"And I thought the Manor was cold," Keith griped. His arm still hurt, a result of whatever mixture of metals and other materials the Silver Hunter had shot into him. The bullet had been dug out of his shoulder and sent off for analysis, to see if the enemy had found a new weapon to use in their war on lycanthrope kind. Even a shot from a silver bullet should have healed by now.

"Oh, it's not that bad," Kimberly said quietly from her seat. "It's colder in winter in the Manor than this."

Since waking up from her tumble down the stairs, Keith had worried about his sister. Always self controlled, she had still been vivacious in private, at least with him. Whereas most Lycans, even other Lockwood Clan members, saw Kimberly as the restrained ice queen, he had known the other side of her, the side that she only let her family see.

But after seeing her mother be killed, a light had gone dim inside Kim. In the three days since the attack, she hadn't smiled, and hadn't shown much emotion after the outburst in her quarters. At the quick memorial service, where all of the Lockwood dead, along with many other fallen whose Clans had elected that they stay where they fell, had been interred, he had only seen a single tear trickle down her cheek even as their mother was laid to rest. Even Lady Akiko Thornblood, whose leadership and poise had served as an anchor to the assembled group, had shown more emotion when her husband and her son were laid next to the other slain Alphas. Valeria Waldwyck had been buried next to her husband, only a stone's throw away from the others. Only Morrigan Thornblood had been left unhonored, Akiko Thornblood saying that her body would be taken back to the Clan for disposal.

"She died without honor, regardless of any last second apologies," she had told Keith as she climbed into the SUV that bore the surviving Thornbloods. The body had been double wrapped in plastic tarps and tied to the roof of the SUV like an animal carcass, and Keith had wondered exactly what would be done to the body. "Disposal is the correct word to use in this instance."

Now, as Keith piloted the helicopter, they came in low towards the Canadian woods. On the northern horizon, they could see the Hudson Bay area itself. "I miss the Airwolf," Keith said, fighting the controls as a gust of wind threatened to push them sideways. "These Russian jobs never fly well for me."

"You'll get us there in one piece," Kimberly said. She was sitting in the co-pilot's seat of the customized Ka-62 helicopter, which was the fastest, longest range surviving helicopter in the Lockwood fleet. "Besides, we'll get the Airwolf back. It'll be repaired in a month or so."

"Not everything can be repaired so easily," Keith said. "I'm going to be blunt, Kim. I'm worried about you."

Kimberly shook her head. "Don't be. You have a Clan, a Mate, and the entire Council to worry about. I'll be fine."

Keith wanted to press the issue but didn't think that the time was right. Instead, he just glanced over at his sister. "You're my Alpha Female, Kim. But more importantly, you are my sister, and you are important to me being complete. To hell with the titles, to hell with the Clan. You are one of the two most important people in my life."

Kim looked over, her eyes filling with emotion that threatened to break through. "I know, Keith. And you are one of the two most important people in my life too. Now, let's go get her back, and then I can go have the damn cry that I know I need. But for now, I'm replacing that sadness with anger and hate. Okay?"

Keith nodded and turned his attention back to the front of the helicopter. "Okay. For now. But after this is over, I want my sister back."

"You'll have her. The coordinates that Kenai gave us are just ahead, maybe five minutes. Should I make radio contact?"

"Yes, they'll be expecting us to. Peter said he'll take us to meet them from there."

Kim reached forward for the radio button, her finger pausing before hitting the transmit button. "Are you sure about this, Keith? While I want to get to Melanie as much as you do, can we trust these Bears?"

"We need their manpower and resources, Kimberly," Keith said. "As for trust, the Kenai trust them, and they are an honorable Clan. If they say the Bears are trustworthy, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now."

"Okay," Kim said, a bit unsure still. Pressing the button, she spoke in a clearer, stronger voice than she did with Keith. "Kenai Control, this is Lockwood One. Requesting permission to land, over."

"Lockwood One, this is Kenai Control. Permission granted, the field is clear in all directions."

"Understood Kenai Control. Lockwood One out."

Keith swung the Ka-62 around, circling the landing site once before settling down. Shutting off the engines, Keith could see the now unbandaged face of Peter Alces. The older man had a long scar running down his face, and had lost vision in his left eye, but other than that had recovered well from his wounds.

