AN: Nanook is the Inuit term for polar bear. Nattiq is the Inuit term for seals. I know that Skookum Jim (Keish) was part of the Tagish people and not Inuit but I used the Inuit terms for my own ease and to give his speech a not-modern American flavor. I meant no offense.

Keme is a character I featured in my story Cursed.

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CHAPTER 15

Do The Ends Justify

Eliot vaulted the old pickup that Nate was driving but couldn't spare them more than a passing thought as he sprinted after Swiatek. As they crossed the road he could see that Swiatek was going to try to stay to the right and make a break through the cultivated fields, across mostly open ground rather than into the trees. Eliot needed the man to go into the trees so that they could end this. Eliot pushed his legs to go faster, to pump harder, until he came along side Swiatek. He started moving closer to him until the man changed his trajectory enough that they were soon dodging trees.

Eliot saw an opportunity and took it. Dodging to his left to avoid a tree brought him in easy reach of Swiatek and Eliot didn't hesitate, he reached out and shoved Swiatek. The man tripped and at the speed they were traveling he couldn't recover. Eliot couldn't help the wince as he heard the hollow-melon sound that Swiatek's head made when it struck a tree. Had Swiatek been human that much force would have killed him but since he was a werewolf Eliot estimated at least five minutes before he would regain consciousness.

Eliot, Ewen, and Henry, collected Swiatek and carried him to the clearing that Eliot had decided on. With very little care they dumped him in the middle of the clearing and took a moment to catch their breath. Eliot checked the time on his watch and hoped that Parker and Hardison were settling in at the pub, with Henry's wolves, by now. Checking in with his pack bonds he could feel a sense of relief coming from Nate and Sophie. He had the impression that they were nearby but moving away from him. However Hardison and Parker were riding some kind of adrenaline high, and they were headed his way. Just as he was about to reach for his earbud to get a sit rep he heard the trill of a bird that didn't belong in Oregon.

All three wolves canted their heads to the side at the repetition of the bird call. Eliot grinned and whistled the same bird call. In a few moments Jim Skookum crested the rise at the edge of the clearing. His progress was made slow by the two bodies he was dragging.

"Other one is down at the trail head." Swinging one of the bodies forward he let it roll down the incline. The head made a gruesome impression of a flat tire with the way that it flopped as the body rolled.

Eliot put a boot out to stop the body when it got close. The head was canted at the most unnatural angle but it was face up and Eliot could see the bruised face of Jacques. Nudging the head into better alignment with the body, mostly out of morbid curiosity, Eliot watched for a moment until he saw the chest rise and fall minutely in testament to Jacques still living state.

A howl to the west was the next thing to catch Eliot's attention. Throwing his head back he howled a call to bring the hunting party to him.

"You said the other one's at the trail head?" Eliot started to head in that direction but Jim stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"I have to make an apology." Jim nodded at the other body he'd drug into the clearing. Eliot looked down at the body and couldn't help noticing the hole in the left side of the chest. "I killed him when the others would have apprehended him."

Eliot nodded. "We will speak on this later." Jean had been his to kill, and it wasn't that Eliot was eager for more blood on his hands but he did feel that Jim had crossed a line.

Eliot was almost to the trail head when he heard the yipping and calling of the approaching hunting party. A second later Griswold shot from between the trees. He glanced over his shoulder trying to spot his pursuers and didn't see Eliot in his path. Eliot stepped to the side and swung his arm forward to counter the force of Griswold's impact as Eliot's arm caught Griswold in the neck, dropping him onto his back at Eliot's feet. Two of Mark's wolves, followed shortly by Mark himself, were the first to emerge from between the trees.

"Alpha, I see you received the present we brought you." Mark smiled and walked forward to collect Griswold. With a nod of his head his two wolves picked Griswold up by the arms.

"Straight up the hill and over the rise." Eliot called directions as the wolves walked off with their prisoner.

Seconds later the rest of the hunting party had gathered around. Eliot looked around at them for a moment. He knew what needed to be done next, then he realized he was waiting for Parker to start ordering everyone around. With a smirk he clapped his hands to focus everyone's attention. "Okay, Nati, Lucas, if you would join the others in the clearing. The rest of you spread out and keep a perimeter around the clearing we don't want anyone wandering in on this by accident. Also I need someone to take that," Eliot indicated the dead body laying at the base of a nearby tree. "to the clearing."

"At your bidding Alpha." Nati inclined her head and picked up the dead man.

Eliot hadn't actually meant for Nati to be the one lugging the body into the clearing but he very much appreciated her show of deference in his territory. Eliot nodded at her with a small smile. "Thank you. Please tell the others that I will join you all in a moment."

Eliot could feel Parker and Hardison drawing nearer. It meant a lot to him that they would come to him knowing what was about to happen but at the same time he really didn't want them to be here.

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Parker was flying down the dirt road to Koogan's Point. If they hadn't tied up practically every police officer and first responder in the county, with their bomb threat at the golf course, they'd never have made it this far. Now that they were outside of the reach of the law Parker was pushing the car to speeds that Hardison was sure would kill them if Parker miscalculated in the tiniest bit.

