Page 60 of Ascendant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #6)

It took time to gather pack members and bring in all the scouts on patrol.

Ballard and Richmond, along with his inner circle, were the first to be collected and held in the Alpha’s office.

Though heavily guarded, Colton had induced them into a listless doze while the rank and file members were questioned in the packhouse.

Oscar soon discovered that two of the men on Melva’s short list, Lenny and Kurt, were already dead—taken down by the rogue cougar on the day she and Lincoln escaped.

While Colton verified honest answers, various pack members told Oscar what they knew about Lincoln’s sad situation.

A consistent story emerged regarding Ballard’s pursuit, rape, and confinement of the Omega—all with Richmond’s full knowledge and cooperation.

When Oscar asked why no one had contacted Alpha Sheppard’s office to report the abuse, he discovered that Richmond had purposely withheld the contact information from his own people.

Fear of the man and his enforcers kept them in line, with Melva being the notable exception.

Now that the people had been questioned, the entire group was escorted to the challenge circle to witness the next phase.

Leaving Bruce and the others to be dealt with later, Stu Richmond was brought out for interrogation.

Now fully awake and furious, the bellicose Alpha raged at the intruders and demanded that they leave.

With a nod from Oscar, Colton reached into Richmond’s mind and flinched.

Except for Ballard, he’d never mentally touched someone as.

..filthy, and his stomach churned as he compelled the man to honestly answer every question put to him.

Oscar waited until Richmond’s eyes glazed over to begin.

“Did you permit and encourage Bruce Ballard to impregnate Lincoln Hart against his will?”

“Yes.”

“Did you purposely lie to your people about Hart’s condition and his relationship to Ballard?”

“I did.”

“Do you believe male Omegas should be cherished and protected?”

“No.”

“Did you withhold vital information from your pack to protect yourself and Ballard?”

“Yes.”

Colton broke the connection with Richmond and the crowd erupted in angry growls, mixed with murmured opinions as to their Alpha’s deserved punishment. Oscar raised a hand to quiet them down and addressed Richmond.

“Based on your own admission and the testimony of this pack, I find you guilty of gross negligence and abuse of power. With the authority of the National Council, you are hereby relieved of your position and banished from this place.”

While the crowd cheered, Richmond turned amber eyes on Oscar.

“Lies and bullshit! You have no authority here, and the council is nothing but a bunch of Sheppard boot-lickers. This is my pack and I’m not going anywhere!”

Instead of responding, Oscar took a step back and made way for Alpha Tindall.

“If you won’t go willingly, then I challenge you to the death for leadership of this pack!”

The totally unexpected challenge stirred an already bubbling pot, leaving the crowd confused and Richmond livid.

There was not only a thirty-year age difference between the two, but Tindall’s specific challenge meant only one of them would survive.

Richmond’s hand had been forced in what looked suspiciously like a set-up, but what other choice did he have?

With a gesture from Oscar, the circle was quickly cleared of everyone except the two Alphas and himself. He turned to Richmond.

“A challenge to the death has been issued. Do you accept?”

“Yes! Get on with it!”

“You may shift. Prepare to fight on my signal.”

Both men stripped, tossed their clothes outside the circle, and shifted. Richmond snarled and gnashed teeth at his opponent as they took their positions on opposite sides. Oscar lifted his arm and brought it swiftly down in a slashing motion.

“BEGIN!”

Though Richmond equated Tindall’s youth with inexperience, nothing could be further from the truth. The younger man chose to encourage that misperception by feigning temerity instead of aggression. As a consequence, Richmond overestimated his ability and chose a classic, but flawed, approach.

Pouring on the speed, he took off like a bullet and was airborne in the blink of an eye.

Tindall launched himself at just the right moment, bringing down his opponent in a whirling tempest of claws, teeth, and blood.

Momentarily stunned and blinded with gore, Richmond tried to back away, accidentally exposing his throat.

Tindall struck true, crunching bone with powerful jaws until Richmond gasped his last breath and lay still on blood spattered ground.

A howl of victory rent the air as the hushed crowd blinked in surprise. On the sidelines, Colton’s stomach clenched, having never witnessed a challenge, or death, before. As Oscar tended to the victor, Colton succumbed to the inevitable and kneeled down to vomit in the grass.

############

Meanwhile…

An unfamiliar howl rent the air, startling Bruce and the five other enforcers being held in Richmond’s office.

The odd sleepiness faded away as he realized it was a victory cry, and Bruce knew what it meant—his Alpha was dead, and he was next!