"Lord Lockwood, Lady Lockwood, it is good to see you again," Peter said, extending his hand for a shake. "I wish I could have given you the proper reception, but things are not normal, are they?"

Keith clasped hands with Peter, careful not to jostle his aching left arm. "Not at all Peter. Tell me, has your Clan had any problems so far?"

"None. It seems that for now, they are willing to accept the idea of the Gathering, and accept my temporary leadership. After the crisis is over, they have agreed to a formal election of our next Alpha. We are quite the democrats around here." Peter gestured with his hand inside the small building he had come from. "Please, come inside. I have two men who will tie down and refuel your helicopter, and you both look chilled. I have never understood the Russian obsession with not putting strong enough heaters in their helicopters myself. Then again, with the weather up here, we rarely use them outside of summer. You two were lucky, we've had a bit of a break in the weather. Quite often by this time of year, you have to stop nearly a hundred miles south, then proceed on snowmobiles. Every family around here has one."

Kimberly looked around at the ground, which was already frosted over with light snow. Her boots crunched in the icy grass of the field, and she shivered herself, wishing she had worn her warmer flight boots. "I'm sure. But that must be saved for happier times. Lead on please, Peter."

Inside, Peter had hot drinks available for both of them. "Someone told me that you don’t like coffee, Keith," Peter said as he handed them each a tall Thermos, "so I prepared hot chocolate for you. For you, Lady Lockwood, your affinity for health is known far and wide, so an herbal tea I thought would be best."

"Thank you. And please, just call me Kimberly. This isn't Gathering business, after all," Kimberly said. She opened the top and smelled, nodding in appreciation. "Very nice. Is it local?"

"Yes, in fact, it is made by a Bear woman who has a shop nearby. If you have a moment after the meeting, I can take you by. She makes delicious health food snacks as well."

Kimberly put the top on her Thermos and nodded. "If there is time. I doubt it, though. This is not exactly a social visit."

“It’s not, but I would encourage it," Peter said as he led them through the building and outside to a gray Chevy Suburban. He started up and put the SUV in reverse, pulling out and driving towards the west. "The Bears, while loyal to each other and peaceful, have kept a lot of their old ways. As the world has modernized, they have taken on a bit of what you might call a hippie vibe, although don't let that fool you, their leader is quite the shrewd politician. Because of that, and because of the old animosities, we've found that a bit of what you might call country diplomacy goes a long way towards good relations."

"Then we shall make the time," Keith said. "Fifteen minutes is not going to matter much, and I'm sure your men would enjoy the extra time making sure the Ka-62 is flight worthy. Tell me, do they have experience on that helicopter?"

"No, but a lot of the miners and other folks headed for the Hudson Bay or farther north use old Soviet equipment, so they are familiar enough with the basics that they can give you a good once over. We assume if it is tough enough for Siberia, it's tough enough for Canada too. Also, they’re familiar with the General Electric engines you told me you had replaced the original ones with, so you'll be fully checked out. The drive should only take us another fifteen minutes, the meeting place where we and the Bears hold our negotiations is very close."

"So you have a formal meeting space with them?" Kimberly asked. "It doesn't sound very casual."

"You'll see, Kimberly," Peter said. "Up here in the Great White North, things are.... different."

Peter wasn't joking, pulling into the parking lot of what looked like a diner made from old shipping containers exactly seventeen minutes later. "They are what they look like," Peter said, getting out. "My Alpha had a series of containers delivered up here years ago to outfit a scientific expedition and some oil company's attempt for finding oil in the Bay, and afterward nobody quite knew what to do with them. The trucking company wanted nothing to do with them, they cost more to transport back to Toronto than anyone was willing to pay. It was dangerous enough getting the damn things up here with the local roads. Eventually, the Bear leader at the time asked to take them off our hands, which we were more than happy to do. They turned them into this place and about a dozen little houses in the area. The locals call it Container Village, although it's more like a housing development or a trailer park."

"So this is owned by the Bears?" Keith said, pausing. "I'm not exactly secure going totally onto their territory for our initial meeting."

"No, actually it's mutually owned. It's just what it looks like, a diner. The head chef is a Bear, but the rest of the staff are either Kenai or humans who have no clue about us. But we're clear to talk freely today, they all have the afternoon off."

