Chapter 7
After leaving Jackson’s study, Sawyer was halfway across the great room when the scent of freshly brewed coffee made him veer off towards the kitchen.
Pushing open the door, his eyes landed on Dakota for a moment before shifting to the mugs of coffee on the counter in front of his cousin.
Smiling, he headed over to them and, taking a mug from Dakota’s outstretched hand, downed a sip before asking, “Has anyone ever told you how fucking smart you are?”
“My mate does all the time,” Dakota replied, grinning. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I wanted to talk to Jackson before my mates got up,” Sawyer replied. “How’s Max doing?”
Dakota’s face broke out in a big grin. “Absolutely fantastic…did you know he can roll over already?”
“No shit!”
“Yeah…Oracle told us that Dire Wolf pups grow quickly, but according to Colton, Max is ahead of where he should be right now.”
“How’s Slate handling being a father?” asked Sawyer.
Shrugging, Dakota replied, “He’s getting better…but he’s still learning that our son needs to do things on his own…like roll over.”
“Yeah…well, maybe there’s hope for me when our cub is born. Glenn thinks I’m gonna be too protective…just like Slate,” Sawyer muttered.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing, cuz…you just have to figure out when to loosen the apron strings, a little bit at a time, and when to keep them tight.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Sawyer quipped, “Maybe a leash would be better.”
Chuckling, Dakota picked up the empty coffee mugs and carried them over to the sink. Then, turning toward his cousin, he asked, “You do know you are mated to a dragon and a white tiger, right?”
“Yeah…so?”
“And you think they’re going to let you put your son on a leash?”
“Why not? It’s better than using apron strings.”
Shaking his head, Dakota muttered, “It’s been nice knowing you.” Then, as he began cracking eggs into a bowl, he said, “Shoo…I have work to do.”
Hesitating, Sawyer studied Dakota for a moment before heading for the door. He wanted to get back to his mates before they woke up.
~/~/~/~/~
After reading Logan’s email twice, Jackson swiveled his chair and looked out his window.
There was so much information in it, he wasn’t sure where to start, but he finally began with in the run-in Brian had with the Alpha of the English Wolves.
According to his brother’s report, the incident had happened when Ian’s father was still alive and before the war between the Scottish Wolves and humans had started.
And while the ensuing conflict hadn’t involved the English Wolves, their Alpha had died during that time after losing a challenge to his son—Heath’s ancestor.
What Logan hadn’t been able to find out was why the son had felt the need to challenge his father.
Jackson could think of several reasons, but without more information, he was simply shooting in the dark.
Turning back to his desk, he picked up his phone to call the one person who might provide the answer. Hitting the call button, Jackson waited.
“Jackson? What the fuck are you calling this early for?” asked Tristan, his eyes trained on his kneeling mate.
“Hey…sorry about that, but can I speak to Heath?”
“Nope,” Tristan grunted, as his mate sucked his cock into his mouth. “He’s a little busy right now…can he call you back?”
Pulling back, Heath let Tristan’s cock slip from his mouth as he grabbed his mate’s phone. “Hey Jackson, what can I do for you?”
“Hey…sorry to interrupt…”
“Not a problem…go ahead,” Heath replied, smirking at Tristan.
“Do you know why your ancestor issued a challenge to his father?”
After hearing the reason for the early morning call, Tristan muttered, “Tell my cousin to fuck off.”
“I heard that,” Jackson said, chuckling.
“Good!” Tristan replied, grabbing the phone back. “Hey cousin…get a life,” he snapped before ending the call. Throwing the phone on his desk, he looked down at his mate’s wet, plump lips and murmured, “Now where were we? Oh yeah, you promised to suck my brains out.”
Laughing softly to himself at his cousin’s comment, Jackson tossed the phone on the desk and returned to Logan’s report.
~/~/~/~/~
Smokey eased his arm out of the tangle of limbs hugging Theo, and then carefully slid out of bed. Standing up, he rubbed his face, trying to rid it of the evidence of his sleepless night. And the blame for it rested squarely on the unexpected arrival of Theo’s cousin.
Padding softly to the closet, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt before heading into the bathroom to get dressed.
A shower would have to wait because Smokey couldn’t ignore what his gut had been telling him ever since last night.
