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South Mountain Pack Chapter 16

By: pocketbooklover



I would like to thank hcsd1719 for his help in editing and offering encouragement, and Tammy for keeping me from going off the rails. Again, there are no actual sex scenes, since the main characters are underage. All italics indicate communication through the mental bond.

If anyone would like an excel spreadsheet of the 'cheat sheet' of Pack members, please send me an email and I would be happy to provide one for you. I would like to thank mrtdust1 for his invaluable help in putting the cheat sheet on an excel spread sheet that can be added to as details are revealed.

Please remember to vote and comment, I appreciate all comments and feedback. Thank you.

*

"The fucking Security Division?... I...I can't believe that... they've taken oaths to uphold the laws of the Alpha Council," Tristan said as he slowly exhaled as the others stood in stunned silence.

"Gabe did say he felt betrayal around him. We have to wonder though, why didn't they warn the three Packs of the upcoming raids? Is it a play for power and money or something else?" Carlo asked quietly before turning to Paulo. "Can you find who accessed the account?"

"Unfortunately no, all I got was the IP address but it doesn't tell me who was using the computer only the area it originated. The ACSD changes IP addresses randomly so I can't target a specific computer. I can access the video and narrow it down by seeing who was using computers at the time," Paulo said with a sigh. Ten minutes later he said, "The video'll start five minutes before the alert."

"Look at their body language," Savannah said as she sat next to Paulo and stared at the laptop monitor. "You're looking for someone who's trying to hide what they're doing, looking over their shoulder, is tense and displays agitated movements, like running his hands through his hair, deep breathing and rolling his neck." The men turned to stare at her and she shrugged, "I'm a criminal attorney, I see this type of behavior on a daily basis."

"Alpha Carlo, while you're doing this I'd like to take Rain to the roof so he can do his recon," Ed said as he looked at his watch.

"Take Frank, George, Brad, Aldo and Jeff with you," Carlo said as he continued to stare at the screen.

"I've got everything I need," Rain said as he nodded to the x-large duffle bag he had kept at his side the entire day. The men headed to the third floor and went down the hall stopping in front of the door to the center column. "Frank, this is the first time I've been anywhere but the cafeteria and gym. It's freakin amazing."

"Aldo and his men have done a wonderful job maintaining the building and all the updates have been historically accurate while upholding current codes. That's why it's considered one of the more important historical buildings in Maryland," Frank said with pride as Aldo smiled. Jeff walked ten feet down the hallway and removed a piece of baseboard molding revealing a keypad, after he typed in the code the door opened revealing a staircase leading to the tower room.

Aldo removed the third tread on the staircase revealing a keypad, after typing in the code he replaced the tread and proceeded up the stairs opening the trap door and the men followed him into the tower room. The only furnishings in the room were a small table with two chairs and a two door metal cabinet. "We keep tools here, so we don't have to run down to the maintenance shop," Aldo explained with a shrug as he moved to the front wall and removed the window molding. He typed the code in and part of the rear wall swung open on hinges.

"Follow me," Jeff said as he stepped through the door onto the flat roof.

Rain set his bag down and got out a notebook and pen before turning to Aldo, "You have the exact dimensions and plans of the roof?"

Aldo turned to Frank who said, "Get him a copy of the external specs." Jeff nodded and headed to the maintenance department in the basement.

Aldo opened his notebook and followed Rain to the roof's edge where he crouched down to check the decorative iron railing that ran along it. "Doesn't provide much cover does it?" Rain asked to no one in particular. "We're going to need solid planks, like an inch thick of lead."

Aldo asked, "How high and is it to cover the whole roof line?"

"We don't want them to cover the entire surface, we'll need sections open so we can shoot and use them for cover. At the corners, leave a 1' section open on both sides. We don't want them to be visible, so lay them out and when we need them we'll insert them in 'U' brackets," Rain looked at Frank, "We're the two broadest guys, lay next to me and they can measure us to see how wide the planks need to be." After they lay down, Aldo pulled a tape measure out of his pocket and Ed measured them and Aldo wrote it down. Rain got up and looked at the measurements, "They'll need to be 6' long and 2' high. I'll go over the plans with Tristan and we'll send the schematics of where we want them set up."

Rain continued walking around the roof line until he arrived back to where his bag lay. Crouching down he pulled out Steiner binoculars and went to the right side of the tower room. "What are you looking for?" Frank asked as the men moved to stand next to him.

"Several things. I'm trying to figure out which way they're going to come, the front gate is obvious but if they're trying to sneak up on you, they'll come through the woods. You've got cameras and made funnels to direct them, that's good but once they get to the wall, they're going to look for the least resistance while still looking for cover," Rain said as he turned to glance at Frank. "That jump from the top of the wall will be difficult, but it can be done."

"We're installing an iron railing with ornamental spikes in front of the shrubbery and we're also putting spikes inside. Well, I guess it won't be so ornamental if they get speared with them," Frank said with a smile.

"Right before the battle paint them with liquid silver and shake wolfsbane on it when the paint is tacky," Rain said as he moved along the roof, staring and then looking through the binoculars before writing in his notebook.

"Where can we get wolfsbane? I don't know of anybody that has it," Aldo said as he turned to stare at Rain before writing in his notebook.

"There's a store in Leesburg, VA, called Esoterica. It's a new age store and they sell healing crystals, herbs, candles and other similar items. I doubt they carry it but they may know of somebody who grows it. They also carry Moonstone, you may want to buy some of the larger rocks, have Luna bless them on the full moon and place them around the grounds for added protection."

Frank looked at Rain in amazement, "I never would've thought you believed in the power of crystals and rocks."

Rain said in a quiet voice, "When you've been to some of the places I've been and seen some of the things I have... well, you learn to accept and believe in things you don't understand." He turned to Aldo, "When you go, talk to the staff because there are crystals that will help center you when you're meditating and help you focus." Frank passed the information to Carlo knowing Maeve wanted to find somebody to help her understand her gift better.

