Page 7 of Henri's Little One
Marc spoke reasonably, “Gays are targets in Russia, and Alexei told me that Chernof has secret ties to the Russian government. We wouldn’t be able to operate under the radar.”
“We need to notify the European Council that The Alpha plans to depose Chernof and mark him for death. Between the Europeans and us, we have to find eight Alphas that are not corrupt to sit on a new, legitimate Russian Council,” Gabriel added.
“Europe must see this our way or they will be schooled.” Armand’s fist came down on the bar. The glasses rattled.
Alexei turned to Armand, determined lines creasing his brow. “Alpha, I won’t go back. I won’t subject Donal to the Russian government or to the Russian Council. I’ll go rogue first.” Alexei downed a triple vodka in one swallow.
“I wouldn’t ask you to go to Russia, Alexei. You have a place and a job here for which you are well suited. Besides, you and Donal have suffered enough. You’re needed to back up Vitas’ story. I don’t intend to bring anyone to Russia. I intend to lure Chernof to New York using Vitas and the Assembly as bait. Attendance is mandatory for council members at an Assembly, and I am the only loup garou who can call for one.”
Rémy whipped his head up, his eyes widening. “What do you think Henri will say about that? He’s just found him. New York is a free city, and Vitas will be vulnerable.”
“Henri will mate and marry him before the Assembly, but if Henri doesn’t want to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, we have to kill Chernof now and any other corrupt members of the Russian Council who might want to take Vitas for their own nefarious purpose. A show of force is required here.”
“Then I’ll do it, Alpha, if a show of force is necessary.” Alexei’s voice was grim. “I’ve gotten stronger since Donal, maybe I could take him.”
“We’ll all participate. Both Henri and I are newly mated, but Chernof needs to be stopped.” Julien poured more whiskey for himself and broke open another bottle of vodka for Alexei.
“Henri and Vitas will lure Chernof away from Moscow. Because New York is a free city, I can take his head there after I explain to the Assembly what he has been doing.” Armand spat, “Chernof knows me too well. He won’t come to New York, but if I call an Assembly, he must, or be hunted as a rogue. When Henri returns, we’ll begin to formulate a plan.”
Chapter Three
Julien’s Home
The hall outside Henri’s suite
Henri had told his household to expect him to stay several weeks in Anchorage taking care of pack business after Julien and Richard’s wedding. Frankly, he missed spending time in his home and looked forward to being back in Alaska. Since joining the council, he’d spent little time in Anchorage. Something always needed to be done whenever he planned to go home.
The Mates arrived one right after the other, each of whom brought new security concerns for Henri to address. Additionally, he needed to pick up the slack on the council while the other Alphas took the time to see to their new Mates’ needs and got to know them. Up until this business with Russia, he had been the only Alpha without a defined job. The others had designated duties. His were rather vague, until recently. And now that he finally had his own Mate who needed him, he had to deal with the Russians. It was both exhilarating and frustrating.
Although he kept his driver/factotum, Bertrand Poulin, with him, he sent his housekeeper, Aline, Bertrand’s wife and Mate, on to Anchorage to open his home. Henri’s father and his uncle had built houses next door to each other in Anchorage in the mid-nineteenth century. Once he was very close to his uncle, but hadn’t seen much of him since his mother died. Even though his uncle had custody of Henri until he reached his majority, he paid Henri nominal attention. It was Aline and Bertrand who raised him, tending to scraped knees, sports, and homework. His uncle was a distant, mostly absent figure in Henri’s life.
Henri had almost kept Aline with him when they traveled to Eugene. He disliked separating Aline from her Bertrand, even to see to his needs. Now, he felt like his subconscious mind had glimpsed the future and sent Aline on ahead to ready both houses for occupancy. This, however, wouldn’t be quite the visit he planned. Instead of a few weeks stay, this would be a flying visit, for only one night. How he wished he had time to show Vitas his home. Henri, to his shame, was house proud. He had replaced the hodge-podge of pieces his parents and uncle had collected over many years with period pieces from the era in which the houses were built. Some of them were of the caliber of museum pieces. He had decorated his town house in Manhattan in art deco, the style of the period the architect had designed the residence. In Alaska, it was strictly Victorian.
