Dr. Thomas, Dana, and Norm, both now clothed to ward off the cold, assisted a very drowsy Jerry Haven from the vet truck to the porch of the cabin. They were met by Jessie, quickly instructing them to take the wounded deputy to the bedroom across the hall from their own. It was the bedroom ordinarily occupied by Michael Bowers, Beta of the Averill Creek Pack and his mate and Rick Hayes, Averill Creek Pack Enforcer and his mate when they were at the cabin. Mike and Rick were the ones who pledged their lives to protect and defend their Alphas and their mate.

Jase and Tyler made the decision early in the week for Mike and Rick to not accompany them should they go to the cabin with Jessie after work since they saw no immediate dangers to their welfare or safety. It was Jase and Tyler's intentions to let the two teens enjoy the weekend without pack duties. The situation soon changed when Jerry Haven appeared at the cabin. Jase quickly sent out a summons for Rick and Mike to join them as quickly as possible.

Running through the deep snow, alternating positions, punching through the deeper snow in the clearings and small meadows so the burden of leading, breaking trail didn't take a large toll on either wolf, making better time through the deep forest of pine, fir, and balsam trees where the overhanging branches prevented snow depth from becoming too great, the two wolves raced toward their Alphas, obeying their command. Continually seeking an easier path leading toward the cabin, the two teen wolves wondered why the summons from one of their Alphas.

"Not a fucking clue," answered Mike , "he only said hurry, come alone, and we're in no danger."

"Odd!" responded Rick, dropping back, letting Rick take the lead for a while so he could rest in the freshly broken trail through the snow . "Something's up he doesn't want the rest of the pack to know about yet; don't you think?"

"They'll tell the rest of them when it's safe to say something," Mike grunted breaking through another high drift.

"I was sort of looking forward to a real good, ass-biting, snarling fight. Haven't had one since we fought the Rogue."

"Yeah," Rick replied gleefully, his lips curled back in a wolfish grin, tongue lolling from the exertion of fighting the snow and drifts, as they entered the clearing where the cabin stood. "Looks like Doc Thomas' vet truck and Jerry Haven's pickup."

It was indeed their trucks Mike acknowledged. He wondered why they were there and what would cause Jase and Tyler to summon them. If the deputy sheriff was present would there be a problem of appearing in wolf form? Prancing around naked could be equally embarrassing unless they could quickly change into the spare clothing they kept in their bedrooms. All of this was puzzling to Mike, but he had to trust the judgement of his Alphas, and Jessie of course.

Bounding up the cabin steps, they shifted quickly from wolf to human form, and, without knocking, dashed into the cabin. Under ordinary circumstances any self-respecting subordinate wolf would have sought permission, but these were not ordinary circumstances nor was the Averill Creek Pack an ordinary pack.

Mike did a quick assessment of the living room, when they walked in, and the occupants, seeking any danger, just in case, made contact with Jase, Tyler, and Jessie, received a nod from Tyler all was well, and a smile from Jessie as he noticed their nudity. Rick, on the other hand, sidled up to Dr. Thomas, Dana, and Norm, smiled his best smile, and greeted them with a simple "Hi!" followed by "sorry, I failed to dress for dinner, so I hope you'll forgive me."

"Jerry Havens' been shot!" Jessie replied. "Dana and Norm found him while they were on a hunt and a run. They took him to the clinic in Orr, Dr. Thomas thought it best to bring him here."

"That's part of the dilemma, one of the paradoxes we face this evening," Dr. Thomas interjected, addressing the two newcomers.

Detective Lieutenant Jerry Haven couldn't be admitted to a hospital. Regular doctors used to treating regular human patients would be confused, possibly frightened, aghast at their patient; a patient who could heal himself, a patient resistant to most human infections and diseases, blood type non-human, and who could shift without warning from human to beast. More than likely, law enforcement would be summoned, people would get hurt trying either to capture or kill the creature and unwanted hysteria and panic running rampant through the community bringing forth a call to arms to kill all werewolves, if any more existed. No decent werewolf would want or allow this to happen.

"Other than the clinic, I thought this would be the most logical place to bring him so he might heal and recover. Jerry can receive the rest he needs, the right diet of rare or raw meats and liver, and bone marrow broth to build his strength and blood back to normal. He will also be under the care and protection of his fellows, albeit very young ones!"

"Holy shit!" Rick exclaimed, open mouthed, wide eyed from the shock. "He's one of us?"