After he finished his visual inspection of the roof and grounds, he went to his bag and pulled out an olive green plastic carrying case. The men leaned forward anxious to see the weapon inside and Rain flipped the locks revealing an M24 sniper rifle and scope nestled inside foam interior compartments. He assembled it and handed it to Ed, "Joe verified its empty, but before I do anything more I want you to verify it also. I need to lie down at the edge of the roof to get a good feel for things. I'll do it on the back of the building, away from the football field." Ed took the rifle and verified the chamber and magazine were empty. Rain lay down and put a small sandbag under the muzzle and moved until he found the position he wanted, "We won't use the bi-pod stand because we'll have to move around too much, the sandbag will allow us the flexibility to do that. Aldo, here is where we'll be shooting from, so you'll want the planks here." He pointed to an area 8" behind the muzzle.

Jeff went into the tower room and came back with spray paint and sprayed a small line. "I'm not sure how many men Alpha Carlo and Tristan are going to put up here, but we should plan on 40 -- 50, depending on how many are attacking and where they are. To put it simply, the bullets we're going to manufacture are lead-tipped silver with a wolfsbane core. We need to find people to mine the silver from Swift's and then manufacture the bullets according to our specs; obviously we can't do it. Tristan will talk to Alpha Carlo about that when we get more information."

Rain got up, dismantled his rifle and carefully put it into the case and said, "Now I need some pictures." He got out a digital camera and walked around taking pictures of the areas he had noted down. They repeated the process in relocking the tower room and center column before rejoining the others.

"Any luck?" Frank asked as they walked in the cafeteria which had just been finished being cleaned.

Carlo shook his head in disgust, "Every fucking computer was being used and Savvie says they all look guilty of something. Paulo's going to enhance it to see if he can get any more details. We do have something interesting; ten minutes after the account was accessed Charles was served his tray." Paulo cued the video on the large screen and the men watched Charles howl before shifting.

"We're assuming that was his reaction to finding out the money was gone," Tristan said with a smile. "Losing $600 mil will do that to a man."

"The question is... how did he find out? Nobody spoke to him, the metal in the bars prevents the use of the bond, and his cell is away from the others ... so again, how did he find out?" Savannah asked before taking a sip of sweet tea.

"Had to be a note. Look at the guard; when they open the cart doors he pulls out a specific tray and instead of watching the prisoner while he hands it to him, he glances down like he's telling him something. I'm getting a feeling of subservience; but there's something off about it, like he's doing this because he has to, not because he wants to," Aldo said as he stood to the side of the screen.

After watching the video three more times, Carlo said, "You're right Aldo. It's very subtle but it's there. When he sits on his cot that must be when he read it because he howled and shifted almost immediately."

"How'd you spot it?" Savannah asked as she turned to Aldo.

"Twenty years of working here. Even though the families use the bond, they still need to find ways to talk to their friends when they're supposed to be studying," Aldo said with a grin as the others nodded.

Carlo glanced at his watch, "Let's finish." After everyone was seated, Vinnie and Carmelo passed out copies for the next item to be discussed. The first page contained the Key to the Prophecies and was numbered 1 - 8 with Italian, French, and Greek filling the first three spots with the rest empty. Each page contained a Prophecy, the original along with the translation and how they pertained to Anthony and Sophia. He waited until they finished reading and looked around the room, "As you can see, we've located three, and possibly know of a fourth, more on that later." He explained how Dante had revealed the Italian Prophecy and the discovery of the other two. "Do you know of any others?"

They shook their heads and Savannah said, "I'll ask The Elders, they may know something and I'll go through the Alpha journals and the Archives."

Tristan shook his head, "I've already asked everyone and Rain and I went though the rest of the books in the Archives and haven't found anything else."

Carlo nodded, "As for the Prophecies, we've discovered increased powers my son has using the mental bond. Anthony is able to communicate to those he isn't related to by blood or Pack ties; this morning he was able to talk to Alpha Tristan and Rain. He also has a farther than normal range when using it. We haven't tested the range yet, but he was able to talk to a Pack member who was 25 miles away." There were gasps from PR and Tristan and Rain sat back with smirks on their faces.

Tristan looked at Carlo, "We should do more tests; does he have to know them? Be physically near the person? What are the limits?"

Savannah, who had been reading over the Prophecies again, quietly said, "He doesn't know all the members I have with me today since this is the first time some of the younger boys are here. He probably saw them when you visited our Pack, but I don't think he really knows them. Let's see how many he can contact." She stopped and put her pen down, "What other powers does he have?"

"I don't know. I honestly have no idea what he can do or how he does it," Carlo answered with a sigh as his voice trailed off. "What I do know is his strength is off the charts, he's been hiding it from us so I don't think even he knows how strong he is." He was quiet for several minutes before saying, "The first half is almost done. We're ahead 30 -- 6 so Coach is pulling the seniors and Anthony for the second half. He would like to join us."

*****

"Are you going to talk to me? You've been mad at me all week," Bob asked as he moved to run alongside Lorenzo on the way to the locker room. Getting no response other than a growl he continued, "You know you're gonna have to talk to me during the game since you're the QB and I'm a receiver."

Lorenzo stopped running and glared at him, "You went on a fucking date with MY MATE. You were whispering to MY MATE. You put your hands on MY MATE. You scented MY MATE."

Bob grinned and said, "But she wasn't your mate... THEN."

"I'm gonna fucking kill you," Lorenzo growled as Vin, Dom and Damian held him back and Bob began to laugh loudly as his brothers Patrick, Jim, and Ethan moved quickly to his side. Ant grinned and motioned for them to head in the gym and they nodded as grins spread across their faces before they left.

Vin pushed Lorenzo before grabbing him by the facemask and staring into his eyes, "You know he's right; Erin was free to do what she wanted with who she wanted. The person you're really upset with is yourself; you're mad because it wasn't you on that date with her."

"Bob's been your friend since you were in diapers so get over it. If it wasn't him on the date with Erin, then it would've been somebody else," Dom said as he grabbed the other side of the facemask and they lead a growling Lorenzo towards the gym as everyone else followed.

"He's right bro. The past couple of weeks you've been acting like a bear with a sore ass... or is it a sore head? I can never remember that expression and what exactly does it mean anyway? How the hell do they tell if a bear has a sore ass? Or a sore head? And who in the hell would want that job? And what kind of college degree do they have to have? They'd better be getting paid a shitload of money if they have to check some bears ass," Damian rambled while The Clan stopped and stared at him as he continued to walk. He began laughing so hard he stopped walking and put his hands on his knees, "You see what I did there? Shitload and ass. Damn, that was funny; I crack myself up." He stopped to look at the rest of the boys and noticed they were ten feet behind him staring at him, "What?"

