The next morning John walked into the library, hoping Finch had found something. The ambush was weighing heavily on his mind. Not only was his precious mate in danger, but it went against all the Wolf Laws he had been raised with and lived by his entire life.
Finch looked up as John entered the room, "How is Joss?"
"She's fine, they never laid a fang on her." Reese's eyes were hard and cold, thinking of what had almost happened.
"Thank God for that." What Finch left unsaid was that had Joss been seriously injured or killed, he was afraid of what John would do to himself. John nearly drank himself to death after his previous love, Jessica had been killed and Finch shuddered to think how he would handle Joss's death. Jessica was not Wolf and she and John had not been mated. If John had been so deeply affected by the loss of someone who was not bonded to him, Finch really did not want to find out how he would handle the loss of his mate, the other half of his soul. Finch often found himself holding his breath whenever Joss was in a dangerous situation. Losing Joss meant losing John, too.
"Did you find anything, Finch?"
"Yes, I believe I have. There were a series of attacks on Wolf People in Boston a few months ago. It appears that among the victims were the Alpha of the Back Bay pack and his mate. From what I can tell, all the victims were in leadership positions in various Boston packs and all killed by other Wolves. From this, I'm guessing that those wolves last night would not have stopped at just Joss, they would have come after you next, counting on your grief over the loss of your mate to make you vulnerable."
"Packs rely heavily on their Alphas and their leadership structure. Someone either wants to take over the packs, or wants the packs out of the way," John mused.
"I see," Finch said. "According to the obituaries of the dead Alphas, the leadership transition was completed smoothly so it would appear that their plan failed in Boston.
"Did your pack manage to track the wolves that ambushed Jocelyn?"
"No, they were picked up by a car or a van just outside the park. We can't track vehicles very well, especially in the city. It requires lots of concentration and the city streets are just too busy and we risk exposure."
"I'll go through the footage of the traffic cams in the area and see if I can find them. Do you know the Alphas of any of the other NYC packs? I think we should warn them. And you and Jocelyn had better stay close to each other. They will undoubtedly try something again."
John nodded. "The pack leaders all try to get to know the leaders of the neighboring packs in case any…misunderstandings arise. I know most of the Alphas in New York."
"Misunderstandings?" Finch was puzzled.
"How much do you know about Wolf history?"
"You're the first Wolf I've known very well, John. I'm afraid Wolf History is one of the topics I know very little about. I would be most interested in a lesson."
"A long time ago, Wolf People used to be a lot more violent than we are today. We had the attitude that we were superior to non-wolves, so we could take what we wanted, when we wanted it. Regular humans often could not fight back effectively against the packs. We were stronger and faster; we could hear them and smell them long before they even knew we were there and we were highly organized. It was hard to fight back against all that, so we had few consequences for our actions. We often made the most violent street gangs look like kindergartners."
"I see and thus the stories that Wolves were mindless blood thirsty creatures when the moon was full."
John nodded. "Yes, mostly because we often were. Not because it's the nature of the Wolf, but because we could get away with it. Then gun technology advanced to the point that non-wolves could fight back effectively and things got ugly for us. Non-wolves were not just content to defend themselves; they started actively hunting and killing us. It was estimated that Wolves were twenty percent of the population at one time, now we're down to around three percent or less. There are large portions of Europe where there are no Wolves at all; the packs were completely wiped out in those regions.
"So we had to change our ways or be wiped off the face of the earth. That's when the code we live by today was developed. We couldn't be violent, arrogant killers, we had to become civilized and integrate into society or die.
"But we didn't limit the violence to regular humans; sometimes disputes would develop between different packs whose territories bordered on each other's. I heard stories from some of the old timers when I was growing up of vicious blood feuds that would wipe out both packs in their entirety. One of the jobs of the Alpha and the leadership is to nip any problems between packs in the bud. We Wolf People are an endangered species, so we can't afford to go around killing each other."
Finch nodded. "Very wise of you. But apparently there are a few Wolves out there who didn't get the memo."
