Chapter 27
It had been another long day of work for Wesley, but it had been even harder for his wife, Heather, as it had been every day since they woke up and found themselves chained to a wall.
From that moment on, their lives were a living hell, especially for his wife who bore the brunt of the Alpha’s anger, though Wes still couldn’t figure out why the Alpha had singled her out as the target of his fury throughout their years of confinement.
She didn’t deserve it, but he’d learned early on that his objections only resulted in harsher punishments for her.
Glancing surreptitiously at his wife, he frowned at her exhaustion from having to wash piles of dishes from the Alpha’s dinner party.
He wanted to help her, but one of the pack’s enforcers, who watched over them, had taught him the hard way that it was forbidden.
Wes looked around the kitchen, checking to make sure it was spotless.
Satisfied, he walked over to a cupboard next to the pantry and pulled out a large silver tray.
The only thing left besides the dishes was for him to serve after-dinner drinks to his Alpha and guests before he and Heather were finished for the day.
Carefully and slowly, he took each glass from the cupboard and set them down on the huge worktable in the middle of the room. Next, he went to a floor-to-ceiling cabinet where the linens were stored and grabbed a towel. He took his time so he could still be in the kitchen when his wife finished.
Heading back to the table, Wes wiped each glass with the towel before holding it up to the light to make sure it was spotless before adding it to the tray.
After he finished, he walked over to the locked liquor cabinet and stopped two feet from it.
Hanging his head in submission, he said to the enforcer, “Please, sir…The Alpha is waiting.”
The enforcer snorted at Wes’s tone, walked over, roughly pushed him aside, and unlocked the cabinet. “Hurry up…if the Alpha complains about the delay, I’ll take it out on your hide.”
Wes waited until the enforcer moved away before selecting three different bottles of liquor, which he then brought over and placed next to the glasses.
Finally, he added a small bucket of ice to the tray, and it was ready to be carried into the parlor for the Alpha and his guests.
Feeling the enforcer’s eyes on him, he whipped off his apron, hoisted the tray and headed for the door.
If he were lucky, the Alpha would order him to make the drinks, which would buy his wife more time to get finished with her last chore of the night.
It was times like these Wes knew his wife actually looked forward to returning to their cell where she could finally get off her feet and rest.
He left the kitchen and headed to the parlor with another enforcer following close behind him in case he should try to escape.
The Alpha did not need to worry about that; Wes would never leave his wife behind.
They’d either escape together or end up dying here, the latter being more likely as the years passed.
His wife was slowly giving up, no matter how much he assured her that help would eventually arrive.
Of course, he couldn’t blame her since all their friends had shunned them after the Alpha had declared them guilty of selling one of the pack’s Omegas.
It was still hard to accept that their friends could believe they’d commit such a horrible crime.
Their darling, Theo, had been the light of their lives.
Unfortunately, the evidence the Alpha cooked up appeared to be ironclad, and they had no way to prove otherwise.
Pushing aside those dark memories, Wes approached the closed door of the parlor, knocking once.
As he expected, the Alpha did not respond, forcing Wes to continue to hold the heavy tray with one hand.
Seconds grew into minutes, and his arm screamed in pain at the unnatural position it was forced to remain in.
Biting his lip, he forced his mind to ignore the pain and was about to call on his bear to add his strength when the Alpha finally gave him permission to enter.
Keeping his eyes down, he entered the room, closing the door slowly behind him. Walking over to the console table, he gratefully lowered the tray onto it, and then he waited for instructions. His Alpha loved to impress other Alphas, and, in this case, it was the power he had over Wes.
~/~/~/~/~
Heath kept glancing at Tristan, waiting for him to say something about their meeting with Jackson, but so far nothing had been forthcoming from his mate since they left the Blackwood Pack.
Finally, unable to remain quiet any longer, he said, “You coulda knocked me out with a feather when I heard Jackson’s offer. Can you believe it?”
Tristan looked at his mate before turning his attention back to the road. “Which one?”
“The gold, of course!”
“Ah…yes, the gold…the reason my father, Josiah, killed my other cousins and my uncle. And now I will use it to help his pack…”
“Your pack!” Heath snapped. “It’s your pack now…as it always was supposed to be.”
Tristan shook his head. “No, see, that’s where you’re wrong. My father made it very clear he never wanted me to follow him as Alpha when he kicked my pregnant mother, who was carrying me, out of her home.”