There were only three of Sheppard’s men watching them, and if there was any chance of escape, it had to be now.

With a slight lift of his chin, Bruce let the nearest man know what he was thinking.

The message passed silently while the guards watched out the large windows, straining to see what was going on.

Shifting while clothed was always somewhat risky, but the sound of ripped fabric was the only warning the surprised men received.

Chaos ensued in the small space as the guards tried to shift and defend themselves.

Instead of helping his packmates fight, Bruce jumped—sailing through the largest office window amid the tinkling of shattered glass, and ran as fast as he could go.

He knew these packlands better than Sheppard’s men, but they could still follow him by scent and he was outnumbered.

He’d have to outrun them or find the perfect hideout, because his life literally depended on it.

############

Soon after

This was not a phone call Oscar wanted to make, but Alpha Sheppard was waiting for a report—even if the mission had gone off the rails. His boss picked up the call after one ring.

“What’s your status, Oscar?”

“This one’s a mixed bag, Sir. In a nutshell, Richmond lost the challenge and is dead, but Ballard escaped and there’s no trace of him.”

Sheppard’s ominous growl rumbled across the connection and Oscar bared his neck by reflex alone.

“Ballard escaped ? All right, start from the top and then give me your recommendations.”

“Thanks to Colton, we discovered that the charges against Stu Richmond and Bruce Ballard were true. As we suspected, Richmond chose to accept the challenge rather than give up his position, but he seriously underestimated Tindall and was defeated. The Eagle River pack is happy to move on and start over under new leadership. Ron will be moving his family up here within the week, and I’ve assigned a half dozen of our men to act as his temporary security force.

“While we were dealing with Richmond, Ballard and five of their enforcers shifted and attacked the three guards assigned to watch them. Ballard jumped through a window and escaped during the ruckus, though our men managed to take down the rest. They’re recovering from their injuries as we speak.”

Oscar overheard an understandable sigh of frustration, and knew what his boss was about to ask.

“Who was responsible for leaving three guards to watch over five enforcers?”

“That’s on me, Sir. Colton had done something to make them all drowsy and passive, so I believed that three men was enough.

We needed the rest at the challenge circle, but somehow they woke up and decided to make a break for it.

I think you should know that Colton is blaming himself for what happened, and he’s asked if we could take him to Gladstone from here instead of returning directly home.

He’s really fragile right now and, in my opinion, needs to spend time with Evan or Jack.

“First, I recommend that we issue an alert bulletin to all the Michigan packs to watch for Ballard and report any contacts. Second, I’d like permission to send the remainder of the team home in the morning.

Third, Alpha Tindall would like to purchase Melva Winchell’s home for his family, but we need to pack up her things so they can move in.

If we rent a truck, we can load it up and bring it, and Colton, to Gladstone with a single trip.

While I’m there, I’ll brief their security regarding Ballard, and return to Duluth by the end of the day, if necessary. ”

Sheppard’s sharp mind had already decided on a response by the time Oscar finished speaking.

“Excellent! I concur with your recommendations. We’ll send out that alert bulletin today, but it would be helpful to have a photograph of Ballard if one is available.

Tell Alpha Tindall that my office will forward the funds to Melva Winchell, and he can purchase the home through my office at his convenience.

Make sure he and his new pack know that we stand ready to assist them if they have needs we haven’t thought of.

“As to Colton Ramsey, I will inform his family that he’ll be consulting with his fellow True Elders for more training.

Be sure he understands that I want him to take all the time he needs.

Perhaps he simply wasn’t quite ready for this assignment, but I don’t want to do anything to discourage him.

I’m also granting you several days off to enjoy a visit with our friends in Michigan.

When you return, I expect a full report on how Hart and Winchell are settling in.

Enjoy yourself, Oscar, and give Ben and Jack my greetings. ”

############

At the same time

Heart pounding and chest heaving, Ballard remained on the move.

Slipping in and out of creeks and streams would disperse his scent and make him difficult to follow.

It had been some time since he last heard the sounds of anyone behind him, and Bruce assumed they would eventually give up the search entirely.

He had no idea how long he’d been running or how far he’d gone, but he finally reached the point of utter exhaustion and slowed to rest in a concealed thicket.

Though tempted to give himself a lengthy break, he paused only long enough for food and drink—continuing on into the night until he could go no further.

At a sprawling farm, Bruce found an old machine shed that stank of oil and grease—perfect to disguise his scent.

Slipping through a gap in the weathered boards, he curled up in a dusty corner to get some sleep.

In the morning, he’d figure out exactly where he was and then continue the search for his runaway Omega.