. “It is unfortunate that we didn’t come to a mutually beneficial agreement like you have with the Americans.”

“Trust is hard to come by when you are chased through the mountains by troops,” Frank said. “The Packs are settling in nicely, despite escaping with only the clothes on their backs.”

“I cannot argue with that. We made a mistake, and your peoples suffered for it. My government cannot change that, but they can make amends.”

“Such as?”

“We would like them to consider returning to their native lands under a similar treaty. If they agree, we will restore their citizenship, their lands, and any property we can recover. They can go back to their lives, this time with the support and help of our Government.”

“Is this guy for real,” I sent to Frank.

“They finally realized how much they lost when they drove them out. Europe and North America have werewolves, and they don’t,” he replied. “I can pass the offer along, but I’m not sure how receptive they will be. Not everyone made it out, you know. Some died in the escape, and others got captured.”

“As a gesture of our goodwill, the fourteen people captured will be released. Our only request is that a delegation from the Packs and the Werewolf Council come to Moscow for talks.”

Frank wasn’t buying it. “Release the prisoners now; put them on flights to Anchorage and Vancouver. Colletta and I will relay your proposal to Alpha Boronsky and Alpha Sereda. It will be up to them to decide if they want talks with you or not; the Council cannot force them.”

“I will relay your answer,” the Ambassador said.

“Let them know that a meeting at your Embassy would be preferable to Moscow,” I added. “After what they went through, I doubt they would agree to meet otherwise. And Vasili? Are you often thirsty, have frequent urinations, abnormal fatigue, headaches, or weight loss?”

“How did you know?”

“I’m a doctor with a wolf’s nose. Your breath smells like acetone; it’s a symptom of ketoacidosis, a combination of high blood sugar levels and low sugar in the cells that can occur with diabetes. It happens when your body can’t regulate blood sugars well. Stop eating and drink this water.” I poured him a glass. “Have your doctor give you a complete physical. If you do have diabetes, it can be life-threatening.”

He cupped his mouth to scent his breath. “I’ll be damned,” he said. “Thank you.” He got up and left with his aide, hopefully, to see the Embassy Doctor.

“Do you think the Alphas will go for it?”

Frank laughed. “Would you trust the Russian Government after what they did?”

“Hell no,” I said. “The Murmansk Pack will settle right into the old Bitterroot territory. Montana will feel like home in the winter. Beloretsk already has land and buildings between Vancouver and the Blue River Pack. I can’t see either one going back to Russia now.”

“Colletta and I should relay the offer in person. That will give me a chance to check out Coral’s new Pack Pool. She’s raising the bar!”

“I know. I saw the pictures.” We looked up at the screens in time to see Andrew’s body loading onto Air Force One for the trip to the cemetery in northern Californi. I stayed by Frank, both of us meeting dignitaries as representatives of the Council. When it was getting dark, I’d had more than enough of that. “We should get going.”

Frank finished off his shrimp and stood up, walking with me to the exit. Ninety minutes later, we were taking off from the airport. The flight was smooth, and we were north of Chicago when I got the call from Vic about Maria’s heat. I didn’t like her choosing Lance to be her heat partner, but it wasn’t for an Alpha to decide. “I don’t want Maria out there alone, and Lance isn’t going to be able to protect her while the heat is going on. He won’t smell anything but her.”

“I’m sending four teams of female warriors and sniper-trained Omegas to watch over them,” Vic said. “They’ll form a perimeter and make sure Julio isn’t around. I can’t think of anything else to do; I can’t use human males, and even our mated males feel the effects of her scent.”

“I’ll talk to Lance when they get back and make sure his mind is right.”

“And I’ll keep sending him places to look for his mate,” Vic responded. “I talked to a bunch of the unmated wolves while they were here. Most of them think they would have found their mate by now if he or she was a werewolf. They are talking about getting more involved in the human world, hoping to find one they can turn.”

It was enough to give me a headache, and my Pack had more unmated females than any other. “It sounds like we need more parties with the Steel Brotherhood,” I said with a laugh.

“Can’t hurt. Have a good flight, Alpha.”

I went back to my phone, looking at concept drawings our architect sent for the boathouse and the pool expansion. Frank was right about one thing; when this was over, we needed to visit my sister in Blue River. Coral was trying to one-up our pool, and I wasn’t going to let her keep bragging rights.