Chapter 21
Giving a quick rap of his knuckles against the doorframe of Jackson’s study, Hunter waited until his cousin looked up at him before smiling and entering. After taking a seat in front of the Alpha’s desk, he asked, “What’s up?”
“I received this email from Alex’s grandfather,” Jackson said, passing it over to his cousin. Scanning it, Hunter said, “Okay…do you have a problem granting his request?”
“Nope…but I want to make sure Henri’s visit won’t be an issue with Fionn.”
“Sawyer already…”
“Sawyer?”
“Yeah, he asked Fionn after breakfast.”
Jackson chuckled. “I should’ve guessed…what was Fionn’s response?”
“He doesn’t have any objections. In truth, my mate was a little ticked off that you didn’t approve the request immediately because, as he put it, ‘The Alpha’s not doing a very good job of looking after my brother’.”
Jackson’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Why the hell would he think that?”
Chuckling, Hunter said, “When I asked him what he meant, he told me you should’ve granted permission immediately so Alex wouldn’t worry about it all day long, especially since he’s carrying Fionn’s nephew.”
Throwing up his hands in frustration, Jackson muttered, “Great…just fucking great. I know Alex is pregnant, but the only reason I didn’t was…”
“I know…because you were worried about how Fionn would feel about it, but you don’t have to be, because after he and Alex met in France, they decided it wasn’t something they were going to let come between them.
They support and watch out for each other now because, as far as they’re concerned, the past is the past.”
Shaking his head in amazement, Jackson leaned back in his chair, eyeing his cousin for a moment before speaking. “You’re happy about it?”
“Of course…Fionn has a family again, and that’s changed his world for the better,” Hunter said softly. “Something he thought he’d never have again.”
“We’re his family…”
Holding up his hand, Hunter said, “Yes, he knows that, but it’s hard for a dragon to think of a wolf pack as family.
Fortunately, Alex is a dragon and, more importantly, carries the blood of Artur MacDùghlas in him, so that line of dragons will live on through Alex’s children—something Fionn can’t do.
He’s already revised his will to leave everything to Alex’s son…
or sons, since I’m sure there’ll be more. ”
“You and Fionn could have a child through surrogacy.”
“I know…but it will be a long time before that would happen…considering what the gods have planned for Fionn. Which reminds me…have you heard anything on that front? About the training Fionn’s got to go through?”
“No…not yet,” Jackson said. Then, hearing Mac’s voice, he shifted his eyes to the doorway and saw Mac and Ollie standing there. “Come in,” he said before turning back to Hunter. “Thanks for the update…and be sure to tell your mate that I’ll give Henri approval to visit.”
“Will do,” Hunter said. Turning to his brother and his mate after rising from his chair, he grinned at them. “Hey, Ollie, how’s my brother treating you?”
“Good…really, really good,” Ollie said softly, looking tenderly at Mac.
Blushing, Mac leaned in and murmured in his mate’s ear, “You deserve it,” before brushing his lips against Ollie’s.
Hunter glanced at Jackson and smirked. “Time for me to find my mate. Let me know when you hear from Henri, okay?”
“Will do.”
Hunter gave a brief nod and started towards the door but stopped before he reached it. Turning back to Mac, he asked, “Has Mase been in to see you lately?”
“No, why? Is there a problem?”
“I don’t know…but do me a favor and check him over just to make sure, will you please?”
Jackson studied Hunter for a moment and gave a slight nod before he shifted his gaze to Mac. “Tell Mase that it’s time for his yearly check-up and if he refuses, tell him you are only following my orders.”
Shrugging, Mac said, “Okay.” Then after he and Ollie sat down, he waited until the door closed behind Hunter before asking, “Is everything set for the rescue of Theo’s parents tonight?”
“As far as I know,” Jackson replied. “Right now, Dylon’s working on a plan that will get them out without any fighting.”
Ollie smiled at Mac and then, looking at Jackson, said, “Thank you, Alpha.”
“You can add my thanks to my mate’s too,” Mac said. “It means a lot that you’re willing to help.”
“I know it does,” Jackson said. “And I hope it will help Theo put some of his ghosts to rest.” Then he paused for a moment before he added, “I asked you guys here because I have a few questions for Ollie.”
Surprised, Mac frowned at the seriousness of Jackson’s expression and exchanged glances with his mate. When Ollie shrugged in response, he turned back to Jackson and asked, “About what? He told you everything he knows about the situation with Theo’s parents.”