Keith nodded and opened the door, immediately hit with the unmistakable smell of venison along with a blast of warm air. His mouth watered, and he could see the knowing smile on the large, black-haired man who was sitting at the long counter that ran most of the length of the diner. "Well met, stranger," he said getting off the stool.

Keith, at six foot four, was tall for a Lycan, although his father had been a bit taller. It had been a very long time since he had been forced to look up at someone, but this man was massive, easily six foot seven and weighing over three hundred pounds. He had a bit of middle-aged paunch on him, but still looked massively strong. "I'm Keith Waldwyck," he said, extending his hand. "This is my twin sister, Kimberly. I assume you are the man that Peter brought us to see?"

"I am. I'm Ben Stormstout, Chief Father of the Aklark Clan. Peter says that you wished to discuss the recent problems that the Lycanthropes have faced. Peter has given me the details, at least some of them." Ben shook Keith's hand, almost swallowing the hand inside his own huge grip. Still, despite the obvious massive power, he shook with only a firm grip, restraining himself. Keith wondered just how strong Ben was in human form, and how much stronger he was in Bear form.

"I see," Keith said. "And what has he told you?"

"That we have a common enemy, which I agree with. My People have encountered these misguided fanatics before. It was, in fact, the first link of the chain that formed a truce between my People and the Kenai Clan after the two Peacemakers encountered a fanatic on their way through Europe. Come, have a seat. Let's enjoy a bowl of our local venison stew, I promise one bite and you'll want to come back here on a regular basis."

Keith sat down in one of the booths, Kimberly next to him, watching as Ben quickly adjusted the booth seat he chose to accommodate his massive frame. "And I thought I had problems fitting in normal places."

Ben chuckled in good humor, nodding. "It helps to have this place, although some of our members have enjoyed careers outside of our land. Right now there are four Aklark playing in either the NFL or CFL."

"I bet," Kimberly said, sounding more animated than she had in the helicopter. "Knowing our capabilities, I assume you have an advantage when they play?"

“Of course. But that’s not why you came. We can discuss that later. First, let us share some stew and break bread as brothers."

The stew came in huge bowls, rich, thick and spicy. Keith noticed from the corner of his eye Peter sit down at the counter with his own huge bowl, and dug in. It was as good as promised, and he quickly found that he had devoured half the bowl. Looking up and wiping his mouth, he realized it was the first real full meal he'd eaten since the attack.

"This is delicious Ben," he said, noticing from the corner of his eye that Kimberly was still spooning broth and vegetables into her mouth. "Thank you. My compliments to the chef."

"My wife will be pleased to hear it, she made it special off menu for your arrival," Ben replied. "In fact, if you don't mind, she's in the back. Honey?"

A large woman, easily Kimberly's height but well over two hundred pounds came out, her face round and smiling. "I heard your compliments, Keith. I swear Ben drags me out here just to show me off or something, but it does warm my heart. Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I've got some more cleanup to do while you all keep talking."

Before Keith could say anything, the woman disappeared back into the back of the diner and leaving Ben laughing with apparent good humor. "She hates when I do that, but I can't help it. Now, I know you’re on a short time schedule. I’ve discussed your problem with my People. We are willing to help you if certain conditions are met."

Keith felt a mixed wave sweep over him, as he was glad to know the Bears were willing to help but was concerned about the conditions. "What do you mean, Ben?"

"By our laws, the only way we engage in a fight is in either defense of self or of other members of the clan. As you are Lycans, this creates a problem. You are not of the Aklark." Ben sipped his water, charmingly graceful for such a large man. "But there is a way around it that my People are willing to accept."

"What is that?" Keith asked, a bit relieved.

Ben nodded his head towards Kimberly. "Peter has told me that you, Keith Waldwyck, are already Mated. While your Clans do accept Second Mates, I have no daughters, which is quite a problem. However, I do have a son, Edward. And you, Kimberly Waldwyck, are unmarried. Or do you prefer the term Mated?"

Kim set her spoon down, surprised, but containing herself. "I am Unmated, but what are you asking? I am an independent woman."