"Babe could you slow down just a little. I'd rather be late than dead." Hardison had a firm grip on the freak-out handle above the door and his eyes firmly shut. He knew it wouldn't help him if they crashed but it made him feel better.

Parker backed off a little but not enough to make much difference in the size of crater they'd make if they crashed. "Eliot's waiting for us." Parker smiled and eased off the gas.

Hardison took a deep breath and opened his eyes when he felt the car slow from suicidal speeds to something slightly more survivable.

Parker slowed enough that she barely slid as she made the bend in the road that would bring them to the parking area at the trail head. "Look there he is." Parker slowed to a stop.

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Eliot heard the roar of the engine in his charger and he hoped that Parker didn't throw a rod with the way she was pushing it. He knew the others were waiting for him and he didn't care. He would wait for his family, his pack. Just as the thought of waiting for them settled in his mind he heard the roar of the engine sift down to something less intense. In a moment Parker and Hardison made the bend in the road and in no time Parker had his car parked. She threw the door open and dashed around the car letting the door fall closed on its own. Hardison got out and carefully shut his door as if he expected the car to explode any second.

Parker had rushed up to him but paused a little awkwardly. Eliot raised one arm just a little and she slipped under it. She wrapped an arm around his waist and twined a finger through his belt loop. After a second of her head pressed into the hollow of his shoulder she stepped back and grasped Hardison's hand. "Okay, let's go finish this."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?" Hardison frowned and held tighter to Parker's hand.

Eliot had completely expected the protest from Parker but Hardison, he would have thought, would be happier sitting this one out. "I don't want you guys there." Eliot looked up the hill where he could hear the sounds of people getting restless. "I'm going to have to kill these men. And I don't…" Eliot trailed off trying to put into words something he wasn't sure he had words for.

"And you don't want us to see it." Hardison sounded frustrated.

"You don't want us to think less of you." Parker almost whispered the insight the bonds had shared with her.

Eliot looked down and nodded.

"How is this different than the other night?" Hardison gestured out and away as he remembered standing on the edge of the gravel pit two nights ago.

"There was a fight in the gravel pit and if things had played out better Griswold would have died but not without the chance to defend himself first. This…this isn't…"

"It's an execution." Hardison nodded as understanding settled.

Eliot could feel the emotions of the moment hit Parker and seem to tangle. He'd promised her he wouldn't close down the bonds again, but he tried to shield her from some of it. When he looked at her a tear had slid down her cheek. "Hey now, werewolves don't cry." He smiled and wiped the tear away.

Eliot stood there a moment, but he wasn't sure what to do next that wouldn't be awkward or over the top so with a sigh he turned toward the trail. Hardison's hand on his shoulder stopped him and he turned back.

"We won't think differently of you no matter what." Hardison looked him in the eye and his usual façade of joking good cheer was nowhere in evidence. This was the man that devoted his time and many talents to the people he loved. The man that loved Parker wholeheartedly. The man that had earned Eliot's respect. "We know that you'll do what's gotta be done, and we appreciate it, we respect it."

Eliot nodded and pulled them both into a quick tight hug before he turned and sprinted up the hill.

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Eliot did his best to put his game face on as he came over the hill. He couldn't lie, not with so many werewolf noses around, but his face didn't have to display his every thought. Looking down from the rise he could see Jim standing to the side of the clearing with the two truly dead wolves. Nati, Ewen, Mark, and Lucas, were restraining Griswold and Swiatek. Henry was standing over Jacques in case he should recover to the point of being mobile. Eliot took a deep breath and stalked to the center of the clearing.

Griswold snarled and struggled against his captors. "See I was right. You are weak! You had to have others come and help you because you were too weak to face me on your own."

"I faced you when you finally offered a legitimate challenge for my people and my territory. You were the one that felt it necessary to play games. Leaving dead animals as messages to scare my people. People who know nothing of our world. You damaged a human that was under my protection and exposed him to our world." Eliot often hid his intelligence behind a slow drawl and country charm or by presenting himself as the dumb muscle for a con but Eliot made no attempt to play down his intelligence or his dominance now.

"You! You let him go! You let him run to the human authorities!" Griswold cut in.

"I sent him to Mark. Mark protected him and cared for him like any real alpha would."

"It was my honor." Mark's smile held a lot of teeth.

"You let that group of humans you call a pack push you around, treat you like a servant. You aren't an alpha. You're just an overgrown lap dog." Swiatek spit at Eliot's feet.

Eliot's eyes flashed yellow, and he let the power that made him an alpha roll out from him like a wave. Swiatek whimpered and Griswold gasped. Ewen's eyes went wide and Nati wrapped a hand around the back of his neck in comfort. Paul who had been standing guard outside the clearing staggered forward and knelt next to Mark, his alpha. Eliot stared at Swiatek and then Griswold neither of whom could hold his gaze. Eliot let the flood of power die away. "I allowed these Alphas into my territory because they too felt that you had crossed the line. Some of them hold their own grievances against you. I felt that their presence as witnesses was justified. But even had they not been here I still would have hunted you down. You have exposed werewolf kind to the human world. You have threatened my pack without cause. You have given me more than enough cause to kill you."