"You're seriously disturbed Carlucci," Angelo said as he began to laugh. "I mean seriously. What the hell goes on in your brain to think like that?"

Damian smirked. "Aldo gets feelings and premonitions, Maeve sees auras and I... I have the gift of disambiguation and dissimulation."

"You don't have any special gifts you fucking nitwit," muttered Marcus as he rolled his eyes. "And the only 'dis' you are... is DISturbed."

"Those were this week's vocabulary words in Mrs. G's English class you fucking idiot," Gianni said as he frowned.

"And part of our homework was to use them in a sentence. Which I just did ... so mission accomplished," Damian continued to smirk before he ran towards the gym when Marcus and Gianni began to chase him.

"You need to get ready for the second half. You going to behave?" Vin asked Lorenzo and when he nodded the two oldest Carlucci's let go of his face mask and he quickly caught up to Marcus and Gianni.

"I can't believe they're going to be my brothers," Alberto said as he ran his hands over his face. "What the hell did I do to deserve them?"

"I heard that. You should be thanking Luna that my beautiful sister is your mate," Damian said as he turned at the door of the gym. "Having us for brothers is the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of the sundae, the extra prize in the Cracker Jack box, a double scoop of vanilla ice cream with apple..." He stopped as he was tackled by Lorenzo, Marcus and Gianni.

The older boys started to laugh as Coach JR shouted, "Get in the locker room now or I'm gonna bench all of you." The boys scrambled to their feet as JR shook his head before he started to grin.

*****

Anthony stood in the hallway and listened as they discussed the Prophecies and his father told everyone about Dante's upcoming meeting with Alpha Lykaion. "Hey Vin, you're with Sophia and Abby, right?"

"They're on the bleachers, sitting with the young'uns," Vin responded as he scanned the bleacher area before he began to smile. "Though I don't know how much attention Sal's paying since he's staring at Gabs and drooling."

"Bite me Vin," Sal retorted as he glared at his oldest brother before he returned his attention to Gabby. She waved and Sal brought his hand up to wave back spilling his tub of popcorn all over Victor.

"I'm not even going to say anything cause I can see you're in enough misery," Victor said quietly as Sal buried his face in his hands and muffled laughter was heard from the boys as the girls smiled.

"I'm ready to go into this meeting but I'll keep the bond open if you need me," Ant replied as he took a deep breath and rolled his neck.

"We believe Dante located the fourth one in England and his cousin Jarrod Coleman, Alpha of Thetford Pack and the Earl of Thetford will be here next week to discuss it," Carlo said and turned to stare down the hallway. "Are you going to come in or stand in the hallway all day?" Seeing Anthony nod, Carlo continued, "After my son comes in, I'd like Dr. Sullivan to discuss a theory of his."

Paulo flushed bright red and began to fidget in his seat, "Dad, can I leave? I don't want to hear about heat cycles and stuff. I'll come back if you need me." Joe nodded and watched Paulo nod to the Alpha's before leaving and smiled when he saw Paulo bump fists with Ant as they passed each other in the doorway.

Anthony entered the room instantly feeling uncomfortable as everyone stared at him. He walked to his father with his head down, shoulders slumped and he was dragging his feet. Seeing this Carlo narrowed his eyes, "You are Anthony Eduardo Rossi, Alpha-heir of South Mountain Pack, a blood born direct descent of over two thousand years of Rossi Alpha's... ACT LIKE IT."

Anthony's head snapped up as he stared at his father. His demeanor changed and a crooked grin came over his face as he strode confidently towards his father with his shoulders back. He nodded to the visiting Alpha's and turned to face the others saying in a firm clear tone, "Let me introduce myself to those that don't know me; I'm Anthony Rossi, Alpha-heir of South Mountain Pack."

Carlo nodded for Doc to start and motioned for his son to join him at the Alpha's table, "Don't ever let me see you behave like that again. Always remember you are a Rossi and belong to one of the oldest lines of Were's. During the time of the Royal Court we were Princes and Dukes..."


South Mountain Pack Chapter 16



"I remember my lessons Dad. I just don't like it when people look at me like an experiment on a Petri dish," Anthony interrupted him as he looked around the room and shrugged. "Damn, everyone in here is way older than me. I figured there'd be at least a couple of young guys."

Carlo was silent for several minutes before he ran his hands over his face, "I forget you're only seventeen. I forget all of you boys are so young and I'm asking so much of you... so much of everybody. I wonder if it'd be better if we left and started over somewhere else."

"You'd never let the threat to our Pack go unanswered and hang over our head... especially since it involves Sophia," Ant said as he stared at his father.

"You're right, no matter where we went they'd find us because of the girls." Carlo closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, "As far as Sophia... I wasn't able to protect your sister, but my wolf and I sure as hell will protect your mate until we take our last breath."

*****

Mr. P scanned the stadium and grounds as he stealthily made his way to the bleachers where the Clan and the Crew were sitting. Feeling his phone vibrate he looked at the text, 'Road clear. Continuing patrols', and typed a reply, 'Continue. Fourth quarter 30 -- 13'. He thought back to the time before cell phones and smiled; while they could use the bond in wolf form, when they were in human form they had to rely on family bonds and sometimes a message had to go through ten people to get passed on if the Alpha didn't leave the bond open for them. He scented Enzo moving to stand next to him and without looking he said, "Good game young Enzo."

"Thanks, but I get the feeling you came over here to talk about more than the game," Enzo said as he watched the young ones on the bleachers, particularly Hope and Brooke who were jumping from row to row.

Mr. P nodded and said quietly, "Gather your team, we need to talk. The Elders have voted who is going into the safe room."

Enzo nodded and saw Hope begin to fall as her feet got tangled. Before he could holler, Victor snaked his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. "You okay munchkin?" Victor whispered before he blew raspberries on her cheek.

Even though her eyes were bright with unshed tears, she grinned, "I's is fine. I knews you'd catches me so I weren't skeered at all. I's a big gihrl."

"I told you to stop doing that. You need to listen to your elders," her nine year old cousin Alec said with a loud sigh.

She scrunched her little face up, "You's not an elder. Gweat Gwampa Howie says they's old an gwrumpy, like Gweat Gwampa Marvie. You's not old, you's jus gwrumpy an bossay."

