I headed to the hospital. When I walked in, I saw the pack doctor. He came over, "Alpha Charlie, I am sorry for your loss. I did sedate the mates and your siblings. When a couple of the mates came too, they were screaming." He looked at me and said, "Sit on this table and let me check you."

"Doc, I can't stop yet. In 15 minutes, I am meeting the elders. Keep them sedated until the family gets here. Charles is contacting all the mate's families who are parts of other packs. They will need family support more than ever. Once they are here, I will stop and let you check me. Contact me if you need me." He looked at his womb mates: Elizabeth, Guinevere, Kyle, and Zane. Then his three younger sisters, who were 9: Victoria, Celeste, and Olivia. Then he looked at the guard's mates: Sheila, Lily, Dee, and Teresa.  It hurt too much seeing a couple of empty beds at the end. That made him think he never sees his 13-year-old brothers Scott and Zander again. He turned to head back to the pack house conferences room to meet with the elders.

He saw one of his warriors standing in the hall. "Warrior Kyle, are you the runner I asked Charles to send here?"

He stood at attention, "Yes, sir. Mr. Charles asked for one of the fastest runners, me, sir. The second fastest runner, Warrior Dobbs, is to relieve me at midnight."

"Thank you. I will be in meetings at the pack house and have my link closed. Go there and sniff me out. I will tell Mr. Charles to let you in. If I leave the pack house, I will let you know. Don't hesitate to break into any meetings. Doc Schwartz will only send for me if I am needed here. You don't need to be here for twelve hours. I will ask Charles to arrange a six-hour shift. Want you to keep alert, and standing for twelve hours won't keep you alert."

"Yes, sir, but we usually do right-hour shifts." Then I continued down the hall toward the exit.

Nurse Schwartz stopped me at the hospital door. "This is a thermos of Kava Kava tea. I did sweeten it with honey. It is a herb that can help calm you. It won't make you sleepy and can clear your mind. I want you to drink it all before the pack meeting. Then after the meeting will give you some Chamomile and Lavender herb tea to help you calm your mind to rest. Won't give you any sedatives like your sibling unless you ask or someone with more power orders me to. When it is time for you to drink more tea, I will send the runner to you with it."

I took the tea from her. I hugged her, "Thank you, and I am going to arrange for runners to be here for eight-hour shifts. Warrior Kyle is the first one. Make sure they get a meal halfway through their shift," and I walked out of the building.

She calls out, "Alpha make sure you get the bastards who did this."

"We will get them, and they will wish they never messed with Juniper."

Doctor Schwartz watched Charlie walk toward the hospital exit. He looked over at his mate as she walked toward him when she was by his side. "Thank you for getting that tea for him. I could tell he was fighting the loss. I don't think he realizes just how strong he is. When he finds his mate, he will become stronger." Then they got back to work to care for their patients.

Meanwhile, Charlie walked into the conference room in the pack house. He saw Charles setting plates with sandwiches, carrot sticks, and fresh berries on the table, along with bottled water. Charles saw him enter, "Elder Senior Beta Davis Smythe, Elder Junior Beta Thomas Branson, Elder Junior Beta Samantha Johnston, Elder Delta Trainers Hank Garden, Elder Delta Trainers George Roush, and Delta Trainers Joesph Kite will be here soon. They were assisting some pack members when I contacted them. They won't be here for about another ten minutes. I told them to finish setting up counseling stations for the pack they were working on. The mates not on the Elder board, we're going to run it."

I looked at him, "I dislike when people are late, but they do something to help the pack. Now why all this food?"

"I asked the kitchen to prepare some food for you and them. You got to eat to keep going. I had them do individual plates so you don't have to serve. It's all on paper plates, so you can easily dispose of it after eating."

"Thank you. Anything else?"

"Elder Solomon and Green Valley Pack will be here about 3:45. They are bringing one of their junior doctors. Your grandma Julie went historical and was sedated when she heard her daughter passed away. Katia has several pack members ensuring their rooms are ready for all guests. Chef Edwin has several pack members preparing food to help feed all.

"Please be sure to thank them. Please ask Chef to check with Doc Schwartz about feeding the hospital staff, the runners, and their patients. Also, ensure runners only do eight-hour shifts, and if Doc sends them, they are to be let through no matter what."

"I will do that. Ok, I hear the elders coming. I will step out."

"Link me if you need me. I have closed all other links." He nods his head in respect and leaves the room.

I see Dave, Tom, Sami, Hank, and Joe walking into the conference room. "Please have a seat, Elders. I want to thank you, and please pass on to your mates my sincere thanks for getting the counseling set up. We have a lot we need to discuss. Charles arranged a meal for us. Let's eat and share with me about the counseling. Then we will work on other things we need to work out."

I am working to get this story going in the next generation. I am not exactly sure where it will go at this point. If you got suggestions, let me know.
Request posted March 8, 2023