Pack Council
Chapter Eight

Kurt slammed the door closed and stalked toward Clint once Cain had stopped their vehicle next to a dark blue SUV.

Clint laughed and danced out of the way. "Man! You should have seen your faces when you came around the house and saw us."

Kurt growled and lunged for his best friend. This was not a fucking joke. Clint could have been in real trouble and Kurt hadn't been able to do anything.

"Hey!" Clint held his hands up in surrender. "It was funny!"

Tony brushed past Kurt and into Colt's arms. Colt looked a little beat up but better than Kurt had expected. After being held for several days, he was probably suffering. The whole situation was weird. Kurt grabbed Clint. Clint threw his arm around Kurt's shoulder in return. Kurt's wolf settled a little with his partner being safe.

"Let me introduce you to my new friends," Clint told him and waved at two of the men who'd exited with Colt.

"Friends?" Kurt snapped. Clint grinned in return. Kurt rolled his eyes. Leave it to Clint to throw out all the plans and wing it.

"Guys, meet the rescue team," Clint introduced. "Cody Johnson and Zak Lewis."

Kurt shook hands with the two men. Shifters, obviously. They had the animal scent. But they weren't wolves. Gray and Cain came over and Gray sniffed. Kurt was glad it was Gray and not him who had to figure it out. "Tiger?" Gray questioned.

The large blond, Zak, nodded. "You're a wolf, but I smell...bobcat."

Gray grinned. "My mate."

Zak's mouth dropped open. He glanced between Gray and the others, as if to see whether Gray was messing with him. He cleared his throat. "Oh."

Gray laughed and slapped his back. "I know, man. I get that reaction a lot."

"Wait!" Zak snapped his fingers. "You're the wolf mated to a bobcat in Coyote Bluff? That makes you part of the royal family!"

Gray flushed. "Well..." he said, shuffling his feet. "Yeah."

"Royal family?" Kurt asked, shocked. How did I miss that? Surely, I'd remember that. The way that Gray dropped his shoulders like he wanted to hide was funny. Kurt could understand. He wouldn't want to be part of some huge royal family. No, all he wanted was the few people he cared about and his job.

"It's no big deal," Gray said, waving it off.

Cain laughed. "Gray's mate is the sister of the Feline Prince's mate."

"Wow!" Kurt managed. He didn't know what else to say.

Gray's embarrassment was obvious, though, so Kurt didn't press the issue. He turned to Cody.

Cody smiled wide. "Falcon."

Kurt was impressed. He'd never met a flying shifter before. "Wow, again."

"But what are you doing here?" Cain interjected. He crossed his arms over his chest. Yep, Cain was suspicious. Kurt knew that look.

Zak nodded toward the back of the SUV where another man was slumped in the seat. "Our buddy, Jamie. He was being held in the same room as your friend. We figured, as we were saving Jamie, we'd take the wolf with us. Colt did claim that his own rescue team would be on the way but didn't feel like sticking around. So, we liberated him as well."

Colt and Tony joined the circle. "I can't thank you guys enough," Colt told them. He still had an arm wrapped tightly around Tony's waist. "I don't know how much longer they would have kept us. Dan Carter was not happy having shifters around him. He really does believe we're evil."

Tony brushed his hand over Colt's bruised cheek. "It was too long as it was."

Colt nodded and captured Tony's wrist. "I know. But Jamie had been there two days longer than me." He nodded toward the figure in the vehicle. "He took a pretty brutal beating."

Zak growled. "I want to go back there and make every single one of those responsible suffer."

Kurt agreed.

Cody patted Zak's shoulder. "They'll get what's coming to them. We'll make sure of it."

"The fire should keep them busy too," Zak said with a smile.

"Fire?" Kurt asked.

Cody inclined his head. "I've always enjoyed a good bonfire. We decided to leave behind something that would keep them busy as we made our getaway." Everyone laughed at that.