Mr. P grinned as he said, "You'd think after 50 plus years those two would finally be able to get along, especially since their families are joined."

"I've heard the story," Enzo said as he turned to look at Mr. P. "Are they really still upset over a poker game?"

"Yep. Thing is, it wasn't even a big pot, like we play for nowadays, we were playing Penny-ante. Howard said Marvin didn't put in the full bet, Marvin said he did and it escalated from there. Ironic thing is neither of them won the pot. They were good friends too and after that they refused to be around each other, except when they had to," Mr. P said with a shrug. "When Marvin's son made his declaration for Howard's daughter, everyone thought the feud would go away, but it hasn't. They still don't talk, and it's been over 50 years."

Enzo smiled and said, "And I thought Italians held grudges."

"We do young Enzo, we do," Mr. P replied with a smile. "It looks like the little ones are getting restless, why don't we go near the fence so they can release some of that pent up energy." Enzo nodded and since Ant left the bond open, he contacted the members of the team and moments later, they gathered their charges and made their way to the fence.

"Where are you going with the little ones?" Dom asked from the sidelines as Vin turned around and watched Victor carry Hope and Hyatt.

"Don't get your panties in a wad," Enzo replied with a scowl. "We're going to the fence. Mr. P wants a meeting and the little ones are restless."

"Okay, but make sure they stay safe," Vin said with a glare.

"What the fuck? We're gonna be there, we're in the middle of The School House grounds, the entire fucking Pack is here, so what exactly do you think is gonna fuckin happen?" Enzo asked with a snarl.

"You think I missed you letting Hope almost fall? Don't forget I'm your oldest brother, I know all and see all," Vin retorted as he moved to the left so he could see the fence line where the little ones were.

"I'm ten feet away, so tell me how I almost let her fall?" When Vin didn't answer, Enzo replied, "See Mr. Know It All, you don't know a fucking thing." Enzo smirked at the glare Vin gave him before he and Mr. P walked to the fence.

After making sure the little ones were settled, the team turned to Mr. P. "The Elders had their meeting and discussed the skills the Pack would need to start over, each pair of mated Elders, their strengths, weaknesses and how they matched up to what was needed. The selections were narrowed to five pairs. This morning we informed Alpha Carlo, Madame Gina, Frank and Joe so they could give their approval. If they hadn't agreed or wanted changes we would have abided by their wishes but they approved our choices," he said as he looked around the stadium then turned to look at the little ones before focusing his attention on the team.

The youngsters nodded and waited patiently for him to continue, "The first is Dwight and Gladys Sullivan; he's a Doctor and she's a scientist. The second is Randall and Donna Knight; he's a former Chief of Police and she's an architect. The third is Robert and Alessia Benedetto, he's a lawyer and she's an accountant. The fourth is Howard and Annette Martin; he's a former Senator, they are excellent hunters both as wolves and with guns and she is skilled at gardening, canning vegetables and preserving meat. The last pair is my mate and I, even though I'm not technically an Elder for another two months, they think my particular set of skills being a former CIA agent would come in handy, as well as my mates skills at gardening, sewing, and helping Madame Gina with the little ones."

Enzo said, "Do they know they've been chosen?"

"Yes, they were informed after my talk with the Alpha's and Level 5's this morning," Mr. P responded as he looked around the stadium. "Alpha Carlo and Madame Gina wanted me to make one thing clear to them... they will be there to help, but all decisions will be up to Sophia, you, and the team."

The team nodded and Sophia said, "Paulo'll send out an email with details of our next meeting." She turned to the team, "At the next meeting, I want a list of your team members, what supplies you need as well as a budget."

"One last thing," Mr. P said as he looked at Sophia then Enzo. "When I let the others know we had a talk and none of us has a clue where we should go. Except for an occasional trip to Italy, none of us have been out of the country." He nodded to the Team and walked away pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Michael sighed, "Anybody have any ideas?"

"None," Sophia said with a shrug. "I do know two people that would have that information; do you think we should involve them?"

Enzo sighed before nodding reluctantly, "I'll call them now." He pulled his phone out of pocket and they heard it ringing before it went to voicemail. There was no flowery greeting, only 'Leave a message' and Enzo took a deep breath before he said, "We need you. We need both of you, it's bad, real bad." He called a second number and left the same message.

*****

As Doc finished speaking, the reactions of those in the room were excited mingled with disbelief. Savannah leaned back in her chair and said, "Dr. Sullivan, I want to clarify something. You think even the women who have stopped going into heat will begin again? What makes you think that?"

"Let me start with this example and then I'll answer your questions. Two weeks ago Anna Moretti had some unusual bleeding lasting only a few hours; it was unusual because she had her period and heat cycle only four months prior. Last week she went into heat and after trying through three cycles she is expecting her first little one with her mate Marco." Marco was sitting off to the side taking notes and grinned as everyone cheered and Carmelo had a broad smile on his face. "As far as the women going into heat after their cycles stopped... I think there is a possibility, let me stress that... a possibility of it happening. With the threat of the line perishing our wolves will want to make sure their bloodline continues." The majority of the men began to talk excitedly since they and their wolves were the most content when their mates were expecting. It was also the time they were the most protective of their family.

"What are your recommendations?" Savannah asked as the men quieted down.

"We need to pay closer attention to the heat cycles than we normally do. Are they closer than the usual six to seven months? Is the duration longer than the usual seven days? Are they stronger than normal? If they do conceive, how soon after the cycle began did it happen? As far as the women that had stopped their cycles - we need to monitor their behavior as well as their wolves to see if they're experiencing increased stress or anxiety about the upcoming battle. Anything that would trigger their wolf to go into heat again," Doc said as PR and Tristan took notes.

Savannah smiled at Frank and Joe, "While we have a marked birth differential, it isn't as pronounced as your Pack. None of the families have as many boys as you two, most have two to three boys before they have a girl."

"Trust the Carlucci's to be overachievers and outdo everyone else," Tristan said with a smirk. "I'm not sure if Luna blessed or cursed you."

"I'm not sure either," Frank said with a grin. "Be grateful you don't have to feed and clothe them."

"Or put up with everything they get into," Joe added with a laugh.

"I've heard about Damian and his antics, and believe me I'm grateful neither of my boys are like him," Tristan responded as everyone began to laugh.

