Chapter Staff Meeting
Spider Monkey’s POV
Arrowhead Pack House
After all the excitement of the chase in Kansas, the last two weeks had been boring for me. I was sitting in my office in the late afternoon, looking out at the lake and wondering how much longer the ice could hold on. Another day or two? The sun is high, and the days are much longer now than in the dead of winter. The warm temperatures and winds had melted all the snow except where the plows had piled it.
I heard Vic running up the stairs from the basement tunnels; he’d been training the omegas in defensive fighting tactics all afternoon. I’d watched a little when I took a break an hour ago; they had moved from one-on-one to small groups. I’d watched as Vic and some of the other Betas simulated attacks on the females, teaching them how to fight together until help could arrive. “He is a magnificent wolf,” I thought as I walked back home.
I’d had time to plan, and I knew how horny he gets after a workout. I was alone, not that it would stop me after months of living with the Pack. I figured he came home through the tunnels naked, not bothering to dress for the short run underground. I tossed my shirt onto an extra chair and had my shorts at my ankles when he burst into the room.
Sure enough, Vic Junior was in the room before Vic was.
He grinned when I pointed at the couch. “I need you, baby,” he said as he sat down.
“I ALWAYS need you, Vic,” I said as I walked over. “Warm me up.” I swung my right leg over his shoulder as Vic grabbed my ass and pulled me close. I moaned when he took a lick of my sex from bottom to top. I put one hand on the wall to steady myself as he dove into my taco bar. “YES! Right there,” I said as he shifted his tongue and plunged it inside. I highly recommend getting oral sex from a werewolf; that tongue does things you can’t imagine. I came only twenty seconds in, flooding his face with my juices. Vic just smiled and kept going, not satisfied with just one. My legs gave out with the second one a few minutes later, and I felt myself being lowered onto his lap as my body recovered.
Vic and I knew that he was a big guy, and the athletic, pound-me-into-the-mattress sex wasn’t a good idea in the later stages of my pregnancy. His wolf seemed to accept that, and Vic held back more than I wanted him to. He slid down until his ass was at the edge of the seat, and I straddled him with my knees up by his chest. I reached down, guiding his cock head to my soaked entrance, and moaned as I slowly took him in. “Not too deep,” he warned.
“I’m in control, and it feels SO good,” I said as I got halfway down. “Doc said if it doesn’t hurt, it’s fine.” I kept my hands on my mate’s shoulders as Vic’s hands supported my thighs to keep me from dropping down. I rose off him until he was almost out, then sank again until I’d taken a little more. It took a few minutes until I was resting on his thighs. I could see my belly button push forward, proof of when he’d reached. I stayed there for a bit, kissing him as he caressed my breasts and pinched my nipples. I squeezed him and rotated my hips, moving ever so slightly as he fought the urge to pound into me.
The sex was slow and tender, and it ended with him flooding me as I came around him. I kissed Vic as he reached for one of the small towels we kept handy for just this purpose. Our sex wasn’t limited to the bedroom, and we tended to make a mess. When I came off him, I caught most of it. I shuffled off to the bathroom, and Vic had the shower going by the time I was off the toilet.
He made sure I was clean, kissing my belly as he knelt. I barely came up to his chest, so he did a lot of bending down. “How’s my boy?”
“He’s making room for himself,” I said. “I swear he thinks my bladder is a speed bag, and it’s only going to get worse.”
“He can’t help being big and strong,” Vic replied. “I wish it were different, but I think my boy is leaving by the window instead of the door.”
No kidding. My OB-GYN already warned me that my hips weren’t suitable for the size baby I was likely to have at full term. A C-section was almost a given after 35 weeks or so. I am going to be so fucking huge when it’s time to evict him. “Thank you for the loving, Vic. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to do that for you.”
“I love you, baby. We can adapt and overcome.” He dried me off before we got dressed. We walked outside to the Pack House, enjoying the fifty-degree weather before going back inside again.
The Pack dining hall is heaven for a pregnant woman with cravings because there is a wide variety of food, and if it isn’t out, they’ll make it for you. I had no idea how much babies meant until I saw how the Pack treats them. Vic had explained how rare it was to have ANY baby in a Pack, given the low fertility rate of werewolf females. Arrowhead had a baby boom going, and believe me, the other Packs noticed. Even Oxbow Lake had multiple pregnancies right now.
Because of the value placed on the next generation, the whole Pack supports a pregnant or nursing mother. It shows in the smallest ways, like how everyone insists that pregnant and nursing females go to the head of the line for meals. Vic is an overprotective male, but he’s not alone.