"We need to get Jamie to a safe place to heal," Zak said, growing serious. "He can't shift out here."

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Tony turned to him.

"Not really. We're based in Arizona. We want to put some distance between us and that house, but he needs help before we drive home," Zak replied.

"We have a plane. Come back with us. We can get the entire story and we have a Pack doctor who can look at your friend. Plus, the sheriff there served a warrant on one of Carter's churches today, so we might have something on this guy finally. You've helped us-let us return the favor."

Zak and Cody exchanged a quick glance. Cody nodded his agreement.

"Sounds good." Zak motioned back to the vehicles. "We should get going, then."

Everyone separated and climbed into the two vehicles. Kurt and Clint moved to the new shifters' vehicle so Tony and Colt could have the back seat of their SUV. Kurt climbed into the back and looked over at the man who had his head tipped back with his eyes closed.

The big dark-haired man peered at him through swollen eyes. Colt was right. The man had been badly beaten.

"You okay?" Kurt asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be all right. I just need to shift and rest. I couldn't take the chance of shifting and giving those fuckers a chance at me when I was vulnerable during the transformation. They would have probably loved to get me in between the change. They taunted me enough about it. Luckily I was able to warn Colt not to shift." His voice rumbled deep through Kurt. The man had to be at least six foot three. He was heavily muscled and broad-shouldered. If the humans had done that much damage to him, they could have killed Colt easily. It was a good thing that Zak and Cody had gotten Colt out for them.

“Kurt Moore,” Kurt told him. "I guess you've met this clown." He pointed at Clint.

Clint stretched his legs out as much as he could in the crowded back seat and snorted.

"We almost ran him over when we made a break for it," the man replied. "Jamie Ward."

"Nice to meet you," Kurt said sincerely.

Cain pulled out from next to them and Zak followed.

"Tony should have the plane ready once we arrive at the airport," Kurt told the men. "We'll be able to get off the ground pretty quick."

"California, right?" Cody questioned.

"Lovington, in Northern California," Kurt supplied. "Our Council is located there."

"I've heard about them," Zak said. "Our Prince worked with them when my Streak went public."

"Streak?" Clint asked.

"A Streak is like your Pack. A group or family of tigers," Zak answered.

"Huh, a Streak," Clint huffed. "I didn't know that."

Kurt hadn't either.

Zak gestured toward Cody. "A group of Falcons is a Cast."

Cody chuckled. "He loves telling people that."

"That's not the best one, though," Zak commented. Kurt glanced between the two men. Zak was almost shaking with laughter.

Cody sighed. "Jamie is a black bear."

"Don't go there, man," Jamie warned, but there wasn't really any threat.

"A group of bears is called a Sloth," Cody finished.

Kurt tried to hold in his amusement as Clint laughed loudly. It was hard to tell who thought that was funnier, Clint or Zak.

Jamie grunted next to him. "Every time," the bear shifter complained.

It took several minutes for everyone to calm down. Jamie didn't move, but he did grumble about making kitty soup or something like that.

Zak waved one hand as he settled. "Anyway," he said, "Prince Zachary has always spoken good things about your Council. We appreciate your offer to let Jamie heal there."

It made Kurt proud that the Feline Prince had respect for his Council. It would make things easier for the proposal he was figuring out in his head. An alliance with other shifter species was needed in cases like this. "How'd you get Jamie and Colt out?" Kurt asked.

"We were following Jamie's trail, so maybe he should start," Cody told him.

Jamie groaned as he shifted in his seat but sat up straighter.

"We all work for the Phoenix PD. I work in missing persons. I had a young woman who was reported missing by her employer," Jamie provided. "It turns out she'd met a man who was a member of the Church for Humanity." Jamie shook his head. "I couldn't believe it. Once I tracked her down, I questioned her in the Church, made sure she was there of her own choice. She was. But there was all this propaganda about shifters on the walls."

"He told us about it, but we just thought they were some harmless humans," Zak added. "It wasn't until we started to really dig deep after Jamie disappeared that we found out they were so well organized."