"You’re the Alpha Female of one of the most powerful Lycan Clans in North America," Ben replied, shaking his head in slow negation of what she had said. "Oh, I'm not asking that you fall in love with my son, far from it. As I understand it, your father had a Second Mate as well. This is the sort of arrangement I am asking. My son becomes your First Mate, under your Clan's law, at least until the time you perhaps meet someone you wish to make your First, and then he would willingly become your Second. A political union only if you wish."

"That’s a lot to ask, Ben, even for the amount of assistance you could offer," Kimberly replied. "And what of my status in my own Clan?”

"That is a Lockwood matter, and unimportant to me," Ben replied. "Among the Aklark, my position is secure, and this would not be to my eldest son and heir anyway. I would like to have him come home at least sometimes, to reconnect with the land, but we don’t request that you leave your home or your Clan."

Keith looked from Ben to Kimberly, his face clouded. "Ben, would you give me a moment outside with my sister?"

"Of course. If I may, in the meantime I will call my son, have him join us."

Keith nodded, getting up with Kimberly and going to the door. "I'm sorry Keith, I didn't know Ben would ask for this," Peter said softly as they passed him.

Keith stopped and put his hand on Peter's shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, Peter. Let me talk this over with Kim, you enjoy your stew. It is quite delicious."

Outside, the sub-Arctic chill slapped Keith in the face, and he shivered for a moment as he and Kimberly walked into the gravel parking lot. "I'm sorry Kim. I seem to have wasted our time," he said, rubbing his hands together and pacing back and forth, while Kim stood with her arms crossed under her breasts, looking down at her feet. "I will not horse trade you for the Bears' support. We'll just have to re-evaluate our plan. I'm sure the Thornbloods can help us somewhat, and we still don't even know where Melanie is."

"I'll do it," Kim said softly, her voice intense.

Keith stopped in his tracks and looked at his sister. "What?"

Kimberly looked up, her amber eyes flashing in the cold air. "I said I'll do it. Keith, I appreciate your concern, but you were right the first time. Unless they have her sitting in a Motel 6 down the road, we need help. We need their support and strength in order to get Melanie back and to recover from this attack. I saw as those bastards not only stole my Sister from us, but corrupted our Gathering. They slaughtered over a hundred of our kind and killed nearly a quarter of our Clan. So if it means that I need to be politically married to some Bear, I don't give a damn. I want my Sister back, and I want their fucking blood. You said in the helicopter that you were worried about me, and I asked if we could trust the Bears. Well, I still don't know if I can fully trust Stormstout, but I know that I can use their power to gain the first measure of vengeance for what those silver fuckers did. So yes, Keith. I'll do it."

Keith looked his sister in the eyes and saw for the first time in days the intense flare of intelligence and fire that made him see the woman he knew, loved and respected inside. Gathering her into an embrace, he buried his chin in her hair, like they used to when they were kids. "Okay, Kim. But I swear, if this Edward is an asshole, he's going to have one pissed off brother in law ripping his damn head off."

"Oh, he won't have to worry about that," Kim replied, hugging her brother back. "If he's an asshole, he's going to have to worry about me first. Okay, now I'm cold. Let's go tell Stormstout. I guess I should meet my new fiancée."

Going back into the diner, Kimberly led the way. She walked up to Stormstout, nodding, putting every bit of her inner strength into her frame, the total Alpha Female that she was. "Fine. On three conditions."

"What's that?" Strormstout said cautiously.

"First, that while the betrothal can be from today, your son and I do not Mate until after Melanie is safe. Second, that he fights with us. In fact, he comes with us, because I’m not going to Mate with some prissy pantywaist who sits in the back while others do the dirty work. And third, that he lives in the Lockwood Towers, among the Lockwoods. I have my own quarters in the Lockwood Towers as well as my own private wing of the Manor as the Alpha Female, and I'm not giving that up to live in a container house in the middle of the woods of Canada. We can discuss visiting and things like that later. Agreed?"

"I have no problems with that, but you should check with Edward as well. He'll be here in a few minutes. Until then, please sit and finish your bowls of stew. If not, they'll just be fed to the dogs out back. That would be a waste of good food, and my wife would be put out."

Kimberly nodded and sat down, taking her bowl with her. Keith slid in next to her, reaching around to take his own and finishing off the last bites. It was a good stew, after all, and they understood the implied political threat. Kimberly reflected on the ridiculousness of their Clan's future hanging on how well they liked a bowl of stew, but she guessed in the history of Lycans, there had been weirder things.