I was tired, so Vic got my food while I sat at the Alpha Table and scratched Rori’s ears while Chase hand-fed her chunks of rare steak and potatoes with gravy. It was another example; Rori would have been fine eating off a plate on the floor, but feeding your mate by hand was a mate bond thing. I was perfectly capable of using a knife and fork, but Vic was always offering me something off his plate or bringing me things. The act of providing food showed how committed they were to their mate and offspring. It worked for me, especially when he would snag the blueberry cheesecake.
The meal was excellent, and the Betas and Alpha retired to Rori’s office after dessert. These Friday end-of-week meetings ensured we were all up to date on what happened, especially me, since I didn’t have a Pack link. We sat down in the conference room, and Chase started the meeting. “How is Maria doing?”
“She stayed in her rental condo all day,” Beta Teri said. “Tom and Meghan Nichols are watching her, but other than doing some shopping at Wal-Mart and taking her girl to the park, she hasn’t left her house.”
“Austin, Minnesota is a good place for her to hide out,” I added. “It’s a small town a few hours from the nearest big city, there is a large Hispanic population due to the pork processing plant, and the apartments aren’t expensive. It also helps that no one minds a month-to-month leash using cash. She knows how to live without leaving a trail, and that’s a good thing.”
“Any sign the Government knows where she is?”
“No, Alpha. I don’t have my FBI backdoor access anymore, but with the Task Force closed down, I’m not worried about our end.”
Chase looked over at his father-in-law. “Frank, anything on the CIA connection?”
“Nothing. Our two operatives remain in Federal custody. We’ve made no progress in identifying them, although we do know their identifications were fraudulent. There’s also nothing so far tying them to the Denver shooting. Without a name, they can’t make bail and remain in protective custody. Homeland Security is handling the investigation.”
When asked, the President and the CIA Director both denied any involvement. I hadn’t had any luck penetrating the CIA computers, and the black programs were likely impenetrable. “Any leads, Spider?”
“Not a thing,” I said.
“Well, keep trying,” Chase replied. “Teri, are we ready for Frank Donovan and Claire Bennington to arrive next week?”
“Yes, Alpha. The room is up to ADA standards, including a roll-in shower and bars in the bathroom and bedroom. Her physical therapist has talked to the doctors in Denver, and all of the equipment needed is in place.” One of the Oxbow Lake Omegas worked as a physical therapist at a Duluth hospital, and we were paying her to help Claire here. She had a long road to recovery and wouldn’t be placing weight on that leg for another month. Frank was right; our Pack House was the perfect place for her to rehab.
“I’ve already set her up with everything she needs,” I added. “She’s going to love the computer setup; everything is adaptable for how she’s sitting in the bed or chair, and it’s as powerful as mine.”
“Good. Claire has a real talent for tracing things, and I’m sure she’s raring to get back to work. Donovan, too.” Frank had brought his friend into DHS as a consultant, meaning he could stay here with Claire and not take a leave of absence. Claire was still FBI on medical leave. Officially, she was only using her computer to play computer games and surf the internet. That meant the Franks couldn’t ask her to do anything, as it might jeopardize her benefits. Me? I was a friend, and we could do whatever we wanted.
“Anything else,” Chase asked.
“There was a development in the Portman shooting,” Frank said. “A few days ago, Christian’s assistant received an envelope in her mail at home. It was all of the material Christian had on Maria’s home and her estate; he must have mailed it after I warned him. The FBI has it now.”
“Will the money go to Maria,” I asked?
“I’m pushing for that, but it’s up to the US Attorney.”
“Have a new attorney set up the funds in an account. I can help her get the money without the Feds tracing it to her.” Moving money around was one of my talents.
Chase nodded. “If the Feds hold it up, transfer funds from the Pack account. I don’t want her doing something stupid because she’s running out of money.”
“I’ll take care of everything,” I said.
“Anything else?”
“A party,” I said. People looked at me like I was crazy; it had only been a few months since our kind came out to humans, and we still had gates and armed guards at the entrances. “We can’t hole up like some cult, people. We live among humans, and we had good relations before the unmasking. We need to reinforce those relations with our neighbors and our friends.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
“Invite the property owners around the lake, local law enforcement, and the Federal agents who assisted to a party. We get the grills going, have some games and tours, and open up our pool for an afternoon.”
“Rori likes the idea, but she’s always up for a party,” Chase said with a smile. “When?”
“Before summer,” Vic said. “Maybe the end of April or early May? We need some time to set it up and send out the invitations.”
“We should do two parties,” Teri said. “One for the people on the lake, and another jointly with Oxbow Lake for law enforcement, local politicians, and Federal agents. There are hundreds of homes on the lake, so we have to keep things to a manageable number.”
“Good idea,” I said. “As long as the kids get invited. Our pool is the best outreach tool this Pack has.”
“Sounds good. Everyone have a good weekend, and Luna willing, it will be quiet.”