“Fucking-immaterial!” Heath exclaimed. “What’s important is that you are the Alpha, and Jackson’s offer to share the gold with you proves it.”
“I agree, but I can’t help wondering why he’s doing it,” Tristan muttered.
“Because he knows your pack needs it.”
Chuckling, Tristan said, “Babe, you know more than I do that the Alpha of a pack doesn’t offer to share anything with another pack…especially something that’s potentially worth millions.”
“True, but he’s your cousin.”
“I got that, but still, it’s not normal.
If I didn’t know better, I would think Jackson is acting like a…
never mind, it’s not important. In response to your question, yes…
I was stunned. It’s a lifeline that I’ll gladly grab with both hands.
The things I can do with it for my pack members… well, it boggles my mind.”
“But?”
“But?”
“Yeah…what’s the ‘but’? I can hear it in your voice.”
Sighing, Tristan glanced over at his mate and said, “I don’t want to get my hopes up until Jackson gets the report from the geologist.”
Bursting into laughter, Heath chortled, “Jackson already knows there’s gold there…otherwise, he wouldn’t have said anything…he’s not that kind of guy.”
“Yeah, I guessed that, but still…I don’t want anyone to know about the gold until I sign the agreement with Jackson…okay?” Tristan asked, smiling at his mate.
“Wise decision,” Heath replied. “No sense in letting the word get out that there’s gold in them thar hills!”
“Quoting Mark Twain now?”
“What can I say…I loved reading him when I was a wee lad.”
“Wee lad? Isn’t that Scottish?” Tristan asked, smirking.
“Ay, but it sounds better than what my father used to call me.”
“And what was that?”
Shaking his head, Heath said, “Nope…not gonna say.”
“We’ll see about that,” Tristan muttered to himself. Then, as he turned onto the road leading to his pack land, he said to his mate, “Send a text to Jackson telling him we’re here.”
~/~/~/~/~
Head bowed, Oracle stood in front of the three Fates, listening to them discuss Frank’s request. So far, they hadn’t reached a consensus, which didn’t bode well, though she wasn’t surprised.
No one—at least to her knowledge—had ever demanded to know the reason the Fates did anything, but leave it to Frank to be the first one.
She wasn’t sure whether his refusal to comply with their request was his anger at her or something to do with the request itself.
Denport—a town she had never heard of—but one Frank knew a lot about according to the Fates.
It would have been easier if the Fates had provided her with the information, but they insisted Frank should be the one to help her with her mission.
Why? She didn’t know, which was unusual, since the Fates had always given her the complete story surrounding any of her missions. But not now.
Deep in thought, it took a moment before Oracle realized the Fates were silent. And lifting her head, she found them staring at her as if waiting for an answer. The only problem was she didn’t know the question. “I am sorry,” she said softly. “What did you ask me?”
Smiling gently, Lachesis said, “No question, child, just our permission for you to tell him the reason you are going to Denport.”
Bowing her head once again, Oracle murmured, “Thank you.” Then, without warning, she was transported back to her room at the Blackwood Pack house.
Sighing, she sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Her visits with the Fates weren’t usually so stressful, except for the few times she sought their permission to go outside the bounds of her mission.
~/~/~/~/~
Entering the great room, Jackson’s eyes sought the group waiting for him. Walking over to them, he stopped when he reached a mound of luggage, surveying the number of packed bags. Then, looking at Theo, he asked, “You sure you need all this?”
“Of course,” Theo said, smiling. “I don’t know how long we’ll be there, and if the cub comes, then he’ll need his clothes, diapers, toys, blankets, bottles…”
Holding up his hand, Jackson smiled. “I got the picture.”
“Well, I don’t,” grumbled Smokey. “Why does a baby cub need all this stuff?”
Chuckling, Jackson replied, “Trust me…they do. And probably more. Baby shifters grow fast, and that means you need a complete wardrobe for your son in numerous sizes.”
“I already packed one for each size up to 12 months,” Theo said, grinning. “Our son won’t have to go naked…unless we have to stay longer than a year.”
“Fucking hell!” Smokey muttered under his breath.
“I’m sure you won’t be there that long,” Jackson said. “My goal is to get the warrants voided as quickly as possible so you can come back and have your cub here.”