His mates were in danger, and he needed help in keeping them safe.
After finishing in the bathroom, he opened the door silently and glanced at his sleeping mates before heading over to get his boots.
Picking them up, he quietly snuck out of the bedroom.
If he was lucky, Dylon would be in his office early.
Standing in the hallway, he pulled on his boots before heading down to the first floor.
Stopping at the foot of the stairs, his nose twitched at the scent of coffee, and he debated whether he should grab a cup before seeing Dylon.
When his gut reminded him why he had risen so early, he turned away and moved towards Dylon’s office.
After finding it empty, Smokey hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue on to Jackson’s study.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jackson inside.
Rapping his knuckles on the doorframe, he waited until his Alpha glanced up. “I need your help,” Smokey growled.
Pointing to a chair in front of his desk, Jackson said, “Sure…what’s the problem?”
Smokey sat down and thought for a moment, then said, “Theo and Norm’s former Alpha is offering a substantial reward for information about their whereabouts. According to Ghost, the Alpha claims they broke into his house and stole some valuable shit before running away.”
“I see,” Jackson murmured, leaning back in his chair. “When did you find this out?”
“About a week ago…Riley found out the High Council is targeting any Alpha who sent their members to Arald, and since Theo and Norm…”
“Would be witnesses for the prosecution, you believe his intention is to kill them,” Jackson said.
Nodding, Smokey replied, “That’s what makes the most sense to me.”
“Have you told your mates about this yet?”
“No…I didn’t want Theo to stress himself out over the threat…especially now.”
“Have you told Norm?” asked Jackson quietly, leaning forward.
Shaking his head, Smokey said, “I was afraid he might slip and tell Theo.”
Jackson studied the bear for a moment, then growled, “I know you haven’t ever lived in a pack with an Alpha, so I’m gonna ignore the position you’ve put me in by not coming to me as soon as you learned two of my pack members had a price on their heads.
But I’m warning you, don’t do it again. From now on, as long as you and your mates are members of my pack, I expect you to inform me immediately of any and all threats, whether they are against your mates or any other members of my pack. Am I clear?”
“Yes…but…”
“No. There are no ‘buts’ that could justify you keeping this a secret from me,” Jackson said. “Because doing so could put my entire pack in danger.”
“I’m sorry,” Smokey muttered.
Jackson ignored the apology, his mind quickly sorting out the steps needed to protect his pack.
Reaching for his phone, he sent a text to Zane and Dylon, telling them he needed them immediately.
Then looking back at Smokey, he said, “I want all the information Ghost has about the threat and the Ghost Bear Alpha…and I want it now. So get on the phone and have him send you the information.”
“I already have it.” Taking his phone out of his pocket, Smokey opened the email from Riley and forwarded it to Jackson. “Look, I am sorry I didn’t say anything, but I was waiting to see if Riley could find out more information.”
“And I understand that,” Jackson replied, opening the email and quickly scanning it before printing it.
Then, returning his gaze to Smokey, he said, “While you are protecting Theo and Norm, your failure to warn me of a threat has made it impossible for me to do my job…which, as Alpha, is to protect every pack member…including your mates.”
Just then, Dylon entered and sat down next to Smokey. “Hey Smokey,” he said, before turning his attention to Jackson. “What’s up?”
“Read this,” Jackson said, handing the information Ghost had found to Dylon.
Dylon quickly scanned it, before muttering, “Holy fucking shit!” Quickly looking up at Jackson, he asked, “Has Zane verified this?”
“Not yet.”
“Riley did,” Smokey muttered. “So did…”
Rushing into the room, Zane skidded to a stop and plopped down in another chair. “What did I miss?”
Dylon passed the email over to Zane and said, “This.”
Frowning slightly, Zane skimmed it, then let out a low whistle. “Fucking hell! Do Theo and Norm know about this?”
“No,” growled Smokey. “And I don’t want anyone telling them.”
Shaking his head, Zane said, “Not cool, dude…they have a right to know.”
“I agree,” Jackson said. “While Smokey is right about it not good for Theo to know right now because of his pregnancy, that doesn’t apply to Norm and he has the right to know there’s a price on his and Theo’s heads.”