John sighed. "Wolves have made such great strides. We are finally being accepted and putting the old stories to rest. We can't afford to have a pack of killer Wolves wandering around New York. I have to put a stop to it.
"Do we have a new number yet? I may have to ask Fusco to take it while I contact the other Alphas."
Finch nodded, "Two just came in an hour ago, a Mr. Bill Cross and his wife, Bess. Address in Harlem, both retired."
John looked startled, "Finch, they're Alphas of the Harlem pack."
"You had better get going then." Finch spoke urgently.
"On it, Finch. I have to stop and pick up Joss on the way; Alphas should always bring their mates when calling on another Alpha."
An hour later, John was parking the car outside the building where Bill Cross, Alpha of the Harlem pack for nearly thirty years and his mate Bess, resided. Joss was by his side.
"I don't understand why it's so important for me to be here, John," Joss said, confused by her mate's insistence that she drop everything and accompany him to Harlem.
"It goes back to our violent past. You were much less likely to get into a bloody fight or cause trouble if your mate's life was at stake, too."
Joss lifted her head and looked up at the building. "They know we're here."
"Good," John said. "Etiquette says I have to approach without any stealth, out in the open so they can see me coming. Proves I have no ill intent."
"Well we have that base covered. They're curious, not frightened."
"You can feel all that? From here?" John was amazed by and more than a bit proud of his mate.
"I don't know how, but, yeah."
John slid his arm around his mate and kissed her forehead. "You are the most amazing Alpha, Joss Carter."
"Don't you forget that, John Reese! Now let's go, I want to meet another Alpha."
Bill Cross threw open the door as soon as John knocked. He was the color of strong espresso, only a couple inches shorter than John, with a barrel chest, a booming bass voice that James Earl Jones would envy, a head of white hair, and a huge smile. Joss liked him instantly and she could tell that he liked John.
"John!" Good to see you, and you brought your lovely mate! Look Bess!"
Bess was several inches taller than Joss and her iron grey hair was cut short in a no-nonsense hair style but she had a large smile that rivaled her husband's. Her embrace of Joss was warm and welcoming, "How nice to finally meet John's mate. Welcome to our home."
Joss smiled at the warm, genuine welcome. "I'm delighted to be here, thank you."
"So, John, what brings you here? Not one of your investigations I hope." The cover story John used with other Wolves was that he was a private investigator working for Crow Security, one of Finch's many companies. This prevented other Wolves from becoming too defensive if they found John asking questions in their territory while he was working on one of the numbers. While the days of blood feuds between packs for the slightest infraction were pretty much over, John preferred not to take any chances.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's exactly the reason we are here, Bill."
The Crosses immediately turned serious. "Sit down and tell us about it, John." Bill nodded to the couch.
John filled the Crosses in what they knew so far about the murders in Boston and the ambush on Joss. By the time he was done all trace of a smile was gone from Bill Cross's face and he was quite serious.
"So this Wolf who confronted you, you said he was full of hate?" Cross asked Joss.
Joss shivered a bit remembering all the hatred directed at her. "Yeah, waves of it rolling off him."
"And you think we will be targeted too?" Cross seemed more angry than frightened by this. His friendly face had gone hard and cold and Joss made a mental note to stay friends with Bill Cross. This Alpha should not be crossed lightly.
"My intel says yes. I'm working to find the people responsible, but it will take time. You need to be very careful in the meantime. Keep some of your pack members close by; don't be alone."
"I'll take precautions, thanks for the warning."
John stood up, "We need to talk to the other Alphas, too. Take care of yourself Old Wolf."
Bill shook John's hand warmly, "Thanks, John. I owe you one."
John smiled and shook his head, "No, you and Bess were very kind to me when I first came to New York. I owed you one."
Joss and John said good bye and returned to their car. "Now what? Joss asked, "Are you going to keep them under surveillance?"