"Yep, sure is," smiled Jessie, about to say more when Dr. Thomas heard a noise from the bedroom where Jerry lay, and headed in that direction.

After a minute or two, he stepped back into the living room where the teens were still gathered.

The teens, who'd been involved with each other in relative small talk, stopped, and followed him back to the bedroom.

Jerry Haven watched, through eyes half closed, feigning drowsiness, disorientation, or at least a slumbering body awakened from sleep by someone invading his space or dreams, as the seven teens walked slowly, carefully into the bedroom. Perhaps, walk was a misnomer, a misinterpretation of the description of their entrance. It was almost a gliding, silent movement found in such phenomena as a lifting fog, a will-o-wisp, the mythical ghost moving silently from room to room, or as the gathering night, noticeable only when one realizes total darkness now shades all around you.

Clothing now covering naked teen bodies, Jerry could still discern they were well fit young men, muscled, but not overly so, with trim waists, widened shoulders, legs bespeaking of distance runners, arms strong, yet none of their very well-developed and proportioned bodies would draw undue attention from others or give evidence of what they could shift to. Overall, they only appeared to be a group of young teen males who kept themselves physically fit, somewhat athletic but overly muscled as one might find personified in the stereotypical "jock" often portrayed in pictures of body building machines and diet programs.

Dana and Norm entered the room first, unencumbered by any loyalties except to each other and Dr. Thomas, Dana's father. The others, however, were a much different matter. The Campbell Twins, lithe, bodies stronger than the others, lithe, eyes darting about the room, quickly surveying and assessing the situation, minds processing all their eyes, ears, and noses revealed to them, bodies tensed to take action if needed, entered immediately after Norm and Dana. They were followed by Jessie and close behind him were Rick and Mike, both also wary, on guard, looking frequently behind them and to the side, holding close behind Jessie.

The seven teens gathered, as best they could, around the bed now occupied by Deputy Haven; a bed ordinarily occupied by Mike and his mate, Chad Coleman, curious what Jerry Haven may have to say. Rick and Mike were the only two not knowing, until just recently, Jerry was a shifter. Tyler and Jase found out only minutes before, then only through Jessie's pronouncement when he was brought the cabin by Dana, Norm, and Dr. Thomas.

The Averill Pack teens, once they were in the bedroom realized they were in the presence of a very powerful werewolf, subject to no pack or pack rules, not limited in power, or territory; carrying authority far beyond that of any Alpha of any pack. It was almost, but not quite, the same feeling they had around Franklin Campbell at times. However, each pack member, including Jase and Tyler, had every confidence Jessie Sutton had powers not given or known to this particular wolf or Franklin Campbell.

It was not quite as noticeable with Jessie since they knew him well and his demeanor was usually calm, reasoned, and calculated. However, the entire pack also knew Jessie was not only the brightest of the pack and furiously loyal to his mates and them, but possessed powers none of the rest had. He often was the one who scented danger first, fear, food, or the first to hear anyone or anything to approach. Tyler often said he could hear an ant fart in a whirlwind and smell it before it slipped out of the ant's tiny asshole. Jessie also had a special skill; he could cause people to forget, much like a dose of an amnesiac sedative. Those powers, those skills, those areas of expertise Jessie had, was his to reveal and theirs to protect.

Jerry knew them all by name and human form as well as in wolf form from the fight he'd been in with them against the Rogue and his pack of degenerates, but he really didn't "know" them. He couldn't help but notice the way they acted, the way they were so close in proximity to Jessie Sutton, providing him with all of the protection he might ever need, other than from his mates. Mike and Rick were the fighters, one the Beta and the other Enforcer, but he wasn't certain which was which.

Rick and Mike began, what they considered to be a subtle shift, to place themselves nearer to Jessie where they could leap to protect him or their Alphas should the need become necessary, especially since they were in the presence of a powerful werewolf they really didn't know or trust. Their movement didn't go unnoticed by the reclining Jerry Haven.

Nodding to himself, satisfied with his assessment and conclusions, Jerry smiled slightly, opened his eyes wider, flicked his head toward the two, and looked directly at Mike and Rick.

"Let me guess; one of you is the Beta and the other the Enforcer. If I'm not mistaken, your Alphas have instructed you to protect Jessie at all costs, right?"

The air inside the bedroom almost crackled, unseen but felt electrical charges of emotions of anger, defensiveness, and loyalty firing about the room as Rick and Mike's postures stiffened, positions strengthened by slipping closer to Jessie, bodies touching him, each one turned in such a manner to protect their Alpha's mate from front, side, or rear attack.