Turning his attention back to the email, Zane studied it for a moment before holding it up and asking, “How sure are we that this is real? I mean…it’s not like the usual postings I find on the dark web…this dude is only seeking information on where they are…he’s not advertising for a hitman.”
“Good point,” Jackson said. “That’s why I want you to check it out. Theo and Norm’s whereabouts aren’t generally known except by the High Council, but Ollie didn’t have any problem finding it out.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Dylon asked, “Who’s Ollie?”
“Theo’s cousin,” Jackson explained. “He showed up last night.”
“Yeah…right out of the blue…imagine that,” Smoky muttered.
Jackson stared at Smokey for a moment before asking, “Do you know something about Ollie I should know?”
“Nope,” Smokey said.
“Glad to hear that,” Jackson said. “Especially since Ollie is not only Theo’s cousin, but he’s also Mac’s Fated Mate.”
“Whoa! Theo’s cousin is Mac’s mate?” asked Zane.
“I’m happy for Mac,” Dylon said.
“So am I,” Jackson said. “However, in the meantime, I need proof whether the info Smokey has about Norm and Theo is real or bullshit. And if you find out it’s the latter, Zane, I want to know who posted it.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked Dylon.
“I need a plan in case it’s real,” Jackson replied.
“Will do,” Dylon said, rising. “It should take me only a couple of hours.”
“Good,” Jackson replied. “And Zane…”
“I know…you want it yesterday,” Zane said, getting up from his chair. “Trust me, you will be the first one I tell.”
Smiling at his brother, Jackson replied, “You got it.” After Dylon and Zane left, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Smokey. “You know as well as I do that Norm has a right to know what you found out,” he said softly.
Smokey glanced down at his hands, clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Fear had done that. He slowly uncurled his fingers before looking up at Jackson. “Are you going to order me to tell Norm and Theo about the threat?”
Jackson didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “I was the first one of my brothers to find my Fated Mate, and it happened to be a Dire Wolf. I was happy but also worried that Steel would insist on being the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. After all, his wolf was huge. However, he told me he wouldn’t have any problem following me.
And for the first few months, everything was fine.
But then, I found out he’d kept something from me in order, as he put it, to protect me.
While I knew he meant well, I was hurt…not because I was his Alpha, but because he took away my choice to make a decision.
When I got over my anger and hurt feelings, we talked it out and he realized he was wrong to do it.
“Then my brother Colton found his Fated Mate and did exactly what Steel had done…he didn’t tell Ian about his gift and when the truth came out, Ian was very hurt.
Luckily for my brother, they worked it out.
My twin, Logan, was also guilty of keeping a secret, but in his case, Kieran actually left him. Thankfully, it worked out in the end.
“I’m not going to force you to tell Norm, but I will ask you to put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if Norm kept something this important from you? ‘Cause it’s the same way he would feel if he found out you didn’t tell him Theo was in danger.”
And when Smokey didn’t answer, Jackson continued, “I can tell you from my experience…first there’s anger followed by a sense of betrayal and hurt that your mate took away your chance to protect Theo. That’s what will happen when Norm finds out you took away his choice.
“You might think it won’t matter if Zane finds out there isn’t an actual threat to your mates, but I can assure you when you least expect it, Norm or Theo, or both of them, will find out.”
Sighing, Smokey knew Jackson was right, and while it was possible to tell Norm, it wasn’t something he wanted to do. “I get it…but until Mac says it’s okay, the risk to Theo is too great right now…at least until he has our cub.”
Nodding, Jackson said, “That’s your choice and I respect it…
but if Zane finds proof the threat is real, I will order round-the-clock protection for Theo and Norm.
And if asked why I have done that, I won’t lie.
” Then, seeing anger cloud Smokey’s face, Jackson held up his hand.
“But I won’t put Theo’s health in danger, either.
So, I will follow Mac’s advice on whether telling him will put either his or the cub’s life in jeopardy. ”
Smokey sat there for a moment before getting up and heading toward the door. But before opening it, he turned to Jackson and asked, “When Zane finds out if this is a real threat or just bullshit, will you please let me know?”
“Of course,” Jackson replied.
Nodding, Smokey pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway. He had a lot of thinking to do, and the best place to do it was out in the woods.