Chapter 9
The Village
"Perhaps I should tell you that the two missing betas may have gone to another pack. If they have, they may be planning to attack us." Hector mentioned.
"Is that not something you should have told me right away?" Adam asked.
"I'm not sure they can attack because of the magic surrounding us. There may not be anything you can do about it if they decide to," Levi added.
"It is also true that the neighboring pack is small, and their fighters are no better than ours. An uneasy peace has developed because neither our pack nor theirs can afford to lose more people. We have been fighting each other for so long that no one can remember when it started, and it has decimated both packs. At one time, the two packs were one. There was a power struggle between two brothers, and to avoid destroying the pack completely, the father divided the pack between them," Hector explained. "Since then, they have battled back and forth, neither side gaining the upper hand."
"That is good to know. Do we have anyone guarding the perimeter?" Adam wondered.
"No, but we have a perimeter alarm that alerts us if anyone tries to enter that should not," Levi replied.
"Will that alert us if the two betas return?" Adam wondered.
"I don't know. They are technically still considered pack even though they're not acting like it," Hector answered.
Adam suspected that meant they could come and go at will. He thought they might try to incite the pack members into rebelling against him. They might also know a way to sneak fighters in and attack unexpectedly. Routinely patrolling the perimeter was necessary, and two guards needed to do it so that if one was attacked, the other could contact someone. Doing everything needed with such a small pack would be difficult, but it had to be done.
"We need the perimeter patrolled. Two guards checking on a nonstop patrol. If we don't, we will be left open to attack, which is unacceptable. The other alpha will probably feel we are weak right now, and he can come in and take everything. We need to show them that isn't true. Do you know who we have available? These will be eight-hour shifts, so we will need six and someone to cover the days off," Adam directed.
"There are some who are not working, but most are either old or young, as in teenagers," Levi said.
"Those are acceptable because if they are attacked, they need to retreat. The main purpose of patrolling the perimeter is to get a warning before an attack." Adam explained. "How much are guards paid?"
"The former alpha didn't pay anyone," Hector admitted. "That's why no one wanted to work for him."
"The young guards will be trainees and paid slightly less while the older experienced ones will be paid the going rate. Everyone realizes that they will receive a pack tax, right? That is ten percent above and beyond whatever is paid as earned tax by the government," Adam explained. "If we get businesses going and making a profit, the tax will no longer be charged."
"The old alpha charged fifty percent. Everyone will be pleased that they will no longer have to pay so much," Levi commented.
"Fifty percent is ridiculous. I'm beginning to understand why everyone is so poor here," Adam offered. "Who keeps the books?"
"I'm not sure who he uses. It is an outside accountant. One of those big companies, I believe," Hector answered.
"Is there not anyone in the pack trained to keep books?" Adam wondered.
"There is, but he did not want a pack member to keep his books. He hid everything from us because he feared his secrets would get out," Levi replied.
"What secrets?" Adam asked.
"I believe he was involved in illegal activities. Too much money came in without explaining where it came from," Hector explained.
This was not good. What the hell had Emilio been involved in? Was that why the council had wanted him alive? This would have to be checked out soon.
A young man came in, whispered to Hector, and then left. Adam looked at him until, finally, Hector said something.
"The former alpha's family is here, and your mate is dealing with it."
"Thank goodness because I'm afraid we'll have plenty to deal with. How do you suggest we find out what Emilio was up to?" Adam asked.
"What do you mean?" Hector questioned.
"You think he was involved in illegal activities, and if he was, we need to know what. If we have anything we can access, we need to try to make things good." Adam responded.
"How can we do that?" Hector asked.
"It depends on what he was involved in. If he was stealing stuff, we have to return it. We would keep illegal arms but have to alert the council about it. Drugs would also have to be turned into the council," Adam suggested.
"And people? What if he was selling people?" Levi wondered.
