Chapter 6
As much as Cain loved his new bed, it was impossible for him to enjoy its embrace after six in the morning.
Years spent in prison had frozen his internal alarm clock to wake him up at that time, and there seemed to be no way to reset it to a later hour—at least not yet.
Yawning, he rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, and headed for the bathroom.
After a quick shower, he dressed and then, at a loss for what to do next, sat down on the edge of the bed and waited.
Compared to his present situation, prison routine was easy and as long as he followed the rules and didn’t make waves, his life had been much better than when he lived on the streets—especially after Sarge died.
But things changed when he ended up in the paranormal jail.
Initially, his cellmate was another human, locked up for killing a shifter, but he didn’t fault him for that and they got along okay.
One day, though, he woke to find the human gone and, in his place, another man who turned out to be a ferret shifter.
That was a shock since the men who’d sent him to bid at the auction had told him that only wolves were shifters.
Although Cain kept to himself as much as possible, his new cellmate wouldn’t leave him alone. At first, the ferret shifter taunted him about being only a human, but when Cain ignored his verbal jabs, his cellmate upped the ante.
It started late one night when he awoke to find himself on his belly, tied to the bunk bed metal frame.
His pants were pulled down just enough to give access to his hole.
Realizing what was about to happen, he tried to free his hands, panicking when they remained locked in place.
Then, turning to the only other weapon he had, he began screaming for the guards, but his cellmate quickly silenced him by shoving a t-shirt into his mouth.
His last hope of escaping was gone; Cain shut his eyes tightly and retreated into the place in his mind where nothing could hurt him.
Finally freed in the early hours of the morning, Cain rubbed his wrists and ankles while trying to figure out what to do next.
Reporting what the ferret shifter had done was out of the question, since anyone who ratted on another prisoner instantly had a target on his back.
So, he decided to turn the tables on his sleeping cellmate, but the guards got to the shifter before he could finish.
The guards beat Cain unconscious, and when he came to, he found himself alone and naked in a maximum security cell.
That’s when he figured the only way he’d survive in a paranormal prison was to forget the lessons Sarge had taught him about being kind to his fellow man and, instead, adopted the mindset of a shifter.
With that as his new goal, he spent hours locked in his cell, building up his muscles and honing a new attitude—one filled with anger and distrust. But then the rug had been pulled out from under him when Oracle offered him an alternative to spending the rest of his life—however long it might be—in a paranormal prison.
Accepting her offer was easy once she told him what his future would be like if he refused it, but never in his wildest dreams had he pictured ending up in a place like this bedroom.
It was huge, and when he added in the adjoining sitting room and bathroom, Cain had to pinch himself just to make sure it was real.
Jolted out of his thoughts by a knock on his door, he rose and walked over to it. “Sofia?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Cain pulled open the door and smiled at his friend. “Come in…I didn’t think you’d be up this early.”
“When my David was a prisoner of the High Priestess, that was the only time I could see him before I had to go to work,” Sofia said, pushing a cart on which sat several covered dishes. “And I guess the habit stuck.” Rolling the food into the sitting room, she said, “I hope you’re hungry.”
Sniffing the air, Cain grinned. “Smells good. Will you eat with me?”
“That’s the plan,” Sofia replied, uncovering the plates of food. “I wasn’t sure what you like for breakfast, so Dakota made us eggs and bacon. If you want something else, he said to let him know.”
Staring at the heaping plates of food, Cain slowly shook his head. “Sarge always said I should be thankful for whatever the Good Lord saw fit to give me.”
Smiling, Sofia said, “My sentiments exactly.” Then, sitting down at a small table in front of the window, she gestured at the chair opposite hers. “Sit down, Cain.”
Cain was only too happy to follow Sofia’s order.
After he was seated, he offered a quick thanks to whoever was watching over him before digging into the fluffy, scrambled eggs.
The only sounds in the room were the clinking of silverware against the plates, but it didn’t matter to him.
He was used to eating in silence since prison rules prohibited speaking during meals.