They had just finished up the last of their meal when a large truck pulled up outside, and Kimberly's jaw dropped as another giant of a man got out. Perhaps a bit shorter than Ben Stormstout, he was easily bigger, with a barrel chest and body that screamed strength.

Kim could feel her pulse flare a little bit, and she knew why. Her entire life, she had been surrounded by men and women who were, at least to the average person, beautiful. Alpha Males were supposed to have tiny waists, flaring backs and deep, muscular chests, bodies that made Arnold Schwarzenegger look pedestrian. After a while, it did get to be pedestrian to her. She had stopped being aroused by chiseled abdominals and ripped chests long ago.

Then one day, while she was flipping the channels on her television, she had seen a man who had impressed her while cruising through one of the sports channels that Keith liked to watch sometimes. A normal human, he was still strong, pulling a massive fire truck behind him for twenty-five meters. Then, another man did the same thing, and another, and another. These men, these common men with obviously no Lycan blood in them, were still accomplishing feats of strength that would test a young Lycan's abilities. World's Strongest Man, indeed.

Since that time, she had found that sort of body attractive, even though she told nobody about it. Even as Alpha Males and potential Alpha Males had tried to flirt with her at Clan activities, she had rarely engaged them past politeness, not at all aroused by their posturing and attempts at displaying their strength, her mind flashing back to the barrel chests and huge bodies from the TV. Here, though, walking towards the door of the diner, was the living epitome of that type of man, with short, flat-topped black hair that bristled on top, slightly tanned skin, and eyes that glittered with intelligence as well as strength.

The door opened, the floor actually sagging slightly as he walked in. "Father," the man said, striding down the hallway, his feet booming on the floor. "I see that you have received our visitors. I was busy at the shop, we have a new shipment of logs coming in today."

Ben waved off the news as if it were unimportant. "Edward, this is Keith Waldwyck, the Alpha Male of Clan Lockwood, and his sister, Kimberly."

"Pleasure to meet you both," Edward said, offering his hand to Keith and Kimberly in turn. Kimberly noticed that Edward's forearms were meaty, the muscles bulging under the fabric of his flannel shirt. She wondered for a moment just how powerful those hands were. "Peter has told me about your plight. I hope the People can help you."

"Ah.... yeah, I think you can," Keith said. "We were just discussing the terms of our alliance."

Edward gave Keith a confused look. "Terms? I didn't know about this."

Keith blinked, then looked at Ben. "Wait a moment. Ben, you didn't tell your son about this?"

"My conditions? No, of course not," Ben said, as if Keith had said something stupid. "It wasn't his decision to make. Edward, I have agreed to assist the Waldwycks with their quest, but there is, of course, the problem of us only going to war to protect the People."

Edward narrowed his eyes and looked at his father. "What did you do, old man?"

"You are to be betrothed to Kimberly Waldwyck," Ben Stormstout said, his voice slightly haughty and commanding. Keith realized he didn't really like Ben Stormstout, he reminded him of some of the old-boy politicians he had met in his business dealings. "You will go with them today, assist them in the rescue along with any other members of the Aklark I send to you, and then you shall be Mated, in the style of her Clan. Afterward you shall serve as a proper First Mate to her, with other details to be negotiated between her Clan and our People later, as well as between yourselves. Do you understand?"

Edward's fists clenched, the sound of his knuckles sounding like pistol shots in the small diner. All sound and motion stopped, the two cooks behind the counter fading into the background. Peter as well got off his stool and stepped towards Keith and Kimberly, moving to protect them. The air crackled with the electricity of barely contained violence, and Keith readied himself to change at a moment's notice if need be.

Edward held up his hand towards Peter, stopping him in his tracks. "Peter, your caution is unnecessary. Father, outside. Now. Excuse us please, Keith and Kimberly."

Once outside, the thin steel walls and insulation of the container dulled but did not totally drown out the conversation between father and son. Everyone inside tried to politely ignore the yelling, but it was difficult.

"What the hell, father? Why were you not going to consult with me at all about this? I know you sometimes act unilaterally, but this is fucking ridiculous!" Edward yelled, turning in the parking lot. "I mean, I know you like to play things close to the vest, but this is too damn much. This is a lot different than when you had Robert go to university in California just to get a chance at an NFL contract or negotiating a deal on the logging rights to the western part of our land without consulting the rest of the Aklark."