"Oh, goddess! I hope not, but they would have to be freed, and those he dealt with in the past would have to be tracked down so they could be freed. We would have to call in experts to do something about this," Adam explained.
"I know a place he used to keep people. I followed him one day out of curiosity and wished I hadn't. I have a family, so my hands were tied," Levi observed.
"We need to go there now. I've seen some places, and the people are not treated well," Adam declared.
"I can drive you there," Levi said as he headed out to the truck in the driveway and jumped into the driver's seat.
Adam thought he was being a bit forward, but since he didn't know where anything was, he let him drive. The truck was a Crew Cab, so Hector jumped into the back seat. Pedro was fast, but not ridiculously so. It took about fifteen minutes to get to the large workshop.
No one was around outside, and the doors were padlocked outside. Adam imagined it was pretty hot inside. He didn't have the talent to pick locks like his mate, so he returned to the truck, got a hammer, and knocked the lock off. The second the door opened. He knew it wasn't good.
Thankfully, he had his phone with him, but it would be expensive since he only had national phone service in the US. He changed his mind. He needed Harry anyway, so he did what Mel did. "Harry, Harry, Harry."
Mel explained that they'd seen it in a movie, and Harry cast a spell so people who knew her could call her in an emergency. It seemed there were a lot of those.
"What's the emergency this time?" Harry said, and then she looked at the door after she had taken a breath. "Oh, dear goddess. I thought we were through with these for a while. I guess Emilio was in this up to his eyeballs."
They all walked in, and while it didn't appear anyone was dead, some of them looked as though they might be close. Adam didn't know when Harry had done it, but she'd called in people, which immediately appeared.
They disappeared with some people, and some witches disappeared on their own. Apparently, the building had been spelled, and no one could leave until the door was open.
"Can you guys get some water and give it to those unable to leave?" Harry asked.
Adam and his new betas immediately got a bucket of water sitting near the sink. He smelled it first to make sure it didn't contain chemicals. Determining it was clean, he let Hector and Levi pass out the water while he looked around to see if there was any food.
He started handing out many trail bars to those who looked to be in good shape and wouldn't be taken away soon. The witches concentrated on those in bad shape first.
It wasn't long before Damon and Marissa showed up. "Tell me what's going on!" Damon demanded.
"My new beta informed me of what he had seen and heard. So, we came to see if Emilio was involved in the slave trade. It seems he was. That was probably why the council wanted him alive. As far as I can tell, no one here was dead, but some are in really bad shape. Emilio hadn't intended to come back anytime soon. He left these poor people to his less-than-tender mercies. Everyone in here would have been dead when he finally returned. The building was spelled to prevent witches from leaving. As soon as we opened the door, some started taking off. Harry called others, and they immediately took those in the worst shape away. What you see left are those able to walk and talk. We've been handing out water and some kind of trail bar that were left," Adam explained.
"Someone knew, but they never told me. I need to find out who allowed this to happen and deal with them. Meanwhile, I need you to find out if more places like this are around. There are usually a few people with nowhere to go, and I would appreciate you helping them out until they decide what to do," Damon directed.
"We will do what we can. I will see if Mel can care for anyone with nowhere to go. This is terrible. I can't understand why this keeps happening," Adam admitted.
"Man's inhumanity to man, and then you add in greed, and there is nothing some people won't do," Damon explained.
It took several hours before they reached the people with nowhere to go. They took the first group in the truck to the alpha's house. Mel was waiting, having clearly been informed of what was happening.
She would have to deal with the fact that they had no decent clothing, and all needed a good meal. Even though the house was large, the group was larger.
Adam needed the extra room they intended to build yesterday right at that moment. It would not be the first thing built. So, they would have to find a place for all these people.
Since he would have to search every place on the property or any other properties Emilio owned in case, he had slaves hidden there, he would leave it in Mel's hands. Once everyone was found, they would find them places to stay.
He turned to his two betas. "Is there any other place we need to look?" Adam asked.