"And funded," Cody muttered.

"Yeah," Jamie said. "They must have figured out I was a shifter somehow. I was coming home off shift one night and bam, I got struck on the head and woke up in that room."

"Jamie had already started researching the Church and had dug out information on the main guy, Dan Carter," Zak continued the story. "We tracked him to that house."

"I was able to fly above the house to recon it," Cody told them. "I didn't know anyone was with Jamie. I could just tell there were two scents in the room. I was able to disconnect one of the cameras and get Zak in. Then it was just a matter of breaking them out and setting the fire. The fire was so they wouldn't come after us. Although, I'm not really too concerned about it. The alarm should send in the cops and with a tip we left, Dan Carter will have some questions to answer from the local cops."

"That's incredible," Kurt declared with admiration.

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "We were lucky you guys were there. Even if you did get to have all the fun."

"We were glad to help," Zak said sincerely. "Would have been nice to know we had backup if we needed it."

"I've been thinking about that," Kurt said. "I have to talk to my bosses, but we need a way to communicate with the other species. We could have warned you all about Dan Carter before this happened. Then teamed up once we knew where Carter was."

Zak met his gaze in the rear-view mirror. "I'm with you."

Kurt nodded back. He already knew how to present it to the Council. "We can talk more on the plane."

"While you're doing that, I'll call the compound and make sure the Alphas know to expect a few more guests," Clint offered.

"Shit," Zak spat. "They're going to call my Prince. He'll probably show up, especially with Gray involved, and it's going to turn into a whole thing."

Cody chuckled. "You're so going to get another lecture."

"I know." Zak sighed. "He thinks I take too many risks and don't ask for help enough."

"You never ask for help," Jamie grumbled.

"Exactly!" Zak threw his palms up.

"I've got to meet this Prince," Clint said with excitement.

"You probably will," Zak responded.

"We're almost at the airfield," Kurt commented. He pointed to the vehicle Cain drove. Cain had stopped at the gates, where he was talking to the guard. It might be a small airstrip but their plane was there. They would be going home. The guard waved and Cain drove forward with Cody following close behind. They parked as close to the plane as possible.

"We'll help get you to the plane," Kurt offered.

He opened the door before motioning for Clint to come around to his side. Jamie scooted over but managed to get to the edge of his seat. Kurt pulled on one arm and Clint took the other until they had Jamie up and outside the vehicle. "I'll get the pilot to open up," Tony called. He was helping Colt up the steps.

"This is pretty nice," Zak commented as he grabbed bags from the trunk.

"Yeah, must be nice." Cody took a couple of the bags from Zak.

"I prefer to stay on the ground," Kurt responded.

"I fucking hate flying," Clint agreed.

Cody laughed. "I love it, man. You should do it without being trapped inside a big metal container."

"Oh." That was about all Kurt could say. He hadn't thought about Cody being able to fly. "Why don't you just meet us in California?"

"I could," Cody replied with a grin. "But I would be pretty damn tired."

"Good point." Kurt shuffled with Jamie and Clint until they got to the steps leading up to the door. Tony had already taken Colt inside. It took some maneuvering and Cain coming out to help, but eventually they had Jamie lying on the couch resting. The rest of the shifters took seats around him.

"The pilot will take off as soon as he gets the go," Tony said. He sat next to Colt with his arm around Colt's shoulder. Kurt didn't think that Tony would be letting Colt out of his sight for a very long time.

"I'll be glad to get home," Kurt admitted. "The Council finally has the proof we need to take down every chapter of the Church."

"How do you know?" Cain questioned.

Kurt held up his phone. He'd had it off, but as soon as he'd sat down he'd powered the cell back on. Message after message had come through from Savannah. "The warrant the sheriff served today resulted in them collecting every electronic device the Church had. Plus, they found a stash of guns, money and more. Dan Carter and his entire network are going down. Finally."