"I made the decision because it is what is best for the People, and for you," Edward countered. "Besides that, I saw your reaction when Peter told us about the situation, you are an open book to me. You want to run off, and be the hero like you see in those movies that you insist on watching late at night. Why not make the best of it, instead of just giving away our services?"

Edward turned and kicked his boot straight out, into the side of his SUV. Kimberly watched in shock as the SUV slid fifteen feet to the side from the blow, the side door partially caved in before rocking up on its hinges, threatening to flip over before settling back down. "So you sold me off like some sort of male whore? What do you know about this woman?"

"Besides that she's six feet tall, beautiful, and one of the most powerful Lycans in North America? Not a damn thing," Ben replied. "And before you say one more word, you will remember that you are my blood, you are of the Aklark, and you will do what I say. Now shut your overly romantic mouth, and get your big ass inside the fucking diner. I'll call your cousin to pick up the truck and fix it later."

Edward looked like he was about to hit his father, and Kim was worried. Despite being two inches shorter than his father, Edward was easily in the prime of his life, his shirt swollen with heavy muscle. If those two fought, most likely one or both of them would end up dead. Edward's fist trembled, before relaxing, and he nodded. Turning, he walked back to the diner, carefully opening the door to avoid ripping it off its hinges, and walking carefully over to the booth where Keith and Kimberly still sat. Edward looked up at the ceiling, then lowered his gaze to smile at Kimberly.

"My apologies for my outburst outside. Kimberly Waldwyck, I would be highly honored to be your betrothed. As I’m unfamiliar with Lycan codes of custom, is there any special ceremony I should do to ask for your hand?"

"None, and thank you, Edward Stormstout," Kimberly said. "And Ben, I thank you too for your fine stew. However, I think it would behoove us all to move on our way. Edward, would you be comfortable riding along with Keith, Peter and I back to the helicopter pad?"

"If you don't mind taking me shopping for clothes when we get back to your home, I can do that. If not, I'll need to stop by my place to pack a bag," Edward said. "As I'm sure you two have guessed, finding clothes my size is difficult."

Edward smiled a bit at that, and Kimberly felt for the first time a small smile come to her face as well since Ben had dropped the bomb of his conditions. Keith was glad to see it come back.

"Edward, I think my sister would enjoy taking you shopping. We happen to know every big and tall store within ten miles of our home, including some tailors who can create suits and other dress clothes for you as well. I can understand your difficulties, well, a little bit at least," Keith said. "Just how big are you anyway?"

"Last time I stepped on the scales, I tipped them at about a hundred and twenty-five kilograms," Edward replied. "What is that, about two hundred and seventy-five pounds I think? But I've been trying to lean out some since then. It's kind of hard with Bear genetics, though. You know, the whole getting ready to hibernate and such. I can get down in spring pretty easily."

Keith shook his head in amazement and started to squeeze out of the booth. "Sorry, there is much I'll need to learn. Shall we go?"

"Ah, Keith?" Peter said, "The store?"

Keith looked like he was about to object, but saw the look in Peter's eyes. Regardless of how much of a manipulating asshole Ben Stormstout was, Peter still had to live and work with the man. He needed to make sure that he wasn't creating any more problems for the older Lycan than those he already had to face. "I suppose there is time. If anything, it’s a long flight back, and while Ben's stew was delicious, a few snacks would be helpful, and probably better than what we could get at the refueling station. What do you think, Kimberly? Think we have time for a quick stop?"

"Of course," Kimberly replied, following Keith and standing next to Edward. She felt dwarfed, even more than when she was with the largest of Lycan Alphas. "Just a quick stop, though. I think Edward would be best served by getting on the helicopter as quickly as possible. I'm just glad we brought the Ka-62. You can fit in the back at least."

Edward nodded and looked down into Kimberly's eyes. His throat swallowed thickly, and Keith could see that regardless of his anger, the man had an appreciation for how beautiful Kimberly was. "Sure. I know the store well, I'll help you shop."

Keith saw Peter let out a quiet sigh of relief and the satisfied look in Ben Stormstout's eyes. At least it was one situation that had been handled without making things worse. "Good. Peter, if you would show us the way?"