“I have included you in this meeting because you’re his mate, but the final decision is up to Ollie whether he wants you here.”
“What?” Mac’s eyes quickly found his mate’s. “Do you know what Jackson is talking about?”
Sighing, Ollie closed his eyes for a moment, realizing the Alpha had discovered his secret—and now Mac would also know. Not the way he wanted his mate to find out, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. “I want him here,” he murmured.
Jackson didn’t respond, instead turning the computer screen around so Mac and Ollie could see it before pressing a key to start a video.
He waited until the tape ended, then asked, “Oliver, what gift do you have that allows you to disappear, go through a fence, and end up at my front door without being seen?”
Stunned, Mac shook his head for a moment before looking at his mate. “Oliver? Is that really you in the video?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah…” Ollie replied quietly. “I was gonna tell you, but…”
“When?” asked Mac.
“I meant to tell you after breakfast the other day, but Theo wanted to show me his garden and then there was the fight with the bounty hunter…”
Interrupting his mate, Mac asked, “Does Theo know?”
“No…I never told him.”
“Who else knows you have the gift of invisible speed?” asked Jackson.
“That’s not what I have,” Ollie muttered.
“What is it then?” asked Jackson.
“I have the gift of ‘Silent Zephyr’…according to the oracle who told me the gods had given it to me,” Ollie said softly.
Confused, Jackson looked at Mac for a moment and, by the puzzled look on his face, realized he was also at a loss. At least we’re in the same boat. Shifting his gaze back to Ollie, he said, “I haven’t heard of Silent Zephyr, but it includes a form of invisible speed, right?”
“I guess you could say that,” Ollie replied. “But it’s more than that, cause the gift allows me to fit through a crack so small that only wind can penetrate it.”
“That’s how you got through the gate,” Jackson muttered.
“Yes, once I transform into my zephyr form…”
Staring incredulously at his mate, Mac asked, “You can turn into wind?”
Nodding, Ollie replied, “That’s one way to describe it.”
“And that’s why you disappeared from view and ended up at the front door without the cameras seeing you,” Jackson murmured, leaning back in his chair and studying Ollie before asking, “How long have you had this gift?”
Shrugging, Ollie said, “Since my parents died.”
“Do Theo’s parents know?” asked Jackson.
Shaking his head, Ollie replied, “No one knows…well, other than you two.”
“Why did you keep it a secret?” asked Mac softly.
Ollie grinned. “Why do you think? Can you imagine how people would react if I told them I could become the wind? Do you understand how weird that sounds?”
“He’s got a point,” Jackson said to Mac. “Even now, with all my brothers and cousins’ gifts, Ollie’s is one I’d have found hard to believe without seeing him or, to put it another way, not seeing him…in the video.”
“True,” Mac muttered, rolling his eyes. “I just don’t understand why I never heard of it…
especially since I did extensive research on gifts the Fates and gods can give to us once I got here.
” Then he turned to Ollie and asked, “Did the oracle who told you about the gift tell you anything else…like which god it came from?”
“No…but I didn’t ask either,” Ollie said. “Mainly because I thought it was someone playing a joke on me, but when she assured me it wasn’t, I guess I was kinda speechless and, by the time I thought to ask for more information, she was gone.”
Raising an eyebrow, Mac looked at Jackson. “Do you think our Oracle knows about the Silent Zephyr gift?”
“Possibly,” Jackson murmured, reaching for his phone. Sending Oracle a text, he asked her to come to his study as soon as possible, and after getting a reply, he said, “She’ll be here shortly. While we wait, tell me, when are you guys planning to claim each other?”
~/~/~/~/~
After leaving Jackson’s study, Hunter headed to Mason’s office, intending to find out what had caused his brother’s pain the last time they were together.
He expected Mase to brush off any concerns he voiced, but his brother wouldn’t be able to ignore Jackson’s order about the physical.
He gave a quick rap of his knuckles before entering the room, returning his brother’s smile before he claimed a chair.
“What are you doing here?” asked Mason, setting down his pen. “I thought you were gonna go over the proposal with Fionn regarding his investment.”
“I had just started, but then Alex called and told Fionn he had an emergency and needed to see him,” Hunter explained, quickly holding up his hand to avoid being interrupted.