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A round of cheers went up.

"Okay." Kurt waved his hand. "We still have work to do. I plan to talk to the Council about setting up a network or agency of different shifter species. We need help. Each species only working for themselves isn't productive to keeping us safe. The humans have banded together and now it's time for us to do the same."

"I agree," Cody said. "Dan Carter wasn't even on our radar before Jamie's missing person investigation, but according to Colt he's been acting out against shifters for a while now."

"How would that even work, though?" Clint questioned. "Putting different species together?"

"I've been giving that a lot of thought. I wanted to talk to Tony and Gray to get their opinions, but I think we need a shifter-based organization."

"With what purpose?" Tony asked.

"To protect innocent shifters but also as a way to make sure shifters follow laws as well. Right now, humans are fearing us because they know we're faster, stronger and there's not much they can do to stop us." Tony was nodding. "It's a good idea. Like the FBI for shifters."

"I can see it," Gray said.

"I'll talk to the Council and get their ideas, but I wanted to see if I would have all of your support."

"Whatever you need," Tony told him.

"Absolutely," Gray added.

"I'd like to sit down with you and your Council. I might have some ideas to add to it," Cody said.

"Great." Kurt rubbed his palms together. He sat back in his chair and opened the last message from Savannah. He read it again, knowing he had a huge smile on his face.

Missing you. Hope to see you tonight. It will be cold without you.

He wouldn't let her be cold tonight. After everything got settled, he would replace her and make sure she was warm and sated.

"Oh, man!" Clint exclaimed. "He's thinking about Savannah again."

Kurt looked up and everyone was staring at him. "What?" He flushed. Yeah, he'd gotten caught up in his own thoughts.

Clint cackled at him. "I asked if you still wanted me to call the compound. But never mind, I'll do it while you fantasize about your woman."

Kurt flipped his best friend off. "Whatever, man. Like you're not just as bad."

Clint rose then pulled his phone out of his pocket as he made his way toward the back of the plane.

Kurt nodded to where Jamie was resting. "I'll get some water for Jamie. Anyone else need anything?"

"I'm starving," Colt said. "Do we have anything to eat? They didn't feed us at all."

Jamie's stomach growled and he opened his eyes. "Water sounds good, but I wouldn't mind some food, too."

Colt and Jamie being starved was almost too much for Kurt to deal with. Kurt knew that they'd suffered and come close to being killed, but there was just something about letting a man starve that made Kurt sick. Dan Carter had to pay.

If Kurt did nothing else, he'd see Dan Carter taken down. "Okay, let me see what I can scrounge up." Kurt rose, following behind Clint. As Clint spoke to what sounded like Alpha Babcock, he began to pull out cold sodas. Kurt opened the cabinet above his head and found snacks. Clint winked at him and Kurt chuckled. He could laugh now. Colt was back safe and he had a woman to get home to.

****

Savannah peered through the peephole and saw Kurt standing on her front porch. She yanked the door open. "Kurt."

"Hey," he said with a small smile. He looked so tired.

She reached out and grasped his hands, pulling him inside. The bitter cold night air came in with him. It was past midnight. That meant he'd been awake and working for over twenty hours.

"I didn't think you would make it back so fast," she said, pulling off his coat.

"Me neither," he replied before he turned and cupped her face. "We had to get out of there quick." His hands were chilled, but Savannah didn't complain. Especially not when he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was brief but enough to show her that there would be more heat later.

"Hi," he said simply.

"Hi," she repeated. Kurt wasn't acting as if anything bad had happened, so she tried to relax.

"I know it's late, but I had a hell of a day and I needed to see you."

She beamed, grateful that he had felt the desire to be with her. "Come tell me about it," she requested, pulling him into the living room.

Her rental unit wasn't as spacious as his house, but the living room was comfy and warm. She pushed him down onto the couch and dropped to her knees to remove his boots and socks. Once she had them off and stowed under the coffee table, she grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch.

