Chapter 2
“Oh no, you aren’t gettin’ me in the middle of this.” Slowing down, Glenn flipped on his right turn signal. “Hey, Sawyer, we’re getting low on gas…how about you?”
“Yeah, I can use some…there’s only a quarter of a tank left.”
“How much longer is it, wolf mate?” Alex asked Sawyer.
“About four more hours to go,” Sawyer replied.
Taking the next exit, Glenn followed the signs, pulling into a truck stop.
Stopping the SUV in front of a gas pump, he scanned the area, looking for anything that might cause concern.
Satisfied the coast was clear, and his mates were safe, he relaxed slightly—but only slightly.
Since the attack at the campground, his tiger was restless, keeping Glenn on edge constantly.
Unable to identify any of the attackers, he’d postponed the trip to the Blackwood Pack until the very last minute, hoping Riley would turn up something?anything that would fill in the blanks.
But time ran out so here they were, on their way to meet his mate’s brothers and cousins.
While he wasn’t sure of the welcome he’d get from them, Glenn was pretty sure Dylon wouldn’t be jumping for joy to see him—not that he could blame him after the stunt he’d pulled on him.
Inwardly sighing, Glenn glanced over at Alex. “Wanna get a bite to eat? Truck stops usually have good food.”
Turning away from his tiger mate, Alex peered out the front window, hesitating for a moment.
During his trip out west, he avoided all truck stops after what happened at the first one he stopped at.
But it was different now, he reminded himself.
He wouldn’t have to hope someone would come to his rescue in time anymore, because Sawyer and Glenn would always be with him. “Sure.”
Glenn’s eyes narrowed at the lack of eagerness in Alex’s voice which was a marked difference as to how he’d been since the start of their road trip. “Buttercup…” Interrupted by Sawyer opening Alex’s door, Glenn stopped and, instead, decided to wait.
“Are you hungry?” Alex asked, grinning at Sawyer. “Glenn wants to get something to eat. It’s fine with me but if you wanna get going…”
“Fine with me, too, but let’s fill up so we can move out of the way,” he said, pointing to several trucks waiting in line behind them.”
“On it!” Jumping out of the SUV, Alex headed for the gas pump.
Sawyer waited until his mate was on the other side of the vehicle, before asking Glenn, “Is everything all right? Did you hear from Riley?”
“Yeah…no…I mean there isn’t anything from him yet.” Checking his rear view mirror, Glenn saw Alex standing near the rear of the car. Then, looking back at Sawyer, he asked, “Did Alex ever say why he doesn’t like truck stops?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
Shrugging, Glenn murmured, “No reason…just a feeling.”
Glancing around, Sawyer’s eyes landed on several men staring at Alex. “Glenn, look.”
Following his mate’s eyes, Glenn found what had caught Sawyer’s attention. Letting out a low growl, he muttered, “Sons-of-bitches.”
“Yeah, right there with you. How about we find some other place to eat?”
“Go take over from Alex.”
“Righto.” Jogging over to his mate, Sawyer took the nozzle from Alex’s hand. “I’ll finish up here. I need you to find a different restaurant for us.”
“Why?” Alex asked, perplexed. “I thought Glenn wanted to eat here.”
“He did, until he saw that,” he said, tilting his head toward several burly men gawking at them.
“Oh.” Alex’s face grew red, remembering the man who cornered him in the truck stop restroom many months ago giving him the same look. “Uhm…well…ah…good idea.”
Sawyer watched as Alex hurried back to the front, climbing in and slamming the SUV’s door closed, certain there was a backstory to his mate’s reaction.
He had his suspicions about what it was, knowing what his brother, Quin, had gone through.
Setting those thoughts aside, he finished up, then slapped the side of the SUV before heading back to his motorhome.
Hearing his tiger issue a warning growl, Glenn snapped pictures of the men, sending them to Riley. Turning his attention back to Alex, he found him staring straight ahead, ignoring their presence. “Buttercup…”
Jumping slightly when the noise from Sawyer’s slap reverberated inside the SUV, Alex muttered, “Please, can we just go?”
Glancing once more at the men, Glenn saw the eyes of the burly man in the middle glowing for a split second before changing back. “Fucking hell!” Turning the key in the ignition, he barked, “Call Sawyer. Tell him we’re leaving now.”