John shook his head, "This is one time that being a Wolf puts me at a disadvantage on a case, I can't put them under surveillance without insulting them and their pack. It would be implying that I'm stronger than they are, that they can't take care of their own. Besides if Finch is right, the Crosses won't be the only Alphas that need to be protected."
Joss looked worried, "Do you think they will be alright? Will they take your advice?"
"They're not stupid; you don't get to be an Alpha for thirty years by being careless. We'll just have to trust that they'll take the proper precautions."
Their next stop was a small diner just off the docks on the East side of the city. John pulled into the small parking lot and turned off the car. He turned to Joss, "We're going to get a very different reception here; stick close to me and keep your eyes open."
Joss arched an eyebrow at her mate, "Why? What's wrong? You piss these guys off or something?"
"Just the fact I even exist pisses these guys off, more specifically their Alpha, Bert Gore. He's got an attitude and he's barely civilized. I think he would revert to the old ways if he thought he could get away with it, but he knows he can't. That makes him angry and he likes to challenge the other Alphas as often as he can."
"Why is he so angry? What did the other Alphas ever do to him?"
"He's insecure, his hold on his pack is tenuous at best. His pack is almost entirely dock workers, it's one of the most insular packs I have ever seen, so it's small. And he's not a Born Alpha like Bill or me; he fought his way to the top, literally. I suspect he murdered the former Alpha."
"Murdered his ALPHA?" Joss was shocked.
"During the old days, that was often how power was passed from one Alpha to another. However, it turns out that killing off members of your pack only made your pack vulnerable. You can only kill so many of your own people before the laws of Darwin take over."
"Sounds lovely," Joss said sarcastically.
"Since I am strictly following the laws of courtesy, Bert will too. He has to, or the other packs could wipe them out. But, we have to tread carefully; normally I would prefer to avoid this pack. Unfortunately, we have homicidal Wolves running around New York. I have to let Gore know or he might suspect one of the other packs to be the cause of any trouble on his turf. The last thing we need is a pack war on our hands."
They walked into the diner, pausing in the entryway and every head in the place turned to look at them. The stares were not friendly. Joss felt the tension in the room skyrocket, but she kept her face composed and even smiled a little, hoping to diffuse the situation a bit. Despite their Alpha status, if was obvious that Carter and Reese were not welcome here.
A young Wolf, broadcasting the bravado of the young and foolish, stepped in front of them blocking their access to the rest of diner. "Can I help you?" he asked in the mocking tone of voice one uses when one is pretending to be polite, but really isn't.
John maintained his calm despite the thinly veiled insult and Joss did the same. "Just a courtesy call, one Alpha to another." John emphasized the word "Alpha"; and while his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not as he sized up the man standing in his way.
"Vic, where are your manners?" Called out a nondescript looking man from the corner booth in back. "Reese brought his mate; that means he's not here to eat me."
The young Wolf, who was not the least bit chastised, stepped to one side with a cocky grin, leaving them barely enough room to pass. John didn't even glance at the man as he brushed by. Joss followed her mate's lead, but Vic let the exuberance of youth get the better of him and reached over to slap Joss's ass as she walked by.
Joss was not about to let the insolent pup get away with that. Instantly she spun, grabbed the offending hand and twisted it up and around. She slammed him up against the counter with his arm twisted painfully behind his back.
"There is only one Wolf allowed to touch this bitch, and you ain't him," she snarled while the young Wolf whimpered in pain. "Stop struggling or I'll shatter your elbow with another quarter twist on your arm."
Vic, sensing that she was not joking, stopped struggling as commanded. The tension in the room was so thick Joss almost couldn't breathe, but she didn't look up. She knew John was right behind her and would handle anyone who dared to try to intervene on Vic's behalf.
She held him against the counter for a couple of seconds after he stopped struggling, then snapped at him, "I'm going to let you up now, and you are going to go back to your table like a good little puppy. You got that? Make sure our paths never cross again."