She sat close to him and pulled the blanket over both of them. "Are you injured?" she asked, even as she was afraid of the answer.

"No, we didn't even get to rescue Colt. Someone beat us to it."

"What?" she cried. "What!"

He barked out a laugh. "Yeah, two shifters broke in to rescue their friend who was being held with Colt. We were outside still watching the house when they busted out." "That's...uh..." Savannah's thoughts raced. "Then... What does that mean?"

Kurt shook his head. "We didn't even consider that other shifters were in danger. We were protecting our wolves but leaving everyone else out there on their own. There is no way to communicate between the hundreds of shifter species." He made a really good point. If Carter was going after the wolf shifters, what would keep him from targeting all shifters? "So, what happens now?"

"I proposed an alliance for all shifters," Kurt informed her. "The Council agreed it was a good idea. Tomorrow morning we'll talk about the logistics and meet with the shifters we brought back with us. They're staying at the compound as Jamie heals. He was the one being held with Colt."

"And Colt and Jamie are okay?"

"Yes, they were beat up some but will be fine."

She rubbed her hands over his. "Good, that's good at least." Kurt was back and that was what she wanted to focus on. Savannah still had a lot of work in front of her to take down Carter once and for all. And things were about to get messy. The sheriff had called in the big guns.

"The shifters seem like pretty good guys. They offered to help with my idea. I think you'll like them," he said as he slid an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh," she replied, pleased. "Will I?" That had to mean that Kurt wanted her to meet them, right? She didn't think he'd keep her hidden away or a secret, but introducing her to the other shifters meant something. It had to. "Yes, I plan to show you off while they're here," Kurt told her.

"Sounds good." She cuddled into him. "I would be proud to have you show me off."

Kurt laughed at her tone, which was what she'd wanted. He'd had a hard day and it was good to hear his voice lose some of the tension it held.

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"What about the investigation into Dan Carter and the other branches of the Church?" he asked.

"The sheriff has called in the FBI." They might have made a big dent in the local branch, but there was still a danger to Kurt and the other shifters from other church divisions.

"I guess that's the best thing." Kurt didn't look happy though.

"Sheriff says it's time to take all the evidence we have to the big dogs."

"We'll have even more now that we have Zak's, Cody's and Jamie's accounts," Kurt told her. "I'll take you and the sheriff to the compound in the morning to talk to them. They're all cops in Arizona."

"Cops?"

"They are detectives with the Phoenix PD."

Savannah scrubbed her hands over her face. "This is going to be a mess. I bet they didn't have permission to enter Nevada to save their friend. The feds are going to be pissed at them and us. We never should have let you go either. The sheriff could lose his job."

"Hey..." Kurt turned her head and forced her to look up at him. "It'll be okay. Just wait and see. The Council will deal with the FBI and all this will work out. Sheriff Webb is Clint's family. We're not going to let anything happen to him. I'll be right here to make certain."

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest. "I hope you're right," she confessed. "I'm pretty sure I need to see you, to feel you, every day."

"You will," he said, and she heard the promise in his words. She tilted her head back and reached up to bring his lips to meet hers.

She needed him. Had to have him right then. Savannah moved and straddled his hips without taking her mouth from his, gripping the back of his neck to hold him close. It wasn't enough. She rocked up into him, trying to get even closer. "Hey." Kurt gripped her chin, making her stop. "It's okay."

Savannah breathed deeply. Her hands were shaking. "Kurt..." She needed him so much. Everything was getting complicated and she was tired, just exhausted from all the events from the last several days.

"I know," he soothed her. "I know what you need."

"Please." She would beg for him to take away all the stress and the unknown if that was what he wanted.

He scooted forward, pushing her off his lap to stand. He followed her up. "Let's go to bed."

Savannah took his hand and pulled him through the small house to the bedroom. Once inside, she led him to the bed and urged him to sit. Savannah stood between his legs before she pulled Kurt's shirt over his head. She let the garment fall

to the ground before leaning over and kissing up his neck.