When the last bite of bacon was gone, along with the eggs, Cain sat back in his chair, rubbing his full belly.
“That was the best breakfast I can ever remember eating.”
Setting her fork down, Sofia pushed her plate back a bit before saying, “Dakota is a fabulous chef…wait until you have one of his steaks. The way he makes them…they are simply amazing.”
Cain had never eaten a steak, but from the dreamy look on his friend’s face, he figured it was a good thing. “If it’s as good as his eggs…”
“Oh my,” Sofia said, “it’s really good. My David never had one before he met Zane but after eating one of Dakota’s, he loves them.” She paused for a moment, before asking, “Why don’t we move over to the sofa to talk…is that okay?”
Nervously, Cain walked over to the lone chair near the sofa and sat down, facing Sofia.
He had learned early on that nothing good ever happened when someone said, ‘let’s talk.
’ He was sure Jackson had decided to send him back to prison and that had him tucking his trembling hands under his legs in an attempt to hide them from Sofia.
Aside from losing his freedom, there’d be the pain of losing the first friend he’d made since Sarge died—only the second he’d ever had. But that was the story of his life.
Cain guessed the Alpha felt he wasn’t good enough to keep him—something he’d learned about himself early in life.
And just because he wanted it to be different, Sarge had disavowed him from that notion.
Even now, he could hear Sarge’s gruff voice saying, “A person got to accept the cards life deals them, son…and wishing for things to be different is just foolish thinking.”
He'd given up wishful thinking a long time ago, but unfortunately, he’d forgotten that hard lesson when Oracle appeared before him.
Cain mentally kicked himself for hoping this time would be different.
But he should have known when he walked into his bedroom at the Blackwood Pack house that it was a trick.
Someone like him didn’t deserve to be here.
“Cain? Are you okay?” Sofia asked, after seeing how rigid he’d become.
Shifting his gaze from the floor to her, he murmured, “Yeah…the clothes you gave me are in the closet. I only wore the jeans and t-shirt, but if you tell me how much they cost, I’ll try to pay you back.”
Perplexed, Sofia said, “You don’t owe me anything…I gave them to you…remember?”
“I won’t need them in prison, so maybe your son can use them.”
“Why are you going to be in prison?” asked Sofia, frowning.
Shrugging, Cain lowered his eyes. He didn’t want her to see how much it was hurting him. “Because Jackson changed his mind about me. That’s what you want to tell me, right?”
Sofia shook her head vigorously. “No! Not at all! Jackson told me you can stay as long as you want to!”
Stunned, Cain was speechless as her words sank in. When he regained his ability to talk, he asked, “Really? I can stay?”
Smiling, Sofia nodded. “I asked him yesterday, and that’s what he said.”
Cain shivered at the foreign feeling in his chest, and it took him a minute to recognize it as hope—the same way he felt when he first met Sarge.
It was almost unbelievable, but after searching Sofia’s face, he realized she was telling him the truth.
Exhaling the pent-up air in his lungs, he murmured softly, “Thank you.”
Smiling at Cain, Sofia replied, “You’re welcome, but you should know I had nothing to do with Jackson’s decision. It was all his, so you should thank him.”
“I will…I promise,” Cain said, meaning it sincerely.
“Good…now that’s settled, let’s move on,” Sofia said.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I also asked Jackson to have Zane teach you about computers.
” Holding up her hand to stop any protest Cain might make, she continued, “The most important thing I learned when my son was a captive was how much schooling he’d missed.
Luckily, the Fates gave him Zane, who’s a genius when it comes to anything to do with computers.
It opened up a whole new world for my David and I saw how much more confident he became.
“Both humans and paranormals use computers for almost everything these days, and if someone doesn’t have that knowledge, they are at a tremendous disadvantage in many ways.
This is also about giving you a choice, something that was taken from my son when he was a child, and that only changed when Zane rescued him.
“Right now, you can only see yourself staying here…in the Blackwood Pack…but there may come a day when you decide to leave…and I don’t want you to feel you have to stay just because you don’t think there are any other choices.