"He made us do it. He made us do it all" Swiatek whined.

Everyone in the clearing could smell Swiatek's desperation and the lie in his words.

"Let's not cast blame. You have more than enough to answer for yourself." Nati twisted Swiatek's arm in a way that made his back arch.

"You brought this death on yourself." Eliot closed his had around Swiatek's windpipe and yanked, tearing out his throat. Nati and Ewen let Swiatek fall forward to the dirt. Eliot knew the man had a few more moments before he would be permanently dead from blood loss, but he didn't care.

Eliot turned to Griswold. "Your death is mine by right, but I'm giving you over to one I feel has more need of it." Eliot stepped behind Griswold and took the arm that Lucas had been holding.

Lucas stared at Griswold for a moment. "My father was a good man, and my baby sister was everything to me." He reached forward and grasped Griswold's head and with a roar he tore the head free of the neck and let it roll across the clearing.

Eliot let the body drop. Wiping his hands on his pant leg Eliot walked over to Henry. "Let's get this over with." Eliot squatted down in front of Jacques and grabbed the man's head. Jacques twitched but was still too broken to evince any real awareness. Eliot twisted the head around several times until the flesh gave way and the head came loose. Eliot took a deep breath and made a deliberate choice to put the last few minutes behind him as much as possible.

Looking up he saw the other alphas looking at him. Eliot got up and walked to the small group. "Mark, Henry, I really appreciate your help with this hunt." Eliot held his hand out to Mark first.

Mark shook Eliot's hand. "I think me and the boys'll stay and help bury this lot before we head home. Unless you had other plans?"

"No, that would be appreciated." Eliot turned to Henry. "You'll want to check in with Parker. I'm not sure where she stashed your guys." They shook hands as well before Henry, and his three remaining wolves, headed over the rise and down to Parker and Hardison.

Eliot walked over to Jim and looked again at Jean's body. "Tell me."

Jim took a deep breath and his gaze focused somewhere in the past. "This one came to my village. We had settled far north, and it was getting to the dark part of the year. The hunting had been lean that year, so I and my wolves had headed out far from the village in search of bigger game, Nanook maybe or a colony of Nattiq. We had been gone one moon. We were in high spirits, we had found meat enough to last a long time. With all of the wolves away from the village we knew the food we had left behind would last for at least two moons. So we were expecting a happy return. There were a few warriors in our village, but most were women and children. Including my wife and children. We had been blessed with twins three years before. They were bright and beautiful. My first. We came home but no one greeted us as we approached. No scent but the cold greeted us as we drew closer. The cold steals things you know. It stole the scent of my family. When we made it into the village, we could see what had happened. This one," Jim kicked at the corpse. "This one ate my children. No one in the village was left. The old, the young, no one was spared. My first son never saw his fourth year. My daughter never …" Jim choked back a sob. "It has been so long, but my heart says it was yesterday."

Eliot stood next to him in silence. "I never knew."

"It wasn't long after that, that I found Keme. I was hunting this one when I came across Keme nearly frozen in the middle of nowhere." Jim grinned and shook his head. "He couldn't replace my son, but he has long been special to me."

"Will you stay for a little while?" Eliot glanced at Jim, but he let his gaze rest on the wolves that were digging the pit for the bodies.

"I will settle their spirits and then I will visit my children's graves." Jim patted the backpack he'd brought.

Eliot could smell sage and juniper and something bloody inside Jim's bag. He looked at the hole in Jean's chest and decided not to ask or comment.

Nati came to stand on Eliot's other side. "Your people will be worried about you."

"Parker knows I'm okay." Eliot patted his chest where he felt his bonds to the pack. "Nati, could I ask you to oversee clean up?"

"What do you think I'm getting' rid of ye for?" Nati snorted and rolled her eyes. "Ewen and I will see you back at the pub."

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Eliot came down the hill and was greeted by Nate and Sophie standing in front of Lucille. Parker was leaning against Hardison, who had his arms wrapped around her while he leaned against Eliot's charger.

Sophie cupped Eliot's face in her hands and inspected him for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I am." Eliot took her hands off his face and held them for a moment. "What brought you two back?"

"Parker said the wolves needed shuttle service." Nate crossed his arms as he leaned back against Lucille but he seemed pleased. "We sent Henry and his guys back in the other Lucille."

"Can we go home now?" Hardison asked.

"Yah. Let's get outa here." Eliot headed around to the driver side of his charger.

"I'll drive!" Parker called happily but Hardison restrained her.

"No." Eliot and Hardison said in unison.

"My car." Eliot growled and got in, closing the door firmly.

"I'd like a leisurely drive home. You know something under a hundred and twenty 'd be nice." Hardison commented as he held open the passenger side door. Parker pouted her bottom lip at him but climbed into the back seat.