Alex’s head swiveled to Glenn, his eyes growing wide when he saw the grim look on his face. Fear coursed through him. Turning quickly, he focused on the men Sawyer had pointed out to him…and then he saw it, too. “They’re shifters! Do you think they know that we are?”
“Call Sawyer, Alex.”
Turning on his phone, Alex dialed his mate’s number while chewing on his bottom lip. “Do you think they are connected to the men who attacked us in LA?”
Answering the call, Sawyer asked, “Did you find us a good place to eat, sweetheart?”
“Sawyer, those men are shifters!” Alex exclaimed.
“Wait…what…are you sure?”
Glenn interjected, “Their interest in Alex isn’t just a fluke. Are you done?”
“Yeah.” Sawyer grabbed his receipt before getting back into the motorhome. Setting his phone in the holder, he plugged in the charger, then started the engine. “Let’s roll.”
Glenn pulled out of the truck stop, heading for the highway. “Listen, keep an eye on your rear and let me know if anyone is following us.”
“Will do. Have you ever seen those guys before?” asked Sawyer.
“No, but maybe Riley can find out who they are and why they’re after us. In the meantime, no more stops. We need to get to the Blackwood Pack asap.”
“You hear that, wolf mate? Time to put the pedal to the metal!” Alex exclaimed.
“10-4 mate.” Glancing behind him as he followed Glenn out of the truck stop, Sawyer watched the men hurrying inside the restaurant. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned his attention back to the road.
~/~/~/~/~
Brady slowly trailed behind Mystia, his nervousness growing as he entered the Blackwood Pack house.
Nothing about this seemed right and that feeling only grew as he came to a stop next to his friend.
No wolf pack he knew of possessed a pack house like the one he was standing in.
Letting his eyes roam, he was impressed by its warmth and coziness; the interior designer was a master.
Finally, his eyes landed on a man standing next to Jackson, a young child in his arms.
“Gaga!” Daniel shouted, pushing against the man’s chest in an attempt to get free.
“Brady, this is Steel, my mate, and our child, Daniel,” Jackson said, his arm circling the man’s waist.
“Mon petite loulou! Come to Gaga,” Mystia crooned, holding out her arms to take her grandchild.
“Danny has a surprise for you…well for everyone.” Bending down, Steel lowered his son until Daniel was standing on the floor.
“Oh, my goodness!” Mystia gazed at her grandson before looking up at Steel. “He can stand by himself!”
“He can do more than that,” Jackson said. “Daniel, go to Gaga.”
Looking up at his father, Daniel grinned, showing off his two front teeth. “Gaga.”
“That’s right sweetie, go to Gaga,” Jackson said.
“Gaga!”
Holding her breath, Mystia watched as Daniel took a hesitant step, then paused before taking another and another until he’d crossed the short distance between his two dads and Mystia. Smiling broadly, she scooped him up, hugging him tight to her, smothering him in kisses.
Cheers and shouts erupted and it was only then that Brady noticed the rest of the people in the room. Moving slightly behind Mystia so as not to be conspicuous, he began to study the group.
“Brother, you were holding out on us,” Colton said.
“Hey, when did he take his first step?” asked Zane.
“You didn’t win, bro,” Cody said.
“How do you know?”
“Oh boy, are you going to be busy chasing after him now,” Mac said.
“Oh heck, I bet Jake and Jessica won’t be far behind,” Dylon groaned.
“It’ll be good practice for you and Cody when you babysit our triplets,” Ian said.
“Wait…” said Cody. “What do you mean, babysit your triplets?” He looked at Colton and Ian. “Why would you think we’d do that?”
“Because you owe me, remember?” Colton smirked.
“Ahh…owe you for what? I don’t remember promising you that,” Cody said.
“Not that, specifically, but you did say that each of my brothers…including you…owed me a favor…any time…anything, after I agreed to talk to Steel about what you wanted to do in Seattle? Now do you remember?” Colton asked.
Realization dawned on Cody as the memory of making that promise came back to him. “Oh shit!”
“So glad we cleared that up,” said Colton, grinning at his triplet.
“And just so you know,” Ian said, “we have a hard and fast rule about no swearing around our pups.”
Shaking his head, Cody glared at his brother. “You know, I never figured you for having a mean streak.”
“Better you babysit than me,” Zane said, smirking.
