Chapter 50 Jax
Chapter Fifty
Jax
Ticking Clock
While I’m now on a tight deadline to deal with the Mal situation, I still don’t want to pull any triggers until I hear back from my friend about the phone. Except I know I can’t dick around too long about that. I’m wasting valuable time I could be using to figure out how to get Mal initiated.
Chaz calls me and I put it in speaker mode.
“I had an unexpected errand,” I tell him. “Sorry about that. I’ll be back by 9:30.”
“I got your emails. Heh. Had over a dozen more of my own this morning, not even counting the people from last night. I think you got through to them.”
Maybe this one damned thing today would go the way I hoped. “Good. Whatever you need, let me or Kennedy know, and we’ll get it for you.”
“Well, I was going to ask you about that. I was thinking a few more tranq guns.”
“A few more? How many we got?”
“I know there’s at least four in the armory, but they’re probably older ones and who knows if the juice we got for them is still good. I’d like to get our hands on at least six more, if that’s okay?”
“Do it,” I say. “Can I ask your reasoning?”
“Well, hopefully we won’t need them, but I’d like to have non-lethal options ready to go.” He laughs. “Not like we haven’t needed them in the past when mating hunts get a little too, eh, overenthusiastic.”
Oohhh, yeah. I remember that, too. The last year Dad was still pack Alpha, a cocky, unmated omega and several of his less-than-brilliant unmated omega buddies didn’t coordinate with anyone before they invited a few Alphas out for a mating hunt, because the omega in question wanted to be chased and fucked senseless during his heat.
Fortunately, one of the Alphas had the sense to bring along their beta mate…and a tranq gun, because he had a gut instinct things might go sideways with that many unmated Alphas chasing after one omega. His mate was a vet tech at a zoo, dealing with large exotic animals.
Three of the Alphas—unmated ones—ended up in K-holes after hours-long involuntary naps from getting tranqued when they sank too deep into their Alpha rages and tried to rip each other apart to go after the omega.
The mated Alphas didn’t lose control and were able to pull back when they realized all hell’d broken loose.
Sooo… yeah. That immediately spawned the new pack rule that all “mating hunts” must be cleared through the pack office first, carefully planned, and there have to be safety crews ready to step in and break things up in case they go too far.
Even if just between a mated omega and their Alpha partner.
So the pack purchased a couple of tranquilizer guns of their own, but we haven’t needed to use them in over ten years, even though they’re always on-site during a mating hunt.
Although Todd’s increasingly devious frames and sexual devices have cut down on the number of mating hunts the unmated omegas beg for. It’s a lot less work for far more satisfying payouts for them.
Sometimes mated omegas and their mates ask for permission for a hunt for just them, but since they’re usually limited to just the pair—or one of the few multiple mating poly groups—it means there aren’t a bunch of unrelated Alphas getting all worked up hot and heavy to chase and breed a horny omega in heat and fight any other Alpha who tries to stop him.
Everyone who remembers that clusterfuck says the change is definitely for the better.
Chaz brings up another couple of points to get my feedback or permission to implement, and he gets it, promising to send me an email with the bullet points we just discussed.
Ending the call, I try to focus on clearing my mind while I drive and not on what feels like a hurricane of shit heading straight toward us.
Which doesn’t last long, because Father calls me. That’s one I can’t send to voicemail.
“You’re up early,” I say.
“Awful presumptuous of you to assume I’ve even been to bed yet,” he snarks back. “I don’t know why, and he didn’t tell me why, but Morning just called me and said I should call you. Care to enlighten me?”
Shit.
Okay, so this day can get worse. Amazing.
“I told him about Mal.”
There’s a moment of silence before he roars, “You fucking did what?”
“Pops, he knows people are looking for Mal, Sterling’s people, and others who want to use him either against Sterling or to hurt Mal because of his father.”
I can picture him, eyes pinched closed, rubbing his forehead. “Okay. What’d he say?”
“Well, for starters, he took money from me and said he’s now my attorney, so he won’t say anything. Because I wasn’t about to tell him anything until I realized this problem is bigger than I thought.”
“Thank the Goddess for that.”
“He also said we should initiate Mal, not move him.”
He snorts in aggravation. I don’t need to see the deep furrows in his brow to know they’re there. “Well, fuck. Have you talked to him? The pup, I mean.”
“I’m on my way back from the meeting now. I need to clear a couple of decks first and figure out how to approach it. Not to mention, I have no clue how to trigger his mating heat. Not like I have them.”
“Uh, you have a mate, you know, He’s been through more than a few.”
“But Shawn’s not a wolf.”
“He’s a coyote, Jax. Close enough.”
Now I want to close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, but, hellooo, driving. “Can you have Dad research and call Shawn with ideas, please? I’m on the clock. Ideally, this needs to be handled in less than six days. Morning told me the refugees will be arriving in seven or eight days.”
“Okay, let me talk to Dad, and we’ll put our heads together with Shawn. Hopefully, we can have some answers for you by later tonight.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
After I get off that call, I call Shawn and catch him up.
“Son of a bitch,” he grumbles. “We just can’t catch a break with this thing.”
“Yeah. Sorry to dump this on you, but…”
Shawn laughs. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll call Pops and Dad and get that ball rolling. Guess I’m not going into the office after all. Don’t think I should be having these conversations there.”
“Sorry.”
“No, not your fault.” He pauses. “But you have to talk to Todd and Mal, ASAP, and help them wrap their heads around this. And you will need to talk to the Alphas. Again. I know you don’t want to guilt anyone into this, but the kid’s life is at stake.”
“I’ll handle that part. Just tell me what you find out. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I end that call and try not to spin too many what-ifs into worries that I currently have no control over. For all we know, Sterling might end up offed by someone before the refugees even arrive, making this all moot.
Because the more I learn, the more I am absolutely convinced Sterling’s behind what’s happened. And once the refugees are safely in our compound…
Well, the next step is to hunt these murderous thugs and eliminate their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Because I don’t want to raise any child of mine in a fear-filled world, and those refugees we’ll be protecting deserve to have their losses and terror avenged.