Chapter 3
Watching Steel pull away, Jackson fought to control his urge to run after him and claim his mate.
It’s for the better—this is the only way I can protect him from Silver Point.
Grabbed from behind, he felt a shot of fear racing through him and his body started to shift.
But as a familiar scent wafted to his nose, he pulled back his claws and the hair on his arms slowly receded.
“What the fuck are you trying to do, Jimmy,” he growled, “trying to create a shit storm by having me shift?” Jackson quickly looked around and saw no one watching.
“Naw, I was just so relieved to see you. Where’ve you been?
” Jimmy asked. “I’ve been fielding calls from Cody and Logan, wondering if I’d seen you.
You better call ‘em because they’re planning a search party.
” Then Jimmy added, “What happened to your clothes and your car? You didn’t have a run-in with Silver Point, did you? ”
“I’m fine, Jimmy,” Jackson said, hugging his friend. “I’ll tell you everything but first let me call my brothers.”
“Go into my office where there’s some privacy.”
“Thanks, could I have a bottle of water? I'm thirsty as hell.”
“Go ahead and grab one—need anything else?”
“Nope, I’m fine.”
As Jackson walked back to Jimmy’s office, he imagined the ribbing Logan would give him for stopping to help someone and getting robbed. Jeez, he wouldn’t be living this down anytime soon; his brothers teased him constantly about his Good Samaritan tendencies.
Sitting at the scarred desk that looked as old as his friend, Jackson thought back to the fateful day he’d gotten the call from Jimmy about the death of his parents, younger siblings, and everyone else in the pack.
A wave of sorrow washed over him; the memory fresh even though they’d been gone for several years. Damn, I still miss them.
Jackson’s father, Striker, was the Alpha of the Fox River Pack and was his nemesis most of the time.
His relationship with his father wasn’t good, but the closeness with his mother and twelve siblings made up for his father’s constant fault-finding.
On that fateful day in May, the day he and his brothers were due home from college for summer vacation, disaster struck.
Jackson and his brothers, Logan, Cody, Colton, Carson, Dakota and Zane, had detoured to Las Vegas to unwind from their year of college before heading home.
While they were gambling and enjoying the sights, the Silver Point Pack attacked the rest of their family on a moonless night and massacred every member of the sleeping Fox River Pack they could find.
But they failed to kill the seven oldest sons of the Alpha.
Enraged, the Silver Point Alpha sent a team of enforcers to wipe them out.
Jackson’s feelings of guilt rose, remembering all the fun he and his brothers enjoyed while everyone they knew and loved lay dying.
Luckily, Jimmy Blackwood, a lone wolf, caught word of the massacre and called Jackson in Vegas to tell him what happened.
And if that news wasn’t bad enough, he also learned Silver Point Pack was hunting him and his brothers.
Jackson remembered the numb feeling that overcame him before asking Jimmy why Silver Point would do this.
Jimmy told him that the word was Silver Point wanted the Fox River Pack’s land—but he didn’t know why.
The days after that call passed in a fog. Jackson was now Alpha of the surviving six members of the Fox River pack and they relied on him. To keep his brothers safe, he changed the name of the pack to Blackwood, moving them to a new location.
Jackson knew the gods had smiled on him when he’d first met Jimmy and his wife, Mystia, who was a witch.
They hit it off, became friends, and Jackson visited them regularly on his way to and from college.
After the massacre, Jimmy and Mystia offered Jackson and his brothers a place to hide on their ten-thousand-acre property.
He could feel the tears form in his eyes but he would not cry.
He’d shed too many tears already over something he couldn’t change.
Trying to forget the massacre was useless; his wolf constantly reminded him of the need for vengeance against those who had harmed his family and pack.
Jackson refused to act on that need because revenge wouldn’t help anyone.
As he saw it, it might only end up causing the deaths of those who had survived the massacre.
He took a deep breath, hoping to calm his emotions, and then placed a call home.
A breathless voice said, “Hi Jimmy, did you hear anything? We’re just about to leave to find him.”
Jackson recognized the voice of his brother Cody, and replied, “Hey, it’s me. I’m safe.”
“Are you all right? Where’ve you been? You scared us half to death. Everybody’s been so worried and I’ve been bugging Jimmy to see if he knew or heard anything. Just a minute, I need to tell the guys.”
Jackson heard the muffled voice of Cody speaking to the other pack members before coming back on the line and demanding, “What the fuck happened?”
“Listen, I’ll tell you everything—will you pick me up at Jimmy’s? My car was stolen and I need a lift home.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Okay. Cody? Be careful.”
Just as Jackson hung up, Jimmy came into the office and sat down on the beat-up old chair in the corner which matched the rest of the décor in the dingy and worn room. After looking Jackson over, he asked, “Want to tell me about it?”
Jackson sighed. He gazed at his friend’s short grey hair that looked as if Jimmy’s hands had run through it many times today—probably because he was worried about me.
His shirt matched two, light blue, piercing eyes set in a weather-beaten face lined with years of tough living.
Jimmy was an old wolf and reminded Jackson of a grizzled range cowboy he’d seen in some Western movie.
“Not much to tell. I stopped to help a couple of dudes at the side of the road, they knocked me over the head, stole my money, clothes, and car. Came to and hitched a ride here. That’s about it.
” He didn’t mention finding his fated mate?the walking, talking, sex god?because he knew what Jimmy would say and he’d already made up his mind it wasn’t going to happen.
Jimmy and Mystia had been together almost forever and would nag him until he claimed his mate.
Jackson sat still and returned Jimmy’s stare, because if he didn’t, Jimmy would know something was up.
So, he kept quiet and waited for a response.
“Is that all that happened?” Jimmy asked, hoping Jackson would change his mind and reveal more, even though it was a long shot.
“How’s Mystia? Is she coming home soon?” Jackson asked, changing the subject, knowing Jimmy could never resist talking about his wife who acted as a mother figure to the Blackwood Pack.
The surviving members of the massacre owed their lives to Mystia for putting a protection spell on all of them.
That kept the Silver Point Pack from finding and killing the rest of them who’d been members of the now defunct Fox River Pack.
Thank the gods no one knew of his friendship with Jimmy and Mystia before everything had gone to hell in a handbasket.
“She’ll be back tomorrow,” answered Jimmy, “and she’ll be wantin’ to see you about what happened.”
Jackson groaned silently. He knew what that meant. There’d be no way he could keep a secret that big from Mystia. He’d just have to convince her it was for the best, that his mate not be claimed. He heard a door slam, then, his brother, Cody calling out, “Yo, Jackson, where are you?”
“In here,” Jackson yelled as he got up from the desk.
“Thanks Jimmy, I’ll see you tomorrow.” As he got to the door, Cody’s arms wrapped around him, lifting him off his feet.
“Jeez, Jackson, don’t you ever do that to us again.
We’ve been going out of our minds with worry.
” Cody whacked Jackson on the back of his head as he put him down and then headed to their old green truck.
“Ow! What was that for?” asked Jackson, following Cody. “Aw, never mind. Let’s just go home. I need a shower.” Jackson climbed into the passenger side, leaning his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes.
He was already asleep when Cody slid in behind the wheel and turned the truck around, heading for the mountain behind Jimmy’s.
He glanced over at Jackson, saw the tension in his sleeping body and, even though he was eager to know what happened, was reluctant to disturb him.
“Well,” he mumbled, “soon we’ll be home and he can tell all of us together.
He’s safe now and that’s all that matters. ”