Jessie immediately sensed the approaching confrontation; he could smell the growing desire to shift on the part of Mike and Rick into full wolf fighting mode and diffused the situation, assuring Mike and Rick he was in no danger.

"Don't; it's okay! Haven is one of us; he's the Guardian who fought with us and killed the Rogue."

Immediately, the Beta and the Enforcer of the Averill Creek Pack tipped their heads in acknowledgement of Jessie's request, but still maintaining a slightly less protective position near him. If they were surprised at learning of Haven's true identity, their faces, their total demeanor didn't reveal it.

"Remarkable," spoke Jerry, looking at Rick and Mike. "You are willing to take on a wolf of my size, my strength, my skills, and my authority to protect Jessie Sutton and not totally because your Alphas ordered you to, but from loyalty and love for him even knowing you'd sacrifice your own lives?"

"Yeah," nodded Mike, the Beta, confidently and defiantly, "but engaging you would've given him time to get away and eventually find you and kill you! He could and would, and we have no doubt of it."

Jerry thought about their very confident stance and their comments, wondering what they knew he didn't know about Jessie Sutton. What bothered him the most was he didn't know how he could, if ever, find out.

Turning his head to Jase and Tyler, he asked, "Are all of your Pack members, the Averill Creek Pack as I remember what your name is, this fiercely determinedly loyal to you and each other?"

"We are a mixture of gay, straight, and bisexuals," Tyler injected. "If we don't stick together, protecting and fighting for one another, who will? Do you think other packs would be as tolerant and accepting of us as we are or the Kabetogama Pack under my Dad's leadership?"

"I'd hope so, but I don't think it'd happen. After all, there's that human side of us." Haven replied sadly, before switching the topic of conversation.

"All of you now know who I am. My true identity, for the time being, must be kept secret, especially the fact I was shot, and where I was tonight. Can I count on that?"

Jase and Tyler nodded, committing their pack to the secret, but noting to Haven, all members of their pack would be told of his identity and the pledge to keep the secret.

"Somebody from our Pack," Tyler said, "will be here all weekend standing guard and ready to serve your needs. All members will keep their mouths shut, as we have many, many times to protect each other."

"And," added Jase, "we will do all we can to help you in what you are intending to do."

Jerry just nodded his understanding but added, "I need to rest. Jessie, Jase, and Tyler can you wait just a minute?"

After the others left the room, Jerry asked, "Can you contact your lawyer friend and his partner and ask them to come by later on today. I need to talk to them.

Dr. Thomas, before leaving the cabin with Dana and Norm, left instructions to make certain Jerry Haven rested, drank plenty of fluids, red meat and liver cooked rare, and, if possible, bone marrow broth. All would replenish fluids, strengthen his blood, and promote healing. He was assured there was plenty available at The Pines and it would be brought over to the cabin.

"And for heaven's sake," Dr. Thomas admonished, "don't let him shift! I don't need him tearing the stitches out before they've had a chance to heal the wound shut."

The five Averill Pack members gathered around the kitchen table and laid out plans how best to watch over Deputy Haven over the weekend and the first part of the next week. Jase, Tyler, and Jessie had to work at The Birch both Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings, so someone else would have to stand the watch. Rick and Robbie would take the first shift this afternoon into the night until they'd be relieved in the morning by Jessie, Jase, and Tyler. Mike and Chad would take over Sunday afternoon and evening until Monday morning. Jessie was certain his Uncles Evan and Eric would take over Monday during the day when all of the boys were in school.

"I'll ask them when they come over to meet with Haven as he requested," Jessie said confidently.

"I'd like to know what's so special and secret Haven's working on and what could we do to help him, if he wants it?"

Jessie was the first to offer an idea concerning the mystery Haven's was unwilling to reveal to them.

"Jerry Haven was appointed to head up a special task force, a covert operation according to what I heard, to investigate the growing drug problem in our area. There has been mushrooming of opiates, methamphetamines, and marijuana use by both young and older. Remember, two kids in high school died of overdose this year and several were saved by the quick use of Narcan by the paramedics."

"Yeah," added Mike, "Chad heard from his brother-in-law there's been some overdose problems among the older people, you know the twenty-five to forty year old crowd, as well. They've been monitoring some of the activity on line at Campbell and Associates at the request of some agency. All hush hush of course!"

"Maybe," Jessie offered thoughtfully, "we should just wait and see what happens after Uncle Eric and Uncle Evan are here."