"He is a handful and I hate to admit it, but he is pretty funny," Carlo said with a smile before he looked around the room. "But don't let that fool you. Like all Carlucci's, he's an exceptionally gifted fighter, extremely protective of those he cares about, has been trained from birth to observe and react to what's going on around him and won't hesitate to take on any threat he sees." All eyes in the room shifted to the Carlucci's standing behind their Alpha. Both men had their arms crossed over their chest and had a steely look in their emerald eyes as they nodded.

Tristan glanced at his cousin and said in a flat tone, "I'd like to propose a trade Carlo. Rain for one of the Carlucci youngsters..." Rain snapped his head toward his cousin and began to scowl. "To make it fair based on skill level, it'll have to be one of the younger ones..." The room was silent as Rain glared at his cousin before looking away and fisting his hands. "Probably one of the fifteen year olds."

Rain remained quiet, knowing he couldn't say anything out loud. If they were on their territory and Tristan said this in front of their Pack, he would tell him off like he normally would, but not here. Not in front of a neighboring Pack, make that two Packs, so he kept quiet. At least out loud. "What the fuck Tris?"

"You don't think that's a fair trade? Do you think SP is getting way more out of the trade since you don't measure up to one of the baby Carlucci's?" Tristan asked as he began to smirk. Everyone was glancing between the cousins knowing they were talking through the bond.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're comparing me to a fifteen year old? Are you fucking nuts?" Rain continued to rant before totally losing his cool and waving his arms in the air resembling a windmill as everyone began to laugh quietly. "When we get home, I'll show you my fighting skills you miserable bastard."

"Ah, ah, ah, you're letting your temper show, and if anybody is a miserable bastard, it's you," Tristan said with a smile. He turned to face the others, "You'll have to excuse me teasing my cousin, but we needed a laugh." Seeing the nods and hearing the laughter, he continued, "All of you know the bond between an Alpha and his Level 5 is unique. There are many variables as to how strong the bond is; if they are related by blood like Rain and I, have family ties like Savannah and Marlin, or bonds of friendship that go back thousands of years like Carlo, Frank and Joe." He turned to Rain with a sincere expression, "They are our sounding boards, our moral compass, our protectors and the true backbone of the Pack. There is no one, beside our mates who we trust more. When an Alpha stands in front of his Pack to protect them, it's the Level 5 who stands by his side or in front to protect the Alpha. Without them, our job would be a thousand times harder. So, while I like to tease my cousin, I would be lost without him and he knows it." Rain nodded in acknowledgement of the heartfelt words his cousin said.

"Are you going to tell your cousin you love him so we can finish our meeting?" Savannah asked with a smile.

Tristan laughed loudly followed by everyone else before he turned to Rain and said, "I know I haven't said this in years, but you know I love you."

Rain nodded and said in a gruff voice, "I love you too, you ugly bastard."

"Now that we got the proclamations of love out of the way, let's finish," Carlo said with a smile as he motioned for Doc to continue.

"We've ordered extra supplies and youngsters over fifteen, boys as well as girls, will be trained in labor and delivery, learning to care for newborns and advanced First Aid," Doc said looking over his notes. "We're making sure every medical record is current and Paulo is writing a program for us to digitalize them."

Carlo stood as Doc sat down, "If things happen as Doc thinks, we've decided not to inform the Alpha Council what's going on. They'd want to know why and the specifics and we don't want to tip our hand."

Savannah looked at Carlo then Tristan, "I feel it is my ethical duty to remind you that you are under a contractual obligation as Alpha to not submit falsified information to the Council. If it is discovered before this comes to a head, they could place you and your Pack under sanctions, up to and including suspension of your voting rights, your seat on the Council and disbanding your Pack."

Carlo nodded, "We are NOT going to falsify documents; we need to find a way to fulfill our obligations without disclosing things we don't want them to know. John and Antonia Benedetto, the Packs lawyers, are working on that."

"I do it all the time," Tristan said with a grin as Rain nodded. "We've always felt the AC was too intrusive on Pack matters. What business is it of theirs when the females go into heat? What declarations were made? What the finances are?" He turned to Carlo, "Do you tell them how much money your Pack has? I bet you don't." Next he looked at Savannah, "Did you tell them when you mated with Garner, or did you push back the date? He is almost six years younger than you."

Savannah slowly put her pen down, her Pack members sat up straight all traces of humor gone from their faces and Marlin, her brother and Level 5, growled low in his throat. The tension ratcheted up as Rain narrowed his eyes and scanned the room looking for any sudden movements. "Tristan, I advise you to keep any and all thoughts about when my mating took place out of your head and mouth. What I do in my personal life has nothing to do with our discussion here."

"That is exactly the point I'm trying to make Savannah," Tristan replied with a shrug. "It is none of their business what happens in our Packs. We fill in the required reports with the bare minimum of information. Always have and always will and they've never said or done anything to us."

"How exactly do you do that?" Carlo asked with a frown.

Tristan folded his arms over his chest, "Where it asks, 'Have any declarations been made?', I answer yes or no. The line, 'Any births?', same answer. I don't provide them any additional details. It's none of their fucking business."

Carlo looked to John who nodded then turned to Savannah, "I suggest you get a PA and have them fill in the paperwork, and I'll have Marco do ours. If we get called before the Disciplinary Board we can honestly say we had nothing to do with it, they won't be able to pick out deceit or dishonesty in our scent."

"Good idea, I'll have somebody within a day or two," Savannah said with a nod. She read over her notes quickly before saying, "If there's nothing else, why don't we have Anthony test the bond on those here and then expand it to the Pack."

All eyes shifted to Anthony, and even though he didn't like everyone staring at him he didn't let it show. "Whoever can hear me, raise your hand." There were startled gasps as everyone in the room raised their hand.

"Hold on," Savannah said and asked if anyone at the game had gotten a message over the bond, and didn't receive any replies, except for Garner and her father. "How did you do that?"

"I knew only those above a Level 2 were here, so that's what I concentrated on; just like Dad taught me," Anthony said with a shrug. "I didn't take into account Alpha Garner or his Dad though."

"There for a second, I swear I felt something... like pressure in my head," Savannah said as she rubbed her temple. "It didn't hurt and it wasn't uncomfortable, but more like pressure in my ear like it wanted to pop."

