Chapter 73

Sarah POV

I got the girls and the puppy to bed with a puppy monitor they’d bought in case I needed to get up to take her for a walk in the night. I put my foot down that Gilda was not to sleep in their beds, but I got the feeling the solemn nods I got in return weren’t terribly genuine. Oh well, it was an argument that could wait for another night.

We convened in Zane’s study with his impressively wide computer monitor turned out toward us all. In total, we were Zane, Travis, Daryns, I, and a new addition, for me, anyway, Zane’s publicist, a beta male named Tony Whitfield. He wore a subdued but impeccable gray suit with a blue-checked pocket square. I found him quietly charming.

“You need a publicist of your own,” he said as we shook hands.

“I know.”

“I can do double duty for now.” He sat and pulled out his phone to send a link to Zane’s email. Soon, we were reading the CBS News headline, Human Goddess-Mother Destroys Slavery Ring.

“Oh, dear,” I said.

Alpha Rob Shanton Among Those Killed

The territory of Alpha Zane Cavendish was rocked by the breaking news that over thirty werewolves and two humans have been arrested in connection with a well-established, inter-territorial human slavery and sex trafficking ring operating out of the Rotary Club under the administration of the Children’s Hunger Bank.

The breaking of the ring and freeing of the human captives were due to the heroism of Alpha Zane and his family’s human goddess-mother, Sarah Astor, who were there to support a charity auction and masquerade. Chloe and Grace Cavendish are reported to have been at the Rotary Club but were taken to safety before the violence began.

Last night saw the killing of two humans, a seven-year-male and a thirty-nine-year-old female, and three werewolves, two unnamed male betas and Alpha Rob Shanton, before police could raid the establishment. The human slaves were described by eyewitnesses included men, women, and children of a variety of ages and races who were abducted from multiple territories.

“It was like some sort of slavery buffet,” said a male gamma witness who did not want to be identified.

The police were alerted to the situation by 911 calls by humans who had managed to free themselves, at least temporarily from the sexual torture that included collars, handcuffs, beatings, and repeated rapes.

“The Children’s Hunger Bank has operated for over twenty years as a progressive, far-reaching vanguard against children’s famine,” said the charity’s PR representative Miles Andergrove. “Whoever has perverted our fundraising events for this abhorrent crime must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

Andergrove stressed that all administrative members of the CHB are fully cooperating with the authorities.

Sheriff’s Deputy Ellaine Block said that the resources of the department would be “fully brought to bear” on the criminal investigation. When asked if she thought the actions of Miss Astor were heroic, she responded, “If they’re not heroic, I don’t know what is.”

I had to close my eyes for a moment, then I continued to read. The article, accompanied by somewhat blurry photos of the Rotary Club surrounded by squad cars, went on to describe some of the more lurid details of the slaves’ lives, though it was all speculation, and ended with a plea for anyone with information to contact the authorities.

“They don’t know about the girls,” I said. “And they didn’t talk to any actual slaves.”

Tony Whitfield asked me to explain how I knew. I did, and he looked thoughtful.

“So, they probably talked to people in the area,” Zane said, “which means people who wandered over there when they saw the police cars. Then they saw the humans being taken care of and the wolves being arrested.”

“The witnesses must have talked to the hotel staff before we had a chance to tell them to be quiet,” Travis said.

“They don’t know about Zara,” I said, then again had to explain myself to Whitfield.

“A knife-dancing gypsy?” he asked with a little groan. “This just gets better and better.”

Zane scowled at him, and he spread his hand.

“Sorry, Alpha Zane, but the more these kind of details there are, the more likely they’re going to come out.” He looked at his phone and sent another link.

Now we were looking at a New York Post article that said basically the same things, though with more adjectives and innuendo.

Whitfield nodded. “Let’s see the comments.”

“Do we have to?” I muttered and was ignored.

Jane Dayviellers: The moral decay of our society in plain sight. And wolves say they’re not doing this garbage anymore. No redeeming qualities of the wolves involved, or of those who could do things like this if they could what so ever.

Allisstoopid: Every wolf in on it has a 2 incher.

To which Barbbars: Your assuming its not she-wolfs.

Anon: Any she-woof who wants a human man, I’ll give you my numb3r!

Barbbars: Pig.

MissingTheNorth: This is terrible. They should all be put down.

EnnuiDefined: Second that. Life in chains at the least.

Virgil4U: Who is Sarah Aster?

Junie134: Human goddess-mother of the Cavendish family. [link]

BuddyBeer43: And hot. [link]

Barbbars: Pig x 2.

Virgil4U: What? Humans can be goddesses?

CodysPoppa: Goddess-mothers, read the link

“All the commenters seem to be human,” Daryns said.

Whitfield nodded. “Typical for the Post.”

From there, we skimmed through tweets and posts and even some fanart.

“How did they have time to draw that?” I demanded as we all looked at Chibi-style humans being whipped by demonic-looking werewolves, their fangs dripping with blood.

“Never underestimate the skills of the truly offended,” Whitfield said.

UNICEF posted a statement condemning the werewolves involved and reminding everyone of the great job they did for children around the world. The Attorney General’s Office was “preparing a statement once more information has been confirmed.”

We even found a statement by a representative of the Luna Temple: We are deeply alarmed and saddened by the news of a human trafficking organization disguising its depravity behind the world-renowned charity, the Children’s Hunger Bank. We also hail the bravery of Sarah Astor and Alpha Zane Cavendish in exposing the perpetrators and offer them an invitation for a meditation vigil to take place next Saturday from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. All others who wish to join in spirit are welcome.

“Oh, goddess,” Zane groaned softly. “A six-hour meditation vigil.”

“Does that mean sitting on a pillow for six hours and not talking?” I asked.

All the others nodded.

“Can we skip it?”

Zane raised his eyebrow at me.

“Oh, goddess.”