Thank the gods, it would be possible for all his Alphas to get to the mating on time, because although they would mate Sunday at midnight, the Alphas wouldn’t need to be there until eleven the next morning. They all owned small planes and were used to traveling at a moment’s notice. He could expect all his Alphas to arrive by early Sunday evening, if for nothing else other than to socialize. It had been a long, hard winter and for many this would be their first nonessential excursion this year. He’d make the displaying of the mark late so Vitas could sleep in on Monday. The mating was going to be a mad rush, but when he explained the circumstances to his housekeeper and his home pack, they would do their best.
He punched the Anchorage house’s number into his cell. “Giraud residence, Aline speaking.”
“Aline—”
“Alpha, you’ve found your Mate, haven’t you? We were all so sure you would at Alpha Bellaire’s wedding, I—”
Henri let out an exasperated sigh. Aline was a wonderful, nurturing she-wolf, a second mother to him when his own died and would be just what his little one needed to recover from his loss, but gods, she could natter on. “Please, Aline, let me speak. Yes, I’ve found my Mate, but there is a problem. He’s half-Russian, and the Russian First planned to rape him. Vitas is an Omega, and the gods have given him a special gift. He dreams of the future and can separate truth from lies.”
“That poor boy, no wonder that bastard Chernof wanted him.”
Henri shook his head. The Alaskan and Yukon packs were aware of the harsh reputation of the Russian First. Many of Henri’s Alphas had pack members who had arrived as refugees, fleeing Chernof and Russia. Henri even had two former Russians on his personal staff of Enforcers. Pylyp and Demyan had both fled from the threat of imprisonment after accusing Chernof of being responsible for the FSB’s jailing of Alexei. They also objected to Chernof’s overall coziness with a government who routinely persecuted their gay citizens. Luckily, a friend on Chernof’s staff of Enforcers had tipped them off that the FSB was coming for them, so they sought asylum before it was too late.
“Pylyp and Demyan didn’t lie. The Russian First is totally out of control. With the help of Chernof’s Betas, Vitas managed to escape but not before they tortured him for three months trying to get him to attest to being Chernof’s Mate. He also has a bad case of human pneumonia.”
“Have him make the change, Alpha. It will all go away.” Aline was, as ever, a practical she-wolf pointing out the obvious as if he were still a child.
“Don’t you think I know that?” Henri snapped. “Chernof gave him a drug to prevent the change. He’s been drugging him for three months.” Henri paced the oval rag rug in the hallway off the bedroom suites. Julien’s parents did like their rustic residence and kept things like the rug from years gone by when Julien was a pup. It was chewed on one end.
He heard Aline’s muffled sob on the other end of the line. “Oh, that poor boy, Alpha, I shouldn’t have presumed…Oh, the gods, is there such a thing? You have to mate immediately to protect him,” she clucked.
“Yes, this terrible drug exists. I know I have to mate Vitas at once.” Henri gritted his teeth with his barely suppressed rage at what had been done to his little one. Aline was still clucking when Henri interrupted abruptly, “Alpha Bellaire will be married tomorrow. We will fly to Anchorage on the Garou jet right after his wedding. Vitas and I will mate at midnight. Can you arrange a mating with this kind of short notice? I’ll have it catered if we must. The cost doesn’t matter.”
“I told the pack it would happen soon. Since the Mates were coming so quickly one after another, I had a meeting with the she-wolves.” Aline’s voice was bright. “They are already prepared. I thought you wouldn’t want to wait. Jacqueline said we could freeze most of it to be ready when you called. The Alpha Bitch chivvied the she-wolves to new heights of culinary excellence. She wanted to show off our Alaskan cuisine.”