Tristan slowly nodded, "Now that you mention it, I felt the same thing earlier. I didn't put the two together because as soon as he talked to us, you were arriving and we said we'd talk about it later."

"He must be using the Alpha bond," Carlo said as he squeezed Ant's hand.

"Try it again, but contact my whole Pack," Savannah said with a reassuring smile. "I'll try and concentrate to see if I can feel what you're doing."

Anthony nodded and sent out the same message, seconds later Savannah heard Garner say, "Everyone from our Pack just raised their hand."

"It worked, I could feel him using my bond but it was so subtle I had to concentrate to feel it," Savannah said. "Now that you've established a link with them try talking to them without using it."

He sent the same message to those in the room, and they raised their hand. Marlin said, "It worked, but it wasn't as clear or as loud, almost as if he was talking with his hand over his mouth." The other members of PR nodded.

"Marlin lets make sure it works both way, you say something to him," Savannah said as the Level 5 nodded.

"Congratulations on your declaration," Marlin said as he narrowed his eyes.

Anthony raised one eyebrow, "Thank you... I know you hoped either Sophia and or Maria were mates to your sons. To maintain harmony and friendship between our Packs, I'll forget that and we'll move on."

"I was hoping for strong mates for my sons and having Carlucci's fors would have been a bonus," Marlin admitted with a shrug. "Thank you for understanding and I'll make sure they don't bother your intended."

Anthony turned to his father, "It works fine, I heard him loud and clear..." he turned to Marlin and narrowed his eyes, "And he heard me loud and clear."

Carlo nodded, "That must have been an interesting conversation. Anything I need to know about?"




South Mountain Pack Chapter 16



"Not really, just letting Marlin know I knew of his desire to have Sophia and or Maria for a daughter and that we'd move forward from it," Anthony replied as he began to doodle in the corner of his notes.

Savannah glanced at her watch, "I'd like to experiment more, but we don't have time. If there's nothing else, we should adjourn the men, while we set up a date and time for calls and plans for another meeting."

Carlo nodded, "The rest of you go and enjoy the last few minutes of the game; we're ahead 37-20." The PR men looked to their Alpha who nodded before they gathered their notes and followed Carmelo, Vinnie and half of the SMP Beta's out of the room while Todd, Mr. G and the rest of SMP Beta's followed.

Tristan turned to Rain, "Do you have everything we need?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I'd like to come back with some Level 4's to familiarize ourselves with the woods, schoolhouse, and grounds."

"Savannah, your Pack would need to do the same, so we'll meet here September 28th. Frank and Joe will make plans with your Level 5's. As we talked about earlier, we'll have a conference call after my meeting with Jarrod," Carlo said as the other Alpha's nodded. He nodded to Joe to retrieve a box from the cafeteria.

"Dad, can I be part of the recon?" Anthony asked quietly.

Carlo looked at Frank before saying, "Your father will be in charge of that, so you need to talk that over with him."

Frank narrowed his eyes as he looked at Anthony, "Yes, you can be a part of it as well as several youngsters. I expect you to pay close attention and not be distracted by my daughter or your friends."

"Yes, Sir," Anthony replied as he made note of the date on his phone.

When Joe returned he handed the box to Carlo. After opening it he handed each Alpha a phone and read off a paper in his hands, "Here are Satellite phones, they're encrypted, untraceable and only to be used in communications between us and Gabe. SMP can be reached by hitting #*701, PR #*601, SP #*501 and Gabe #*401. They're set up so if another number is dialed, a trace will start since we'll assume you're under duress. The redial button's been disabled and there's no incoming or outgoing call log. Finally, if they're destroyed or the battery is removed, it'll send an alert of your last position."

"If they're untraceable, how is that possible?" Tristan asked as he looked over his phone before handing it to Rain.

"Something Paulo whipped up?" Savannah asked with a smile.

Joe smiled, "I have no clue how it works. All I know is he took the phone apart and threw some things away before adding other things he built."

As they were gathering papers to leave, Savannah looked at Carlo and asked, "Did you ever get that helicopter you were talking about?"

"Dante ordered me a Sikorsky S-76C-something; it should be here in a couple of weeks. The problem is, none of us know how to fly the damn thing," Carlo said with a laugh. "I asked the Pack who wanted to learn and none of them want to. They all want to keep their feet on the ground."

"I can help with that," Tristan said with a grin. "We know several former military pilots who are looking for jobs. They're not Were, but they're damn good pilots and are familiar with the different models of Sikorsky helicopters."

"Can you send me their information so we can do background checks on them?" Joe asked as Tristan nodded.

"Most of their information will be inaccessible since they're military, but I'll pass on what I know," Tristan replied. "Oh, and they're female."

"As long as they get me from Point A to Point B safely, I could care less. Actually, I'm going to need four pilots. After seeing Dante's plane I decided I want one. I figured I could get it if I said I was buying it for Gina... just don't tell her," Carlo smiled sheepishly as the others began to laugh. "I ugh already ordered it. It'll be ready in three months since they have to change the specs due to my height and they're waiting to hear from Rose so she can design the interior."

"She'll be thrilled to do it, since it's for Gina," Frank said in a sarcastic tone before he broke out in laughter again.

"Mom's gonna flip out," Anthony said with a smile. "Especially since you gave her such a hard time with her new SUV and that was what $50,000 with the upgrades? This is what twenty or thirty million?"

"A little more with upgrades... but your mom's worth it," Carlo said with a grin.

"Especially if it's something YOU want," Anthony retorted with a matching grin.

"Exactly, now let's get out to the game, there's only a minute left," Carlo replied as he threw his arm over his sons shoulders as they walked out of the room.

As they were walking across the grounds Savannah quietly said to Joe, "I meant to ask earlier, how is Maria?"

"She says she's fine," Joe began before he hesitated and sighed loudly. "But I think... no, let me change that... I feel like there's something wrong."

Savannah turned to stare at him, "Do you think it's from being overprotective because of the threat or something else?"

Joe looked at his daughter who was laughing loudly along the fence surrounded by her friends and family. At the mention of the danger she was in he felt his wolf rise to the surface, "I don't know Savvie, but something isn't right."

"I'll tell Eric's staff to make an appointment so he can see her," she said and smiled as her twelve year old daughter waved to her from the stands. "Let me know when you and the others are going to join the training, but give us a couple of weeks so we can brush up on our rusty skills."