Levi nodded as others brought those left behind to the alpha house. Adam and Levi hopped in the truck, and Levi drove them to a place a little further away, at the edge of the closest town.
It was called Bordertown and looked like it had maybe five houses. The draw was that it had a large bar and grill. The parking lot was packed.
They came up to what looked like a large warehouse. Adam broke the padlock with his hammer, and the smell again hit him. He hoped it was left over from times past, but as soon as he entered, he saw the place was packed with children. Thankfully, they were treated better than the others, but it was still horrible.
"Harry, Harry, Harry!" Adam called.
She popped out of thin air a moment later. "Dear goddess, not more," she said, although she could see there were more. "Are all of these children?"
"It looks like it," Adam answered. Then, to his betas, he asked, "Do either of you know where they came from?"
"Some are from our village, but some are from the other pack and surrounding areas," Levi identified.
He hurried over to a cage and let some children out. He grabbed a child and lifted him into his arms. Adam was sure that it was his son.
They began to let all the children out. Hector spoke to them, telling them they were rescued and that if any of them lived close, they could go home. Several, especially the older ones, rushed away, afraid they would change their minds. A few stayed near Levi and Hector. Adam was sure they were from their pack.
Bodyguards had been ordered to stay and assist at the alpha house. Now, even more assistance would be needed. If someone had done this to the children of his pack, Adam would want to go to war, too.
The problem was that the guilty party was no longer in charge of the pack, and Adam refused to allow the pack members to be punished for what the old alpha had done, especially since he was in council custody.
There were few left inside the building since many had scattered. Some waited. Those were the younger children, but they had also taken off. The ones that were left belonged to his pack.
"This is Tomas, and he is not from around here. He wishes to know where he should go since he is an orphan," Hector translated.
"He comes with us," Adam assured.
"I can flash half of them there," Harry offered.
It was one trip, and the building was empty. Harry took half, and they took the other half to the back of the truck. How could Emilio have stolen the children of his own people? That was taking greed to a ridiculous level.
"Do you think there will be any more?" Harry asked.
"We won't know until we've checked every property," Adam replied. He asked his betas, " "How many properties do you think there are?"
"Six in total, so four more," Levi replied.
"Can you direct me, and I can flash us?" Harry offered.
"The next one is five miles east of here," Levi directed
Somehow, they managed to make it. The place looked like some kind of old factory. Adam had a bad feeling as they approached it.
As they entered, his fears were realized. It was worse than the others. While water was available and accessible, it was clear the captives hadn't been fed in a while. There was also no food available on the property.
Witches immediately arrived and began shuttling people wherever they needed to go. It looked like Harry had called in the big guns because people were everywhere.
"I'm taking a few to your pack because that's where they're from. I'm sure Mel can handle it," Harry explained.
His mate was going to kill him. She had been thrown into the deep end. These people would be the worst yet. They needed the most care and were in the worst shape.
He and his beta stood there, unable to help in any way. Worse than that, they would also need Harry to carry them back.
It was a relief when it was over, and no bodies were found. Thank the goddess, at least no one had died, even though some looked pretty close. For some reason, Adam had not thought Emilio was that bad, but it turned out he was terrible.
Harry returned, and there was no one except them to take. "I sent a message to Damon. People will be coming to the other three places to see if there are any clues. Now, where's the next place?"
"From here, I believe it will be two miles east," Levi explained.
The next place was small and looked more like a large storage shed. Adam hoped no one was inside. When they opened it, there was only one female. Even though she didn't look very good, Adam felt she was attractive, and Emilio had singled her out for himself. She was from their pack. Harry quickly flashed her there and came back.
"Am I counting right when I say there is one more place left?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but these are all the places I know. It's possible there could be others I know nothing about," Levi admitted.
Damn, double damn. Adam hoped there were no other places because enough was enough. Emilio had made a fortune running a constant line of slaves to buyers. He'd probably made even more with those being shut down north of here. No one here would question him or even care what he was doing.