Vic managed to choke out a "yes", so Joss released him and stepped back. She felt John at her back and she could feel the low growl in his throat and the hard stare he directed at Vic's back as he slunk back to his table. The poor kid had no idea how lucky he was that Joss had dealt with him instead of her mate. Once Vic had resumed his seat, John's hand settled possessively on Joss's shoulder and he gently steered her back to the booth where Bert Gore was waiting.
Joss slid into the booth; Reese sat down next to her and slipped his arm protectively around her shoulders. Gore was alone in the booth, the men who had been sitting with him when John and Joss has entered the diner had removed themselves.
"I'd like to apologize for Victor's lack of manners. He has recently been turned and he's been eager to show me his loyalty," Gore smirked at Joss.
Joss gave a stiff nod, acknowledging the insincere apology without really accepting it. "I assume you will be schooling him in the proper etiquette for greeting an Alpha in the near future," she said icily.
"Of course," Gore agreed amiably, but Joss knew good and well that was not going to happen. He turned his attention to John. "So, Reese, to what do I owe the pleasure of an Alpha to Alpha visit?"
John quickly briefed Bert Gore in the ambush on Joss the night before and what they knew about the deaths of the Alphas in Boston. Gore's faux amiable mood vanished.
"So you think those Alpha killers have moved to New York, eh? Well I dare them to come after me!" Gore growled. "My pack is loyal; they'll make short work of 'em." Joss looked around; the Wolves at the nearby tables were nodding in agreement, except for a few at the counter. She could feel their contempt for their Alpha burn her senses like a fire. They quickly controlled themselves, but she already knew they would be quite happy if their Alpha was a target. Joss suspected they might even be willing to kill Gore themselves before too long, their hatred was so strong.
John was right, Gore was insecure and he had good reason to be. Gore was a weak Alpha and he was facing a possible mutiny.
John stood up. "Good, glad to hear it. My mate and I will be taking our leave. Good day, Bert." Joss slid across the booth, put her hand in John's and stood up as well. They exited the diner at an unhurried pace. John did shoot Vic a hard look and rolled his lip back in an almost imperceptible snarl as they walked by the young Wolf's table and the youngster cowed visibly. Joss doubted she would ever have to worry about inappropriate touching from young Vic ever again.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Joss could feel the tension in the diner slowly dissipate. She had to admit that she was glad to be out of that place. In a lot of ways it was much worse than the worst biker bar she had been in and she'd been in some bad ones.
Joss breathed a sigh of relief as she settled into the seat of the car. "That has got to rank among the top ten nastiest places I have been and I'm a New York homicide detective; I've been to some of the worst places in the city."
John was grim, "The atmosphere reminds me of some of the third world holes I had to frequent during my CIA days. Sorry I had to drag you along to that. Gore seems to be getting worse, not better."
"Well I don't think you have to worry much longer. A couple of his so-called "loyal" pack members have murder on their minds. Bert's problems will come from within his pack, not from any out-of-towners."
John raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Yep, when ol' Bertie was bragging about how loyal his pack was, the big guy at the counter and the scrawny guy next to him were most definitely not on board. They were broadcasting some serious hate at their Alpha. I expect to have a new case in my inbox soon."
John snorted, "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I won't be sorry to see him go."
Then a thought occurred to Joss, "Where was his mate? I saw very few women in there."
"Gore's mate broke their bond and left New York last year. No one knows for sure why she left. I suspect she found out he murdered the previous Alpha and she didn't want to be mated to a murderer."
"The mating bond can be broken?" It had never occurred to Joss that the bond could be broken.
John started the car and drove out the parking lot. "The bond can be broken, it's tough, but it can be done. One of the bonded pair has to fall out of the love with the other one. Usually it takes some heinous act like the murder of the Alpha to do it, though. It's not something that happens often. We are pretty cautious about who we choose as our mate."
"I don't get it, people fall out of love all the time though."
"Wolves don't. Or at least not often. The bonding tends to hold us together."
"John? Joss?" Finch's voice interrupted them. "How fast can you get back here? I may have found something."
