Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
F ran was watching Jacob and saw him getting paler. “The pain medication has worn off, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Jacob admitted.
“Want some more? Your body needs rest,” Robbie reminded him.
“Please,” he replied, shifting a little and grimacing. “But you don’t have to stay, I know you’re all busy.”
“Well, me and Robbie are, Fran has some time off, and Finn and Ezzy are slackers,” Emory said, grinning.
“Excuse me, oh mate of mine. I’ve recently got back from my dig, and have a few weeks off,” Ezzy protested.
“And I’ve not enrolled in a new college yet,” Finn added.
“I need to find a college soon,” Jacob added.
“We can look when you’re better,” Finn told him.
Robbie changed his antibiotic bag and then added the painkillers to it. “Same as before, don’t fight the sleep. And in this house, an injured person is never left alone.”
“Will you let me help you lay down?” Fran asked him.
“Please,” Jacob said.
Fran stood up and helped get him settled.
Jacob was getting sleepy, but he caught Fran’s hand. “Will you stay?” he asked softly.
“I will,” Fran replied, slightly surprised as Jacob closed his eyes and fell asleep.
“Well, that’s a good sign,” Emory said, just as there was a gentle knock on the door and Clairmont walked in.
“Hey, Clairmont, you know you don’t need to knock, right?” Ezzy said, smiling at the butler.
“Duly noted. Lord Robert, gentlemen, dinner is ready and set out in the dining room.”
“Awesome. I’m starving,” Robbie said, standing up.
“Francis, shall I bring your dinner up here?”
“No thanks, Clairmont. I’m good with these snacks.”
Clairmont shook his head. “Your dinner will be brought up, you can eat snacks later.”
Fran rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Clairmont.”
Everyone left the room and Fran was finally left alone with his mate. “I hate that you’re injured,” he said softly. “But thank you for helping to protect my dad. I hope that one day you’ll like me for me and not just because of the mating pull.”
He felt Jacob’s fingers squeeze his for a moment.
“I wish we could start again, meeting for the first time somewhere nice, and not associated with bad memories, but wishing doesn’t do any good, does it?” Fran paused and sighed. “I’ve waited my whole life to meet my mate. I always wondered what they would be like, but never in all my dreams did I imagine my mate would be in love with someone else,” he stopped talking when the door opened and Clairmont walked in carrying a tray. He set it down on the bottom of Jacob’s bed. Then he rested his hand on Fran’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“Eat up, Francis, you need to keep your strength up. Lord Robert gave me his e-reader to bring to you.”
Fran spied it on the tray. “Thanks, Clairmont.”
With a final pat on his shoulder, the faithful butler left the room, closing the door gently behind him.
Dinner was a lively affair. Aubrey was off visiting someone, and had taken Christine with her, so it was an all male dinner time.
“Did you and Uncle Frank find out anything from those wolves?” Ezzy asked his father, as he snagged another potato.
“Not as much as we wanted. They’re working for someone but say they don’t know who. They were out to make trouble wherever they could, finding young Jacob was a bonus.”
“Do you think Bishop was involved in whatever is going on?” Finn asked, putting his cutlery down on his empty plate.
“It would be too much of a coincidence if he wasn’t,” Berni replied.
“Jacob might be able to find out. I mean, he has access to his father’s bank accounts, maybe he can have a look and see who or where those backhanded payments came from,” Robbie suggested.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll ask him to look when he’s better.”
“If Jacob takes you up on your training offer, can I join in as well?” Finn asked Frank.
Frank nodded. “You can. I can train you together and separately. It might be worth it for you all to have training to work with your mates.”
“That’s a good idea,” Berni said. He finished his final bite of food then turned and looked at Finn. “The pack shaman has asked to meet with you.”
Finn looked confused. “Me, why?”
“On account of you being a white wolf. As far as I know, you are the only white wolf anywhere,” Berni told him.
Finn’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I’m seriously the only one?” He looked at Robbie. “I need to read more of those papers.”
“We have books in the castle library that could probably tell you more, but the shaman will help you,” Berni told him.
Finn looked back at Robbie. “How about on your next morning or afternoon off, we go and see him?”
Robbie picked up Finn’s hand and kissed the back. “We can do that. But would you not rather see him on your own?”
“Nope, I might need your help with whatever he tells me.”
“Then I’ll come with you,” Robbie assured him.
Finn turned to Berni. “Do you want to come as well?”
Berni shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, but no. I would be interested in what he tells you, though, especially if it has to do with the pack.”
“I can do that. From what I remember reading, that was something about helping the pack, but to be honest I was just focused on the shifting into my wolf part.”
“That’s understandable,” Frank added.
“I can’t remember everything. But I do remember the papers spoke about you shifting late, being born into a pack who didn’t appreciate you and treated you badly, and that you would help bring stability to all packs,” Emory told them.
“Ah yeah, I remember that bit now. It was like it was talking directly about me. But how can I bring stability to all packs?
“That, Finn, is what the shaman will tell you. The shifter world, especially, wolf packs, are going through a tough time. Rogue wolves are attacking packs all over the place and the Shifter Council is doing practically nothing to stop the attacks,” Berni said.
“Maybe the head Council representative is connected to Bishop and causing all the problems,” Ezzy commented.
Berni and Frank looked at each other. “Now there’s a thought.”
“I think we need to get Jacob to look at his father’s accounts now more than ever,” Robbie said.
“Could Cresswell not look as well? I mean, he should have access to the accounts,” Emory suggested.
“But would he know about unusual payments? Would Jacob even know?” Ezzy asked.
“I’ll have both Cresswell and Jacob look,” Berni replied.
“Then we have the start of a plan,” Frank said. “Now to the main plan, though. How do we get Aubrey to agree to raise the drawbridge?”