Eric and Evan finished breakfast at The Pelican and left for the cabin after getting Jessie's phone call. Patrick left The Pines on a snow machine, pulling a sled loaded with the items Tyler requested and Robbie sitting behind him on the machine. Patrick would deliver the supplies and Robbie and take Mike back with him. Patrick would serve as the shuttle driver all weekend.

"Colder than a well digger's ass in Alaska," grumbled Evan as he and Eric stamped the snow from their boots and removed their coats once they were in the cabin.

"We moved it to the shed to keep it out of sight." Jessie answered. "Jerry's in the back bedroom across from mine."

Eric and Evan entered the bedroom, shut the door, and pulled up chairs alongside Jerry's bed. They listened carefully as Jerry explained he was in the process of a drug investigation and it was bigger than just the county.

"My task forces' job is to locate, observe, and eventually arrest any local distributors of illegal drugs and hopefully dismantle the local ring. We know it will probably just start up again, but it'll gain us some time and some vital information, we hope. We know the drugs come up from down south to Minneapolis and from there are distributed to local dealers in Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and northern Illinois. I found the local distribution spot where the drugs are delivered, but therein lies my dilemma."

Purely by accident, Deputy Jerry Haven discovered the small cabin deep in the wood where the dealers received, cut to saleable size, and retained the cash received until it could be transported somewhere else. Haven's was on a night run in werewolf form, traveling through the woods, relieving himself of the stresses and tribulations of his human day job. He'd let his mind wander, relax, and process things as he loped along, knowing there were times he'd receive an inspiration for action or insight into a particular problem he'd not thought of during the day.

His mind was occupied with some rumors he heard in the squad room concerning some of the young girls in the area. A couple showed up pregnant and when examined by doctors, tested positive for meth and opiates. Where the officers heard this he had no idea, but rather than dismiss it as merely gossip, made a few off-hand comments in order to gain some more information. According to what one heard, supposedly from one of the school liaison officers, the girls had reputations as "flat-backers" and would fuck for drugs. Supposedly, again only rumor, their sources of drugs were the ones who impregnated them.

Shortly after midnight, while contemplating this information, he passed rather closely to a small, relatively isolated cabin in the woods. His extra-sensitive hearing picked up the voice of a man saying, "careful, she's never been fucked before!"

Jerry's wolf stopped, perked up its ears, and turned his head to the side in order to zero in on the source of the voice.

"She's fucking tight," another man said as Jerry heard the very muffled of a young girl screaming in pain from what he assumed was a large cock entering a virgin for the first time.

To rush in then would've revealed who he was, but naked and unable to explain why he was there. His nose picked up the scent of marijuana and his eyes quickly spotted a man smoking a joint and standing guard with a rifle in front of the cabin.

Jerry crept back into the woods, out of sight, but made note of the cabin, the lane leading to the county road, and ways to access the cabin through the woods. Over the next several weeks, he spent nights watching the cabin and noting the activities there.

Once a week, usually Saturday afternoon, two of the men left the cabin in an SUV with at least one rather large gym bag and returned the next mid-morning and unloaded several boxes of stuff and carried into the cabin. One man was always left on guard while they were gone. He couldn't see if the man slept or not. He did think there might be some sort of surveillance or warning system at the cabin, but probably not cameras since they might reveal more than the dealers wanted revealed. At least once a week, one of the men would appear with a young girl for their carnal pleasure. The strong smell of marijuana would waft through the air giving every indication they made certain the young thing was well doped up and open to a thorough and continued rogering by all three.

Haven knew he'd stumbled across a major drug distribution place and there were three men involved. Beyond that he knew nothing more.

"I'd love to get into that cabin and toss it to see what else we could find. For that I'd need a warrant and that, Eric and Evan, is my dilemma. How do I go to a judge or district attorney and tell them I was running, as a werewolf, in the woods and discovered this place?"

"While you're sorting that out," Jerry added, "one of the girls entertaining the dealers in one of the sheriff's nieces."

"Not so good," muttered Evan. "Could be a conflict of interest if the sheriff is a bit dicey when it comes to honesty."

"No problem there, but I'm don't want to alert him too far ahead of time in case he'd let something slip."

"Yeah, you two seemed to put together a pretty good trap for the Rogue so I thought you might have some ideas for this."

"They're sitting out in the living room eves dropping on our conversation with their very sensitive ears."

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Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble

by Nicholas Hall

Chapter 4

The Dilemma