Harry flashed them again. This time, it was a huge concrete building. He could not even guess what its purpose had been.
"Where is this in relation to the border?" Adam asked.
"It's on the other side. We are in Texas," Harry replied.
"Let's get in there and see what we have to deal with," Adam directed.
"This is the worst one yet," Harry observed.
He looked around and saw the truth. There were remains in half the building. They would be dealt with later since nothing could be done for them.
They concentrated on the other half, immediately releasing those being kept. Emilio should be tortured and slowly killed. All the people were from north of the border.
It was clear the group Emilio was working with were opportunists. They grabbed people from anywhere they could. What Adam didn't understand was why they kept them long enough that they could die. If the assholes were trying to make money, it made no sense.
The cells were emptying out as people were flashed away. Even the witches in the group were in such poor shape they couldn't flash themselves.
Adam and his betas found water and passed it out to everyone. He'd also found some food, but it wasn't very appetizing. It was not something many would be able to eat.
They needed broth or something easy on their stomachs. It was an hour before the place was empty of any living prisoners. Judging by the number of people flashed away, that wasn't long. Harry had called in anyone available, including some who could only flash one person and only a short distance.
The need had been there to save those people. Adam felt terrible about everything he had seen. He also knew that when he got back to his pack, there would be a lot to deal with. Emilio had been selling off members of his own pack. That was why the pack was so small. Had he kept doing it, eventually, there would have been no pack at all.
Some of his pack members must have known what Emilio was doing. Why hadn't they reported him or taken action to prevent it? Adam couldn't imagine why or why they still showed him so much loyalty after what he had done.
Harry flashed him and the other two men back to the pack. When they arrived, Damon was waiting for them. What bad news was he going to get now? Damon approached.
"There were two other places you were not aware of. We got the information out of Emilio. You do not have to worry. They have been dealt with, but there are ten more pack members you will have to deal with," Damon explained.
"Does Mel know?" Adam wondered.
"She does. Mel and the other ladies are already working with them," Damon replied.
"I have no idea where she's going to put them all," Adam mentioned.
"Rent a big tent and put them all on cots or inflatable mattresses. That's what Ariel does when she has a big event and doesn't have room for everyone," Damon suggested. "Check with your mate first. She may have already ordered one."
The pack had added a hundred people between all the places they had freed people, including extra people with nowhere to go.
How many people had that crazy alpha sold into slavery over the years? It was hard to believe anyone would do something like that. Even at his worst, Adam would have never done that. He knew he had not treated his pack the way he should have. They should have been put first, and he did not do that, but he would have never sold them. He realized he didn't own them. No alpha owned their people.
It was time to see what his mate was doing and what she needed. When he walked in the door, every surface seemed covered with a person.
Adam knew all the rooms were taken, and most had more than one person. Food was everywhere as they tried to feed people who hadn't eaten in weeks. Bringing them back to their optimum health would not be easy.
Tomas was following Mel around like a lost puppy. Whenever she needed something, he'd go looking for it, but he came back immediately. She'd probably been kind to him, something he was unfamiliar with.
The boy was trying to figure out how to handle it and wanted the attention she gave him. Adam felt the boy would end up living in the alpha house. He probably wouldn't be the only child who ended up there. It was tradition for an alpha to take in the children with no protectors and give them whatever they needed.
"Adam, where have you been?" Mel asked as she rushed into his arms.
"I've been finding more people for you, but we are finally done. How have you dealt with all these extra people?" Adam wondered.
"As you can see, they are everywhere. A tent is coming, and we ordered inflatable beds. It is a temporary solution, but it is better than nothing. I believe it is better than living in some of the pack's homes," Mel explained.
He had to admit that was true. Many homes leaked when it rained, and the floors rotted out. They would have to work quickly, but things would be rough.