“What about Theo's parents?” asked Norm. “Are you gonna tell them Theo’s pregnant?”
Shaking his head, Jackson replied, “Nope…that’s up to you guys to tell them. My job is to make sure they’re not a threat to Theo or you, Norm. And once I’m satisfied, you can decide what you want to do about meeting them. Okay?”
“But you will tell me when they’re here?” asked Theo.
“Absolutely,” Jackson replied, “but you have to promise me something.”
“What?” asked Theo.
“That you’ll take care of yourself…and your cub,” Jackson said. “That means keeping your stress levels down and concentrating on remaining calm. The cub is your first…and only priority.”
Nodding, Theo said, “I promise…but in order to do that, it would help to know my parents are safe.”
“I know…and I promise to make sure they are,” Jackson replied. “Have you packed the phones and computers Zane gave you?”
“Yeah,” Norm said. “They’re with all the cables Zane included. “
“Good,” Jackson said. “Make sure you use those phones to call me on my burner phone. I don’t think your Alpha will go as far as to hack your phones, but it’s better if we don’t take any risks.”
“We’ll use them,” Smokey growled.
Jackson nodded and paused a moment as he saw Remy walking toward them. “Perfect timing, Remy…they’re packed and ready to go.”
Stopping next to Jackson, Remy smirked. “Doesn’t anyone around here travel light?”
“Most of that stuff is for our cub,” Norm said.
Chuckling, Remy said, “Just kidding…I know how it is…remember I have three brothers who believe they can’t leave any toy behind.” Then, turning to Jackson, he asked, “Did Tristan tell you where they’re gonna stay?”
“Yeah…the Alpha house. He and Heath are waiting there for you.”
Nodding, Remy looked at Smokey, Theo, and Norm. “Ready to go?”
“Yup,” Norm said, grabbing hold of Theo and Smokey’s hands.
Grasping Theo’s other hand, Remy smiled at Jackson, then in a flash, the four of them disappeared, along with all their baggage.
Jackson stared at the empty spot for a moment, knowing he wouldn’t breathe easily until all of them were back home where they belonged.
But in order for that to happen, he needed to focus on the upcoming rescue.
Turning on his heels, he headed to Dylon’s office to join the group gathering there for their last-minute briefing.
~/~/~/~/~
“Holy smoke!” Theo exclaimed, looking up at the Silver Point Alpha’s house. “This is where we’re gonna stay?”
Smokey’s eyes shifted from the enormous house to Tristan, who was now standing next to them. “Hey, thanks for taking us in,” he said, holding out his hand.
Grabbing it, Tristan shook it and said, “Maybe you should wait until you see the inside before you thank me. We haven’t had time to do any renovations; however, it’s clean, and my pack members won’t bother you.
And if it’s all right, I figured Mac and Ollie can also stay here so if there’s a problem with the cub, they’ll be close by. ”
Giving Tristan a grateful look, Norm said, “Thanks.”
“C’mon,” Heath said, opening the front door.
“Let’s get you guys settled in.” Stepping inside, he flipped a light switch before walking into the living room.
“I had the kitchen pantry and fridge stocked with staples, but just let me know if you need anything else. As for the bedrooms, I figured you’d need the biggest bed, so that would be in the primary suite.
The sheets are new, along with the blankets, and the bathroom has fresh towels.
” When no one answered him, Heath turned around and found their guests standing in the living room doorway, staring up with shocked looks on their faces.
“Holy shit!” Smokey mumbled.
“What’s that on the ceiling?” asked Norm.
“Are they nude?” asked Theo.
“I don’t think so,” Smokey answered. “I can’t see their junk.”
“My father had a high opinion of himself,” Tristan said, standing behind his guests. “Like he was a god and thought angels should surround him…hence his version of heaven on the ceiling.”
“He was no fucking god,” Smokey growled.
“No shit!” exclaimed Tristan. “The first time I saw this, the only thought I had was to tear this fucking place down, but then my very smart mate convinced me to keep it because the pack needed it. I finally agreed, but only if we got rid of all the pretentious bullshit.”
“Hmm,” Smokey murmured, looking around. “The bones are good. This could become a gathering space for your pack members.”
“That’s what I think,” Heath said. “Make it a welcoming place for everyone in the pack and not just the Alpha.”
“But that will have to wait,” Tristan said. “C’mon, time to show you the rest of the house.”