“Before you ask, it has nothing to do with his pregnancy. Other than that, I have no idea what was so important that Alex wanted Fionn to come immediately.”
“Oh, well, that’s good. At least Mac won’t have to deal with Sawyer’s extreme behavior regarding Alex.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Hunter said, smirking. “Of all of us, he was the last one I ever thought would crack. He was always so carefree and confident that, no matter what the situation was, it would always turn out all right.”
Chuckling, Mason said, “I’m getting a kick out of it. It’s about time our brother faced a challenge that requires something other than his athletic ability.”
“As hard as it is for Sawyer, it’s worse for Mac since he has to deal with him, and all I can say is thank goodness Mac has Jackson to back him up,” Hunter murmured.
Instead of replying, Mason quietly observed his brother for a moment before asking, “You never wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps and take over as Alpha after he died, did you?”
Shifting his gaze away from his brother, Hunter stared out the window, focusing on the leaves fluttering in the light breeze. He finally said, “I spent my childhood learning everything about being an Alpha.”
“So why did you hand it over to our uncle when Dad died?”
“Does it matter anymore?”
Mason thought for a moment, then said, “To me it does.”
“Why?”
“For several reasons…one, you were the legitimate heir…and second, you said it yourself—Dad trained you to be his replacement.”
“I guess it won’t matter if you know, but you have to promise what I tell you won’t leave this room.”
“I promise,” Mason said softly.
Nodding, Hunter closed his eyes and paused a few seconds before beginning.
“When our father died, I called his council together…shifters I’d known since childhood…
to formally assume the Alpha position. My father thought highly of them…
shit, one of them was even my uncle. When I entered the council room, my wolf snarled because none of them looked at me.
I thought it was just a sign of respect. ”
“It was a warning,” Mason murmured.
Hunter inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled before continuing.
“At the meeting, my uncle informed me the council had voted unanimously to form an alliance with another, larger pack. Initially, I didn’t see a problem until I found out it required Quin to mate with the other pack’s Alpha…
an Alpha who had a reputation of being a harsh taskmaster…
to put it mildly…with his pack members. I knew instantly what my uncle was up to since he knew there was no way I’d allow that to happen. ”
“That fucker!” Mason snarled.
“Yup…a real, fucking snake. I have to hand it to our uncle; he knew exactly what button to push to force me out. There wasn’t any way I could send Quin to that pack…”
“It would’ve broken him,” Mason whispered.
“Exactly…so I did the only thing I could think of…”
“You gave the Alpha position to our uncle,” Mason growled, slamming his fist on the desk.
“And we left,” Hunter said. “In the end, it was the right decision because we’re now where Mom wanted us to be.”
Mason thought for a moment before asking, “How did the other pack’s Alpha find out about Quin? I assume he wanted Quin because he’s an Omega.”
“Our fucking uncle was responsible! He made a deal, which would have made him extremely wealthy. I found that out when one of my father’s friends told me how much I would make on the deal when he tried to pressure me to go along with it.
All I had to do was sign the agreement. When I refused, my uncle threatened to challenge me, so I did the only thing I could think of that would remove Quin from their grasp…
I told our uncle that, as head of my family, we were leaving the pack as soon as we buried my father.
Now you see why I didn’t tell anyone the real reason for refusing the Alpha position. ”
“How do you know our fucking uncle isn’t telling other Alphas that Quin is a male Omega?”
“Our uncle had used that as a threat in order for me to go along with the deal, but once he realized I wouldn’t give in, he accepted my offer.”
“Which was?” Mason asked softly, afraid his suspicion would be right.
“You can figure it out,” Hunter said, gazing intently at his brother.
“No, I can’t,” Mason replied. “Tell me.”
Hunter looked away for a few moments. Then he murmured, “I couldn’t do anything about the Alpha who wanted to buy him, but I made a deal with my father’s council never to reveal to anyone that Quin was an Omega.
In exchange for their silence, I signed my inheritance over to them.
” When Mason remained silent, Hunter gave him a hard look.
“That’s why no one can know, especially Quin.
He’s just coming out of his shell, and if he knew what happened, it would shatter him. ”
Mason looked at his brother for a moment.
Then, he stood and walked over to him. Grasping his brother’s hand, he pulled him up from his chair and hugged him tightly while whispering in his brother’s ear, “Dad would be so proud of the Alpha you have become…thank you for everything, Hunt…and I swear to you…I will never say a word about this.”