Joe nodded and looked at his mate in the stands and the rest of his youngsters hoping to calm his wolf down by assuring him that his family was fine. He sensed his brother moving to his side and asked, "Everything okay?"

"So far so good. Mr. P has everything under control and they'll continue to patrol until everyone is gone. He said The Elders are having a blast feeling useful again," Frank replied as he watched the two teams running off the field and glanced at the scoreboard to see SMP had won 37 - 27. "You going to tell me what's going on baby brother? I can feel your agitation."

"Nothing specific... it's just everything together. Trying to figure out this threat to our Pack and family, our sons and daughters declarations, the revelations about the Prophecies, the Miller family history and Maria being hurt," he stopped and turned to his brother. "It's so much to try and take in and make sense out of all of it, seeing how it links together and what we're going to do about it."

"I know what you mean and I'm stressed too," Frank sighed and turned to watch the Packs walk towards the gym. "I feel this is Luna's destiny for us to be in this place at this time Joe. We were taught by two of the toughest Level 5's that ever held the position. We took everything they taught us, learned even more and have done everything we could to prepare our Pack for a day we hoped would never come. I know in my heart we can do this." Joe nodded as Frank continued, "Now baby brother it's time for us to finish our duties. You have to escort Tristan and I have to do the same to Savvie. Then it's lake time."

"That's what we need... to relax and spend some quality time with our family and friends. Come on, let's head into the gym," Joe said with a smile. As they walked in they saw their daughters, the Millers and Gabby gathered around Emory, Anna and Cynthia talking quietly while they took turns rubbing Emory's stomach. Ant, Vin, Dom, Enzo and Gino were holding the little girls who were struggling to stay awake and the rest of the boys were trying not to look bored.

"Where's Sal?" Frank asked in a worried tone as he quickly scanned the room looking for his youngest son.

"Over there," Joe said as he motioned with his head to a corner of the gym.

"Why in the hell is he talking with Garner? And what are they talking about?" Frank asked as he began to scowl.

"No one in our Pack has dated an older woman, so I asked Garner to talk with him and give him some advice," Rose replied quietly as she moved to his side.

Frank smiled and leaned down giving her a gentle kiss, "You constantly amaze me. I wouldn't have thought about that."

"I know, and that's why everyone says I'm the smart one in our family." Smiling broadly she walked away.

As Frank watched the gentle sway of her hips, he began to growl before saying in a gruff tone, "Oh, my sweet mate, you're going to pay for that later."

"Promises, promises..." she replied in a sing song voice as she looked at her mate over her shoulder raking her eyes down his body.

"Don't tease me my love, my wolf is on edge as it is," he warned as his eyes flickered between emerald and amber. "We didn't have time to make love this morning and if you keep looking at me like that... I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder, take you into the woods, strip you naked and bend you over a..."

"Do you realize I can hear you?" Joe interrupted with a laugh. "You never closed the bond, you horny bastard."

Rose laughed seeing the glare on Frank's face as he angrily said, "And it took you that long to let me know?"

Joe grinned broadly as he slapped his brother's back, "Yeah, your clumsy attempt at seducing your mate really cheered me up."

"Hold on a sec, you bastard," Frank motioned for Aldo and Jeff Mendez to join him and Joe. "With the holiday, the youngsters won't be back until Tuesday. I want every inch of The School House and grounds swept before then."

Aldo nodded, "I told the security detail to meet tomorrow at 7. I know we're allies, but I knew you and Joe would want to make sure everything's secure for the youngsters. I told them we'll be doing this after every home game."

"I should've known you'd have thought about it," Frank said with a smile.

Aldo shrugged, "You've taught us well."

The noise level increased in the gym as the Varsity teams emerged from the locker rooms. "Wenzo," Brooke sleepily said as she held out her arms for him to hold her. He gently pulled her from Gino's arms and settled her in his arms as she murmured, "I's cheereded real woud for yous, didya hears me?"

"I did, you were louder than anyone," he answered quietly as he gently rubbed her back.

"Come here munchkin," Damian said as Enzo handed Toni over and she smiled sleepily. "I heard you hollering too, even when I wasn't in the game."

"I didn't want you to be lonely," she said laying her head on his shoulder.

"Wenzo, is you's gonna kiss Erwin? She saids she couldn waits for you to kisses her again," Brooke said with a smile as Erin blushed bright red.

"Is that right?" Lorenzo said as he stared at his intended with a huge smirk on his face. "What else did she say?"

Brooke rubbed her eyes and Erin had a look of horror on her face as she shook her head to stop her. "She saids when you kisseded her she saw da stahrs, I wanna see dem too." She yawned and snuggled into his shoulder, "And her toes curleded up. Could ya tell hers ta take her shoes off so I can sees?" Erin put her head down and covered her face with her hands as everyone began laughing.

"What did Caitlin say?" Damian asked as he stared at Caitlin who was starting to blush.

Toni scrunched up her face as she tried to remember and a minute went by before she said proudly, "She said she got warm and chilly at the same time, and you gave her goose bumps...and made her dizzy..." She stopped and thought for a couple of seconds before smiling, "And she can't wait to do it again... and she likes your hair, says its soft... and you smells good."

"No stars or toe curling?" he asked as Caitlin's blush got even deeper.

Toni was lost in thought before she sighed, "I can't remember."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure she sees them this time, right?" Damian asked as his eyes raked over his intended before he pulled her into his side and growled. "I've been thinking about this the whole game," he whispered before kissing her gently. When he felt her respond, he growled again and deepened the kiss.

Lorenzo stared at his intended and his eyes began to flicker between emerald and amber as she stared back at him. Taking a deep breath, she moved in front of him and gathering her courage, she whispered, "I'm waiting." He growled and pulled her against his side before kissing her possessively.

The sound of a throat being cleared several times drew the couples apart. Lorenzo and Damian turned to glare at whoever interrupted them before realizing it was their father. "I already gave this speech to Vincent and Dominic... Don't slobber all over my daughters in front of me."

"Ye... yes Sir," Lorenzo mumbled as Erin buried her head on his chest and Brooke began to play with her hair.

"Technically Sir, I wasn't slobbering," Damian said with a smirk before he glanced at his intended. "I think Caitlin was, but I know I wasn't."