“Knowing how to use a computer will help you get and keep a good-paying job…an opportunity denied you because none of your foster parents cared enough to make sure you were prepared for being an adult.” Sofia paused for a moment.
“Gosh, the way I’ve gone on, I sound like a school guidance counselor,” she chuckled.
Then, in a more serious tone, she said, “Cain, I may have overstepped when I spoke to Jackson about this without asking you first, but…”
It took Cain several moments for everything to sink in, but when it had, tears welled up and slowly rolled down his cheeks.
No one other than Sarge had ever worried about him, but by some small miracle, Sofia had come to his rescue.
But unlike Sarge, who protected him from the dangers of living on the streets, she was doing something more—making sure he had choices in his life.
“Oh, honey,” Sofia murmured, getting up to hug Cain. “Don’t cry, everything will be all right, you’ll see.”
Wiping the tears away, Cain could only nod, hoping it was true. But even if it wasn’t, he would always cherish the memory of Sofia caring enough to help him.
~/~/~/~/~
It was the scent of pine and cedar filling his nose that greeted Mac as he slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize it was his mate. Smiling, he closed his eyes again, relishing the closeness of Ollie beside him. My mate…I have a mate…wait till I tell Sawyer!
Mac had dreamt of this moment since he was in his teens, and it had motivated him to join Frontline Doctors after he’d become a physician He was over the moon when he was hired, knowing he was one step closer to achieving his goal by widening his circle of potential mates.
When he received word of his first assignment—to the Blackwood Pack—he hadn’t known his cousins lived there but soon found out when he and his brothers reunited Aunt Hope—who’d been living with them—with her sons who she’d thought were dead.
His brothers had planned only a short stay before returning east, but when his brother Hunter found his Fated Mate, Fionn, everything changed.
Mac smiled, remembering his mother’s last request that Hunter and his brothers take Aunt Hope back home.
After their mother died—and Aunt Hope took a turn for the worse—Hunter decided to head west to honor her request. And thus began a journey that neither he nor his brothers could ever have anticipated.
Not only did Hunter find his Fated Mate, but so did Sawyer, Mac’s twin. And now it was his turn.
I’m so fucking lucky…a mate and a great job on top of it.
Running his fingers through Ollie’s curls, Mac felt desire begin to stir inside him, triggering his need to sink his cock into his mate’s heat.
But he would have to wait until Ollie awakened, which he was sure would not be soon.
Glancing down at his mate’s sweet face, Mac could still see the exhaustion there, even though his mate had slept soundly through the night.
Closing his eyes, Mac thought about Theo’s parents and Ollie’s insistence that they needed to be rescued.
He didn’t disagree—well, that’s not true, if he was being honest with himself—but that didn’t mean he liked the idea.
He only hoped that Jackson would allow Sawyer and Glenn to go with him and Ollie, while keeping Theo in the dark about the plan to rescue his parents just in case the mission went south.
The thought of failure sent a shiver running down his back at the image of his mate getting hurt after Mac had just found him.
“What’s wrong?” Ollie whispered sleepily.
“Nothing, babe…just a bad dream,” Mac murmured, tightening his arm around Ollie’s back. “Go back to sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“Too early to get up,” Mac said softly. “Sleep, my love.”
“Just a little more…” Ollie murmured, his voice fading as sleep reclaimed him.
Relieved his mate was once again asleep, Mac turned his thoughts back to the upcoming rescue and all the possibilities of what might go wrong, including the health condition of Theo’s parents.
There was only so much he could do out in the field; if anyone was near death, then he’d have to try to keep them alive so that Colton could use his power on them.
And for that to happen, they’d have to get back here as quickly as possible.
Mac made a mental note to ask Jackson if they could use the Blackwood Pack van for the trip, as it would give him space to set up a temporary emergency room in the back of it.
And although he wouldn’t be able to fit in everything he’d like to, there would be room for Theo’s parents and critical equipment.
Satisfied with his plan, Mac inhaled his mate’s scent once more before falling back to sleep.