“Why not us?” asked David. “I would love to babysit Colton and Ian’s pups.”
“Are you volunteering?” asked Colton.
“No, he’s not!” exclaimed Zane. Then, turning to David, he asked, “You aren’t, right?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Jackson said, sitting down next to his mate.
Zane’s head spun, seeking out his older brother. “No, it’s not. Don’t you remember what happened when I watched Daniel and he crawled into the mud puddle? I still believe he’s going to be scarred for life after that disaster.”
“Yeah, but this time you have David to help you,” smiled Jackson.
“But they are having triplets! Triplets! That’s times three! And there are only two of us!”
“Mom can help us,” David said quietly.
Turning back to his mate, Zane studied David’s face, seeing the need to belong clearly etched there.
Sometimes he forgot how hard it was for David, growing up alone, with no friends or siblings to feel he was really part of the Blackwood pack.
And while his shyness had gotten better, he knew it took a lot of courage for David to volunteer their babysitting services.
Smiling softly at his mate, Zane replied, “You’re right, babe.
Sofia can give us some pointers.” Leaning over, he brushed his lips lightly against David’s before looking at Colton.
“So, okay then, count us in as part of your babysitting team.”
The love filling the room stunned Brady.
He’d never experienced anything like it before, and it gave him hope that Mystia and Oracle were right this time.
That the Alpha of this pack could be counted on to help the Ruler of All Magic and the Mystic Guardian—whatever it took and whatever the cost. That this time he would not fail all the enslaved low-level magic users as he had before.
And maybe, just maybe, the gods and Fates knew what they were doing this time.
~/~/~/~/~
Opening the front door, Fionn smiled when Ki and Q get out of the car, squealing when they saw him.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his friends until they were standing in front of him, smothering Fionn in an all-encompassing hug.
He felt the heat of Kieran’s hands on his back, soothing his jangled nerves.
And for the first time since he found out about his father, Fionn felt free to make a decision without being judged badly. Freedom he desperately needed.
Slipping past Fionn and his friends, Hunter walked over to Oracle and Logan, greeting them with a smile.
“Hello Oracle, good to see you again.” Then, he gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning to his cousin.
“Logan, glad you and Kieran came. I owe a big thanks to Jackie. But how the hell did you convince Quin to join you?”
Logan stepped forward, giving Hunter a hug. “I didn’t, Ki did. I think you’re going to be surprised at the difference in your brother. I know Mase and Mac are. By the way…you’re looking good…being mated agrees with you.”
“Yeah…more than I thought it would.” Hunter looked over at Fionn, noticing some of the past week’s tension gone in his mate’s face, bringing a sense of relief to him.
Then turning back to Logan and Oracle, he asked, “What’s the plan?
I’m not trying to rush you but Fionn has been on edge and I think it would help if he knew the facts surrounding his father and brother. ”
“Hey, Hunt…can we get settled first?” asked Logan, wanting to buy some time for Oracle.
“Thank you, Logan, but if you don’t mind, I would prefer to begin as soon as Fionn is ready,” Oracle interjected.
Nodding, Hunter said, “Then, let’s get inside.” Turning around, Hunter headed over to his mate and friends followed by Logan and Oracle. “Pet, are you ready to talk to Oracle now?”
Glancing at Kieran, Fionn caught his tiny nod. “Yeah, if it’s all right with everyone.”
“It is,” Hunter replied, leading everyone inside to the living room. Once they were all seated, he claimed the spot on the other side of his mate, grasping his hand tightly.
Fionn lowered his eyes, staring at his fingers entwined with Hunter’s.
Then he felt Kieran place his hand on his thigh, immediately feeling the love his friend was sending his way.
Finally, the strength he’d been missing all week suffused him, giving him the courage to speak.
“Oracle, this past week, I tried to come to terms that my father cheated on my mother which produced a child…Alex. I hope you can tell me why he did this to my mother. And while I’ll try to listen with an open mind, I can’t imagine anything you can say that will change my feelings about him.
And because of that, I’m not sure I can ever welcome Alex into my life.
I know it sounds selfish, but I’m trying to be as honest as I can be. ”
Inwardly sighing, Oracle replied, “I appreciate that, Fionn. I do understand what a difficult position this has put you in so I promise to be as truthful as I can.” After seeing his nod, she began.