Adam had heard some of Harry's tales. He remembered she was good at deconstructing and moving large amounts of equipment and supplies. Maybe he could talk her into working for him. Even a week, if she could take down all the houses and separate the good from the bad materials, would be a huge help.
Besides that, he didn't know anyone with the time to come and help. Maybe there were people he could hire to build the houses faster.
Tomorrow, he would get some advice on rebuilding the village. He also needed to find out exactly how much money was available. He didn't want to run out in the middle of a project. It was time to contact the accountant Mel had suggested. He called the number and waited for Nat to answer.
"I've been waiting for your call. I've already sent you a contract. I will get started as soon as you fill in the information. There's another call on my line, and I have to go," Nat said.
It sounded like she was busier than he was, and he could hardly imagine that. He would fill out the form and send it back to her immediately. He would also send her an email asking her what he needed to know, like how much money there was and where it was?
There was a world of work to do, and everything seemed to cost a lot of money. Whenever he thought about all the work ahead, he thanked the goddess for his mate. What in the hell would he do without her?
It was unfair that the horrible mess had been dropped on him when he first took over the pack. Adam hadn't expected things to be easy, but dear goddess, what he faced was unreal.
Even with the help he was getting, it seemed impossible to do everything that was expected. On top of that, he and Mel were newly mated, and he wasn't getting the time he hoped with her.
"Alpha! I'm sorry to bother you, but several of our family members were freed, and we appreciate that. We really do. The problem is that we have no place to put them or money to feed or clothe them. What can we do?" An older wolf asked.
"We hope to get a big tent in here by tomorrow. Everyone with no room or no place to stay will be staying there. As far as food, there will be food available at alpha house. All you have to do is come here and fill a plate. Clothing will be more difficult, but my mate is caring for that. If you know their sizes, she will see about getting them something to wear. She will probably get the clothing slightly larger since most people have lost a lot of weight, and they will gain it back over time. Does that help?"
"Yes, that will help very much."
The wolf left, but Adam knew he wouldn't be gone long. They would be back to get some food. Hopefully, he would spread the word to the others so they knew where they could get help and exactly what help was available.
Adam had so much work to do that it was overwhelming, and he wasn't sure where to start. He assembled a crew to start working on the first new house. There was nothing more he could do as far as that was concerned.
When the tent arrived, he had plans to start taking down some of the houses that were in very poor shape. While he often worked on furniture or built-ins that went in new houses, he could do anything regarding house frames. Two men would work in partnership to tear down the old house and level the ground where the new house would be going. Another team would be putting in the foundation and setting up the utilities. As soon as that was done, two men skilled in carpentry would begin setting up the house's frame. Once the frame was complete, two men would put the roof on while two more would begin on the walls.
Each pair of workers would move to the next house once their work on the first one was done. They were fast and efficient, and watching them do their work was fascinating. Some jobs took less time than others, and over a week, it was obvious which jobs those were. While work on the foundation was exacting, once they began, they worked until it was done. One problem was that once it was done, it had to sit until it was ready to go to the next step. Adam had looked closely at all the houses and buildings on this part of the pack's lands. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a single one that looked worth remodeling. They had simply been let go far too long to be usable.
The tent was set up and full of people. He'd contacted Harry, and she'd agreed to work one day a week, and although she had not asked, he planned to pay her. The amount of time she would save them was unbelievable, and some of the guys tearing down properties would be retrained to do other jobs required to build the house. When he took a moment to think, he worried about the betas that had left the pack and wondered what they were up to. It surprised him that they had not heard anything from them. Another thing he had done was hire Tyne to train his people in self-defense and the warriors to fight.
He'd been both surprised and pleased that Tyne and Moe came with Harry on the days she worked on destruction. He had to admit, with all things considered, that progress was good. Nat had found a large amount of real estate, bank accounts, and various investments that had all been transferred to either him or the pack, depending on who had owned it first.