His hands came to her hips, but now that he'd slowed her down, she was determined to show Kurt the greatest pleasure he'd ever had. She pressed against his shoulders so he lay back then trailed her fingers down his stomach. She unfastened his pants and pulled them down. He lifted his hips to assist her.

She kneeled over him, kissing and sucking her way from his belly button to his hard cock. She grasped the base and tongued him.

His breath caught and his hips rose. She smiled before lowering her head and opening her mouth to engulf him.

"Yes," he hissed out.

She bobbed her head, licking and sucking, paying close attention to the underside of his cockhead, where she knew he was sensitive.

Kurt bucked up into her mouth. She thrived on hearing the desperate sounds coming out of him. He tasted salty and just a tad bitter-good, a flavor that was all his own.

She stroked with her hand while going down on him, waiting until he was almost begging before popping off him. She released his cock and rubbed her hands up his thighs before she rose and skimmed her body up his. When she reached his mouth, she took control, thrusting her tongue inside. She positioned herself over him, his cock at her entrance. She sat up and lowered herself down.

He filled her. Oh, God! It felt so good to take him inside.

Once he was in her completely, she paused. She looked down at Kurt. His bright eyes glowed up at her. She twined the fingers of both hands with his. Using her knees, she started to rise. Her head fell back at the smooth, arousing sensation.

She slammed herself back down.

Yes, she thought. That's it.

She rode him slowly, tenderly, rising and falling, with their fingers locked together and moans escaping from her throat. She warmed, heated, sweated. Her body tightened and her clit throbbed.

Almost there. Almost. She released his hands to grip his chest for better leverage. She sped up her pace. Almost out of nowhere, the pleasure swamped her. Her body drew tight and she climaxed. It was huge. Her vision blurred and her head felt as if it was full of cotton.

She came back to herself and Kurt was gripping her hard. She peered down at him.

He smiled back. "You back with me?"

She nodded.

"Good." He rolled them until she was under his body. He withdrew, gaze locked on hers, before plunging deep. She cried out in ecstasy and bowed up.

The time for tenderness was over, apparently.

Kurt thrust in quick, short bursts, demanding that her body come alive again. She scored her nails down his back, making him hiss. His hips moved faster. "Again," he panted. "Come with me again."

She didn't have a choice. She could already feel the next orgasm building. She grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him down. "Mark me."

He closed his mouth over the soft skin above her collarbone and sucked. Savannah knew how much Kurt liked others knowing she belonged to him. Hell, she thought it was hot as well.

She screamed as pleasure was ripped out of her.

This time her sight actually blacked out for an instant. She vaguely heard him yell before feeling him replace his own release.

He collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed. Making love with Kurt kept getting better and better. If this was what she had to look forward to, she wasn't sure she would be able to survive it.

"I'm so glad I came here tonight." Kurt lifted his head. He peered around before grinning. "Although you could probably hang a picture or two."

Savannah groaned. "I know."

Kurt pulled out of her before flopping down beside her on the mattress.

"Will you stay the night?" she asked. Savannah moved to lie against his side with her head on his chest.

"Of course." He carded his fingers through her hair. "That's why I came here instead of going home or sleeping at the compound. I wanted to go to sleep with you in my arms and wake up next to you."

He said the sweetest things. And Savannah knew that he meant him.

With her cheek resting against his heart, she could hear the steady beating. Savannah closed her eyes. She'd been asleep before Kurt had woken her with a knock on the door, but she was glad that he'd come to her. Not only because the sex

was fantastic, but also because she felt safe with Kurt.

"Stop thinking and go to sleep," Kurt murmured.

"You go to sleep," she responded.

Savannah grinned. He was looking out for her even though he must be exhausted.

Kurt's warm chuckle filled the room. Yes, Savannah was going to make sure that she was in Kurt's bed or he was in hers every night.