"Technically speaking, I don't care," Todd retorted before glaring at the four oldest Carlucci's and walking away.

Caitlin's mouth fell open in astonishment, "What??? I can't believe... I mean... the nerve... I've never..." She stopped talking and glared at her intended.

"We need to work on your communication skills," Damian whispered in her ear as he leaned down to scent her neck.

Before Caitlin could respond, Brooke tugged on Erin's braid and asked loudly, "Did ya toes curl? Or see da stahrs? I's looked for dem but didn see any."

Not to be outdone by his twin and wanting to help his idol, Eddie crawled to Erin and felt her shoes, startling her. "I's can't feels her toes Orenzo."

Lorenzo picked him up, "Thanks for trying little man, you're good backup."

Eddie puffed up with pride and said, "Daddy says when we's gets olda our jobs gonna be to helps you at Twiple C and da Pack."

"We'll be proud to have you as part of the team, all of you," Vin said as he looked at the young boys who began to grin. He looked around the gym and said, "We're going to be leaving soon, make sure you have everything."

Alec pointed to the wall, "Our bags are ready and we put them over there."

"Good job," Anthony murmured as Alec beamed up at him.

Carlo strode to the front of the gym and everyone quieted down, "Everyone, please gather your belongings and make your way to the vehicles as soon as we get the all-clear." The Level 4 and 5 Delta's and Level 1 Beta's exited the gym and surrounded the parking lot, while the rest of the Beta's fanned out across the grounds. Frank and Joe strode to the door and within moments began to hear 'Clear' come over the bond Carlo had opened.

"I've always wondered why you all are so tense when it's time to leave," Rain asked quietly as he moved to stand next to Frank.

"One would expect our guard to be down in the confusion of leaving, the youngsters being tired, parents frazzled, etc... it would be the perfect time to launch an attack to catch us unaware," Joe answered quietly as he scanned the woods.

"Make no mistake Rain; we never let our guard down. What others think is paranoia and a distrust of everything, is everyday life for us," Frank said as he watched Jeff, and five others jog to the gate. They took up positions on both sides and Frank heard 'Clear' from Jeff. "Everything is clear Carlo."

Rain nodded, "Perfectly understandable considering your history."

"Everyone to the parking lot," Carlo said as he walked to the door with Tristan and Savannah. Since the men were performing their duties, the training groups helped the women with the young ones and little ones. Within minutes everyone was in their vehicles except the Alpha's, Level 5's, and those remaining at the school.

"If you hear anything or discover anything new, contact us immediately," Carlo said quietly as the two Alpha's nodded. "Thank you again my friends."

Savannah gave him a hug and smiled when she heard her mate growl, "You would do the same for us my friend. A hundred forty years we've been allies and by the will of Luna that will never change."

As Carlo and Tristan shook hands, Tristan said, "Savannah is right, if we were in trouble you would be the first to come to our aid."

Carlo nodded and said quietly, "Have a safe journey." He watched the Alpha's get in their vehicles and Joe lead Tristan's detail out the gates. Moments later Frank led PR through the gates and then SMP began to leave.

Aldo walked up to Carlo and said, "We already have our orders from Frank and Joe. Go get ready for the lake; everything will be taken care of."

"Yes Sir," Carlo said with a laugh and slapped Aldo on the back before walking to Gina's SUV. Carlo thanked the Pack for all the extra work that had been done. When they arrived at the Millers he told everyone to meet in an hour and be ready to leave as soon as the others returned from their escort duties.

"Hurry up," Rose yelled to her youngsters as they came downstairs toting their duffle bags. "I hope you remembered to pack your swimsuits, sweatshirts, sweatpants, a nice shirt and pants if we go out to eat and..."

"Mom, you tell us the same thing every time we go to the lake. We know what to pack," Vin said with a sigh as he walked down the hall.

"Don't talk back to me Vincent," Rose said with a scowl. "Get the coolers out of the garage and load them in Gianni's truck along with the bags." She sent the youngsters onto the porch as she walked through the house one last time, making sure everything was turned off and secure. "Come on, they're waiting."

"They're on the way, let's wait on the porch," Annie hollered. As Lorenzo was locking the door, she said, "Crap. The coolers are in the garage."

"Will you calm down, they're right there," Lorenzo pointed in front of the garage. "You act like we've never gone away before."

Annie sighed, "I know, I'm on edge. Your father left the bond open so I could hear, but I want to hear their opinions on what was discussed."

"Nothing you can do about it now, so just relax," Damian said with a grin before lowering his voice, "You want to hear a secret?"

She began to smile, "If it's coming from you, I'm afraid to hear it."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" he replied as he began to pout.

Annie's laughter rang out over the yard, "Yes you are, and you know it." He grinned and she began to relax, "Okay, tell me. I can't wait to hear this."

"I was thinking of writing a romance novel," he replied in a quiet tone as he looked at his family to see who was listening. "Along the lines of one of the historical bodice rippers Aunt Rose reads. I really like those, but I'd want mine to be a little different, with some supernatural elements to it."

"I think with your imagination and sense of adventure that if you wanted to do that, it would be a best seller. You know no matter what you want to do, I'll support you," she whispered before giving him a hug.

He pushed his mom with his shoulder and grinned as he watched his cousins and Aunt pull into the driveway. "Woohoo, lake time boys and girls."

A little over ten minutes later everyone was gathered in front of the Millers garage, as Joe, Frank and Carlo went over the seating arrangements. "I want to change it a little," Carlo said. "Put Angelo and Victor in Frank's vehicle. From now on, when we're traveling together even in our own territory, I want extra protection for Sophia and Anthony." Frank and Joe nodded and made the changes. Carlo looked the list over again and nodded before handing it to Joe.

"From now on when we travel, this is the seating arrangement we're going to use, unless specified otherwise," Joe said as everyone turned to look at him. "Alpha Carlo -- Fiona, Maeve, Gino, Enzo. Todd -- Fallon, Shannon, Paulo, Michael. Phil and Matt -- Erin, Caitlin, Lorenzo, Damian. Papa Mike -- Brianna, Morgan, Vincent, Dominic. Carmelo -- Gabby, Aislin, Gianni, Salvatore. Frank - Sophia, Anthony, Angelo, Victor. Me -- Maria, Kelly, Alberto, Marcus."